UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BOOKSTACKS The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofphra00brew_0 DICTIONARY PHRASE AND FABLE. DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE, GIVING THE Derivation Source^ or Origin of Common Dh/'ases, Allnsioiis^ and Words that have a Tale to TelL BY THE REV. E. COBHAM BREWER, LL.D., OF TRINITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE; Author of “ Guide to Sciencef History of France f “ Theology in Scicncef (5j^c, <5rc. THIRD EDITION. CASSELL, FETTER, & GAL PIN, LONDON, PARIS, AND NEW YORK. V!,i5 I &i Q. •/) cv cV X -£ PREFACE. “WiiAT has this babbler to say?” is substantially the question of every one to whom a new book is offered. For ourselves, it will be difficult to furnish an answer in a sentence equally terse and explicit ; yet our book has a definite scope and distinct speciality, which we will proceed to unfold. We call it a “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,” a title wide enough, no doubt, to satisfy a very lofty ambition, yet not sufficiently wide to describe the miscellaneous contents of this “alms-basket of words.” As the Gargantuan course of studies included everything known to man and something more, so this sweep-net of a book encloses anything that comes within its reach. It draws in curious or novel etymologies, pseudonyms and popular titles, local traditions and literary blunders, biographical and historical trifles too insignificant to find a place in books of higher pretension, but not too worthless to be worth knowing. Sometimes a criticism is adventured, sometimes an exposition. Yulgar errors, of course, form an item; for the prescience of the ant in laying up a store for winter, the wisdom of the bee in the peculiar shape of its honey-comb, the disinterestedness of the jackal, the poisonous nature of the upas tree, and the striding of the Ehodian Colossos, if not of the nature of fable, are certainly “more strange than true.” In regard to etymology, it forms a staple of the book, which professes to give “ the derivation, source, or origin of words that have a tale to tell.” Thus, abandon is to “desert your colours;” church means “a circle,” and not “ God’s house,” as is usually given ; prevaricate is “ to go zig-zag,” .or “plough a crooked furrow;” scrupulous is to get a “stone in one’s shoe;” sw is cousin german to the Greek “anax,” a vi PREFACE. king; head, to the Greek “kephale;” wig, to the Latin “pilucca;” tear and the French larme are mere varieties of the Greek “dakru/’ A large number of such word-studies have been admitted as walnuts for after dinner. Many others will serve to show how strangely even wise men will sometimes err when they wander in Dreamland : witness the etymology given by Dr. Ash of the word curmudgeon ; Orabbe’s ety- mology of the word doze, noticed under the article Sleep in this Dictionary; Isidor’s derivation of the word stipulate; Blackstone’s deduction of parson from “persona; ” Pliny’s druid from “ drus,” an oak; Scaliger’s etymology of satire ; Bescherelle’s higot ; Ducange’s Saracen ; Bailey’s Dunstable; the derivation given in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of the Isle of Wight; that of barbarous from “barba,” a beard; of Shoreditch from “ Jane Shore ;” of Stony Arabia; Ptolemy’s blunder about Arabia Felix {see Yemen) ; Lloyd’s etymology of Ireland, “ the land of ire;” and Lord Coke’s Parliament (q.v.). Pleasant fables these, which have a right to stand in this museum of odds and ends. Fugitive matter of this sort makes up no small portion of our bulky volume ; but, after all, the main substance of the book is “Phrase and Fable” proper. We have all met with a number of familiar phrases, some of them “as old as the hills,” the meaning of which, though perfectly plain, it is difficult to connect with the words themselves. Why, for example, is common sense so called.^ and how can we be said to have seven senses ? Why is kindliness of heart called good-humour ? and one “ gate ” said to be hilled with hindness ? What was the cat of the famous Whittington that made him a merchant prince ? Why is it said there is luck in odd numbers ? Why does Hamlet call the ghost old True-penny ? Why is a parasite called a Toad-eater ? or a hare Wat ? What is the origin of such household phrases as standing Sam, mare^s-nest, shell out, hich the buchet, dishing the spurs, little urchin, layers-over for medlers, eau de vie, fagot votes, salted accounts, ivalls have ears, the polite refusal expressed by the words Til thinh about it, and why is a mismanaged concern called a hettle of fish ? We talk of getting our hand or foot in, of the crisis of a disease, of 2i pretext (which, of course, is a sort of dress), with a thousand similar words and phrases ; but where they come from, how they became naturalised, and what they refer to, is, for the most part, a mystery. One object of this PREFACE. vii “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable” is to make them tell their respective tales. Again, there are a host of words which have an attached meaning, apart “from” their original bearing, such as Aclullamites ; shibboleth; tariff; delirium, which has something to do with ploughing ; canvassing a town, which has something to do with hemp ; suffrages and suffragans, which are somehow connected with the pasterns of a horse ; banlcrupt, a man whose bench is broken; grotesque, which must belong to the word grotto ; a tradesman’s bill, which must be connected with a billet of wood; and all such strange misnomers as widoiv-bird, Judas-tree, wolfs-bane, Jerusalem artichoke, and fox-glove. Who gave them their present twist ? who effaced their old image, and stamped on them their present superscription In what crucible have they been melted, that their nature has been so completely changed? To give a brief and trustworthy answer is another of the objects of our book. Once more. There are allusions in every newspaper and periodical, which would puzzle many a wrangler more than the “Principia” of Hewton. Orabbe, for example, says, I do not use the word fight in the sense of Mendoza, the Jew ; but no extant book that I know of throws any light upon this Hebrew. Hapoleon said of the young Queen of Prussia, She was Armida, in her distraction, setting fire to her own palace. Sir Walter Scott says, I submitted, like Dorax, with a swelling heart. The song says. Sham Abram you may, but must not sham Abraham Newland. Longfellow says. Thought, like Acestes* arrow, kindles as it flies. The Times says, Let Gryll be Gryll, and keep his hoggish mind. Some hundreds of such allusions are explained in the present book. Then we have references to Scandinavian and other mythology, bogie-land and fairy-land, ghouls and gnomes, and a legion of character- words, such as Bumbledom and Podsnappery, Lilliputian and Utopian, Jeremy Diddler Sbud Jerry Sneak, Tony Lumpkim, Tom Tiddler, Bob Acres, and S queers, the Malaprops and Partingtons of society, whom we meet with in our daily walks, but know neither their family nor address. The “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable” is their Directory, not so perfect as that of the Post Office, yet sufficiently so, we hope, to give the local habitation of the most characteristic. In a word, from a mass of viii PREFACE. material in manuscript, fully tlirice the size of the present volume, we have selected some 20,000 examples of what we have thought to be the best suited for popular purposes. Much has been culled, of necessity, from the thousand and one sources of such lore, in English, German, or French, and more is entirely new. We cannot even hope that all our explanations will pass the ordeal of critics unscathed. It is the bread and cheese of some to ‘‘pick holes in a’ our coats;” and the lighting on weak places carries with it something of the ferret’s or huntsman’s “passion.” What is fair game will, of course, be run hard; and some of our statements must of necessity be mere matters of opinion, in more than one instance modified even while these pages have been passing through the press ; but we doubt not that most of them are correct, and are bold to believe that we have in many cases succeeded, where others have wholly or partially failed. The labour has been the willing labour of an enthusiast, who has been for twenty years a “ snapper-up of unconsidered trifles.” If other eyes less fond see defects in any of these little ones, and will communicate with the author, or his publishers, he will promise to be more grateful than the Archbishop of Toledo to his secretary Gil Bias. As a rule, the names of Greek and Latin fable have been excluded from this Dictionary ; where an exception has been made it is either because the ivord has been so incorporated into our litefi'ature as to render its omission a serious defect, or because some characteristic has been added which finds no place in a “ Classical Dictionary,^* THIRD EDITION. It would be to the general reader a wearisome Hst, if the names were sot down of all the correspondents who have by their suggestions shown an interest in this Dictionary. Some of them have written from America, others from Germany, Belgium, France, and Norway, two from Ireland, many from Scotland, and the rest from England. George Martin, Esq., of Birkenhead, and F. Tolhausen, Esq., whose name is already before the public, have gone through the book seriatim, and their remarks are most gratefully acknowledged. To all our correspondents we return our thanks ; and if they or others still observe faults which have escaped detection, we shall be glad to have them pointed out to us. Havant, Chichester, THE AUTHOR. THIED EDITION. CURIOUS LITERARY BLUNDERS. Yiegil has placed -^Eneas in a harbour which did not exist at the time: Tortusg^ue require Velinos {u^neid, vi. 366). Again, he makes -Eneas listen to the roar of the Yelinns, as it rushed through its narrow gorge into the Nar. Audiit amnis Sulfurea Nar albiis aqua, fontesque Velini — jEneid^ vii. 517. Now, Curius Dentatus cut this gorge through the rocks to let the waters into the Nar ; before this was done the ‘‘ Yelinns ” was a number of stagnant lakes. In YirgiTs time the waters fell in a cascade from the height of several hundred feet into the river, and the poet might have listened to the roar, but -Eneas could know nothing of the harbour or cascade. Chaucee, in his Court of Love, says : “ The throstle-cock sings so sweet a tune that Tubal himself, the first musician, could not equal it.” Of course he means Jubal. SiiAKESPEAEE, in his Henry IV., makes the carrier complain that ‘‘ the turkeys in his pannier are quite starved (1 Henry IV., act ii. 5); whereas turkeys came to us from America, and America was not even discovered for a century after the reign of Henry lY. Again : in Henry V. (act v. 1), Gower is made to say to Eluellen, ‘‘ Here he [Pistol] comes, swelling like a turkey-cock.” In Julius Ccesar (ii. 1) Brutus says to Cassius, “ Peace ! count the clock.” To which ’Cassius replies, “The clock hath stricken three.” Clocks were unknown to the Eomans, and striking clocks were not invented till some 1400 years after the death of Caesar. SciiiLLEK, in his Piccolojniniy speaks of a “ lightning-conductor.” This was about 150 years before its invention. CowPEE calls the rose “ the glory of April and May,” but June is the great rose month. In the south of England they begin their bloom the latter half of May, and go on to the middle of July, X CURIOUS LITERARY BLUNDERS. Thomas Moore says — The sunflower turns to the god when he sets The same look that she turned when he rose. The sunflower does not turn either to the rising or setting sun. It receives its name not because it ‘‘ turns ” to the sun, but because it resembles a picture sun. W. Morris, in his Atalanta^s Race, has mistaken the Greek word saopliron for ‘‘ safFron.^^ He says — She the saffron gown will never wear. And in no flower- strewn couch shall she be laid. That is, she will never be a bride. Nonnus (bk. xii.) tells us that virtuous women wore a girdled gown called saopliron (chaste) to indi- cate their purity, and to prevent improper liberties. The gown was not yellow, but it was girded with a girdle. Eymer, in his Fceclera (vol. I., pt. i., p. 9), has ascribed to Henry I. (who died in 1135) a preaching expedition for the restoration of Rochester Cathedral, injured by fire. This fire occurred in 1177^, and the church was only fresh built at the close of the reign of Henry I. In p. 8 a still more striking error occurs : here a deed of gift to the same cathedral from “ Henry king of England and lord of Ireland ” is ascribed to Henry I. ; whereas Ireland was added to the English crown by Henry II., and the deed referred to was the act of Henry III. Again, p. 71 (the same volume), Odo is made in 1298 to swear “ in no wise to confederate with Richard I. ; ” whereas Richard the Lion- heart died in 1199. Mazurier, a surgeon, wrote in 1618 a treatise called Veritable du Geant Teutohoclms, to prove from certain bones found in a tomb ” that “ Teutobochus ” was thirty feet high ; but the bones turned out to be those of a mastodon. Dr. Mather in 1712 announced, in the Philosophical Tracis actions f the discovery in Hew York of another giant of similar size; but the bones from which he drew his inference were the teeth and bones of a mastodon also. Sir Archibald Alison, in his Historiji has fallen into an error as strange as Dr. Ash’s etymology of curmudgeon (q.v.). The phrase droit du timbre (stamp duty) he translates timber duties.” CURIOUS LITERARY BLUNDERS, XI Articles oe War for the Army. There is a curious blunder in these “Articles.’’ By the third article it is ordered “that every recruit shall have the 40fch and 46th of the articles read to him.” Now the 40th article relates wholly to the misconduct of cliajplains, and has no sort of concern with recruits. Probably the 41st, which like the 46th is about mutiny and insubordination, is the one intended. A L0j55D0N Newspaper. One of the leading journals of the day has spoken three times within two years of “passing under the Caudine Forks,” evidently under the misapprehension that they were a “ yoke ” instead of a mountain pass. It is quite true that the Eoman army entrapj)ed there was sent “ under the yoke,” but that yoke was not the “ Furculge Caudi'nae.” Chambers, in their Encyclo^pcedia, state that the “fame of [Beau- marchais] rests on his two operas, Le Barbier de Seville (1755) and Be Mariage de FigaroB Mozart composed the opera of Figaro in 1786, and Casti wrote the libretto. The opera of II Barhiere di Siviglia was composed by Eossini in 1816. What Beaumarchais wrote were two GomedieSf one in four and the other in five acts. The queen of France (Marie Antoinette) often performed the character of Eosina in the former comedy, and the latter was interdicted by the king as of dangerous political tendency. When the ban was removed all Paris was beside itself. — Article Beaumarchais. In their Journal is a paper entitled “ Coincidences,” which states that “ Thursday has proved a fatal day with the Tudors, for on that day died Henry YIIL, Edward YI , Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth.” This is not correct ; for Henry YIII. died on Friday, January 28, 1547 (see Bymer, Feeder a,' vol. xv., p. 123); and Elizabeth died on Monday, March 24, 1603. In the same paper it is stated that “ William HI. and every one of the Georges died on a Saturday;” but what is the fact? William III. died on Wednesday, March 8, 1702 ; and George I. died also on JVednes- day, June 11, 1727. Dickens, in his Nicholas Nichlehy, represents Mr. Squeers as setting his boys “ to hoe turnips ” in midwinter. Again, in Eckvin Brood, he places “ rooks and rooks’ nests ” (instead of daws) “ in the towers of Cloisterham.” CURIOUS LITERARY BLUNDERS. xii Whyte Melville, in his historical novel of Holmby House (ch. xxix.), makes a very prominent part of the story turn upon the death of a favourite hawk named Diamond. Mary Cave tossed it off so that it “ fell lifeless at the king’s feet.” This, he says, is what she “ anticipated, and was exactly what she intended should happen,” because it was the means of arresting the king’s attention, and securing for herself an interview with the monarch. In ch. xlvi. this very hawk is repre- sented alive again ; proud, beautiful, and cruel, like a Venus Victrix it perched on her mistress’s wrist, unhooded.” West, president of the Eoyal Academy, has represented Paris in Bom an costume, instead of Phrygian. Etty has placed a helmet of the period of James I. by the bedside of Holofernes. See also Oelando Eurioso, Vallambroso, &c. &c., in the body of the book, BEEWEE'S DICTIONAET PHRASE AND FABLE. A. This letter is the outline of an ox’s head, the two legs being the two horns. It is called in Hebrew alepli (an ox). A among the Egyptians is the hiero- glyphic which represents the ibis. Among the Greeks it was the symbol of a bad augury in the sacrifices. A in logic is the symbol of a universal affirmative. A asserts, E denies. Thus, syllogisms in harhara contain three uni- versal affirmative propositions. A 1 means first-rate — the very best. In Lloyd’s Kegister of British and Foreign Shipping, the character of the ship’s hull is designated by letters, and that of the anchors, cables, and stores by figures. A 1 means hull first-rate, and also an- chors, cables, and stores ; A 2, hull first- rate, but furniture second-rate. Slie is a prime girl, she is; she is A.l.—SaYti SlicTe. A.B. (-S'eeABLE.) ABC Book. A primer, a book in which articles are set in alphabetical order, as the “ABC Bail way Guide.” A.E. I. O. U. The device al opted by Frederick, emperor of Germany. Austriae Est Imperare Orhi Eniverso. Alles Erdreich 1st Oesterreich Unterthan. Austria’s Empire Is Overall Universal. Austria’s Empire Is Obviously Upsut. Frederick HI., in the fifteenth cen- tury, translated the motto thus : — Austria Erit In Orbe Ultima {Austria will one day be lowest in the scale of empires). A.U.C. Anno v.rlis conditoe (Latin), “from the foundation of the city” — i.e., Borne. Aaron. An Aaron’s serpent. Some- thing so powerful as to swallow up minor powers. Thus, Prussia was the Aaron’s serpent that swallowed up the small German States ; England was the Aaron’s serpent that swallowed up the States of India. A gigantic monopolyis the Aaron’s serpent that swallows up small private traders. (Exod. vii. 10 — 12). Ab o'vo. From the very beginning. Stas'imos, in the epic poem called the “ Little Iliad,” does not rush in medias res, but begins with the eggs of Leda, from one of which Helen was born. If Leda had not laid this egg, Helen would never have been born. If Helen had not been born, Paris could not have eloped with her. If Paris had not eloped with Helen, there would have been no Trojan War, &c. a 1) O'VO usque ad mala. From the first dish to the last. A Boman coena (chief meal) consisted of three parts. The first course was the appetiser, and consisted chiefly of eggs, with stimulants ; the second was the “ dinner proper ; ” and the third the dessert, at which mala, (i.e., all sorts of apples, pears, quinces, pomegranates, and so on) formed the most conspicuous part. Aback'. I was tahen aback— \ was greatly astonished — taken by surprise — startled. It is a sea term. A ship is “taken aback” when the sails are sud- denly carried back by the wind. Ab'acus. Each wire contains ten balls. The Abacus is an in- strument for calcula- tion. The word is derived from the He- brew abak (dust), be- cause the Orientals used tables covered witii dust for ciphcr- B —00 00000000 — —0000 000000 — — 0 000000000 — —0000000 000 — — 00000 00000 — —000000000 o— ABADDON. ABDIEL, ing and diagrams. The multiplication table invented’ by Pythagoras is called Ah'acus Pythagor'icus. Abaddon. The angel of the bottom- less pit. (Rev. ix. 11.) The Hebrew aSac? means to be lost.” Abam'bou. The evil spirit of the Gamma tribes in Africa. A fire is kept always burning in his house. He is supposed to have the power of causing sickness and death. Abandan'nad. A boy who picks pockets of bandannas (pocket-handker- chiefs). The word is a contraction of A handanna-lad. Abandon means properly to go away from your general’s ensign ; to fly from your colours. (Latin — a, away from ; ” bandum, the general’s banner.”) Ab'aris. The dart of Abaris. Abaris, the Scythian, was a priest of Apollo ; and the god gave him a golden arrow on which to ride through the air. This dart rendered him invisible ; it also cured diseases, and gave oracles. Abaris gave it to Pythag'oras. The dart of Abaris carried the philosopher wheresoever he desired it— Willmott. Abased. In heraldry the wings of eagles are called abased, when the tops are turned downward towards the point of the shield, or when the}’' are shut. Abas'ter. One of the horses of Pluto. {See Abatos.) Abate means properly to knock down. (French, abattre, whence a battue, i,e., wholesale destruction of game; Saxon, a-bedtan.) Abate, in horsemanship, is to per- form well the downward motion. A horse is said to abate when, working upon curvets, he puts or beats down both his hind legs to the ground at once, and keeps exact time. Abatement, in. heraldry, is a mark of dishonour annexed to coat armour, whereby the honour of it is abated. Ab'atos. One of the horses of Pluto. (See Aeton.) Abb'aside (3 syl.). A family of Arab caliphs, who reigned from 749-1257. The name is derived from Abbas ben Abd-al- Motalleb, paternal uncle of the prophet Mahomet. The most celebrated of these caliphs was Haroun-al-Raschid, born 765, reigned 786-808. Abbey Lands. At the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey lands were mainly divided among five noble families, if the following rhyme may be relied on ; Hopton, Horner, Smyth, Knocknaile, andThynne When abbots went out, they all came in. Abbot of Misrule, or Lord of Misrule, A person who used to superin- tend the diversions of Christmas. In France the Abbot of Misrule” was called Labbt de Liesse. In Scotland the master of revels was called the Master of Unreason.” Abbotsford. A name given by Sh Walter Scott to Cartl^y Hole, on the south bank of the Tweed, after it became his residence. Sir Walter devised the name from a fancy he loved to indulge in, that the abbots of Melrose Abbey, in ancient times, passed over thes/or^s of the Tweed. Abb- wool. Wool or yarn used in the woof or abb of woollen fabrics. (Saxon.) Abdall'ah, the father of Mahomet, was so beautiful, that when he married Ami'na, 200 virgins broke their hearts from disappointed love. — Life of Ma^ hornet,” by Washington Irving. AbdalPah. Brother and predecessor of Giaffir, pacha of Aby'dos. He was murdered by Giaffir (2 Byron, Bride of Abydos.” Ab'dals. Persian fanatics, who think it a merit to kill any one of a different religion, and if slain in the attempt, are accounted martyrs. Abde'rite (3 syl.). A scoffer. De- moc'ritos, the laughing or rather scoffing philosopher, was a native of Abdera, in Thrace. Abde'ritan. A native of Abdera — a fool. The stupidity of the Abderitans was proverbial. They were ultimately compelled to abandon their native land and migrate to Macedonia, in consequence of the swarms of rats and frogs. Ab'diel. The faithful angel who withstood Satan when he urged th© angels to revolt. (He) adheres with the faith of Abdiel to the ancient form of adoration.— A’ir Walter bcoti. ABECEDARIAN. ABOMINATION. Abeceda'rian. One who teaches or is learning his ABC. Abecedarian hymns. Hymns which began with the letter A, and each verse or clause following took up the letters of the alphabet in regular succession. {See Acrostic Poetry. ) Abel Xeene. A village school- master, afterwards a merchant’s clerk. He was led astray, lost his place, and hanged himself. — Crabbds “ Borough ” Letter j xxi. Abel Shufflebottom. A name assumed by Robert Southey in some of his amatory productions. (1774-1843.) A^belites (3 syl.), AbeVians^ or Abe- lo'nians. A Christian sect of the fourth century, chiefly found in Hippo (N. Africa). They married, but lived in continence, as they affirm Abel did. The sect was maintained by adopting the children of others. No children of Abel being mentioned in Scripture, the Abelites assume that he had none. Abes'sa. The impersonation of Abbeys and Convents, represented by Spenser as a damsel. When Una asked if she had seen the Red Cross Knight, Abessa, frightened at t he lion, ran to the cottage of blind Supei stition, and shut the door. Una arrived, and the lion burst the door open. The meaning is, that at the Reformation, when Truth came, the abbeys and convents got alarmed, and would not let Truth enter, but England (the lion) broke down the door. — Fouery Queen j b. i. Abes'ta. The Commentary of the Zend. Abey or Alawy. The Nile, so called by the Abyssinians. The word means ‘Hhe giant.” Abey'anee really means something gaped after (French, bayer^ to gape). The allusion is to men standing with their mouths open, in expectation of some sight about to appear. Abhor' (Latin, ab, '^intensive,” and hovreo, set up the bristles,” as a cat from antipathy to a dog). To abhor is to have a natural antipathy, and to show it by “ bristling ” ii; anger. Abia'la. Wife of Maljambi ; African deities. She holds a pistol in her hand, and is greatly feared. Her aid is im- plored in sickness. Abidhar'ma. The book of meta- physics in the Tripit'aka {q-v.). Ab'igail. A lady’s maid, or lady-maid. Abigail, who introduced herself to David, calls herself over and over again his handmaid (1 Sam. xxv. 3) ; hence the word became a synonym for a lady- maid, as Goliath for a giant, Samson a strong man, and Job a model of patience. Beaumont and Fletcher, in ‘‘The Scornful Lady,” call the “waiting gentlewoman ” Abigail, a name employed by Swift, Fielding, and others, in their novels. Probably “Abigail Hill,” the birthplace of Mrs. Masham, waiting- woman to queen Anne, popularised the name. Abim'elech is no proper name, but a regal title of the Philistines, meaning Father-king. Able, An able-bodied seaman is one not only sound in wind and limb, but skilled in seamanship, and willing to serve. Such a man is termed an A.B. Aboard. He fell aboard of me— met me, abused me. A ship is said to fall aboard another when, both being in motion, one runs against the other and obstructs its progress. To go aboard is to embark, to go on the board or deck. Aboard main tack is to draw one of the lower corners of the main-sail down to the chess-tree. Figuratively, it means “ to keep to the point.” Aboll'a. An ancient military garment worn by the Greeks and Romans, opposed to the toga or robe of peace. The abolla being worn by the lower orders, was affected by the philosophers in the vanity of humility. Abom'inate {ab o'minay ill-omened). As ill-omened things are disliked, so, by a simple figure of speech, what we dislike we consider ill-omened. Abomina'tion. The abomination of desolation. The Roman standard is so called. (Matt. xxiv. 15.) As it was set up in the holy temple, it was an abomina- tion ; and, as it brought destruction, it was the “abomination of desolatioa.” ^ 2 4 AEON. ABEAHAM. / Abon Hassan. A rich merchant, transferred during sleep to the bed and palace of the caliph Haroun-al-Easchid. Next morning he was treated as the caliph, and every effort was made to make him forget his identity. The same trick was played on Christopher Sly, in the Induction of Shakespeare’s comedy of Taming the Shrew;” and, according to Burton Anatomy of Melancholy,” ii. 2, 4), by Philippe the Good, duke of Burgundy, on his marriage with Eleono'ra. — Arabian Nights, ^^The Sleeper AwahenecV Were I caliph for a day, as honest Ahon Hassan, I would scourge me these jugglers out of the Commonwealth — Walter Scott. Abor'tion. A work badly finished, especially a literary production. An abortion is a human foetus born before the sixth month of pregnancy. "Abortive Flowers are those which have stamens but no pistils. Abou ebn Sina, born at Shiraz. The great Persian physician, whose canons of medicine were those adopted by Hippoc'rates and Aristotle. Died 1037. Abou-Bekr, called Father of the Virgin, Mahomet’s favourite wife. He was the first caliph, and was founder of the sect called the Sunnites. (571-634.) Abou* Jahi'a. The angel of death. {Mahom. Myth.) Above. In a previous part of the book, as See above, p. An expression derived from the ancient method of making books in the form of scrolls, when the writer began at the top and continued to the bottom, which was the end. Above board. In a straightforward manner. Dr. Johnson says the expres- sion is derived from gamesters, who place their hands above the table when they change cards, that thdr adversaries may see they play fairly. Above your hook — i.e., beyond your comprehension ; beyond your mark. The allusion is to hat-pegs placed in rows ; the higher rows are above the reach of small statures. Abracada'bra. A charm. Abraca- dabra was the supreme deity of the Assyrians. Sere'nus Samondcus recom- mended the use of the word as a powerful Untidote against ague, flux, and tooih- ache. The word was to be written on parchment, and suspended round the neck by a linen thread, in the form given below : — ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR ABRACADAB ABRACADA A B R A C A D A B R A C A A B R A C A B R A A B R A B A Abrae'alam. A Syrian deity. A cabalistic word, serving as a charm among the Jews. Abrae'ax, also written Aihrax'as or Abras'ax, in Persian mythology denotes the Supreme Being. In Greek notation it stands for 365. In Persian mythology Abracax presides over 365 impersonated virtues, one of which is supposed to pre- vail on each day of the year. In the second century the word was employed by the Basiliddans for the deity ; it was also the principle of the Gnostic hier- archy, and that from which sprang their numerous ^ons. A'braharo, The Ghebers say that Abraham was thrown into the lire by Nimrod’s order, but the flame turned into a bed of roses, on which the child Abraham went to sleep. — Tavernier. Sweet and welcome as the bed For their own infant prophet spread. When pitying Heaven to roses turned The death-flames that beneath him burned. T. Moore, Fire Worehippersl* To Sham Abraham. To pretend illness or distress, in order to get off work. {See Abram-Man.) I have heard people say Sham Abram you may, But must not sham Ahraliam Newland. Upton. Abraham Newland was cashier of the Bank of England, and signed the notes. Abraham’s Bosom. The repose of the happy in death. (Luke xvi. 22;) The figure is taken from the ancient custom of allowing a dear friend to recline at dinner on your bosom. Thus the beloved John reclined on the bosom of Jesus. There is no leaping from Deli'lalCs lap into Abraham's bosom — i.e., those who live and die in notorious sin, must not expect to go to heaven at death. — Bos- ton, Crook in the Lot." ABRAHAM. ABSTRACT. Abraham iN'ewland, An. A bank-note ; so called because, in tlie early part of the present century, none were genuine but those signed by this name. Abrahamle Covenant. The cove- nant made by God with Abraham, that Messiah should spring from his seed. This promise was given to Abraham, because he left his country and father’s house to live in a strange land, as God told him, Abrahamites (A-bra/iam-ifes). Cer- tain Bohemian deists, so called because they professed to believe what Abraham believed before he was circumcised. The sect was forbidden by the emperor Joseph II. in 1783. Abram-Man, or Ahraham Cove. A Tom o’ Bedlam ; a naked vagabond ; a begging impostor. The Abraham Ward, in Bedlam, had for its inmates begging lunatics, who used to array themselves with party- coloured ribbons, tape in their hats, a fox- tail hanging down, a long stick with streamers,” and beg alms; but for all their seeming madness, they had wit enough to steal as they went along.” — Canting Academy. 8ee “ King Lear,” ii. 3. In Beaumont and Fletcher we have several synonyms : — And these, what name or title e’er they hear, Jackman or Pat'rico, CranJce or Clapper-dudgeon, Fraier or Ahram-man, I speak to all. Beggar's Bush, ii. 1. Abrax. One of the horses of Auro'ra. Abrax'as Stones. Stones with the word Abraxas engraved on them, and used as a talisman. The word sym- bolises the mystic number 365, and the number of intelligences between earth and deity. {See Abr acax. ) Abreast. Side by side, the breasts being all in a line. The ships were all oibreast — i.e.y their heads were all equally advanced, as soldiers marching abreast. Abridge has no connection with the -wordi bridge ; but ‘^bridge” in this word is a corruption of the Greek brachus, or Latin brevis (short), through the French abreger (to shorten). Abroacb. Afloat. To set mischief abroach is to set it on foot. The figure is from a tub of liquor, which is broached that the liquor may be drawn from it. Abroad. You are all abroad. Wide of the mark ; not at home with the sub- ject. Abroad — in all directions. An elm displays lier dusky arms abroad. Drydeiu Abroe'omas. The lover of Anthi'a, in Xenophon’s romance called ^'Ephe- si'aca.” {See Anthi'a.) Ab'rogate. When the Roman senate wanted a law to be passed, they asked the people to give their votes in its fa- vour. The Latin for this is rogdre legem (to solicit or propose a law). If they wanted a law repealed, they asked the people to vote against it ; this was ab- rogdre legem (to solicit against the law). Ab'salom. James, duke of Mon- mouth, the handsome but rebellious son of Charles II. in Dryden’s ^^Absalom and Achitophel.” (1649-1685.) Abscond' means properly to be in hiding ; but we generally use the word in the sense of stealing off secretly from an employer. (Latin, abscondo.) Ab'sent, The. Out of mind as soon as out of sight.” Generally misquoted Out of sight, out of mind .” — Lord Brooke. Ab'solute. A Captain Absolute y a bold, despotic man, determined to have his own way. The character is in Sheri- dan’s play called ^^The Rivals.” Sir Anthony Absolute, a warm-hearted, testy, overbearing country squire, in the same play. Absquat'ulate. To run away or ab- scond. An American word, compounded of ab squat (to go away from your squat- ting). A squatting is a tenement taken in some unclaimed part, without pur- chase or permission. The persons who take up their squatting are termed squatters. AbsteTnious, according to Fabius and Aulus Gellius, is compounded of abs and teme'tum. ^^TemeTum” was a strong, intoxicating drink, allied to the Greek methe (strong drink). Abstract IXumbers are numbers considered abstractedly— 1, 2, 3 ; but if we say 1 year, 2 feet, 3 men, &c., the numbers are no longer abstract, but con- crete. Taken in the abstract. Things are said 6 ABSTEACTION. ACCIDENT. to be taken in the abstract when they are considered absolutely, that is, with- out reference to other matters or per- sons. Thus, in the abstract, one man is as good as another, but not so socially and politically. Abstraction . A n empty A hstr action, a mere ideality, of no practical use. Every noun is an abstraction, but the narrower genuses may be raised to higher ones, till the common thread is so fine that hardly anything is left. These high ab- stractions, from which everything but one common cord is taken, are called empty abstractions : For example, man is a genus, but may be raised to the genus animal, thence to organised being, thence to created being, thence to matter in the abstract, and so on, till everything but one is emptied out. Absurd means deaf and dumb. (Latin, a&, “intensive,” and surdus, “ deaf and dumb.”) Reductio ad absurdiim. Reducing to absurdity” whatever contradicts your statement ; or proving a proposition to be right, by showing that every supposable deviation from it would involve an ab- surdity. Abu'dah. A merchant of Bagdad, haunted every night by an old hag ; he finds at last that the way to rid himself of this torment is to “fear God, and keep his commandments.” — Tales of the Genii. Like ATjudah, he is always looking out for the Fury, and knows that the night will come with the inevitable hag with it.— Thackeray. Ab'yla. A mountain in Gibraltar. This, with Calpe in Spain, sixteen miles distant, form the two pillars of Hercules. AbyssinTans. A sect of Christians in Abyssinia, who admit only one nature in Jesus Christ, and reject the Council of Chal'cedon. Aeabians. Followers of Aca'cius, bishop of Cesare'a, and Aca'cius, patri- arch of Constantinople. Academ'ics. The followers of Plato were so called, because they attended his lectures in the Acad'emy, a garden planted by Acade'mos. Acad'emy. Divided into — Old, the philosophic teaching of Plato and his immediate followers ; Middle, a modifi- cation of the Platonic system, taught by Arcesila'os ; New, the half - sceptical BchooJ of Oar'neades. Plato taught that matter is eternal and infinite, but without form or order ; and that there is an intelligent cause, the author of everything. He maintained that we could grasp truth only so far as we had elevated our mind by thought to its divine essence. Arcesila'os was the great antagonist of the Stoics, and wholly denied man’s ca- pacity for grasping truth. Car'neades maintained that neither our senses nor our understanding could sup- ply us with a sure criterion of truth. The talent of the Academy, so Plato called Aristotle, (b.c. 384-322.) Academy Figures. Drawings in black and white chalk, on tinted paper, from living models, used by artists. So called from the Royal Academy of Artists. Aea'dia— Le., Nova Scotia, so called by the French from the river Shuben- acadie. The name was changed in 1713. In 1750 the old French inhabitants were driven into exile by order of George II. Thus dwelt together in love those simple Acadian farmers.— Lonp/eZZow, ^'Evangeline.” Acaire, St. Patron saint of madmen, by a play on the Greek word acerias'tos, meaning a “frantic bedlamite.” Aean'thus. The leafy ornament of Corinthian and composite columns. It is said that Callim'achos lost his daughter, and set a basket of flowers on her grave, with a tile to keep the wind from blowing it away. The next time he went to visit the grave an acanthus had sprung up around the basket, which so struck the fancy of the architect that he introduced the design in his buildings. Aeeep'tance. A bill or note accepted. This is done by the drawee writing on it “accepted,” and signing his name. The person who accepts it is called the “ acceptor.” Ae'ces3oyy. Accessory before the fact is one who prompts another to commit an offence, but is himself absent when the offence is perpetrated. Accessory after the fact is one who screens a felon, aids him in eluding justice, or helps him in any way to profit by his crime. Thus, the receiver of stolen goods, knowing or even suspecting them to be stolen, is an accessory ex post facto, Ae'cident. A logical accident is some property or quality which a thing pos- ACCIDENTAL. ACESTE3. 7 sesses, but which does not essentially belong to it, as the tint of our skin, the height of our body, the redness of a brick, or the whiteness of paper. If any of these were changed, the substance would remain intact. Accidental Colours. Those which depend on the state of our eye, and not those which the object really possesses. Thus, after looking at the bright sun, all objects appear dark ; that dark colour is the accidental colour of the bright sun. When, again, we come from a dark room, all objects at first have a yellow tinge. This is especially the case if we wear blue glasses, for a minute or two after we have taken them off. The accidental colour of redi is bluish green, of orange dark blue, of violet yel- low, of hlach white ; and the converse. Acciden'tals in music are those sharps and flats, &c., which do not pro- perly belong to the key in which the music is set, but which the composer arbitrarily introduces. Ac'cius INa'vius was the augur who cut the whetstone with a razor in the presence of Tarquin the Elder. In short, ’twas his fate unemployed, or in place, sir. To eat mutton cold, or cut blocks with a razor. Ed. Burke, Accolade (3 syl.). The embrace given by the grand master when he re- ceives a neophyte or new convert. (Latin, ad collum, round the neck.) Accommoda'tion. Aloan of money, which accommodates us, or fits a want. Accommodation Note or Bill. An acceptance given on a Bill of Exchange for which value has not been received by the acceptor from the drawer, and which, not representing a commercial transac- tion, is so far fictitious. Accommodation Ladder. The light ladder hung over the side of a ship at the gangway. Accord' means '‘heart to heart.” (Lat,, ad corda.) If two persons like and dislike the same things, they are at "ac-cord,” or heart to heait with each other. Accost' means to "come to the side ” of a person for the purpose of speaking to him. (Latin, ad costam, to the side.) Account'. To open an account, to enter a customer’s name on your ledger for the first time. To Tceep open account is when merchants agree to honour each other’s bills of ex- change. We loill give a good account of them — i.e., we wili give them a thorough good drubbing. An account is an entry made in a book of some transaction ; and whe«i an antagonist is "paid out in full” with blood and iron, the transaction may be posted as a good account. If they come, see if we do not give a good account of them.— TAe Times. Ac'curate means well and carefully done. (Latin, ad-curo.) Accu'sative, The. Calvin was so called by his college companions. Ace (1 syl.). The unit of cards or dice. The Eomans called it unus (one) ; the Greeks, who borrowed the game of dice from the Romans, called unus onos, but onos in Greek means "an ass.” The Teutons learnt the game from the Greeks, and translated the word into ass, Italian asso, French and Spanish English ace. {See Bate.) Within an ace. Within a shave. An ace is the lowest numeral, and he who wins within an ace, wins within a single mark. Acel'dama. A battle-field, a place where much blood has been shed. To the south of J erusalem there was a field so called ; it was purchased by the priests with the blood-money thrown down by Judas, and appropriated as a cemetery for strangers. Acepll'alites (4 syl.) properly means men without a head. (1.) A faction among the Eutych'ians in the fifth cen- tury after the submission of Mongus their chief, by which they were " deprived of their head.” (2.) Certain bishops exempt from the jurisdiction and disci- pline of their patriarch. (3.) A sect of levellers in the reign of Henry I., who acknowledged no leader. (4.) The fabu- lous Blemmyes of Africa, who are de- scribed as having no head, theu eyes and mouth being placed elsewhere. (Greek, a-keph'ale, without a head.) Aces'tes (3 syl.). The Arrow of Acestes, In a trial of skill Acestes, the Sicilian, discharged his arrow with such force that it took fire. Like Acestes’ shaft of old, The swift thought kindles ag It flies. Longfdloxv, 8 ACH^AN. ACEATES. / Acha 3 'an League. A confederacy of the twelve towns of Achsea. It was broken up by Alexander the Great, but was again re-organised B.C. 280, and dissolved by the Eomans in 147 b.c. , Aeha'tes (3 syh). A fidus Achates. A faithful companion, a bosom friend. The term fidus Achates repeatedly occurs in Virgii’s ^^ACneid.” He has chosen this fellow for his^cZ^/s Achates. Sir Walter Scott. Ae'heron. The Elver of Sorrows” (Greek, achea roos) ; one of the five rivers of the infernal regions. Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep. Milton, ‘^Paradise Lost,’' ii. Acheron' tian hoolcs. The most cele- brated books of augury in the world. They are the books which the Etruscans received from Tages, grandson of J upiter. Aclieru'sia. A cavern on the bor- ders of Pontus, said to lead down to the infernal regions. It was through this cavern that Hercules dragged Cer'berus to earth. Achilles (3 syl.). King of the Myr'- midons (in Thessaly), the hero of Homer’s epic poem called the “ Iliad.” He is re- presented as brave and relentless. The poem begins with a quarrel between him and Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief of the allied Greeks, in consequence of which Achilles refuses to go to battle. The Trojans prevail, and he sends forth his friend Patroc'los to oppose them. Patroc'los falls ; and Achilles, in auger, rushes into the battle, and kills Hector, the commander of the Trojans. He him- self falls in battle a few days afterwards, before Troy is taken. Achilles of Rome : Sicin'ius Denta'tus. (B.c. 405.) Of Enaland: the Duke of Wellington, (1769-1852.) Of Germany : Albert, Elector of Bran- denburg. (1414-1486.) Achilles’ Tendon. A strong sinew running along the heel to the calf of the leg. The tale says that Thetis took her son Achilles by the heel, and dipped him in the river Styx to make him invulner- able. The w'ater washed every part, except the heel covered with his mother’s hand. It was on this vulnerable point the hero was slain ; and the sinew of the heel is called, in consequence, tendo Achxliis. A pobt-iiomeric story. The Heel of Achilles, the vulnerable or weak point in a man’s character. {See above.) Ireland is sometimes called the Achilles' heel of England. Achit'ophel, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom and Achitophel,” is designed for the earl of Shaftesbury. Achitophel was David’s traitorous counsellor, who deserted to Absalom, but his advice being disregarded he hanged himself (2 Sam. XV.). Of tliese {the rebels) tbe false Achitophel was first ; A name to all succeeding ages curst ; For close designs and crooked counsels fit; Sagacious, bold, and turbulent of wit ; Restless, unfixed in principles and place; In power unpleased, impatient in disgrace.— Pt. i. A'chor. God of flies, worshipped by the Cyre'neans, that they might not be annoyed with these tiny tormentors. {See Beelzebub.) Aclite-qued'jams (4 syl.). The eight elephants, in Indian mythology, which sustain the world. {See Aira- PADAM.) A'cis. The son of Faunus, in love with Galate'a. Polyphe'mos, his rival, crushed him under a huge rock. Ae'me. The crisis of a disease. Old medical writers used to divide the pro- gress of a disease into four periods : the ar-che, or beginning ; the anah'asis, or increase ; the ac'one, or term of its utmost violence ; and the pa-rac'-7ne, or decline. Ae'olyte (3 syl.). A subordiiiate officer in the Catholic Church, whose duty is to light the lamps, prepare the sacred elements, attend the officiating priests, &c. (Greek, a follower.) Acoime'tae. An order of monks in the fifth century who watched day and night. (Greek, ivatchers.) Acra'sia {Feebleness). An enchan- tress who lived in the Bower of Bliss,” situate in “ Wandering Island.” She transformed her lovers into monstrous shapes, and kept them captives. Sir Guyon having crept up softly, threw a net over her, and bound her in chains of adamant ; then broke down her bower and burnt it to ashes. — Spenser, Faery Queen f b. ii. Acra'tes (3 syl.), i.e., incontinence; called by Spenser the father of Cy- moch'les and Pyrochles. — b. ii., c. iv. ACEE. ADAM. 9 A'ere-fight. A duel in the open held. The combats of the Scotch and English Borderers were so called. The word ^^acre” is the Latin ager (a field). Acre-shot, a land tax. Acre is ag^T (land), and shot” issco^ ov sceat (a tax). A'cres. A Boh Acres — ^.e., a coward. From Sheridan’s comedy called ^^The Eivals.” His courage always oozed out at his fingers’ ends.” Aeroamat'ics. Esoterfical lectures ; the lectures of Aristotle, which none but his chosen disciples were allowed to attend. Those given to the public gene- rally were called ex' oter'ic. (Acroamatic is a Greek word, meaning heard . ) Acroat'ic. Same as esoter'ic. (^8ee Acroamatics.) Ac'robat means one who goes on his extremities y or uses only the tips of his fingers and toes in moving about. (It is from the two Greek words ahros hainOy to go on the extremities of one’s limbs.) Acros'tic means “first letter verse.” (Greek, akros stichos) . The term was first applied to the verses of the Erythraean sibyl, written on leaves. These pro- phecies were excessively obscure, but were so contrived that when the leaves were sorted and laid in order, their initial letters always made a word. — Dionys.y iv. 62. Acrostic 'poetry among the Hebrews consisted of twenty-two lines or stanzas beginning with the letters of the alphabet in succession, as Psalm cxix., &c. Act of Faith {auto da fe)y in Eoman Catholic countries, is a day set apart by the Inquisition for the punishment of heretics, and the absolution of those who renounce their heretical doctrines. The sentence of the Inquisition is also so called ; and so is the ceremony of burning, or otherwise torturing the condemned. Aetae'on. A hunter, a cuckold. In Grecian mythology Actseon was a hunts- man, who surprised Diana bathing, was changed by her into a stag, and torn to pieces by his own hounds. Go thou, like Sir Actseon, with Ringwood at thy heel. Shakespeare, ''Merry Wives," &c,, ii. 1. Divulge Page himself for a secure and wilful Actaeon. Ditto, iii. 2. AcTian Years. Years in which the Actian games were celebrated. Augustus instituted games at Actium to celebrate his naval victory over Antony. They were held every five years. Ac'tive. A ctive verbs y verbs which act on the noun governed. Active capital. Property in actual em- ployment in a given concern. Active commerce. Exports and imports carried to and fro in our own ships. Passive commerce is when they are carried in foreign vessels. The commerce of England is activcy of China passive. Activity. The sphere of activity y the whole field through which the influence of an object or person extends. Aeutia'fcor. A person in the Middle Ages who attended armies and knights to sharpen their instruments of war. (Latin, acuOy to sharpen.) Ad. Argumentum ad hominem. A per- sonal or home-thrust argument. Ad inquirendum. A judicial writ com- manding an inquiry to be made into some complaint. Ad lih'itum. Without restraint. Ad valo'rem. According to the price charged. Some custom - duties vary according to the different values of the goods imported. Thus at one time teas paid duty ad valorem y the high-priced tea paying more duty than that of a lower price. Adam. The old Adam; Beat the offending Adam out of thee; The first Adam. Adam, as the federal head of unredeemed man, stands for “ original sin,” or “ m-an without regenerating grace.” The second Adam; the new Adamy &c.; I will give you the new Adam. Jesus Christ, as the covenant head, is so called ; also the “new birth unto righteousness.” A faithful A dam. A faithful old ser- vant. The character is taken from Shakespeare’s comedy of “As You Like It,” where a retainer of that name, who had served the family sixty-three years, offers to accompany Oliver in his flight, and to share with him his thrifty savings of 500 crowns. Adam Bell. A northern outlaw, whose name has become a synonym for a good archer. (fiee Clym op the Clough.) Adam Cupid— ^^6., Archer Cupid, so called from Adam Bell, the celebrated archer. {See “ Percy’s Eeliques,” vol. i., p. 7.) ADAM. ADESSENARIANS. Id Adam’s Ale. Water as a beverage ; from the supposition that Adam had nothing but water to drink. In Scotland water for a beverage is called Adam's Wine. Adam’s Apple. The protuberance in the fore-part of a man’s throat ; so called from the superstition that a piece of the forbidden fruit which Adam ate stuck in his throat, and occasioned the swelling. Adam’s Needle. The yucca, so called because it is sharp-pointed like a needle. If Adam ever sewed, the yucca would have served him for a needle. Adam’s Peak, in Ceylon, is where the Arabs say Adam bewailed his expulsion from Paradise, and stood on one foot till God forgave him. It was the Portuguese who first called it Pico de Adam.” {See Kaaba.) Adam’s Profession. Gardening, agriculture. Adam was appointed by God to dress the garden of Eden, and to keep it (Gen. ii. 15) ; and after the fall he was sent out of the garden ^Ho till the ground.” (Gen. hi. 23.) There is no ancient gentlemen, but gardeners, ditchers, and grave-makers ; they hold up Adam’s profession.— T/ie Clown in “Hamlet” v. 1. Adams. Parson Adams, the ideal of a benevolent, simple-minded, eccentric country clergyman ; ignorant of the world, bold as a lion for the truth, and modest as a girl. The character is in Fielding’s novel of Joseph Andrews.” Adamas'tor. The spirit of the stormy Cape (Good Hope), described by Camoens in the ^^Lusiad ” as a hideous phantom. According to Barre'to, he was one of the giants who invaded heaven. Ad'amic. A damic Covenant, the covenant made with God to Adam, that ‘Hhe seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head.” (Gem hi. 15.) Adamic Earth. Common red clay, so called from the popular but erroneous notion that adam means ^^red earth.” Adam really means likeness ” (Hebrew, damah), and refers to the words Let us make man after our likeness,” and in the likeness of God made he him ; male and female created he them, and called their name Adam.” (Gen. v. 1, 2.) Ad'amites (3 syl.). A sect of fanatics who spread themselves over Bohemia and Moravia in the fifteenth and sixteenth /• centuries. One Picard was the founder in 1400, and styled himself Adam, son of God.” He professed to recall his fol- lowers to the state of primitive innocence. No clothes were worn, wives were in com- mon, and there was no such thing as good and evil, but all actions were indifferent. Ad'aran', according to the Parsee superstition, is a sacred fire less holy than that called Behram {q.v.). Ad'dison of the North — i.^., Henry Mackenzie, the ^^Mah of Feeling.” (1745-1831.) Addix'it, or Addixe'runt (Latin). All right. The word uttered by the augurs when the ‘^birds’’ were favour- able. Ad'dle. Addle-headed, ox Addle-pated — i e., empty-headed. (Saxon, a-idlian, to be empty. ) Addled egg, a rotten one ; or, rather one that has lost the principle of vitality. (Welsh, hadl, rotten.) Ad'elite, or Almog'anen. A Spanish fortune-teller, who predicts the fortune of a person by the flight and note of birds. Ad'emar or Adema'ro (in ^^Jerusa- lem Delivered”). Archbishop of Pog'gio, an ecclesiastical warrior, who with William archbishop of Orange, besought pope Urban on his knees that ho might be sent on the crusade. He took 400 armed men from Poggio, but they sneaked off during a drought, and left the crusade. (Book xiii.) Ademar was not alive at the time, he had been slain at the attack on Antioch, by Clorinda (Book xi.); but in the final attack on Jerusalem, his spirit came with three squadrons of angels to aid the besiegers. (Book xviii.) Adephag'ia (5 syl.). Goddess of gluttony, who had a temple in Sicily. Adept' properly means one who has found it out (from the Latin adeptus). The alchemists applied the term vere adep'tus to those persons who professed to have found out” the elixir of life or philosopher’s stone. Ades'sena'rians. A sect who hold the real presence of Christ’s body in the eucharist, but do not maintain that the bread and wine lose any of their original properties. (The word is from the Latin adesse, to be present. ) ADESTE. ADOPTION. ll Ades'te Fideles. Composed by John Eeading, who wrote Dulce Domum.” It is called the ^‘Portuguese Hymn/' from being heard at the Portu- guese Chapel by the duke of Leeds, who supposed it to be a part of the usual Portuguese service. AdfiPiate, Adfilia'tion. The an- cient Goths adopted the children of a former marriage, and put them on the same footing as those of the new family. (Latin, ad-films ^ equal to a real son.) Adha, al (Jthe slit-eared). The swiftest of Mahomet’s camels. Ad'hab-al-Cabr. The first purga- tory of the Mahometans, AdiapJi'orists. Followers of Me- lanchthon ; moderate Lutherans, who hold that some of the dogmas of Luther are matters of indifference. (Greek, adiaph'oroSf indifferent.) Adieu, good-b’ye. A dieu^ an ellip- tical form for I commend you to God. Good-b’ye is God he with ye. Adis'sechen. The serpent with a thousand heads which sustains the uni- verse. {hid. myth.) Adjective. Adjective colours are those which require a mordant before they can be used as dyes. Adjourn'. A corruption of Ajourn — i.e.f d-journee (from to-day’s work), to put off from to-day to another time. Ad'mirable, The. James Crichton {Tcry-ton). (1551-1573.) Admirable Doctor, Eoger Bacon. (1214-1292.) Admiral, corruption of Amir-al. Milton, speaking of Satan, says : — His spear (to equal which the tallest pine Hewn on Norwegian hills, to he the mast Of some tall amiral, were hut a wand) He walked with.— Paradise LosU i. 292. The word was introduced by the Turks or Genoese in the twelfth century, and is the Arabic Amir with the article al (the lord or commander) ; as, Amir-al-ma (commander of the water), Amir-al-Omra (commander of the forces), Amir-al- Mumenim (commander of the faithful). English admirals were of three classes, according to the colour of their flag — Admiral of the Red, held the centre in an engagement. Admiral of the White, held the van. Admiral of the Blue, held the rear. Admirals are called Flag Officers. Admiral of the Red. A cant, punning term applied to a wine-bibber, whose face and nose are very red. Admittance. Licence. Shakespeare says, “ Sir John, you are a gentleman of excellent breeding, of great admittance ” — i.e., to whom great freedom is allowed. (“Merry Wives,” ii. 2.) The allusion is to an obsolete custom called admission, by which a prince avowed another prince to be under his protection. Maximilian, emperor of Mexico, was the “admittant” of the emperor Napoleon III. Admonitionists. Certain Puritans who in 1571 sent an admonition to the Parliament condemning everything in the Church of England which was not in accordance with the doctrines and prac- tices of Gene'va. Ado'nai. Son of the star-beam, and god of light among the Eosicru'cians. Adona'is (4 syl.). The song about Ado'nis ; Shelley’s elegy on Keats is so called. Ado'nis. A beautiful boy. The allu- sion is to Ado'nis, who was beloved by Venus, and was killed by a boar while hunting. The flower called Adonis is blood-red, and, according to fable, sprang from the blood of tJie gored hunter. A garden of Adonis (Greek). A worth- less toy ; a very perishable good. The allusion is to the fennel and lettuce jars of the ancient Greeks, called “Adonis gardens,” because these herbs were planted in them for the annual festival of the young huntsman, and thrown away the next morning. Ad o'nist S. Those J ews who maintain that the proper vowels of the word J eho- vah are unknown, and that the word is never to be pronounced. Every time they meet with the word Jehovah they call it Ado'nai instead. (Hebrew, adon, lord. ) Adap'tion. Adoption hy arms. An ancient custom of giving arms to a person of merit, which laid him under the obliga- tion of being your champion and defender. Adoption hy baptism. Being godfather or godmother to a child. The child by baptism is your god-child. 12 ADOPTION. ADVOWSON. / A doption by hair. Cutting off your hair, and giving it to a person in proof that you receive him as your adopted father. Thus Bo'son, king of Arles, cut off his hair and gave it to pope John VIII., who adopted him. Adoption Controversy. Elipand archbishop of Tole'do, and Felix bishop of Urgel, maintained that Jesus Christ in his human nature was the Son of God by adoption only (Rom. viii. 29), though in his pre-existing state he was the ^'begotten Son of God” in the ordinary catholic acceptation. Duns , Scotus, Durandus, Calixtus, and others sup- ported this view. Adop'tionist. One who maintains that Christ is the Son of God by adoption only. The disciples of Elipand arch- bishop of Tole'do, and Felix bishop of Urgel (in Spain), are so called. Adore (2 syl.) means to carry to one’s mouth,” “to kiss” {ad-os, ad-ora're). The Romans performed adoration by placing their right hand on their mouth and bowing. The Greeks paid adoration to kings by putting the royal robe to their lips. The Jews kissed in homage : thus God said to Elijah, he had 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed unto Baal, “ every mouth which hath not kissed him.” (1 Kings xix. 18; see also Hos. xiii. 2.) “ Kiss the Son, lest he be angry” (Ps. ii. 12), means worship, reverence the Son. Even in England we do homage by kissing the hand of the sovereign. Adrarn'meleeh.. God of the people of Sepharva'im, to whom infants were burnt in sacrifice. Adroit' properly means “ to the right.” (French, d droite.) The French call a person who is not adroit gauche (left-handed), meaning awkward, boorish. Adsidel'ta. The table at which the flamens sat during sacrifice. Ad'ulator. Dacier derives this v^ord from the Latin, ad ollam itor, i.e., one who clings to you from cupboard love. This derivation has wit, but no worth. Nunez suggests the Greek, adus lizo, Doric for edus-leicho (to lick fondly), i.e., like a dog. A more plausible sug- gestion is ado'teo (to treat like a god, to worship). Adullamites (4 syl.). The adherents of Lowe and Horsman, seceders from the [ Reform party. John Bright said of these members that they retired to the cave of Adullam, and tried to gather round them all the discontented. The allusion is to David in his flight from Saul, who “ escaped to the cave Adullam; and every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him.” (1 Sam. xxii. 1, 2.) Advent. Four weeks to comme- morate the first and second coming of Christ ; the first to redeem, and the second to judge the world. The season begins on St. Andrew’s Day, or the Sun- day nearest to it. (Latin, ad-ventus, the coming to.) Adversary, The. Satan. (IPet. v.8.) Advocate means properly “ one summoned to the patron or pleader,” to assist him as his “junior counsel.” (Liv. ii. 55.) The DeviVs Advocate. One who brings forward malicious accusations. When any name is proposed for canonisation in the Roman Catholic Church, two advocates are appointed, one to oppose the motion, and one to defend it. The former, called Advoca'tus Diab'oli (the Devil’s Advocate), advances all he can rummage up against the person in ques- tion; the latter, called Advoca'tiis Dei (God’s Advocate), says all he can in sup- port of the proposal. Advocates’ Library, in Edin- burgh, founded 1682, containing about 165,000 volumes. It is one of the five libraries to which copyright books are sent. {See Copyright.) Advow'son means the right of patronage to a church or ecclesiastical benefice. A jpresentative advowson is when the patron presents to the bishop a person to whom he is willing to give the piece of preferment. A colla'tive advowson is when the bishop himself is patron, and collates his client without any intermediate person. A don'ative advoioson is where the Crown gives a living to a clergyman without presentation, institution, or in- duction. This is done when a church or chapel has been founded by the Crown, [ and is not subject to the ordinary. ^DILES. ^SOP. 13 Advowson in gross is an advowson sepa- rated from the manor, and belonging wholly to the owner. While attached to the manor it is an advowson a'ppendant. Gross” (French) means absolute, entire ; thus gross weight is the entire weight without deductions. A villain in gross was a villain the entire property of his master, and not attached to the land, A common in gross is one which is en- tirely your own, and which belongs to the manor. Sale of Advoiosons. When lords of manors built churches upon their own demesnes, and endowed them, they be- came private property, which the lord might give away or even sell, under certain limitations. These livings are called Advou'sons appen'dant, being ap- pended to the manor. After a time they l)ecame regular commercial property,” and we see daily the sale of some of them in the public journals. iE'diles (2 syl.). Those who have charge of the streets. The Roman officers were so called from cedes (streets). ^iiine'tan Sculptures. Sculptures excavated by a company of Germans, Danes, and English (1811), in the little island of .^gi'na. They were purchased by Ludwig, Crown Prince of BavaTia, and are now the meet remarkable ornaments of the Glyptothek, at Munich. ^ne'id. The epic poem of Virgil, so called from jEne'as dido (to sing JEne'as). -®'olus, in Roman mythology, was god of the winds.” Aj^olian harp. The wind-harp. A box on which strings are stretched. Being placed where a draught gets to the strings, they utter musical sounds. JEmo'nian Arts (Owe?). Magic; so called from ^mo'nia, an ancient name of Thessaly, noted for magic. The jEmo'nian. Jason ; so called, be- cause his father was king of Thessaly. {See above.') ^ra. An epoch. Sepulve'da derives it from A. ER. A., anno erat Augusti (it was in the year of Augustus), because the Spanish method of computation was from the year when their country fell under the dominion of Augustus. Vossius favours the same derivation. The chief aeras are — The Constantinopolitan, which began The Alexandrine The Jewish (A.M.) The asra of Nahonassar Of the Olympiads Year of Rome (A.U.C.) The Julian mra {Ju. cer.) The Christian sera The sera of Sulwanah {Saco} „ Diocletian The Hegira (A.H.) The sera of Yezdegird {jE. Pers.) A. M. B. C. 5.509 5492 3700 HI 753 2S4 022 632 Ae'ger. God of the ocean, whose wife is Rana. They had nine daughters, who wore white robes and veils. {Scand. myth.) .ZE'gis, I throio my aegis over you y i.e., my protection. The shield of Jupiter made by Vulcan was so called, and symbolised Divine protection.” The shield of Minerva was called an aegis also. The shield of Jupiter was covered with the skin of the goat Amalthsea, and the Greek for goat is cegos. That made by Vulcan was of brass. AEI (A — i)f a common motto on jewellery, means for ever and for aye.” (Greek.) ^ne'as. The hero of VirgiVs epic. He carried his father Anchi'ses on his shoulders from the flames of Troy. After roaming about for many years, he came to Italy, where he founded a colony which the Romans claim as their origin. Aerated. Aerated Water. Water im- pregnated with carbonic acid gas, called fixed air. Aerated Bread. Bread made light by means of carbonic acid gas instead of leaven. Ae'rians. Followers of Ae'rius, who maintained that there is no difference between bishops and priests. ^seliyTus. The xEschylus of France ^ Prosper Jolyot de Crebillon. (1674-17(12. ) ^^sop’s Fables were compiled by BabTios, a Greek, who lived in the Alex- andrian age. AEsop o/ Arabia, Lokman ? Nasser. (In the fifth century.) AEsdp of England. John Gay. (16S8- 1732.) Aisop of France. Jean de la Fontaine. (1621-1695.) JFjSop of Germany. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. (1729-1781.) 14 AETON. AGDISTES. jEsop of India, Bidpay or Pilpay. (About three centuries before the Chris- tian era.) Ae'ton (3 syh). One of the horses of Pluto. {See Abatos.) Affable means ^^one easy to be spoken to.” (Latin, adfar% to speak to.) Affect'. To love, to desire. (Latin, affecto. ) Some affect the light, and some the shade. Blair’s “ Grave.’’ Affront' properly means to stand front to front. In savag-e nations oppos- ing armies draw up front to front before they begin hostilities, and by grimaces, sounds, words, and all conceivable means, try to provoke and terrify their vis-d-vis. When this affronting” is over, the ad- versaries rush against each other, and the fight begins in earnest. Africa. Teneo te, Africa (I take possession of thee, 0 Africa). When Ciesar landed at Adrume'tum, in Africa, he tripped and fell— a bad omen ; but, with wonderful presence of mind, he pretended that he had done so inten- tionally, and kissing the soil, exclaimed, ^^Thus do I take possession of thee, 0 Africa.” Told also of Scipio. After-cast. A throw of dice after the game is ended ; anything done too late. Ever he playeth an after-cast Of all that he shall say or 6iO.— Gower. After- clap. Beware of after -claps. An after-clap is a catastrophe or threat after an affair is supposed to be over. It is very common in thunderstorms to hear a '‘clap” after the rain subsides, and the clouds break. What plaguy mischief and mishaps Do dog him still with after-claps. Hudibras, pt. i. 3. Aft-me'al. An extra meal ; a meal taken after and in addition to the ordi- nary meals. At aft-meals who shall pay for the wine ? Thynne's Debate.” Agag*, in Bryden’s satire of “ Absa- lom and Achit'ophel,” is meant for Sir Edmondsbury Godfrey, the magistrate before whom Titus Oates made his de- claration, but was afterwards found barbarously murdered in a ditch near Primrose Hill. Agag was hewed to pieces by Samuel. (1 Sam. xv.) And Corah [Titus Oates) might for Agag’s murder call, In terms Jii coarse as Samuel used to Saul. / Agamem'non. King of Argos, in Greece, and commander-in-chief of the allied Greeks who went to the siege of Troy. The fleet being delayed by ad- verse winds at Aulis, Agamemnon sacri- ficed his daughter Iph'igeni'a to Diana, and the winds became at once favourable. On his return home he was murdered by his wife. — Homer's Iliad Till Agamemnon’s daughter’s Wood Appeased the gods that them withstood. Earl of Surrey, Vixere fortes ante Agamem'nona (there were brave men before the days of Aga- memnon), i.e., we are not to suppose that our own age monopolises all that is good. Ag'ape (3 syl.). A love-feast. The early Christians held a love-feast before or after communion, when contributions were made for the poor. These feasts became a scandal, and were condemned at the Council of (IJarthage, 397. (Greek, agape, love.) Agapem'one (5syl.). An association of men and women living promiscuously on a common fund. There is one at Charlynche, near Bridgewater, in Somer- setshire. (Greek, agape, love.) Agape'tse. Women under vows of virginity, who undertook to attend the monks. (The word is Greek, and means leloved.) Ag'ate (2 syl.). So called, says Pliny (xxxvii. 10), from Acha'tes or Gaga'tes, a river in Sicily, near which it is found in abundance ; but Bochart deduces it from the Hebrew oJcad or nalcad (spotted). Agate is supposed to render a person invisible, and to turn the sword of foes against themselves. Ag'atha. Daughter nf Cuno, the ranger, in love with Max, to whom she is to be married, provided he carries off the prize in the annual trial-shot. She is in danger of being shot by Max un- wittingly, but is rescued by a hermit, and becomes the bride of the young huntsman. — Weber’s Opera of^^Der Freischiltzf* ' Agdistes {self indulgence). The god who kept the porch of the "Bower of Bliss.” He united in his own person the two sexes, and sprang from the stone Agdus, parts of which were taken by Deucalion and Pyrrha to cast over their AGE. AGONTSTES. 15 shoulders, after the flood, for re-peopling the world. — Spenser ^ Faery Queen, book ii. Age of Animals. An old Celtic rh}Tne, put into modern English, says — Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse ; Thrice the age of a horse is that of a man ; Thrice the age of a man is that of a deer ; Thrice the age of a deer is that of an eagle. Ages. Hesiod names flve : — The Golden or patriarchal, under the care of Saturn. The Silver or voluptuous, „ Jupiter. The Brazen or warlike, ,, N eptune. The Heroic or renaissant „ Mars. The Iron or present „ Pluto. Fichte names five ages also : the ante- diluvian, post-diluvian, Christian, satanic, and millennian. According to Lucre'tius, there are three ages, distinguished by the materials em- ployed in implements {v. 1282), viz. : (1) The age of stone, when celts or im- plements of stone were employed. (2) The age of bronze, when implements were made of copper or brass. (3) The age of iron, when implements were made of iron, as at present. Ag'elas'ta. The stone on which Ce'res rested when worn down by fatigue in searching for her daughter. (Greek, joyless.) Agent. Is man a free agent I This is a question of theology, which has long been mooted. The point is this : If God foreordains all our actions, they must take place as he foreordains them, and man acts as a watch or clock ; but if, on the other hand, man is responsible for his actions, he must be free to act as his inclination leads him. Those who hold the former view are called necessita- rians; those who hold the latter, liberta- rians. Agglu'tinate Languages. The Tura'nian family of languages are so called because the pronouns are glued on tbe verbs, and the case-prepositions on the nouns, and may be unglued so as to leave the roots distinct. Aghast'. Frightened as by a ghost. The Saxon of ghost is gast. A'gis. King of Sparta, who tried to deliver Greece from the Macedonian joke, and was slain in the attempt. To save a rotten state. Agis, who saw E’en Sparta’s self to servile avarice sink. Thomson, “ Winter.” Agist'. To take the cattle of anothei to graze at a certain sum. The feeding of these beasts is called agistment. The words are from the Norman agiser (to be levant and couchant), because, says Coke, beasts are levant and couchant whilst they are on the land. Ag'la, A cabalistic name of God, formed from the initial letters of Att^h, Gibbor, Leholam, AdonM ( Thou art strong for ever, OLord!). {See Notarica.) Ag'nes. The heroine of David Copperfield,” by Charles Dickens. She is an Agnes {ellefait VAgnh) — i.e., she is a sort of female Verdant Green,” who is so unsophisticated that she does not even know what love means. It is a character in Moliere’s L’Ecole des Femmes.” Ag'noites (2 syl.). (1.) Certain heretics in the fourth century who said ^^God did not hnow everything.” (2.) Another sect, in the sixth century, who maintained that Christ ^Mid not hioio the time of the day of judgment.” (Greek, a-gnomi, not to know.) Agnus-castus. One of the Vitex plants, called agnos (chaste) by the Greeks, because the Athenian ladies, at the feast of Ceres, used to strew their couches with vitex leaves, as a palladium of chastity. The monks, mistaking agnos (chaste) for agnus (a lamb), but knowing the use made of the plant, added castus to explain its character, making it chaste-lamb. (For other similar blunders, see I. H. S.) Agnus Dei. A cake of wax or dough stamped with the figure of a lamb supporting the banner of the Cross, and supposed, at one time, to preserve those who carried it about with them from accidents , and temptation. Our Lord is called Agnus Dei (the Lamb of God). There is also a prayer so called, because it begins with the words, Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecca'ta mundi (0 Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world). Agog'. He is all agog, in nervous anxiety ; on the qui vive, like a horse in clover. (French, d gogo, or vivy^e d gogo, to live in clover; Italian, agogare, to de- sire eagerly.) Agonis'i es (4 syl.). Samson Agonistes 16 AGONISTICS. AJAX. / means Samson wrestling- with adversity — Samson combating with trouble. (Greek, agoni' zomaif to combat, to struggle.) Agonis'tics. The disciples of bona'- tus. Ag'ony properly means contention in the athletic games ; and to agonise is the act of contending. (Greek, agon, a game of contest. ) Our notion of great pain ” arises from the great corporal suffering these athletes had to endure. Agra'rian Law, from the Latin ager (land), is a law for making land the com- mon property of a nation, and not the particular property of individuals. In a modified form, it means a re-distribution of land, giving to each citizen a portion. Ague-cheek. Sir Andrew Ague- cJieeh^ a straight-haired country squire, stupid even to silliness, self-conceited, living to eat, and wholly unacquainted with the world of fashion. The character is in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.” Ahasue'rus, a title equivalent to Goeur de Lion, common to several Persian kings. Ezra styles Camby'ses so (iv. 6), but probably the Ahasuerus of Scripture is Gushtasp darawesh (Dari'us). {See Jew.) Ahith'opliel, or Achit'ophel. A treacherous friend and adviser. Ahitho- phel was David’s counsellor, but joined Absalom in revolt, and advised him like the oracle of God.” (2 Sam. xvi. 20—23.) (Nee Achitophel.) All'med (Prince). Noted for the tent given him by the fairy Pari-ban'ou, which would cover a whole army, but might be carried in one’s pocket ; and for the a} pie of Samarcand', which would cure all diseases. — Arabian Nights^ Prince Alim'id,^* cfie. This tent coincides in a marvellous manner with the Norse ship called Skid- bladni {q.v.). Aholiba'mah. A granddaughter of Cain, loved by the seraph Samia'sa. She is a proud, ambitious, queen-like beauty, a female type of Cain. When the flood comes, her angel -lover carries her under his wings to some other planet. — Byron, Heaven and EarthP Ali'rimau , or A hrima'nes. The prin- ciple or angel of darkness and evil in the Magian system. {See Opmcsd.) I recognise the evil spirit, sir, and do honour to Ahriihan os in . . . this young man.— T^ac/ceray. Aide toi et le Ciel t’aidera {God will help those who help themselves). The party-motto of a political society of France, established in 1824. The object of the society was, by agitation and the press, to induce the middle classes to resist the Government. Guizot was at one time its president, and Le Globe and Le National its organs. This society, which doubtless aided in bringing about the Eevolution of 1830, was dissolved in 1832. APgrette (2 syl.). A lady’s head- dress, consisting of feathers or flowers. The French call the down of thistles and dandelions, as well as the tuft of birds, aigrette. Aim. To give aim, to stand aloof. A term in archery, meaning to stand within a convenient distance from the butts, to give the archers information how near their arrows fall to the mark aimed at. But, gentle people, give me aim awhile, For nature puts me to a heavy task ; Stand all aloof. Shakespeare^ “ Titus AndronicusP v. 3. To cry aim. To applaud, encourage. In archery it was customary to appoint certain persons to cry aim, for the sake of encouraging those who were about to shoot. All my neighbours shall cry aim. Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 2. Aim- crier. An abettor, one who encourages. In archery, the person em- ployed to cry aim” {q.v.). Air, an Element. Anaxag'oras held air to be the primary form of matter. Airap'adam. The white elephant, one of the eight w-hich, according to Indian mythology, sustain the earth. Ajax, the Greater'. King of Sal'amis, a man of giant stature, daring, and self- confident. Generally called TeFamon Ajax, because he was the son of Tel'amon. "When the armour of Hector was awarded to Ulysses instead of to himself, he turned mad from vexation and stabbed himself. — Homer's “ Iliad." Ajax, the Less. Son of O’ileus, king of Locris, in Greece. The night Troy was I taken, he offered violence to Cassandra, AKBAE. ALBATI. 17 the prophetic daughter of Priam ; in consequence of which his ship was driven on a rock, and he perished at sea. — Homer’s Iliad.” Akbar. A title in Hindustan, mean- ing Very Great,” as Akbar- Khan. Ak'uan. The giant which Kustan slew. {Persian my til.) Ak'uman. The most malevolent of all the Persian gods. Alabaster. A stone of great purity and whiteness, used for ornaments. So called from Alabastron,” in Upper Egypt, where it abounds. Alad'din, in the ‘^Arabian Nights’ Tales,” obtains a magic lamp, and has a splendid palace built by the genius of the lamp. He marries the daughter of the sultan of China, loses his lamp, and his palace is transported to Africa. Vanished into air like the palace of Aladdin. Sir Walter Scott. Aladdin’s Lamp. The source of wealth and good fortune. After Aladdin came to his wealth and was married, he suffered his lamp to hang up and get rusty. It was impossible that a family, holding a docu- ment which gave them access to the most power- ful noblemen in Scotland, should have suffered it to remain unemployed, like Aladdin’s rusty Senior. Aladdin’s Window. To finish Aladdin’s window — ^.e., to attempt to complete something begun by a great genius, but left imperfect. The Times applied the illustration to earl Bussell’s attempt to patch up the vacancy made in the ministry by the death of lord Palmerston. The genius of the lamp built a palace with twenty-four windows, all but one being set in frames of pre- cious stones ; the last was left for the sultan to finish ; but after exhausting his treasures, the sultan was obliged to abandon the task as hopeless. APadine (3 syL). The sagacious but cruel old king of Jerusalem in Tasso’s epic. This is a fictitious character, inasmuch as the Holy Land was at the time under the dominion of the caliph of Egypt. Aladine is slain by Raymond. ■ — Jerusalem Delivered,” book xx. APako. Son of Baro-De'vel, the great god of the gipsies. The gipsies say that he will ultimately restore them to Assas in Assyria, their native country. The image of Alako has a pen in his left hand and a sword in his right. Alar 'eon. King of Barca, who joined the armament of Egypt against the Crusaders. His men were only half armed. — Jerusalem Delivered. Alarm. An outcry made to give notice of danger. (Danish and Swedish, larm, outcry ; French, alarme, as cloche d’alarme, an alarum bell.) Alar'um Bell. In feudal times a ’larum bell was rung in the castle in times of danger to summon the retainers to arms — a I’armer (to the arming) ; hence the bell was called the bell,” corrupted into alarum bell. Another etymology is larrum, Norman French for robber.” In cases of burglary the old Normans cried out an larrum, similar to the modern au voleur (thieves ! thieves !). The bell that gave notice of the same molestation was called the ^'‘au larum ” bell. Alas'nam. Alasnam’slady. In the Arabian Nights’ Tales” Alasnam has eight statues of solid gold, but had to go in quest of a ninth more precious still, to fill the vacant pedestal. The prize was. found in the lady who became his wife, at once the most beautiful and the most perfect of her race. There is wanting one pure and perfect model, and that one, wherever it is to he found, is like Alasnam’ s lady, worth them all. Sir Walter Scott. Alas'tor. The evil genius of a house. Cicero says : He meditated killing himself that he might become the Alastor of Augustus, whom he hated.” Shelley has a poem entitled Alastor ; or. The Spirit of Solitude.” The word is Greek, and means ^^not to forget” {a la'thein). Alb. The white tunic (Latin, alius, white) originally bound round the waist with a zone. Telie dress is emblematical of purity and continence. Alba'no Stone or PeperPno, used by the Romans in building ; a volcanic tufa quarried at Alba'no. APbany. Scotland. (>S'ee Albin. ) Alba'ti. Certain Christian hermits of the fourteenth century, so called because they dressed in white. (Latin- i P 18 ALBATEOSS. ALCINA. / ABbatross. The largest of web-footed birds, called by sailors the Cape Sheep, from its frequenting the Cape of Good Hope. It gorges itself, and then sits motionless upon the waves. It is said to sleep in the air, because its flight is a gliding without any apparent motion of its long wings. Sailors say it is fatal to shoot an albatross. Coleridge’s An- cient Mariner” is founded on this super- stition. Albertaz'zo (in Orlando Furioso”) married Alda, daughter of Otho, duke of Saxony. His sons were Hugh or Ugo, and Fulke or Fulco. From this family springs the Eoyal Family of England. Albia'zar (in ^^Jerusalem Delivered”). One of the leaders of the Arab host which joined the Egyptian armament against the Crusaders. A chief in rapine, not in knighthood bred.” (Book xvii.) Albigen'ses (4 syl.). A common name for heretics prior to the Eeforma- tion ; so called from the Albigeois, inha- bitants of Tarn, the capital of which was Albi. It was here the persecution of the Eeformers began, under the direction of Pope Innocent III., in 1209. The Wal den'ses rose after them, but are not unfrequently confounded with them. Albin means ‘^highlands,” i.e., Scot- land. (Gaelic, ailp ; Celtic, alp; our Alps.) Albin is either Ailp-ben (son of the hills, i.e., hill- country), ov Ailp-inn (hilly island). Woe to his kindred, and woe to his cause, When Albin lier claymore indignantly draws. Cavxpbell, “ Lochiel's Warning;* Albi'no. A term originally applied by the Portuguese to those negroes who were mottled with white spots ; but now applied to those who are born with red eyes and white hair. (Latin, alhus, white.) Al'bion. England, so named from the ancient inhabitants, called Albio'nes. The usual etymology of albiis (white), said to have been given by Julius Caesar in allusion to the white cliffs,” is quite untenable, as Aristotle mentions the islands of Albion and lerne four hundred years before the invasion of Caesar. {See Albin.) Albion. Son of the king of this island when Oberon held his court in what we call Kensington Gardens. He was stolen by the elfin Milkah, and brought up in fairyland. When nine- teen years of age, he fell in love with Kenna, daughter of king O^beron, but was driven from the empire by the in- dignant monarch. Albion invaded the territory, but was slain in the battle. When Kenna knew this, she poured the juice of moly over the dead body, and it changed into a snow-drop. — T. Tichell. Albrac'ca’s Damsel (in Orlando Furioso”) is Angelica. Albracca is the capital of Cathay (g.v.). Album. A blank book for scraps. The Eomans applied the word to certain tables overlaid with gypsum, on which were inscribed the annals of the chief priests, the edictsof the praetors, and rules relating to civil matters. In the Middle Ages, album” was the general name of a register or list ; so called from being kept either on a white board with black letters, or on a black board with white letters. For the same reason the boards in churches for notices, and the boards in universities containing the names of the college men, are called albums. Alcalde or Alca'di. A judge is so called in Spain. The word is the Arabic al cadi (the judge). Alea'ie Verse or Alcaics. A Greek and Latin metre, so called from Alcceos, a lyric poet, who invented it. Alcan'tara. The Order of A Icantara, instituted in 1156, by Hadria II., king of Leon, at Alcantara, a town of Estra- maduTa. The sovereign of Spain is, ex officio, sovereign of the Order. Aleastus (in Jerusalem Delivered ”). The Cap'aneus of the Crusaders, leader of 6,000 foot soldiers from Helvetia. APce (2 syl.). One of the dogs of Actse'on. Alces'te (2 syl.). The hero of Mo- lihre’s Misanthrope. ” Not unlike Shakespeare’s character of Timon. Alcliemy is the Arabic al Jcimia (the secret art) so called not only because it was carried on in secret, but because its main objects were the two great secrets of science— the transmutation of baser metals into gold, and the elixir of life. Alci'na. The personification of car- nal pleasure in ‘•'Orlando Furioso;” the Circe of the Greeks, and Labe of the ALCIPHRON. ALEKA. 19 Arabians. She enjoyed her lovers for a time, and then changed them into trees, stones, fountains, or beasts, as her fancy dictated. Al'eiphron, The hero of T. Moore's Epicure'an.” Alco've (2 syl.). A recess in a room for a bed ; a garden bower. The word is Arabic, and means al-kauf{iYLQ tent). Aldabella or Aldabelle (in Or- lando Furioso.”) Sister of Olivie'ro and Brandimarte, daughter of Monodantes, and wife of Orlando. Aldabella. A marchioness of Florence, who gave entertainment to the magnates of the city. She was very handsome, heartless, and arrogant. When Fazio became rich with Bartoldo’s money, Al- dabella inveigled him from his wife, and his wife, out of jealousy, accused her husband of being privy to Bartoldo’s death. Fazio being condemned for murder and robbery, his wife Bianca accused Aldabella of inveigling him, and the marchioness was condemned by the duke of Florence to spend the rest of her life in a TimmQYY.— Dean Milman, Fazio'* Ald'ebaran. The sun in Arabian mythology. In astronomy, the star called the Bull's eye in the constellation Taurus. Alderman. A cant term for a half-crown. An alderman, as a magis- trate, may be termed half a king (or crown). Of course, the word means one of the “ elders.” A turlcey is called an alderman, both from its presence in aldermanic feasts, and also because of its red and purple colours, which make it a sort of poultry alderman. An alderman in chains, by a similar effort of wit, is a turkey hung with sausages. Aldiboron'tephos'eophon'io. A character in Henry Carey’s farce called Chro'nonho'tontboFogos.” Al'diger (in Orlando Furioso”). Buo'vo’s son, of the house of Clarmont, who lived in Ag'rismont Castle. He was brother of Malagi'gi and Vivian ; all Christians. Aldine (2 syl.). Leader of the second squaoron of Ai’abs who joined the Egyp- tian armament against the Crusaders. — Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered." {See Syphax. ) Aldine editions. Editions of the Greek and Latin classics, published and printed under the superintendence of Aldo Manuz'io and his son Paolo (1490- 1597) ; most of them in duodecimo, and all noted for their accuracy. The father invented the type called italics, once called Aldine, and first used in printing Virgil,” 1501. AFdingar, Sir. Steward of queen Eleanor, wife of Henry II. He impeached her fidelity, and submitted to a combat to substantiate his charge, but an angel, in the shape of a child, established the queen’s innocence. — Percy's Reliques." Ale is the Scandinavian ol, a liquor made of the molte-beer, a large, red, three-lobed berry that grows wild in most parts of Scandina'via. Malt is the word molte, applied to the barley sub- stitute of the Norwegian berry. Beer is ale with hops in it, called Baiersk (Bavarian). Even in England ale was made at one time of wheat, barley, and honey, without hops. In some parts of the island ale means the stronger brew, and in others beer. The rule is this : wherever the Scandina- vian element prevails, ale or ol is the strong drink ; but where the German element predominates, it is beer or baiersk. Ale-draper, a tapster. Ale-drapery, the selling of ale, &c. No other occupation have I hut to be an ale- draper.— Pf, Gheitle, “Kind-harts' Dreame,” 1592. Ale- silver. A yearly tribute paid to the corporation of Lqndon, as a licence for selling ale. Ale-stake. The pole set up before ale-houses by way of ^^sign.” A bush was very often fixed to its top. A garland had he set upon his head As great as it werin for an ale-stake. Chaucer. Ale-wife. The landlady of an ale- house or ale-stand. Alec'to. One of the Furies, whose head was covered with snakes. Then like Alecto, terrible to view, Or like Medusa, the Circassian grew. Boole's “Jerusalem Delivered,” b. vL Ale'ka. Wife of Pan 'geo, idols of the Oroun'gou tribes in Africa, the special protectors of kings and governments. 20 ALERIA. ALEXIS. Ale'ria (in Orlando Furioso ”). One of the Amazons, and the best beloved of the ten wives of Guido the Savage. Alert. To be on the watch. (Greek, orthos^ QYGQt; Latin, ortus; Italian, erto, sleep ; French, ertCy a watch-tower. Hence the Italian stare all* erta^ the Spanish estar alerta^ and the French estre d V erta, to be on the watch.) ^ Alessio. The lover of Liza, in Bel- li'ni’s opera of ‘‘La Sonnambula.” (Scribe’s libretto.) Ale'thes (3 syl.). An ambassador from Egypt to king Al'adine. He is represented as a man of low birth raised to the highest rank, subtle, false, deceit- ful, and wily. — Tasso, Jerusalem De- livered.** Alexander. You are thinhing of Parmen'iOy and I of Alexander — i.e., you are thinking what you ought to receive, and I what I ought to give ; you are thinking of those castigated, rewarded, or gifted, but I of my own position, and what punishment, reward, or gift is con- sistent with my rank. The allusion is to the tale about Parmen'io and Alexander, when the king said, “I consider not what Parmenio should receive, but what Alexander should give.” Only two Alexanders. Alexander said, “There are but two Alexanders — the invincible son of Philip, and the inimit- able painting of the hero by Apelles.” Alexander of the North. Charles XII. of Sweden, so called from his military achievements. He was conquered at Pultowa, in Russia (1709), by czar Peter the Great (1682-1718). Repressing here The frantic Alexander of the North. Thomson, “ Winter.” Alexander the Corrector. Alexander Cruden, author of the “ Concordance to the Bible,” who petitioned Parliament to constitute him “ Corrector of the People,” and went about constantly with a sponge to wipe out the licentious, coarse, and profane chalk scrawls which met his eye. (1701-1770.) Alexandra (in “ Orlando Furioso”). Daughter of Oronthe'a, queen of the Am'azons, and one of the ten wives of Elba'nio. From her the land of the Amazons was named Alexandra. Alexan'drian. Anything from the East was so called by the old chroniclers and romancers, because Alexandria was the dep6t from which Eastern stores reached Europe. Reclined on Alexandrian carpets \i.e. Persian']. Rose, “ Orlando Furioso,” x. 37. Alexandrian Codex. A manu- script of the Scriptures in Greek, which belonged to the library of the patriarchs of Alexandria, in Africa, a.d. 1098. In 1628 it was sent as a present to Charles I., and is now in the British Museum. Alexandrian Library. Founded by Ptolemy So'ter in Alexandria, in Egypt. The tale is that it was burnt and partly consumed in 391 ; but when the city fell into the hands of the calif Omar, in 642, the Arabs found books sufficient to “ heat the baths of the city for six months.” Alexandrian School. An aca- demy of literature by Ptolemy, son of La'gos, and especially famous for its grammarians and mathematicians. Of its grammarians the most noted are Aristarchos, Harpocra'tion, and Era- tos'thenes ; and of its mathematicians, Ptolemy and Euclid, the former an astro- nomer, and the latter the geometer whose “ Elements ” are still very gene- rally used. Alexandrine Age. From a.d. 323 to 640, when Alexandria, in Egypt, was the centre of science and literature. Alexandrine Philosophy. The system of the Gnostics, or Platonised form of Christianity. Alexan'drines (4 syl.). Verses of twelve or thirteen syllables, divided into two parts between the sixth and seventh syllable ; so called because they were first employed in a metrical romance of Alex- ander the Great, commenced by Lambert- li-Cors, and continued by Alexandre de Bern ay of Normandy. The final line of the Spenserian stanza is an Alexandrine. A needless Alexandrine ends the song Which, like a wounded snake | drags its slow length along.— Pope. Alex'is, St. Patron saint of hermits. The story goes that he lived on his father’s estate as a hermit till death, but was never recognised. ALFADER. ALIBIS. 21 Alfa'der {father of all). The most ancient and chief of the Scandinavian gods. Alfa'na. The name of Gradasso’s horse. — Orlando Furioso. Alfar'. The good and bad genii of the Scandinavians. Alf'heim {home of the genii). A celestial city inhabited by the elves and fairies. {Scand. myth.)\ Alfonso. While Tasso was at Fer- raVa he fell in love with Leonora d’Este, daughter of Alfonso, duke of FerraVa. Whereupon the duke shut him up in a madhouse for seven years, from which he was released by Clement VIII., who invited him to Rome. The miserable despot could not quell The insulted mind he sought to quench, and blend With the surrounding maniacs. Byron, “ ChiLde Harold,*' iv. 36. Alfonso XI., of Castile y whose ‘‘ favourite ” was Leonora de Guzman. Being threatened with excommunication unless he put her away (as Leonora was in love with Ferdinando, a brave officer), the king creates Ferdinando marquess of Montreal, and gives him the hand of his “ favourite.” As soon as Ferdinando discovers who Leonora is, he restores his honours to the king, repudiates his bride, and retires to a monastery. — Donizetti's O'pera “Act Favorita." Alfred’s Scholars. Werfrith bishop of Worcester, Ethelstan and Werwulf two Mercian priests, Plegmund (a Mercian) afterwards archbishop of Can- terbury, Asser a Welshman, Grimbald a great French scholar, &c., invited over to England by king Alfred. AFgarsife (3 syl.). Son of Cambus'- can, and brother of Cam'balo, who “ won Theod'ora to wife.” It is in the ‘^Squire’s Tale,” by Chaucer, but was never finished. {See Canace.) Call up him that left half told The story of Cambuscan bold, Of Camball, and of Aigarsife, And who had Canace to wife. Milton, “ II Penseroso.** Al'gebra is the Arabic al gebr {wal mokdbala), the supplementing and equalising (process) ; ” so called because the problems are solved by equations, and the equations are made by supple- mentary terms. Alh?5m'bra. The palace of the ancient Moors in Grana'da. The word is the Arabic al-hamra, or at full leng-th haV-at al hamra (the red castle). ATI. Cousin and son-in-law of Ma- homet, the beauty of whose eyes is with the Persians proverbial, insomuch that the highest term they employ to express beauty is Ayn Hali (eyes of Ali) . — Chardin. AFicant. A Spanish wine made at Alicant, in the province of Valencia. Alice. The foster-sister of Robert le Diable, and bride of Rambaldo the Nor- man troubadour. She comes to Palermo to place in the duke’s hand her mother’s will, which he is enjoined not to read till he is a virtuous man. When Bertram, his fiend-father, tempts his son to evil, Alice proves his good genius ; and when, at last, Bertram claims his soul as the price of his ill deeds, Alice reads the “ will,” and wins him from the evil one. — Meyerbeer' s Opera Roberto il Diavolo.'’ Alicbi'no. A devil, in The Inferno” of Dante. AFicon. The seventh heaven. {Ma- hometan mythology.) AFilat. The name by which the Arabs adore Nature, which they repre- sent by a crescent moon. All inferior gods are called by them el ilahat (the goddesses). Aliphar'non, the giant. Don Quixote attacked a flock of sheep, which he declared to be the army of the giant Aliphar'non. Similarly Ajax, in a fit of madness, fell on a flock of sheep, which he mistook for Grecian princes. Alipran'do (in “ Jerusalem De- livered”). One of the Christian knights. Having discovered the armour of Rinaldo cast on one side, he took it to Godfrey, who very naturally inferred that Rinaldo had been slain. AFiris. Sultan of Lower BuchaFia. Under the disguised name of Fer'amorz, he accompanies Lalla Rookh, his bride, from Delhi, and wins her heart by his ways, and the tales he tells on the journey. The lady falls in love with the poet, and is delighted to find, on the morning of the wedding, that Feramorz is, in fact, the sultan, her intended husband. — T, Moore, Lalla Roohh," 22 ATj ALLIGATOR. / A1 Ka'der (the Divine decree), A particular night in the month Ramadhan, when the Arabs say that angels descend to earth, and Gabriel reveals to man the decrees of God. — A I Koran. A1 Moshta'ri. The Arabian name of the planet Jupiter. Al-Si'rat (Arab., the path). The bridge over hell, no wider than the edge of a sword, across which every one who enters heaven must pass. (Mahom. Theol.) All Alive and Kicking. The allusion is to a child in the womb after quickening.’* All in the Wrong. A drama, by Murphy, borrowed from Destouches, the French dramatist. All my Eye (and) Betty Martin. All nonsense. Joe Miller says that a Jack Tar went into a foreign church, where he heard some one uttering these words— AA/ mihi, hea'te Marti' ne (Ah! [grant] me, Blessed Martin). On giving an account of his adventure. Jack said he could not make much out of it, but it seemed to him very like ^^All my eye and Betty Martin.” All Saints or All Hallows. In 610 the Pope of Rome ordered that the heathen pantheon should be converted into a Christian church, and dedicated to the honour of all martyrs. The festi- val of All Saints was first held on May 1, but in the year 834 it was changed to November 1. Hallows” is from the Saxon haligan (to make or keep holy). All Souls’ Day. The 2nd of No- vember, so called because the Roman Catholics on that day seek by prayer and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings of souls in purgatory. It was first insti- tuted in the monastery of Clugny, in 993. According to tradition, a pilgrim, re- turning from the Holy Land, was com- pelled by a storm to land on a rocky island, where he found a hermit, who told him that among the cliffs of the island was an opening into the infernal regions through which huge flames ascended, and where the groans of the tormented were distinctly audible. The pilgrim told Odilo, abbot of Clugny, of this; and the abbot appointed the day following, which was November 2, to be set apart for the benefit of souls in purgatory. All this for a Song. The excla- mation of Burleigh, when queen Eliza- beth ordered him to give £100 to Spenser for a royal gratuity. All-overish. A familiar expression, meaning all over ill at ease. I feel all- overish,” not exactly ill, but by no means well. The precursor of a fever, influenza, ague, &c. The word is a corruption of cdl awvish^ i.e., all elfish, as if the elves or hobgoblins had bewitched me. All-to. Altogether. As '^all-to be- crossed;” all-to bebatted.” A certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all-to brake his skull.” (Judges ix. 53.) (/See The Parker Society’s reprints.) Mercutio’s icy hand had al-to frozen mine.— Romeus and Juliet, 1562. Alls. The five Alls. A public -house sign. It has five human figures, with a motto to each : — (1) A king, in his regalia motto I govern all. (2) A bishop, in his pontificals „ I pray for all. IS) A lawyer, in his gown ... „ 1 plead for all. (4) A soldier, in regimentals „ IjUght for all. (5) A labourer, with his tools „ I pay for all. One of these signs still exists in the town of Marlborough. Alls. Tap-droppings. The refuse of all sorts of spirits drained from the glasses, or spilt in drawing. The mixture is sold in gin-houses at a cheap rate. Alla or Allah (that is, al-iWi). ^^The adorable.” The Arabic name of the Supreme Being. Alla Akbar'. Alla is most mighty. The cry of the Arabs. — Ocldey. Allath. One of the three daughters of the supreme god of the aiucient Ara- bians. The other two were Menach and Aluzzo. Allen- a-D ale. A brave young man who was assisted by Robin Hood to carry off his bride, when on the point of being married against her will to a rich old knight. Alliek and Sandie. Contractions of Alexander ; the one being Alex’ and the other ’xander. Alligator. When the Spaniards first saw this reptile in the New World, they called it el lagarto (the lizard). Sir Wal- ter Raleigh called them lagartoSj and Ben Jonson alligartas. ALLODIALS. ALONZO. 23 Allo'dials. Lands which are held by an absolute right, without even the bur- den of homage or fidelity. The word is Teutonic— (all property). Allop'athy is in opposition to Ho- moeop'atiiy. The latter word is from the Greek homoeos pathos, similar disease ; and the former is alios jpathos, a different dis- ease. In one case, like is to cure like ; ” and in the latter, the disease is cured by its antidote.” Allworth. In A New Way to Pay Old Debts,” by Massinger. Allwortliy, in Fielding’s Tom Jones,” is designed for the author’s friend Ealph Allen. Let humble Allen, with an awkward shame, Do good by stealth, and hlush to find it fame. Pope. AFma {the human soul), queen of '^Body Castle,” beset by enemies for seven years {the Seven Ages of Man). The besiegers are a rabble rout of evil desires, foul imaginations, and silly con- ceits. Alma conducted Arthur and Sir Guy on over her castle. The divine part of a man,” says Spenser, ^^is circular, a circle being the emblem of eternity ; but the mortal part triangular, as it consists of three things— blood, flesh, and bones.” Alma Ma'ter. A collegian so calls the university of which he is a member. The words are Latin for fostering mother.” Expulsion from his Alma Mater.— Collegian and the Porter. Almaek’s. Aristocratic exclusive- ness. A ball given by the highest nobi- lity. Almack’s means properly a suite of assembly rooms in King Street, St. James’s (London), built in 1765 by a Scotchman named Macall, who inverted his name to obviate all prejudice and hide his origin. Balls, presided over by a committee of ladies of the highest rank, used to be given at these rooms ; and to be admitted to them was as great a distinction as to be introduced at Court. The rooms are now called Willis’s, from the present proprietor ; but they no longer retain their original character. A1 'manac is the Arabic al manac (the diary). Verstegen says it is the Saxon al-rnon-aght (all moon heed), and that it refers to the tallies of the full and new moons kept by our Saxon ancestors. One of these tallies may still be seen at St. John’s College, Cambridge. The Man i’ the Almanac stuch with pins (Nat. Lee), is a man marked with points referring to signs of the zodiac, and intended to indicate the favourable and unfavourable times of letting blood. I shan't consult your almanac (French), I shall not come to you to know what weather to expect. The reference is to the prognostications of weather in al- manacs. Alman'zor. A character in Dry- den’s Conquest of Granada,” a tragedy. Almighty Dollar. Washington Irving first made use of this expression, in his sketch of a “ Creole Village” (1837). Almond Tree. Grey hairs. The Preacher thus describes old age ; — In the day when the keepers of the house [the hands) shall tremble, and the strong men (the legs) how themselves, and the grinders {the teeth) cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows (the eyes) be darkened . . . and the almond-tree shall flourish (grey hairs on a bald pate), and the grasshopper be a burden, and de- sire shall fail . . . when the silver cord (the spinal marrow) shall be loosed, the golden bowl (intellect) broken, and the pitcher broken at the cistern (the pulse of the heart stopped).— JEccles. xii. 3—6. Almonry. The place where the almoner resides. The almoner is the person whose duty it is to distribute alms, which, in ancient times, consisted of one- tenth of the entire income of a monastery. {See Ambry. ) Alms. Gifts to the poor. (Old English almesse, Danish Norman almoigns, French aumones, Latin eleemosyna, from the Greek eleeo, I pity. ) Alms-drink. Another’s leavings ; for alms consist of broken bread and the residue of drink. It is also applied to the liquor which a drinker finds too much, and therefore hands to another. Alms-house. A house in which alms- men and women live free. Alms-man. One who lives on alms. Along-shore Men. The lower sort of men employed about our quays and docks. Alonzo of A'guilar'. When Fer- nando, king of Ar'agon, was laying siege to Grana'da, after chasing Za'gal from the gates, he asked who would undertake to plant his banner on the heights. Alonzo, ^Hhe lowmost of the dons,” un- dertook the task, but was cut down by 24 ALOOF. ALTO. / the Moors. His body was exposed in the wood of Oxije'ra, and the Moorish damsels, struck with its beauty, buried it near the brook of Alpuxarra. Aloof. Stand aloof, away. A sea term. The loof is the after-part of a ship’s bow, and the guns mounted therein are styled ^^loof-pieces.” A I’outrance. In spite of obstacles and objections. (French, d Vontrance, to the extreme.) A champion has started up to maintain d Voutrance her innocence of the great ofience.— Standard. Alp. The Adrian renegade, a Vene- tian by extraction, who forswore the Christian faith to become a commander in the Turkish army. He led the -host to the siege of Corinth, while that country was under the dominion of the Doge. He loved Francesca, daughter of Minotti, governor of Corinth, but she died of a broken heart because he de- serted his country and was an apostate. The renegade was shot in the siege. — Byron, Siege of Corinth.^^ Alph. A mythical sacred river in Xanadu,” which ran 'through caverns measureless to man.” — Coleridge, ^^Kuhla . Klianr Arpha. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.’* (Rev. i. 8.) Alpha” is the first, and ‘^0-meg'a” the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Alphe'os and Arethu'sa. The Greek fable says that Alphe'os, the river-god, fell in love with the nymph Arethu'sa, who fled from him in affright. The burly god pursued, but was changed into a river, and the nymph into a fountain. We have seen a moustachioed Alpheos, at Rams- gate, pursue an affrighted Arethusa.— iondon Review. Alphe'us (in Orlando Furioso”). A magician and prophet in the army of Charlemagne, slain in sleep by Clorida'no. Alplion'sin. An instrument for ex- tracting balls ; so called from Alphonso Ferri, a surgeon of Naples, who invented it. Alphon'sine Tables. Astronomical tabels constructed in 1252, by Isaac Kazan, a Jewish rabbi, who named them in honour of his patron, Alphonso X., king of Ar'agon. Alphonso, to whom Tasso dedicates his “Jerusalem Delivered,” was Alphonso d’Este, duke of Ferra'ra. Alpue {Al’pti). Continuing the bet on a particular card that has already won. What pity ’tis those conquering eyes Which all the world suhdue, Should, while the lover gazing dies, Be only on alpue.— Basset." Alc[ui'fe (al-Jcet-fy). A famous en- chanter, introduced into the romances of ancient times, especially those relating to Am'adis. Alsa'tia. The Whitefriars’ sanctuary for debtors and law-breakers. Cunning- ham thinks the name is borrowed from Alsace, in France, which, being a frontier of the Rhine, was everlastingly the seat of war and the refuge of the disaffected. Sir Walter Scott, in his “ Fortunes of Nigel,” has described the life and state of this rookery. {See Petand.) Als'vidur. One of the horses of the sun. {Scand. myth.) Altamo'rus (in Jerusalem De- livered ”). King of Samarcand', who joined the Egyptian armament against the Crusaders. “ He was supreme in courage as in might.” (Book xvii.) He surrendered him self to Godfrey. (Bookxx.) Alt an Kol or Gold River (Thibet). So called from the gold which abounds in its sands. Altar. Led to the altar, i.e., married. Said of a lady. The altar is the com- munion-table railed off from the body of the church, where marriages are solemnised. The bride is led up the aisle to the rail. Alter eg'o. My double or counter- part. In “ The Corsican Brothers,” the same actor performs the two brothers, the one being the alter ego of the other. (Lat., “a second!.”) Altesido'ra (in the “ Curious Imper- tinent”); an episode in '^Don Quixote.” Altis. The plot of ground on which the Greeks held their public games. Alto relievo {rel-e-a'-vo). Italian for “ high relief.” A term used in sculpture for figures in wood, stone, marble, &c., so cut as to project at least one-holf from the tablet. ALZES, A^MAZON. 25 Alzes (2 syl.)> The Scandinavian god of fraternal love. Alzir'do (in Orlando Furioso). King of Trem'izen, in Africa. He was overthrown by Orlando on his way to join the allied army of Ag'ramant. Am'adis of Gaul. The hero of a romance in prose of the same title, originally written in Portuguese in four books. These four were translated into Spanish by Montalvo, who added a fifth. Subsequent romancers added the exploits and adventures of other knights, so as to swell the romance to fourteen books. The French version is much larger still, one containing twenty-four books, and another running through seven volumes. The original author was Vasco de Lobeira, of Oporto, who died 1403. The her Of called the Lion-knight,” from the device on his shield, and Bel- tene'bros” {darhly beautifuV), from his personal appearance, was a love-child of Per'ion, king of Gaul, and Elize'na, princess of Brittany. He is represented as a poet and musician, a linguist and a gallant, a knight-errant and a king, the very model of chivalry. Other names by which Am'adis was called were the Lovely Obscure, the Knight of the Burning Sivord, the Knight of the Dwarf, &c. Am'adis of Greece. A supple- mental part of the romance called Am'adis of Gaul,” added by Felicia'no de Silva. Amai'mon (3 syl.). One of the chief devils whose dominion is on the north side of the infernal gulf. He might be bound or restrained from doing hurt from the third hour till noon, and from the ninth hour till evening. Amaimon sounds well ; Lucifer well. “2ferry Wives of Windsor” ii. 2. Amain'. Forcibly, at once. (Saxon, a-mcegn>) Let go amain, at once ; lower amain; strike amain, i.e., let fall at once, with a run. Amal'fian Code. A compilation of maritime laws, compiled in the eleventh century by the Amalfians. Amaliv'aca. An American spirit, who had seven daughters. He broke their legs to prevent their running away, and left them to people the forests. Amalthae'a’s Horn. The cornu- copia or horn of plenty. The infant Zeus was fed with goats’ milk by Amal- thsea, one of the daughters of Melisseus, king of Crete. Zeus, in gratitude, broke off one of the goat’s horns, and gave it Amalthasa, promising that the possessor should always have in abundance every- thing desired. {See .S^ee Pig-back.) A'pis, in Egyptian mythology, is the bull symbolical of the god Apis. It w^as not suffered to live more than twenty- five years, when it was sacrificed and buried in great pomp. The madness of Cambyses is said to have been in retribu- tion for his killing a sacred bull. Aplomb means true to the plumb' line, but is generally used to express that self-possession which arises from perfect self-confidence. We also talk of a dancer’s aplomb, meaning that ho is a perfect master of his art. D % 36 APOCALYPTIC. APOSTLES. Apoealyp'tie TTumber. The mys- tic number 666. (Rev. xiii. 18.) Apoe'rypha means things wholly concealed (Greek, apo, intensitive, and kruptOf to conceal). The canonical books were puhlislied, or made public, by the Jews ; but the doubtful books were not made public, i.e., they were held back or concealed. An apoc'ryphal narrative is one that is not true, or not authentic ; the two causes that decided the rejection of the uncanonical Scriptures. Apollina'riai^S. An ancient sect founded in the middle of the fourth cen- tury by Apollina'ris, bishop of Laodice'a. They denied that Christ had a human soul, and asserted that the Logos supplied the place of the reasonable soul. The Athanasian creed condemns this heresy. Apollo. The sun, the god of music. {Roman mythology.') Apollo’s angry, and the heavens themselves Do strike at my injustice.— “IFin^er’s Tale” hi. 2. A perfect Apollo. A model of manly beauty, referring to the Apollo Belvidere (q.v.). The Apollo of Portugal. Luis Camoens, author of the “Lusiad,” so called, not for his beauty, but for his poetry. He was god of poetry in Portu- gal, but was allowed to die in the streets of Lisbon like a dog, literally of starva- tion. Poor fellow ! he would have gladly exchanged for solid pudding some of his empty praise. (1527-1579.) Apollo Belvidere {Bel'-ve-dear'). A marble statue, supposed to be from the chisel of the Greek sculptor CaPamis, who flourished in the fifth ante-Cliristian era. It represents the god holding a bow in his left hand, and is called Belvidere from the Belvidere Gallery of the Vatican, in Rome, where it stands. It was discovered in 1503, amidst the ruins of An'tium, and purchased by pope Julius II. Apollo'niiis. Master of the Rosi- crucians. He is said to have had the power of raising the dead, of making himself invisible, and of being in two places at the same time. Apollodo'ros. Plato says : Who would not rather be a man of sorrows than Apollodoros, envied by all for his enormous wealth, yet nourishing in his heart the scorpions of a guilty con- science?” {The Repub.) This Apollo- doros was the tyrant of Cassan'drea (for- merly Potide'a). He obtained the supreme power B.c. 379, exercised it with the utmost cruelty, and was put to death by Antig'onos Gon'atas. Apoll'yon. King of the bottomless pit (Rev. ix. 11). Plis contest with Pil- grim, in Bunyan’s allegory, has made bis name familiar. (Greek, the destroyer.) Apos'tate, The. Julian, the Roman emperor. So called because he forsook the Christian faith and returned to Pagan- ism again. (331, 361-363.) A poster'io'ri {Latin^ from the Matter.) An a posteriori argument is proving the cause from the effect. Thus, if we see a watch, we conclude there was a watch-maker. Robinson Crusoe inferred there was another human being on the desert island, because he saw hu- man foot- prints in the wet sand. It is thus we infer the existence and character of deity from his works. {See A Priori.) Apos'tles. The badges or symbols of the fourteen apostles. Andrew, a cross, "because lie was crucified on a cross shaped like the letter X. Bartholomew, a knife, because he was flayed with a knife. James the Greater, a scallop-shell, a pilgrim's staff, or a gourd bottle, because he is the patron saint of pilgrims. {See Scallop-shell.) .lames the Less, a fuller’s pole, because he was killed by a blow on the head with a pole, dealt him by Simeon the fuller. John, a cup with a winged serpent flying out of it, in allusion to the tradition about Aristode'mos, priest of Diana, who challenged John to drink a cup of poison. John made the sign of the cross on the cup, Satan like a dragon flew from it, and John then drank the cup, which was quite in- nocuous. Judas Iscariot, a bag, because he had the hag, and “bare what was put therein.” (John xii. fi.) Jude, a club, because he was martyred by a club. Matthew, a hatchet or halbert, because he was slain at Nad'abar with a halbert. Matthias, a battle-axe, because he was first stoned, and then beheaded with a battle-axe. Paul, a sword, because his head was out off with a sword. The convent of La Lisla, in Spain, boasts of possessing the very instrument. Peter, a bunch of keys, because Christ gave him the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” A co^ by the English on a wagon. BATTLEDGEE. BAYADERE. 71 Battle of the Simrs (1302), in which the allied citizens of Ghent and Bruges won a famous victory over the chivalry of France under the walls of Courtray. After the battle more than 700 gilt spurs (worn by French nobles) were gathered from the field. In English history the battle of Guine- gate (1513) is so called, ‘‘because the French spurred their horses to flight, almost as soon as they came in sight of the English troops.” Waget' of Battle. One of the forms of ordeal or appeal to the judgment of God, in the old Norman courts of the kingdom. It consisted of a personal combat between the plaintiff and defendant, in the pre- sence of the court itself. Abolished by 59 Geo. III., c. 46. Bat'tledore (3 syl. ) means, properly, a baton or beetle for washing linen by striking on it to knock out the dirt. The plan is still common in France. The word is hattre d'eau, or hat d'eau-er (a thing for beating out the water of wet linen). {See B.) Battles. Rations or “commons” allowed to students at the University of Oxford. A corruption of battens, from the verb batten (to feed). Battle Bills. Buttery bills at the universities. (See above!) Baubee. Jenny's baubee. Her mar- riage portion. The word means, properly, a debased copper coin, equal in value to a halfpenny, issued in the reign of James VI. of Scotland. (French, has billon, de- based copper money.) Bauble. A fool should never hold a bauble in his hand. “’Tis a foolish bird that fouls its own nest.” The bauble was . a short stick, ornamented with ass’s ears, carried by licensed fools. (French, babiole, a plaything. ) Ba'viad, The. A merciless satire by Gifford on the Della Cruscan poetry, published 1794. The word is from Virgil’s “Eclogue,” iii. 9. He may with foxes plough, and milk he-goats, Who praises Eavius or on Maevius dotes, Bavie'ca. The Cid’s horse. Ba'vius. Any bad poet. {See Ba- VIAD. ) May some choice patron bless each grey goose quill, May every Bavius have his Bufo still. Pope, ''Prologue to the Satirea.” Baxte'riaus. Those who entertain the same religious views as Richard Bax- ter. The chief points are — (1) that Christ died in a spiritual sense for the elect, and in a general sense for all ; (2) that there is no such thing as reprobation ; (3) that even saints may fall from grace. Dr. Isaac Watts and Dr. Doddridge held these views. Bay. The colour of a withered bay leaf. Bay. The withering of a bay-tree was supposed to be the omen of a death. ’Tis thought the king is dead. We’ll not stay— The bay-trees in our country are withered. Shakespeare, ''Richard ii. 4. Bay. Supposed to be an antidote against thunder, because it was the tree of Apollo. Hence Tibe'rius and some other of the Roman emperors wore a wreath of bay as an amulet, especially in thunder-storms. — Pliny, Beach the bays— I’ll tie a garland here about his h( a I ; ’Twill keep my boy from lightnitig. The Whi'e Devil. Croimed with bays, in sign of victory. The general who obtained a victory among the Romans was crowned with a wreath of bay leaves. The Queen's Bays. The 2nd Dragoon Guards ; so called because they are mounted on bay horses. Now called The Queen's. Bay Salt is salt of a bay colour. It is the salt of sea- water hardened by the heat of the sun. Bayes’s Troops. Dead men may rise again, like Bayes's troops, or the savages in the Fantoci'ni (“ Something New ”). In the “Rehearsal,” by George Villiers,duke of Buckingham, a battle is fought between foot-soldiers and great hobby-horses. At last Drawcansir kills all on both sides. Smith then asks how they are to go off ; to which Bayes replies, “ As they came on — upon their legs;” upon which they all jump up alive again. ^ Bayadere {bah-ya-dare). A dancing girl dressed in Eastern costume ; so called from the “bajaderes” of India, whose duty is to dance before the images of the gods; but the grandees employ similar dancers for their private amusements. The word is a corruption of the Portu- guese haitadeira. 72 BAYARD. BEAM. Ba'yard. Le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche. (1476-1524.) The British Bayard. Sir Philip Sidney. (1554-1584.) The Polish Bayard. Prince Joseph Poniatowski. (1763-1814.) Ba'yard. A horse of incredible swift- ness, belonging to the four sons of Ay'mon. If only one of the sons mounted, the horse was of the ordinary size ; but if all four' mounted, his body became elon- gated to the requisite length. The name is used for any valuable or wonderful horse, and means a ^4iigh bay” (fiay-ard). — Villenenvef Les Qnatre-Filz Aymon.’’ Keep Bayard in the stable — i.e., keep what is of value under lock and key. (See above . ) Bold as blind bayard. Foolhardy. If a blind horse leaps, the chance is he will fall into a ditch. Grose mentions the following expression. To ride bayard of ten toes — Going by the marrow-bone stage”— ^.e., walking. Bayar'do. The famous steed of Binaldo, which once belonged to Am'adis of Gaul. Bayardds Leap. Three stones, about thirty yards apart, near Sleaford. It is said that Binaldo was riding on his favourite steed Bayardo, when the de- mon of the place sprang behind him ; but the animal in terror took three tremen- dous leaps and unhorsed the fiend. Bayes, in the Rehearsal,” by the duke of Buckingham, was designed to satirise John Dryden, the poet laureate. (See Bayes’s Troops, p. 71.) Bayeux Tapestry. Supposed to be the work of Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror. It represents the mis- sion of Harold to the duke, and all the incidents of his history from that event till his death at Hastings in 1066. It is called Bayeux from the place where it is preserved. A drawing, on a reduced scale, of this curious antique is preserved in the Guildhall Library. Bayle. The dances of the common people were so called in Spain, in oppo- sition to the stately court dances, called danza. The Bayle were of Moorish in- vention, the Most celebrated being La Sarabanda, La Chacona, Las Ganibdas, and El Hennano Bartolo, Bay'onet. So called from La Bayo- nette, a lower ridge of the Montague d’Arrhune. A Basque regiment, early in the seventeenth century, running short of powder, stuck their knives into their muskets, and charged the Spaniards with success. It is an error to derive this word from Bayonne. Bead (Saxon) means a prayer. When little balls with a hole through them were used for keeping account of the number of prayers repeated, the term was ap- plied to them also. (/8ee Beadsman.) St. Cuthberfs Beads. Single joints of the articulated stems of encrinites. They are perforated in the centre, and bear a fanciful resemblance to a cross ; hence, they were once used for rosaries (beads). St. Cuthbert was a Scotch monk of the sixth century, and may be called the St. Patrick of the north of England and south of Scotland. Bead-house. An almshouse for beads- men. Bead-roll. A list of persons to be prayed for ; hence, also, any list. Beadle. A person whose duty it is to bid or cite persons to appear to a sum- mons ; also a church servant, whose duty it is to bid the parishioners to attend the vestry, or to give notice of vestry meet- ings. (Saxon, boedclj from beodan, to bid or summon.) Beadsman or Bedesman, An in- habitant of an almshouse, so called be- cause in Catholic times most charities of this class were instituted that the in- mates might pray for the soul of the founder.” (See Bead.) Seated with Bome grey headsman. Vrabbe, ^'Borough” Beak. A magistrate. (Saxon beag, a gold collar worn by civic magistrates.) Bea^ker. A drinking glass (German hedier, Italian beccar^ to swallow.) Beam. Thrown on my beam- ends — driven to my last shift. A ship is said to be on her beam-ends when she is laid by a heavy gale completely on her beams or sides. Not unfrequently the only means of righting her in such a case is to cut away her masts. On the starboard beam. A distant point out at sea, on the right-hand side, and at right angles to the keel. On the larboard beam, A similar point on the left-hand side. BEAN. BEAB. 73 On the weather heam. On that side of a ship which faces the wind. JBean. Every hean has its hlack. Nemo sine vitiis nas'citur, every one has his faults.” The bean has a black eye. (Ogni grano ha la sua semola.') He has found the hean in the cake, he has got a prize in the lottery, has come to some unexpected good fortune. The allusion is to twelfth cakes in which a bean is buried ; when the cake is cut up and distributed, he who gets the bean is the twelfth- night king. Beans. Property, money. (French, hiens, goods.) Pythag'oras forbade the use of beans to his disciples ; not the use of beans as a food, but the use of beans for political elections. Magistrates and other public officers were elected by beans cast by the voters into a helmet, and what Py- thag'oras advised was, that his disciples should not interfere with politics or ‘Move beans” — i.e., office. Aristotle says the word hean means ven'ery, and that the prohibition to “ abstain from beans” was equivalent to “ keeping the body chaste.” Beans are in flower, “les feves fleuris- sent,” and this will account for your being so silly. Our forefathers imagined that the perfume of the flowering bean was bad for the head, and made men silly or light-headed. Bean Feast. Much the same as Wayz-goose {q.v.), a feast given by an employer to those he employs. The bean- goose is next in size to the Grey Lag- goose. The term comes from the northern counties, where the bean (^goose) is common. Bean King. A king elected by ballot. The Greeks used beans in voting by ballot. {See Beans. ) Bean-King's festival. Twelfth-day, when he who has the bean is king for the night. {See Bean.) Bear, in Stock-Exchange slang, is one who bears or forces down the price of stock, in order to make a purchase. A hull is one who tosses or forces it up, in order to sell stock. Dr. Warton says the term came from the proverb of Selling the skin before you have caught the bear,” and referred to those who entered into contracts in the South Sea Scheme to transfer stock at a stated price. It does not seem necessary to go to the proverb for so simple a pun. So was the huntsman by the bear oppressed, Whose hide he sold before he causcht the beast. Waller, Battle of the Summer Islands,” c. ii. The Bear. Albert, margrave of Bran- denburg. He was also called ‘^The Fair.” (1106-1170.) The Great Bear and Little Bear. The constellations so called are specimens of a large class of blunders founded on approximate sounds. The Sanskrit arch means ‘‘to be bright;” the Greeks cor- rupted the word into archtos, arktos, which means a bear ; so that the “ bear” should in reality be the “ bright ones.” The fable is that Calisto, a nymph of Diana, had two sons by Jupiter, which Juno changed into bears, and J apiter converted into constellations. The wind-shaked surge, with high and monstrous mane. Seems to cast water on the burning bear. And quench the guards of th’ ever- fixed pole. Shakespeare, “ Othello,” ii. 1. ’Twas here we saw Calisto’s star retire Beneath the waves, unawed by Juno’s ire. Camoens, ”Lusiad,” bk. v. The Northern Bear. Russia. A Bridled Bear. A young nobleman under the control of a travelling tutor. {See Bear-leader.) The hloody Bear, in Dryden’s poem called ‘^The Hind and Panther,” means the Independents. The bloody bear, an independent beast, ij nlickedto form, iu gx-oans her hate expressed. Pt. i. The Bear and Ragged Staff. A public- house sign in Smithfield, &c., in compli- ment to Warwick, the king-maker, whose cognisance it was; The first earl was Arth or Arthgal, of the Round Table, whose cognisance was a hear, because arth means a bear (Latin, iirs'). Morvid, the second earl, overcame, in single com- bat, a mighty giant, who came against him with a club, which was a tree pulled up by the roots, but stripped of its branches. In remembrance of his vic- tory over the giant, he added “ the ragged staff.” The Bear and the Tea-kettle (Kams- chatka). Said of a person who injures himself by foolish rage. One day a bear entered a hut in Kamschatka, where a kettle was on the fire. Master Bruin went to the kettle, and smelling at it 74 BEAR-GARDEN. BEARNAIS. / burnt his nose ; being greatly irritated, he seized the kettle with his paws, and squeezed it against his breast. This, of course, made matters worse, for the boiling water scalded him terribly, and he growled in agony till some neighbours put an end to his life with their guns. As the hear has no tail, for a lion MU fail. The same as Ne sutor supra crep'idam, ^ Get not the cobbler aspire above his last.’^ Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, being a descendant of the Warwick family, changed his own crest, which was a green lion with two tails,” for the Warwick crest, a bear and ragged staff.” When made governor of the Low Countries, he was suspected of aiming at absolute supre- macy, or the desire of being the monarch of his fellows, as the lion is monarch among beasts. Some wit wrote under his crest the Latin verse, Ursa caret cauda non queat esse leo.” Your bear for lion needs must fail. Because your true bears have no tail. Bear-garden. This place is a perfect hear-garden — that is, full of confusion, noise, tumult, and quarrels. Bear-gar- dens were places where bears used to be kept and baited for public amusement. Bear’s Garlic. A translation of Allium ursHnum, a Latin corruption of curs-inon or urs-inon, a hot, pungent onion. {See Horse.) Bear-leader. One who undertakes the charge of a young man of rank on his travels. It was once customary to lead muzzled bears about the streets, and to make them show off in order to attract notice and gain money. Bear! (said Br. PawgZoss to his pupil). Under favour, young gentleman, I am the bear-leader, being appointed your tutor.— G*. Colman’s Heir- at-Law.” Beard. Kissing the heard. In Turkey wives kiss their husband, and children their father, on the beard. To make ooie’s heard (Chaucer). This is the French faire la harhe d quelqu^un, and refers to a barber’s taking hold of a man’s beard to dress it, or to his shaving the chin of a customer. To make one’s beard is to have him wholly at your mercy. To heard one is to defy him, to contra- dict him flatly, to insult by plucking the beard. Among the Jews, no greater insult could be offered to a man than to pluck or even touch his beard. To laugh at one's heard. To attempt to make a fool of a person— to deceive by ridiculous exaggeration. " By tbe prophet ! but he laughs at our beards,” exclaimed the Pacha, angrily. “ These are foolish lies.”— l/arryafi, “Pacha of Many Tales.” Tax upon heards. Czar Peter imposed a tax upon beards. Every one above the lowest class had to pay 100 rubles, and the lowest class had to pay a copec, for enjoying this ^Guxury.” Clerks were stationed at the gates of every town to collect the beard-tax. Cutting^ the heard. The Turks think it a dire disgrace to have the beard cut. Slaves who serve in the seraglio have clean chins, as a sign of their servitude. Bearded Master (Magistrum barba'tum). So Persius styled Socrates, under the notion that the beard is the symbol of wisdom, (b.c. 468-399.) Pogona'tus (Bearded). Constantine IV. , emperor of Rome. (648-685.) The Bearded. Geoffrey the Crusader, and Bouchard of the house of Mont- morency. Handsome-heard. Baldwin IV., earl of Flanders. (1160-1186.) J ohn the Bearded. Johann Mayo, the German painter, whose beard touched the ground when he stood upright. Bearded Women: Bartel Grsetje, of Stuttgard, born 1562. The duke of Saxony had the portrait taken of a poor Swiss woman, remarkable for her large, bushy beard. In 1726 a female dancer appeared at V enice with a large, bushy beard. Charles XII. had in his army a woman whose beard was a yard and a half long. She was taken prisoner at the battle of Pultowa, and presented to the Czar, 1724. Mdlle. Bois de Ch^ne, born at Geneva in 1834, was exhibited in London in 1852-3 ; she had a profuse head of hair, a strong black beard, large whiskers, and thick hair on her arms and back. Julia Pastra'na was exhibited in Lon- don in 1857 ; died, 1862, at Moscow; was embalmed by professor Suckaloff ; and the embalmed body was exhibited at 191, Piccadilly, She was found among the Digger Indians of Mexico. Margaret of Holland had a long, stiff beard. Bearnais, Le. Henri IV. of France ; so called from Le Be'arn, his native pro- vince. (1553-1610.) BEASTS. BEATIFIC. 75 Beasts, heraldic: Couchant^ lying down. Counter-'passant, moving in opposite directions. Dormant, sleeping. Gardant, full-faced. Issuant, rising from the top or bottom of an ordinary. Nascent, rising out of the middle of an ordinary. Passant, walking. Passant gardant, walking, and with full face. Passant regardant, walking and looking behind. Rampant, rearing. Regardant, looking back. Sejant, seated. Salient, springing. Statant, standing still. Beastly Drunk. It was an ancient notion that men in their cups exhibited the vicious qualities of beasts. Nash describes seven kinds of drunkards : — (1) The Ape-drunk, who leaps and sings ; (2) The Lion- drunk, who is quarrelsome ; (3) The Swine-drunk, who is sleepy and puking; (4) The Sheep-drunk, wise in his own conceit, but unable to speak; (5) The Martin-drunk, who drinks him- self sober again ; (6) The Goat-drunk, who is lascivious ; and (7) The Fox- drunk, who is crafty, like a Dutchman in his cups. Besides these, there is the Maudlin-drunk, which does not belong to the ^'beasts,” but means the man who weeps with kindness. Beat. A track, line, or appointed range. A policeman’s heat. The man was out of his heat — i.e., his proper appointed walk. It is not in my heat— in my way, in the range of my talents. The word means a beaten path. To heat in a game of skill does not mean to strike, which is the Saxon heatan, but to be the better, from the Saxon hetan (to be the superior). To heat hollow is to beat wholly. Dead heat. So completely beaten or vanquished that he is like one dead — there is no longer any fight left in him. That heats Termagant. Your ranting, raging, pomposity, or exaggeration sur- passes that of Termagant {q.v.'). That heats Ban'agher. Wonderfully inconsistent and absurd — exceedingly ridiculous. Banagher is a town in Ire- land, on the Shannon, in the King’s County. It formerly sent two members to parliament, and was, of course, a famous pocket borough. When a member spoke of a family borough where every voter was a man employed by the lord, it was not unusua! to reply, Well, that beats Banagher.” Beat. To strike. (Saxon, heatan?) To heat or drum a thing into one. To repeat, as a drummer repeats his strokes on a drum. To heat up our supporters. To hunt them up or call them together, as soldiers are by call of drum. To heat an alarm. To give notice of danger by beat of drum. To heat a retreat; to heat to arms; to heat a charge. Military terms similar to the above. To he heat out. To be dog-tired. The allusion is to beating out metal, &c., in order to make it very thin. Beat. (French, ahattre, to abate.) To heat down. To make a seller abate” his price. Beaten to a Mummy. Beaten so that one can distinguish neither form nor feature. Diodo'rus Sic'ulus says the people of the Balea'ric Isles beat with clubs the bodies of the dead, to render them flexible, in order that they may be deposited in earthen pots, called mum- mae ” (v. 1). They beat them to mam- mocks (pieces). Beating about the Bush. Not coming directly to the matter in hand, but feeling your way timidly by indirec- tions, as persons beat bushes to ascertain if game is lurking under them. Beating the Bounds. On Holy Thursday or Ascension Day, it used to be customary for the parish school chil- dren, accompanied by the clergyman and parish officers, to walk through their parish from end to end. The boys had willow wands, with which they struck the lines of boundary. Before maps were common, the boys were thus taught to know the bounds of their own parish. The custom still prevails in many parishes. Beatific Vision. A vision of the blessed in the realms of heaven. Ma- homet had such a vision ; and so had the apostles Paul and John. 76 BEATEICE. BED-POST. Beatrice. A warm-hearted, witty, capricious, proud beauty, with whom Be- nedict id\\^ in love. — ’S]iaJc€s;peare, Much Ado about Nothing B She was not a Leshia, nor a Beatrice, nor a Laura, nor a Highland Mary, destined to live in song for ever.— The Times. Bean. Beau Fielding, called Handsome Fielding’’ by Charles II. Beau Nash. Son of a Welsh gen- tleman, a notorious diner-out. He under- took the management of the bath-rooms at Bath, and conducted the public balls with a splendour and decorum never be- fore witnessed. In old age he sank into poverty. (1674-1761.) Beai(^ Brummel. George Bryan. (1778- 1840.) Beau Tibbs, noted for his finery, vanity, and poverty. — In Goldsmith' s “ Citizen of the World." Beau Ide'al. The model of beauty or excellency formed by fancy. The statue called the Apollo Belvidere” is the beau ideal of manly beauty. The Uto'pia of Sir Thomas More is his beau ideal of a good government. The eclec- tics, whether in painting, sculpture, ar- chitecture, drama, or philosophy, select the beauties of different systems to form a beau ideal after their own conception. (French for ideal beauty.) Beau Monde. The fashionable world ; people who make up the coterie of fashion. {English- French.) Beau Trap. A loose pavement under which water lodges, and which squirts up filth when trodden on, to the annoyance of the smartly dressed. Beauclere {good scholar'). Applied to Henry I., who had clerk-like accomplish- ments, very rare in the times in which he lived. (1068, 1100-1135.) Beaune’s Problem. A problem which entitles Florimond de Beaune, the French mathematician, to be considered the founder of the integral calculus. (1601-1652.) Beautiful. Beautiful or fair as an angel. Throughout the Middle Ages it was common to associate beauty with virtue, and ugliness with sin ; henc^the expres- sions given above, and the following also — Seraphic beauty,” Cherubic love- liness,” Ugly as sin,” &c. Beautiful Parricide. Beatrice Cenci, the daughter of a Eoman noble- man, who plotted the death of her father, because he violently defiled her. (Died 1599.) Beauty and the Beast. The hero and heroine of Mdme. Villeneuve’s fairy tale. Beauty saved the life of her father by consenting to live with the Beast ; and the Beast, being disenchanted by Beauty’s love, became a handsome prince, who married her. — Contes Ma- rines, 1740. Beauty of Buttermere. Mary Robinson, married to John Hath eld, a heartless impostor, executed for forgery at Carlisle in 1803. Beaver. A hat, so called from its being made of beaver-skins. Beaver. That part of the helmet which lifted up to enable the wearer to drink. Similarly bever, the afternoon draught in the harvest-field, called/o%r5’5. (Italian, bever e, to drink ; Spanish, beber ; Latin, bibo ; French, buveur, a drinker; Armoric, beuvrauh, beverage, &c.) Bed. The great bed of Ware. A bed twelve feet square, and capable of hold- ing twelve persons ; assigned by tradition to the earl of Warwick, the king-maker. Although the sheet were hig enough for the bed of Ware in England. Shakespeare, “ Twdfth Night, iii. 2. You got out of bed the wrong way, or with the left leg foremost. Said of a person who is patchy and ill-tempered. It was an ancient superstition that it was un- lucky to set the left foot on the ground first on getting out of bed. The same superstition applies to putting on the left shoe first, a fancy ” not yet wholly exploded. Bed of Justice. (See Lit.) Bed-post. In the twinlchng of a bed- post. As quickly as possible. In the ancient bed- frames a movable post or staff was inserted on each side to keep the clothes from falling off. These bed-staffs were sometimes used in self- defence, and in making the bed to beat the feathers. In the reign of Edward I. Sir John Chichester had a mock skir- mish with his servant (Sir John with his rapier and the servant with the bed- staff), in which the servant was acci- dentally killed. Wright, in his ^^Do- BEDER, BEEF-STEAK. 77 mestic Manners/’ shows us a chamber- maid of the seventeenth century using a bed-staff to beat up the bedding. ‘^Twinkling” means a rapid twist or turn. (Old French, guincher ; Welsh, gioing, gwingaii), our loriggle.') I’ll do it instantly, in the twinkling of a bed- staff.— “ Virtuoso” 1676. He would have cur, him down in the twinkling of a bed-post.— “ R tbelais,” done into English. Bobadil, in Every Man in his Humour,” and Lord Duberley, in the Heir-at-Law,” use the same expression. Be'der. A valley famous for the victory gained by Mahomet, in which he was assisted by 3,000 angels, led by Gabriel, mounted on his horse Hiazum.” — A I Koran. Beeler. Prince of Persia, who marries queen Labe, and turns her into a mare ; being restored to her proper shape by the assistance of her mother, she turns Beder into an owl. — AraMan Nights, Beder, Prince of Persia.'^ Bedford. Saxon, Bedeari-forda (for- tress ford)— that is, the ford at the for- tress of the river Ouse. Bedfordshire. I am off to Bedford- shire, i.e., to bed. A similar pun is “to the land of Nod.” Bedlver. A knight of the Round Table, and the butler of king Arthur. Bedlam. A lunatic asylum or mad- house ; a contraction for Bethlehem, the name of a religious house in London, converted into a hospital for lunatics. Tom o’ Bedlam. {See Tom.) Bedlamite (3 syl.). A madman, a fool, an inhabitant of a Bedlam. Bedouins {Bed-ivins). The homeless street poor are so called. Thus the Times calls the ragged houseless boys “the Bedouins of London.” The Bedouins are the nomadic tribes of Arabia. Bed'reddin' Hassan, in the story of “Nour'eddin' and his Son,” in the “Arabian Nights.” Comparing herself to Bedreddin Hassan, whom the vizier . . . discovered by his superlative skill In composing cream-tarts with pepper in them.— Scott, Heart of Midlothian.” Bee. The Athenian Bee. Plato, so called from the sweetness of his style (B.c. 429-348.) The Bee of Athens. Soph'ocles, the tragic poet (b.c. 495-405.) Bee. Yon have «■ hee in your honnet ; your head is fall of hees ; full of devices, crotchets, fancies, inventions, and dreamy theories. The connection between bees and the soul was once generally main- tained ; hence Mahomet admits bees to Paradise. Porphyry says of fountains they are “adapted to the nymphs, or those souls which the ancients called bees.” The moon was called a hee by the priestesses of Ceres, and the word lunatic or moon-struck still means one with “bees in his head.” {See Maggot.) Spenser, describing the human body, refers to the bees and flies in the chamber of Fantasy : — And all his chamber filled was with flies, Which buzzed about him Like many swarms of bees These flies are idle thoughts and fantasies, Devices, dreams, opinions, schemes unsound Faery Queen” bk. ii. To have a hee in your honnet, is, also, to carry a jewel or ornament in your cap ; from the Anglo-Saxon, heigh. {See above.) Bees. In the empire of France the royal mantle and standard have both been thickly sown with golden bees, in- stead of Louis flowers, because more than 300 golden bees were found in the tomb of Chil'deric, when it was opened in 1653. The modern opinion is that what we call a jieur de Us is a bee with its wings outstretched. (See Fleur de LIS.) Beef, Ox. The former is Norman, and the latter Saxon. The Normans had the cooked meat, and when set before them used the word they were accustomed to. The Saxon was the herdsman, and while the beast was under his charge called it by its Saxon name. Old Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon title while he is under the cliarge of serfs and bondsmen; but becomes Beef, a fiery French gallant, when he ari-ives b-Tore the worshipful jaws that are destined to consume \\\m.—Ioanhoe. Weaver's beef of Colchester — i.e., sprats, caught abundantly in the neighbourhood. — Fuller, “ Worthies." Beef-eaters. Yeomen of the Guard; so called because they used to watch the buffet, and hence were called buffetiers or boufitiers in N orman - French — e., “waiters at the side-board.” Beef-steak Club owed its origin to an accidental dinner taken by lord Peter- borough in the ^ene-room of Rich, over Covent Garden Theatre. The original 78 BEEFINGTON. BEGUINES. gridiron on which Kich broiled the peer’s steak is still preserved in the palladium of the club, and the members have it engraved on their buttons.— of the Clubs of Loudon. N.B. — The club is still held at the Lyceum Theatre. Beefington or Milor Beefington, in- troduced in ^^The Eovers.” Casimere is a Polish emigrant, and Beefingtpn an English nobleman, exiled by the tyranny of king John. “Will without power,” said the sagacious Casi- mir to Milor Beefangton, “ is like children playing at soldiers.”— ifacawZay. Beelzebub. God of flies, supposed to ward off flies from his votaries. One of the gods of the Philistians. (See Achor.) The Greeks had a similar deity, Zeus A'pomy'ios. The Jews, by way of reproach, changed Beelzebub into Bal- zebul \god of dung'), and placed him among the daemons. Milton says he was next in rank to Satan, and stood ^^with Atlante'an shoulders, fit to bear the weight of mightiest monarchies.” (Bk. ii.) One next himself in power, and next in crime. Long after known in Palestine, and named Beelzebub. “ Paradise Lost/* i. Beer. (>S'eeALE.) Beetle-crusher. A large, flat foot. The expression was first used in Punch, in one of Leech’s caricatures. Those who know London, know how it is over- run with black-beetles or cockroaches. Beffa'na. The good fairy of German children, who is supposed to fill their stockings with toys when they go to bed on Twelfth night. Some one enters the children’s bedroom for the purpose, and the wakeful youngsters cry out, “ Ecco la Beffalnod' According to legend, Beffana was too busy with house affairs to look after the Magi when they went to offer their gifts, and said she would wait to see them on their return ; but they went another way, and Beffana every Twelfth night watches to see them. The name is a corruption of E/gi/ghania. Beggars. King of the Beggars. Bamp- fylde Moore Carew. (1693-1770.) Beggar’s Bush. To go by beggar's bush (or) Go home by beggar's bush— i.e.,io go to ruin. Beggar’s bush is the name of a tree which once stood on the left hand of the London road from Hunting- don to Caxton, so called because it was a noted rendezvous for beggars. These punning phrases and proverbs are very common. Beggar’s Daughter. Bessee, the beggar's daughter ofBednall Green. Bessee was very beautiful, and was courted by four suitors at once, a knight, a gentle- man of fortune, a London merchant, and the son of the innkeeper at Eomford. She told them that they must obtain the consent of her father, the poor blind beg- gar of Bethnal Green. When they heard that, they all slunk off, except the knight, who went to ask the beggar’s leave to wed the pretty Bessee”’ The beggar gave her d83,000 for her dower, and <£100 to buy her wedding gown. At the wed- ding feast he explained to the guests that he was Henry, son and heir of Sir Simon de Montfort. At the battle of Evesham, the barons were routed, Montfort slain, and himself left on the field for dead. A baron’s daughter discovered him, nursed him with care, and married him ; the fruit of this marriage was pretty Bes- see.” Henry de Montfort assumed the garb and semblance of a beggar to escape the vigilance of king Henry’s spies. — • Percy's Reliques." Begging Hermits were of the Augustine order ; they renounced all property, and lived on the voluntary alms of the faithful.” Begging the Question. Assum- ing a proposition, which, in reality, in- volves the conclusion. Thus, to say that parallel lines will never meet because they are parallel, is simply to assume as a fact the very thing you profess to prove. The phrase is a translation of the Latin term, getitio grincijfii, and was first used by Aristotle. Beghards. A religious order of St. Francis established at Antwerp in 1228, and so named from St. Begghe, their patroness. Begtasli'i. A religious order in the Ottoman empire, which had its origin in the fourteenth century. The word is derived from Hadji Begtash, a dervise, its founder. Beguines {Beg-wins). The earliest of all lay societies of women united for religious purposes. So called from their beguin, or linen cap. BEHEMOTH, BELISABIUS. 79 Behe'moth {Uelrew). The hippo- pot'amns, once thought to be the rhino- ceros. (/See Job xl. 15.) Behold ! in plaited mail, Behe'moth rears his head. Thomson. Behestli. The Elysian fields of Persian mythology. Beh'menists. A sect of visionary religionists, so called from J acob Behmen, their founder. (1575-1625.) Behram. The most holy kind of fire, according to Parseeism. (/See Aba- kan.) Be'jan. A freshman or greenhorn. This term is employed in the French and Scotch universities, and is evidently a corruption of hec jaune (yellow beak), a French expression to designate a nestling or unfledged bird. In the university of Vienna the freshman is termed beanuSy and in France footing- money is bejaunia. Bel Esprit (jFrench). A vivacious wit ; a man or woman of quick and lively parts, ready at repartee. (Plural, beaux esj[>rits. ) Belch.. Sir Toby Belch. A reckless, roistering, jolly knight of the Eliza- bethan period. — ShakesjyearCy Twelfth Night.'' Belcher. A pocket-handkerchief — properly, a blue ground with white spots. So called from Jim Belcher, the pugilist who adopted it. Beldam. An old woman; literally, a ‘^beautiful lady.” The French also use belle cuge for old age. Old men and beldams in the streets Do prophesy upon it dangerously. Shakespeare, “ King John” iv. 2. Bel'enus. The Apollo of the Druids. Bele'ses (3 syk). A Chaldean sooth- sayer and Assyrian satrap, who told Arba'ces, governor of Me'dia, that he would one day sit on the throne of Sar- danapalus, king of Nineveh and Assyria. His prophecy was verified, and he was rewarded by Arba'ces with the govern- ment of Babylon. — Byron^ Sardana- jpalus." Bel'ford. A friend of Lovelace, in Eichardson’s “ Clarissa Harlow.” These ^‘friends” made a covenant to pardon every sort of liberty which they took with each other. Belfry. A military tower, pushed by besiegers against the wall of a be- sieged city, that missiles may be thrown more easily against the defenders. (Greek beloSy a missile, and^/treo, to dart forth.) Probably a church steeple is called a belfry from its resemblance to these towers, and not because bells are hung in it. Belial (Hebrew). The worthless or lawless one— ^.e., the devil. Milton, in his pandemonium, makes him a very high and distinguished prince of dark- ness.— Paratiwe Lost. What concord hath Christ with Belial ?— 2 Cor. vi. 16. Belial came last— than whom a spirit more lewd Fell not from heaven, or more gross to love Vice for itself. Milton, “ Paradise Lost” bk. ii. So7is of Belial. Lawless, worthless, rebellious people. {See above.) Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial.— 1 Sam. ii. 12. Belin'da. The heroine of Pope’s heroi-comical poem, entitled the ^^Eape of the Lock.” The poem is based on a real incident : — Lord Petre cut off a lock of Miss Fermor’s hair, and this liberty gave rise to a bitter feud between the two noble families. The poet says that Belinda wore on her neck two curls, one of which the baron cut off with a pair of scissors borrowed of Clarissa. Belinda, in anger, demanded back the ringlet ; but it had flown to the skies and become a meteor, which shot through liquid air, and drew behind a radiant trail of hair.” If to her share some female errors fall. Look on her face, and you’ll forget them all. Canto ii. Belinun'cia. A herb sacred to Belis, with the juice of which the Gauls used to poison their arrows. Belisa'ma (queen of heaveii). The supreme goddess of the Gauls. Belisa'rius. Belisa'rius begging for an obolus. Belisa'rius, the greatest of Justinian’s generals, being accused of conspiring against the life of the empe- ror, was deprived of all his property ; and his eyes being put out, he lived a beggar in Constantinople. The tale is that he fastened a bag to his road-side hut, and had inscribed over it — Give an obolus to poor old Belisarius.” This tradition is of no historic value. 80 BELL. BELL, Bell. Acton, Currer, and Ellis. As- sumed names of Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Bronte. Bell, The Giant. {See Belle. ^ In spite of hell, hooh, and candle — i.e., in spite of all the opposition which the Christian hierarchy can offer. {See Cursing.) Of the students, 233, in spite of bell, book, and candle, are Catholics— T/ie Times. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back. King John, iii. 3. Who is to hell the cat ? — who will risk his own life to save his neighbours? Any one who encounters great personal hazard for the sake of others undertakes to “ bell the cat.” The allusion is to the fable of the cunning old mouse, who sug- gested that they should hang a bell on the cat’s neck to give notice to all mice of her approach. Excellent,” said awise young mouse, “ but who is to undertake the job ? ” (See Bell-the-Cat.) Is there a man in all Spain able and willing to bell the c it ii.e., persuade the queen to abdi- cate).— T/ie Times. To hear the hell. To be first fiddle ; to carry off the palm ; to be the best. Be- fore cups were presented to winners of horse-races, &c., a little gold or silver bell used to be given for the prize. Jockey and his horse were by their masters sent, To put in for the bell. . . . They are to run, and cannot miss the bell. North’s '■'Forest of Varieties.'* Bunging the hallowed hell. Bells were believed to disperse storms and pestilence, drive away devils, and extinguish fire. In France it is still by no means unusual to ring church bells to ward off the effects of lightning. Nor is this peculiar to France, for even in 1852 the bishop of Malta ordered the church bells to be rung for an hour, to “ lay a gale of wind.” Of course, the superstitious efficacy of a bell resides in its having been conse- crated. Ku'nera plango, ful'iruri frango, sab'bata pango, Lxci'to lentos, dib'^ipo ven'os, paco craentos. Death’s tale I tell, the winds dispel, ill-feeling quell, 'the sloti.ful shake, the storm-clouds break, the Sab- bath wake. 1' oiling for church. A relic of the Ave Bell, which, before the Reformation, was tolled before service to invite worshippers to a preparatory prayer to the Virgin. The Passing Bell is the hallowed bell which used to be rung when per- sons were in extre'mis, to scare away evil spirits, which were supposed to lurk about the dying to pounce on the soul while passing from the body to its resting-place.” A. secondary object was to announce to the neighbourhood the fact that all good Christians might offer up a prayer for the safe passage of the dying person into Paradise. We now call the bell rung at a person’s decease the passing bell.” The Athenians used to beat on brazen kettles at the moment of a decease to scare away the Furies. Bells. The Koran says that bells hang on the trees of Paradise, and are set in motion by wind from the throne of God, as often as the blessed wish for music.— Sale. Bells as musical As those that, on thegolden-shafted trees Of Eden, shook by the eternal breeze. T. Moore, " Lalla Rookh,” part i. The sweet hells of his intellect are jangled, out of tune Hamlet,” iii. 1). A most exquisite metaphor for a deranged mind, such as that of Don Quixote. Ringing the hells hachwards, is ringing a muffled peal. Backwards is often used to denote in a contrary direction ” {tout le contraire), as, hear you are grown rich.” — Yes, backwards.” To ring a muffled peal, is to ring a peal over the left.” I’ll not hang all my hells on one horse; I’ll not leave all my property to one son. The allusion is manifest. Give her the hells and let her fly. Don’t throw good money after bad ; make the best of the matter, but do not attempt to bolster it up ; pay the fellow his wages, and dismiss him. When a hawk was worthless, the bells were taken off, and the bird was suffered to escape ; but the advice given above is to leave the bells,” and let the hawk go. At three hells, at five hells, &c. A term on board ship pretty nearly tan- tamount to our expression o’clock. Five out of the seven watches last four hours, and each half-hour is marked by a bell, which gives a number of strokes corre- sponding to the number of half-hours passed. Thus, “three bells” denotes the third half-hour of the watch,” “ five bells ” the fifth half-hour of the watch, and so on. The two short watches, which last only two hours each, are from four to six and six to eight in the after- noon. (See Watch.) Bo yo' ' here beat ? Clean shirt and a shave for muster , Ave belis~j?.jsii Hall. BELL. BELLISANT. 81 Bell of Patrick’s Will {dog an eadhadita Phatraic) is six inches high, five broad, and four deep. It certainly was in existence in the sixth century. In the eleventh century a shrine was made for it of gold and silver filigree, adorned with jewels. Bell Savage. A contraction of Isabelle Savage, who originally kept the inn. It is somewhat remarkable that the sign of the inn was a pun on the Christian name, a “bell on the Hope” (hoop), as may be seen in the Close Koll of 1453. The hoop seems to have formed a garter or frame to most signs. They now returned to their inn, the famous Bell Savage.— “ Kenilworth,’' xiii. Bell-the-Cat. Archibald Douglas, earl of Angus, was so called. James III. made favourites of architects and masons ; one mason, named Cochrane, he created earl of Mar. The Scotch nobles held a council in the church of Lauder for the purpose of putting down these upstarts, when lord Gray asked, “ Who will bell the cat ? ” “ That will I,” said Douglas, and he fearlessly put to death in the king’s presence the obnoxious minions, Bell.) Bella Wilfer. A lovely, laughing, wilful, spoilt darling, who loves every one, and whom every one loves. She marries John Rokesmith. Bella Wilfer is one of the most charming characters of fiction. — Dickens, Mutual Friend.” Belladonna (Italian, beautiful lady). This name was given to the Deadly Nightshade, from a practice once com- mon among ladies of touching their eyes with it to make the pupils large and lustrous. BeU'aston, Lady. A profligate, whose conduct and conversation are a life- like photograph of the court “ beauties ” of Louis XV. — Fielding, ^‘Tom .Jones.’’' Belle. A beauty. The belle of the room, the most beautiful lady in the room. (French.') He leaps like a Belle giant, i.e., tells the most marvellous stories. It is said that a giant named Belle mounted his sorrel horse at a place since called “Mount Sorrel:” he leaped a mile, and the spot on which he lighted was called “ One-leap ” (Wanlip) ; thence he leaped another mile, but in so doing burst all his girths, whence the spot was called “ Burstall.” Once more he leaped a mile, but died from over- exertion, and the spot of his death and interment was called “ Belle-grave.” La belle France. A common French phrase applied to France, as “ Merry England ” is to our own country. Belle de INuit {beauty of the night). A species of convolvolus which blooms only after sunset. Belles Lettres. Polite literature. (French. ) Bellefontaine, Benedict. The most wealthy farmer of Grand Pre {Nova Scotia), and father of Evangeline. When the inhabitants of his village were exiled, and he was about to embark, he died of a broken heart, and was buried on the sea-shore. — Longfellow, “ Evangeline.” Beller'ophon. The Joseph of Greek mythology, Antaea, the wife of Proetos, being the “Potiphar’s wife” who tempted him, and afterwards falsely accused him. Being successful in various enterprises, he attempted to fly to heaven on the winged horse Peg'asos, but Zeus sent a gad-fly to sting the horse, and the rider was overthrown. Letters of Bellerophon. Letters or other documents either dangerous or preju- dicial to the bearer. Proetos sent Bel- lerophon with a letter to the king of Lycia, his wife’s father, recounting the charge, and praying that the bearer might be put to death. Pausa'nias, the Spartan, sent messen- gers from time to time to king Xerxes, with similar letters ; the discovery by one of the bearers proved the ruin of the traitor. Belle'ms. Belle'rium is the Land’s End, Cornwall, the fabled land of the giant Belle'rus. Sleep’st l3y tlie fable of Bellerus old. Milton, “ Comus.” Beilin. The ram, in the tale of “ Reynard the Fox.” The word means gentleness. Grimm says bel lenitas, pla- ciditas. {Deutsch Mythology.) Bellisant. Sister to king Pepin of France, wife of Alexander, emperor of Constantinople. Being accused of infi- delity, the emperor banished her, and she became the mother of Valentine and Orson. — Valentine and Orson, Q 82 BELLMAN. BEMUSE. Bellman. Before the new police force was established, watchmen or bell- men used to parade the streets at night, and at Easter a copy of verses was left at the chief houses, under the hope of obtaining an offering. These verses were the relics of the old incantations sung or said by the bellman to keep off elves and hobgoblins. Bello'na. Goddess of war and wife of Mars. (Roman Mythology,') Her features, late so exquisitely lovely, in- flamed with the fury of frenzy, resembled those of a Bellona.— Scofi. Brave. The Brave. Alfonso IV. of Portugal. (1290- 1357.) John Andr. van der Mersch, patriot. The brave Fleming. (1734-1792.) Bravery. Finery is the French brave- rie. The French for courage is bravoure. What woman in the city do I name When I say, “The city woman bears The cost of princes on unworthy shoulders?” Who can come in and say that I mean her ? . , Or ■■ hat is he of baser function That says, “ His bravery is not of my cost ?” IShakespeare, “.As You Like Bravest of the Brave. Marshal Ney. So called by the troops of Fried- land (1807), on account of his fearless bravery. Napoleon said of him, '^That man is a lion.” (1769-1815.) Brawn. The test of the branvn's head. A little boy one da}^ came to the court of king Arthur, and, drawing his wand over a boar’s head, declared, ‘^There’s never a cuckold’s knife can carve this head of brawn.” No knight in the court except Sir Cradock was able to accomplish the fqat. — Percy's “ Reliques." Bray. {See Vicab.) Brazen. To brazen out; a face of brass (or) brazen-faced fellow. Brass is the emblem of impudence, insolence, and self-will ; iron symbolises warfare and military adventure. What a brazen-faced varlet art th' u ! tiliakespeare, "King Learp ii. £. BRAZEN. BRESSOMMER. 113 Brazen Age. The age of war and violence. It followed the silver age. To this next came in course the brazen age, A Avarlike offspring, prompt to bloody rage, JS ot impious yet, Hard steel succeeded then. And stubborn as the metal were the men. Di'yden, “ illciawi., i. Brazen-faced. Bold (in a bad sense), without shame. Brazen Head. The first on record was by Albertus Magnus, which cost him thirty years’ labour, and was broken into a thousand pieces by Thomas Aqui'nas,^ his disciple. The second Avas that of Friar Bacon. Bacon trembled for his brazen head. Dunciad,*' iii. 104. Quoth he, My head’s not made of brass. As friar Bacon’s noddle was.— BwWer, ii. 2. The third, that of the marquis de Vil- Ic'na, of Spain. The fourth, that by a Polander, a dis- ciple o*f Escotillo, an Italian. Probably The Invisible Girl, who made the tour of Europe, explains the mystery. Brazen Head. A gigantic head kept in the castle of the giant Fer'ragus, of Portugal. It was omniscient, and told those who consulted it whatever they required to know, past, present, or to come. — Valentine and Orson. Bread. He tool bread and salt, i.e., he took his oath. Bread and salt were formerly eaten when an oath was taken. Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days (Eccles. xi. 1). When the Nile overflows its banks, the weeds perish and the soil is disintegrated. The rice-seed being cast into the water, takes root, and is found in due time growing in healthful vigour. Break. To breah your bach. Make you bank- rupt. The metaphor is from carrying burdens on the back. To breah up househeeping . To discon- tinue keeping a separate house. A school term. Breakers Ahead. Hidden danger at hand. Breakers in the open sea always announce sunken rocks, sand- banks, &c. Breche de Boland. A deep defile in the crest of the Pyrenees, some 300 ^^eet in width, between two precipitous rocks. The legend is that Roland, the paladin, cleft the rock in two with his sword Duran dal, when he was set upon by the Gascons at Roncesvalles. Then would I seek the Pyrenean bi’each, Which Boland clove with huge two-handed sway Wordsworth. Breeches. To wear thebreeches. Said of a woman who usurps the prerogative of her husband. Similar to The grey mare is the better horse. {See Grey.) The phrase is common to the French, Dutch, Germans, &c., as Elle porte les braies. De vromo draagder de broeh. SU hat die Hosen. Breeches Bible. Bible.) Breeze. House- sweepings, as fluff, dust, ashes, and so on, thrown as refuse into the dust-bin. We generally limit the meaning now to small ashes and cinders used for coals in burning bricks. The word is a corruption of the French debris (rubbish, or rather the part broken or rubbed off by wear, tear, and stress of weather). The Breeze-fly. The gad-fly ; so called from its sting. (Saxon, briose ; Gothic, bry, a sting.) Breidablik ( w ide - shining ). The palace of Baldur. {Scandinavian mytho- logy.) Brenda Troil. Daughter of Magnus, and sister of Minna Troil.— Scott, “Pirate.'^ Brennns. A Latin form of the Kymric word Brenhin (a war-chief). In times of danger the Druids appointed a brenn to lead the confederate tribes to battle. Brent-goose. . A barnacle or goose the colour of burnt bread. {Brent, burnt.) Brentford. Like the two hings of Brentford smelling at one nosegay. Said of persons who were once rivals, but have become reconciled. The allusion is to an old farce called The Rehearsal,” by the duke of Buckingham. ^^The two kings of Brentford enter hand in hand,” and the actors, to heighten the absurdity, used to make them enter ‘^smelling at one nosegay” (Act ii., s. 2). Bressommer or The beam into which the girders are framed. (German, brets, planks ; sommer, a master- beam -i.e., the planks’ master-beam. It is not correctly derived from the French brace d mur.') 114 BEETWALDA. / BETBE. Bretwalda (ivielder of Britain). The chief of the kings of the heptarchy who exercised a certain undefined power over the other rulers, something like that of Hugues Cap'et over his peers. Brevet Bank is rank one degree higher than your pay. Thus, a brevet- major has the title of major, but the pay of captain. In familiar language, we say a man who addresses an unmarried woman as Mrs., gives her brevet rank. (French, hrezet^ a patent, a concession. ) Breviary. An epitome of the old office of matins and lauds for daily service in the Eoman Catholic Church at the seven different hours, according to the saying of David, Seven times a day do I x^raise thee.” — Psalm cxix. 164. Brew. Brew me a glass of grog, i.e., mix one for me. Breiv me a cnp of tea, i.e., make one for me. The tea is set to breiv, i.e., to draw. The general meaning of the word is to boil or mix, the re- stricted meaning is to make malt liquor. (Saxon, briwan, to make broth ; Danish, brouwen, to mix ; Welsh, berw, a boiling. ) Brewer. The Brewer of Ghent. James van Arteveld. {Fourteenth century.) It may here be remarked, that it is a great error to derive proper names of any antiquity from modern words of a similar sound or spelling. As a rule, very few ancient names are the names of trades ; and to suppose that such words as Bacon, Hogg, and Pigg refer to swine- herds, or Gaiter, Miller, Tanner, Einger, and Bottle to handicrafts, is a great mistake. A few examples of a more scientific derivation will suffice for a hint : — Brewer. This name, which exists in France as Bruhiere and Brugiere, is not derived from the Saxon briwan (to brew), but the French brnyere (heath), and is about tantamount to the German Planta- genet” {broom-plant). Bacon is from the High German verb bagan (to fight), and means ^Hhe fighter.” Pigg and Bigg are from the old High German pichan (to slash). Hogg is the Anglo-Saxon hyge (scholar), from the verb hogan (to study). Bottle is the Anglo-Saxon Bod' -el (little envoy). Norse, bodi; Danish, bnd. Gaiter is the Saxon Gaid-er (the darter), Celtic, gais, our goad. Miller is the old Norse melia, our mill and maul, and means a mauler” or fighter.” Ringer is the Anglo-Saxon hring gar (the mailed warrior). Smith is the man who smites. Tanner, German ‘^Thanger;” old German ‘‘Danegaud” is the Dane-Goth. This list might easily be extended. Bria,r'e6s or Mge'on. A giant with fifty heads and a hundred hands. Homer says the gods called him Briar'eds, but men called him .^geon. — ^Pliad," i. 403. Not he who brandished in his hundred hands His fifty swords and fifty sliields in fightf Could have surpassed the fierce Argantes’ might. ^‘Jerusalem Delivered,” hk. vii. Then, called by thee, the monster Titan came. Whom gods Briar'ebs, men iEgeon name. Pope, “ Iliad f L Shakespeare employs the word as a dis- syllable ; — He is a gouty Briareus ; many hands, And of no use.— “ Troilus and Gressida” i. 2. The Briareus of languages. Cardinal M ezzofanti, who knew fifty-eight different tongues. Byron called him a walking polyglot ; a monster of languages ; a Briareus of parts of speech.” (1774-1849.) Bribo'ci. Inhabitants of part of Berkshire and the adjacent counties re- ferred to by Csesar in his ‘^Commen- taries.” Brick. A regular brick. A jolly good fellow. To read like a brick. To read hard. The word is University slang, and comes round about thus: A brick is deep red, so a deep-read man is a brick. To read like a brick, is to read in order to become deep read. A deep read man is a “good man” in University phrase ; a good man is a jolly fellow with non-reading men ; ergo, a jolly fellow is a brick. Brick -and -Mortar Franchise. A Chartist phrase for the £10 household system. Brickdusts. The 53rd Foot ; so called from the brickdust-red colour of their facings. Also called Five and thre'pennies, a play on the number and daily pay of the ensigns. Bride. The bridal wreath is a relic of the coro'na nuptia'lis used by the Greeks and Romans to indicate triumph. Bride Cake. A relic of the Roman ConfarreVtio, a mode of marriage prac- BRIDE. BRIGADORE. 115 tised by the highest class in Rome. It was performed before ten witnesses by the Pon'tifex Max^imus, and the con- tracting parties mutually partook of a cake made of salt, water, and flower {far). Only those born in such wedlock were eligible for the high sacred offices. Bride (or Wedding) Favours repre- sent the true lover's knoty and symbolise union. Bride’s Maids. A relic of the ten witnesses mentioned above. {See Bride Cake.) Bride’s Veil. The Anglo-Saxons used to hold a veil over the bride and bridegroom, to conceal the blushes of the lady from the company. Widows were not veiled on being re-married. Bride of Aby'dos. Zuleika, daughter of Giaflir, pacha of Aby'dos. As she was never wed, she should be called the affianced or betrothed. — Byron. Bride of the Sea. Venice ; so called from the ancient ceremony of the doge, who threw a ring into the Adriatic, saying, We wed thee, 0 sea, in token of perpetual domination.” Bridegroom is the old Dutch grom (a young man). Thus, Groom of the Stole is the young man over the wardrobe. Groom, an ostler, is quite another word, being the Persian garma (a keeper of horses), unless, indeed, it is a contracted form of stable-groom (stable-boy). The Anglo-Saxon gome (a man) was in use even in the civil wars. Bridegroom’s Men. In the Roman marriage by confarreation, the bride was led to the Pon'tifex Max'imus by bache- lors, but was conducted home by married men. Polydore Virgil says that a married man preceded the bride on her return, bearing a vessel of gold and silver. Moresin says the grooms-men all received from the bride a pair of gloves for their service. Bridewell. The city Bridewell, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, was built over a holy well of medical water, called St. Bride’s Well, where was founded a hospital for the poor. After the Re- formation, Edward VI. %hartered this hospital to the city. Christ Church was given to the education of the young, St. Thomas’s Hospital to the cure of the sick, and Bridewell was made a peniten- tiary for unruly apprentices and vagrants. Strange that St. Bride or St. Bridget, the model of purity and innocence, should give her name to a penitentiary and prison ! Bridge of Jeliennam. (iSf^e Sera't. ) Bridge of Sighs, which connects the palace of the doge with the state prisons of Venice. Over this bridge the state prisoners were conveyed from the judgment-hall to the place of execution. I stood in Yeniee, on the J3 ridge of Sighs, A palace and a prison on each hand. "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage,'’ canto iv. 1. Bridgenorth, Major B^aljih. A Roundhead in Scott’s ‘^Peveril of the Peak.” Bridgewater Treatises. Insti- tuted by the Rev. Francis Henry Eger- ton, earl of Bridgewater, in 1825, who left the interest of £8,000 to be given to the author of the best treatise on “ The power, wisdom, and goodness of God, as manifested in creation.” Eight are pub- lished by the following gentlemen : — (1) The Rev. Dr. Chalmers, (2) Dr. John Kidd, (3) the Rev. Dr. Whewell, (4) Sir Charles Bell, (5) Dr. Peter M. Roget, (6) the Rev. Dr. Buckland, (7) the Rev. W. Kirby, and (8) Dr. William Prout. Bridle. To hite on the hridle is to suffer great hardships. The bridle was an instrument for punishing a scold ; to bite on the bridle is to suffer this punish- ment. Bridle Hoad or Way. A way for a riding-horse, but not for a horse and cart. Bridlegoose, Judges who decided the causes brought to him by the throw of dice . — RabelaiSy ^’‘Gargantua and Pan- tag'ruel." Bridport. Stalled with a Bridport dagger j i.e., hanged. Bridport, in Dorset- shire, was once famous for its hempen goods, and monopolised the manufacture of ropes, cables, and tackling for the British navy. The hangman’s rope being made at Bridport gave birth to the proverb. —Fuller, Worthies." Brig'adore (3 syl.). ^ Sir Guyon’s horse, which had a distinguishing ‘‘ black spot in his mouth.” — Spenser, Faery Queen," v. 3. 1 2 116 BRIGAND. BRITANNIA. / Brigand properly means light-armed people. The Brigands were light-armed, irreg^ular troops, like the Bashi-Bazouks, and like them were addicted to maraud- ing. The Free Companies of France were Brigands. Brigandine. The armour of a brigand, consisting of small plates of iron on quilted linen, and covered with leather, hemp, or something of the kind. Another derivation is the Celtic hrigant, a mountaineer, from hrig, a summit. Bright’s Disease. A degeneration of the tissues of the kidneys into fat, first investigated by Dr. Bright. The patient under this disease has a flabb}^ bloodless appearance, is always drowsy, and easily fatigued. Brigians. The Castilians ; so called from one of their ancient kings, named Brix or Brigus, said by monkish fabulists to be the grandson of Noah. Edward and Pedro, emulous of fame . . . Thro’ the fierce Krigian<5 hewed their bloody way, Till in a cold embrace the striplings lay. Gamoens, “ Lusiad” v. Brigliado'ro {golden hridle). The name of Orlando’s and also of Sir Guyon’s steed. (Nee Horse.) Brilliant Madman. Charles XII. of Sweden. (1682-1718.) Macedonia’s madman or the Swede. Johnson^ ^'Vanity of Human Wishes." Brims. You have hnms in your tail. You are restless, you are always gadding about. A brim is a gad-fly, and when one of these insects gets on the tail of an animal, the creature is wild and restless. Briney or Briny. Fm on the hriny. The sea, which is salt like brine. Brioche (2 syl.). A sort of bun or cake common in France, and now pretty generally sold in England. When Marie Antoinette was talking about the bread riots of Paris during the 5th and 6th October, 1789, the duchesse de Polignac naively exclaimed, “ How is it that these silly peojAe are so clamorous for bread, when they can buy such nice brioches for a few sous ! ” This was in spirit not un- like the remark of our own princess Charlotte, who avowed that she would for her part rather eat beef than starvef and wondered that the people should be so obstinate as to insist upon having bread when it was so scarce. Bris. II conte di San Bris, governor of the Louvre, was father of Valentina, and leader of the St. Bartholomew mas- sacre. — Meyerbeer' s opera,’" ‘ Gli Ugonotti.’* Brissotins. A nickname given to the advocates of reform in the French Revolution, because they were ^‘led by the nose ” by Jean Pierre Brissot. The party was subsequently called the Gi- rondists. Bristol Board. A stiff drawing- paper, originally manufactured at Bristol. Bristol Boy, The. Thomas Chat- terton, the poet. Also called ‘^The Marvellous Boy;” or as Byron has it, The wondrous boy who perished in his pride.” (1752-1770.) Bristol Milk. Sherry sack, at one time given by the Bristol people to their friends. Bristol Diamonds. Brilliant crys- tals of colourless quartz found in St. Vincent’s Rock, near Bristol. Bristol Waters. Mineral waters near the city of Bristol, with a tempera- ture not exceeding 74° ; especially cele- brated in cases of pulmonary consump- tion. Britain. By far the most probable derivation of this word is that given by Bochart, from the Phoenician Barata,nic (country of tin), contracted into B’ratan’. The Greek Cassiter'ides (tin islands) is a translation of Baratanic, once ap]3lied to the whole known group, but now re- stricted to the Scilly Isles. Aristotle, who lived some 350 years before the Christian era, calls the island Britannic, which is so close to B'ratanic that the suggestion of Bochart can scarcely admit of a doubt. — De Mundo, sec. 3. Great Britain consists of “Britannia prima” (England), Britannia secnnda” (Wales), and “North Britain” (Scot- land), united under one sway. Britan'nia was first struck on our coins by the Romans. Charles II., in the year 1667, revived the device, and the new Britannia was a fac-simile of his chere amie, Barbara Villiers, created by him duchess of Cleveland. The figure was by Evelyn, and engraved by Roetier. BKITOMART. BROOM. 117 Britbmart {sweet maid). Daughter of king Ryence of Wales, whose desire was to be a heroine. She is the im- personation of saintly chastity and purity of mind. She encounters the savage, fierce bandit and mountaineer,” without injury ; is assailed by hag and unlaid ghost, goblin, and swart fairy of the mine,” but ‘‘ dashes their brute violence into sudden adoration and blank awe.” It must be remembered that Britoraart is not the impersonation of celibacy, as she is in love with an unknown hero, but of virgin purity .”— “ Fah'y Queeiiy’ bk. iii. She charmed at once and tamed the heart. Incomparable Britomart.— jScoW. Brit'omartis. A Cretan nymph, very fond of the chase. King Minos fell in love with her, and persisted in his advances for nine months, when she threw herself into the sea. (Cretan, hritus-martis, sweet maiden.) Brit'tany. The damsel of Brittany. Eleanora, daughter of Geoffrey, second son of Henry II., king of England and duke of Brittany. At the death of prince Arthur, she was the real heir to the crown, but John confined her in the castle of Bristol till death (1241). Broaeli. To hroach a neio subject. To start one in conversation. The allusion is to beer tubs. If one is flat, another must be tapped. A broach is a peg or pin, and to broach a cask is to bore a hole in the top for the vent-peg. I did broach this business to your highness. Shakespeare, ‘"Henry 4 Broad Arrow, on Government stores. It was the cognisance of Henry, viscount Sydney, earl of Romney, master- general of the ordnance. (1693-1702.) Broadclotli. The best cloth for men’s clothes. So called from its great breadth. It required two weavers, side by side, to fling the shuttle across it. Broadside. Printed matter spread over an entire sheet of paper. The whole must be in one type and one measure, i.e., must not be divided into columns. A folio is when the sheet is folded, in which case a page occupies only half the sheet. ^ In naval language, it means the whole side of a ship ; and to ^^open a broadside on the enemy” is to discharge ail the guns on one side at the same moment. Brobdingnag. The country of gi- gantic giants, to whom Gulliver was a pigmy not half so big as a round little worm plucked from the lazy finger of a maid.” You high church steeple, you gawky stag. Your husband must come from Brobdingnag. Kane O'Hara, “Midas.’* Brobdingnag'ian. Colossal ; tall as a church steeple. {See above.) Limbs of Brobdingnagian proportions.— iS'iar. Brocken. The spectre of the Brocken. This is the shadow of men and other objects greatly magnified and reflected in the mist and cloud of the mountain opposite. The Brocken is the highest summit of the Hartz range. Brogue properly means the Irish brog^ or shoe of rough hide. The appli- cation of brog to the dialect or manner of speaking is similar to that of buskin to tragedy, and sock to comedy. Brogues. Trousers. From the Irish brog^ resembling those still worn by some of the French cavalry, in which trousers and boots are all one garment. And put my clouted brogues from oif my feet. Shakespeare, “Cyrfibeline," iv. 2. Broker. Properly speaking, is one who sells refuse. In German, called maklers, that is, sellers of damaged stores.” (Teutonic, hr ah or wrah^ refuse.) Brontes. A blacksmith personified ; one of the Cyclops. The name signifies Thunder. Not with such weight, to frame the forky brand, The ponderous hammer falls from Brontes’ hand. Hoole, “ Jerusalem Delivered,” bk. xx. Bronzomar'te. The sorrel horse of Sir Launcelot Greaves. — Smollett, A d- ventures.” Brook, Master. The name assumed by Ford when he visits Sir John Falstaff. The amorous knight tells Master Brook all about his amour with Mrs. Ford, and how he duped her husband by being stowed into a basket of dirty linen. Ford. I'll give you a pottle of burned sack to give me recourse to him, and tell him my name is Brook, only for a jest. Host. My hand, bully. Thou shalt have egresa and regress, . . . and thy name shall be Brook. Shakespeare, “Merry Wives of Windsor,” W 1. Broom. A broom is hung at the mast-head of ships about to be sold, to indicate that they are to be swept away. The idea is popularly taken from Admiral Trorni), but probably this allusion is more 118 BEOSIEK. BEOWNIE. witty than true. The custom of hanging up something to attract notice seems very common. Thus, an old piece of carpet from a window indicates household furniture for sale; a wisp of straw indi- cates oysters for sale ; a bush means wine for sale ; an old broom, ships to sell, &c. &c. Pennant.) Srosier. Eating one out of house and home. At Eton, when a dame keeps an unusually bad table, the boys agree together on a day to eat, pocket, or waste everything eatable in the house. The censure is well understood, and the hint generally effective. (Greek, hroso, to eat.) Brother or Frh'e. A friar not in priest’s orders. {See Father.) Brother Benedict. A married man. {See Benedict.) Brother Blade. Properly, a fellow- soldier, but now any one of the same calling as yourself. Brother Brush. A fellow-painter. Brother Chip. A fellow-carpenter. Brother Clergyman. A fellow-clergy- man. Brother (M. or N. ). A fellow-barrister. Brother Whip. A fellow- coachman. Brother G-erman. A real brother. A uterine brother is a brother by the mother’s side only. Brother J onathan. When Wash- ington was in want of ammunition, he called a council of officers, but no prac- tical suggestion could be offered. We must consult brother Jonathan,” said the general, meaning his excellency Jonathan Trumbull, the elder governor of the state of Connecticut. This was done, and the difficulty was remedied. To consult brother Jonathan then became a set phrase, and brother Jonathan grew to be the John Bull of the United States. — J. R. Bartlett j “ Dictionary of Ameri- canisms.^^ Brown. A copper. Blunt.) To be done brown. To be roasted, deceived, taken in. Brown, Jones, and Bohinson. Three Englishmen, who travel together ; their adventures were published in Punch, and were the production of Eichard Doyle. They typify the middle-class English abroad, and hold up to ridicule their gaucherie and contracted notions, their vulgarity and extravagance, their conceit and snobbism. Brown Bess means brown barrel. The barrels were browned to keep them from rusting. (Dutch, bus, a gun-barrel ; Low German, biisse; Swedish, byssa. Our arquebus, blunderbuss.') {See beloiv.) Brown Bill. A kind of halbert, used by English foot-soldiers before mus- kets were employed. We find in the mediaeval ballads the expressions brown brand,” brown sword,” brown blade,” &c. Sometimes the word rusty is sub- stituted for brown, as in Chaucer : And in his side he had a rousty blade ; ” which being the god Mars, cannot mean a bad one. Keeping the weapons bright is a modern fashion ; our forefathers preferred the honour of blood-stains. Some say the weapons were varnished with a brown varnish to prevent rust, and some affirm that one Brown was a famous maker of these instruments, and that Brown bill is a phrase similar to Arm- strong gun and Colt’s revolver. {Sec above. ) So, with a band of bowmen and of pikes, Brown bills and targetiers. Marlowe, ‘ ‘ Edward //.” 1622 . Brown Study. Absence of mind; apparent thought, but real vacuity. The corresponding French expression ex- plains it — sombre reverie. Sombre and brun both mean sad, melancholy, gloomy, dull. Invention flags, his brain grows muddy, And black despair succeeds brown study. Congreve, “Aw Impossible Thing.” r' Brother Sam. The brother of Lord Dundreary {q.v.), the hero of a comedy based on a German drama, by John Oxenford, with additions and altera- tions by E. A. Sothern and T. B. Buck- stone . — Supplied by T. B. Buckstone, Esq. Browbeat. To beat or put a man down by knitting the brows. Brownie. The house spirit in Scottish superstition. He is called in England Robin Goodfellow. At night he is supposed to busy himself in doing little jobs for the family over which he presides. Farms are his favourite abode. Brownies are brown or tawny spirits, in opposition to fairies, which are fair or elegant ones. BROWNISTS. BRUTE. 119 It is not long since every family of considerable substance was haunted by a spirit they called Browny, which did several sorts of work ; and this was the reason why they gave him offerings ... on what they called “ Browny’s stone.” — Martin, “ Scot- land.” Brownists. Followers of Robert Brown, of Rutlandshire, a violent op- ponent of the Established Church in the time of queen Elizabeth. The present ^^Independents” hold pretty well the same religious tenets as the Brownists. Sir Andrew Aguecheek says : — I’d as lief be a Brownist as a politician. Shakespeare, “ Twelfth Night,'* iii. 2. Bmel. The goose, in the tale of Reynard the Fox.” The word means little-roarer. Bruin. One of the leaders arrayed against Hudibras. He was Talgol, a Newgat® butcher, who obtained a cap- tain’s commission for valour at Naseby. He marched next Orsin (Joshua? Gosling, landlord of the bear gardens, at South- wark). Bruin, Sir. The name of the bear in the famous German beast-epic, called '^Reynard the Fox.” (Dutch for hroivn.') Brulgruddery {Dennis and Mrs.). In “John Bull,” a drama, by Colman. Brumaire. The celebrated 18th of Brumaire (9th November, 1799) was the day on which the Directory was over- thrown, and Napoleon established his supremacy. Brum'magem. Worthless or very inferior metallic articles made in imita- tion of better ones. Birmingham, once called Brumwicham, is the great mart and manufactory of gilt toys, cheap jewellery, imitation gems, mosaic gold, and such small deer. Brunllild or BrunhiVda. Daughter of the king of Issland, beloved by Gunther, one of the two great chieftains of the Kioebmgen or Teutonic Iliad. She was to be carried off by force, and Gunther asked his friend Siegfried to help him. Siegfried contrived the matter by snatching from her the talisman which was her protector, but she never forgave him for his treachery. (Old German, hr uni, coat of mail ; hilt, battle.) Bmnello (in “ Orlando Furioso”). A deformed dwarf of Biserta, to whom king Ag'ra.mant gave a ring which had the virtue to withstand the power of magic (Book ii.). He was leader of the Tingi- ta'nians in the Saracen army. He also figures in BojaKdo’s Orlando Inna- morato.” Brunswieker. A native of Bruns- wick. (iSee Black Bruns WICKER.) Brush. The tail of a fox or squirrel, which is hrusliy. Brother brush is a fellow-painter. Brush away. Get along. Brush off. Move on. He brushed by me. He just touched mo as he went quickly past. Hence also brush, a slight skirmish. All these are metaphors from brushing with a brush. Give ii another brush. A little more attention; bestow a little more labour on it ; return it to the file for a little more polish. The allusion is to bread baking. When bread was baked under a tin, if it was found insufficiently done, the house- wife used to sweeio the hearth, and put it down again. Brut. A rhyming chronicle, as the “ Brut d’Angleterre,” and “ Le Roman de Brut,” by Wace (twelfth century). Brut is the Romance word bruit (a rumour, hence a tradition, or a chronicle based on tradition). It is by mere acci- dent that the word resembles Brute” or “Brutus,” the traditional king. {See below.) Brut d’Angleterre. A chronicle of the achievements of king Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur is described as the natural son of Uther, pendragon (or chief) of the ancient Britons. He succeeded his father, in 516, by the aid of Merlin, who gave him a magic sword, with which he conquered the Saxons, Piets, Scots, and Irish. Besides the Brut referred to, several other romances record the er.ploits of this heroic king. {See Arthur. ) Brute, Sir John. A coarse, pot- valiant knight, ignobly noted for his absurdities. — Vanbrugh, The Provoked Wife.’^ Brute or Brutus, in the mythological history of England, the first king of the Britons, was son of Sylvius, brother of Ascanius, and therefore grandson of ^ne'as. Having inadvertently killed his father, he first took refuge in Greece, and then in Britain. In remembrance of / 120 BRUTUM. BUCEPHALOS. Troy, he called the capital of his kingdom Troy-novant (New Troy), now London. Brute, in University slang, is a man vho has not yet matriculated. The play is evident. A man,” in college phrase, is a collegian ; and as matriculation is the sign and seal of acceptance, a scholar before that ceremony is not a ^"^man,” and therefore only a biped brute.” From matriculation to the end of the first year, a collegian is called a Freshman ; in his second year he is a Junior Soph ; in his third and last year a Senior Soph. Soph, of course, is the Greek soph- os (a wise man), learned in all the learning of the University. Brutum Fulmen (Latin). A noisy but harmless threatening ; an innocuous thunderbolt. His (the Pope’s) denunciations are but a brutum fulmen.— T/ie Standard. Brutus, Junius, the first consul of Rome, condemned to death his own two sons for joining a conspiracy to restore to the throne the b'^nished Tarquin. The public Father (Brutus), who the private quelled, As on the dread tribunal sternly sad. Thomson, “ Winter.'* The Spanish Brutus. Alphonso Perez de Guzman. (1258-1320.) Brutus, Marcus, Caesar’s friend, joined the conspirators to murder him, because he made himself a king. And thou, unhappy Brutus, kind of heart, Whose steady arm, by awful virtue urged, Lifted the Roman steel against thy friend. Thomson, ‘'Winter.'* Bruxellois. The inhabitants of Brussels or Bruxelles. Brydport Dagger. {See Brid- PORT.) Bub. Drink. Connected with — Latin, hiho (to drink), our imhibe; bubby, i.e., bubo (a woman’s breast). {See Grub.) Bubas'tis. The Diana of Egyptian mythology ; daughter of Isis and sister of Horus. Bubble. A scheme of no sterling worth and of very ephemeral duration — as worthless and frail as a bubble. The Bubble Act, 6 George I. cap. 18; published 1719, and repealed July 5, 1825. Its object was to punish the pro- moters of bubble schemes. A bubble scheme. A project for getting money from subscribers to a scheme of no value. A bubble company. A company whose object is to enrich themselves at the expense of subscribers to their scheme. The whole scheme [the Fenian raid on British America] was a collapsed bubble.— T/ie Times. Bubble and Squeak. Cold boiled meat and greens fried. They first bub- bled in water when boiled, and after- wards hissed or squeaked in the frying- pan. Bucca. A goblin of the wind, sup- posed by the ancient inhabitants of Cornwall to foretell shipwrecks. Buc'eaneer' means sellers of smoke- dried meat, from the Caribbean word boucan (smoke-dried meat). The term was first given to the French settlers in Hayti, Whose business it was to hunt animals for their skins. The flesh they smoke-dried and sold, chiefly to the Dutch. When the Spaniards laid claim to all Amer'ca, many English and French ad- venturers lived by buccaneering, and hunted Spaniards as lawful prey. After the peace of Ryswick, this was no longer tolerated, and the term was then ap- plied to any desperate, lawless, piratical adventurer. Buccleuch. or Buclccleuch. Accord- ing to tradition, Kenneth Mac-Alpin, king of Scotland, was one day hunting, when a buck stood at bay in a certain glen or cleuch. John of Galloway came up at this juncture, seized the buck by the horns, threw it on its back, and, running to the king, laid it at his feet. The king was so pleased with the adven- ture, that he gave the bold huntsman permission to add Buck’s-cleuch to his name. Bucen'taur. A monster, half-man and half- ox. The Venetian state-galley employed by the doge when he went to wed the Adriatic was so called. (Greek, bous, ox; centauros, centaur.) Bueepb'alos (bull-headed). A horse. Strictly speaking, the charger of Alex- ander the Great, bought of a Thessalian for thirteen talents (£3,500). True, true ; I forgot your Bucephalus. The Antiquary. BUCHANITES. BUDGE. 121 Bue'hanites (3 syl.). A sec*-, of fanatics who appeared in the west of Scotland in 1783. Th ey were named after Mrs. or Lucky Buchan, thoir founder, who called herself ‘^Friend Mother in the Lord,” claiming to be the woman mentioned in Eev. xii., and maintaining that the Eev. Hugh White, a convert, was the man-child.” I never heard of alewife that turned preacher, except Luckie Buchan in the West. Scott, “ St, Ronan's Well'’ c. ii. Buck. A dandy. {See hetow.) Buck - basket. A linen « basket. Buck is the lye or liquor in which clothes are washed ; hence, also, the clothes so washed. A buck is one whose clothes are buck, or nicely got up. When Cade says his mother was descended from the Lacies,” two men overhear him, and say, ^^She was a pedlar’s daughter, but not being able to travel with her furred pack, she washes bucks here at home.” — *‘2 Henry F/.,” iv. 2. Buck-bean. A corruption of hog- heaiij a native of wet bog- lands. Buckh-Orse. A severe blow or slap on the face. So called from a boxer of that name. Buckingham. Saxon, hoccen-ham (beech -tree village). Fuller, in his ‘^Worthies,” speaks of the beech-trees as the most characteristic feature of this county. Bucklaw or rather Frank Hayston^ lord of Bucklaw, a wealthy nobleman, who marries Lucia di Lammermoor {Lucy Asl'don), who had pledged her troth to Edgar, master of Eavenswood. On the wedding-night Lucy murders him, goes mad, and dies. — Donizetti's opera of Luda di Lammermoor." Sir Walter Scott's Bride of Lammermoor." Buckle. I can't huckle to. I cannot give my mind to work. The allusion is to buckling on one’s armour or belt. He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule. Shakespeare, '^Macbeth’' v. 2. Buckler sbury (London) was at one time the noted street for druggists and herbalists ; hence Falstaff says — I cannot cog, and say thou art this and that, like a many of these lisping hawthorn buds, that come like women in men’s apparel, and smell like Bucklers- bury in simple time.— Shakespeare, "Merry Wives of Windsor," iii, 3. Buckmaster’s Light Infantry. The 3rd West India Eegiment was so called from Buckmaster, the tailor, who used to issue Light Infantry uniforms ” to the officers of the corps without any authority from the Commander-in-Chief. Buckra. Superior, excellent. That's huckra. A huckra coat is a smart coat; a huckra man, a man of consequence. This word among the West Indians does the service of hurra among the Anglo- Indians : as hurra sa'ih (great master, i.e., white man), hurra khana (a magni- ficent spread or dinner). Buckshish or Baksheesh. A gratuity, jpour hoire, A term common to India, Persia, and indeed all the East. Buckwheat. A corruption of hoc. German, huche, beech-wheat ; it is so called because it is triangular, like beech- mast. The botanical name is Fago~ pyrum (beech-wheat). Buddha means the Wise one. From the Indian word hticlh (to know). The title was given to prince Siddhar'tha, generally called Saky'a-muni, the founder of Buddhism. Buddhist. One whose system of religion is Buddhism. Buddhism. A system of religion established in India in the third century. The general outline of the system is that the world is a transient reflex of deity ; that the soul is a “ vital spark ” of deity; and that after death it will be bound to matter again till its wearer” has, by divine contemplation, so purged and purified it that it is fit to be absorbed into the divine essence. Bude or Gurney Light. The latter is the name of the inventor, and the former the place of his abode. Golds- worthy Gurney, of Bude, Cornwall. Budge is lambskin with the wool dressed outwards, worn on the edge of capes, bachelors’ hoods, and so on. ‘Budge Eow, Cannon Street, is so called because it was chiefly occupied by budge- makers. O foolishness of men 1 that lend their ears To those budge-doctors of the stoic fur. Milton, “ Comus." The verb to hudge is the French longer, to stir. 122 BUDGE. BULIS. Budge Bachelors. A company of men clothed in long gowns lined with budge or lambs’ wool, who used to accom- pany the Lord Mayor of London at his inauguration. Budget. The statement which the Chancellor of the Exchequer lays before the House of Commons every session, respecting the national income and expen- diture, taxes and salaries. The word is the old French lougette (a bag), and the present use arose from the custom of bringing to the House the papers per- taining to these matters in a leather bag, and laying them on the table. Hence, to ojgen the budget or bag, ^.e., to take the. papers from the bag and submit them to the House. Budget of News,” &c. Cry Budget. A watchword or shib- boleth. Thus Slender says to Shallow : — We have a nay -'word how to know one anothpr. I come to her in white and cry 'mum; she cries 'budget ; and by that we know one another. Shakespeare, '"Merry Wives of Windsor,'^ v. 2. Buff. To stand huff. Stripped to the skin like boxers. The skin is called huff by a kind of play on the words huff- leather and huff, a military uniform. They say in Yorkshire, stand in buff.” And for the good old cause stood buff ’Gainst many a bitter kick and cuff. Hudibras. Buffer of a railway carriage is a spring to rehuff or resist with a rebound the carriages that bear against it. A regular buffer is a jovial companion ; a buffet man, a huffetier. Our expression “ cupboard love,” which indicates regard founded on the love of eating, is of a similar type. Buffoon means one who puffs out his cheeks, and makes a ridiculous explosion by causing them suddenly to collapse. This being a standing trick with clowns, caused the name to be applied to low j'esters. Buffa (middle-age Latin), ^^a slap on the face,” our buffet. The Italian huffare is ‘Ho puff out the cheeks for the purpose of making an explosion;” our puff- Buffoons. Names synonymous with Buffoon : — Boheche. A clown in a small theatre in the Boulevart du Temple, Paris. (1815- 1825.) Galimafre. A contemporary and rival of the former. Taharin. \ (Of the seventeenth Bruscamhille. S century.) Grimaldi. (1779-1837.) Buffs. The 3rd Eegiment of Foot in the British army, once called the Holland regiment ; so called because their coats were lined and faced with buff ; they had buff waistcoats, buff breeches, and buff stockings. They are sometimes called The Old Buffs. The 31st, raised in 1702, wore buff waistcoats, breeches, and stockings, and were once called The Young Buffs. Buff is a contraction of huffle or buffalo; and buff skin is the skin of the buffalo prepared. The colour so called resembles the buffalo skin in hue. Bug. Snug as a hug in a rug. A rug is a shaggy dog. v German, ranch, shaggy ; Swedish, rugg ; Danish, rug, rough; our rugged.) Bugbear. A scarecrow. Bug is the Welsh hwg, a hobgoblin, called in Eussia huJca. Perhaps hear is the Welsh harog, spiteful. Spenser says, “A ghastly bug doth greatly them affear” (Bk. ii. cant. 3); and “Hamlet” has “bugs and goblins” (v. 2). Warwick wag a bug that feared us all. Shakespeare, “ 3 Henry 1 V.f‘ v. 2. To the world no bugbear is so great As want of figure and a small estate.— Pope. Buggaboo. A monster, ore, or goblin, introduced into the tales of the old Italian romancers. {See above.) Buggy. A light vehicle without a hood, drawn by one horse. A carriage for the bourgeois. Buhl-work. Cabinet-work, inlaid with brass ; so called from Segr. Boule, the inventor, who settled in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV. Build. Make, applied to dress. Not so had a build after all, not so badly made. A man of strong build is a man of robust make. The metaphor is evi- dent. A milliner is jestingly called a “ bonnet builder.” Builder’s Square. Emblematic of St. Thomas, patron of architects. Bulbul. The nightingale. A Persian word, familiarised by Tom Moor6. Bulis, metamorphosed into a drake ; and his son, Egypios, into a vulture- BULL. BULLY-BOOK. 12^ Bull. One of the twelve signs of the Zodiac (April 20 to May 21). The time for ploughing, which in Egypt was per- formed by oxen or bulls. At last from Aries I’olls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him. Thomson, “ Spnng,*’ Bull. A blunder, or inadvertent con- tradiction of terms, for which the Irish are proverbial. The British Apollo, 1740, says the term is derived from one Obadiah Bull, an Irish lawyer of London, in the reign of Henry VII., whose blun- dering in this way was notorious. Bull is a five-shilling piece. “ Half a bull” is half-a-crown.” From lulla (a great leaden seal). Hood, in one of his comic sketches, speaks of a crier who, being apprehended, swallowed three hogs (shillings) and a bull.” The pope's lull. So called from the lolla or capsule of the seal appended to the document. Subsequently the seal was called the holla, and then the document itself. The edict of the emperor Charles IV. had a golden holla, and was therefore called the golden bull. {See Golden Bull.) Bull. A public-house sign, the cogni- sance of the house of Clare. The bull and the boar were signs used by the par- tisans of Clare, and Bichard duke of Gloucester (Bichard III.). To hull is to raise the price of stocks when operating for a sale. {See Bear.) John Bull. An Englishman. Applied to a native of England in Arbuthnot’s ludicrous History of Europe.” This history is sometimes erroneously ascribed to dean Swift. In this satire the French are called Lewis Baboon, and the Dutch Nicholas Frog. One would think, in personifying itself, a nation would . . . picture something grand, heroic, and im- posing ; but it is characteristic of the peculiar humour of the English, and of their love for what is blunt, comic, and familiar, that they have embodied their national oddities in the figure of a sturdy,: corpulent old fellow, . . . with red waistcoat, leather breeches, and a stout oaken cudgel, . . . (whom they call) John HxxW.— Washington Irving. Bull and Gate. ) r> n BuU and Mouth, i Public-house signs. A corruption of Boulogne Gate or Mouth, adopted out of compliment to Henry VIII., who took Boulogne in 1544. Bull-dogs, in University slang, are tile two myrmidons of the proctor, who attend his heels like dogs, and are ready to spring on any offending undergraduate like bull-dogs. The best bait to elude their fangs is to drop a half-crown. Bull’s Eye. A small cloud sud- denly appearing, seemingly in violent motion, and growing out of itself. It soon covers the entire vault of heaven, producing a tumult of wind and rain. (1 Kings xviii. 44.) Bull's Eye. The centre of a target. Bull - necked. The Bull - necJced Forger. Cagliostro, the huge impostor, was so called. (1743-1795.) Bulletin. French for a certificate. An official report of an officer to his superior, or of medical attendants re- specting the health of persons high in rank. So called because they were authenticated by an official hulla or seal. (Spanish, holetin, a warrant ; Italian, huUeitino, a roll.) Bulling the Barrel is pouring water into a rum- cask, when it is nearly empty, to prevent its leaking. The water which gets impregnated with the spirit, and is very intoxicating, is called hull. Seamen talk of hulling thetcapot (mak- ing a second brew), hulling the coffee, &c. (French, houllir, whence houilloire, a tea-kettle ; bouillon, the decoction of meat, to which vegetables, salt, and pepper are added.) Bullion properly means the mint where holla, little round coins, are made. Subsequently the metal in the mint. As this metal was shamefully alloyed in France during the monarchy, mint- money {billon) came to signify base metal. Bully. To overbear with words. A bully is a blustering menacer. (Saxon, hulgian, to bellow like a bull.) It is often used, without any mixture of reproof, as a term of endearment, as, ^^0 sweet bully Bottom.” — Midsummer Nigld's Dreamff iv. 2. Bully-rook. A blustering cheat. Like bully, it is sometimes used without any offensive meaning. Thus the Host, in “ The Merry Wives of Windsor,” ad- dresses Sir John Falstaff, Ford, the page, &c., as hully-rooh — ^^How now, my bully- rook?” equal to '^my fine fellow.” 124 BUM-BAILIFF. BUNGAY. / Biim-baililF. A corruption of hund or hound bailiff. A bailiff bound by- sureties to the sheriff, who is responsible for all his official acts. — BlacJcstone. Scout me for him at the corner of the orchard, like a hum-hailiff.— (S/iaArespeare, “ Twelfth Night” iii. 4. Bum-boat. A small boat to carry provisions to vessels lying off shore. Bumble. A beadle. So called from the officious, overbearing beadle in Dickens’s Oliver Twist.” Bumbledom. The dominion of an overbearing parish officer, the arrogance of parish authorities, the conceit of parish dignity. Bummarees. A class of middlemen or fish- jobbers in Billingsgate market, who get a living by hummareeing , i.e., buying parcels of fish from the salesmen, and then retailing them. A corruption of ho7ine maree, good fresh fish, or the seller thereof. According to the Dictioiinaire de V Academic, maree means ^^toute sorte de poisson de mer que n’est pas salA” Bonne maree, maree fraiche.” Bumper. A full glass. Dr. Ash says a bumper is when the surface of the wine hum'ps up in the middle, so that the centre lies higher than the brim. While the wine is concave, the full glass is only a brimmer. A piece of cork will float to the edge in a brimmer, but in a bumper it will remain throned in the centre. The notion that the word is au hon pere, meaning ^^the pope,” and refers to the bumpers taken by the monks to the toast, is wholly untenable, as the toast would be au saint fph'e, and not au hon pere. “Phre” is applied to any friar in priest’s orders, and ‘^bon pere” to the head of a* monastery. Bumpkin. A loutish person. (Dutch, hoomJcen, a sprout, a fool.) This word very closely resembles the word chit.” {See Chitty.) Bumptious. Arrogant, botty, full of mighty airs and graces ; apt to take offence at presumed slights. A corrup- tion of presumptuous, first into “ sump- tions,” then to bumptious. Bun. The Good Friday hot cross bun, says Bryant, is derived from houn, the sacred cake offered at the Arkite temples every seventh day. Cecrops offered to Jupiter Olympus a sacred cake called hous (accusative houn). This consecrated bread, if we believe what is told us, will never grow mouldy, will ward off witches, cure diarrhoea, protect the house from fire, and work many other wonders. G-ood Friday comes this month: the old woman runs With one or two a penny “hot cross huns,” Whose virtue is, if you believe Avhat’s said, They’ll not grow mouldy like the common bread. Poor Robin t “Almanack,” 1733. Buncle, /o/m. A prodigious hand at matrimony, divinity, a song, and a peck.” He marries seven wives, loses all in the flower of their age, is inconsolable for two or three days, then resigns him- self to the decrees of Providence, and marries again . — The Life and Opinions of John Buncle, Esq., by Thomas Amory. John is a kind cf innocent Henry VIII. of private Wfe.— Leigh Hunt. Buneh of Fives. A slang term for the hand or fist. Bundle. Bundle off. Get away. To bundle a person off, is -fco send him away unceremoniously. Similar to pack off. The allusion is obvious. Bundle of Sticks, ^sop, in one of his fables, shows that sticks one by one may be readily broken ; not so when several are bound together in a bundle. The lesson taught is, that Union gives strength.” They now lay to heart the lesson of the bundle of sticks.— Times. Bundschull {highloivs). An insur- rection of the peasants of Germany in the sixteenth century. So called from the highlows or clouted shoon of the in- surgents. Bung. A cant term for a toper. Away . . . you filthy bung,” says Doll to Pistol.— '^2 /U.,” ii. 4. Brother hung. A cant term for a pub- lican. Bung up. Close up, as a bung closes a cask. Bungay. Go to Bungay with you ! — i.e., get away and don’t bother me, or don’t talk such stuff. Bungay, in Suffolk, used to be famous for the manufacture of leather breeches, once very fashionable. Persons who required new ones, or to have their old ones new-seated, went to Bungay for that purpose. Hence rose the cant saying, ^‘Go to Bungay, and get your breeches mended,” shortened into Go to Bungay with you ! ” BUNGALOW. BURKE. 125 Bung'alow (Indian). A house of a single floor. A dah-hungaloio (thatched bungalow) is a caravansary or house built by the government for the use of travellers. Bunkum. Claptrap. A representa- tive at Washington being asked why he made such a flowery and angry speech, so wholly uncalled for, made answer, was not speaking to the house, but to Buncombe,” which he represented (North Carolina). N.B . — Bunk means chaff Danish, bynke, (meal-tub) ; Swedish, hunch (milk- pan). Bunsby, Jack. Captain Cuttle’s friend ; a Sir Oracle of his neighbours ; profoundly mysterious, and keeping his eye always fixed upon invisible dream- land somewhere beyond the limits of infinite space. — Dickens, Domhey and Son!' Burbon. A knight assailed by a rabble rout, who b^'.tter his shield to ])ieces, and compel him to cast it aside. Talus renders him assistance, and is in- formed by the rescued knight that Four- deflis, his own true love, had been en- ticed away from him by Grantorto. When the rabble is dispersed, and Fourdelis recovered, Burbon places her on his steed, and rides off as fast as possible. Burbon is Henri IV. of France ; Fourde'- li^, the kingdom of France; the rabble rout, the Roman Catholic fariy that tried to set him aside; the shield he is com- pelled to abandon is Protestantism ; his carrying off Fourdeflis is his obtaining the kingdom by a coup after his renuncia- tion of the Protestant cause. — Spenser, Faery Queen f v. 11. Burchell, Mr. A baronet who passes liimself off a.s a poor man, his real name and title being Sir William Thornhill. Ilis favourite cant wo;-.l is “ Fudge.” — Goldsmith, “ Vicar of WakeHeld." Burd, Helen. The Scotch female impersonation of the French preux or prud'homim, with this difference, that she is discreet, rather than brave and Tise. Burden of a Song. The words re- peated in each verse, the chorus or re- frain. It is the French bourdon, the big drone of a bagpipe, or double-diapason of an organ, used in forte parts and choruses. Burden of Isaiah. Tl/* measure” of a prophecy announcing a calamity, or a denunciation of hardships on those against whom the burden is uttered — Isa. xiii. 1, &c. Burdon’s Hotel. Whitecross Street Prison. So called from Mr. Burdon, its governor. (Slang!) Bure (2 syl.). The first woman, and sister of Borr, father of Odin. {Scan- dinavian mythology.) Bureauc'racy. A system of govern- ment in which the business is carried on in bureaux or departments. The French bureau means not only the office of a public functionary, but also the whole staff of officers attached to the depart- ment. As a word of reproach, bureau- cracy has nearly the same meaning as Dickens’s word, red-tapism {q.v.). Burglar is the French-Latin burgU larron (robber of a burg, castle, or house). Burgun'dian. A Burgundian blow, i.e., decapitation. The due de Biron, who was put to death for treason by Henri IV., was told in his youth, by a fortune-teller, to beware of a Burgun- dian blow.” When going to execution, he asked who was to be his executioner, and was told he was a man from Bur- gundy. Burial of an Ass. No burial at all. He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, di awn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.— Jer. xxii. 19 . Bu'ridan’s Ass. A man of inde- cision; like one '^on double business bound, who stands in pause where he should first begin, and both neglects.” Bu'ridan, the Greek sophist, said, ^Hf a hungry ass were placed exactly between two hay-stacks in every respect equal, it would starve to death, because there would be no motive why it should go to one rather than to the other.” Burke. To murder by placing some- thing over the mouth of the person at- tacked to prevent his giving alarm. So called from Burke, of Edinburgh, who, in 1832, used to clap a pitch, plaister over his victims and murder them, for the sole purpose of selling the dead bodies to sur- geons for dissection. Burkers. Body-snatchers : those who kill by burking. To burk a question: to strangle it in its birth. The publication was burked: sup- pressed before it was circulated. m BURL. BUSIRIS. Burl, Burle)\ In Cumberland a hurler is the master of the revels at a bidden wedding, who is to see that the guests are well furnished with drink. To hurl is to carouse or pour out liquor. (Anglo-Saxon, hyrlian.) Mr. H. called for a quart of beer . . . He told me to burl out the beer, as he was in a hurry, and I burled out a glass, and gave it to him. The Times, “ Law Reports'* Burlaw or Byrlaw. A sort of Lynch- law in the rural districts of Scotland. The inhabitants of a district used to make certain laws for their own obser- vance, and appoint one of their neigh- bours, called the Burlaw man, to carry out the pains and penalties. The word is compounded of the Dutch haur, a boor or rustic. Burlesque. Father of burlesque 'poetry, Hippo'nax of Ephesus. (Sixth century B.c.) Burlond. A giant whose legs Sir Try'amour cut off. — Romance of Sir Tryamour, Burst. To inform against an accom- plice. Slang variety of ‘‘split” (turn king’s evidence, impeach). The person who does this s;plits or hw'sts the whole concern. Bury the Hatchet. Let by-gones be by-gones. The “Great Spirit” com- manded the North American Indians, when they smoked the caTumet or peace- pipe, to bury their hatchets, scalping- knives, and war-clubs in the ground, that all thought of hostility might be buried out of sight. It is much to be regretted that the American government, having brought the great war to a conclusion, did not bury the hatchet altogether.— The Times. Baried was the bloody hatchet ; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgof^en ; Then was peace among the nations. Longfellow, ''Hiawatha,” xi'i. Bus. A contraction of Omnibus, Bush.. One heats the hush, hut another has the hare, i.e., one does the work, but another reaps the profit. The Latins said. Sic vos non vohis. The allusion is to beating the bush to start game. {See Beating.) Good wine needs no hush. A good ar- ticle will make itself known without being puffed. The booths in fairs used to be dressed with ivy, to indicate that wine was sold there, ivy being sacred to Bac- chus. An ivy-bush half a century age was the common sign of taverns, and especially of private houses where beer or wine could be obtained by travellers. In France, a peasant who sells his vine- yard has to put a green bush over his door. The proverb is Latin, and shows that the Romans introduced the custom into Europe. “Vino vendib'ili hed'era non opus est ” (Columella). It was also com- mon to France. “ Au vin qui se vend bien, il ne faut point de lierre.” Bushrangers. Australian, or, more strictly speaking, New South Wales highwaymen,who range the bushes, lying in wait for travellers, whom they strip of all they have about them. Gold finders are the great objects of their attack. Business, Busy. Saxon, hysgian, the verb, hysig (busy); Dutch, hezigen; Ger- man, hesorgnits (care, management) ; sorge (care) ; Saxon, seogan (to see). From the German sorgen we get the French soigner (to look after something), soigne, and he-sogne (business, or that which is our care and concern), with he-soin (some- thing looked after but not found, hence “ want ” ) ; the Italian hesognio (a beggar). Business To-morrow. When the Spartans seized upon Thebes, they placed Arc'hias over the garrison. Pelop'idas, with eleven others, banded together to put Archias to the sword. A letter con- taining full details of the plot was given to the Spartan pole march at the banquet table ; but Archias thrust the letter under his cushion, saying, “Business to- morrow.” But long ere that sun arose he was numbered with the dead. Bu'sirane (3 syl.). An enchanter bound by Brit'omart. — Spenser, Faery Queen, bk. iii. Busi'ris. A king of Egypt, who used to immolate to the gods all strangers who set foot on his shores. Hercules was seized by him, and would have fallen a victim ; but he broke his chain, and slew the inhospitable king. Busi'ris, according to Milton, is the Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea, V ex’d the Red-Sea coast, whose waves o’erthrew Busiris and his Memphian chivalry. "Paradise Los<,”hk, t. BUSKIN. BY. 127 Buskin. Tragedy. The Greek tra- gic actors used to wear a sandal some two or throe inches thick, to elevate their stature. To this sole was attached a very elegant buskin, and the whole was QoXlQdi cotliur'nus. (iSee Sock.) Or what (though rare) of later age Ermohled hath the husldned stage. Milton, “ II Penseroso. ’ Buss. To kiss. (Welsh, his, the human lip ; Gaelic, hits, the mouth ; French, laiser, a kiss.) Ton tower*?, who'^e wanton tops do buss the c'ouds, Must kiss their own feet. Shakespeai'e, “Troilus and Cressida,” iv. 5. Busterieh. A German god. His idol may still be seen at Sondershusa, the castle of Schwartzemburg. Butcher. The Butcher. Achmed Pasha was called cljezzar (the butcher), and is said to have whipped off the heads of his seven wives all at once. He is famous for his defence of Acre against Napoleon I. The Butcher. J ohn, ninth lord Clifford, also called The BlacJc, died 1461. The Bloody Butcher. The duke of Cum- berland, second son of George II. So called from his barbarities in suppressing the rebellion of the young Pretender. The Royalist Butcher. Blaise de Mont- luc, distinguished for his cruelties to the Protestants in the reign of Charles IX. of France. (1502-1572.) Butter. Soft soap, soft solder (pron. saw-der), wiping down” with winning words. Punch expressively calls it ^Hhe milk of human kindness churned into butter.” Soft words butter no parsnips. Saying ^ Be thou fed,’ will not feed a hungry man.” Mere words will not find salt to our porridge, or butter to our par- snips. Buttercups. So called because they were once supposed to increase the butter of milk. No doubt those cows give the best milk that pasture in fields where buttercups abound, not because these flowers produce butter, for cows never eat them, but because they grow only on sound, dry, old pastures, which afford the best food. r Butter-fingered. Said of a person who lets things fall out of his hand. His fingers are slippery, and things slip from them as if they were greased with butter. Button. A decoy in an auction- room. So called because he bi^ttons or ties the unwary to bargains offered for sale. The button fastens or fixes what else would slip away. Thebiottonofthecaj). The tip-top. Thus, in Hamlet,” Guildenstern says, ^^On fortune’s cap we are not the very button ” (Act ii., sc. 2), i.e., the most highly favoured. The button on the cap was a mark of honour. Thus, in China to the present hour the first grade of literary honour is the privilege of adding a gold button to the cap, a custom adopted in several collegiate schools of England. This gives the expression quoted a further force. Also, the several grades of mandarins are distinguished by a different coloured button on the top of their cap. He has not all his buttons (Provincial), for he is half- silly. Buttons. A page whose jacket in front is remarkable for a row of small round buttons, as close as they can be inserted, from chin to waist. ’Tis in his buttons. He is destined to obtain the prize ; he is the accepted lover. It is still common to hear boys count their buttons,- to know what trade they are to follovq whether they are to do a thing or not, and whether some favourite favours them. {See Bachelor.) ’Tis in hig buttons; he -will f'arry’t. Shakespeare, "'Merry Wives of Windsor,” Hi. 2. Butzen. An Indian god. Buzfuz, Serjeant. A driving, chaff- ing, masculine bar orator, who twists Chops and Tomato Sauce ” into a de- claration of love. — DichenSy PicTacick Papers.^* Buzz. Empty the bottle. A corrup- tion of bouse (to drink). In bousing a bout ’twas his gift to excel. And of all jolly topers he bore off the bell. Buzzard, The, is meant for Dr. Bur- net, whose figure was lusty. The noble Buzzard ever pleased Jne best. Dryden, Hind and Panther,” pt. iii. Buzzard called Hawk by courtesy. It is a euphemism — a brevet rank— a com- plimentary title. Of small renown, ’tis true ; for. not to lie, We call [youi- buzzard] “ hawk ” by courtesy. Dryden, "Hind and Panther,” iii. By. Meaning against, I know nothing by myself, yet am I not thereby justified.” (1 Cor. iv. 4.) 128 BY-AND-BY. CABAL. By-and-by now means a little time hence, but when the Bible was trans- lated it meant instantly. When perse- cution ariseth . . . by-and-by he is offended” (Matt. xiii. 21); rendered in Markiv. 17 by the word ^^immediately.” Omy presently means in a little time hence, but in French {prhentement) means now, directly. Thus, in France, we see These apartments to he let presently^ meaning noiv — a phrase which would in English signify by-and-by. JBy-laws. Local laws. From hy, a borough. Properly, laws by a town council, and bearing only on the borough or company over which it has jurisdic- tion. By-the-by. En passant, laterally con- nected with the main subject. By- play” is side or secondary play; By- lanes and streets ” are those which branch out of the main thoroughfare. The first ^^by” means passing from one to another, as in the phrase Day by day.” Thus, ‘•By-the-by” is passing from the main subject to a hy or secondary one. By the way is an incidental remark thrown in, and tending the same way as the disc'ourse itself. Byron. The Polish Byron. Adam Mickiewicz. (1798-1855.) The Russian Byron. Alexander Ser- gei vitch Pusc-hkin. (1799-1837.) Byzantine Art. That symbolical system which was developed by the early Greek or Bj^zantine artists out of the Christian symbolism. Its chief features are the circle, dome, and round arch ; and its chief symbols the lily, cross, vesica, and nim'-us. St. Sophia, at Constan- tinople, and St. Mark, at Venice, are ex- cellent examples. Byzantine Historians. Certain Greek historians who lived under the Eastern empire between the sixth and fifteenth centuries. They may be divided into three groups (1) Those whose works form a continuous history of the Byzantine empire, from the fourth cen- tury to the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks ; (2) general chroniclers who wrote histories of the world from the oldest period ; and (3) writers on Roman antiquities, statistics, and cus- toms. Byzantines. Coins of the Byzan- tine empire, generalb^ called Besants. C C. This letter is the outline of the hollow of the hand, and is called in He- brew caph (the hollow of the hand). C. The French c, when it is to be sounded like s, has a mark under it {q ) ; this mark is called a cedilla. Ca Ira {it will go). Called empha- tically Le Carillon National of the French Revolution (1790). It went to the tune of the Carillon National, which Marie Antoinette was for ever strumming on her harpsichord. Ca Ira'^ was the rallying cry bor- rowed by the Federalists from Dr. Frank- lin of America, who used to say, in reference to the American revolution, Ah! ah I qa ira, qa ira! (’twill be sure to do). The refrain of the carillon is— Ha! ha! It will speed, it will speed, it will speed! Besistance is vain, we are sure to succeed. Caa'ba (3 syl.). The shrine of Mecca, said by the Arabs to be built on the exact spot of the tabernacle let down from heaven at the prayer of repentant Adam. Adam had been a wanderer for 200 years, and here received pardon. The shrine was built, according to Arab tradition, by Ishmael, assisted by his father Abraham, who inserted in the walls a black stone ‘^presented to him by the angel Gabriel.” Cab. A contraction of cabriolet (a little caper er), a small carriage that scam- pers along like a kid. As cahri means, in French, a ^‘kid,” a hackney coach is wittily called a cahri au lait (a kid cooked in milk), and a private brougham a cahri d la crime (a kid cooked in cream). Cabal'. A junto or council of in- triguers. One of the ministries of Charles II. was called a cabal (1670), because the initial letters of its members formed this acrostic : Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauder- dale. This accident may have popularised the word, but, without doubt, we bor- rowed it from the French cahale, “ an in- triguing faction,” and Hebrew cah'ala, secret knowledge.” A junto is merely an assembly; Spanish, junta (a council). {Bee Notarica.) In dark cal)als and mighty juntos met. Thomson. CABALISTIC. CAD. 129 Cabalistic. Mystic, word- juggling. {See Cabbalist.) Caballe'ro. A Spanish dance, grave and stately ; so called from the ballad- music to which it was danced. The ballad begins — Esta noclie le mataron al caballero. Cabbage. To filch. The word is especially applied to the pieces of cloth kept back by tailors who make up gentlemen’s own materials.” As the smoothing-iron is called a goose {q.v.), much wit is often squandered in bandy- ing about the words goose and cahhage. (butch, kabassen ; Swedish, grabba ; Danish, gvibeTy owe grab.) Cabbage is also a common schoolboy term for a literary crib, or other petty theft. Your tailor, instead of shreds, cabbages whole yards of cloth..— Arhuthnot's "'John Bull.” Cabbala. The oral law of the Jews delivered down from father to son by word of mouth. Some of the rabbins say that the angel Raziel instructed Adam in it, the angel Japhiel instructed Shem, and the angel Zedekiel instructed Abra- ham ; but the more usual belief is that God instructed Moses, and Moses his brother Aaron, and so on from age to age. Cabbalist. A Jewish doctor who professed the study of the Cab'bala, a mysterious science said to have been delivered to the Jews by revelation, and transmitted by oral tradition. This science consisted mainly in understand- ing the combination of certain letters, words, and numbers, said to be significant. Cabinet Ministers. The chief officers of state in whom the adminis- trative government is vested. It con- tains the first lord of the treasury {the premier), the lord high chancellor, lord president of the council, lort privy seal, chancellor of the exchequer, five secre- taries of state, the first lord of the admiralty, president of the board of trade, postmaster-general, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, generally the president of the poor-law board, and the first commissioner of public works. The five secretaries of state are those of the home department, foreign affairs, colo- nies, war, and India. These ministers are privileged to consult the sovereign in the private cabi»et of the palace. Cabinet Pictures. Small pictures suited for a cabinet or very small room. Cabibi. Mystic divinities worshipped in ancient Egypt, Phoenicia, Asia Minor, and Greece. They were inferior to the supreme gods. (Phoenician, power- ful.) Cable’s Length. 120 fathoms. Cachecope Bell. A bell rung at funerals, when the pall was thrown over the coffin. (French, cache coig^s^ cover over the body.) Cabhet. Lettres de cachet (letters sealed). Under the old French r%ime, carte-blanche warrants, sealed with the king’s seal, might be obtained for a con- sideration, and the person who held them might fill in any name. Sometimes the warrant was to set a prisoner at large, but it was more frequently for detention in the Bastille. During the adminis- tration of cardinal Fleury, 80,000 of these cachets were issued, the larger number being against the Jan'senists. In the reigns of Louis XV., XVI., fifty-nine were obtained against the one family of Mirabeau. This scandal was abolished Jan. 15, 1790. Cacbdae'mon. An evil spirit. (Greek, kakos daimon.) Hie thee to hell for shame, and leave the world, Thou cacodaemon. Shakespeare, "Richard III.” i. 3. CacoeTbes (Greek). A ‘^badhabit,” as cacoeLhes scribendi (a mania for author- ship). Cac'ouac'. An unbeliever. Cac'ouae'qurie. Infidelity. Words used by Voltaire, and probably coined from the name of some Indian tribe. Ca'cus. A famous robber, repre- sented as three-headed, and vomiting flames. He lived in Italy, and was strangled by Hercules. Sancho Panza says of the lord Rinaldo and his friends. They are greater thieves than Cacus.” — Don Quixote. Cad. A non-member of the uni- versity. (Latin, cada'ver., A dead body.) Men in university slang are sorted under two groups— those who are members of the university, and those who are not. As the former are called men^ the others must be no men ; but as they bear the huDian form, th^'y are human bodies {cads)i though not human beings {mtn), J 130 CADDICE. CAERLEON. Cad. An omnibus conductor. Either another application of the preceding word, by grouping members of the road craft into whips and non- whips ; or a contraction of cadger (a packman). The etymology of cad, a cadendo^ is only a pun . N.B. — The Scotch cadie ovcawdie (a little servant or errand-boy), without the diminutive, becomes caivd^ which offers a plausible suggestion. Caddice or Caddis. Worsted galloon; so called because it resembles the caddis- worm. He bath ribands of all the colours i’ the rainbow; . . . caddisses, cambrics, lawn‘s, Shakespeare, '' Winter’s Tale,”iv. 3. Caddice-garter. A servant, a man of mean rank. When garters were worn in sight, the gentry used very expensive ones, but the baser sort wore worsted galloon ones. Prince Henry calls Poins a ^^caddice-garter.’* — Henry IV. ii. 4. Dost hear. My honest caddis-garter? Glapthorne, " Wit in a ConstaMe.” 1839. Cade. Jack Cade Legislation. Pres- sure from without. The allusion is to the insurrection of Jack Cade, an Irish- man, who headed about 20,000 armed men, chiefly of Kent, ^^to procure redress of grievances” (1450). When Bright, in 1866, advised the favourers of reform to march in a body to the House to en- force their wishes, the pressure from without was justly stigmatised as Jack Cade Legislation.” You that love the commons, follow me ; Now show yourselves men; ’tis for liberty. We will not leave one lord, one gentleman ; Spare none but such as go in clouted shoon. * "2, Henry FJ.,”iv. 2. Cadet. Younger branches of noble families are so called, because their ar- morial shields are marked with a differ- ence called a cadency. Cadet is a student at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, or in one of her Ma- jesty’s training ships, the Excellent and the Britannia. From these places they are sent (after passing certain examinations) into the army as ensigns or second lieu- tenants, and into the navy as midship- men. (French, cadettCy junior member of a family.) Cades'sia {Battle of) gave the Arabs the monarchy of Persia, (a.d. 636.) Cadger. One who carries butter, eggs, and poultry to market; a packman or bucks 'Cr. From cadge (to carry). Hence the frame on which hawks were carried was called ‘^a cadge.” Ca'di, among the Turks, is an in- ferior judge. Cadi Lesker ’ is a supe- rior cadi. The Spanish Alcayde is the Moorish al cadi. (Arabic, tie judge. ) Cadmus having slain the dragon which guarded the fountain of Dirce, in Boeotia, sowed the teeth of the monster, when a number of armed men sprang up and surrounded Cadmus with intent to kill him. By the counsel of Minerva, he threw a precious stone among the armed men, who, striving for it, killed one another. The foundation of the fable is this : Cadmus having slain a famous free- booter that infested Boeotia, his banditti set upon him to revenge their captain’s death ; but Cadmus sent a bribe, for which they quarrelled and slew each other. Cadu'ceus (4 syl.). A white wand carried by Roman officers when they went to treat of peace. The Egyptians adorned the rod with a male and female serpent twisted about it, and kissing each other. From this use of the rod, it be- came the symbol of eloquence and also of office. In mythology, a caducous with wings is placed in the hands of Mercury, the herald of the gods, and the poets feign that he could therewith give sleep to whomsoever he chose ; where- fore Milton styles it ^^his opiate rod” in Paradise Lost,” xi. 133. So with his dread caduceus Hermes led From the dark regions of the imprisoned dead ; Or drove in silent shonls tiie lingering train To Night’s dull shore and Plnto^ dresii-y reivn. Darwin, "'Loves of the Plants,” ii. 291. Cadur'ci. The people of Aquita'nia. Cahors is the modern capital. Caedmon. Cowherd of Whitby, the greatest poet of the Anglo-Saxons. In his wonderful romance we find the bold prototype of Milton’s ^‘Paradise Lost.’* The portions relating to the fall of the angels are most striking. The hero en- counters, defeats, and finally slays Grin- del, an evil being of supernatural powers. Ca'erle'on, on the Usk, in Wales. The habitual residence of king Arthur, where he lived in splendid state, sur- rounded by hundreds of knights, twelve C^SAR. CALATRAVA. 131 of whom he selected as Knights of the Round Table. Caesar was made by Hadrian a title, conferred on the heir presumptive to the throne (A.D. 138). Diocle'tian conferred the title on the two viceroys, calling the two emperors Augustus (sacred majesty). The emperor of Austria still assumes the title of kaiser {g.v.). Thou art an emperor, Caesar, keisar, and Pheezar. Shakespeare, ''Merry Wives of Windsor” i. 3. No bending knee shall call thee Caesar now. Sh-ikespe ire, “3 Henry VI.," iii. 1. Caesar, as a title, was pretty nearly eqiiivalent to our prince of Wales and the French dauphin. Gmar won 320 triumphs. Ccesar's wife must he above suspicion. The name of Porape'ia having been mixed up with an accusation against P. Clodius, Caesar divorced her ; not be- cause he believed her guilty, but because the wife of Caesar must not even be sus- pected of crime. — Suetonius , Julius Ccesarf 74. Ccesar. {See Aut C^sar, &c.) Julius Ccesar's sword. Crocca Mors {yellow death), Caesa'rian Operation. The ex- traction of a child from the womb by cutting. Julius Caesar is said to have been thus brought into the world. Caf, Mount. A fabulous mountain encircling the earth, as a hedge encloses a field. The earth, of course, was sup- posed to be a flat plain. {Mahometan mythology.) CaPtan (Persian). A Turkish vest. CSjg Mag. Tough old geese ; food which none can relish. (Gaelic and W elshj cag magic.) Caglios'tro. Conte de Cagliostro (or) Giuseppe Balsamo of Palermo, a char- latan who offered everlasting youth to all who would pay him for his secret. (1743-1795.) Cagots. A sort of gipsy race in Gas'cony and Bearne, supposed to be descendants of theVisigoths, and shunned as something loathsome. {See Caqueux, COLLIBERTS.) Cahors. Usuners de Cahors. In the thirteenth century there was a colony of Jewish money-lenders settled at Cahors, which was to France what Lombard Street was to London. Cai'aplias. The country-house oi Caiaphas, in which Judas concluded hia bargain to betray his Master, stood on ^^The Hill of Evil Counsel.” Cain-coloured Beard. Yellow. In the ancient tapestries Cain and Judas are represented with yellow beards. He hath but a little wee face, with a little yellow beard, a Cain-coloured \iQdiXd..— Shakespeare, "‘Merry Wives of Windsor," i. 4. Cain'ites (2 syl.). Disciples of Cain, a pseudo-Gnostic sect of the second century. They renounced the New Testa- ment, and received instead The Gospel of Jicdas, which justified the false disciple and the crucifixion of Jesus. This sect maintained that heaven and earth were created by the evil principle, and that Cain with his descendants were the per- secuted party. Caius, Dr. A French physician in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives.” The clipped English of Dr. Cams.—Macavday. Caius College, Cambridge. Elevated by Dr. John Key {Caius), of Norwich, into a college, being previously only a hall called Gonville. (1557.) Cake. A fool, a poor thing. In University slang a clever man is called a good man, and the opposite is a bad one or a cake. (Greek, kakos, bad.) Cakes. Land of Cakes. Scotland, famous for its oatmeal cakes. Cal'abash. A drinking cup or water- holder ; so called from the calabash nut^ of which it is made. Calam'ity. The beating down of standing corn by wind or storm. The word is the Latin calamis{a stalk of corn). Hence Cicero calls a storm Calamito'sa tempes'tas (a corn-levelling tempest). CalandrPno. A character in one of Boccaccio’s stories, whose “misfor- tunes have made all Europe merry for four centuries.” — Decameron. Calatra'va, Red Cross Knights of. Instituted at Calatra'va, in Spain, by Sancho III. of Castile, in 1158 ; their badge is a red cross cut out in the form of lilies, on the left breast of a white mantle. j 2 132 CALAYA. CALIDOEE. Calay'a. The third paradise of the Hindus. Calceola'ria. Little- shoe flowers ; so called from their resemblance to fairy slippers. (Latin, cal'ceolus.) Calculate is from the Latin calculi (pebbles), used by the Eomans for counters. In the ab'acus, the round balls were called cabculi, and it was by this instrument the Roman boys were taught to count and calculate. The Greeks voted by pebbles dropped into an urn, a metbodadoj)tedboth in ancient Egypt and Syria ; counting these pebbles was calculating” the number of voters. {See Abacus.) Calculators, The. Alfragan, the Arabian astronomer. Died 820. Jedediah Buxton, of Elmeton, in Derbyshire. (1705-1775.) George Bidder and Zerah Colburn, who exhibited publicly. Cale. No man com maTce of %ll acates good cale^ i.e., good pottage of bad vic- tuals. Acates (2 syl.) are provisions bought (French, achete) ; hence a buyer of food is an acater or caterer. Cale is pottage. Caleb. The enchantress who carried off St. George in infancy. Caleb, in Dryden’s satire of ‘^Absalom and Achitophel,” is meant for lord Grey, one of the adherents of the duke of Monmouth. Caleb Quo'tem. A parish clerk or jack-of- all-trades, in Colman’s play called The Review.” I resolved, like Caleb Quotem, to have a place at the review.— FasTiing'^on Irving. Calecue'gers. A tribe of giants in Indian mythology. Caledo'nia. Scotland. A corruption of Celyddon, a Celtic word meaning ^^a dweller in woods and forests.” The word Celt is itself a contraction of the same word {Celyd), and means the same thing. Sees Caledonia in romantic view. Thomson. O Caledonia, stern and wild, Meet nurse for a poetic child.— /Sco«, Calembourg {French). A pun; a jest. From the Jester of Kahlenberg,” whose name was Wigand von Theben j a character introduced in '^Tyll Eulen- spiegel,” a German tale. Eulenspiegel (a I fool or jester) means Owl’s looking-glass, and may probably have suggested the title of the famous periodical called the Owl, the witty but satirical ^Gooking- glass ” of the passing follies of the day. The jester of Calembourg visited Paris in the reign of Louis XV., and soon be- came noted for his blunders and puns. Calendar. So called from calends (q.v.). The Three Calendars. Three royal princes, disguised as begging dervishes, the subject of three tales in the Arabian Nights.” CaPends. The first of every month was so called by the Romans. Varro says the term originated in the prac- tice of calling together or assembling the people on the first day of the month, when the pontifex informed them of the time of the new moon, the day of the nones, with the festivals and sacred days to be observed. The custom continued till A.u.c. 450, when the fasti or calendar was posted in public places. Caliban. New or unknown; as a Caliban style, a Caliban language. The allusion is to Shakespeare’s Caliban (^^The Tempest”), in which character lord Falkland, &c., said that Shakespeare had not only invented a new creation, but also a new language. Satan had not the privilege, as Caliban, to use new phrases, and diction unknown.— Bn Bentley. Calibre. A mind of no calibre: of no capacity. A mind of great calibre : of large capacity. Calibre is the bore of a gun, and, figuratively, the bore or com- pass of our intelligence. Calibhirn. Same as Excalibar, king Arthur’s well-known sword. Onward Arthur paced, with hand On Caliburn’s resistless brand. Scott, “ Bridal of Triermain.** Calico. So called from Calicut, in Malabar, once the chief port and em- porium of Hindustan. Calidore (3 syl.). Sir Calidore is the type of courtesy, and hero of the fourth book of Spenser’s Faery Queen.” He is described as the most courteous of all knights, and is entitled the ^‘all- beloved.” The model of the poet was Sir Philip Sidney. His adventure is against the Blatant Beast, whom he muzzles, chains, and drags to Faery Land. caLigorant. CALL. 133 Sir Gawain was the Calidore of the Round Table. —Southey. Calig'orant. An Egyptian giant and cannibal who used to entrap strangers with a hidden net. This net was made by Vulcan to catch Mars and Venus ; Mer- cury stole it for the purpose of catching Chloris, and left it in the temple of Anu'- bis ; Calig'orant stole it thence. At length Astolpho blew his magic horn, and the giant ran affrighted into his own net, which dragged him to the ground. Whereupon Astolpho made the giant his captive, and despoiled him of his net. This is an allegory. Caligorant was a great sophist and heretic in the days of Ariosto, who used to entangle people with his talk ; but being converted by Astolpho to the true faith, was, as it were, caught in his own net, and both his sophistry and heresy were taken, from him.— Ariosto, “ Orlando Furioso.” Caligrapli'ic Art. Writing very minutely and yet clearly. Peter Bale, in the sixteenth century, wrote in the compass of a silver penny the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Command- ments, two Latin prayers, his own name, the day of the month and date of the year, the year since the accession of queen Elizabeth, and a motto. With a glass this writing could be read. By photography a sheet of the Times news- paper has been reduced to a smaller com- pass. (Greek, calos-gra'pho, I write beauti- fully.) Calig'ula. A Roman emperor. So called because he wore a military sandal called a cal'iga, which had no upper leather, and was used only by the com- mon soldiers. (12, 37-41.) “ The word caligce, however,” continued the Baron, . . . “means, in its primitive sense, sandals ; and Caius Caesar . . . received the cognomen of Caligula, a calig'is, sive cal'igis levio'ribus, quibus adolescentior non fu'erat in exercitu German'ici patris sui. And the caligcB were also proper to the monastic bodies; for we read in the ancient Glossarium, upon the rule of St. Bene lict . . . that caligce were tied with latchets.”— <5)’cofi, “ Waveiiey,’’ xlviii. Calig'ula’s Horse. Incita'tus. It was made a priest and consul, had a manger of ivory, and drank wine from a golden goblet. Calipash, Calipee. W. T. M., in Notes and Queries,” suggests, as the origin of these terms, the Greek words ckalepos, cJtalepe (hard to deal with, i.e., to digest). Caliph or Calif. A title given to the successors of Mahomet. Among the Saracens a caliph is one vested with supreme dignity. The caliphat of Bagdad reached its highest splendour under Ha- roun alRaschid,in the nineteenth century. For the last 200 years the appellation has been swallowed up in the titles of Shah, Sultan, Emir, and so on. (Arabic, calafa, to succeed.) Calis'ta. The heroine of Rowe’s Fair Penitent.” Calis'to and Areas. Calisto was an Arcadian nymph metamorphosed into a she-bear by Jupiter. Her son Areas having met her in the chase, would have killed her, but Jupiter converted him into a he-bear, and placed them both in the heavens, where they are recognised as the Great and Little Bear. Calix'tines (3 syl.). A religious sect of Bohemians in the fifteenth century ; so called from Calix (the chalice), which they insisted should be given to the laity in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, as well as the bread or wafer. Call of Qod. An invitation, ex- hortation, or warning, by the dispensa- tions of Providence (Isa. xxii. 12) ; divine influence on the mind to do or avoid something (Heb. iii. 1). Call of Ahraham. The invitation or command of God to Abraham, to leave his idolatrous country, under the promise of being made a great nation. Call to the Unconverted. An invitation, accompanied with promises and threats, to induce the unconverted to receive the gospel. Effectual Calling. An invitation to believe in Jesus, rendered effectual by the immediate operation of the Holy Ghost. Gospel Call. The invitation of the gospel to men to believe in Jesus, to the saving of their souls. Call to the Pastorate. An invitation to a minister by the members of a church to preside over a certain congregation. Call of the House. An imperative sum- mons sent to every member of Parliament to attend. This is done when the sense of the whole house is required. At the muster, the names of the members are called over, and defaulters reported. Call to the Bar. The admission of a law student to the privileges of a barrister. The names of those qualified are called over. 134 CALLABEU. CALVES. Callalbre or Calaber. A Calal^rian fur. Ducange says, ^^At Chichester the Spriest vicars’ and at St. Paul’s the ^ minor canons’ wore a calabre am3me an'i Bale, in his ^^Image of Both Churches,” alludes to the “fair rochets of Raines {Rennes), and costly grey amices of calaber and cats’ tails.” The lord mayor and those aldermen above the chair ought to have their coats furred with grey amis, and also with changeable taffeta; and those below the chair with calabre and Math green taffeta .— “New View of Lon ion.” Callim'aehos. The Italian Calli- machos. Filippo Buonaccorsi. (1437-1496.) Calling. A vocation, trade, or profes- sion. The allusion is to the calling of the apostles .by Jesus Christ to follow him. In the legal profession persons must still be called to the bar before they can practise. Cadli'ope {beautiful-voiced). The muse of epic or heroic poetry. Her emblems are a stjdus and wax tablets. Callippic Period. The correction of the Meton'ic cycle by Callippos. In four cycles, or seventy-six years, the Metonic calculation was seven and a-half in excess. Callippos proposed to quad- ruple the period of Meton, and deduct a day at the end of it : at the expiration of which period Callippos imagined that the new and full moons returned to the same day of the solar year. Callir'rhoe (4syl.). The lady-love of Chae'reas, in Char'iton’s Greek romance, entitled the Loves of Chse'reas and Callirrhoe,” written in the eighth century. Calottis'tes (4 syl.). (See Regi- ment.) Calo'yers. Monks in the Greek Church, who follow the rule of St. Basil. They are divided into cen'obites, who recite the offices from midnight to sunrise ; an'chorites, who live in hermitages ; and recluses, who shut themselves up in caverns and live on alms. (Greek, halo- geros.) Calpe (2 syl.). Calpe and Ab'yla. The two pillars of Hercules. According to one account, these two were originally only one mountain, which Hercules tore asunder ; but some say he piled up each mountain separately, and poured the sea between them. Heaves up huge Abyla on Afric’s sand, Crowns with nigh Calpe Europe’s salient strand. Crests with opposing towers the splendid scene, And pours from urns immense the sea between. Darwin, “ Economy of Vegetation.” CaFumet {the peace-pipe). When the North American Indians make peace or form an alliance, the high contracting parties smoke together to ratify the arrangement. The peace-pipe is about two and a-half feet long, the bowl is made of highly- polished red marble, and the stem of a reed, which is decorated with eagles’ quills, women’s hair, and so on. “ The Great Spirit, at an ancient period, called the Indian nations together, and standing on the precipice of the red pipe-stone rock, broke off a piece which he moulded into the bowl of a pipe, and fitting on it a long reed, filled the pipe with the bark of red willow, and smoked over them, turning to the four winds. He told them the red colour of the pipe represented their flesh, and when they smoked it they must bury their war- clubs and scalping-knives. At the last whiff the Great Spirit disappeared.” To present the calumet to a stranger is a mark of hospitality and good-will ; to refuse the offer is an act of hostile defiance. Wash the war-paint from your faces. Wash the war-stains from your lingers, Bury your war-clubs and your weapons ; . . . Smoke the calumet together, And as brothers live henceforward. Longfellow, “ Hiawatha,” i. Cal'vary {bare shull), Gol'gotlia (shull). The place of our Lord’s crucifixion; so called from some fanciful resemblance which it bore to a human skull. The present church of “ the Holy Sepulchre ” has no claim to be considered the site thereof; it is far more likely that the mosque of Omar,” called the dome of the roch, occupies the real site. Calvert’s Entire. The 14th Foot. Called Calvert from their colonel. Sir Harry Calvert (1806-1826), and entire, be- cause three entire battalions were kept up for the good of Sir Harry, when ad- jutant-general. The term is, of course, a play on Calvert’s malt liquor. Calves. The inhabitants of the Isle of Wight are so called from a legend arj’^ joke which states that a calf once got its head firmly wedged in a wooden pale, and, instead of breaking up the pale, the farm-man cut off the calf’s head. CALVES. CAMBRIAN. 135 Calves’ Head. There are many ways of dressing a calf's head. Many ways of saying or doing a foolish thing ; a simpleton has many ways of showing his fol'y; or, generally, if one way won’t do, we must try another. The allusion is to the great Calves’ Head Club banquet, w^hen the board was laden with calves’ leads ^ooked in sundry ways and divers fashions. Calves’ Head Club. Instituted in ridicule of Charles I. The great annual banquet was held on the 30th January, and consisted of a cod’s head, to repre- sent the person of Charles Stuart, inde- pendent of his kingly office ; a pike with httle ones in its mouth, an emblem of tyranny ; a boar’s head with an apple in its mouth, to represent the king preying on his subjects ; and calves’ heads dressed in sundry ways, to represent Charles in his regal capacity. After the banquet, the king’s book (^Icon Basil' ike) was burnt, and the parting cup was To those worthy patriots who killed the tyrant.” Calvin is said to have caused the death of ServeTus, a heretic, with whom he had a religious controversy. Servetus was seized, condemned, and burnt to death, solely for his heretical views. (1553.) Calvinism. The five moot points are — Predestination, or particular election. Irresistible grace. Original sin, or the total depravity of the natural man. Particular redemption. Final perseverance of the saints. CaPydon. A forest, supposed in the romances relating to king Arthur to occupy the northern portion of England. Calyp'so, in Fe'nelon’s T^le- maque,” is meant to represent Madame de Montespan. In fairy mythology she was queen of the island Ogyg'ia, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was detained for seven years. Calj^so’s Isle. Gozo, near Malta. Called in classic mythology Ogyg'ia. Cam and Isis. The universities of Cambridge and Oxford. So called from the rivers on which they stand. May yon, tny Cam and Isis, preach it long, “The right divine of kings to govern wrong.” “ V^nciad,'* iv. 187. ^ Cama. The god of love and mar- riage in Indian mythology. Cama'cllOj richest of men,” makes grand preparations for his wedding with QuiteTia, ‘^fairest of women;” but as the bridal party were on their way, Basikius cheats him of his bride, by pre- tending to kill himself. As he is sup- posed to be dying, Quiteria is given to him in marriage as a mere matter of form ; but as soon as this is done, up jumps Basilius, and showsthat his wounds were a mere pretence. — Cervantes, Don Quixote," p. ii. 3, 4. Camal'dolites (4 syl.). A religious order of great rigidity of life, founded in the vale of Camakdoli, in the Tuscan Apennines, by St. Romuald, a Bene- dictine. (Eleventh century. ) CamaraPzaman {prince) fell in love with Badou'ra, princess of China, the moment he saw her. — “Arabian Nights" Prince Camaralzaman. Camarilla (Spanish). A clique ; the confidants or private advisers of the sovereign. It literally means a small private chamber, and is in Spain applied to the room in which boys are flogged. Encircled with a dangerous camarilla. — The Times. Cambalo’s Hing. Given him by his sister Can'ace. It had the virtue of healing wounds. {See Cambel.) — Spenser, “Faery Queen," bk. iv. Cambel. Called by Chaucer, Cam'- balo. Brother of Can'ace, a female paragon. He challenged every suitor to his sister’s hand, and overthrew all except Tri'amond, who married the lady. — Spenser, “Faery Queen" bk. iv. Camber. Second son of king Brute, to whom Wales was left ; whence its name of Cambria. — British Fable. Cam'bria. The ancient name of Wales, or land of the Cimbri. Cambria’s fatal day. Gray, “ Bard.’* Cambrian. Pertaining to Wales; Welsh. {See above.) The Cambrian mountains, like far clouds. That skii-t the blue horizon, dusky rise. Thomson, “ Spring.** Cambrian Series (in geology). The earliest fossiliferous rocks in North Wales. So named by professor Sedg- wick. 136 CAMBEIC. CAMEEONIAKS. Cambric. From Cambray, in France, where it is- still the chief manufacture. Cambus'can. King of Sarra, in the land of Tart ary ; the model of all royal virtues. His wife was El'f eta ; his two sons, Algarsife and Cambalo ; and his daughter Can'ace. On her birthday (15th Oct.) the king of Arabia and India sent Cambuscan a steed of brass, which, between sunrise and sunset, would carry its rider to any spot on the earth.” All that was required was to whisper the name of the place in the horse’s ear, mount upon his back, and turn a pin set in his ear. When the rider had arrived at the place required, he had to turn another pin, and the horse instantly descended, and, with another screw of the pin, vanished till it was again required. This story is told by Chaucer, in the ‘^Squire’s Tale,” but was never finished. Probably the end of the tale would have been the victories of Cambuscan ; Algarsife winning Theo- dora ; and the marriage of Canace to some knight who overmastered in single combat her two brothers. Spenser took up the same tale in his Faery Queen,” iv. Milton talks of calling up Him that left half-told The story of Cambuscan hold. Camby'ses (3 syL). A pompous, ranting character in Preston’s lamentable tragedy of that name. Give me a cup of sack, to make mine eyes look red ; for I must speak in passion, and I will do it in king Camhyses’ vein . — Henry /g./’h. 4. Camden Society, for the publica- tion of early historic and literary remains, is named in honour of William Camden, the historian. Cam'deo. God of love in Hindu mythology. Camel. The name of Mahomet’s favourite camel was A1 Kaswa. The mosque at Koba covers the spot where it knelt when Mahomet fled from Mecca. Mahomet considered the kneeling of the camel as a sign sent by God, and re- mained at Koba in safety for four days. The swiftest of his camels was Al Adlia. Camel. The prophet Mahomet’s camel performed the whole journey from Jeru- salem to Mecca in four bounds, for which service he has a place in heaven with Borak (the prophet’s horse), Balaam’s ass, Tobit’s dog, and Ketmir (the dog of the seven sleepers). — Curzon, Camel. ‘‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matt. xix. 24). In the Koran we find a similar expression : “ The im- pious shall find the gates of heaven shut nor shall he enter, till a camel shall pass through the eye of a needle.” In the Babbinical writings we have a slight variety which goes to prove that the word “camel” should not be changed into “cable,” as Theophylact suggests : “Perhaps thou art one of the Pampe- dith'ians, who can make an elephant pass through the eye of a needle.” It is as hard to come, as for a camel To thiead the postern of a needle’s eye. Shakespeare^ '‘Richard II.” v. 5. Cameleon. You are a cameleon, i.e., very changeable— shifting according to the opinions of others, as th^e cameleon changes its hue to that of contiguous objects. As the cameleon, who is known To have no colours of its own. But borrows from his neighbour’s hue His white or black, his green or blue.— Pnor. Camellia. A shrub, or rather genus of evergreen shrubs ; so named in honour of G. J. Kamel (Latin, Camellius), a Spanish Jesuit. Cam'elot (Somersetshire), where king Arthur held his court. {iSee Winchester.) Camelote (2 syl.). Fustian, rubbish, trash. The cloth so called ought to be made of goats’ hair, but is a mixture of wool and silk, wool and hair, or wool, silk, and hair, &c. (See Camlet.) Cam'eo. An anaglyph on a precious stone. The anagly'pli is when the figure is raised in relief ; an intaglio is when the figure is hollowed out. The word cameo means an onyx, and the most famous cameo in the world is the onyx contain- ing the apoth'eo' sis of Augustus. Cam'eron Highlanders. The 79th Eciiment of Infantry, raised by Allan Cameron, of Errock, in 1793. Cameronian Regiment. The 26th Infantry, which had its origin in a body of Cameronians (q.v.), in the Kevo- lution of 1688. Camero'nians. The strictest sect of Scotch Presbyterians, organised in 1688, by Archibald Cam'eron, who suf- fered death in 1680 for his religious views. He objected to the alliance of church and state. CAMILLA. CANCER. 137 Camilla. Virgin queen of the Vol- scians. Virgil says that she was so swift that she could run over a field of corn without bending a single blade, or make her way over the sea without even wet- ting her feet. Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o’er the unbending corn and skims along the main. Pope. Camillus, five times dictator of Rome, was falsely accused of embezzle- ment, and went into voluntary exile ; but when the Gauls besieged Rome, be returned and delivered his country. Camillus, only vengeful to his foes. Thomson., “ Winter Camlsard or Camisa'do. A night attack. In French history the Camisards are the Protestant insurgents of the C^vennes, who resisted the violence of the dragonnades, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. They were so called because they wore a camise or peasant’s smock over their armour, both to conceal it, and that they might the better re- cognise each other in the dark. Their leader was Cavalier, afterwards governor of Jersey. Camlan, Battle of (Cornwall), which put an end to the Knights of the Round Table. Here Arthur received his death wound from the hand of his nephew Modred. (a.d. 542.) CamTet is not connected with the word camel ; it is a fine cloth made of goats' hair, called Turkish yarn, and is from the Arabic word chamal (fine). Cam'mock. As crooTced as a cammoch The cammock is a piece of timber bent for the knee of a ship. (Saxon.) Though the cammock, the more it is bowed the better it is ; yet the bow, the more it is bent the weaker it waxeth.— iiZy. Campa'nia. Properly the Terra di Lavo'ro of Italy, i.e., the plain country about Cap'ua. Disdainful of Campania’s gentle plains. Thomson, Summer.” Campeador (Cam-jga'-dor). The Cid (q.v.). Can'ace (3 syl. ). A paragon of women, the daughter of king Cambus'can, to whom the king of AraMa and India sent as a present a mirror and a ring. The mirror would tell the lady if any man on whom she set her heart would prove true or false, and the ring (which was to be worn on her thumb) would enable her to understand the language of birds and converse with th em. It would also give the wearer perfect knowledge of the medicinal properties of all roots. Chaucer never finished the tale, but probably he meant to marry Can'ace to some knight who would be able to overthrow her two brothers, Cam'balo and Al'garsife, in the tournament. (See below.) Can'ace was courted by a crowd of suitors, but her brother Cam'balo or Cambel gave out that any one who pre- tended to her hand must encounter him in single combat, and overthrow him. She ultimately married Tri'amond, son of the fairy Ag'ape. — Spenser, Faery Queen f bk. iv. 2. Can'ache (3 syl.). One of Actaeon's dogs. (Greek, having a sharp, ringing voice.”) Can'ada Balsam. Made from the Finns halsamea, a native of Canada. Canaille (French, can-nay' -e). The rabble, the roughs. Its primary mean- ing is the coarse part of meal, dregs. Canard. A hoax. Cornelissen, to try the gullibility of the public, reported in the papers that he had twenty ducks, one of which he cut up and threw to the nineteen, who devoured it greedily. He then cut up another, then a third, and so on till nineteen were cut up ; and as the nineteenth was gobbled up by the surviv- ing duck, it followed that this one duck actually ate nineteen ducks — a wonderful proof of duck voracity. This tale had the run of all the papers, and gave a new word to the language. — Quetelet. Cancan. Dance the cancan. A licen- tious free-and-easy way of dancing quadrilles adopted in the public gardens, opera comique, and casi'noes of Paris. (Cancan, tittle-tattle, familiarity.) Cancel, to blot out, is merely '^to make lattice- work.” This is done by making a cross over the part to be omitted. (Latin, cancello, to make trellis.) Cancer (the Crab) appears when the sun has reached his highest northern limit, and begins to go backward towards the south ; but, like a crab, the return is sideways. (June 21 to July 23.; 188 CANDAULES, CANOBA. Candaules (3 syl.). King of Lydia, who exposed the charms of his wife to Gy'ges; whereupon the queen compelled Gyges to assassinate her husband, after which she married the murderer, who became king, and reigned twenty-eight years. (716-678.) Caii'didate (3 syl.) means ''clothed in white.” Those who solicited the office of consul, qusestor, prpetor, &c., among the Romans, arrayed themselves in a loose white robe. It was loose that they might show the people their scars, and white in sign of fidelity and humility. Candide (2 syl.). The hero of Vol- taire’s novel so called. All sorts of mis- fortunes are heaped upon him, and he bears them all with cynical indifference. Candle. What is the Latin for candle 1 — Tace. Here is a play of words : ta'ce means hold your tongue, don’t bother me. {See Goose.) To hold a candle to the devil. To aid or countenance that which is wrong. The allusion is to the practice of Roman Catholics, who burn candles before the image of a favourite saint, carry them in funeral processions, and place them on their altars. What! must I hold a can lie to my shames ? Shakespeire, '■'Merchant of Venice," ii. 6. Candles used by Roman Catholics at funerals are the relic of an ancient Roman custom. In order to diminish the expenses of funerals, candles and tapers made of wax were carried in the procession. The game is not worth the candle (Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle). Not worth even the cost of the candle that lights the players. Candlemas Day. The 2nd of February, when, in the Roman Catholic Church, there is a candle procession, to consecrate all the candles which will be needed in the church during the year. The candles symbolise Jesus Christ, called ‘'the light of the world,” and "a light to lighten the Gentiles.” It was the old Roman custom of burning candles to the goddess Feb'rua, mother of Mars, to scare away evil spirits. On Candlemas day Candies and candlesticks throw all away. Candour, Mrs. A type of female backbiters. In Sheridan’s comedy of " The Rivals.” The name of “Mrs. Candour” has become one of those formidable by-words, which have had more power in puttinar folly and ill-nature out of coun- tenance than whole volumes of remonstrance. T. Moore. Caneph'orSB (in architecture). Figures of young persons of either sex bearing a basket on their head. (Greek, hashet-hearers.) Canie'ular Year. The ancient solar year of the Egyptians, which began and ended with the rising of the Dog- star, and corresponded with the over- flow of the Nile. CanidTa. A sorceress, who could bring the moon from heaven ; mentioned by Horace. Your ancient conjurors were wont To make her [the moon) from her sphere dismount, And to their incantations stoop. Hudibrasf' pt. ii. 3. Canker. The briar or dog-rose. Put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose. And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolitmbroke. Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry IV.,” i. 3. Cannse. The place where Han'nibal was defeated by the Romans under Paulus .-Emikius. Any fatal battle that is the turning point of a great general’s pros- perity is called his Cannae. Thus, we say "Moscow was the Cannae of Napoleon Buonaparte.” Cannel Coal. Either a corruption of candle coal, so called from the bright flame, unmixed with smoke, v/hich it yields in combustion; or else Kendal coal, where it abounds. Cannibal. An Indian word applied to those who eat flesh. (Hindustani, Chanewal or kha'nen'a'la' , an eater of flesh). The usual derivation is Canibhee, corrupted into Caribbee, supposed to be man-eaters. Some of the tribes of these islands have no r. At the present day the Battas of Suma'tra, and the inhabi- tants of the Fiji' islands, devour human flesh. The natives live in great fear of the cani’oals (t.e., Caribals, or people of Qaxiha).— Columbus. Cannibals. Learners in the art of rowing ; those under tr lining. The word is a pun on Cannot fgulls. Cano'ba. The Indian Apollo, or^od of inspiration. CANOE. CANTERBURY. 139 Canoe'. A boat. (German, Tcahn^ a boat ; Old French, cane, a ship, and canot, a boat ; Latin, canna, a. hollow stem or reed; our cane, can, a jug; cannon, canal, &c.) Canon. The canons used to be those persons who resided in the buildings con- tiguous to the cathedral, employed either in the daily service, or in the education of the choristers. The word is Greek, and means weighed” or choice men.” Canon. A divine or ecclesiastical law. Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon ’gainst self-slaughter. iShakespeare, ''Hamlet,” i. 2. Cannon Law. A collection of eccle- siastical laws which serve as the rule of church government. {See Canonical.) Canon'ieal. Canon is a Greek word, and means the index of a balance, hence a law. The sacred canon means the accepted books of Holy Scripture, which contain the inspired laws of salvation and mo- rality ; also called The Canonical Boohs. Canon'ieal Hours. The times within which the sacred offices may be performed. In the Roman Catholic Church they are seven — viz., matins, prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline. Prime, tierce, sext, and nones are the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours of the day, counting from six in the morning. Compline is a corruption of coinpleto'rinin (that which completes the services of the day). The reason why there are seven canonical hours is because David says, Seven times a day do I praise thee” (Psalm cxix. 161). Canon'ieal Punislinients are those which the church is authorised to inflict. Canonicals. The pouch on the gown of an M.D., designed for carrying drugs. The coif oi a serjeant-at-law, designed for concealing the tonsure. The lamb-skin on a B.A. hood, in imi- tation of the toga caiddida of the Romans. The strings of an Oxford undergraduate, to show the wearer is still in leading strings. The tippet on a barrister’s gown, meant for a wallet to carry briefs in. The proctors’ and pro-proctors’ tippet, for papers — a sort of sabretache. Cano 'pic Vases. Used by the Egyptian priests for the viscera of bodies em’oalmed, four vases being provided for each body. So called from Cano'pus, in Egypt, where they were first used. Cano'pus. The Egyptian god of water. The Chaldeans worshipped fire, and sent all the other gods a challenge, which *was accepted by a priest of Cano'- pus. The Chaldeans lighted a vast fire round the god Canopus, when the Egyp- tian deity spouted out torrents of water and quenched the fire, thereby obtaining the triumph of water over fire. Can'opy properly means a gnat cur- tain. Herod'otus tells us (ii. 95) that the fishermen of the Nile used to lift their nets on a pole, and form thereby a rude sort of tent under which they slept securely, as gnats will not pass through the meshes of a net. Subse- quently the tester of a bed was so called, and lastly the canopy borne over kings. (Greek, honops, a gnat.) Cant. Mock humility. Alexander and Andrew Cant maintained that all those who refused the Covenant” ought to be excommunicated, and that those were cursed who made use of the prayer- book. These same Cants, in their grace before meat, used to pray for all those who suffered persecution for their reli- gious opinions.”— Aferc2trm.9 Publicus, No. ix. (1661.) Canteen' means properly a wine- cellar. Then a refreshment-house in a barrack for the use of the soldiers. Then a vessel, holding about three pints, for the use of soldiers on the march. (Latin, can'tina.) C ant erbnry . Canterbury is the higher rank, but Winchester the better manger. Canterbury is the higher see in rank, but Winchester the one which produces the most money. This was the reply of Wil- liam Edington, bishop of Winchester, when offered the archbishopric of Can- terbury. (1366.) Canterbury Tales. Chaucer sup- posed that he was in company with a party of pilgrims going to Canterbury to -pay their devotions at the shrine of Thomas a Becket. The party assembled atan inn in Southwark, called the Tabard, and there agreed to tell one tale each. CAPITE. 140 CANVAS. both in going and returning. He who told the best tale was to be treated with a supper on their homeward journey. The work is incomplete, and we have none of the tales told in the homeward route. A Canterhury Tale. A cock-and-bull story; a romance. So called from Chau- cer’s ‘^Canterbury Tales.” Canvas means cloth made of hemp. To canvas a subject is to strain it through a hemp strainer, to sift it ; and to canvass a borough is to sift the votes. (Latin, can'nabiSj hemp.) Ca'ora. A river, on the banks of which are a people whose heads grow beneath their shoulders. Their eyes are in their shoulders, and their mouths in the middle of their breasts. — HacMuyt^ “ Voyage,” 1598. Ealeigh, in his “De- scription of Guiana,” gives a similar account of a race of men. The Anthropophagi and men whose heads Do grow beneath their shoulders. Shakespeare,- “ Othello,^' i. 3. Cap. Wearing the cap and bells. Said of a person w^ho is the butt of the company, or one who excites laughter at his own expense. The reference is to licensed jesters formerly attached to noblemen’s establishments. Their head- gear was a cap with bells. I cap to that, i.e., assent to it. The allusion is to a custom observed in France amongst the judges in deliberation. Those who assent to the opinion stated by any of the bench signify it by lifting their toque from their heads. Cap in hand. Submissively. To wait on a man cap in hand is to wait on him like a servant, ready to do his bidding. Cap-a-pie is the Spanish capa y paza (helmet and sword), meaning fully equipped. The general etymology is the French cap d pie, but the French phrase is de pied en cap. Armed at all points exactly, cap-a-pe. Shakespexre, Hamlet,” i. 2. I am courtier, cap-a-pe. Shakespeare, “ Winter's Tale,”vf. 3. Cap of Liberty. When a slave was manumitted by the Eomans, a small red cloth cap, called pil'eus, was placed on his head. As soon as this was done, he was termed liberti'nus (a freedrnan), and his name was registered in the city tribes. When Saturnbnus, in 263, pos- sessed himself of the capitol, he hoisted a cap on the top of his spear, to indi- cate that all slaves who joined his standard should be free. When Ma'rius incited the slaves to take up arms against Sylla, he employed the same symbol; and when Caesar was murdered, the conspirators marched forth in a body, with a cap elevated on a spear, in token of liberty. {See Liberty. ) Cap of Maintenance. A cap of dignity anciently belonging to the rank of duke ; the fur cap of the Lord Mayor of London, worn on days of state; a cap carried before the British sovereigns at their coronation. Maintenance here means defence. Capfull of Wind. Olaus Magnus tells us that Eric, king of Sweden, was so familiar with evil spirits that what way soever he turned his cap, the wind would blow, and for this was he called Windy Cap. The Laplanders drove a profitable trade in selling winds ; but even so late as 1814, Bessie Millie, of Pomo'na (Orkney Islands), helped out her living by selling favourable winds to mariners for the small sum of sixpence. Cape. Spirit of the Cape. (See Adamastor.) Capel Court. A speculation in stocks of such magnitude as to affect the money market. Capel Court is the name of the place where transactions in the stocks are carried on. Caper Merchant. A dancing- master, who cuts “capers.” Capet (Cap-pay). Hugues, the founder of the French monarchy, was surnamed Cap'etus (clothed with a capot or monk’s hood), because he always wore a clerical costume, as abbot of St. Martin de Tours. This was considered the family name of the kings of France ; hence Louis XVI. was arraigned before the National Convention under the name of Louis Capet. Capital. Political capital is some- thing employed to serve a political pur- pose. Thus, the Whigs make political capital out of the errors of the Tories, and vice versd. He tried to make capital out of his rival’s discomfiture.— Times. Cap'ite Censi. The lowest rank of Eoman citizens. So called because they CAPITULAKES. CAEADOC. 141 were counted simply by the poll, as they had no taxable property. Capit'ulares (4 syl.). The laws of the first two dynasties of France were so called, because they were divided into chapters. (French, capitulaire.') Capon. A fish out of the coup. So called by those friars who wished to evade the Friday fast by eating chickens instead of fish. {See Yaemouth,) Cap'ricorn. Called by Thomson, in his ‘^Winter,” ^^the centaur archer.” Anciently the winter solstice occurred on the entry of the sun into Capricorn ; but the stars having advanced a whole sign to the east, the winter solstice now falls at the sun’s entrance into Sagit- tarius (the centaur archer), so that the poet is strictly right, though we vulgarly retain the ancient classical manner of speaking. Capricornus is the tenth, or, strictly speaking, the eleventh sign of the Zodiac. (Dec. 21— Jan. 20.) Captain, Capitano del Popolo, i.e.. Garibaldi. The Great Captain {el gran capita'no). Gonzalvo di Cor'dova. (1453-1515.) Manuel Comne'nus of Treb'izond. (1143-1180.) Cap'tious. Fallacious, deceitful ; now it means ill-tempered, carping. (Latin, captio'sus.') I know I love in vain, strive against hope; Yet in this captious and intenible sieve, I still pour in the waters of my love. Shakespeare, All's Well that Ends Well," i. 3. Cap'ua. Capua corrupted Hannibal. Luxury and self-indulgence will ruin any one. Hannibal was everywhere vic- torious over the Komans till he took up his winter quarters at Capua, the most luxu- rious city of Italy. When he left Capua his star began to wane, and ere long Car- thage was in ruins, and himself an exile. Cap'ucllill. A nickname given to a branch of Franciscans from the ‘^cap'ace” or pointed cowl which they wore, in imitation of St. Francis. Cap'ulet. A noble house in Vero'na, the rival of that of Mon'tague (3 syl.); Juliet is of the former, and Pvomeo of the latter. Lady Capulet is the beau-ideal ©f a proud Italian matron of the fifteenth *cntury. The expres.sion so familiar, the tomb of all the Capulets,^ is from Burke. — Shakespeare, ^Piom,eo and Jidietfi Cap'ut Mor'tunm. Latin for head of the dead, used by the old chemists to designate the residuum of chemicals, when all their volatile matters had es- caped. Anything from which all that rendered it valuable has been taken away. Thus, a learned scholar paralysed is a mere caput mortuuin of his former self. The French Directory ” towards its close was the mere caput mortuum of a governing body. Caqueux. A sort of gipsy race in Brittany, similar to the Cagots of Gas- cony, and Colliberts of Poitou. Car'abas. He is a marquis of Carabas. A fossil nobleman, of unbounded pre- tensions and vanity, who would fain restore the slavish foolery of the reign of Louis XIV. ; one withFortunatus’s purse, which was never empty. The character is taken from Perrault’s tale of ^^Puss in Boots.” Pretres qne nous vengeons Levez la clime et partageons; Et toi, peuple animal, Porte en cor le feodal, . • • Chapeau has ! Chapeau has ! Gloire au marquis de Carahas ! Ber anger, 1816. Caracal'la. Aurefiius Antoni'nus was so called because he adopted the Gaulish caracalla in preference to the Eoman toga. It was a large, close-fitting, hooded mantle, reaching to the heels, and slit up before and behind to the waist. Aurelius was himself born in Gaul. Carac'ci. Founder of the eclectic school in Italy. Luis and his two cousins, Augustin and Annibale, founded the school called Incammina'ti (progressive), which had for its chief principle the strict observance of nature. Luis (1554-1619), Augustin (1558-1601), Annibale (1560- 1609). The Caracci of France. Jean Jouvenet, who was paralysed on the right side, and painted with his left hand. (1647-1707.) The Annibale Caracci of the Eclectic School. Bernardi'no Campi, the Italian, is so called by Lanzi. (1522-1590.) Carack. A ship of great bulk, constructed to carry heavy freights. (Spanish, caraca.) Car'adoc. A Knight of the Bound Table, noted for being the husband of the only lady in the queen’s train who could wear ^‘the mantle of matrimonial fidelity.” 142 CAEAITES. CAKD. Car'aites (3 syl.). A religious sect amoug the Jews, who rigidly adhered to the words and letters of Scripture, regardless of metaphor, &c. Of course, they rejected the rabbinical interpreta- tions and the Cab'bala. The word is derived from Cardim, equivalent to scrip- iU7Xirii (textualish). Carat of Gold. So called from the carat seed, or seed of the Abyssinian coral flower, formerly employed in weigh- ing gold and precious stones. Hence the expressions ‘‘22 carats fine,'’ “18 carats fine,” &c., meaning that out of 24 parts, 22 or 18 are gold, and the rest alloy. Here’s the note How much your chain weighs to the utmost carat. Shakespeare, “ Comedy of Errors,'' iv. 1. Carbineer' or Carabmeer. Properly a skirmisher or light horseman, from the Arabic carabine. A carbine is the light musket used by cavalry soldiers. Carbona'do. A chop ; mince-meat. Strictly speaking, a carbonado is a piece of meat cut crosswise for the gridiron. (Latin, carbOj a coal.) If he do come in my way, so ; if he do not,— if I come in his willingly, Jet him make a carbonado of me. Shakespeare, “ l Henry IV.," v. 3. Carbona'ri means chai'coal-burners^ a name assumed by a secret political society in Italy, which rose in 1820. Their place of muster they called a “ hut; ” its inside, “ the place for selling charcoal; ” and the outside, the “ forest.” Their political opponents they called “ wolves.” {See CHAUBONi^Eiin:.) Car 'carnet. A small chain of jewels for the neck. (French, caran, a chain.) Around the white necks of the nymphs who danced Hung carcanots of orient pearls. T. Moore, “ Lalla Rookh,” pt. i. Carcase. The shell of a house before the floors are laid and walls plastered ; the skeleton of a ship, a wreck, &c. The body of a dead animal, so called from the Latin caro-cassa (lifeless flesh). The Goodwins, I think they call the place; a very dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcases of many a tall ship lie burit'd. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice," iii. 1. Card. In Spain, spades used to be columbmes ; clubs, rabbits; diarnmnds, pinks; and hearts, roses. The present name for spades is espados (swords) ; of clubs, hastos (cudgels) ; of diamonds, dinc7'os (square pieces of money used for paying wages); of hearts, copas (cha- lices). The French for spades is pique (pike- men or soldiers) ; for clubs, trefle (clover, or husbandmen) ; of diamonds, cari'eaux (building tiles, or artisans) ; of hearts, choeur (choir- men, or ecclesiastics). The English spades is the French form of a pike, and the Spanish name ; the clubs is the French trefoil, and the Spanish name ; the hearts is a corruption of choeur into coeur. He is the card of our house. The man of mark, the most distingue. Osric tells Hamlet that Laer'tes is “the card and calendar of gentry” (v. 2). The card is the card of a compass, containing all its points. Laertes is the card of gentry, in whom may be seen all its points. We also say, “a queer card,” meaning an odd fish. To speak by the card. To speak by the book ; be as i^recise as a map or book. A merchant’s expression. The card is the document in writing containing the agreements made between a merchant and the captain of a vessel. Sometimes the owner binds himself, ship, tackle, and furniture for due performance, and the captain is bound to deliver the cargo committed to him in good condition. To speak by the card is to speak according to the indentures or written instructions. Law ... is tlie card to guide the world by. Hooker, " Ecc. Pol.,” p. ii. sec. 5. We must speak by the card, or equivocation will undo us. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet," v. 1. That was my best ti'ump card. My best chance. The allusion is to loo, wliist, and other games played with cards. Coui't cards. So called because of their heraldic devices. The king of clubs originally represented the arms of the pope ; of spades, the king of France ; of diamonds, the king of Spain ; and of hearts, the king of England. The French kings in cards are called David (spades), Alexander (clubs), Caesar (diamonds), and Charles (hearts), representing the Jewish, Greek, Pmman, and Frankish empires. The queens or dames are Ar- fmQ — i.e., Juno (hearts), Judith (clubs), Eachel (diamonds), and Pallas (spades), representing royalty, fortitude, piety, and wisdom. They were likenesses of Mario d’ Anjou, the queen of Charles VII. ; Isabeau, the queen-mother ; Agnes Sorel, the queen’s mistress ; and Joan d’Arc, the dame of spades, or war. CARDINAL' CARNEY. 143 He felt that he held the cards in his oivn hands. That he had the whip- end of the stick ; that he had the upper hand, and could do as he liked. The allusion is to games played with cards, such as whist. He jplayed his cards \cell. He acted judiciously and skilfully, like a whist- player who plays his hand with judgment. Cards. Lookup, the great Bath player, died playing his favourite game of ‘^Double Dummy.” Cardinal Points of tlie Com- pass. Due north, west, east, and south. So called because they are the points on which the intermediate ones, such as N.B., N.W., N.E.N., &c., hinge or hang. (Latin, cardo, a hinge.) Cardinal Virtues. Justice, pru- dence, temperance, and fortitude, on which all other virtues hang or depend. Cardinals. Hinges, {haim, cardo.) The election of the pope ‘Hiinges” on the voice of the sacred college, and on the pope the doctrines of the Church depend ; so that the cardinals are in fact the hinges on which the Christian Church turns. Cardinal’s Ped Hat. Bayle says Sun-day is the day of the sun, Rome the city of Sun- days or the holy city, and cardinals the princes of the Roman Church, and therefore of the sun. Red is the colour of the sun. Others assert that Innocent IV. made the cardinals wear a red hat token of their being ready to lay down their life for the gospel.” Car'duel or Kartel. Carlisle. The place where Merlin pre^Dared the Round Table. Careme (2 syl.). Lent; a corruption of quadragesima .(quadrage’me). Caricatures mean sketches over- drawn.” (Italian caricatu'ra, from cari- ca'rS, to overcharge.) Carillons, in France, are chimes or tunes played on bells ; but in England the suites of bells that play the tunes. Our word carol approaches the French mean- ing nearer than our own. The best chimes in the world are those in Les Halles, at Bruges. Cari'ns8. Women hired by the Romans to weep at funerals ; so called from Caria, whence most of them came. Carle or Carling Sunday {Pea Sun- day) is the octave preceding Palm Sun- day ; so called because the special food of the day was carling—i.e., peas fried in butter. The custom is a continuation of the pagan bean-feast. Carlovin'gian Dyn'asty. So called from Car'olus or Charles Martel. Carludovi'ca. A Pan'ama hat, made of the Carludovica 'paVmata ; so called in compliment to Carlos IV. of Spain, whose second name was Ludovic. Carmagnole. A red republican song and dance in the first French revo- lution ; so called from Carmag'nola, in Piedmont, the great nest of the Savoy- ards, noted for street music and dancing. The refrain of Madame Veto,” the Carmagnole song, is, Dansons la Car- magnole— vive le son— du canon !” The word was subsequently applied to other revolutionary songs, such as ‘^Ca ira,” the Marseillaise,” the Chant du Depart.” Besides the songs, the word is applied to the dress worn by the Jacobins, coniiisting of a blouse, red cap, and tri- coloured girdle ; to the wearer of this dress or any violent revolutionist ; to the speeches in favour of the execution of Louis XVI., called by M. Barriere des Carmagnoles ; and, lastly, to the dance performed by the mob round the guillotine. Car'melites (3 syl.). The monks of Mount Carmel, the monastery of which is named Eli'as, from Elijah the prophet, who on Mount Carmel told Ahab that rain was at hand. Car'miilian. The phantom ship on which the Kobold of the Baltic sits when he appears to doomed vessels. Carmin'ative. A charm medicine. Magic and charms were at one time the chief medicines,” and the fact is per- petuated by the word carminative, among others. (Latin, carmen, a charm.) Carmi'ne (2 syl.). The dye made from the carmes or kermes insect. Carnation. ^^Flesh-colour.” (Latin, caro carnis, flesh.) Car'ney. To wheedle, to keep caress- ing, and calling another cara (dear). ? / 144 CARNIVAL. CARTHAGENA. Car'nival means Good-bye meat.” This festival ends on Ash- Wednesday, when the Lent fast begins. {Latin, carnem-vale. ) Carotid Artery. An artery on each side of the neck, supposed by the ancients to be the seat of drowsiness, brought on by an increased flow of blood through it to the head. (Greek, caro'ticos, inducing sleep.) Carou'se (2 syh). Mr. Gifford says the Lanes called their large drinking cup a rouse, and to rouse is to drink from a rouse ; ca-rouse is gar-rouse, to drink all up, or to drink oW—i.e., in company. The king doth wake to-night, and takes his rouse. Shakespeare, '' Han let” i. 4. Carouse the Hunter's Hoop. Drinking cups were anciently marked with hooj:»s, by which every drinker knew his stint. Shakespeare makes Jack Cade promise his friends that ^^.seven halfpenny loaves shall be sold for a penny ; and the three- hooped pot have ten hoops.” Pegs or pins {q.v.) are other means of limiting the draught of individuals who drank out of the same tankard. Carp is formed from the Latin carp-io (that which snatches at the bait). Carpathian Wizard. Proteus (2 syh), who lived in the island of Car'- pathos, between Rhodes and Crete. He was a wizard and prophet, who could transform himself into any shape he pleased. He is represented as carrying a sort of crook in his hand. By the Carpathian wizard’s hook. Milton, “ Gomus” Carpet. Such and such a question is on the carpet. The French sur le tapis (on the table-cloth), i.e., before the house, under consideration. The question has been laid on the table-cloth of the house, and is now under debate. Solomon's carpet. The Eastern writers say that Solomon had a green silk carpet, on which his throne was placed when he travelled. This carpet was large enough for all his forces to stand upon ; the men and women stood on his right hand, and the spirits on his left. When all were arranged in order, Solomon told the wind where he wished to go, and the carpet with all Its contents rose in the air, and alighted at the place indicated. In order to screen the party from the sun, the birds of the air with outspread wings formed a canopy over the whole party. — Sale, Koran." {Seeheloiv.) The magic carpet of Tangu. A carpet to all appearances worthless, but if any one sat thereon, it would transport him instantaneously to the place he wished to go. So called because it came from Tangu, in Persia. It is sometimes termed Prince Housain's carpet, because it came into his hands, and he made use of it. — Arabian Nights, Prince Ahmed." {See above.) Carpet Knight. One dubbed at court by favour, not having won his spurs by military service in the field. Mayors, lawyers, and other civilians knighted as they kneel on a carpet before their sove- reign. Carpoera'tians. The Gnostic sect so called fromCarpoc'rates, who flourished in the middle of the second century. They maintained that the world was made by angels, that only the soul of Christ ascended into heaven, and that the body will have no resurrection. Car'riages. Things carried, luggage. And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jeiusaltm.— .Acts xxi. 15. Car'rona'des (3 syh). Short guns invented by Mr. Gascoigne, director of the Carron foundry in Scotland. (1779.) Carry Coals. {See Coals.) Carte Blanche (French). A blank sheet of paper signed by the giver, but left to be filled in by the receiver, with a sum of money drawn on the bank account of the giver. Power to act at discretion in an affair placed under your charge. Carte de Visite (French). A visiting card, now generally applied to a photographic likeness on a card for the albums of friends, &c. Carte'sian Philosophy. The philo- sophical system of Ren6 Descartes (Latin, Carte' silts), of La Haye, in Touraine. The basis of his system is cog'ito ergo sum, thought must proceed from soul, and therefore man is not wholly material; that soul must be from some Being not material, and that Being is God. As for physical phenomena, they must be the result of motion excited by God, and these motions he termed vortices. (1596- 1650.) Carthage'na. Capital of New Gra- na'da, in South America, unsuccessfully attacked in 1747 by admiral Vernon. CARTHAGINEM. CASSIBELAN. 145 Wasteful, forth Walks the dire power of pestilent disease . , . Such as, of late, at Carthagena quenched The Briiish fire. You, gallant Vernon, saw The miserable scene ; you, pitying, saw To infant-weakness sunk the warrior’s arm. Thomson, ''Summer.'^ Carthag'inem esse Delendam (censeo) were the words with which Cato the Elder concluded every speech in the Roman senate. They are now proverbial, and mean, ‘^That which stands in the way of cur greatness must be removed at all hazards.” Carthu'sians. Founded, in 1086, by St. Bruno, of Cologne, who, with six companions, retired to the solitude of La Chartreuse, near Greno'ble, in Vienne. Cartoons. Designs drawn on cartone (pasteboard), like those of Raffaelle, for- merly at Hampton Court, but now at Kensington Museum. They were bought by Charles I., and are seven in number : “The Miraculous Draught of Fishes,” “Feed my Lambs,” “ The Beautiful Gate of the Temple,” Death of AnanFas,” “El'ymas the Sorcerer,” “Paul at Lystra,” and “Paul on the Mars Hill.” Cartridge Paper was originally manufactured for soldiers’ cartridges. The word is a corruption of cartouche^ from carta (paper). Ca'rus. Slow Carus^ in Garth’s “Dis- pensary,” is Dr. Tyson. Carya'tes, Caryatides. Figures of women in Greek costume, used in archi- tecture to support entablatures. Ca^rya, in Arca'dia, sided with the Persians after the battle of Thermop'^ylie, in consequence of which the victorious Greeks destroyed the city, slew the men, and made the women slaves. Praxit'eles, to perpetuate the disgrace, employed figures of Caryan women with Persian men, instead of columns. A single figure is called a Caryatid. {See At L ANTES.) Caryatlc Order. Architecture in which Caryatides are introduced to support the entablature. Cas'ca. A blunt-witted Roman, one of the con-pirators against Julius Caesar. — Shakespeare^ Casar” Case-hardened. Impenetrable to all sense of honjur or shame. The a.lusion is to iron which is case hardened by putting it into an iron box, with a cement, and exposing it for several hours to a red heat. Cashier' (2 syl.). To dismiss an officer from the army, to discard from society. (French, casser, to break ; Italian, cassa're, to blot out. ) Casi'no. Originally, a little casa or room near a theatre, where persons might retire after the play was over, for dan- cing or music. Casket Homer. Alexander the Great’s edition, with Aristotle’s correc- tions. After the battle of Arbela, a golden casket, studded with jewels, was found in the tent of Dari'us. Alexander being asked to what purpose it should be applied, made answer, “There is but one production in the world worthy of so costly a depository;” and placed therein his edition of Homer, which received from this circumstance the term of Casket Homer. Caspar. A huntsman who sold himself to Za miel, the Black Hunts- man. The night before the expiration of his lease of life, he bargained for three years’ respite on con lition of bringing Max into the power of the evil one. Zamiel replied, “ To-morrow either he or you.” On the day appointed for the triad- shot, Caspar places himself in a tree. Max is told by the prince to aim at a dove. The dove flies to the tree where Caspar is concealed. Max shoots at the dove, but kills Caspar, and Zamiel comes to carry off his victim. — Wehers Opera of Der Freisckuiz'’ Cassan'dra. Daughter of Priam, gifted with the power of prophecy ; but Apollo, whom she had offended, brought it to pass that no one believed her pre- dictions. — Shakespeare j “ Troilus and Cvessida^ Those who foresee and predict the downfall, meet with the fate of Cassandra.— 77ie Times. Cassa'tion. The court of cassation, in France, is the court which can casser (or quash) the judgment of other courts. Cassi. Inhabitants of Cassio hundred, Hertfordshire, referred to by Cmsar in his “Commentaries.” Cassib'elan. Great-uncle to C^m- beline. He granted Ccesar a yearly tribute of 3,000 Tpoauas.— Shakespeare, “ C jnihelineF K / 146 CASSIO. CAT. Cassio (in Shakespeare’s Othello”). Michael Cassio was a Florentine, and Othello’s lieutenant. lago made him drunk, and then set on Koderi'go to quarrel with him. Cassio wounded Koderigo, and a brawl ensued, which aroused Othello. Othello suspended Cassio, but lago induced Desdemo'na to plead for his restoration. This interest in Cassio being regarded by the Moor as a confirmation of Desdemona’s illicit love, hinted at broadly by lago, provoked the jealousy of Othello. After the death of the Moor, Cassio was appointed governor of Cyprus. Cassiopeia {the lady in the chair). The chief stars of this constellation form the outline of a chair. The lady referred to is the wife of Ce'pheus, king of Ethi- opia ; having had the audacity to com- pare her beauty with that of the Nereides, she was exposed to be devoured by a sea- monster, but was liberated by Perseus. That starred Ethiop queen, that strove To set her beauty’s praise above The sea-nymphs, and their powers offended. Milton, “ II Penseroso.*' Castagnette, Captain. A hero noted for having his stomach replaced by Desgenettes by a leather one. His career is ended by a bomb, which blows him into fragments. An extravaganza from the French of Manuel. Cas'taly. The river of poetic inspi- ration. It is a fountain of Parnassos sacred to the Muses, and its waters had the power of inspiring those who drank of them. The drooping Muses (Sir Industry) Brought to another Castalie, Where Isis many a famous nursling breeds, Or where old Cam soft paces o’er the lea In pensive mood. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence,’' canto i. ^'Isis” means the University of Oxford, and ^^Cam” the University of Cambridge, so called from the rivers on which they stand. Caste {race). The Portuguese casta. In Sanskrit the wwd used for the same purpose is varna (colour). The four Hindu castes are Brahmins (the sacred order), Shatri'ya (soldiers and rulers), Vaisy'a (husbandmen and merchants), Sudra (agricultural labourers and me- chanics). The first issued from the mouth of Brahma, the second from his arms, the third from his thighs, and the fourth from his feet. Below these come thirty-six inferior classes, to whom the Vedas are sealed, and who are held cursed in this world and without hope in the next. The Jews seem to have enter- tained the same notion respecting the common people, and hence the Sanhe- drim say to the officers, “ This penple, who know not the law, are cursed.” ( J ohn vii. 49.) To lose caste. To lose position in so- ciety. To get degraded from one caste to an inferior one. Castle. Castle in the air. A splendid edidce, but one which has no existence. In fairy tales we often have these castles built at a word, and vanishing as soon, like that built for Aladdin by the Genius of the Lamp. These air-castles are called by the French Chdteaux d'Espagoie, because Spain has no chateaux. We also find the expression Chdteaux en Asie for a similar reason. Castle of Indolence. In the land of Drowsiness, where every sense is steeped in enervating delights. The owner of the castle was an enchanter, who deprived all who entered his domains of their energy and free-will. — Thomson, Castle of Indolence.'^ Castlewood ( Bcairix) . The heroine of Esmond,” by Thackeray. Castor and Pollnx, what we call comazants. Electric flames sometimes seen in stormy weather, playing about the masts of ships. If only one flame showed itself, the Romans called it Helen, and said that it portended that the worst of the storm was yet to come ; but two or more luminous flames they called Castor and Pollnx, and said that they boded the termination of the storm. But when tlie s^'ns of Leda shed Their star-lamps on our vessel’s head, The storm-winds cease, the troubled spray Ball from the rocks, clouds flee away. And on the bosom of the deep In peace the angry billows sleep. Horace, ‘‘ Odes,” i. 12. Castor’s Horse. Cyll'aros. Virgil ascribes him to Pollux. (Geor. iii.) Cas^uist (3 syl.). One who resolves casus conscientice (cases of conscience). M. le Fevre calls casuistry “the art of quibbling with God.” Casus Belli {Latin). A ground for war ; a plea for going to war. Cat- Superslitiously called a “fa- miliar,” from the mediaeval superstition CAT, CAT. 147 that Satan’s favourite form was a black cat. Hence ‘^witches” were said to have a cat as their familiar. Cat. A symbol of liberty. The Eoman goddess of Liberty was represented as holding a cup in one hand, a broken sceptre in the other, and with a cat lying at her feet. No animal is so great an enemy to all constraint as a cat. Cat. Held in veneration by the Egyp- tians under the name of ^lu'rus. This deity is represented with a human body and a cat’s head. Diodo'rus tells us that whoever killed a cat, even by accident, was by the Egyptians punished by death. According to Egyptian tradition, Diana assumed the form of a cat, and thus ex- cited the fury of the giants. The London Review says the Egyptians worshipped the cat as a symbol of the moon, not only because it is more active after sunset, but from the dilation and contraction of its orb, symbolical of the waxing and waning of the night goddess. {See Puss.) Cat. A sort of tripod for holding a plate before the fire. It is so called because in whatever position it is placed, three of the spokes hold the plate, and three rest on the ground. As the cat always lights on its feet, so this plate- holder will stand in any direction. Cat. The tackle of a ship is so called, being, probably, the abbreviation tad inverted. We have several such inver- sions. C at- 0 - nine- tails. A whip with three lashes, used for punishing offenders, and briefly called a cat. The punishment was first used on board ship, where ropes would be handy, and several ropes are called cats, as cat-lvar^pings, for bracing the shrouds ; cat-falls^ which pass over the “ cat-head,” and communicate with the ‘^cat-block,” &c. The French for a ‘^cat o’-nine- tails” is martinet {q.v.). The Kilkenny cats. The story is, that two cats fought in a sawpit so ferociously, that when the battle was over, only the tail of each was left. This is an allegory of the municipalities of Kilkenny and Irish- town, who contended so stoutly about boundaries and rights to the end of the seventeenth century, that they mutally impoverished each other~ate up each other, leaving only a tail behind. The faction grows in intensity daily . . . and the Kilke my ca^^lght is rapidly approaching the vital ^arcs.— iVie Times [Re Fenians j. Whittington amd his cat. A cat is a ship formed on the Norwegian model, having a narrow stern, projecting quar- ters, and deep waist. It is strongly built, and used in the coal trade. Harrison speaks of it as a '‘cat” or “catch.” According to tradition, Sir Richard Whittington made his money by trading in coals, which he conveyed in his “cat” from Newcastle to London. The black faces of his coal-heavers gave rise to the tale about the Moors. In confirmation of this suggestion, it may be added that Whittington was lord mayor in 1397, and coal was first made an article of trade from Newcastle to London in 1381. A cat has nine lives. A cat is more tenacious of hfe than other animals, because it generally lights upon its feet without injury ; the foot and toes being padded so as to break the fall. {See Nine.) Tyh. What wouldst thou have with me ? Mer. Good king of cats, nothing hut one of your nine lives . “ Romeo and Juliet,’' iii. 1. Hang me in a bottle like a cat (“Much Ado About Nothing,” i. 1). In olden times a cat was for sport enclosed in a bag or leather bottle, and hung to the branch of a tree, as a mark for bowmen to shoot at. Steevens tells us of another sport : “A cat was placed in a soot-bag, and hung on a line ; the players had to beat out the bottom of the bag without get- ting besmudged with smoke, and he who succeeded in so doing was allowed to hunt the cat afterwards. He grins like a Cheshire cat. Cheese was formerly sold in Cheshire moulded like a cat. The allusion is to the grin- ning cheese-cat, but is applied to persons who show their teeth and gums when they laugh. Let the cat out of the bag. It was for- merly a trick among countryfolk to sub- stitute a cat for a sucking-pig, and bring it in a bag to market. If any greenhorn chose to buy a “ pig in a poke” without examination, all very well; but if he opened the sack, “he let the cat out of the bag,” and the trick was disclosed. Sick as a cat. Cats are very subject to vomiting. Hence the vomit of a drunkard is called “a cat,” and the act of discarding it is called “ shooting the cat.” Some . . . are mad if they behold a cat (“ Merchant of Venice,” iv. 1). Henri HI. of France swooned if he caught sight of K 2 / 148 CAT. CAT-CALL. a cat, and Napoleon I. showed a morbid horror of the same harmless, necessary” creature. {See Antipathy, Pig.) To hell the cat {See Bell.) To turn cat-in-pan. To turn traitor, to be a turn-coat. The phrase seems to be the French tourner cote en p)elne (to turn sides in trouble). I do not think it refers to turning pancakes. When Georsce in puddins-tinie came o’er. And moderate men looked big, sir, I turned a cat-in-pan once more. And so became a Whig, sir. '‘Vicar of Brayy Touch not a cat hut a glove. Here ^^but” is used in its original meaning of “be- out” i.e., without. If you play with a cat you will get a scratch, unless you wear a glove. The words are the motto of Mackintosh, whose crest is ^^cat-a- mo .ntain salient guardant proper supporters., two cats proper. The whole is a pun on the word Catti, the Teutonic settlers of Caithness, i.e., Catti-ness, and mean, Touch not the clan Cattan or Mountain Cat without a glaive.” The same words are the adopted motto of Grant of Ballindalloch, and are explained by the second motto, ense et an'imo. What can you have of a cat hut her sldnl The thing is useless for any pur- pose but one. In former times the cat’s fur was used for trimming cloaks and coats, but the flesh is utterly use- less. Who ate the catl A gentleman who had his larder frequently assailed by bargees, had a cat cooked and placed there as a decoy. It was taken like the other foods, and became a standing jest against these larder pilferers. Cat and Dog. They live cat and dog. They are always snarling and quar- relling, as a cat and dog, whose aversion to each other is intense. It is raining cats and dogs. A per- version of the word (a waterfall). It is raining catadupes or cataracts. Mr. Ford ingeniously, though not with much probability, suggests the Greek cata doxas (contrary to experience), i.e., in an un- usual manner. Dean Swift, describing a fall of rain, says the kennels were over- flowed, and that Dead puppies, stinking sprats, all drenched in mud ; Drowned cats, and turnip -tor s, came tumbling down the flood. ‘ A City Shower."' ^ Cat and Fiddle, a public -house sign, is a corruption either of the French Catherine lafidHe, wife of czar Peter the Great of Eussia ; or of Caton le fidele, meaning Caton, governor of Calais. ^ Cat and Kittens. A public-house sign, alluding to the pewter-pots so called. Stealing these pots is termed ‘^Cat and kitten sneaking.” We still call a large kettle a kitchen, and speak of a soldier’s kit. (Saxon, cytel., a pot, pan, or vessel generally. ) Cat and Tortoise, or Boar and Sow. Names given to the testu'do. Cat’s Cradle. A child’s play, with a piece of twine. Corrupt for cratch- cradle or manger cradle, in which the infant Saviour was laid. Cratch is the French creche (a rack or manger), and to the present hour the racks which stand in fields for cattle to eat from are called cratches. Cat’s Pa.w. To he made a cats paw of —i.e., the tool of another, the medium of doing another’s dirty work. The allusion is to the fable of the monkey who wanted to get from the fire some roasted chestnuts, and took the paw of the cat to get them from the hot ashes. I had no intention of becoming a cat’s paw to draw European chestnuts out of the fire. Com. Rodgers. At sea, light air during a calm causing a ripple on the water, and indicating a storm, is called by sailors a cats paw, and seamen affirm that the frolics of a cat indicate a gale. These are relics of a superstition that cats are witches or dmmons in disguise. Cat’s Sleep. A sham sleep, like that of a cat watching a mouse. Cat Staiie. Battle stone. A mono- lith in Scotland (sometimes falsely called a Druidical stone). The Norwegian term, hauta stein, means the same thing. (Celtic, cath, battle.) Cat-call. A tin whistle. The ancients divided their dramas into four parts : the pro'tasis {introduction'), epit'asis {con- tinuation), catas'tasis {climax), and catas'- trophe {conclusion or denouement). The cat- call is the call for the cat’ or catas- trophe. Sound, sound ye viols, be the cat-call dumb. ‘‘ Duneiad,” i. CATGUT, CATHAEINE. 149 Catgut. A corruption of gut-cord. Cat-kins. The inflorescence of hazel, birch, willow, and some other trees ; so called from their resemblance to a cat’s tail. Cat-lap. Weak tea, only fit for the cat to lap. Cat-water (Plymouth). This is a remarkable instance of mis-translation. The castle at the mouth of the Plym used to be called the Chateau ; but some one, thinking it would be better to Anglicise the French, divided the word into two parts— (cat), eau, (water). Catacomb. A subterranean place for the burial of the dead. The Persians have a city they call Comb or Coom, full of mausoleums and the sepulchres of the Persian saints. (Greek, Jcata-liumbef a hollow place underground). (See Room.) Catai'an (3 syl . ) . A native of Cathay or China ; outlandish, a foreigner gene- rally, a liar. I will not bel eve such a Catalan, though the priest o' the town commended him for a true man. Shakespeare, Merry Wives,’* n. 1. Catapliryg'ians. Christian here- tics, which arose in the second century ; so called because the first came out of Phrygia. They followed the errors of Monta'nus. Catarrh. A down-running; from the Greek katarreo (to flow down). Catas'trophe (4 syl.). A turning upside down. (Greek, kata-strepho). A tragedy begins all sunshine, but at the close all the bright prospects are over- thrown. A comedy begins overcast with troubles, but at the close all the troubles are surmounted, and every bad character is cast down. Catch. To lie at the catch. To lie in wait to find one tripping. The allusion is to a fowler lying in wait to catch the bird that ventures into his net. Catch a Tartar. The biter bit. Grose says, an Irish soldier in the im- perial service, in a battle against the Turks, shouted to his comrade that he had caught a Tartar. Bring him along, then,” said his mate. ^^But he won’t come,” cried Paddy. Then come along yourself,” said his comrade. Arrah ! ” replied Paddy, I wish I could, but he won’t let me.” "We are like the man who boasted of having caught a Tartar, when the fact was that the Tartar had caught him.— Cautions for the Times. Catcli-penny. A worthless article puffed off to catch the pennies of those who are foolish enough to buy them. Catchpole. A constable; a law officer whose business it was to apprehend criminals. Pole or poll means head, person ; and the word means one who catches persons by the poll or neck. This was done by means of an instrument something like a shepherd’s crook. Cacchepoles, from catch and pole, because these officers lay hold of a man's neck.— Testament” (Acts xvi,. Glossary). Catechu'men {kafy-ku men). One taught by word of mouth (Greek, kate- chou'menos). Those about to be baptised in the early Church were first taught by word of mouth, and then catechised on their religious faith and duties. Cater-cousin. An intimate friend; a remote kinsman. (French, qitaire- cousin, a fourth cousin.) His master and he (saving your ^7or3hip’s reve rence) are scarce cater-cousins. Shakespeare, “ Merchant of Venice’* ii. 2. Caterwauling. The wrawl of cats in rutting times ; any hideous noise. Topsel gives catwralling, to *^wrall” or “ wrawl,” to rail or quarrel with a loud voice : hence the Yorkshire expression, ‘^raising a wrow,” meaning a row or quarrel. There is also the archaic adjec- tive wraio (angry). Cater-waul, there- fore, is the wawl or wrawl of cats ; the er being either a plural, similar to ^^childer” {dvildren), or a corrupted genitive. What a caterwauling do you keep here ! ■Shakespeare “ Twelfth Night,** ii. 3. Catll'arists. The last surviving sect of the Gnostics, so called from their pro- fessed purity of faith. (Greek, kath'aroSy pure). They maintained that matter is the source of all evil ; that Christ had not a real body ; that the human body is incapable of newness of life, and that the sacraments do not convey grace. Cath'arine. To braid St. Catharine's tresses. To live a virgin. Thou art too fair to be left to braid St. Catharine’s tresses. Longfellow, “ Evangeline.** 150 CATHAY. CAUDLE. St. Catharine^ s Wheel. A wheel-win- dow, sometimes called a rose-window, with radiating divisions ; a sort of fire- work. St. Catharine was a virgin of royal descent in Alexandria, who publicly confessed the Christian faith at a sacri- ficial feast appointed by the emperor Maximi'nns ; for which confession she was put to death by torture by means of a wheel, like that of a chaff-cutter. Cathay'. China, or rather Tartary, the capital of which was Albrac'ca, ac- cording to ‘^Orlando Furioso." It was called Khita'i by the Tartars, and China was first entered by Europeans in the middle ages from the side of Tartary. Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Calhay. Tennyson^ Lock sley Hall.*’ Cathed'rae Molles (Latin). Luxu- rious women. Properly, soft chairs. The cathedra was a chair for women, like our ottoman ; and Juvenal applies the soft chair used by women of dainty habits to the women who use them. Catholic. The Catholic. Alfonso I. , king of Astu'rias ; so called, in 739, by Gregory I. (693, 739-757.) Ferdinand II. of Ar'agon and V. of Castile, husband of Isabella. Called The Catholic., from his great zeal in combating the Infidel.” He was also called Iluse, or The Wily. (1452, 1474-1516.) Isabella, queen of Castile, wife of Ferdinand II. of Ar'agon ; so called for her zeal in establishing the Inquisition. (1450, 1474-1504.) Cathol'icon. A panace'a. (Greek, Jcatholicon ia'ma^ a universal remedy.) Meanwhile, permit me to recommend. As the matter admits of no delay. My wonderful catholicon. Longfellow, “ The Golden Legend,” i. Cato. He is a Cato. A man of simple life, severe morals, self-denying habits, strict justice, brusque manners, blunt of speech, and of undoubted patriotism, like the Koman censor of that name. Cato - Street Conspiracy. A scheme entertained by Arthur Thistle- wood and his fellow-conspirators to overthrow the government, by assassina- ting the Cabinet ministers. So called from Cato Street, where their meetings were held. (1820.) Catsup or Ketchup, The Eastern hitjah (soy sauce). Cat'ual. Chief minister of theZam'orin or ancient sovereign of India. Ee»irt with high-plumed nobles, by the flood The first great minister of India stood, His name “ the Catual ” in India’s tongue. Camoens, “ Lusiad,” bk. vii. Catum, Al (the strong). A bow which fell into the hands of Mahomet when the property of the Jews of Medi'na was confiscated. In the first battle the prophet drew it with such force that it snapped in two. Caucasians, according to Blumen- bach’s ethnological system, represent the European or highest type of the human race. So called from Cau'casus, the mountainous range. Whilst the professor was studying ethnology, he was supplied with a skull from these regions, which he considered the standard of the human type. Cau'cus. A meeting of citizens in America to agree upon what members they intend to support, and to concert measures for carrying out their political wishes. The word arose from the caulkers of Boston, who had a dispute with the British soldiers a little before the Revo- lution. Several citizens were killed, and meetings were held at the caulkers’ house or calk-house, to concert measures for redress of grievances. The whole Fenian affair is merely a caucus in disguise.— TTie Times. At a Republican Congressional caucus held on Saturday last, a hostile feeling was manifested to- wards President Johnson.— T/ie Times. Caudine Forks. A narrow pass in the mountains near Capua, now called the Valley of Arpaia. It was here that the Roman army, under the consuls V. Calvi'nus and S. Postu'mius fell into the hands of the Samnites, and were made to pass under the yoke. Hard as it was to abandon an enterprise so very dear to him .... he did not hesitate to take the moi-e prudent course of passing under [sic }) the Caudine Forks of the Monroe doctrine, and leave Maximilian and the french bondholders to their taXQ.— Standard, ov. 17, 1866. Caudle (Mrs.). A curtain lecturer. The term is derived from a series of papers by Douglas Jerrold, which were published in Punch. These papers re- present Job Caudle as a patient sufferer of the curtain lectures of his nagging wife. Caudle is any sloppy mess, especially that sweet mixture given by nurses to gossips who call to see the baby during CAUL. CAVE. 151 the first month. The word simply means something warm. (Latin, French, cliaudeau; Italian, caldo.) Caul. The membrane on the heads of some new-born infants, supposed to be a charm against death by drowning. Cauline, Sir (2 syh). A knight who lived in the palace of the king of Ireland, and “ used to serve the wine.” He fell in love with Christabelle, the king’s daughter, who plighted her troth to him secretly, for fear of the king. The king discovered the lovers in a bower, and banished Sir Cauline. After a time an eldridge came, and demanded the lady in marriage. Sir Cauline slew the Soldain,” but died of the wounds received in the combat ; and the fair Christabelle died of grief, having burst her gentle hearte in twayne.” — Percy's F\.eliq\ieSy' iv. Cau'rus or Co'rus. The west-north- west win-'i, which blew from Caurus (ArgesteB). The sjvomid by piercing Caurus seared. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence ” canto ii. Cau^telous. Cautions, cunning, treacherous. (Latin, cau'tela; French, cauteleuxi) Caught with cautelous baits. Shakespeare, “ Coriolanus,'* iv. 1. Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous. Shakespeare, “ Jidius Cmar," ii. 1. Cail'ther {AL). The lake of Paradise, the waters of which are sweet as honey, cold as snow, and clear as crystal. He who once tastes thereof will never thirst again. — The Kwan. Caution Money. A sum of c£15 paid before entering college, by way of security. This money is deducted from the account of the last term, when only the balance has to be paid. Caut'ser. (/S’ee Cauther.) Cava. CavoCs traitor sire. Cava or Florinda was the daughter of St. Julian. It was the violation of Cava by Roderick that brought about the war between the Goths and the Moors. St. Julian, to avenge his daughter, turned traitor to Roderick, and induced the Moors to invade Spain. King Roderick was slain at Xeres on the third day. (a.D. 711.) Cavalie'r (3 syh). A horseman. Whence a knight, a gentleman. (Latin, caballuSy a horse.) The Cavalier. Eon de Beaumont, the French soldier ; Chevalier d' Eon. (1728-1810.) Charles Breydel, the Flemish landscape painter. (1677-1744.) Francis Cairo {Cavaliere del Cairo), historian. (1598-1674.) Jean le Clerc, le chevalier. (1587-1633 ) J. Bapt. Marini, Italian poet ; 11 cava- liere. (1569-1625). Andrew Michael Ramsay. (1686-1743.) Cavalier' or ChevaVier de St. George. James Francis Edward Stuart, called ‘Hhe Pretender,” or the Old Pretender.” (1688-1765.) The Young Cavedier or the Bonnie Chevalier.' Charles-Ed ward, the Young Pretender.” (1720-1788.) Cavalie'rs. Adherents of Charles I. Those of the opposing Parliament party were called Roundheads {q.v.). Cavalier Servente, called for- merly in Italian cicishe'o, and in Spanish cortejo. A gentleman that chaperones married ladies. Coacb, servants, gondAa, he goes to call, And carries fan and tippet, gloves and shawl. Byron, “ Cavall'. ‘ ‘ King Arthur’s hound of deepest mouth.” — Idylls of the King, Enid.'' Cave in. Shut up, have done. Fll cave in his head (break it). His fortune has caved in (has failed). The hank has caved in ^come to a smash). The affair caved in (fell through). Common Ameri- can expressions. In the lead diggings, after a shaft has been sunk, the earth round the sides falls or caves in, unless properly boarded; and if the mine does not answer, no care is taken to prevent a caving in. Cave of Achadh Aldai. A cairn in Ireland, so called from Aldai, the ancestor of the Tuatha de Danaan kings. Cave of Mammon. The abode of the god of wealth in Spenser s “ Faery Queen” (ii. 7). Cave-dv/ellers. {See BoiiE^tiiAN Bretiiuen.) 152 CAVEAT. CENOBITES. Cav'eat. To enter a caveat. To ob- ject to. It is a law term, and means a notice to stay legal proceedings. (Latin, caveat, let him proceed at his peril.) Cav'elL A parcel or allotment of land, measured by a cord or cable. (German, kahel or havel, whence Tcavel- loten, “ 2 ^ cavell by lot.”) Cav'iare (3 syl.). Caviare to the general. Above the taste or comprehen- sion of ordinary people. Caviare is a kind of pickle made from the roe of stur- geons, much esteemed in Muscovy. It is a dish for the greo.t, but beyond the reach of the general public. — ^‘Hamlet,'' ii. 2. All popular talk about lacnstrine villages and flint implements ... is caviare to the multitude. —Pidl Mall Gazette. Ce'an. The Cean poet. Simonides, of Ce'os. The Cean and the Teian muse. Byron, ''Don Juan."" CeciTia., St. A Koman lady, who underwent martyrdom in the third cen- tury ; she is the patron saint of the itlind, being herself blind ; she is also patroness of musicians, and “inventor of the organ.” At length Divine Cecilia came, Inventress of the vocal frame. Dryden, “ Alexander's Feast.'* According to tradition, an angel fell in love with her for her musical skill, and used nightly to visit her. Her husband saw the heavenly visitant, who gave to both a crown of martyrdom which he brought from Paradise. Dryden and Pope have written odes in her honour, and both speak of her charming an angel by her musical powers — He [Timoiheus] raised a mortal to the skies. She [Cecilia] brought an angel down. Dryden, " Alexander's Feast.'* Ced, Ked, or Ceridiven. The Arkite goddess or Ceres of the Britons. I was first modelled into the form of a pure man in the hall of Ceridwen, who subjected me to penance.— TaZiesin [Davies's Translation). Ce'dar. Curzon says that Solomon cut down a cedar, and buried it on the spot where the pool of Bethes'da used to stand. A few claj^'s before the crucifixion this cedar floated to the surface of the pool, and was employed as the upright of the Saviour’s cross.— Monasteries of the Levant. Cee'lict {St.) or St. Calixtus, whose day is the 14th of October, the day of the battle of Plastings- Brown Willis tells us there was a tablet once in Battle parish church, with these words — This place of war is Battle called, because in battle here Quite conquered and o’erthrown the English nation were. This slaughter happened to them upon St. Ceelict’s day, &c. Celestial City. Heaven is so called by John Bunyan in his “ Pilgrim’s Pro- gress.” Celes'tial Empire. China ; so called because the first emperors were all celestial deities. Celes'tians. Followers of Celes'tius, disciple of Pela'gius. St. Jerome calls him “a blockhead swollen with Scotch pottage” — Scotch being, in this case, what we now call Irish. CePestines (3 syl.). A religious order founded, 1254, by Pietro Moro'ne, afterwards pope Cel estine V. Suppressed 1778. Celia {heavenliness). Mother of Faith, Hope, and Charity. She lived in the hospice called Holiness. — Spenser, Faery Queen f bk. i. Celia or Ccelia. A common poetical name for a lady or lady-love. Thus, Swift has an ode in which Strephon describes Caelia’s dressing-room. Fire hours, and wbo enn do it less in, By haughty Caelia spent in dressiug. Celt. A piece of stone, ground arti- ficially into a wedge-like shape ; with a cutting edge. Used, before the employ- ment of bronze and iron, for knives, hatchets, and chisels. (Latin, celtis, a chisel.) Celtic Homer. Ossian. Cem'etery properly means sleeping- places. The Jews used to speak of death as sleeiJ. The Persians call their ceme- teries “The Cities of the Silent.” The Greeks thought it unlucky to pronounce the name of death. (Greek, hoimeterion.') Cenimag'ni. The inhabitants of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge ; re- ferred to by Caesar in his “Commen- taries.” Cen'obites (3 sjd.). Monks. So called because they live in common. Hermits and anchorites are not cenobites, as they live alone, (Greek, hoinohiotes.') CENSORIUS. CESTUS, 153 Censo'rius et Sapiens. Cato Major was so called, (b.c. 2.34-149.) Cent K'ouvelles T^onvelles. French imitations of Granuc'ci, Males- pi'ni, and Campeg'gi, Italian tale- writers of the seventeenth century. Cen'taur (2 syl.). A huntsman. The Thessalian centaurs were half-horses, half-men. They were invited to a mar- riage feast, and, being intoxicated, be- haved with great rudeness to the women. The Lap'ithse took the women’s part, fell on the centaurs, and drove them out of the country. Feasts that Thessalian centaurs never knew. Thomson, ' Autumn” Cento. Poetry made up of lines bor- rowed from ostal'lished authors. Auso'- nius has a nuptial idyll composed from verses selected from Virgil. (Latin, cento, patchwork.) Central Sun. That body or point about which our whole system revolves. Madler believes that point to be eta in Taurus. Cen'tre. In the Legislative Assem- bly The Centre were the friends of order. In the Fenian rebellion, 1866, the chief movers were called Head Centres, and their subordinates Centres. Centum'viri. A court under whose jurisdiction the Romans placed all mat- ters pertaining to testaments and in- heritances. It consisted of three repre- sentatives from each of the thirty- five tribes; the full complement, therefore, was 105. Centn'rion. A Roman officer who had the command of 100 men. His badge was a vine- rod. (Latin, centum j a hundred.) Century White. John White, the nonconformist lawyer. So called from his chief publication, '^The First Cen- tury of Scandalous, Malignant Priests, made and admitted into Benefices by the Prelates,” &c. (1590-1645.) Ce'pheus (2 syl.). One of the north- ern constellations, which takes its name from Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, husband of Cassiope'ia and father of Androm'eda. Ce'quiel (3 syl.). A spirit 'vho trans- ported Torral'ba from Vali'adolid' to Rome and back again in an hour and a hdli,— Pellicer, Cerau'nmm. The opal. So called by the ancients from a notion that it was a thunder- stone. (Latin, ceraunium ; Greek, herau'nios,) Cer'berus. A grim, watchful keeper, governess, guardian, &c. Cerberus, ac- cording to Roman mythology, is the three-headed dog that keeps the en^ trance of the infernal regions. Hercules dragged the monster to earth, and then let him go again. {See Sor. ) Never suffered to stir 'beyond the watchful eyes of a grim Cerberus.— London Review. Cer'd-OUi The boldest of the rabble leaders in the encounter with Hudibras at the bear-baiting. The character is modelled from Hewson, the one-eyed cob- bler, who was a colonel in the Rump army and a preacher.— pt. i. 2. Cerdo'nians. A sect of heretics, established by Cerdon of Syria, who lived in the time of pope Hygi'nus, and main- tained most of the errors of the Mani- chees. Ceremonious {The). Pierre IV. of Aragon. (1319, 1336-1387.) Cer'emony. When the Romans fied before Brennus, one Albinus, who was carrying his wife and children in a cart to a place of safety, overtook at Janic'u- lum the Vestal virgins bending under their load, took them up, and conveyed them to Coere, in Etru'ria. Here they remained, and continued to perform their sacred rites, which were consequently called Coere- monia.” — Livy^ v. Ce'res (2 syl.). Corn. Ceres was the Roman name of Mother-Earth, the pro- tectress of agriculture and of all the fruits of the earth. Dark frowning heaths grow bright with Ceres’ store. Thomson, " Autumn.’* Cerin'tliians. Disciples of Cerin'- thus, a heresiarch of the first century. They denied the divinity of Christ, but held that a certain virtue descended into him at baptism, which filled him with the Holy Ghost. Cess. Measure, as ex-cess, excess-ive. Out of all cess means excessively. The poor jade is wrung in the withers out of all cess. iShakespeare, “1 Henry IV. ”n. 1. Ces'tus, in Homer, is the girdle of Venus, of magical power to move to ardent love. In “Jerusalem Delivered,” Ar'mida wore a similar cestus made of 154 CHABOUK. CHAM. potent spells to win to irresistible amorous love. In this was every art, and every charm To win the wisest, and the coldest warm ; Fond love, the genile vow, the gay desire. The kind deceit, the still reviving fire. Persuasive speech, and more persuasive sighs, Silence that spoke, and eloquence of eyes. Pope, “ Homer's Iliad," xiv. Cliabouk:. A long whip, or the api:>lication of whips and rods ; a Persian and Chinese punishment. — Dubois. Drag forward that fakir, and cut his robe into tatters on his hack with your chabouks.— . A native of China; the language of China ; pertaining or special to China. Cliingachcook. The Indian chief in Fenimore Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans,” “Pathfinder,” “Deerslayer,” and “Pioneer.” Called in French Le Gros Serpent. Chink or Jink. Money; so called because it chinks or jingles in the purse. Thus, if a person is asked if he has money, he rattles that which he has in his purse or pocket. Have cliinks in tliy purse.— ■Titsser. Chintz means spotted. The cotton goods originally manufactured in the East. (Persian, spotted, stained.) Chios {Ki'os). The man of Chios. Homer, who lived at Chios, near the J^ge'an Sea. Seven cities claim to be his place of birth — Smyrna. Bhoios. Col'oplion, Sal^amis, Chios, Argos, Athe'naft . — Vurro Chip. Chip of the old hloclc. A son or child of the same stuff as his father. The chip is the same wood as the block from which it was cut. Brother chip. Properly a brother car- penter, but in its extended meaning applied to any one of the same vocation as ourselves. Chir'achee'. Chariot. {Chaucer.) Cicle'nius [Mey'cury] riding in hig cliirachee. “ Compl. Of Mars and VerMS.’’ Chi'ron {Ki'ron). The centaur who taught Achilles music, medicine, and hunting. Jupiter placed him in heaven among the stars, where he is called Sagitta'rius {the Archer). Chi'ron, according to Dante, has watch over the lake of boiling blood, in the seventh circle of hell. Chisel. I chiselled him means, I cheated him, or did him out of some- thing. As the chisel cuts pieces out of wood very neitly and cleverly, so the skilful cheat cuts a “cho” from the person chiselled. Chitty-faeed. Baby-faced, lean. A chit is a child or sprout. Both chit and chitty faced are tor .ns of contempt. (Saxon, cith, a twig, &c.) Chivalry. The paladins of Charlemagne were all scattered by the battle of Roncesvalles. The champions of Did'erick were all assassinated at the instigation of (ffiriem- hil'da, the bride of Ezzel, king of the Huns. The Knights of the Bound Table were all extirpated by the fatal battle of Camlan. Chivalry. The six following clauses niay be considered almost as axioms of the Arthu'rian romances ; — (1) There was no braver or more noble king than Arthur. (2) No fairer or more faithless wife than Guin'iver. (3) No truer pair of lovers than Tristan and Iseult. (4) No knight more faithful than Sir Kaye. (5) None so brave and amorous as Sir Laun'celot. (6) None so virtuous as Sir Gal'ahad. The flower of Chivalry. William Douglas, lord of Liddesdale. (14th cen- tury.) L 162 CHIVY. CHRISOME. Cliiv'y. A chase in the school game of ‘^Prisoners’ Base” or “Prison Bars.” So called from Chevy Chase iq.v.). One boy sets a chivy, by leaving his bar, when one of the opposite side chases him, and if he succeeds in touch- ing him before he reaches “home,” he becomes a prisoner. Chlo'e {KWee). The shepherdess be- loved by Daphnis in the pastoral romance of Longus, entitled “Daphnis and Chloe.” St. Pierre’s tale of “Paul and Virginia” is founded on the exquisite romance of Longus. Choe'reas {Ke'reas). The lover of Cal- lir'rhoe, in Cha'riton’s Greek romance, called the “ Loves of Choereas and Cal- lir'rhoe.” (Eighth century. ) Choke. May this 'piece of bread choice me, if what I say is not true. In ancient times a person accused of robbery had a piece of barley bread, on which the mass had been said, given him to swallow. He put it in his mouth uttering the words given above, and if he could swallow it without being choked, he was pronounced innocent. Tradition ascribes the death of the earl Godwin to choking with a piece of bread, after this solemn appeal. Choke-pear. An argument to which there is no answer. Bobbers in Hol- land at one time made use of a piece of iron in the shape of a pear, which they forced into the mouth of their vic- tim. On turning a key, a number of springs thrust forth points of iron in all directions, so that the instrument of tor- ture could never be taken out except by means of the keJ^ Chon. The Egyptian Hercules. Chondar'avali. The daugliter of Vishnu. {Hindu 'mythology.) Chop'ine (2 syl.). A high-heeled shoe. The Venetian ladies used to v/ear “ high-heeled shoes like stilts.” Hamlet says of the actress, “Your ladyship is nearer to heaven, than when I saw you last, by the al'itude of achopine” (act ii. s. 2). (Spanish, chapin, a high cork shoe. ) Chop Logic. To bandy words ; to altercate. J^ord Bacon says, “Let not the council chop with the judge.” How now, how now, chop logic! What is this? “ Pj oud,’ and “ I thank you,” and “I thank vou not,” ^nd yet not proud.” tfukespr,:ire, “ Romeo anX 5. Chops. Dotvn ioi the chops — i.e., down in the mouth ; in a melancholy state ; with the mouth drawn down. Chop or chap is Saxon for mouth ; we still say a pig’s chap. Choreu'tse {Koru'tee). A sect of heretics, who, among other errors, per- sisted in keeping the Sunday a fast. Chouans (2 syl.). French insurgents of the Royalist party during the Revo- lution. Jean Cottereau was their leader, nick-named chouain (owl), because he was accustomed to warn his companions of danger by imitating the screech of an owl. Cottereau was followed by George Cadoudal. Chouse (1 syl.). To cheat out of something. Gifford says the interpreter of the Turkish embassy in England is called chiaus, and in 1609 this chiaus contrived to defraud his government of c£4,000, an enormous sum at that period. From the notoriety of the swindle the word chiaus or to chouse was adopted. What do you think of me— That I am a chiaus? Ben Jonson, “ AlchymisV’ (1010.) Cliriem-hirda or Chriem-hild. A woman of unrivalled beauty, sister of Gunther, and beloved by Siegfried, the two chief heroes of the Nibeluugen- lied. Siegfried gives her a talisman taken from Gunther’s lady-love, and Gunther, in a fit of jealousy, induces Hagen to murder his brother-in-law. Chriemhild in revenge marries Ezzel, king of the Huns ; invites the Hibelungs to the wedding feast ; and there they are all put to the sword, except Hagen and Gunther, who are taken prisoners, and put to death by the bride. (^See Kriemhild.) Clirisome {Jcris'um) signifies properly “the white cloth set by the minister at bap ‘ism on the head of the newly anointed with chrism (i.e., a compo- sition of oil and balm). In the Form of Private Baptism is this direction : “Then the minister shall put the white vesture, commonly called the chrisome, upon the child.” The child thus bap- tised is called a chrisom or chrisom child. If it dies within the month, it is shrouded in the vesture ; and hence, in the bills of mortality, even to the year 1726, infants that died within the month were termed chrisoms. A’ made a fine end, and went away an it liad been any chrisom child. —Shakespeare, “ Henry F.,” li. .. CHEISTABEL. CHEISTOPHER. 163 Christabel {Kris'tabeV). The hero- ine of Coleridge’s fragmentary poem of that name. Cliristabelle {Kristalel). Daughter of a ^^bonnie king” in Ireland. She fell in love with Sir Cauline {q.v.). Christendom {Kris' -en-dum) gene- rally means all Christian countries ; but Shakespeare uses it for hajptism, or '^Christian citizenship.” Thus, in ^‘King John,” the young prince says — By my clu’istendom ! So were I out of prison, and kept sheep, I should he merry as the day is Jong. Act iv. s. 1. Christian {Kris'tian). The hero of John Bunyan’s allegory called The Pil- grim’s Progress.” He flees from the “ City of Destruction,” and journeys on to the ‘^Celestial City.” He starts with a heavy burden on his back, but it falls off when he stands at the foot of the cross. Christian. A follower of Christ. So called first at Antioch (Acts xi. 26). Most Christian Doctor. John Charlier de Gerson. ^ (1363-1429.) Most Christian King. The style of the king of France. Pepin le Bref was so styled by pope Stephen III. (714-768.) Charles le Chauve was so styled by the council of Savonnieres. (823-877.) Louis XI. was so styled by pope Paul II. (1423-1483.)^ Since which time it has been uni- versally adopted in Franco. (1469.) And thou, O Gaul, with gaudy trophies plumed, “ Most Christian King.” Alas ! in vain assumed. Camoens, “ Lusiad,” bk. vii. Founder of Christiar^ Eloquence. Louis Bourdaloue, the French preacher. (1632- 1704.) Christian'a {Kristian' a). The wife of Christian, who started with her children and Mercy from the City of Destruc- tion” long after her husband. She was placed under the guidance of Mr. Great- Heart, and went, therefore, in silver slippers ” along the thorny road. — Bunyan^ The Pilgrim* s Progress f pt. ii. Cbristmas {Krist'mas). Christmas comes but once a year.” — Thomas Tusser. Christmas Box. A small gra- tuity given to servants, &c., on Boxing day (the day after Christmas day). In the early days of Christi mity boxes were placed in churches for promiscuous cha- rities, and opened on Christmas Day. The contents were distributed next day by the priests, and called the ^ ^ dole of the Christmas box,” or the box money.” It was customary for heads of houses to give small sums of money to their sub- ordinates to put into the box,” before mass on Christmas Day. Somewhat later, apprentices carried a b ‘X round to their master’s customers for small gratuities. The custom since 1836 has been gradually dying out. Gladly the boy, with Christmas box in hand, Throughout the town his devious route pursues. And of his master’s customers implores The yearly mite. Christmas. Christmas Carols are in com- memoration of the song of the angels to the shepherds at the nativity. Durand tells us that the bishops with the clergy used to sing carols and play games on Christmas day. (Welsh, carol, a love- song; Italian, ca.rola; &c.) Christmas Day. Transferred from the 6th of January to the 25th of Decem- ber by Julius I. (337-352.) Christmas Decorations. The great feast of Saturn was held in Decem- ber, when the people decorated the tem- ples with such green things as they could find. The Christian custom is the same transferred to Him who was born in Bethlehem on the 25th of the same month. The holly or holy-tree is called Christ’s-thorn in Germany and Scandi- navia, from its use in church decorations and its putting forth its berries at Christ- mas time. The early Christians gave an emblematic turn to the custom, refer- ring to the righteous branch,” and jus- tifying the custom from Isa. lx. 13 — ‘‘The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee ; the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary.” ChrisTolytes {Kris' do-lites). A sect of Christians that appeared in the sixth century. They maintained that when Christ descended into hell, he left his soul and body there, and rose only with his heavenly nature. Christoplier (>8^.). The giant carried a child over a brook, and said, “ Chylde, thou hast put me in grete peryll. I mi-ht here no greater burden.” To which the child answered, “ Marvel thou nothing, for thou hast borne all the world L 2 164 CHRONICON. CICERO. upon thee, and its sins likewise.” This is an allegory : Christopher means cross- hearer — i.e., Jesus Christ; ihe child is the offspring of Adam ; the river is death. The saint is called a giant because the Redeemer was equal to so great a burden. Cliron'ieoii ex Chron'icis is by Florence, a monk of Worcester, the ear- liest of our English chroniclers. It be- gins from Creation, and goes down to 1119, in which year the author died ; but it was continued by another hand to 1141. Printed in 4to at London, 1592. Its chief value consists in its serving as a key to the Saxon chronicle. Chronon-lioton-tliorogos {Kro- noiiy &c.). A burlesque pomposo in Henry Carey’s farce, so called. Any one who delivers an inflated address. Aldiborontophoscophoruio, where left you Chro- nonhotonthologos ?— ^T. Carey. Clirysa'or (krisa'oi). Sir Artegal’s sword, “ that all other swords excelled.” — S])enser, FaMry Queen.'' Chrys'alis (krys'alis). The form which caterpillars assume before they are converted into butterflies. The chrysalis is also called an aure'lia, from the Latin aurum, gold. The external covering of some species has a metallic, golden hue, but others are green, red, black, &c. (Greek, chrusos, gold.) Chubb {Thomas). A deist ical writer, who wrote upon miracles in the first half of the eighteenth century. He heard of Blount, of Mandeville, and Chubb. Crabb, “ Boroujh.’’ Chum. A crony, a familiar com- panion,jproperly a bedfellow. (Armoric, chom; French, chdimr, to rest; Saxon, ham ; our home. Church. The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek Kuriou oikos (house of God) ; but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long be- fore the introduction of Greek. No doubt the word means ^'^a circle.” The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular : witness the cromlechs of Stonehenge, Avebury, Silbury Hill, Stanton Drew, &c., the dolmens of Brittany, and the relic shrines of India. (Welsh, cyrch ; French, cirque: Scotch, Gr. ek, &c.) High, Low, and Broad Church. Dr. South says^ The High Church are those who think highly of the church and lowly of themselves ; the Low Church those who think lowly of the church and highly of themselves.” The Broad Church are those who think the church is broad enough for all religious parties, and their own views of religion are chiefly of a moral nature, their doctrinal views being so rounded and elastic, that they can come into collision with no one. Chureb Militant and Church Tri- umjphant. The church on earth means the whole body of believers, who are said to be ‘^waging the war of faith” against “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” It is therefore militant, or in warfare ; but some have gone to their rest, and have entered into glory, having fought the fight and triumphed— these belong to the “church triumphant” in heaven. Churcli Porch. {The') was used in ancient times for settling money trans- actions, paying dowries, rents, and pur- chases of estates. Consequently it was furnished with benches on both sides. Hence, lord Stourton sent to invite the Hartgills to meet him in the porch of Kilmington church to receive the .^82,000 awarded them by the Star Chamber. — Lord de Ros, “ Tower of London." Churching of Women. In imi- tation of the Jewish custom of purifica- tion. The Virgin Mary went up to be purified and to make her offering (Luke ii. 22, &c.). Chuz'zlewit {Martin). The hero of Dickens’s novel so called. Jonas Chuzzle- vdt is a type of mean tyranny, delighting in petty cruelty. Chyndo'nax. A chief Druid, whose tomb, with a Greek inscription, was dis- covered near Dijon, in 1598. Cic'ero. So called from the Latin cicer (a wart or vetch). Plutarch says, “a flat excrescence, on the t p of his nose, gave him this name.” His real name was Tully. The British Cicero. William Pitt, earl of Chatham. (1708-1778.) The Cicero of the British Senate. George Canning. (1770-1827.) The Christian Cicero. Lucius Coelius Lactantius, a Christian father, who died 330. The Cicero of France, Jean Baptist© MassiUon. (1663-1742.) CICEKONE. CIECLE. 165 La Bouche de Ciceron. Philippe Pot, prime minister of Louis XI. (1428- 1494.) The Cicero of Germany. Johann III., elector of Brandenburg. (1455-1499.) The German Cicero. Johann Sturm, printer and scholar. (1507-1589.) Cicero'ne (4 syl.). A guide to point out objects of interest to strangers. So called in the same way as Paul was called by the men of Lystra Mercu''rius, be- cause he was the chief speaker” (Acts xiv. 12). Cicero was the speaker of speakers at Rome ; and certainly, in a party of sight-seers, the guide is ^^the chief speaker.” It is no compliment to the great orator to call the glib patterer of a show-place a Cicero ; but we must not throw stones at our Italian neigh- bours, as we have conferred similar honour on our great epic poet in chang- ing ^^Grub Street” into ‘^Milton Street.” Cicis'beo {che-chiz-heo). A dangler about women ; the professed gallant of a married woman. Also the knot of silk or ribbon which is attached to fans, walking-sticks, umbrellas, &c. Cicis- leism, the practice of dangling about women. Ciele'nius or Cylle'nius. Mercury. So called from mount Cylle'ne, in Pelo- ponne'sus, where he was born. Ciclenius riding in his chirachee. Chaucer, “ Compl. of Mars and Venus.” Cid. Arabic for lord. Don Roderi'go Laynez, Ruy Diaz (son of Diaz), count of Bivari. He was called mio cid el cam- peador,” my lord the champion. (1040- 1099.) The Portuguese Cid. Nunez Alva'rez Perei'ra, general and diplomatist. (1360- 1431.) The CiTs horse. Bavie'ca. The Cid's sword. Cola'da. The sword taken by the cid Roderi'go from king Bucar was called Tizo'na. Ci-devant (French). Former ; of times gone by. As Ci-devant governor ' — i.e., once a governor, but no longer so. Ci-devant philosophers philosophers of former days. CiPlaros. The name of Castor’s horse. {See Horse.) Cimmer'ian Bos'phorus. The strait of Kaffa. Cimmer'ian Darkness. Homer supposes the Cimmerians to dwell in a land beyond the ocean-stream,” where the sun never shone. — Odys.j* xi. 14. In dark Cimmerian desert ever dwell. Milton, “L’Allegro.'* Cincho'na or Quinine. So named from the countess del Cinchon, wife of the conde del Cinchon, viceroy of Peru, whence the bark was first sent to Europe. {See Peruvian Bark.) Cineinna'tus, the Roman, was ploughing his field, when he was sa- luted as Dictator. After he had con- quered the Volsci and delivered his country from danger, he laid down his office and returned to his plough. And Cincinnatus, awful from the plough. Thomson, “ Winter.” The Cincinnatus of the Americans. George Washington. (1732-1799.) Cinderel'la (little cinder girt), hero- ine of a fairy tale. She is the drudge of the house, dirty with housework, while her elder sisters go to fine balls. At length a fairy enables her to go to the prince’s ball ; the prince falls in love with her, and she is discovered by means of a glass slipper which she drops, and which will fit no foot but her own. The glass slipper is a strange mistrans- lation of pantoufie en vair (a fur slipper), as if pantoufie en verre. Cinque Cento. Inferior or de- graded art. The words are Italian for 500. In 1500 the great schools of art had closed, and the artists that fol- lowed them were very inferior. Cin'yplius. A river of Africa. — Orlando Furioso. Cir'ce (2 syl.). A sorceress. She lived in the island of -^oea. When IJlysses landed there, Circe turned his companions into swine, but Ulysses resisted this metamorphose by virtue of a herb called moly, given him by Mercury. Who knows not Circe, The daughter of the Sun, whose charmed cup Whoever tasted lost his upright shape, , And downward fell into a grovelling swine ? Milton, “ Gomus.” Circle of UTloa. A white rainbow or luminous ring sometimes seen in Alpine regions opposite the sun in foggy weather. 166 CIRCUIT, CITY. Circuit. The journey made through the counties of Great Britain by the judges twice a year. There are six cir- cuits in England, two in Wales, and three in Scotland. Those in England are called the Home, Norfolk, Midland, Oxford, Western, and Northern ; those of Wales, the North and South circuits ; and those of Scotland, the Southern, W estern, and Northern. Circumceirians. A sect of the African Don'atists in the fourth century ; so called because they rambled from town to town to redress grievances, forgive debts, manumit slaves, and set them- selves up as the oracles of right and wrong. (Latin, cir cum- cello ^ to beat about. ) Circumcised Brethren (in Hu- dibras ”). They were Prynne, Bertie or Burton, and Bastwdck, who lost their ears and had their noses slit for lampooning Henrietta Maria and the bishops. Circumlocu'tion Office. A term applied in ridicule to our public offices, because each person tries to shuffie off every act to some one else, and before any- thing is done it has to pass through so many departments, that every fly is crushed on a wheel. The term was in- vented by Charles Dickens, and appears in Little Dorrit.” Ciric-Sceat or Church-Scot. An ecclesiastical due, paid chiefly in corn, in the reign of Canute, &c., on St. Martin’s Day. Cisse'ta. One of the dogs of Actseon. Cist or Cyst. Properly a bladder (Greek, cystis), but generally used for a stone chest containing the remains of those who are buried in barrows. Cister'cians. A religious order, so called from the monastery of Cister'cium, near Dijon, in France. The abbey of Cistercium or Citeaux was founded by Robert, abbot of Moleme, in Burgundy, at the close of the eleventh century. Cities. The Cities of the Plain, Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom,— xiii. 12. The Seven Cities. Egypt, Jerusalem, Babylon, Athens, Rome, Constantinople, and either London for commerce or Paris for beauty. Citizen King. Louis Philippe of France. So called because he was elected king by the citizens of Paris. (Born 1773, reigned 1830-1848, died 1850.) City of David. Jerusalem. So called in compliment to King David. (2 Sam. V. 7, 9.) City of Destruction. This world, or rather, the world of the unconverted. Bunyan makes Christian flee from the ^^City of Destruction” and journey to the ‘^Celestial City,” by which he alle- gorises the ‘‘walk of a Christian ” from conversion to death. City of God. The church or whole body of believers ; the kingdom of Jesus Christ, in contradistinction to the city of the World, called by John Bunyan the City of Destruction. The phrase is that of St. Augustine. City of Lanterns. A supposititious city in Lucian’s “Verse Historise,” situate somewhere beyond the zodiac. City of Palaces. Agrippa, in the reign of Augustus, converted Rome from “ a city of brick huts to one of marble palaces.” Calcutta is called the “City of Palaces.” Modern Paris well deserves the compli- ment of being so called. City of Refuge. Medi'na, in Arabia, where Mahomet took refuge when driven by conspirators from Mecca. He entered the city, not as a fugitive, but in triumph, a.d. 622. Cities of Refuge. Moses, at the com- mand of God, set apart three cities on the east of Jordan, and Joshua added three others on the west, whither any person might flee for refuge who had killed a human creature inadvertently. The three on the east of Jordan were Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan ; the three on the west were Hebron, Shecbem, and Kedesh. (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx.l — 8.) City of the Great King— ^^e., Jerusalem. (Ps. xlviii. 2; Matt. v. 35.) City of the Sun. A romance by Campanella, similar to the “Republic” of Plato, the “Utopia” of Sir Thomas More, and the “ Atlantis ” of Lord Bacon. (,15(38-1639.) CIVIL. CLARENCIEUX. 1G7 Civil List. Now applied to expenses proper for the maintenance of the sove- reign’s household ; but before the reign of William III. it embraced all the heads of public expenditure, except those of the army and navy. Civil Service Estimates (C.S.E.) include the national expenses for — Public works. Salaries. Law expenses. Education, science, and art. Colonial and consular expenses. Pensions. Miscellaneous. Civila'tion. Intoxication. A Cork orator at a debating society was speaking on the state of Ireland before it was added to England, and said, Sir, the Irish had no civilation — cilivation, I mean — no civilation,” and sat down, too far gone to pronounce the word civilisation. Clabber tapper’s Hole. Near Gravesend ; said to be so called from a freebooter ; but more likely the Celtic Caer-her Varher (water-town lower camp). Clack Disli. Some two or three centuries ago, beggars used to proclaim their want by clacking the lid of a wooden dish. “Can you think I get my living by a bell and clack-dish ?” “ . . . How’s that ? ” “ Why, begging, sir.” ^'Family of Love'’ (1008.) Claire {St). A religious order of women, the second that St. Francis in- stituted. It was founded in 1213, and took its name from its first abbess, Claire of Assise. Clak-ho-har'yab. At Fort Van- couver, the medium of intercourse is a mixture of Canadian French, English, Indian, and Chinese. An Englishman goes by the name of Kint-shosli^ a corruption of king George ; an American is called Bos- ton ; and the ordinary salutation is clak- lio-haryah. This is explained by the fact that the Indians, frequently hearing a trader named Clark addressed by his companions, “Clark, how are you?” imagined this to be the correct English form of salutation. — Taylor^ “ Words and Places.^’ Clam. Better clam than go to the union. Better be pinched or half-starved. (Clam is the German Iclemmen, to pinch ; Danish, klemmer ; owe clammy^ sticky.) I could not let him clam, I was clamming my- self, mornm.— Shadow of Ashlydat. Clap-trap. Something introduced to win applause ; something really worth- less, but sure to take with the ground- lings. It is a trap to catch a round of applause. Clapper. A plank bridge over a stream ; a ferry-gate. Clapper Claw. To jangle and claw each other about. (Dutch and German, Happen, to strike, clatter.) Now they are clapper-clawing one another; I’ll go look on. — “ Troilus and Cressida,” v. 4. Clapper-dudgeons. Abram-men {g.v.'). The clapper is the tongue of a bell, and in cant language the human “tongue.” Dudgeon (Welsh, dygen) means resentment, and in slang language one who resents, a madman. A clapper- dudgeon is a madman, patter er, or beg- gar. Clapping the prayer-books, or stamping the feet, in the Roman Catho- lic church, on Good Friday, is designed to signify the abandonment of our Saviour by his disciples. This is done when twelve of the thirteen burning candles are put out. The noise comes from within the choir. Claque; Claqueurs. Applause by clapping the hands ; persons paid for doing so. M. Sauton, in 1820, established in Paris an office to ensure the success of dramatic pieces. He was the first to organise the Parisian claque. The manager sends an order to his office for any num- ber of claqueurs, sometimes for 500, or even more. The class is divided into commissars, those who commit the pieces to memory, and are noisy in pointing out its merits ; rieurs, who laugh at the puns and jokes ; pleureurs, chiefly women, who are to hold their pocket-handkerchiefs to their eyes at the moving parts ; cha~ touilleurs, who are to keep the audience in good humour; and hisseurs, who are to cry {his) encore. The Romans had their Laudicoeni (ff.v.). Clarencieux (3 syl.). The first of th^ two provincial king-at-arms, the other is Norroy {north king). So named from the duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III., who first bore the office. / 168 CLAEENDON. CLEMENT. Clarendon. The constitutions of Clarendon. Laws made by a general council of nobles and prelates, held at Clarendon, in Wiltshire, in 1 164, to check the power of the church, and restrain the prerogatives of ecclesiastics. These famous ordinances, sixteen in number, define the limits of the patronage and jurisdiction of the pope in these realms. Claret. The wine so called does not receive its name from its colour, but the colour so called receives its name from the witje. The word means clarified wine {vinum clave' turn). What we called hippocras was called clave' turn, which was a liquor made of wine and honey clarified. Classics. The best authors. The Eomans were divided by Ser'vius into six classes. Any citizen who belonged to the highest class was called class'icus, all the rest were said to be infra classem. From this the best authors were termed class'ici aucto'ves (classic authors)— -i.e., authors of the best or first class. The high esteem in which Greek and Latin were held at the revival of letters ob- tained for these authors the name of classic, emphatically ; and when other first-rate works are intended some dis- tinctive name is added, as the English, French, Sj^anish, &c., classics. Claude Lorraine. Claude Gelee, the French landscape painter, who was born at the Chateau-de-Chamage, in Lorraine. (1600-1682.) Claus (Santa). The Kriss Kringle of the Dutch, and the St. Nicholas of the Germans (q.v.). Clause. Letter-clause, a close letter, sealed with the royal signet or privy- seal ; in opposition to letters -patent, which are left open, the seal being attached simply as a legal form. Clause,” Latin clausus, shut, closed. ‘^Patent,’’ Latin fatens, spread, open.) Clavile'no. The wooden horse on which Don Quixote got astride, in order to disenchant the infanta Antonoma'sia and her husband, who were shut up in the tomb of queen Magun'cia, of Can- day'a. It was the very horse on which Peter of Provence carried off the fair Magalo'na; it was constructed by Merlin, and was governed by a wooden pin in the forehead. (The word means Wooden Peg.)—^‘Don Q^dxote'' ii., bk. 3, c. 4, 5. Claw means the foot of an animal armed with claws ; a hand. To claw is to lay one’s hands upon things. It also means to tickle with the hand ; hence to please or flatter, puff or praise. Claw me and I %vill claw thee, means, praise me, and I will praise you.” Laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour. Shakespeare, “ Much Ado,'" do., i. 3. Claw-backs. Flatterers. Bishop J ewel speaks of the pope’s claw- backs.” Clay'more or Glay'more (2 syl.) is the Celtic glaif (a bent sword) and maivr (large). (See Moeglay.) Clean Bill. To exhibit a clean hill of health. (See Bill of Health.) Cleaned. Cleaned out. Impoverished of everything. De Quincey says that Richard BenGey, after his lawsuit with Dr. Colbatch, ‘^must have been pretty well cleaned out.” Clearing House. A building in Lombard Street, set apart, since 1775, for interchanging bankers’ cheques and bills. Each bank sends to it daily all the bills and cheques not drawn on its . own firm ; these are sorted and dis- tributed to their respective houses, and the balance is settled by transfer tickets. The origin of this establishment was a post at the corner of Birchin Lane and Lombard Street, where banking clerks met and exchanged memoranda. Railway lines have also their Clear- ing Houses,” for settling the ^‘tickets” of the different lines. CleTia. A vain, frivolous female butterfly, with a smattering of every- thing. In youth she coquetted ; and, when youth was passed, tried sundry ways of earning a living, but always without success. It is a character in Crabbe’s Borough.” Clelie. A character in Madame Scu- dery’s romance so called. This novel is a type of the buckram formality of Louis XIV. It is full of high-flown compliments, theatrical poses, and cut and dry sentiments. Clement (St.). Patron saint of tan- ners, being himself a tanner. His symbol is a pot, because the 23rd of November, St. Clement’s Day, is the day on which the early Danes used to go about begging for ale. CLEMENTINA. CLERIMOND. 169 Clementi'na {The Lady). In love with Sir Charles Grandison, who marries H rriet Byron. — Ricliardsoiiy Sir Charles Grandisond^ Clen'cher. I have given him a clencher, {See Clinch.) Cleom'brotos (4 syl.). A philoso- pher who so admired Plato’s Phjedon” that he jumped into the sea in order to exchange this life for a better. He was called Amhracio'ta of Amhxi'cia, from the place of his birth. He who to enjoy Plato’s elysium, leaped into the sea, Cleomhrotus. ‘^Paradise Lost’’ Hi. Cleon. The personification of glory in Spenser’s Faery Queen.” Cleopa'tra and her Pearl. It is said that Cleopatra made a banquet for Antony, the costliness of which excited his astonishment ; and when Antony expressed his surprise, Cleopatra took a pearl ear-drop, which she dissolved in a strong acid, and drank to the health of the Roman triumvirate, saying, ^^My draught to Anthony shall far exceed it.” There are two difficulties in this anec- dote — the first is, that vinegar would not dissolve a pearl ; and the next is, that any stronger acid would be wholly unfit to drink. Probably the solution is this : the pearl was sold to som.e merchant whose name was synonymous with a strong acid, and the money given to Antony as a present by the fond queen. The pearl melted, and Cleopatra drank to the health of Antony as she handed him the money. Clergy. The men of God’s lot or inheritance. In St. Peter’s first epistle, V. 3, the church is called God’s heri- tage ” or lot. In the Old Testament the tribe of Levi is called the “ lot or heritage of the Lord.” (Greek, cleros ; Latin, dents and cleidcus, whence Norman derex and derktts ; French, derge.') Benefit of Clergy. {See Benefit.) Cler'gymen. The dislike of sailors to clergymen on board ship arises from an association with the history of Jonah. Sailors call them a hitile cargo^ or kittlish cargo, meaning dangerous. Probably the disastrous voyage of St. Paul con- firms the prejudice. Clerical Titles. (1) Paiison. The person who in parish suits represents the parish. (Latin, '£erso'na. ) A good man was ther of religioun, And was a pore persoun cf aJ-oun. Chaucer, Int. of Canterbury Tales." (2) Clerk. As in ancient times the clergyman was about the only person who could write and read, the word dericalf as ‘^clerical error,” came to signify an error in spelling. As the respondent in church was able to read, he received the name of and the assistants in writing, &c., are so termed in business. (Latin, der'icus, a clergy- man.) (3) Curate. One who has the cure of souls. As the cure of the parish used to be virtually entrusted to the clerical stipendiary, the word curate was appro- priated to this assistant. (4) Rector. One who has the par- sonage and the tithes. The man who rules or guides the parish. (Latin, “a ruler.”) (5) Vicar. One who does the ^^duty” of a parish for the person who receives the tithes — generally a layman, and therefore not qualified to officiate. (Latin, mcaruis, a deputy.) (6) Incumbent. This term has been abolished, and all ^‘incumbents” are now legally termed vicars. *** The French cure equals or.r vicar, and their vicaire our curate. Clerical Vestments. (1) White. Emblem of purity, worn on all feasts, saints’ days, amd sacra- mental occasions. . (2) Red. The colour of blood and of fire, worn on the days of martyrs, and on Whit- Sunday, when the Holy (Jhost came down like tongues of fire. (3) Green. Worn only on days which are neither feasts nor fasts. (4) Purple. The colour of mourning, worn on Advent Sundays, in Lent, and on Ember days. (5) Black. Worn on Good Friday, and when masses are said for the dead. Octkeley, ‘‘On the Mass.” Clerlmond. Niece of the Green Knight {q.v.), bride of Valentine the brave, and sister of Fer'ragus the giant, — Valentine and Orson. 170 CLERK. CLOD-HOPPER. Clerk. A scholar. Hence heau-clerc* {See Clerical Titles.) All the clerks, I mean the learned ones, in Christian kingdoms Have their free voices. Shakespeare," Henry Fi//.,”ii.2. St. Nicholas's Clerics. Thieves. An equivoque on the word Nick. I think there come prancing down the hill a couple of St Nicholas’s clerks. Rowley, “ Match at MidnigM,'* 1633. Clerk-ale and Church-ale. Mr. Douce says the word ale” is used in such composite words as bride-ale, clerk- ale, church-ale, lamb-ale. Midsummer-ale, Scot-ale, Whitsun-ale, &c. ; for revel or feast, ale being the chief liquor given. The multitude call (Church-ale Sunday) their revelyng day, which day is spent in bulbeatings, bearbeatinar, . . . dicyng, . . . and drunken- ness.— W. Kethe, 1570. Clerkly. Cleverly; like a scholar. I thank you, gentle servant ; ‘tis very clerkly done. Shakespeare, “ Two Gentlemen of Verona,” ii. 1. Clifford {Paul). A highwayman, re- formed by the power of love, in Sir L. Bulwer Lytton’s novel so called. Climac'teric. It was once believed that 7 and 9, with their multiples, were critical points in life ; and 63, which is produced by multiplying 7 and 9 together, was termed the Grand Climacteric^ which few persons succeeded in outliving. There are two years, the seventh and the ninth, that commonly bring great changes in a man’s life, and great dangers ; wherefore 63, that contains both these numbers multiplied together, comes not without heaps of dangers — Lewinws Lemnius. Climacteric Years are 7th and 9th, with their multiples by the odd numbers 3, 5, 7, 9 — viz., 7, 9, 21, 27, 35, 45, 63, and 81, over which astrologers supposed Saturn, the malevolent planet, presided. (Nee Nine.) Climax means a stair (Greek), applied to the last of a gradation of arguments, each of which is stronger than the pre- ceding. The last of a gradation of words of a similar character is also called a climax. Clinch.. To bend the point of a nail after it is driven home. The word is sometimes written c^e^icA, from the French clencJie, the lift of a latch. (Dutch, klinkenj to rivet.) That was a clencher. That argument was not to be gainsaid; that remark drove the matter home, and fixed it ‘^as a nail in a sure place.” A lie is called a clencher or clincher from the tale about two swaggerers, one of whom said, He drove a nail right through the moon.” ‘^Yes,” said the other, ^‘I remember it well, for I went the other side and clenched it.” The French say, Je lui ai hien rive son clou (I have clinched his nail for him), Clinkier {Humphrey). Hero of Smol- lett’s novel so called. The general scheme of Oliver Twist ” resembles it. Hum- phrey is a workhouse boy, put out apprentice ; but, being afterwards re- duced to great want, he attracts the notice of Mr. Bramble, who takes him into his service, and in due time the parish apprentice marries the daughter of his patron. Clio was one of the nine Muses, the inventress of historical and heroic poetry. Clio. Addison is so called because his papers in the Spectator” are signed by one of the four letters in this word, pro- bably the initial letters of Chelsea, London, Islington, Ofiice. {See Nota- RICA. ) Cli'quot (of Punch celebrity). A nickname of Frederick William IV. of Prussia ; so called from his fondness of champagne. (1795, 1840-1861.) Cloaci'na. Goddess of sewers. (Latin, cloa'ca, a sewer.) Then Cloacina, goddess of the tide, Whose sable streams beneath the city glide, Indulged the modish flame ; the town she roved, A mortal scavenger she saw, she loved. Gay, “ Trivia,'* ii. Clock. So church bells were once called. (German, cloche; French, cloche ; Medieval Latin, cloca.) Cloch. The tale about St. Paul’s clock striking thirteen is given in Wal- cott’s Memorials of Westminster,” and refers to John Hatfield, who died 1770, aged 102. He was a soldier in the reign of William III., and was brought before a court-martial for falling asleep on duty upon W indsor terrace. In proof of his innocence he asserted that he heard St. Paul’s clock strike thirteen, which state- ment was confirmed by several witnesses. Clod-hopper. A farmer, who hops or walks amongst the clods. The cavalry call the infantry clodhoppers, because they have to walk instead of riding horseback. CLoa. CLYM. 171 Clog Almanac. A primitive al- manac or calendar, called in Scandinavia a Kunic staff, from the Eunic characters used in its numerical notation. Cloister. He retired into a cloister, a monastery. Almost all monasteries used to have a cloister or covered walk, which generally occupied the four sides of a quadrangle. Clootie. Aidd Clootie. Old Nick. The Scotch call a cloven hoof a cloot, so that Auld Clootie is Old Cloven-foot. Clorida'no (in Orlando Furioso ”). A humble Moorish youth, who joins Me- do'ro in seeking the body of king Dar- diuello to bury it. Medo'ro being wounded, Cloridano rushed madly into the ranks of the enemy and was slain. Clorin'da (in Jerusalem De- livered”). A female knight who came from Persia to oppose the Crusaders, and was appointed by Al'adine leader of all the Pagan forces. Tancred fell in love with her ; but not knowing her in a night attack, slew her after a most dreadful combat. Before she died she received Christian baptism at the hands of Tancred, who mourned her death with great sorrow of heart. — Bk. xii. Sena'pus of Ethiopia (a Christian) was her father, but her being born white alarmed her mother, who changed her babe for a black child. Arse'tes, the eunuch, was entrusted with the infant Clorinda, and as he was going through a forest he saw a tiger, dropped the child, and sought safety in a tree. The tiger took the babe and suckled it, after which Arsetes left Ethiopia with the child for Egypt. Clo'ten. A vindictive lout who wore his dagger in his mouth. He fell in love with Im'ogen, but his love was not reciprocated. — Shakespeare, Cyrnheline.” Cloth. {The). The clergy; thus we talk of having respect for the cloth.” Formerly the clergy used to wear a dis- tinguishing costume, made of grey or black cloth, by which they might be recognised. Clotha'iius or Clothaire (in Jeru- salem Delivered”). At the death of Hugo he takes the lead of the Franks, but is shot by Clorinda with an arrow (bk. xi). After his death, his troops sneak away and leave the Christian army (bk. xiii.). Cloud (aS'^.). Patron saint of nail- smiths, by a play upon the French word clou, a nail. He is under a cloud. Under suspicion, in disrepute. To hlov) a cloud is to smoke a cigar or pipe. Cloven Foot. To show the cloven foot — i.e., to show a knavish intention ; a base motive. The allusion is to Satan, represented with the legs and feet of a goat ; and, however he might disguise himself, he could never conceal his cloven feet. {See Bag o’ Nails, Goat.) Real grief little influenced its composition .... and the cloven foot peeps out in sotne letters written hy him at the period.— erseded by county courts. Why should not Conscience have vacation, As well as other courts o’ the nation? Butler, lludibras,” ii. 3, 182 CONSCRIPT. CONSTANTINE. Conscript Fathers. The Roman senate. So called because their names were written in the senate’s register. (Latin, con scriptus^ written together.) Consen'tes Dii. The twelve chief Roman deities — Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Neptune, Mer- cury, and Vulcan. Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, and Venus. Conservative (4 syl.). A medium Tory— one who wishes to preserve the union of Church and State, and not radically to alter the constitution. The word was first used in this sense in 1830, in the January number of the Quarterly Revieio — ^^We have always been con- scientiously attached to what is called the Tory, and which might with more pro- priety be called the Conservative party.” Consolidated Fund. A repository of public money, pledged for the pay- ment of Government expenses. Till 1816 the exchequers of Great Britain and Ireland were kept separately, but they were formed that year into a common fund, out of which is paid the interest of the national debt, the civil list, and the salaries. If any surplus remains, it is applied to the mutual benefit of the united kingdoms. Consols (a contraction of Consoli^ dated Annuities). In 1751 an Act was passed for consolidating several stocks bearing an interest of 3 per cent. Those who supply the funds receive interest for their money (about 3 per cent.), but if they want the principal, they must get some one to take their place. This new man hands over the value of the stock, and has his name substituted in the books for the previous holder. Con'sort is, properly, one whose lot is cast in ivitli another. As the queen does not lose by marriage her separate existence, like other women, her husband is called a consort, because he consorts with the queen. Wilt thou be our consort? Shakespeare, “ Two Gentlemen of Verona^’* iv. 1. Con'stable (Latin, comes -staVuli) means Master of the Horse.” The con- stable of England and France was at one time a military officer of state, next in rank to the crown. {8ee Concierge.) To overrun or outrun the constable. To get into debt ; spend more than one’s income; to talk about what you do not understand. {See heloiv. ) Quoth Hudibras, Friend Ralph, thou hast Outrun the constable at last ; For thou hast fallen on a new Dispute, as senseless as untrue. Butler, “ Hudibrasy i.3. Who's to pay the constable ? Who is to pay the score ? The constable arrests debtors, and, of course, represents the creditor ; where- fore, to overrun the constable is to overrun your credit account. To pay the constable is to give him the money due, to prevent an arrest. Constable de Bourbon. Charles, due de Bourbon, a powerful enemy of Francois I. He was killed while heading the assault on Rome. (1527.) Constantine’s Cross. In Latin, Vinces in hoc; in English, By this conquer. It is said that Constantine, on his march to Rome, saw a luminous cross v in the sky, in the shape and with ^ the motto here given. In the ^ ^ night before the battle of Saxa Rubra, a vision appeared to him ^ in his sleep, commanding him to inscribe them on the shields of his sol- diers. He obeyed the voice of the vision, and prevailed. The monogram is XPtoroc (Christ). This may be called a standing miracle in legendary history ; for, besides An- drew’s cross, and the Dannebrog or red cross of Denmark {q.v.), we have the cross which appeared to don Alonzo before the battle of Ourique in 1139, when the Moors were totally routed with incredible slaughter. As Alonzo was drawing up his men, the figure of a cross appeared in the eastern sky, and Christ, suspended on the cross, promised the Christian king a complete victory. This legend is commemorated by the device assumed by Alonzo, in a field argent five escutcheons azure, in the form of a cross, each escutcheon being charged with five bezants, in memory of the five wounds of Christ. Constantine Tolman (Cornwall). A vast egg-like stone, thirty-three feet in length, eighteen in width, and four- teen in thickness, placed on the points of two natural rocks, so that a man may creep under it. The stone upheld weighs 750 tons. CONSTITUENT. COOKS. 183 Constit'uent Assembly. The first of the national assemblies of the French Revolution. So called because it took an oath never to separate till it had given to France a constitution. (1788- 1791.) Constit'uents. Those who consti- tute or elect members of Parliament. (Latin, constit'uOf to place or elect, &c.) Constitution. The fundamental laws of a state. It may be either des- potic, aristocratic, democratic, or mixed. The British constitution is a mixture of the first three, the queen representing the despotic principle, the House of Lords the aristocratic element, and the House of Commons the democratic. Constitu'tions of Clar'endon. {See Clarendon.) Con'strue. To translate. It means to set in order, one with another — i.e., to set an English word in the place of a foreign word, and to lay the whole sen- tence in good grammatical order. Consuelo (4 syl.). The impersona- tion of moral purity in the midst of temptations. The heroine of George Sand’s {Madame Dudevant) novel of the same name. Contemplate (3 syl. ). To inspect or watch the temple. The augur among the Romans having taken his stand on the Capit'oline Hill, marked out with his wand the space in the heavens he in- tended to consult. This space he called the temjplum. Having divided his templum into two parts from top to bottom, he watched to see what would occur ; the watching of the templum was called contem'plating. Contempt' of Court. Refusing to conform to the rules of the law courts. Direct contempt is an open insult or re- sistance to the judge or others officially employed in the court. Consequential contempt is that which tends to obstruct the business or lower the dignity of the court by indirection. Contenement. A word used in Magna Charta, expressive of chattels necessary to each man’s station, as the arms of a gentleman, the merchandise of a trader, or the ploughs and wagons of a peasant.— .STa/Zawi. Contentment is True Kiches. The wise saw of Democ'ritos, the laugh- ing philosopher. (B.c. 509-400.) Content is wealth, the riches of the mind; And happy he who can such riches find. Dryden, “ Wife of Bath's Talef* Continence of a Scip'io. It is said that a beautiful princess fell into the hands of Scipio Africa'nus, and he refused to see her, ^Mest he should be tempted to forget his principles.” Continental System. A name given to Napoleon’s plan for shutting out (Ireat Britain from all commerce with the continent of Europe. He forbade under pain of war any nation of Europe to receive British exports, or to send imports to any of the British dominions. It began Nov. 21, 1806. Contin'gent {A). The quota of troops furnished by each of several con- tracting powers, according to agreement. The word properly means the number which falls to the lot of each ; hence we call a fortuitous event a contingency. Centre Temps (French). A mis- chance, something inopportune. Lite- rally, out of time.” Conven'tiele means a little con- vent,” and was originally applied to a cabal of monks against the election of a proposed abbot. The application of chapel and conventicle to the places of worship used by dissenters is certainly very unsuitable. {See Chapel. ) Conversation Sharp. Richard Sharp, the critic. (1759-1835.) Con'nyger or Con'nigry. A warren for conies, a cony-burrow. Convey. A polite term for steal. Thieves are, by a similar euphemism, called conveyers. Convey, the wise it call. Steal ! foh ! a fico for the phrase. — Shakespeare^^'' Merry Wives of Windsor," i. 3. Cooing and Billing, like Philip and Mary on a shilling. The reference is to coins struck in the year 1555, in which Mary and her consort are placed face to face, and not cheek by jowl, the usual way. Still amorous, and fond, and billing, Like Philip and Mary on a shilling. “ Hudibras," pt. iii. 1. Cook is from the Norse coge, to boil ; what has been boiled is cogty whence our “cooked” is pronounced cooht. Cooks. Athensc'us affirms that cooks were the first kings of the earth. Esau, the heroes of the Greek siege, and the old Roman magnates, all cooked “ savoury messes.” In the luxurious ages of ancient Greece, / 184 COOKED. COPTS. Sicilian cooks were most esteemed, and received very high wages. Among them Trimal'cio was very celebrated. It is said that he could cook the most common fish, and give it the flavour and look of the most highly esteemed. In the palmy days of Eome, a chief cook had £800 a year. Antony gave the cook who arranged his banquet for Cleopatra the present of a city. Vatel, who killed himself 1671,. during a banquet given by the prince de Conde to the king at Chantilly, because the lobsters for the turbot sauce did not arrive in time. Car§me was a very celebrated French cook, called the Eegenerator of Cookery. (1784-1833.) Ude and Soyer are names of consi- derable celebrity as cooks. Cooked. The boohs have been cooked. The ledger and other trade books have been tampered with, in order to show a balance in favour of the bankrupt. The term was first used in reference to George Hudson, the railway king, under whose chairmanship the Eastern Counties Eailway accounts were falsified. The allusion is to preparing meat for table. Coon. A gone coon. One who has no hope, one completely done for. Colonel Crockett was out racoon-shooting in N orth America, when he levelled his gun at a tree where an ^^old coon” was concealed. Knowing the colonel’s prowess, it cried out, in the voice of a man, Hallo, there ! air you colonel Crockett? for if you air, ril jist come down, or I know I am a gone ’coon.” Cooper. Half stout and half porter. The term arises from the practice at breweries of allowing the coopers a daily portion of stout and porter. As they do not like to drink porter after stout, they mix the two together. Cooper’s Hill. Near Eunnymede and Egham. Both Denham and Pope have written in praise of this hill. If I can be to thee A poet, thou Parnassus art to me.— Denham. Coot. A silly old coot. SUipid as a coot. Common American expressions. The coot is a small water-fowl, which buries its head in mud when it is pur- sued, thinking no one can see it, as it cannot itself see. Bald as a coot. The coot, or water hen, has a bald forehead. Cop. To throw, as cop it here. The word properly means to beat or strike, as to cop a shuttlecock or ball with a bat (Greek, coptOj to beat) ; but in Norfolk it means to hull ” or throw. Coper'niea-n System is that which re]3resents the sun at rest in the centre, and all the planets revolving round it. So called after Nicolas Coper'nicus, the Prussian astronomer (1473-1543). Copes^inate (2 syl.). A companion. Copesmate of ugly night” (“Eapeof Lucreece”), a mate who copes with you. CopEet'ua. An imaginary king of Africa, of great vrealth, who ‘^disdained all womankind.” One day he saw a beggar-girl from his window, and fell in love with her. He asked her name ; it was Penel'ophon, called by Shakespeare Zenel'ophon (^^Love’s Labour’s Lost,”iv. 1). They lived together long and hapj^ily, and at death were universally lamented. — Percy's “ Reliques," bk. ii. 6. King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid. Shakespeare, “ Romeo and Juliet,^' ii. 1. Copper. Give me a copper— i.e., a piece of copper money. I have no coppers — no halfpence. Copper Captain. One who calls himself a captain, but has no right to the title, a counterfeit captain. Michael Perez is so called in ^^Eule a Wife and have a Wife,” by Beaumont and Fletcher. To tins copper-captain was confided the command of the troops.— IV. Irving. Copperheads. Secret foes. Cop- perheads are poisonous serpents of America that give no warning, like rattle- snakes, of their attack. In the great civil war of the United States the term was applied by the Federals to the peace party, supposed to be the covert friends of the Confederates. Cop 'pie. The hen killed by Eeynard, in the tale of “Eeynard the Fox.” Cops. Copperheads {q.v.). Copts. The Jacobite Christians of Egypt, who have for eleven centuries been in possession of the patriarchal chair of Alexandria. The word is pro- bably derived from Coptos, the metro- polis of the Theba'id. These Christians conduct their worship in a dead language called ‘^Coptic” (the language of the Copts). COPUS. CORUELIEES. 185 Co'pUS* A drink made of beer, wine, and spice heated together, and served in a ‘‘ loving-cup/’ Dog- Latin for ciiiidloii Hippodratis (a cup of hippo eras). Copy. That's a mere copy of your countenance. Not your real wish or meaning, but merely one you choose to present to me. You do not show me the real draft, but a doctored copy. Perhaps the word copy ” is the Spanish capa (dis- guise), as la cajpa de religion (the disguise of religion) ; so in Portuguese, com capa. de . . . (under pretence of . . .). Copyhold Estate. Part of a manor, held for a term at the lord’s will, and the terms copied into the court-roll or document kept in the manor-house for these purposes. As all copyholds derive their force from custom only, no new ones can be created now. Indeed, none have been created since the reign of Eichard II, Copyright. The right of an author to his works for the term of his natural life, or for forty-two years from publication. For the benefit of sur- vivors, the heirs may claim the right either for the residue of the forty-two years, or for seven years from his de- cease. The five copies of a copyright work are thus disposed of A copy is sent to the British Museum, the Bodleian of Oxford, the University library of Cam- bridge, the Advocates’ library of Scot- land, and the library of Trinity, Dublin. Co'rah, in Dryden’s satire of Ab- salom and Achitophel,” is meant for Dr. Titus Oates (Numbers xvi.). North describes him as a short man, extremely ugly ; if his mouth is taken for the centre, his chin, forehead, and cheek- bones would fall in the circumference. Sunk were liis eyes, his voice was harsh and loud ; Sure signs he neither choleric was, nor proud ; His long chin proved his wit ; his saint-like grace A church vermilion, and a Moses’ face. His memory, miraculously great. Could plots, exceeding man’s belief, repeat. Dryden, ''Absalom and Achitophel.’^ Coral Beads. The Eomans used to hang beads of red coral on the cradles and round the neck of infants, to pre- serve and fasten their teeth,” and save them from '^the falling sickness.” It was considered by soothsayers as a charm against lightning, whirlwind, ship- wreck, and fire. Paracelsus says it should be worn round the neck of chil- dren as a preservative against fits, sorcery, charms, and poison.” The coral hells are a Roman Catholic addition, the object being to frighten away evil spirits by their jingle. Coral is good to be hanged about the neck of children ... to preserve (hem from the failing sickness. It hath also some special symrathy with nature, for the best coral . . . will turn pale and wan if the party that wears it be sick, and it comes to its former colour again as they recover.— “ Jeivel-Ilouse of Art and Nature." Cor'al Master. A juggler. So called by the Spaniards. In ancient times the juggler, when he threw off his mantle, appeared in a tight scarlet or coral dress. Co'ran {cropped). One of the dogs of Actseon. (iS'ee Cisseta.) Cor'anacli. Lamentation for the dead, as anciently practised in Ireland and Celtic Scotland. (Gaelic, cornh rdnaich, crying together.) Cor'bant. The rook, in the tale of ^^Eeynard the Fox.” (Latin, corvus ; French, corheau,) Corbett. The punningarmorial device of this family is two corheaux or ravens. CoreCB'ca {Blind-heart). Superstition is so named in Spenser’s Faery Queen.” Abessa tried to m^ake her understand that danger was at hand ; but, being blind, she was dull of comprehension. At length she was induced to shut her door, and when Una knocked would give no answer. Then the lion broke down the door, and both entered. The mean- ing is that England, the lion, broke down the door of Superstition at the Eeformation. Corcoeca means Eomanism in England.— Bk. i. Cordelia. The youngest of Lear’s three daughters, and the only one that loved him. — Shakespeare, King Lear.” Cordeliers means cord- wearers.” Certain Franciscan friars are so called because they wear round their waist a thong of knotted cord instead of a girdle. In the reign of St. Louis, these Minorite monks repulsed an army of infidels, and the king asked who those gens de cordelits (corded people) were. From this they received their appellation. During the Ee volution, one of the most conspicuous of the movement party was so called, because they held their meet- 186 COHDON. CORN LAW. / . iiigs in the chapel of a Franciscan monas- tery. Danton, Hebert, Chaumette, Camille Desmoulins, and Marat were members of this club, which was opposed to the Jacobins. Cordon Bleu (French). A knight of the ancient order of the St. Esprit (Holy Ghost). So called because the decoration is suspended on a blue ribbon. It was at one time the highest order in the kingdom. Gordon Bleu. A first-rate cook. The commandeur de Souve, comte d’Olonne, and some others, who were cordons bleus {i.e., knights of St. Esprit), met together as a sort of club, and were noted for their well-appointed dinners. Hence, when any one had dined well he said, ^'Bien, c’est un vrai repas de cordon-bleu ; ” and a superior cook was one of the cordon bleu type, or, briefly, a cordon bleu. ^ \See above. ) Cordon Rouge (French). A cheva- lier of the order of St. Louis, the deco- ration being suspended on a red ribbon. Grand Gordon. A member of Legion dlwnneur, whose cross is attached to a grand or broad ribbon. Cord'uroy'. A corded fabric, origi- nally made of silk, and worn by the kings of France in the chase. (French, cord du roy.) Gordntroy Road. A term applied to roads in the backwoods and swampy districts of the United States of America, formed of the halves of trees sawn in two longitudinally, and laid transversely across the track. A road thus made presents a ribbed appearance, like the cloth called corduroy. Cord'wainer. Not a twister of cord, but a worker in leather. Our word is the French cordouannier (a maker or worker of cordouan) ; the former a cor- ruption of Gordovanier (a worker in Cor- dovan leather). Corflamnbo. The impersonation of sensual passion in Spenser’s ‘‘ Faery Queen.” Co'ri. Cape Com'orin. Corin'eus (3 syl.). A mythical hero in the suite of Brute, who conquered the giant Goem'agot, for which achievement the whole western horn of England was allotted him. He called it Corin'ea, and the people Corin'eans, from his own name. In meed of these great conquests by tlnm got, Coriaeus ha l that province utmost west To him assiyned for his worthy lot, Which of his name and memorable gest, He called Cornwall. Spenser, “ Fa§ry Queen," ii. 10. Corinth.. E'ot every one can go to Gorinth — i.e., not every one can afford such extravagance. The reference is to Lais, a courtesan of Corinth, who made those who visited her pay most extrava- gantly for her favours. Horace says, It does not fall to the lot of every man to go to Corinth,” meaning, not every man is fleeced of his money by women of low character. Corinth’s Pedagogue. Dionys'ios the younger, on being banished a second time from Syracuse, went to Corinth and became schoolmaster. He is called Dionysios the tyrant. Hence lord Byron says of Napoleon — Corinth’s pedagogue hath now Transferred his hy-word to thy brow. Ode to Napoleon. Corin'thian {A). A licentious liber- tine. The immorality of Corinth was proverbial both in Greece and Rome. To GoriiiJthianise is to indulge in licentious conduct. Gorinthian Tom. The sporting rake in Pierce Egan’s Life in London.” A Corinthian ” was the ‘^fast man” of Shakespeare’s period. I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff; but a Co- rinthian, a lad of meitle, a good hoy —Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry 1 F.,” ii. 4. Corin'thian Order. The most richly decorated of the five orders of Greek architecture. The shaft is fluted, and the capital adorned with acanthus leaves. (See Acanthus.) Coriola'nus. The chief character of Shakespeare’s play so called. Corked. This wine is corhed—i.e., tastes of the cork. Cor'moran'. The Cornish giant who fell into a pit twenty feet deep, dug by Jack the Giant-killer, and filmed over with grass and gravel. The name means cormorant or great eater. For this doughty achievement Jack received a belt from king Arthur, with this in- scription — This is the valiant Cornish man That slew the giant Cormoran. Jack the Giant-killer. Corn - Law Rhymer. Ebenezer Elliott, who wrote philippics against the corn laws. (1781-1849.) Is not the corn-law rhymer already a king?— Carlyle. CORNER CORPUSCULAR. 187 Corner {The). Tattersall’s horse- stores and betting-rooms, which were at one time at the corner of Hyde Park, are now removed to Knightsbridge Green. Cornette. Porter la cornette. To be domineered over by the woman of the house; to be a Jerry Sneak. The cor- nette is the mob-cap anciently worn by the women of France. Porter les culottes (to wear the breeches) is the same idea ; only it shows who has the mastery, and not who is mastered. In the latter case it means the woman wears the dress of the man, and assumes his position in the house. Probably our expression about “ wearing the horns ” may be referred to the ‘^cornette” rather than to the stag or deer. Corn'grate (2 syl.). A term given in Wiltshire to the soil in the north- western border, consisting of an irregular mass of loose gravel, sand, and limestone. Cornish. Hug. A hug to overthrow you. The Cornish men were famous wrestlers, and tried to throttle their antagonist with a particular lock, called the Cornish hug. Cornish Language was virtually extinct 150 years ago. Doll Pentreath, the last person who could speak it, died at the age of 91, in 1777 . — Notes and Q. Cornish Wonder (77ie). JohnOpie, of Cornwall, the painter. (1761-1807.) Cornu-co'pia. (See Amalth^a’s Horn.) Cornwall. (See Barry, Corineus.) Coronation Chair consists of a stone so enclosed as to form a chair. It is a talisman, and the notion is, wherever this stone is, royalty will be upheld ; but with the removal of the stone will be the fall of royalty in that nation. It was probably the stone on which the kings of Ireland were inaugurated on the hill of Tara. It was removed by Fergus, son of Eric, to Argyleshire, and thence by king Kenneth (in the ninth century) to Scone, where it was enclosed in a wooden chair. Edward I. transferred it to Westminster. The monkish legend says that it was the very stone which formed ‘‘Jacob’s pillow.” The tradition is, “ Wherever this stone is found, there will reign some of the Scotch race of kings.” Cor'onacll. The funeral howl of the Highlanders, called by the Irish ululoo. Cor'oner means properly the crown- officer ; in Saxon times it was his duty to collect the crown revenues ; next to take charge of crown pleas ; but at present to uphold the paternal solicitude of the crown by searching into all cases of sud- den or suspicious death. (Vulgo, cr owner. Latin, coro'na, the crown. ) But is this Jaw? Ay, marry, is’t ; crowner’s quest law. i^akespeare, '"Hamlet,’’ v. 1. Cor'onet. A crown inferior to the royal crown. A duke’s coronet is adorned with strawberry leaves above the band ; that of a marquis with strawberry leaves alternating with pearls ; that of an earl has pearls elevated on stalks, alternating with leaves above the band ; that of a viscount has a string of pearls above the band, but no leaves ; that of a haron has only four pearls. Coro'nis. Daughter of a king of Pho'cis, changed by Athe'na into a crow. There was another Coro'nis, loved by Apollo, and killed by him for infidelity. Corps Legislatif (French). The lower house of the late French legislature. The first assembly so called was when Kapoleon I. substituted a corps legislatif and a tribunal for the two councils of the Directory, Dec. 24, 1799. The next was the corps legislatif and conseil d’etat of 1807. The third was the corps legislatif of 750 deputies of 1849. The legislative power under Napoleon HI. was vested in the emperor, the senate, and the coiys legislatif. (1852.) Corpse Candle. The ignis fatuus is so called by the Welsh, because it was sup- posed to forbode death, and to show the road that the corpse would take. Also a large candle used at lake or liche wakes — i.e., watching a corpse before interment. Corpus Christi {body of Christ). A festival of the Church, kept on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in honour of the eucharist. There is a college both at Cambridge and Oxford so named. Corpus'eular Theory is, that matter is only divisible to its elemental point called an atom, and that atoms are the corpuscles of which everything is made. The system was anciently taught in Greece by Leucippos and Democ'ritos. {See Atomic.) / 188 COERECTOE. Corrector. {See Alexander. ) Corre'gio. The Corre'gio of Sculptors. Jean Goujon, who was slain in the mas- sacre of St. Bartholomew. (1510-1572.) Corroiige. The sword of Sir Ot'uel, in mediaeval romance. Cor'rugated Iron. Sheet iron coated with zinc. It is called corruga.ted or wrinkled because the sheet is made wavy by the rollers between which it has to pass. Corruptie'olse. A sect of heretics of the sixth century, who maintained that Jesus Christ was corruptible. Corruption of Blood. Loss of title and entailed estates in consequence of treason, by which a man’s blood is attainted, and his issue suffers. Corsair' means properly ^^one who gives chase.” Applied to the pirates of the northern coast of Africa. (Italian, cor so, a chase.) Cors'ned means the cursed mouth- ful.” It was a piece of bread ^'^conse- crated for exorcism,” and given to a 23erson to swallow as a test of his guilt. The words of “ consecration ” were. May this morsel cause convulsions and find no passage if the accused is guilty, but turn to wholesome nourishment if he is innocent.” (Saxon, corse, curse; snced, mouthful.) Cor'tes (2 syl.). The Spanish or Portuguese parliament. The word means court officers.” Cort'iiia. The skin of the serpent Pytho, which covered the tripod of the Pythoness when she delivered her oracles. Corvi'nus (raven'). J a'nos Hun'yady, governor of Hungary, is so called from the raven in his shield. There were two Romans so called— viz., Vale rius Max'imus Corvi'nus Mes- sa'la, and Vale'rius Messala Corviffius. Marcus Valerius was called Corvus” {raven) because, in a single combat with a gigantic Gaul, during the Gallic war, a raven flew into the Gaul’s face, and so harassed him that he could neither de- fend himself nor attack his adversary. Cor'ydon. A swain; a brainless, love-sick spooney. It is one of the shepherds in Virgil’s eclogues. COTERIE. Coryphae'us. The Coryphaeus of Grammarians. Aristarchos of Sam'o- thrace. A coryphaeus was the leader of the Greek chorus ; hence the chief of a department in any of the sciences or fine arts. Aristarchos, in the second century B.C., was the chief or prince of grammarians. (Greek, horujphaios, chorus- leader. ) Coryphee. A ballet-dancer. {See above. ) Cos'miel (3 syl.). The genius of the world. He gave to Theodidac'tus a boat of asbestos in which he sailed to the sun and planets. — Kircher, Ecstatic Journey to Heaven.^’ Cosmop 'elite (4 syl.). A citizen of the world. One who has no partiality to any one country as his abiding- place ; one who looks on the whole world with ^^an equal eye.” (Greek, cosmos-jpolUVes.') Cos'set. A house pet. Applied to a pet lamb brought up in the house ; any pet. (Saxon, cot-seat, cottage- dweller ; German, kosscU.) Cos'tard. A clown in Love’s Labour’s Lost” (Shakespeare), who apes the court wit of queen Elizabeth’s time, but misapplies and miscalls like Mrs. Malaprop or Master Dogberry. Cos'termonger. A seller of eat- ables about the streets, properly an apple- seller (from costard, a sort of apple, and monger, ^^a trader;” Saxon, mangian, ^^to trade”). The word is still retained in iron-monger, cheese-monger, fish- monger, news-monger, fell -monger, &c. Cote-liardi. A tight-fitting tunic buttoned down the front. He was clothed in a cote-hardi upon the gyse of Alma3’ne {Germany).— Qeoffroi dela Tour, "'Landry'* Cotereaux (French). The king of England, irritated at the rising in Brit-* tany in the twelfth century, sent the Brabangons {q.v.) to ravage the lands of Raoul de Fougeres. These cut-throata carried knives {couteaux) with them, whence their name. Co'terie' (3 syl.). A French word, originally tantamount to our guild,” a society where each paid his quota — i.e., his quote-part or gild {share). The French word has departed from its original meaning, and is now applied to an exclusive set, more especially of ladies. COTILLON. COUP. 189 Cotillon (co-til'-yon) means properly the under-petticoat.” The word was applied to a brisk dance by eight persons, in which the ladies held up their gowns and showed their under-petticoats. Cotset. The lowest of bondsmen. So called from cot-seat (a cottage dweller). These slaves were bound to work for their feudal lord. The word occurs fre- quently in Domesday Book.” Cotswold Lion. A sheep, for which Cotswold hills are famous. Fierce as a Cotswold lion (ironical). Cottage Orne (French). A cottage residence belonging to persons in good circumstances. Cotton. To cotton to a person. To cling to one or take a fancy to a person. To stick to a person as cotton sticks to our clothes. Cotton Lord. A great cotton lord. A rich Manchester cotton-manufacturer, a real lord in wealth, style of living, equipage, and tenantry. Cotto'nian Library, in the British Museum. Collected by Sir E. Cotton, and added to by his son and grandson, after which it was invested in trustees for the use of the public. Cotyt'to. The Thracian goddess of immodesty, worshipped at Athens with nocturnal rites. Hail ! goddess of nocturnal sport. Dark-veiled Coti'tto. Milton, “ C'owins.” Con'beren. God of wealth in Hindu mythology. Couleur de Rose (French). Highly coloured; too favourably considered; overdrawn with romantic embellish- ments, like objects viewed through glass tinted with rose pink. Coulin. A British giant, pursued by Debon (one of the companions of Brute) till he came to a chasm 132 feet across, which he leaped ; but slipping on the opposite side, he fell back into the chasm and was kiWed.— Spenser , Faery Queen.” CoTineils. (Ecumenical Councils. There are twenty-one recognised : nine Kastern and twelve Western. The Nine Eastern: (1) Jerusalem; (2 and 8) Nice, 325, 787 ; (3, 6, 7, 9) Constantinople, 381, 553, 681, 869; (4) Ephesus, 431 ; (5) Chabcedon, 451. The Twelve Western : (10, 11, 12, 13, 19)LaVeran, 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215, 1517 ; (14, 15) Synod of Lyon, 1245, 1274 ; (16) Synod of Vienne, in Dauphine, 1311 ; (17) Constance, 1414; (18) Basil, 1431-1443; (20) Trent, 1545-1563; Vatican, 1869. Counter-caster. One who keeps accounts, or casts up accounts by count- ers. Thus, in The Winter’s Tale,” the Clown says, Fifteen hundred shorn ; ^7hat comes the wool to ? I cannot do ’t without counters ” (Act iv., s. 3). And what was he ? Forsooth, a great arithmetician . . . And I . . . must be b"dee’d and calmed By debitor and creditor, this counter-caster. Shakespeare, “ Othello,” 1 1. Counter-jumper. A draper’s as- sistant, who jumps over the counter to go from one part of the shop to another. Counterpane. A corruption of counterpoint^ from the Latin cul'cita (a wadded wrapper, a quilt). When the stitches were arranged in patterns it was called cul'cita puncta, which in French became coute-pointe, corrupted into centre- pointe, counter-point, where point is pro- nounced ‘^poyn,” corrupted into ‘^pane.” Country. Father of his country. (A^ee Father.) Country-dance. A corruption of the French centre danse (a dance where the partners face each other). Coup (coo). He made a good coup. A good hit or haul. {French.) Coup de pied de Vdne (kick from the ass’s foot). A blow given to a vanquished or fallen man ; a cowardly blow ; an in- sult offered to one who has not the power of returning or revenging it. The allu- sion is to the fable of the sick lion kicked by the ass. {French. ) Coup d’Etat (French) means a state stroke, and the term is applied to one of those bold measures taken by government to prevent a supposed or actual danger ; as when a large body of men are arrested sucldenly for fear they should overturn the government. The famous coup d'Uat, by which Louis Napoleon became possessed of absolute power, took place on the 2nd of Decem- ber, 1851. 190 COUP. COUTE. Coup de Grace. Finishing stroke. In boxing, the victor gives a blow, called the grace-stroke, which is not returned. All the other blows were given in battle, but the grace-stroke is given in sign that the battle is over. {French.') The Turks dealt the coup de grace to the Eastern empire.— Times. Earl Russell’s last escapade has given the coup de grace to his repute.— Pali Mall Gazette. Coup de Main (French). A sudden stroke; a stratagem whereby something is effected suddenly. Sometimes called a coup only, as The coup [the scheme] did not answer.” London is not to be taken hy a coup de main.— Public Opinion. Coup d’CEil (French). A view; glance ; prospect ; effect of things in the mass. These principles are presented at a single coup d’oeil. The coup d’oeil was grand in the ex- treme. Coup de Soleil (French). A sun- stroke, any malady produced by exposure to the sun. Courage. Anglo-Norman, corage. (Latin, cor, heart ; ago, to do.) But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail. Shakespeare, ** Macbeth” i. 7. Court originally meant a coop or sheep-fold. It was on the Latium hills that the ancient Latins raised their cors or cohors, small enclosures with hurdles for sheep, &c. Subsequently, as many men as could be cooped or folded together were called a corps or cohort. The ** cors” or cattle-yard, being the nucleus of the farm, became the centre of a lot of farm cottages, then of a hamlet, town, fortified place, and lastly of a royal resi- dence. Court. A short cut, alley, or paved way between two main streets. (French, court, short,” as prendre un cheinin court, “ to take a short cut.) Court-cupboard. The buffet to hold flagons, cans, cups, and beakers. There are two in Stationers’ Hall. {See ^‘Borneo and Juliet,” i. 5.) Court Fools. {See Fools.) Court Plaster. The plaster of which the court ladies made their patches. These patches, worn on the face, were cut into the shape of crescents, stars, circles. diamonds, hearts, crosses ; and some even went so far as to patch their face with a coach and four, a ship in full sail, a chateau, &c. This ridiculous fashion was in vogue in the reign of Charles I., and in the reign of Anne was employed as the badge of political partisanship. {See Patches.) Black patches, that she wears. Out into suns, and moons, and stars. Butler, “ Hudibras,” pt. ii. 1. Court of Love. A judicial court for deciding affairs of the heart, esta- blished in Provence during the palmy days of the Troubadours. The following is a case submitted to their judgment : A lady listened to one admirer, squeezed the hand of another, and touched with her toe the foot of a third. Query, Which of these three was the favoured suitor ? Cour'tesy. Civility, politeness. It was at the courts of princes and great feudatories that minstrels and pages practised the refinements of the age in which they lived. The word originally meant the manners of the court. Cousin. Blackstone says that Henry IV., being related or allied to every earl in the kingdom, artfully and constantly acknowledged the connection in all pub- lic acts. The usage has descended to his successors, though the reason has long ago failed.— Commentaries” i. 398. Cousin-german. The children of brothers and sisters, first cousins ; kins- folk. (Latin, germa'nus, a brother, one of the same stock.) There is three cousin-germans, that has cozened all ttie hosts of Reading, of Maidenhead, of Cole- brook, of horses and mone^.— Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor P iv. 5. Cousin Michael (or) Michel. The Germans are so called, as the Americans are called brother Jonathan, and the English John Bull. Michel, in Old Ger- man, means gross;” Saxon, micel ; Scotch, micTcle. Cousin Michel means cousin gourmand, or gross feeder, and is meant to indicate a slow, heavy, simple, unrefined, coarse-feeding people. Coute que Coute (French). Cost what it may, at any price, be the con- sequences what they may. His object is to serve his party coftte que codte —Standard, COVE. COXCOMB. 191 Cove (1 syl. ). An individual ; as Si flash cove (a swell), a rum cove (a man whose posi- tion and character is not quite palpable), a gentry cove (a gentleman), a downy cove (a very knowing individual), &c. Cove is the German kopf (an individual). Cov'enanters. A term applied, dur- ing the civil wars, to the Scotch presby- terians, who united by ‘ ‘ solemn league and covenant” to resist the encroach- ments of Charles I. on religious liberty. Cov'entry. To send one to Coventry. To take no notice of him ; to let him live and move and have his being with you, but pay no more heed to him than to the idle winds which you regard not. This is a military term, according to Messrs. Chambers (‘‘Cyclopaedia”) : The citizens of Coventry had at one time so great a dislike to soldiers, that a woman seen speaking to one was instantly tabooed. No intercourse was ever allowed between the garrison and the town ; hence, when a soldier was sent to Coventry, he was cut off from all social intercourse. Hutton, in his “ History of Birming- ham,” gives a different version. He says that Coventry was a stronghold of the parliamentary party in the civil wars, and that all troublesome and refractory royalists were sent there for safe custody. The former explanation meets the general scope of the phrase the better. Cov'er. To hreah cover. To start from the covert or temporary lair. The usual earth-holes of a fox being covered up the night before a hunt, the creature makes some gorse-bush or other cover its temporary resting-place, and as soon as it quits it the hunt begins. Cov'erley. Sir Roger de Coverley. A member of an hypothetical club in the “Spectator,” “who lived in Soho Square, when he was in town.” Sir Roger is the type of an English squire in the reign of queen Anne. He figures in thirty papers of the “ Spectator.” Who can be insensible to his unpretending virtues and amiable weaknesses ; his modesty, generosity, hospitality, and eccentric whims ; the respect for his neighbours, and the affection of his domestics ?—Hazlitl. Cov'etous Man. A Tantalus {q.v.). In the full flood stands Tan'talus, his skin Washed o’er in vain, for ever dry within. He catches at the stream with greedy lips— Prom his touched mouth the wanton torrent slips. , . Change but the name, this fable is thy story ; Thou in a flood of useless wealth dost glory. Which thou canst only touch, but nevf*r taste. CQwUyt Horace,'' satire i. Cow. The cow that nourished Ymir with four streams of milk was called Audhumla. This cow, by licking the frost-covered stones, produced, the first day, a man’s hair; the second day, a man’s head ; and the third day, a com- plete human being, named Buri. {Scan- dinavian mythology.) The cow hnovcs not the worth of her tail till she loses it, and is troubled with flies, which her tail brushed off. What we have we prize not to the worth Whiles we enjoy it ; but being lack’d and lost. Why, then we rack the value. Shakespeare, “ Much Ado Abuut Nothing," iv. 1. Curst COWS have short horns. (^See Curst.) Coward (anciently written culvard) is either from the French couard, ori- ginally written culvert, from culver (a pigeon), pigeon - livered being still a common expression for a coward; or else from the Latin culum ver'tere, to turn tail (Spanish, colarde; Portuguese, covarde ; Italian, codardo, “a coward;” Latin, “a tail”). cowarded, in heraldry, is one drawn with its cone or tail between its legs. The allusion is to the practice of beasts, who sneak off in this manner when they are cowed. The etymology from the Italian cadre tardo (slow or faint-hearted) is not ten- able. Cowper. Called “Auth*or of ‘The Task,’ ” from his principal poem. (1731- 1800.) Cowper Law, a corruption of Cupar, &c., is trying a man after execu- tion. Similar expressions are Jedwood, Jeddart, and Jedburgh justice. Cowper justice had its rise from a baron-baile in Coupar- Angus, before heritable juris- dictions were abolished. {See Lydford Law.) Cowper Law, as we say in Scotland— hang a man first, and then judge him. — Lord de lioa, “ Tower of London." Coxcomb. An empty-headed, vain person. The ancient licensed jesters were so called because they wore a cock’s comb in their caps. Coxcombs, an ever empty race, Are trumpets of their own disgrace. Gay, "Fables," xix. Let me hire him too; here’s my coxcomb. Shakespeare, ‘ ‘ King Lear," i. 4. The Prince of Coxcombs. Charles Joseph, prince de Ligne. (1535-1614.) Richard II. of England is sometimes called the Coxcomb. (1366 1400.) Henri III. of France was called 192 COYSTRIL. CRAPAUD. le Mignon, whicli means pretty well the same thing. (1551-1589.) Goys'tril, Coystrel, or Kestrel. A degenerate hawk ; hence, a paltry fellow. Holinshed says, ^^costerels or bearers of the arms of barons or knights ” (vol. i., p. 162) ; and again, women, lackeys, and vCosterels are considered as the un- warlike attendants on an army” (vol. hi. 272). Each of the life guards of Henry VIII. had an attendant, called a coystrel or coystril. Some think the word is a corruption of costerel, which they derive from the Latin coterellus (a peasant) ; but if not a corruption of kestrel, I should derive it from costrel (a small wooden bottle used by labourers in harvest time). Vasa qusedam quae costrelli vocantur.” — Matthew Paris. He's a coward and a coystril that will not drink to my niece. — Shakespeare^ “ Tu'clfth Night” i. 3. Cozen. To cheat. (Armoric, couq- zyeiii; Russian, kosnodei ; Arabic, gaiisa ; Ethiopic, chasawa; onr chouse.) I think it no sin To cozen him that would unjustly win. Shakespeare, All’s Well that Ends Well,” iv. 2. Crab {A'). An ill-tempered fellow. ‘^You old crab” (^^The Poor Gentle- man,” by Colman). Crabbed is ill-tem- pered, as Crabbed age and youth ne’er can dwell together.” The word is from the wild apple or crab, which is exceed- ingly sour. Crack a Bottle — i.e., drink one. The allusion is to the mischievous pranks of the drunken frolics of times gone by, when the bottles and glasses were broken during the bout. Miss Oldbuck says, in reference to the same custom, never were glass- breakers in this house, Mr. Level” (^‘Antiquary”); meaning they were not bottle-crackers, or given to drunken orgies. {See Crush.) ale. From which I now drink to sweet Nan of the Vale, Was once Toby Filpot’s, a thirsty old soul As e er cracked a bottle, or fathomed a bowl. O'Keefe, “ Poor Soldier.'” Cracker. A corruption of Greek Fire. French, feu Grecque ; Middle Age perversion, creyke. {See Greek Fire.) ^ Cracknells (from the French craque- liii). A hard, brittle cake. Craigmillar Castle. So called from Henry de Craigmillar, who built the castle in the twelfth century. Cra'kys of War. Cannons were so called in the reign of Edward III. Cram. To tell what is not true. A crammer, an untruth. The allusion is to stuffing a person with useless rubbish. Crambo. Repetition. So called from a game which consists in some one setting a line, which another is to rhyme to, but no one word of the first line must occur in the second. Crab-cart. The main shell or cara- pace of a crab. So called because it is used very commonly by children for a toy-cart, a piece of string being tied to it to drag it about. Crabsbaw {Timothy). The servant of Sir Launcelot Greaves’s squire. — lett, Adventures. Crack, as a crack man, a first- rate fellow ; a crack hand at cards, a first-rate player ; a crack article, an ex- cellent one. This is University slang, being a translation of the Latin crepo (to boast of, to crack up, or crack), as genus crepat Lucretius (he cracks or boasts of his ancestry). Indeed, la ! ’tis a noble child ; a crack, madam. Shakespeare, “ Coriolanus,” i 3. To crack up a person. To praise him highly. {See above.) In a crack, instantly. In a snap of the fingers, crep'itu digito'rum (in a crack of the fingers), Crane means long-shanks. (Welsh, gar, ‘Mhe shanks,” whence our gaiter and garter). Garan is the long-shanked bird, contracted into g'ran, crane ; heroiv is another form of the same word. Cranke (1 syl.). An Abram man (q.v.). So called from the German (sickly), whence cranky, ^^diotic, foolish, full of whims,” and cranke (simu- lated sickness). These beggars were called crankes because they pretended madness and sickness to excite com- passion. Cran'nook. An Irish measure which, in the days of Edward II., contained either eight or sixteen pecks. Crannocus continebit xvj pecks. Crannoco conti- nente octo E jcchequer of Ireland (Rec). Cra'paud or Johnny Crapaud. A Frenchman ; as John Bull is an English- man. So called from the device of the ancient kings of Franco, ^Mhree toads erect, saltant” (Givillim’s Display of CEAPE. CREOLE. 193 of Heraldrie/’ 1611). Nostrada'mus, in the sixteenth century, called the French ‘^crapauds.” (iSee Frogs.) Les anciens crapauds prenderont Sara (Nostrada'mus). Sara is the word Aras reversed, and when the French under Louis XIV. took Aras from the Spaniards, this verse was quoted as a prophecy. Crape, Lawn. A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn. Crape (a sort of bombazine or alpaca) is the stuff of which cheap clerical gowns are made ; the better sort are of silk. Pope means, a poor person who can only afford a stuff gown, would be looked at with thrice as much veneration if he became a bishop, and wore episcopal lawn. Cravat'. A corruption of Crabat or Croat. It was introduced into France by some French officers on their return from Germany in 1636. The Croats, who guarded the Turkish frontiers of Austria, and acted as scouts on the flanks of the army, wore linen round their necks, tied in front, and the officers wore muslin or silk. When France organised a regiment on the model of the Croats, these linen neckcloths were imitated, and the regi- ment was called The Royal Cravat.” Cra'ven means ^^your mercy is craved.” It was usual in former times to decide controversies by an appeal to battle. The combatants fought with batons, and if the accused could either kill his adversary or maintain the fight till sundown, he was acquitted. If he wished to call off, he cried out Craven ! ” and was held infamous, while the defend- ant was advanced to Yiomomy.— B lacJcsto7ce. Crawley. Crooked as Crawley (or) Crawley hrook, a river in Bedfordshire. That part called the brook, which runs into the Ouse, is so crooked that a boat would have to go eighty miles in order to make a progress direct of eighteen. — Fuller, Worthies'' OvSbY'orY (Geoffrey). The nom deplume under which Washington Irving pub- lished ^^The Sketch Book.” Crazy Crow. Porter to the Dublin theatre in the reign of George II., noted for his stentorian voice, which frightful as great Etna roared.” Crazy Sally of Epsom. A drunken impostor, who was so petted and sought after that she soon rode in her carriage. Cre'denee-table. The table near the altar on which the bread and wine are deposited before they are consecrated. In former times food was placed on a credence-table to be tasted previously to its being set before the guests. This was done to assure the guests that the meat was not poisoned. The Italian credenza're means to taste meats placed on the creden'za. (Italian, la credenza, a shelf or buffet ; Greek, crear, food.) Credit Foneier (French). A com- pany licensed to borrow money for city and other improvements connected with estates. A board of guardians may form such a company, and their security would be the parish rates. The money bor- rowed is repaid by instalments with in- terest. The word /o?^c^er means ^Ganded,” as imp6t fonder (land tax), lien fonder (landed property), and so on. Credit Mobilier (French). A company licensed to take in hand all sorts of trading enterprises, such as rail- ways, and to carry on the business of stock-jobbers. The word mobilier means personal property, general stock, as lien mobilier (personal chattels), mobilier vif et mort (live and dead stock). Cre'kenpit. A fictitious river near Husterloe, according to the invention of Master Reynard, who calls on the Hare to attest its existence. — Reynard the Fox. Cremo'na. An organ stop, a cor- ruption of the Italian cormorne, which is the German krummhorn, an organ stop of eight feet pitch ; so called from a wind-instrument made of wood, and bent outwards in a circular arc (krumm horn., crooked horn). Cremo'nas. Violins of the greatest excellence. So called from Cremo'na, where for many years lived some makers of them who have gained a world-wide notoriety, such as An'drea Ama'ti and Antonio his son, Anto'nius Stradiva'rius his pupil, and Giuseppe Guarne'rius the pupil of Stradiva'rius. Cremona has long since lost its reputation for this manufacture. In silvis viva silui ; cano'rajam mor'tua cano. {A motto on a Cremona.) Speecliles.s, alive, I hearrl the feathered throng; Now, being dead, 1 emulate their song. Cre'ole (2 syl.). The descendants of white people born in Mexico, South America, and the W est Indies. As these / 194 CREPIDAM. CRIKEY. people are of a very mixed race, the word signifies, one between a white and a negro. Greole dialects » The various jargons spoken by the West India slaves. Crep'idam. Su;pra crep'idam. Med- dling with what does not concern one ; putting one’s spoke into another man’s wheel ; minding business which does not concern you. (See Cobbler.) Cres'eent. Tradition says that ** Philip, the father of Alexander, meet- ing with great difficulties in the siege of Byzan'tium, set the workmen to under- mine the walls, but a crescent moon dis- covered the design, which miscarried; consequently the Byzantines erected a statue to Diana, and the crescent became the symbol of the state.” Another legend is that Othman, the sultan, saw in a vision a crescent moon, which kept increasing till its horns ex- tended from east to west, and he adopted the crescent of his dream for his stan- dard, adding the motto, Donee rep'ledt orbem, Cres'eit. Crescit sub pon'dere Virtus (Virtue thrives best in adversity). The allusion is to the palm-tree, which grows better when pressed by an incumbent weight. Cressell'e (2 syl.). A wooden instru- ment used in the Romish Church during Passion week instead of bells, to give notice of Divine worship. The mystery of the Cresselle represents Christ praying on the cross. Cres'set. A beacon- light ; properly a little cross.” So called because ori- ginally it was surmounted by a littlo cross. (French, croisetie.) Cress'ida, daughter of Calchas the Grecian priest, w^as beloved by Tro'ilus, one of the sons of Priam. They vowed eternal fidelity to each other, and as pledges of their vow Tro’ilus gave the maiden a sleeve, and Cressid gave the Trojan prince a glove. Scarce had the vow been made when an exchange of prisoners was agreed to. Diomed gave up three Trojan princes, and was to receive Cressid in lieu thereof. Cressid vowed to remain constant, and Tro’ilus swore to rescue her. She was led off to the Grecian’s tent, and soon gave all her affections to Diomed, nay, even bade him wear the sleeve that Tro’ilus had given her in token of her love. As false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer’s calf, Pard to the hind, or step-dame to her son ; " Yea,” let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood, “As false as Cressid.” Shakespeare, “ Troilus and Cressida,” iii. 2. Cress well (Madame). A woman of infamous character who bequeathed .£10 for a funeral sermon, in which nothing ill should be said of her. The duke of Buckingham wrote the sermon, which was as follows ; All I shall say of her is this— she was born welly she married well, lived well, and died well; for she was born at Shad-well, married to Cress- well, lived at Clerken-well, and died in Bride- well.’* Cressy (Battle of). Won by Edward III. and the Black Prince over Philippe VI. of France, August 26, 1346. Cressy was lost by kickshaws and soup meagre. Fenton,'’^ Prol. to Southern's Spartan Fan le.” Crestfallen. Dispirited. The allu- sion is to fighting cocks, whose crest falls in defeat and rises rigid and of a deep red colour in victory. Shall I seem crest-fallen in my father’s sight? Shakespeare, ''Richard II. ” i. 1. Cre'tieus. Metellus, the Roman general, was so called because he con- quered Crete (Candia). Cre'tinism. Prevalence of goitre; idiotcy. So called from the Cretins of the Alps. The word is a corruption of Christian (Chretien), because, being bap- tised, and only idiots, they were washed from original sin,” and incapable of actual sin. Similarly, idiots are called innocents. Crex. White bullace. (Dutch, hrieche, cherry ; Latin, cer'asum.) Crib. To steal small articles. (Saxon, crybb ; Irish, grib ; our grab, grapple, grip, gripe, &c. ) A literal translation of a classic author used surreptitiously by a student is called a crib. The allusion in this case to the stupidity rather than to the dis- honesty of the act may punningly refer to some such quotation as Imbrem in cribrum gerere (pouring water into a sieve). Crie'ket. A game with bat and ball. (Saxon, cryce, a stick or club.) Cri'key. A profane oath ; a per- verted form of the word Christ, CEILLON. CRITIC. 195 Crillon. Where wert thou^ Crillonl Crillon, surnamed the Brave, in his old age went to church, and listened in- tensely to the story of the Crucifixion. In the middle of the narrative he grew excited, and, unable to contain himself, cried out, Ovb etais tu, Crillon {What were you doing, Crillon, to allow of such things as these?) N.B.— Louis de Berton des Balbes de Crillon was one of the greatest captains of the sixteenth century. Born in Pro- vence, 1541 ; died 1615. Crimp. A decoy; a man or woman that is on the look-out to decoy the un- wary. It is more properly applied to an agent for supplying ship- stores, but these agents are generally in league with pub- lic-houses and private lodging-houses of low character, into which they decoy the sailors and clear them out under one pretence or another. (Welsh, crimpiaw, to squeeze or pinch.) Crip'ple. A battered or bent six- pence ; so called because it is hard to make it go. Crip'plegate. St. Giles is the patron saint of cripples and beggars, and was himself a cripple. Churches dedicated to this saint are, therefore, in the suburbs of large towns, as St. Giles of London, Norwich, Cambridge, Salisbury, &c. Cripplegate, London, was so called before the Conquest, from the number of crip- ples who resorted thither to beg. — Stowe. Cris'-eross How {Christ-cross roiv). The ABC horn-book, containing the alphabet and nine digits. The most ancient of these infant-school books had the letters arranged in the form of a Latin cross, with A at the top and Z at the bottom ; but afterwards the letters were arranged in lines, and a -P was placed at the beginning to remind the learner that The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Mortals ne'er shall know More than contained of old the Chris’-cross row. Tickell. “ The Horn Book'* Crish'na. An incarnate deity of perfect beauty. King Canza being in- formed that a child of the family of De'- vaci would overturn his throne, gave orders to destroy all the male infants that were born. When Crishna was born, his nurse attempted to poison him, but failed, and the mother and child fled, and were taken care of by a shepherd. As he grew up, his beauty was so divine that all the princesses of Hindustan fell in love with him, and even to the present hour he is the Apollo of India and the ^^idol of women.” His images are al- ways painted a deep azure colour. — Sir W. Jones. {See Rama.) Cri'sis properly means the '^ability to judge.” Hippoc'rates said that all diseases had their periods, when the humours of the body ebbed and flowed like the tide of the sea. These tidal days he called critical days, and the tide itself a crisis, because it was on these days the physician could determine whether the disorder was taking a good or a bad turn. The seventh and all its multiples were critical days of a favour- able character. (Greek, \crino, to judge or determine.) Cris'pin. A shoemaker. St. Crispin was a shoemaker, and was therefore chosen for the patron saint of the craft. It is said that two brothers, Crispin and Crispian, born in Rome, went to Soissons, in France (a.d. 303), to propagate the Christian religion, and maintained them- selves wholly by making and mending shoes. Probably the tale is fabulous, for crepis is Greek for a shoe, Latin crepid-a, and St. Crepis or Crepid became Crepin and Crespin. St. Crispin’s Day. The 25th of Octo- ber, the day of the battle of Agincourt. Shakespeare makes Crispin Crispian one person, and not two brothers. Hence Henry V. says to his soldiers — And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by.... But we in it shall be remembered. Act iv. B. 8. St. Crispin’s Holiday. Every Monday, with those who begin the working week on Tuesday ; a no- work day with shoe- makers. (iS'^e Crispin.) Crite''rioii. A standard to judge by. (Greek, Torino, to judge.) Critic. A judge ; an arbiter. (Greek, crino, to judge.) Critic. A captious, malignant critic is called a Zo'ilus {q.v.). A Bossu Critic.— i.e., TAbbd Bossut. “ And wliat of this new book the whole world makes such a rout about ?” “Oh, ’tis out of all plumb, my lord ; quite an irregular thing ! not one of the angles at the four corners is a right angle. 1 had my rule and compasses in rny pocket.” “ Excellent critic ! ” “ And for the epic poem your lordship bade me look at, upon taking the leugtlj, breadth, height, and I depth of it, and trying them at home upon an exact N 2 / 196 CROAKER. scale of Bossu's, ’tis out, my lord, in every one of its dimensions.” “ Admirable connoisseur ! ^'—Sterne. Prince of Critics. Aristarclios, of By- zantium, who compiled the rhapsodies of Homer. (Second century B.c.) Stop‘ivaich Critics. “And how did Garrick speak the soliloquy last night ?” “ Oh, against all rule, my lord, most un- grammatically. Betwixt the substantive and the ad- jective, which should agree together in number, case, and gender, he made a breach, thus stopping as if the point wanted settling ; and betwixtthe nominative case, which your lordship knows should govern the verb, he suspended his voice in the epilogue a dozen times, three seconds and three-tifths by a stop-watch, my lord, each time.” “ But in suspending his voice, was the sense suspended also? Did no expression of attitude or countenance fill up the chasm ? Was • the eye silent ? Did you narrowly look ? ” “I looked only at the stop-watch, my lord.” “ Excellent ob- server ! ''—Sterne. Croak'er (2 syl.). A raven, so called from its croak ; one who takes a despond- ing view of things. Goldsmith, in his ‘ ^ Good-natured Man,” has a character so named. Croc'odile (3 syl.). A symbol of deity among the Egyptians, because it is the only aquatic animal, says Plutarch, which has its eyes covered with a thin transparent membrane, by reason of which it sees and is not seen ; so God sees all, himself not being seen. To this he subsequently adds another reason, saying: ‘^The Egyptians worship God symbolically in the crocodile, that being the only animal without a tongue, like the Divine Logos, which standeth not in need of speech.”— Iside et Osiridef vol. ii., p. 381. Croc'odile. The marsh crocodile is afraid of man, and hides its snout in mud when alarmed, thinking itself per- fectly secure. {See Booby, Ostrich.) Croc'odile. The humming bird and lapwing enter fearlessly into the stretched mouth of the crocodile, and the creature never injures them. Paul Lucas says he has seen this, and that the birds pick the crocodile’s teeth. — Voyage fait en 1714. {See Fonda.) Crocodile’s Eye. Hieroglyphic for the morning. Croc'odile’s Tears. Hypocritical tears. The tale is, that crocodiles moan and sigh like a person in deep distress, to allure travellers to the spot, and even shed tears over their prey while in the act of devouring it. As the mournful crocodile With sorrow snares relenting passengers. Shakespeare, “ 2 Henry YI.” iii. i. CROP. Crcesus. Rich as Croesus. Croesus king of Lydia was so rich and powerful, that all the wise men of Greece were drawn to his court, and his name became pro- verbial for wealth, (b.c. 560-546.) {See Gtges.) Crom'eraacli'. Chief idol of the Irish before the preaching of St. Patrick. It was a gold or silver image surrounded by twelve little brazen ones. Cromlech.. A large stone resting on two or more others, like a table. (Welsh, crom, ^‘bent;” Ilec, a flat stone.”) Weyland Smith’s cave (Berkshire), Tre- vethy stone (Cornwall), Kit’s Coty House (Kent). Irby and Mangles saw twenty- seven structures just like these on the banks of the Jordan ; at Plas Newydd (Anglesey) are two cromlechs ; in Corn- wall they are numerous ; so are they in Wales ; some few are found in Ireland, as the killing- stone” in Louth. In Brit- tany, Denmark, Germany, and some other parts of Europe, cromlechs are to be found. Cro'nian Sea. The north polar sea. Pliny says, ^‘A Thule unius diei navigatio'ne mare concretum, a nonnullis croniumo.'p'g^oH'ox.'^— ^Natural History iv. 16. As when two polar winds, blowing adverse Upon the Cronian sea. Milton, “ Paradise Lost,” x. 390. Cro'ny. A familiar friend. A 71 old cfony is an intimate of times gone by. Probably c7'one with the diminutive ie for endearment, and equivalent to ‘^dear old fellow,” dear old boy.” Crook in the Lot. There is a C7^ooJc in the lot of every one. There is vexation bound up- in every person’s lot of life, a skeleton in the cupboard of every house. A crook in a stick is a bend, a part where the stick does not run straight, hence a shepherd’s crook.” When lots were drawn by bits of stick, it was desirable to get sticks which were smooth and straight ; but it is very hard to find one without a crook, knot, or some other defect. Boston has a book entitled ‘^The Crook in the Lot.” Crooked as Crawley. {See Crawley.) Crop up (or) out. To rise out of, to appear at the surface. A mining term. Strata which rise to the surface are said to crop out. We also say, such and such a subject crops up from time to time — ^.c., CROQUEMITATNE. CROTALUM. 197 rises to the surface ; such and such a thing crops out of what you were saying — is apropos thereof. Croquemitaine {croahmit-taiiii), the bogie raised by fear. The romance so called, in three parts. The first relates the bloody tournament at Fransac, be- tween the champions of the Moorish king Marsillus and the paladins of Char- lemagne. The second is the siege of Saragossa by Charlemagne. The third is the allegory of Fear-Fortress. The epilogue is the disaster at Roncesvalles. The author is M. TEpine. There is an English version by Tom Hood, illustrated by Gustave Dore (1867). {See Feak- Fortress, Mitaine, &c.) Cross. The cross is said to have been made of four sorts of wood (palm, cedar, olive, and cypress) to signify the four quarters of the globe. Ligna crucis palma, cedrus, cupressua, oli'va. We are accustomed to consider the sign of the cross as wholly a Christian symbol, originating with the crucifixion of our Redeemer : this is quite erroneous. The ancient Egyptians employed the same as a sacred symbol, and we see on Greek sculptures, &c., a cake with a cross ; two such buns were discovered at Hercula'neum. The judgment of the Cross. An ordeal instituted in the reign of Charlemagne. The plaintiff and defendant were re- quired to cross their arms upon their breast, and he who could hold out the longest gained the suit. Every one must hear his own cross. His own burden or troubles. The allusion is to the Jewish law that the person con- demned to be crucified was to carry his cross to the place of execution. Cross, ill-tempered, is the Anglo- Saxon crous. Azeyn (against) hem was he kene and crous. Cursor Mundi. Cross and Ball, so universally marked on Egyptian figures, is a circle and the letter T. The circle signifies the eternal preserver of the world, and the T is the monogram of Thoth, the Egyptian Mercury, meaning wisdom. The coronation orb is a sphere or ball surmounted by a cross, an emblem of empire introduced in representations of our Saviour. In this case the cross stands dbowe the ball, to signify that the spiritual power is above the temporal. Cross and Pile. Money ; pitch and toss. Hilaire le Gai tells us that some of the ancient French coins had a cross, and others a column, on the reverse; the column was called a pile, from which comes our word pillar,” and the phrase pile- driving.” Scaliger says that some of the old French coins had a ship on the reverse, the arms of Paris, and that pile means ^^a ship,” whence our word pilot.” A man may now justifiably throw up cross and pile for his opinions.— hocfce, '"‘Human Understanding.” Cross or PiUf heads or tails. The French pile ou face. The face ” or cross was the oSvem of the coin, the ^^pile” was the reverse ; but at a later period the cross was transferred to the reverse, as in our florins, and the obverse bore a ‘^head” or ^^poll.” Marriage is worse than eross I win, pile you lose. Shadwell, “ Epsom Wells'* Cross nor Pile. I have neither cross nor pile. Not a penny in the world. The French phrase is, N’avoir ni croix ni pile (to have neither one sort of coin nor another). Whacum had neither cross nor pile. Butler^ “ Hudibras” pt. ii. 3. Cross Buns. {See Bums.) Cross-grained. Patchy, ill-tem- pered, self-willed. Wood must be worked with the grain ; where the grain crosses we get a knot or curling, which would be very hard to work uniform with the rest. Cross-patch. A peevish, cross- grained child. A patch is a paltry fellow; a patchy person is one who is uncertain in temper : he is like a garment in which the pattern runs one way and the patch another, or like a patch of new cloth in an old garment, which destroys the drape and greatly disfigures the garment. Cross-roads. The practice of bury- ing in cross-roads is due to the ancient practice of erecting a cross at such places. Those who were excluded from holy rites were piously buried at the foot of the cross erected on the public road, as the place next in sanctity to conse- crated ground. Crot'alum. A sort of castanet, rattled in dancing. Aristopha'nes calls a great talker krot'alon (a clack). / 198 CEOTCHET. CEOYSADO. Crot'cliet. ^ A whim ; a fancy ; a twist of the mind, like the crotch or crome of a stick. {See Crook. ) The duke hath crotchets in him. Shakespeare^ “ Measure for Measure” iii. 2. Croto'na’s Sage. Pytha'goras. So called because at Crotona he established his first and chief school of philosophy. Such success followed his teaching, that the whole aspect of the town became more moral and. decorous in a marvellously short time. Crow. As the croio files. The shortest route between two given places. The crow hies straight to its point of desti- nation. To crow over one is to exult over a van- quished or abased person. The allusion is to cocks, who always crow when they have vanquished an adversary. I must j^lucTc a croiv with you; I have a crow to ;pich with you. I am displeased with you, and must call you to account. I have a small complaint to make against you. In Howell’s proverbs (1659) we find the following, have* a goose to pluck with you,” used in the same sense ; and Chaucer has the phrase ‘^Pull a finch, but means thereby, to cheat or filch. Children of distinction among the Greeks and Eomans had birds for their amusement, and in their boyish quarrels used to pluck or pull the feathers out of each other’s pets. Tyn'darus, in his Captives,” alludes to this, l3ut instances it with a lapwing. In hiero- glyphics, a crow symbolises contention, discord, strife. If a crow help us in, sirrah, we’ll pluck a crow together. — Shakespeare^ “ Comedy of Errors,” iii. 1, If not, resolve before we go That you and I must pull a crow. Butler, '' Rudibrasf' pt. ii. 9. Crow, Why black. Eaven.) Crowbar. A bar with a crook, used for leverage. (Saxon, Icroh ; oi&h., crug ; Gothic, llrugg ; our ci'ooh.) Crowd. A fiddle. (Welsh, crwth.) O sweet^consent, between a crowd and a Jew’s harp ! Lyly. Crowd e'ro. One of the rabble leaders encountered by Hudibras at a bear-baiting. The original of this cha- racter was one Jackson or Jephson, a milhner^ who lived in the New Exchange, Strand. He lost a leg in the service of the Eoundheads, and was reduced to the necessity of fiddling from alehouse to alehouse for his daily bread. The word means fiddler. {See Crowd.) Crowns. In heraldry nine crowns are recognised: The oriental, the tri- umphal or imperial, the diadem, the obsidional crown, the civic, the crown vallery, the mural crown, the naval, and the crown celestial . The Bloclcade Croim (coro'na obsidio- na'lis), presented by the Eomans to the general who liberated a beleaguered army. This was made of grass and wild flowers gathered from the spot. A Camp Crown was given by the Eomans to him who first forced his way into the enemy’s camp. It was made of gold, and decorated with palisades. A Civil Crown was presented to him who preserved the life of a civis or Eoman citizen in battle. This crown was made of oak leaves, and bore the inscription, H.O.C.S. — i.e., hostem oc'cidit, ci'vem serva'vit {a foe he slew, a citizen saved), A Mural Crown was given by the Eomans to that man who first scaled the wall of a besieged town. It was made of gold, and decorated with battlements. A Naval Crown was by the Eomans given to him who won a naval victory. It was made of gold, and decorated with the beaks of ships. An Olive Crown was by the Eomans given to those who distinguished them- selves in battle in some way not specially mentioned in other clauses. An Ova'tion Crown “(coro'na ova'lis) was by the Eomans given to the general who vanquished pirates or any despised enemy. It was made of myrtle. A Triumphal Crown was by the Eomans given to the general who obtained a tri- umph. It was made of laurel or bay leaves. Sometimes a massive gold crown was given to a victorious general. {See Laurel.) Crown of the East— Antioch, capital of Syria, which consisted of four walled cities, encompassed by a common rampart, which enrounded them like a coronet.” It was also surnamed ‘‘the beautiful.” Crowner. Coroner. The crowner hath set on her, and finds it Christian burial.— “ Hamlet” v. 1. Crowquill {Alfred) is Alfred H. Forrester. (Born 1805.) Croysa'do. The Great Croysado, General lord Fairfax. — Hudibras, CEOZIER, CRUSTED. 199 Cro'zier (or) Cro'sier. An archbishop’s staff terminates in a floriated cross, while a bishop’s crook has a curved, bracken- like head. A bishop turns his crook outwards j to denote his wider authority ; an abbot (whose crook is the same as a bishop’s) carries it turned inwards , to show that his jurisdiction is limited to his own inmates. When walking with a bishop, an abbot covers his crook with a veil hanging from the knob, to show that his authority is veiled in the presence of his superior. Cru'cial. A crucial test. A very severe and undeniable one. The allusion is to a fancy of lord Bacon’s, who said that two different diseases or sciences might run parallel for a time, but would ultimately cross each other : thus, the plague might for a time resemble other diseases, but when the hutio or boil ap- peared, it would assume its specific cha- racter. Hence the phrases instan'tia crucis (a crucial or unmistakable symptom), a crucial experiment, a crucial example, a crucial question, &p. Crude Forms in grammar ; the roots or essential letters of words. The words are crude or unfinished. Cruel {The). Pedro, king of Castile. (1334, 1350-1369.) Pedro I. of Portugal ; also called le Justicier. (1320, 1357-1367.) Cruel Garters. Garters made of worsted or yarn. Ha ! ha ! look, he wears cruel garters. Shakespeare^ “ King Lear” ii. 4. Wearing of silk, why art thou so cruel ? ** Woman's a Weathercock.” (1612.) Crump. DonH you wish you may get itf Mrs. Crump ? ” Grose says Mrs. Crump, a farmer’s wife, was invited to dine with lady Coventry, who was very deaf. Mrs. Crump wanted some beer, but awed by the purple and plush, said, in a half whisper, wish I had some beer, now.” Mr. Flunkey, conscious that his mistress could not hear, replied in the same aside^ Don’t you wish you may get it ? ” At this the farmer’s wife rose from table, and helped herself. Lady Coventry, of course, demanded the reason, and the anecdote soon became a standing joke. Crusades (2 syl.). Holy wars in which the warriors wore a cross, and fought, nominally at least, for the honour of the cross. Each nation had its special colour, which, says Matthew Paris (i. 446), was red for France ; white for England ; green for Flanders ; for Italy it was blue or azure ; for Spain, gides ; for Scotland, a St. Andrew’s cross ; for the Knights Templars, red on white. The seven Crusades. 1. (1096-1100.) Preached up by Peter the Hermit. Led by Godfrey of Bouillon, who took Jerusalem. 2. (1147-1149.) At the instigation of St. Bernard. Led by Louis VII. and the emperor Conrad. To secure the union of Europe. 3. (1189-1193.) Led by Richard Lion^ heart. For knightly distinction. This was against Saladin or Salah-Eddin. 4. (1202-1204.) Led by Baldwin of Flanders and the doge. To glorify the Venetians. 5. (1217.) Led by John of Brienne, titular king of Jerusalem. To suit his own purpose. 6. (1228-1229.) Led by Frederick II. To suit the purposes of the pope. 7. (1248-1254) and 8 (1268-1270.) To satisfy the religious scruples of Louis IX. Crush. To crush a bottle— i.e., drink one. From the Italian croscia're (to decant). Shakespeare has also burst a bottle in the same sense (Induction of Taming the Shrew”). {See Crack.) Come and crush a cup of wine. Shakespeare, “ Romeo and Juliet'^ i. 2, To crush a fly on a wheel. To crack a nut with a stea.m-hammer ; to employ power far too valuable for the purpose to be accomplished. The wheel referred to is the rack. Cru'soe {A). A solitary man; the only inhabitant of a place. The tale of Defoe is well known, which describes Robinson Crusoe as cast on a desert island, where he employs the most ad- mirable ingenuity in providing for his daily wants. Whence creeping forth, to Duty’s call he yields. And strolls the Crusoe of the lonely fields. Bloomfield, Farmer's Boy.'* Crus'ted Port. When port is first bottled its fermentation is not complete ; in time it precipitates alcohol on the sides of the bottle, where it forms a crust. Crusted port, therefore, is port which has completed its fermentation, 200 CEUSTY. CUDDY. Crus'ty. Ill-tempered, apt to take offence ; from crus (wrathful) ; our cross. Azeyn (against) hem was he kene and crous, And said, “ Goth out of my Fader hous.” Cursor Mundi. Crutclied Friars is the Latin a^u- cia'ti (crossed) — i.e.^ having a cross em- broidered on their dress. They were of the Trinitarian order. Cry. Great cry and little wool. This is derived from the ancient mystery of David and Abigail,” in which Nabal is represented as shearing his sheep, and the Devil, who is made to attend the churl, imitates the act by shearing a hog.” Originally the proverb ran thus. Great cry and little wool, as the devil said when he sheared the hogs.” N.B. — Hudibras alters the proverb into ‘^All cry and no wool.” Crystal Hills. On the coast of the Caspian, near Badku, is a mountain which sparkles like diamonds, from the sea-glass and crystals with which it abounds. Crystalline (3 syl.). The Crystalline sphere. According to Ptolemy, beyond the firmament or sphere of the fixed stars comes the crystalline sphere, which oscillates or has a shimmering motion which interferes with the regular motion of the stars. They pass the planets seven, and pass the “ fixed,” And that crystariine sphere, whose balance weighs The trepidation talked (ol ). Milton^ ^'Paradise Lost," iii. Cub. An ill-mannered lout. The cub of a bear is said to have no shape until its dam has licked it into form. A bear’s a savage beast, of all Most ugly and unnatural ; Whelped without form until the dam Has licked it into shape and frame. Butler, “ Hudibras” i. 3. Cubittop'olis. The Warwick and Eccleston Square districts of London ; so called from Cubitt the builder. Cucking-stool or Chohing-stoolj for ducking scolds, is not connected with choice (to stifle), but the French choquer ; hence the archaic verb cuck (to throw), and one still in use, chuck (chuck-farth- ing). The cucking-stool is therefore the chucking- stool, the stool which is chucked or thrown into the water. Now, if one cucking-stool was for each scold, fciome towns, I fear, would not their numbers hold. Poor Robin," (1746.) Cuckold. (See AcTiEON.) Cuckold King {The). Mark of Cornwall, whose wife Yseult intrigued with Sir Tristram, one of the Knights of the Bound Table. Cuckold’s Point. A spot on the river-side near Deptford. So called from a tradition that king John made there successful love to a labourer’s wife. Cuckoo. Cuckoo oats and woodcock hay make the farmer min aivay. If the spring is so backward that the cuckoo is heard when oats are sown ; and the autumn so wet that woodcocks come over before the eddish hay is cut, the farmer must suffer great loss. Cuckoo. A cuckold. The cuckoo oc- cupies the nest and eats the eggs of other birds ; and Dr. Johnson says, ^^It was usual to alarm a husband at the approach of an adulterer by calling out ‘ Cuckoo,’ which by mistake was applied in time to the person warned.” Green calls the cuckoo ^‘the cuckold’s quirister” Quip for an Upstart Courtier,” 1620). This is an instance of how words get in time perverted from their original mean- ing. The Eomans used to call an adul- terer a cuckoo,” as ^^Te cuc'ulum uxor ex lustris rapit ” (Plautus, Asin.,” v. 3), and the allusion was simple and correct ; but Dr. J ohnson’s explanation will hardly satisfy any one except himself for-'the modern perversion of the word. The cuckoo then, on every tree. Mocks married men; for thus sings he, Cuckoo ! Cuckoo ! cuckoo ! O word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear ! Shakespeare, ** Love's Labour^s Lost,” y. S. Cuckoo Spit. A spume found on lavender bushes, rosemary, fly-catch, and some other plants. It proceeds from a small insect, which, like the cochineal, exudes a foam for its own warmth and protection during its state of transition. The term cuckoo” is synonymous with spring or cuckoo-time. Cu'eumber Time. The dull season in the tailoring trade. The Germans call it Die saure Gurken Zeit (pickled gherkin time). Hence the expression Tailors are vegetarians, because they live on ^‘cucum- ber” when without work, and on “cab- bage ” when in full employ.— and Queries, Cuddy. An ass; a dolt. A gipsy term, from the Persian gudda and the Hindustanee ghudda (an ass). Hast got thy breakfast, brother cuddy D. Wingate, CUE. CUNSTANCE. 201 Cue (1 syl.). The tail of a sentence (French, queue) y the catch- word which indicates when another actor is to speak ; a hint ; the state of a person’s temper, as, So-and-so is in a good cue (or) bad cue.” When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer.— Shakespeare^ **3Iidsiimmer-Nighfs Dream,” iv. 1. CuTfey. A negro. A generic name for the race. Cuffen and Cudden are different forms of the same word, also written Cuddy (a dolt, ass), applied to slaves, who are used like asses. Sambo and CuflFey expand under every sky.-H. Beecher Stowe, Cui Bono ? What practical use is it? what would be gained thereby? Literally, to what or whom is it a gain ? {Est with two datives.) Cuirass. Sir Arthur’s cuirass was carved of one emerald, centred in a sun of silver rays, that lightened as he breathed.” — TennysoTiy Elaine.^' Cuish'es or Cuisses (2 syl.). Armour for the thighs. (French, cuisse, the thigh. ) Soon o’er his thighs he placed the cuishes bright. ^‘Jei'usalem Delivered,'’ bk. xi. His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed. Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry IV.,” iv. 1. Cul de Sac (French). A blind alley, or alley blocked up at one end like a sack. Figuratively, an argument, &c., that leads to nothing. Culdees. A religious order of Ireland and Scotland, said to have been founded in the sixth century by St. Columba. So called from the Gaelic cy lie-dee (a house of cells) or Gille De (servants of God). Giraldus Cambrensis, going to the Latin for its etymology, according to a custom unhappily not yet extinct, derives it from colo-deus (to worship God). CuTminate (3 syl.). Come to a crisis. The passage of a celestial body over the meridian at the upper transit is called its culmination. (Latin, cidmen, the top.) Cul'prit. Anciently, when a person pleaded ^^not guilty,” the clerk pro- nounced these words, QuHl paroit (may it appear so !). It is an outrage to derive it from the Latin culpa and French prit ; a horse and an ass are never yoked to- gether in philology. Culross G-irdles. The thin plate of iron used in Scotland for the manu- facture of oaten cakes is called a '^girdle,” for which Culross was long celebrated. Locks and bars, plough-graith and harrow-teeth ! and why not grates and fireprongs, and Culross girdles 1— Scott, ''Fair Maid of Perth,” c. ii. CuFver. Pigeon. (Old English, ver; Latin, cohtmba; hence, culver-house, a dove-cote.) On liquid wing The sounding culver shoots. Thomson, "Spring” Cul'verin properly means a serpent (Latin, colubri'nus, the col'uber), but is ap- plied to a long, slender piece of artillery employed in the sixteenth century to carry balls to a great distance. Queen Elizabeth’s ‘^Pocket Pistol” in Dover castle is a culverin. CuPverkeys. The keys or flowers of the culver or columba — i.e.y colum- bine. Cumberland Poet {The). William Wordsworth, born at Cockermouth. (1770-1850.) Cuncta't-or {the delayer). Quintus Fa'bius Max'imus, the jSoman general who baffled Hannibal by avoiding direct engagements, and wearing him out by marches, countermarches, and skirmishes from a distance. This was the policy by which Duguesclin forced the English to abandon their possessions in France in the reign of Charles V. {le Sage). Cu'neiform Letters. Letters like wedges (Latin, cu'neus, a wedge). These sort of letters occur in old Persian and Babylonian inscriptions. They are some- times called Arrow-headed characters y and those found at Babylon are called uail~ headed. This species of writing is the most ancient of which we have any knowledge. Cu'no. The ranger, father of Agatha, in Weber’s opera of ^^Der Freischiitz.” Cu'nobelin’s Gold Mines. Ca- verns in the chalk beds of Little Thur- rock, Essex. So called from the tradition that king Cu'nobelin hid in them his gold. They are sometimes called Dane-holes, because they were used as lurking-pla^jes by the Norsemen. Cunstance. A model of Kesigna- tion, daughter of the emperor of Rome. The sultan of Syria, in order to have her for his wife, renounced his re- ligion and turned (Christian ; but the sultan’s mother murdered him, and / 202 GUNTUR. CURRANT. turned Cunstance adrift on a raft. After a time the raft stranded on a rock near Northumberland, and the con- stable rescued Cunstance, and took her home, where she converted his wife, Hermegild. A young lord fell in love with her ; but his suit being rejected, he murdered Hermegild, and laid the charge of murder against Cun- stance. King Ella adjudged the cause, and Cunstance being proved innocent, he married her. While EUa was in Scot- land, Cunstance was confined with a boy, named Maurice ; and Ella’s mother, angry with Cunstance for the introduc- tion of the Christian religion, put her on a raft adrift with her baby boy. They were accidentally found by a senator, and taken to Rome. Ella having dis- covered that his mother had turned his wife and child adrift, put her to death, and went to Rome in pilgrimage to atone for his crime. Here he fell in with his wife and son. Maurice succeeded his grandfather as emperor of Rome, and at the death of Ella, Cunstance returned to her native land. — Chaucer j The Man of Lawes Tale” Cuntur. A bird worshipped by the ancient Peruvians. It is generally called the condor,” and by the Arabians the roc.” Cup. We must drinh the cup. We must bear the burden awarded to us, the sorrow which falls to our lot. The allu- sion is to the words of our Lord in the garden of Gethsem'ane (Matt. xxvi. 39 ; also XX. 22). One way of putting criminals to death in ancient times was by poison ; Socrates had hemlock to drink. In allusion to this it is said that Jesus Christ tasted death for every man (Heb. ii. 9). Many a sliv Hwixt the cup and the lip. (See Ano^usI) Cup Tosser. A juggler (French, joueur de gohelet). The old symbol for a juggler was a goblet. The phrase and symbol are derived from the practice of jugglers who toss in the air, twist on a stick, and play all sorts of tricks with goblets or cups. Cu'par. He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar. He that will have his own way, must have it even to his injury. The reference is to the Cistercian monas- tery, founded here by Malcolm lY. Cupboard Love. Love from in- terested motives. The allusion is to the love of children to some indulgent per- son who gives them something nice from her cupboard. Cupl3oard love is seldom true.— Poo»* Bdbin. Cupid and Psyche. An exquisite episode in the Golden Ass ” of Apu- le'ius. It is an allegory representing the progress of the soul to perfection. Mrs. Tighe has a poem on the same subject ; and Moliere a drama entitled Psyche.” Cur. A fawning, mean-spirited fel- low; a crop-tailed dog (Latin, curtus, crop-tailed; French, court; OMYcurt). Ac- cording to forest laws, a man who had no right to the privilege of the chase was obliged to cut off the tail of his dog, for if a dog has no rudder- tail he cannot hunt game. Hence a degenerate dog or man is called a cur. "What would you have, you curs, That like nor peace nor war ? Shakespeare^ “ Coriolanus,'* i. 1, Curate. (See Clerical Titles.) Curchus. A divinity worshipped by the ancient Prussians. It presided over food and drink. Cure de Meudon— ^^e., Rabelais, who was first a monk, then a leech, then prebend of St. Maur, and lastly cure of Meudon. (1483-1553.) Cur'few Bell. The bell rung in the reigns of William I. and II. at sunset, to give notice to their subjects that they were to put out their fires and candles (French, couvre feu, cover-fire). Prior to the Conquest, the ‘^Evensong Bell” rang for vespers. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. Gray, ‘ ‘ Hiegy;* This battell begane in Chyviat An owar befor the none. And when the even-song bell was rang The battell was not half done. Chevy Chase. Curmud'geon (3 syl. ) is Saxon ceol~ modigan (churlish-minded). Dr. John- son gives the derivation of this word thus, coeur mechant, unknown corre- spondent.” Dr. Ash, in his dictionary, says, ccBur, unknown ; mechant, corre- spondent,” a blunder only paralleled by the schoolboy translation of the Greek me genoito by me (God) geonito (forbid) (Luke XX. 6). Currant. A corruption of Corinth, hence called by Ju'venal Corinthi' acce CUURENT. CUSTARD. 203 uvce ; unless, indeed, it is a vitiated form of the Greek horumh (a bunch of grapes, a cluster). Current. The drift of the current is the rate per hour at which the current runs. The setting of the current is that point of the compass towards which the waters of the current run. Ciirrer Bell. The nom de 'plume of Charlotte Bronte, authoress of ‘^Jano Eyre.” (1816-1855.) Curric'uluni. The whole course of study adopted in a school, college, or uni- versity. Properly, a race for a prize. The Romans used the expression curriculum vitce (the curriculum of life). Curse. Not 'worth a curse. Worth nothing, not worth a fig. Curse means a wild cherry {Jcerse ) ; German, kirsch. Wisdom and witt nowe is not worthe a kerse.— Robert Langeland, “ Piers Ploughman'^ Curse of Scotland. The nine of diamonds. The two most plausible suggestions are these 1. The nine of diamonds in the game of pope Joan is called the pope, the antichrist of the Scotch reformers. 2. In the game of comette, introduced by queen Mary, it is the great winning card, and the game was the curse of Scotland, because it was the ruin of so many families. Other suggestions are these. 3. The word curse” is a corruption of cross, and the nine fof diamonds is so arranged as to form a St. Andrew’s Cross ; but as the nine of hearts would do as well, this ex- planation must be abandoned. 4. Some say it was the card on which the Butcher Duke ” wrote his cruel order after the battle of Collo'den ; but the term must have been in vogue at the period, as the ladies nicknamed Justice- Clerk Ormistone “ The Nine of Dia- monds” (1715). 5. Similarly we must reject the suggestion that it refers to the arms of Dairy mple, earl of Stair — viz., or, on a saltire azure, nine lozenges of the first. The earl was justly held in abhorrence for the massacre of Glencoe ; so also was Colonel Packer, who attended Charles I. on the scaffold, and had for his arms gules a cross lozengy or.” Cursing by Bell, Book, and Candle is reading the anathema in the church, and at the close casting the Bible on the ground, tolling the bell, and ex- tinguishing all the candles, saying, ^^Fiat, fiat! Do -to the Book; quench the candles ; ring the bell. Amen, amen.” Curst. Curst cows have curt horns. Angry men cannot do all the mischief they wish. Curst means angry” or ‘^fierce,” from the Dutch Jcorsel, and curt is short,” as in curt-mantle, curt- hose. The Latin proverb is Bat Beus immi'ti coi^nua curta hovV* You are called plain Kate, And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst. Shakespeare, “ 'I'aming of the Shrew,'' ii. i. Curtail, To cut short. (French, court tailU, short cut.) Curtain Lecture. The nagging of a wife after her husband is in bed. The lectures of Mrs. Caudle in Punch are first-rate caricatures of these small cattle.” Curta'na. The sword of Edward the Confessor, which having no point, was the emblem of mercy. The royal sword of England was so called to the reign of Henry III. But when Curtana will not do the deed You lay the pointless clergy- weapon by, And to the laws, your sword of justice, fly. Dryden, “ Hind and Panther” pt. ii. Curthose (2 syl.). Robert II., duo de Normandie. (1087-1134.) Curtis'e (2 syl.). The little hound, in the tale of ‘^Reynard the Fox.” (High German, k%trz; French, courte, short or small.) Curtmantle. The surname of Henry II. He introduced the Anjou mantle, which was shorter than the robe worn by his predecessors. (1133, 1154- 1189.) Curule Chair. Properly, a chariot chair, an ornamental stool placed by the Romans in a chariot for the chief magis- trate when he went to attend the council. As dictators, consuls, praetors, censors, and the chief ediles occupied such a chair, they were termed curule magis- trates or curu'l'es. Curzon Street (London). Named after the ground landlord, George Augustus Curzon, third viscount Howe. Cus'tard. A slap on the hand with a ferula. The word should be custid, unless a play is meant. (Latin, custis, a club or stick.) 204 CUSTAED. CUT. Custard Coffin. {See Coffin.) Cus'tomer. A man or acquaintance. A rum customer is one better left alone, as he is likely to show fight if interfered with. A shop term. Here be many of her old customers. Shakespeare, “ Measure for Measure’* vv. 3. Custos Rotulo'rum (keeper of the rolls). The chief civil officer of a county, to whose custody are committed the records or rolls of the sessions. Cut. To renounce acquaintance. There are four sorts of cut — (1.) The cut direct y which is to start direct across the road when the ob- noxious person draws near. (2.) The cut indirect y to look another way, and pretend not to see him. (3.) The cut sublimCy to admire the top of some tall edifice or the clouds of heaven till the person cut has passed by. (4. ) The cut infernal, to stoop and adjust your boots till the party has gone past. There is a very remarkable Scripture illustration of the word cut, meaning to renounce : Jehovah took a staff and cut it asunder, in token that he would break his covenant with his people ; and he cut another staff asunder, in token that he would break the brotherhood of Judah and Israel. (Zech. xi. 7 — 14.) He has cut his eye-teeth. He is wide awake, he is a knowing one. The eye- teeth are the canine teeth, just under the eyes, and the phrase means he can bite as well as bark. Of course, the play is on the word “ eye,” and those who have cut their eye-teeth are wide awake. Cut your wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are those at the extreme end of the jaws, which do not make their appearance till persons have come to years of discretion. When persons say or do silly things, the remark is made to them that they have not yet cut their wisdom teeth,” or reached the years of discretion. Cut the knot. Break through an obstacle. The reference is to the Gor- dian knot {q.v.) shown to Alexander, with the assurance that whoever loosed it would be made ruler of all Asia ; whereupon the Macedonian cut it in two with his sword, and claimed to have ful- filled the prophecy. 1 must cut my stick — i.e., leave. The Irish usually cut a shill elah before they start on an expedition. Punch gives the following witty derivation : — Pilgrims on leaving the Holy Land used to cut a palm stick, to prove that they had really been to the Holy Sepulchre. So brother Francis would say to brother Paul, ^ Where is brother Benedict ? ’ ^ Oh (says Paul), he has cut his stick ! ^ — i.e., he is on his way home.” ( Devonshire, according to English mythology, is a corruption of Devon’s- share. This Devon was one of the heroes who came with Brute from Troy. One of the giants that he slew in the south coasts of England was Coulin, whom he chased to a vast pit, eight leagues across. The monster trying to leap this pit, fell backwards, and lost his life in the chasm. When Brutus allotted out the island, this portion became Devon’s-share. And eke that ample pit, yet far renowned For the great leap which D ebon did compell Coulin to make, being eight lugs of grownd, Into the which retour uing back he fell. . . In mede of these great conquests by them got Con'neus had that province utmost west.. And Debon’s share was that is Devonshire. Spenser ^ “ Faery Queen,'' ii. 10. Devonshire Poet. 0 . Jones, a journeyman wool-comber, who lived at the close of the last century. Dew-beaters. The feet ; shoes to resist the wet. Hold out your dew-beaters till I take off the darbies (iron shoes or fetters).— PeyeriZ of the PeaJe. D ew-drink. A draught before breakfast. In harvest the men are al- lowed, in some counties, a drink of beer before they begin work. Deiv-hit is a snack before breakfast. Dgellabss^an. The Persian era. Dgella Eddin, son of Togrul Beg, ap- pointed eight astronomers to reform the calendar. The era began a.d. 10/5, and is followed to this day. DhuPdul. The famous horse of Ali son-in-law of Mahomet. Diable {Le). Olivier Ledain, the t. of Louis XI., and once the king’s barber. So called because he was as much feared DIADEM. DIANORA. 225 as his Satanic majesty, and even more disliked. (Hung 1484.) Diable, Robert le Diable,” Meyer- beer’s grand opera. {See Robert. ) Di'adem meant, originally, a fillet wound round the head. The diadem of Bacchus was a broad band, which might be unfolded so as to make a veil. Con- stantine the Great was the first of the Roman emperors who wore a diadem. After his time it was set with rows of pearls and precious stones. (Greek, deo, to bind.) Dialec'tics. Metaphysics ; the art of disputation ; that strictly logical dis- cussion which leads to reliable results. The product or result is ideas, which, being classified, produce knowledge ; but all knowledge being of the divine types, must conduce more or less to practical results and good morals. (Greek, dia- lego, to speak thoroughly.) The following questions from John of Salisbury are fair specimens of the Middle-age "subjects of discussion : — (1) When a person buys a whole cloals, does the cowl belong to' his purchase ? (2) When a hog is driven to market with a rope round its neck, does the man or the rope take him ? Di'amond. A corruption of ada- mant. So called because the diamond, which cuts other substances, can be cut or polished with no substance but itself. (Greek, a damaOj what cannot be sub- dued.) Di'amond (3 syl.). Son of Ag'ape, a fairy. He was very strong, and fought either on foot or horse with a battle-axe. He was slain in single combat by Cam'- balo. {See Triamond.)— Faery Queen,’* bk. iv. Diamond cut diamond. Cunning out- witting cunning; a hard bargain over- reached. A diamond is so hard that it can only be ground by diamond dust, or by rubbing one against another. A diamond of the first ivater. A man of the highest merit. The colour or lustre of a pearl or diamond is called its water.” One of the ‘‘first water” is one of the best colour and most brilliant lustre. We say also, “A man of the first water.” The Diamond Jousts. Jousts insti- tuted by king Arthur, “who by that name had named them, since a diamond was the prize.” Ere he was king, he came, by accident, to a glen in Lyonnesse, where two brothers had met in combat. Each was slain ; but one had worn a crown of diamonds, which Arthur picked up, and when he became king offered the nine diamonds as the prize of nine several jousts, “one every year, a joust for one.” Lancelot had won eight, and intended to present them all to the queen “when all were won.” When the knight laid them before the queen, Guinevere, in a fit of jealousy, flung them out of the palace window into the river which ran hQ\oY7 .—Idylls of the King, Elaine.** Diamonds. {See Black.) Dian'a (3 syl.). The temple of Diana at Eph'esus was set on fire by Heros'tra- tos, for the sake of perpetuating his name. The lonians decreed that any one who mentioned his name should be put to death, but this very decree gave it immortality. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. No- thing like leather ; self-interest blinds the eyes. Derae'trios was a silversmith of Eph'esus, who made gold and silver shrines for the temple of Diana. When Christianity was preached in the city, and there was danger of substituting the simplicity of the Gospel for the grandeur of idolatry, the silversmiths, headed by Demetrios, stirred the people to a riot, and they cried out with one voice for the space of two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians ! ” Dian’s Worshippers. Midnight revellers. So called because they return home by moonlight, and Dian means the moon. Diano'ra was the wife of Gilbeido of Friu'li, but was passionately beloved by Ansaldo. In order to get rid of his importunity, she told him she would never grant his suit and prove untrue till he made her garden at midwinter as full of flowers and odours as if it were midsummer. By the aid of a magician, Ansaldo accomplished this, and claimed his reward. Diano'ra went to meet him, and told him she had obeyed the com- mand of her husband in so doing. An- saldo, not to be outdone in courtesy, released her; and Gilberto became the firm friend of Ansaldo trom that day to the end of his Boccaccio, Deca- mcrouj* day x. 5. {See Dorigen.) P 226 DIAPASON. DIE. Diapa'son. Dryden says — Trom haxmony, from heavenly harmony The universal frame began ; From harmony to harmony Thro’ all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in man. Song for St. Cecilia's Bay. According to the Pythagore'an system, the world is a piece of harmony, and man the full chord, which consists of a fundamental or tonic, its major third, its just fifth, and its octave. % From this diagram it will be seen at a glance that dia-pason {through all) means the complete chord, or, according to another system, a ‘^microcosm of nature.” Man touches Deity, passes through all the planets, and touches earth. It is because he touches Deity that he has an immortal soul, and it is because he runs through the planets that the planets in- fluence his nature. {See Microcosm.) Diar or Drottnar. A kind of priest, twelve of whom presided over the tem- ples of Odin. {Scandinavian mythology.) Diav'olo {Fra). Michele Pezza, an in- surgent of Cala'bria. (1760-1806.) Scribe wrote a libretto on this hero for Auber. Dibs or Dihhs. Money. A college perversion of diohs — ^.e., diobolus, a classic coin equal to 2^d. The school- boy word tip is another form of dibbs, as in the phrase, He gave me a famous tip ^^e., present of money. The huckle-bones of sheep used for gambling purposes are called dibbs ; and Locke speaks of stones used for the same game, which he calls dihstones. Dieilla (in Orlando Furioso”). One of Logistilla’s handmaids, famous for her chastity. Dick. That happened in th^_ reign of queen Dich — i.e., never j there never was a queen Richard, Dick’s Hatband. (1.) As tight as Fields hathand. The hatband of Richard Cromwell was the crown, which was too tight for him to wear with safety. (2.) Fields hatband f which was made of sand. His regal honours were ^'a rope of sand.” (3.) As queer as Fields hatband. Few things have been more ridiculous than the exaltation and abdication of the Protector’s son. (4. ) As fine as Fields hatband. The crown of England would be a very fine thing for any one to get. Dickens. A perverted oath, cor- rupted from ^^Nick.” Mrs. Pago says — I cannot tell what the dickens his name is. Shakespeare, “ Merry Wives of Windsor," iii. 2. Dickey or Fichy. A donkey ; an- ciently called a Dick-ass, now termed Jack-ass. It is a term of endearment, as we call a pet bird a dichy-bird. The ass is called Dick-y (little Richard), Cuddy (little Cuthbert), Neddy (little Edward), Jack-ass, Moke or Mike, &c. Fichey. The rumble behind a car- riage ; also a leather apron, a child’s bib, and a false shirt or front. All these are from the same root (Dutch, dehhen; Ger- man, decken; Saxon, thecan; Latin, tego, to cover). Dicta'tor of Letters. Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, called the Great Pan. (1694-1778.) Didactic Poetry is poetry that teaches some moral lesson, as Pope’s Essay on Man.” (Greek, didasko, I teach). Diddler {Jeremy'). An artful swin- dler ; a clever, seedy vagabond, borrow- ing money or obtaining credit by his wit and wits. From Kenny’s farce called Raising the Wind.” Did'erick. {See Dietrich.) DFdo. It was Person who said he could rhyme on any subject, and being asked to rhyme upon the three Latin gerunds, gave this couplet — When Dido found Eneas would not come, She mourned in silence, and was Di-do dum(b). Die. The die is cast. The step is taken, and I cannot draw back. So said J ulius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon. I have set my life upon the cast. And I will stand the hazard of the dye. Shakespeare, “ Richard III," v. 4. BIE-HAUDS. DILIGENCE. 227 Die-hards. The 57th Foot, so called from their gallantry at Albue'ra. Dies Irae. A famous mediaeval hymn on the last judgment, probably the com- position of Thomas of Cela'no, a native of Abruzzi, who died in 1255. Sir Walter Scott has introduced the former part of it into his Lay of the Last Minstrel.” Dies iroe, dies ilia, Solvet saeclura in favilla, Teste David cum Sibylla. On that day, that day of ire, Saith the King of Wisdom’s sire. Earth shall melt with fervent fire. Dies Non. A non-business day. A law phrase, meaning a day when the courts do not sit, as on Sundays; the Purification, in Hilary term ; the Ascen- sion, in Easter term ; St. John the Bap- tist, in Trinity term ; and All Saints with All Souls, in Michaelmas term. Dies San'guinis. The 24th March, called Bello'na’s Day, when the Koman votaries of the war-goddess cut them- selves and drank the sacrificial blood to propitiate the deity. Dietrich. (2 syl.), of Berne or Vero'na, a name given by the German minne- sangers {minstrels) to Theod'oric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. One of the liegemen of king Etzel. In the terrible broil stirred up by queen Kriemhild in the banquet- hall of the Hunnish king, after the slaughter of Sir Budiger, his friend Dietrich interfered, and succeeded in taking prisoners the only two surviving Burgundians, kings Gunther and Hagan, whom he handed over to Kriemhild, praying that she would set them free, but the angry queen cut off both their heads with her own hands. — The Nihe- lungen-Lied. Dieu. Dieu et mon droit (God and my right). The [parole of Eichard I. at the battle of Gisors (1198), meaning that he was no vassal of France, but owed his royalty to God alone. As the French were signally beaten, the battle-word was adopted as the royal motto of England. Difference. Ophelia says to the Queen, ^^You may wear your rue with a difference.” In heraldry differences or marhs of cadency indicate the various branches of a family. The eldest son (during the life-time of his father) bears a label. The second son a crescent, The third, a mullet. The fourth, a martlet. The fifth, an annulet. The sixth, a fleur-de-lis. The seventh, a rose. The eighth, a cross-moline. The ninth, a double quatrefoil. Ophelia says both she and the Queen are to wear rue, the one as the affianced of Hamlet, eldest son of the late king, the other as the wife of Claudius his brother, and the cadet branch. The latter was to have a difference,” to signify it was a cadet branch. Ophelia says, ^^I shall wear the rue, but you (the Queen) must now wear it with a ' difference.’ ” Diggin’s. He is gone to the diggings. To California or Australia, to dig for gold. Dig'gory. A barn labourer, taken on grand occasions for butler and foot- man to Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle. He laughs and talks while serving, and is as gauche as possible. — Goldsmith^ She Stoops to Conquer.'' Digit. The first nine numerals, so called from the habit of counting as far as ten on the fingers. (Latin, digitus^ a finger.) Dilem'ma. The horns of a dilemma. Lemma” means a thing taken for granted (Greek, lam'bano, to take). '^Di- lemma ” is a double lemma, a two-edged sword which strikes both ways, or a bull » which will toss you whichever horn you lay hold of. A young rhetorician said to an old sophist, Teach me to plead, and I will pay you when 1 gain a cause.” The master sued for payment, and the scholar pleaded, If I gain the cause I shall not pay you, because the judge will say I am not to pay ; and if I lose my cause I shall not be required to pay, ac- cording to the terms of our agreement.” To this the master replied, Not so ; if you gain your cause you must pay me according to the terms of our agreement ; and if you lose your cause, the judge will condemn you to pay me.” Dilettan'te (Italian). An amateur of the fine arts, in opposition to a pro- fessor. Plural, dilettanti. These gentlemen are to be judged, not as dilet- tanti, but as professors.— J-i/ienfewm. Diligence is that energy and in- dustry which wo show when we do what V 3 228 DIMANCHE. DIONYSIUS. we like (Latin, dil'igOy I like) ; but indolence is that listless manner with which we do what thoroughly vexes us. (Latin, m, intensive; doleoy to grieve.) Diman'elie (Afb9i5ie^ir). A dun. The term is from Moli^re’s ^^Don Juan,” and would be in English, Mr. Sunday. The word dimanche is a corruption and con- traction of dies Domin' ica (the Lord’s day). Dim'issory. A letter dimissory is a letter from the bishop of one diocese to some other bishop, giving leave for the bearer to be ordained by him. (Latin, di-mittOy to send away.) Dim'ity. A cloth so called from Damietta, in Egypt, where it was ori- ginally manufactured. Parsons suggests the Greek di-mitos (double thread). Di'nah. {Aimt), in Sterne’s ‘^Tristram Shandy.” She leaves Mr. Walter Shandy £1,000, which he fancies will enable him to carry out all the wild schemes that enter into his head. Dinde (1 syl.). The French for a turkey is poulet d^Inde (an Indian fowl). This is an error, as the bird comes from America ; unless, indeed, the whole Western continent, with all its con- tiguous islands, be called by the name of West Indies. Our word turkey” is no better, as it seems to indicate that the bird is a native of Turkey ; but all that is meant is the turkey-red bird, referring to the deep red of the wattle. Dine. {See Dinnerless, Hu-mphret.) Ding-dong. They went at it ding- dong. Fighting in good earnest. To ding is to beat or bruise (Saxon, denegan ) ; dong is a responsive word. One gives a ding and the other a dong. Dinmont. (iS^ee Dandie.) Dinnerless. Their hosts are the cross^ legged knights. That is, the stone effigies of the Pound church. In this church at one time lawyers met their clients, and here a host of vagabonds used to loiter about all day, under the hope of being hired as witnesses. Dining with the cross-legged knights meant much the same thing as dining with duke Humphrey {q.v.). Di'nos. One of the horses of Diomed. Dint. By dint of war ; ly dint oj argument; by dint of hard work. Dint means a blow or striking (Saxon, dynt ) ; whence perseverance, power exerted, force ; it also means the indentation made by a blow. Diocle'tian. The Eoman emperor, noted for his fierce persecution of the Christians, 303. The emperor Constan- tine, on the other hand, was the nurs- ing father ’* of the Church. To make the Church’s glory shine, Should Diocletian reign, not Constantine. Crabbe, “ Boroiigh.” Diocle'tian was the king, and Erastus the prince his son, in the Italian version of the Seven Wise Masters (q.v.). Diog'enes (4 syl.). The cynic phi- losopher is said to have lived in a tub. The whole world was not half so wide To Alexander, when he cried Because he had but one to sub'due. As was a paltry narrow tub to Diog'enes. Eomanus IV., emperor of the East. (1067-1071.) Di'omed’s Horses. Dinos {dread- ful) and Lampon {bright-eyed). Dio'medes or Diomed. King of jEto'lia, in Greece, brave and obedient to authority. He survived the siege of Troy, but on his return home found his wife living in adultery, and saved his life by living an exile in Italy . — H ornery “ Iliad'' Diom'ede'an Swop. An exchange in which all the benefit is on one side. This proverbial expression is founded on an incident related by Homer in the Iliad.” Claucus recognises Diomed on the battle-field, and the friends change armour. For Diomed’s brass arms, of mean device, For which nine oxen paid (a vulgar price). He (Glaucus) gavehisown, of gold diviuely wrought, An hundred beeves the shining purchase bought. Pope, “ Iliad,;* vi. Dio'ne (3 syl.). Venus, who sprang from the froth of the sea, after the muti- lated body of U'ranus {the sky) had been thrown there by Saturn. So young Dione, nursed benpath the waves. And rocked by Nereids in their coral caves,,. Lisped her sweet tones, and tried her tender smiles. Darwin, “ Economy of VegetuUon,*' ii. Dionys'ius {the younger) y being ban- ished a second time from Syracuse, retired to Corinth, where he turned schoolmaster BIOPHANTiNE. DISCUSS. 229 for a living. Posterity called him a tyrant, Byron, in his Ode to Napoleon,” alludes to these facts in the following lines : — Corinth’s pedagogue hath now Transferred his byword to thy brow. That is, Napoleon is now called tyrant, like Dionysius. Diophan'tine AnaTysis. Finding commensurate values of squares, cubes, triangles, &c. ; or the sum of a given num- ber of squares which is itself a square ; or a certain number of squares, &c., which are in arithmetical progression. These mathematical puzzles were first treated of by Diophantes, the mathematician of Alexandria. Dios'curi. Castor and Pollux. (Greek, sons of Zeus.) The horses of the Dioscuri. Cyl'laros and Har'pagos. Dipli'tliera. The skin of the goat Amalthe'a, on which Jove wrote the destiny of man. Diplo'ma literally means something folded (Greek). Diplomas used to be written on parchment, folded, and sealed. The word is applied to licences given to graduates to assume a degree, to clergy- men, physicians, agents, and so on. Diplom'acy. The tact, negotiations, privileges, &c., of a diplomatist, or one who carries a diploma to a foreign court to authorise him to represent the govern- ment which sends him out. Diptych, {dip'tih). A register folded into two leaves, opening like our books, and not like the ancient scrolls. The Eomans kept in a book of this sort the names of their magistrates, and the Roman Catholics employed the word for the registers in which were written the names of those bishops, saints, and mar- tyrs who were to be specially commemo- rated when oblations were made for the dead. (Greek, dijytuchos, folded in two.) Direaean Swan. Pindar ; so called from Dirce, a fountain in the neighbour- hood of Thebes, the poet’s birthplace, (B.c. 518-442.) Direct Tax is one collected directly from the owner of property subject to the tax : as when the tax-gatherer goes direct to the owner of a house and de- mands five, ten, ov twenty pounds, as it may be, for government uses. Indirect taxes are taxes upon marketable commo- dities, such as tea and sugar, the tax on which is added to the article taxed, and paid by the purchasers indirectly. Diree'tory. The French constitu- tion of 1795, when the executive was vested in five persons called directors, one of whom retired every year. After a sickly existence of four years, it was quashed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Dirlos {Count). A Paladin, the beau- ideal of valour, generosity, and truth. The story says he was sent by Charle- magne into the East, where he conquered Aliar'de, a great Moorish prince. On his return he found his young wife, who thought he was dead, betrothed to Ce- li'nos, another of Charlemagne’s peers. The matter being set right, the king gave a grand banquet. Dirlos is D’Yrlos. Dirt. To eat dirt is to put up with insults and mortification. An Eastern method of punishment. Dirty. {SeeDoot.) Dirty Half-hundred. The 50th Foot, so called from the men wiping their faces with their black cuffs. Dirty Lane. Now called Abingdon Street, Westminster. Dis. Pluto. Proser'pine gathering flowers, Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis Was gathered.— ifiZfon, “ Paradise Lost” iv. Disas'ter is being under an evil star (Greek, dus-aster, evil star). An astro- logical word. Disastrous Peace {La Paix Mal- heureuse). It followed the battle of Gravelines, and was signed at Cateau- Cambre'sis. By this treaty Henri II. renounced all claim to Gen'oa, Naples, Mil'an, and Cor'sica. (1559.) Discard^ To throw out of one’s hands such cards as are useless. Dis'cord means severance of hearts (Latin, dis-corda). It is the opposite of concord, the coming together of hearts. In music it means disagreement of sounds, as when a note is followed by another which is disagreeable to the ear. {See Apple.) Discuss. To discuss a 'bottle. To drink one with a friend. Same as 230 DISHED. DITTO. crush” or crach a bottle.” (Discuss is the Latin dis-quatio ; French, casser. The Latin quassa're vasa is to break a drinking- vessel. ) Consider the threefold effect of J upiter’s trifulh— to burn, discuss, and terebrate. —iSrown.. Dislied (1 syl.). I was dished out of it. Cheated out of it; or rather, some one else contrived to obtain it. A contrac- tion of disherit. The heir is dish’t out of his inheritance when his father mar- ries again and leaves his property to the widow and widow’s family. Where’s Brummel ? Dished ! Byron, "Don, Juan. Disney Professor. The Professor of Archaeology in the University of Cam- bridge. This chair was founded in 1851 by John Disney, Esq., of the Hyde, Ingatestone. Disor'der, says Franklin, ^^break- fasts with Plenty, dines with Poverty, sups with Misery, and sleeps with Death.” Dispensa'tion. The system which God chooses to dispense or establish be- tween himself and man. The dispensa- tion of Adam was that between Adam and God ; the dispensation of Ahraham, and that of Moses, were those imparted to these holy men ; the Gospel dispensa- tion is that explained in the Gospels. (Latin, dis-pendo, to spread forth, unroll, explain, reveal.) A dispensation from the Pope. Per- mission to dispense with something en- joined ; a licence to do what is forbidden, or to omit what is commanded. A dispensation was obtained to enable Dr. Barrow to marry.— Ward. Dispu'te (2 syl.) means, literally, to ‘Hop down” (Latin, dis-puto) ; debate means to knock down” (French, dd- hattre) ; discuss means to shake down” (Latin, dis-quatio) ; object' is to cast against ” (Latin, oh-jacio) ; contend is to ‘‘ pull against” (Latin, contendo) ; quarrel is to throw darts at each other (Welsh, Qimrel, a dart) ; and wrangle is to strain by twisting (Swedish, manga; Saxon, wringan). Diss. He knows nothing about Diss. He is an ignoramus. Diss is a pun on the town so called in Norfolk and dispu- tcUio'neSf called disses, for shortness. Dis'solute is one that runs loose, not restrained by laws or any other bonds (Latin, dis-solvo), like horses unhar- nessed. Dis'taff. A woman. Properly the staff from which the flax was drawn in spinning. The allusion is to the ancient custom of women, who spun from morn- ing to night. {See Spinster.) The crown of France never falls to the distaff.— Kersey. To have tow on the distaff. To have work in hand. Froissart says, II aura en bref temps autres estoupes en sa quenouille.” He hadde more tow on his distaf Than Gerveys knew. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales,” 3,772. St. Distaff's Day. The 7th of January. So called because the Christmas festival terminates on Twelfth Day, and on the day following the women return to their distaffs or daily occupations. It is also called Rock Day, a distaff being called a rock. ^^In old times they used to spin with rocks.” — Aubrey, Wilts.” Give St. Distaff all the right. Then give Christmas sport good night, And next morrow every one To his own vocation. (1657.) What ! shall a woman with a rock drive thee away ? Fye on thee, traitor ! Dighy, “ 3Iystcries;’ p. 11. DistaffL'na. To whom Bombastes Furio'so makes love. — Thomas Barnes Rhodes, '‘^Bombastes Furioso.” Distem'per means an undue mix- ture. In medicine a distemper arises from the redundancy of certain secre- tions or morbid humours. The distem- per in dogs is an undue quantity of secretions manifested by a running from the eyes and nose. (Latin, dis-temp'ero, to mix amiss.) Applied to painting, the word is from another source, the French detremper (to soak in water), because the paints are mixed with water instead of oil. Dithyr am'bic. The father of dithy- rambic poetry. Ari'on of Lesbos. Dit'tany. When Godfrey was wounded with an arrow, an '^odoriferous pan'acy ” distilled from dittany was ap- plied to the wound ; whereupon the arrow-head fell out, and the wound healed immediately. — Jerusalem De- liver ed” bk. xi. Ditto. {See Do.) DIVAN. DO. 231 Divan' (Arabic and Persian diwan) means a register kept on a white table, exactly similar to our hoard. Among the Orientals the word is applied to a council-chamber or court of justice ; but in England we mean a coffee-house where smoking is the chief attraction. Divert. To turn aside. Business is the regular walk or current of our life, but pleasure is a diversion or turning aside for a time from the straight line. What we call diversion is called in French distraction (drawing aside). Dives, Divs, or Deevs. Demons of Persian mythology. According to the Koran, they are ferocious and gigantic spirits, under the sovereignty of Eblis. At Lahore, in the Mogul’s palace, are pictures of Dews or Dives with long horns, staring eyes, shaggy hair, great fangs, ugly paws, long tails, and such horrible deformity, that I wonder the poor women are not frightened. — William Finch, “ Purchas* Pilgrims," vol. i. Dives. The name popularly given to the rich man in our Lord’s parable of the ^^Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke xvi.). The Latin would be Dives et Lazarus. Divi'de (2 syl.). When the members in the House of Commons interrupt a speaker by crying out divide.^ they mean, bring the debate to an end and put the motion to the vote — i.e., let the ayes divide from the noes, one going on one side of the house, and the other on the opposite side. Divide and Govern. Divide a nation into parties, or set your enemies at loggerheads, and you can have your own way. A maxim of Machiavelli, a noted political writer of Florence. (1469- 1527.) Every city or house divided against itself shall not standi.— Matthew xii. 25. Divine. The divine right of Icings. The notion that kings reign by divine right, quite independent of the people’s will. This notion arose from the Old Testament Scriptures, where kings are called ‘‘God’s anointed,” because they were Gods vicars on earth, when the Jews changed their theocracy for a monarchy. The right divine of kings to govern wrong. Divine {The). Ferdinand de Herre'ra, a Spanish poet. . (1516-1595.) Raphael, the painter, il Divi'no. (1483- 1520.) Luis Mora'les, Spanish painter, el Di- vi'no. (1509-1586.) Divine Doctor. Jean de Ruys- broek, the mystic. (1294-1381.) Divine Speaker (The). So Aris- totle called Tyr'tamos, who therefore adopted the name of Theophrastos. (B.c. 370-287.) Divi'ning-rod. A forked branch of hazel, suspended by the two prongs between the balls of the thumbs. The inclination of the rod indicates the pre- sence of water-springs, precious metal, and anything else that simpletons will pay for. (/See Dousterswivel.) Divi'no Lodovi'co. Ariosto, author of “Orlando Furioso,” an epic poem m twenty-four books. (1474-1533.) Dixie Land. The Uto'pia of the American niggers. Dixie was a slave- holder of Manhattan Island, but the force of public opinion induced him to remove his negroes to the Southern States. Here they were strangers in a strange land, and had to work harder and faro worse, so that they were always sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt, their dear old Dixie Land. Imagination and dis- tance gave charms to the old place, which ultimately became the ideal para- dise of negro song. Dizzy. A nickname of Benjamin Disraeli. Djin'nestan'. The realm of the djinns or genii of Oriental mythology. Do. A contraction of ditto, which is the Italian dHto (said), Latin dictus. How do you do 1 — i.e., fare. How fare you ? Well to do. To fare. This is not the transitive verb, but the intransitive. (Saxon, dugan, equal to the Latin valeo ; whence Quam'odo vales 1 “ How do you do?”) To do him. To cheat, or rather to do a person out of something. I have done the Jeio — i.e., overreached him. Same as outdo (to excel). Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, Italian; ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, French. These words are from an old monkish hymn, addressed to St. John, which Guido, in the eleventh century, used in teaching singing. XJt queant laxis, ^e-sonare fibria, Mi-xsk gostorum i?’a-muli tuorum, Sol-'^Q pollutis La-biis reatum. (SancU Joannis, 282 DO. DOCTOR. t/it-tered be thy wondrous story, ZJe-prehensive though I be, Me make mindful of thy glory, Fa-mous son of ZacUaree ; Sol-ace to my spirit bring, Xa-bouring thy praise to sing. A seventh syllable has been added, to complete the octave {si), IDo-for. I’ll do for him. Ruin him ; literally, provide for him in a bad sense. Taken in and done for,” is taken in and provided for ; but, jocosely, it means cheated and fleeced.” Dobbin. A steady old horse, a child's horse. Dohlyy a silly old man. DohlieSf house-elves, similar to brownies. All these are one and the same word. The dobbies lived in the house, were very thin and shaggy, very kind to ser- vants and children, and did many a little service when people had their hands full, Bober Pobbin lifts his clumsy heel. Bloomfiddt ‘ ^Farmer’s Boy.” Dobbins {Humphrey). The valet-de- chambre and factotum of Sir Robert Bramble, of Blackbury Hall, in the county of Kent. A blunt, rough-spoken old retainer, full of the milk of human kindness, and most devoted to his master. — G. Colmaiij The Poor Gentleman.” Doce'tes (3 syl. ). An early heretical sect, which maintained that Jesus Christ was only God, and that his visible form was merely a phantom; that the cruci- fixion and resurrection were illusions, something like Pepper’s Ghost. (The word is Greek, and means phantomists.) Dock-Alfar. The dark Alfs whose abode is underground. They are in ap- pearance blacker than pitch. {Scandi- navian mythology.) Doctor {The). Brown sherry, so called because it is concocted from a harsh, thin wine, by the addition of old boiled mosto stock. Mosto is made by heating unfermented juice in earthen vessels, till it becomes as thick and sweet as treacle. This syrup being added to fresh ^^must” ferments, and the luscious produce is used for doctor- ing very inferior qualities of wine. — Shaw, On Wine.” To doctor the wine. To drug it. {See above.) To doctor the accounts. To falsify them. They are ill (so far as you are con- cerned), and you falsify them to make them look better. The allusion is tc drugging wine, beer, &c., and to adulte- ration generally. Dr. Dove. The hero of Southey’s Doctor.” Dr. Fell. I do not liTce thee, Dr. Fell. A correspondent of Notes and Queries” says the author was Tom Brown, who wrote ‘^Dialogues of the Dead,” and the person referred to was Dr. Fell, Dean of Christchurch (1625-1686), who expelled him, but said he would remit the sen- tence if he translated the thirty-third Epigram of Martial — Non arao te, Zabidi, nec possum dicere quare j Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te. “ I do not like thee, Pr. Fell, The reason why I cannot tell ; But this I know, I know full well, I do not like thee, Pr. Fell ”—!’. Brown. Doctor Mirab'ilis. Roger Bacon. (1214-1292.) Doctor My-Book. Dr. John Aber- ne'thy, so called because he used to say to his patients, *^Read my booh”— on Surgical Observations.” (1765-1830.) Dr. Bez'io or Pedro Rezio ofAgue'ro. The doctor of Barata'ria, who forbade Sancho Panza to taste any of the meats set before him. Roasted partridge was forbidden by Hippoc'rates ; podri'da was the most pernicious food in the world; rabbits are a sharp -haired diet ; veal is prejudicial to health ; but the governor might eat a ^Hew wafers, and a thin slice or two of quince.” — Don Q^dxote,” pt. ii., bk. iii., c. 10. Dr. Sangra'do, of Vall'adolid', a tall, meagre, pale man, of very solemn appearance, who weighed every word he uttered, and gave an emphasis to his sage dicta. “ His reasoning was geo- metrical, and his opinions angular.” He said to the licentiate Sedillo, who was sick, ^^If you had drunk nothing else but pure water all your life, and eaten only such simple food as boiled apples, you would not now be tormented with gout.” He then took from him six porringers of blood to begin with; in three hours he repeated the operation; and again the next day, saying: ^Ht is a gross error to suppose that blood is ne- cessary for life.” With this depletion, the patient was to drink two or three pints of hot water every two hours. The result of this treatment was death ^Hrom obstinacy.” — Gil Bias,” c. ii. DOCTOR. DOE. 233 Doctor Slop. An enthusiast, who thinks the world hinges on getting Uncle Toby to understand the action of a new medical instrument.— Tristram, ShandyT A nickname given by William Hone to Sir John Stoddart, editor of the Neiv Times, (1773-1856.) Doctor Squintum. George White- field, so called by Foote in his farce entitled The Minor.’* (1714-1770.) Theodore Hook applied the same so- briquet to the Rev. Edward Irving, who had an obliquity of the eyes. (1792-1834.) Doctor Syntax. A simple-minded, pious, henpecked clergyman, green as grass, but of excellent taste and scholar- ship, who left home in search of the picturesque. His adventures are told in eight- syllable verse in The Tour of Dr. Syntax,” by William Combe. {See Duke Combe.) Dr. Syntax's horse. Grizzle, all skin and bone. Doctors. False dice, which are doctored, or made to turn up winning numbers. “The whole antechamber is full, my lord,— knichts and squires, doctors and dicers.” “ The dicers with their doctors in their pockets, I presume.”— iScoW, “Perenl of the Peak,'’ c. xxviii. ; Or chaired at "White’s* amidst the doctors sit. Puneiad,” bk. i. 203. Doctors’ Commons. A locality near St. Paul’s, where the ecclesiastical courts were formerly held, and where wills are preserved. To ‘^common” means to dine together ; a term still used at our universities. Doctors’ Commons was so called because the doctors of civil law had to dine together four days in each term. This was called eating their terms. Doctor’s Stuff. Medicine; stuff sent from the doctor. Doctour of Phisikes Tale, in Cliaucer, is the Roman story of Vir- ginius, given by Livy. There is a ver- sion of this tale in the Roman de la Rose,” vol. ii., p. 74 ; and another, by Gower, in his '‘Confessio Amantis,” bk. vii. ^ Doctrinists or Doctrinaires. A poli- tical party which has existed in France since 1815. They maintain that true liberty is compatible with a monarchical Government; and are so called because they advocate what is only a doctrine or dream. M. Guizot is one of this party. Dodge (1 syl.). An artful device to evade, deceive, or bilk some one. (Anglo- Saxon, deogiany to conceal or colour.) Dodger. The Artful Dodger. A young thief, up to every artifice, and a perfect adept in villany. A sobriquet given by Dickens to such a rascal, in his ‘^Oliver Twist.” Dodington, whom Thomson invokes in his ^‘Summer,” was George Bubb Dodington, lord Melcomb - Regis, a British statesman, who associated much with the wits of the time. Churchill and Pope ridiculed him, while Hogarth introduced him in his wig into his pic- ture called the Orders of Periwigs.” Dod'ipoll. A 5 loise as Dr. DodipoU (or) Doddipole — i.e., not wise at all ; a dunce. The verb dote is, to be of weak mind, or to have a mind impaired by age ; hence, dotard. Dodipoll is one who has a poll or head without intellect. Dodman or Doddiman. A snail. A word still common in Norfolk ; but Fair- fax, in his ^^Bulk and Selvedge ” (1674), speaks of ^^a snayl or dodman.” The word, like Dodipoll {q_.'o.)y refers to the dull, stupid nature of the snail, which is a doted creature. Doddiman, doddiman, put out your horns, Here comes a thief to steal your corns. Norfolk rhyme. Dodo'na. A famous oracle in Epi'ros, and the most ancient of Greece. It was dedicated to Zeus {Jupiter) y and situate in the village of Dodona. Dods {Meg). The old landlady in Scott’s novel called St. Ronan’s Well.” An excellent character, made up of con- sistent inconsistencies ; a mosaic of oddities, all fitting together, and form- ing an admirable whole. She was so good a housewife that a cookery book of great repute bears her name. Dodson and Pog'g. The lawyers employed by the plaintiff in the famous case of Bardell v. Pickwick,” in the ‘^Pickwick Papers,” by Charles Dickens. Doe. John Doe and Richard Roe. Any plaintiff and defendant in an action of ejectment. They were sham names used at one time to save certain ‘‘niceties of law;” but the clumsy device was abolished in 1852. Any mars imagi- 234 DOEG. DOG. nary persons, or men of straw. John Doe, Eichard Eoe, John o’ Noakes, and Tom Styles, are the four sons of Mrs. Harris,” all bound apprentices to the legal profession. Doeg (2 syh), in the satire of Ab- salom and Achitophel” by Dryden and Tate, is meant for Elka'nah Settle, a poet who wrote satires upon Dryden, but was no match for his great rival. Doeg was Saul’s herdsman, who had charge of his mules and asses. He told Saul that the priests of Nob had pro- vided David with food ; whereupon Saul sent him to put them to death, and eighty-five were ruthlessly massacred. (1 Sam. xxi. 7 ; xxii. 18.) Doeg, though without knowing how or why, Made still a blundering kind of melody. . , . Let him rail on ; let his invective Muse Have four-and-twenty letters to abuse. Which if he jumbles to one line of sense, Indict .him of a capital oiFence. Absalom and Achitophel,’' pt. ii. Doff is do-off, as ^^Doff your hat.” So Do7i is do-on, as ‘‘ Don your clothes.” Dup is do-up, as ^^Dup the door.” {See Hamlet.) Doff thy harness, youth. Shakespeare, “ Troilus and Cressida,” v. 3. Dog. Barry. The famous mastiff of Great St. Bernard’s, in the early part of the present century instrumental in saving forty human beings. His most memorable achievement was rescuing a little boy whose mother had been de- stroyed by an avalanche. The dog car- ried the boy on his back to the hospice. The stuffed skin of this noble animal is kept in the museum of Berne. Dog in mommeiifs. The dog is placed at the feet of women in monuments to symbolise affection and fidelity, as a lion is placed at the feet of men to signify courage and magnanimity. Many of the Crusaders are represented with their feet on a dog, to show that they followed the standard of the Lord as faithfully as a dog follows the footsteps of his master. Dog of God. So the Laplanders call the bear. The Norwegians say it ^^has the strength of ten men and the wit of twelve.” They never presume to speak of it by its proper appellation, guouztija, lest it should revenge the insult on their flocks and herds, but they call it Modda- aigja (the old man with a fur cloak). Dog of Icay^ios. Maora {the glistener). Icarios was slain by some drunken pea- sants, who buried the body under a tree. His daughter Erig'one, searching for her father, was directed to the spot by the howling of Msera, and when she dis- covered the body, hung herself for grief. Icarios became the constellation Bootes^ Erig'one the constellation Virgo, and Msera the star Procfon, which rises in July, a little before the Dog-star. (Greek, piro-Tcuon.') Dog of Montdgis. Thesame as Aubry’s dog. A picture of the combat was for many years preserved in the castle of Montagis. {See Aubry’s Dog.) Dog of the Seven Sleeper's. The seven noble youths that fell asleep for 200 years had a dog, which accompanied them to the cavern in which they were walled up. It remained standing for the two centuries, and neither moved from the spot, ate, drank, nor slept. This dog, called in the Koran Al Rahim, has been admitted by Mahomet into Paradise. In the legend of the Seven Sleepers ” the dog is called Ketmir, Dogs of war. The horrors of war. {See Ate.) Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war. Shakespeare, Julius Ccesar," iii. 1. Actceon's fifty dogs. Alee {strength), Amaryn'thos (/rom A ma^'y'thia, inEnhoea), As'bolos {soot-colour), Ban'os, Bor'eas, Can'ache {7'ingivood), Chedise'tros, Cis- se'ta, Co'ran {cropped, crop-eai'ed), Cyllo {halt), Cyllop'otes (zig-zag-runner), Cyp'- rios {the Cyprian), Draco {the dragon), Drom'as {the com'ser), Dro'mios {seize- e^n), Ech'nobas, Eu'dromos ( good - runner ), Har'pale {voracious), Harpie'a {tear-em), Ichnob'ate {U'ach-follower), La'bros {fwn- ous), Lacaena {lioness), Lach'ne (glossy- coated), Lacon {Spa^daoi), La'don {from Ladon, in Arca'dia), Laelaps {hw'ricane) , Lampos (shioiing-one), Leu'eos {g^'ay), Lycis'ea, Lynce'a, Mach'imos {hoxer), Melampe {black), Melanche'te {black-coat), Melan'ea {black), Menele'a, Molossos {fi'om Molossos), Na'pa {begotten by a wolf), Nebroph'onos {fawn-killei'), Oc'y- droma {swift - rumier), Or'esit'rophos {mountain - bred), Ori'basos {mountain- ranger), Pachy'tos {thick- shinnied), Pam'- phagos {ravenous), Poe'menis {leader), Pter'elas {winged), Stricta {spot), Therid'- amas {beast-tamer or subduer), The'ron {savage- faced), Thoos {swift), U'rani {Jieavenly-one). King Arthur's favourite hound, Cavall'. DOO. DOG. 235 Autry's dog. Aubry of Mondid'ier was murdered, in 1371, in the forest of Bondy. His dog showed a most unusual hatred to a man named Kichard of Macaire, always snarling and ready to fly at his throat whenever he appeared. Suspicion was excited, and Eichard of Macaire was condemned to a judicial combat with the dog. He was killed, and in his dying moments confessed the crime. Lord ByroyCs favourite dog. Boat- swain, buried in the garden of Newstead Abbey. FingaVs dog was named Bran. “ Mar e Bran, is e a brathair ” (If it be not Bran, it is Bran’s brother) was the proverbial reply of Maccombich.— “IFayeWey,” ch. xlv. Gdryon's dogs. Gargittios and Orthos. The latter was the brother of Cer'beros, but had one head less. Hercules killed both these monsters. Llewellyn's greyhound was named Gelert' {q.v."). Ludlarn's dog. (^See Lazy.) Orison's dogs. Arctoph'onos {hear-hiller), and Ptooph'agos (Ptoon-glutton. Ptoon is in Boeotia). A tlack dog has walked over him. Said of a sullen person. Horace tells us that the sight of a black dog with its pups was an unlucky omen. {See Black Dog. ) A dog in the mauger. A churlish fellow, who will not use what is wanted by another, nor yet let the other have it to use. The allusion is to the well-known fable of a dog that fixed his place in a manger, and would not allow an ox to come near the hay. Barking dogs never hite. {See Bark- ing.) Dog don't eat dog. One of a craft does not backbite another of the same craft. Dogs howl at death. A rabbinical superstition. In the rabbinical book it saith The dogs howl when, with icy breath, Great Sammael, the angel of death, Takes thro’ the town his flight. Longfellow, “ Golden Legend” iii. Gone to the dogs. The ace in dice was by the Romans called canis (dog), and a cast at dice where all was lost was throw- ing three aces; hence, ^^dog” meant ruin, loss, ill-luck, and to ^^go to the dogs ” meant to be in ill-luck, to go to the bad. I do not think it means ^‘gone to the gods” {i.e.y as good as dead), by a perversion of the word ; nor yet given to the dogs,” like a horse in a knacker’s yard. Bellenden Ker says it is the Dutch toe go^^ toe de dog's (money gone, credit gone too), a suggestion which has the merit of the meaning without doubt. {See Dog-cheap.) Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing ? By a Jew a dog was regarded with abhorrence, not only because it was an unclean ” animal, but because it fed on offal. Even the ‘‘price ” received for a dog was not accepted as an offering to God (Deut. xxiii. 18). Sydney Smith being asked if it was true that he was about to sit to Landseer, the animal painter, for his portrait, replied, “What! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing ? ” It was the story of the dog and the shadoio—i.e., of one who throws good money after bad ; of one who gives “ certa pro incertis.” The allusion is to the well-known fable. Illudit species, ac den'tibus aera mordit. (Down sank the meat in the stream for the fishes to hoard it.) The hair of the dog that tit you. When a man has had a debauch, he is advised to take next morning “a hair of the same dog,” in allusion to an ancient notion that the burnt hair of a dog is an antidote to its bite. The Thracian dog. Zo’ilus. Like curs, our critics haunt the poet’s feast. And feed on scraps refused by every guest ; From the old Thracian dog they learned the way To snarl in want, and grumble o’er their prey. Fitt, “ To Mr. Spence.” To call off the dogs. To break up a disagreeable conversation. In the chase, if the dogs are on the wrong track, the huntsman calls them off. (French, rompre les chiens.) You dirty dog. In the East the dog is still held in abhorrence, as the scaven- ger of the streets. “ Him that dieth in t^he city shall the dogs eat” (1 Kings xiv. 11). The French say, CrotU comme un tartet (muddy or dirty as a poodle), whose hair, being very long, becomes filthy with mud and dirt. Generally speaking, “a dirty dog” is one morally filthy, and is applied to those who talk and act nastily. Mere skin dirt is quite another matter, and those who are so defiled we call dirty pigs. He dogged me. He followed me like a dog, or as a dog follows the chase. Your sins will dog you, pursue you, and the terrors of the Almij^hty be on you. — Bimoujlis on ‘ 'Jioseu.” m Doa. DOGMA. Dog and Duck. A public-house sign, to announce that ducks were hunted by dogs within. The sport was to see the duck dive, and the dog after it. At Lambeth there was a famous pleasure resort so called, on the spot where Bethlehem Hospital now stands. Dog - cheap. A perversion of the old English god-chepe (a good bargain). French, ton marclie (good-cheap or bar- gain). {See Gone to the Dogs.) The sack . . . would have bought me lights as good-cheap at the dearest chandler’s in Europe.— Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry IV.” iii. 3. Dog-days. Days of great heat. The Romans called the six or eight hottest weeks of summer caniculoJres dies. Ac- cording to their theory, the dog- star or Sirius, rising with the sun, added to its heat, and the dog-days bore the com- bined heat of the dog-star and the sun. (July 3rd to August 11th.) Dog-keaded Tribes of India. Men- tioned in the Italian romance of Gue- rino Meschi'no.’^ Dog-Latin. Pretended Latin, as dog-sleep is pretended sleep and doggerel is pretended verse. Similarly, dog-wheat, dog-grass, dog-rose, dog-brier, dog-cab- bage, are pretended or bad imitations of those plants. Perhaps there is some fanciful allusion to the word mongrel} for which dog is substitutional. Dirty dog, surly dogj dog-sick} &c., allude more to the animal called a dog, but imply the idea of badness. Dog-watch. A corruption of dodge- watch : two short watches, one from four to six, and the other from six to eight in the evening, introduced to dodge the routine, or prevent the same men always keeping watch at the same time. {See Watch.) Dog-weary, says Bellenden Ker, is the Dutch doge waere Me (being long on one’s legs tells at last). Oh, master, master, I have watched so long That I’m dog-weary. Shakespeare, “ Taming of the Shrew,” iv. 2, Dogs. Isle of Dogs. When Green- wich was a place of royal residence, the kennel for the monarch’s hounds was on the opposite side of the river, hence called the ‘‘ Isle of Dogs.” Dogs’-ears. The corners of leaves, crumpled and folded up. Dogs-eared, Leaves so crumpled and turned up. The ears of many dogs turn down and seem quite limp. Dog’s-nose. Gin and beer, a mixture as cold as a dog’s nose. “ Dog’s-nose, which is, I believe, a mixture of gin and beer.” “ So it is,” said an old l&dy.— Pickwick Papers. Dog-star. The brightest star in the firmament. So called by the Egyptians, because it watches the rising of the Nile, and gives notice by its appearance of that important event. {See Sirius.) Do'gares'sa. The wife of a doge. Dogberry. An ignorant, self-satis- fied, overbearing, but good - natured night-constable in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.” Doge. The chief magistrate in Venice while it was a republic. The first duke or doge was Anafesto Paoluc'cio, created 697. The chief magistrate of Gen'oa was called a doge down to 1797, when the republican form of government was abolished by the French. (Latin, duX} a duke” or leader.”) Doge. The ceremony of wedding the Adriatic was instituted in 1174 by pope Alexander III. , who gave the doge a gold ring from off his own finger in token of the victory achieved by the Venetian fleet at Istria over Frederick Barbarossa, in defence of the pope s quarrel. When his holiness gave the ring, he desired the doge to throw a similar ring into the sea every year on Ascension Day, in com- memoration of the event. {See Bucen- TAUR.) Dogged. Sullen, snappish, like a dog. Dogget. Doggers coat and badge. The first prize in the Thames rowing-match, given on the 1st of August every year. So called from Thomas Dogget, an actor of Drury Lane, who signalised the accession of George I. to the throne by giving a waterman’s coat and badge to the winner of the race. The Fishmongers’ Company add a guinea to the prize. Dogma (Greek). A religious doc- trine formally stated. It now means a statement resting on the ipse dixit of the speaker. Dogmatic teaching used to mean the teaching of religious doctrines, but now dogmatic means overbearing and dictatorial. DOGMATIC. DOM. 237 Dogmatic Facts. (1. ) The supreme authority of the pope of Rome over all churches. (2.) His right to decide arbitrarily all controversies. (3.) His right to convoke councils at will. (4. ) His right to revise, repeal, or con- firm decrees. (5.) His right to issue decrees bearing on discipline, morals, and doctrine. (6.) The pope is the centre of com- munion, and separation from him is ex- communication. (7.) He has ultimate authority to ap- point all bishops. (8. ) He has power to depose any eccle- siastic. (9.) He has power to judge every ques- tion of doctrine, and pronounce infallibly what the church shall or shall not accept. Dogmatic School of Medicine. Founded by Hippoc'rates, and so called because it set out certain dogmas or theoretical principles, which it made the basis of practice. Dogmatic Theology is that which treats of the dog'mata (doctrines) of re- ligion. Doiley or Doily is the Dutch divaele (a towel). In Norfolk they call the thick house-flannel there used divyelling^ and a single length for use a dioyel. Dola'bra. The knife used by the priests of Rome in cutting up the victims offered in sacrifice. DoU Money. A lady of Duxford left a sum of money to be given away annually in the parish, and to be called Doll Money. Doll is a corruption of dole, Saxon dal (a share distributed). Dollar. Marked thus $— z.e., scutum. The two lines drawn through it indicate that a contraction is made, as in lb for pounds in weight. The word is a corruption of thaler (Low German, dahler ; Danish, daler'), and means “a valley,” our dale. The counts of Schlick, at the close of the fifteenth century, extracted from the mines at Joachim’s that (Joachim’s valley) silver which they coined ‘ into ounce- pieces. These pieces, called Joachim’s- thallers, gained such high repute that they became a standard coin. Other coins being made like them were called thallers only. Dolly Murrey. A character in Crabbe’s ^‘Borough,” who died playing cards. “A vole ! a vole !” she cried, “ ’tis fairly ■won.”.. This said, she gently, -mth a single sigh. Died as one taught and practised how to die. Crabbe, “ Borough.^* Dolly Shop. A shop where rags and refuse are bought and sold. So called from the black doll suspended over it as a sign. Dolly shops are, in reality, no better than unlicensed pawn- shops. A black doll used to be the sign hung out to denote the sale of silks and muslins which were fabricated by Indians. Dolmen. A name given in France to what we term '^cromlechs.” These ancient remains are often called by the rural population devils’ tables, fairies’ tables, and so on. (Celtic, stone tables.) Dolopa'tos. A French metrical ver- sion of San'dabar’s Parables, written by Hebers or Herbers for prince Philippe, afterwards called Philippe le Hardi, Dolopa'tos is the Sicilian king, and Virgil the tutor of his son Lucinien. (See Seven Wise Masters.) Dolphin. Called a sea-goose {oie de mer) from the form of its snout, termed in French bee d’oie (a goose’s beak). Dom. A title applied in the middle ages to the pope, and at a somewhat later period to other church dignitaries. In recent times it was restricted to the Benedictines and some few other mo- nastic orders, as Dom Mabillon, Dom Calmet. The Spanish don, Portuguese dom, German wn, and French de, are pretty well equivalent to it. (Latin, dorn'inus.) Dombey (Florence'). A motherless child, hungering and thirsting to be loved, but regarded with frigid indifference by her father, who thinks that sons alone are worthy of his regard. — Dickens, Dombey and Son.” Mr. Dombey. A self-sufficient, purse- proud, frigid merchant, who feels satis- fied there is but one Dombey in the world, and that is himself. — Dickens, Dombey and Son.” Dom-Daniel. The abode of evil spirits, gnomes, and enchanters, some- where under the roots of the ocean,” but not far from 'Qdbjlon.—Ccmtimiation of the Arabian Tales. 238 DOMESDAY. DON. In the Domdaniel caverns Under the roots of the ocean. Southey. Domesday Book consists of two volumes, one a large folio, and the other a quarto, the material of each being vellum. It was formerly kept in the Exchequer, under three different locks and keys, but is now kept in the Kecord Office. The date of the survey is 1086. Northumberland, Cumberland, West- moreland and Durham are not included in the survey, though parts of W estmore- land and Cumberland are taken. The value of all estates is given, firstly, as in the time of the Confessor ; secondly, when bestowed by the Conqueror ; and, thirdly, at the time of the survey. The last valuation is one-fourth less than the first. Stowe says the book was so called be- cause it was deposited in a part of Win- chester Cathedral called Domiis-dei, and that the word is a contraction of Domus- dei book ; more likely it is connected with the previous surveys made by the Saxon kings, and called dom-hocs (libri judicia'les), because every case of dispute was decided by an appeal to these re- gisters. Then seyde Gamelyn to the Justise.. Thou hast given domes that bin evil dight. I will sitten in thy sete, and dressen him aright. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales’’ {The Cookes Tale). Domestic. England’s domestic poet. William Cowper, author of ^^The Task.” (1731-1800.) Domestic Evil Genius. {See Alastor, Asmodeus.) Domestic Poultry, in Dry den’s Hind and Panther,” means the Eoman Catholic clergy. So called from an esta- blishment of priests in the private chapel at Whitehall. The nuns are termed “ sister partlet with her hooded head.” Domin'ical Letters. The letters which denote the Sundays or dies do- min'ica. The first seven letters of the alphabet are employed ; so that if A stands for the first Sunday in the year, the other six letters will stand for the other days of the week, and the octave Sunday will come round to A again. In this^ case A will be the Sunday or Do- minical Letter for the year. Domin'icans. Preaching friars founded by Dominic de Guzman, at Toulouse, in 1215. Called in England Blach FriarSy from their black dress, and in France JadobinSy because their mother-establishment in Paris was in the Eue St. Jacques. Dominie Sampson. A village schoolmaster and scholar, poor as a church mouse, and modest as a girl. He cites Latin like a 'porcus litera'rum, and exclaims Prodigious ! ” — Scotty ^ ^ Guy Manneringd* {See Stilling. ) Dominoes (3 syh). The teeth; also called ivories. Dominoes are made of ivory. Domisellus. The son of a king, prince, knight, or lord, before he has entered on the order of knighthood. Also an attendant on some abbot or nobleman. The person domiciled in your house. As these pages, &c., were generally the sons of gentlemen, it is plain to see how the meaning became extended. (Norman damoiselle or demi'- celle, Italian donzel.) The English damsel and the French damoiselle are the same word, but, strangely enough, the sex is changed. Froissart styles Eichard II. le jeune damoisel Richart. {See Bachelor.) Don is do-on, as '^Don your bonnet.” {See Doef, Dup.) Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupp’d the chamber door. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet,” iv. 5. Don. A man of mark, an aristocrat. At the universities the masters, fellows, and noblemen are termed dons. (Spanish.) Don Felix, in ‘^The Wonder,” by Mrs. Centlivre. Don Giovan'ni. Mozart’s best opera. {See Don Juan.) Don Juan. A native of Seville, son of Don J ose and Donna Inez, a blue- stocking. When Juan was sixteen years old he got into trouble with Donna J ulia, and was sent by his mother, then a widow, on his travels. His adventures form the story of the poem, which is incomplete. — Byrony ‘ ^ Bon J nan. ’ ’ A Bon Juan. A libertine of the aris- tocratic class. The original of this cha- racter was Don Juan Teno'rio of Seville, who lived in the fourteenth century. The traditions concerning him have been dramatised by Tirso de Molina ; thence passed into Italy and France. Gllick has a musical ballet of ^^Don Juan,” and Mozart has immortalised the character in his opera of ^^Don Giovanni.” (1787.) DON. DOOMSDAY. 239 Don Quixote (2 syl.). A gaunt country gentleman of La Mancha, gentle and dignified, affectionate and simple- minded, but so crazed by reading books of knight-errantry, that he believes him- self called upon to redress the wrongs of the whole world, and actually goes forth to avenge the oppressed and run a tilt with their oppressors. The word Quixote means The mish-armed. Quixotic.) Don'atists. Followers of Don'atus, a Numidian bishop, who opposed Ce- cilia'nus. Their chief dogma is that the outward church is nothing, ‘^for the letter killeth, it is the spirit that giveth life.” (Founded 314.) Dondascli'. An Oriental giant con- temporary with Seth, to whose service he was attached. He needed no weapons, as he could destroy anything by the mere force of his arms. Done Brown. He ivas done brown. Completely bamboozled or made a fool of. This is a variety of the many ex- pressions of a similar meaning con- nected with cooking, such as ‘‘I gave him a roasting,” I cooked his goose,” I cut him into mincemeat,” I put him into a pretty stew,” I settled his hash,” with many others. Don'egild (3 syl.). The wicked mother of Ella, king of Northumberland. Hating Cunstance because she was a Christian, slije put her on a raft with her infant son, and turned her adrift. When Ella returned from Scotland, and dis- covered this cruelty of his mother, he put her to death. — Chaucer ^ Man of Lawes Tale.’* Donkey, properly Dunlcey. Chaucer calls a donkey a dun. ‘^Dun is in the mire” Canterbury Tales,” v. 16, 937). Key (kin) is seen in monkey, jockey ; donkey, therefore, is the little tawny animal, or the little dunning animal, alluding to its dinning bray. Mr. Rix suggests the Low Country donher or donkerheyd (gloom). Donkey. The cross of the donkey’s back is popularly attributed to the honour conferred on the beast by our Lord and Saviour, who rode on an ass to Jerusalem in ^^his triumphant entry” into that city on Palm Sunday. A writer in Blackwood wittily adds, that the mark prior to that occasion was premonitory. Eide the bl^h donkey. To be pig- headed, obstinate like a donkey. Black is added, not so much to designate the colour, as to express what is bad. The donkey means one thing and the driver another. Different people see from different standpoints, their own interest in every case directing their judgment. The allusion is to a fable in Phsedrus, where a donkey-driver exhorts his don- key to flee, as the enemy is at hand. The donkey asks if the enemy will load him with double pack-saddles. ^^No,” says the man. ‘'Then,” replies the donkey, “ what care 1 whether you are my master or some one else ? ” Three more, and up goes the donkey— i.e., three pennies more, and the donkey shall be balanced on the top of the pole or ladder. It is said to a braggart, and means — what you have said is wonderful, but if we admit it without gainsaying, we shall soon be treated with something still more astounding. Who ate the donkey ? When the French were in their flight from Spain, after the battle of Vittoria, some stragglers entered a village and demanded rations. The villagers killed a donkey, and served it to their hated foes. Next day they con- tinued their flight, and were waylaid by the villagers, who assaulted them most murderously, jeering them as they did so with the shout, “Who ate the don- key?” Do'ny. Florimel’s dwarf. — Spenser’s Faery Queen f bk. iii. cant. 5. Don'zel (Italian). A squire or young man of good birth. Doolin of Mayence. The hero of a French romance of chivalry, and the father of Ogier the Dane. Doolin’s Sivord. Marveilleuse (won- derful). Doom Book (dom-boc) is the book of dooms or judgments compiled by king Alfred. {See Domesday Book.) Doom-rings, or Circles of Judgment. An Icelandic term for circles of stones re- sembling Stonehenge and Avebury. Dooms'day Sedgwick. William Sedgwick, a fanatical prophet and preacher during the Commonwealth. He pretended to have had it revealed to him in a vision that doomsday was at hand ; and, going to the house of Sir Francis Bussell, in Cambridgeshire, ho / 240 DOOE. DOEIGEN. called upon a party of gentlemen playing at bowls to leave off and prepare for the approaching dissolution. Door, The door must he either shut or open. It must be one way or the other. This is from a French comedy called ^^Le Grondeur,” where the master scolds his servant for leaving the door open ; the servant says that he was scolded the last time for shutting it, and adds, ^^Do you wish it shut?”— No.” ^^Do you wish it open?” — ^^No.” ^^Why,” says the man, ‘4t must be either shut or open.” Door ISTail. (*S'eeDEAD.) Scrooge’s partner is dead as a door-nail.” — Diclcens, Christmas Carols ’ ch. i. Door-opener {The). So Crates, the Theban, was called, because every morn- ing he used to go round Athens, and re- buke the people for their late rising. Door'ga. The chief goddess of the Hindu triad ; the other two are Luckshmi or Luximee, and Saraswatee. Doorm. An earl called the Bull,” who tried to make Enid his handmaid ; but when she would neither eat, drink, nor array herself in bravery, at his bid- ding, ‘^he smote her on the cheek;” whereupon her lord and husband, count Geraint, starting up, slew the ^‘russet- bearded earl” in his own laBX\.—Tennysonj Idylls of the King^ “ Enid.’* Do'ra. The first wife of David Cop- perfield; she was a child- wife, but no help -meet. She could do nothing of practical use, but looked on her husband with idolatrous love, and thought it glory enough to hold his pen or wipe it dry after it was done with. If this were not a work-a-day world, who would not envy the simplicity, the gentleness, the love, the single affection of a Dora? Tenny- son has a poem entitled “Dora.” Dorado {El). {See El.) Do'rax. A Portuguese renegade, in Dryden’s “Don Sebastian;” by far the best of all his characters. Dor'cas Society. A society for supplying the poor with clothing. So called from Dorcas, mentioned in Acts ix. 39. Dor'cliester. Ashig as a Dorchester butt. Very corpulent, like the cider butts of Dorchester. Of Toby Filpot it is said— His breath^doorg of life on a sudden were shut. And he died full as big as a Dorchester butt. O'Keefe^ “ Poor Soldier.** Do'rie. The oldest, strongest, and simplest of the three Grecian orders of architecture. So called from Doris, in Greece, or the Dorians who employed it. The Greek Doric is simpler than the Koman imitation. The former stands on the pavement without fillet or other ornament, and the flutes are not scal- loped. The Roman column is placed on a plinth, has fillets, and the flutings, both top and bottom, are scalloped. Doric Land. Greece, Doris being a part of Greece. Through all the bounds Of Doric land. Milton^ Paradise Lost,” bk. i Do'rie Reed. Pastoral poetry. Everything Doric was very plain, but cheerful, chaste, and solid. The Dorians were the pastoral people of Greece, and their dialect was that of the country rustics. Our own Bloomfield and Robert Burns are examples of British Doric. The Doric reed once more Well pleased, I tune. Thomson, ** Autumn.** Dor'icourt. A sort of Tremaine of the eighteenth century, who, having over- refined his taste by the “grand tour,” considers English beauties insipid. He falls in love with Letitia Hardy at a masquerade, after feeling aversion to her in her assumed character of a hoyden. — Mrs. Cowley f “ The Belle's Stratagem.” Dor'igen. A lady of high family, who married Arvir'agus out of pity for his love and meekness. She was greatly beloved by Aurelius, to whom she had been long known. Aurelius, during the absence of Arviragus, tried to win the heart of the young wife ; but Dorigen made answer that she would never listen to him till the rocks that beset the coast of Britain are removed “and there n’is no stone yseen.” Aurelius, by the aid of a young magician of Orleans, caused all the rocks to disappear, and claimed his reward. Dorigen was very sad, but her husband insisted that she should keep her word, and she went to meet Aurelius. When Aurelius saw how sad she was, and heard what Arviragus had counselled, he said he would rather die than injure so true a wife and noble a gentleman. So DORIMANT. DOUBTING. 241 she returned to her husband happy and untainted. (See BiAmRA.)— Chaucer's Franldines Tale." Dor'imant. A photograph of the earl of Rochester; a witty aristocratic libertine, in Etherege’s ^^Man of Mode.” Dormer-window. The window of an attic standing out from the slope of the roof. (French, dormii\ to sleep ; Latin, dormio.) Dornock. Stout figured linen for table-cloths. So called from a town in Scotland, where it was originally made. Dorsa'nes (3 syl.). The Indian Her- cules. Dorset. Once the seat of a British tribe, calling themselves Dwr -trigs (water- dwellers). The Romans colonised the settlement, and Latinised Dwr-trigs into Duro-triges. Lastly, came the Saxons, and translated the original words into their own tongue, dor-se^tta (water- dwellers). Dorse'tian Downs. The Downs of Dorsetshire. Spread the pure Dorsetian downs In boundless prospect. Thomson^ ‘^Autumn"' Dositll'eans. A religious sect which sprang up in the first century. So called because they believed that Dosith'eus had a divine mission, superior to that of pro- phets and apostles. Do 'son. A promise-maker and a promise- breaker. Antig'onos, grandson of Demetrios the besieger y was so called. Doss. A hassock stuffed with straw ; a bed— properly, a straw bed ; whence the cant word for a lodging-house is a dossken. Dossel is an old word for a bundle of hay or straw, and dosser for a straw basket. These words were common in Elizabeth’s reign. The French dossier means a ‘^bundle.” All these words are connected with dosey a given quantity. (Greek, dosis ; Italian, dosa; French, dose.) Do - the - Boys’ Hall. A school where boys were taken in and done for by a Mr. Squeers, a puffing, ignorant, overbearing brute, who starved them and taught them nothing. — Dickens y Nicholas Nicklehy." Do'to. One of the Nereids (j.v.). Dot'terel or Dottrel. A doating old fool ; an old man easily cajoled. The bird thus called, a species of plover, is so fond of imitation that any one may catch it. Dou'ay Bible. The English trans- lation of the Bible sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. The Old Tes- tament was published by the English college at Douay, in France, in 1609; but the New Testament was published at Rheims in 1582. The English college at Douay was founded by William Allen (afterwards cardinal) in 1568. The Douay Bible translates such words as repentance by the word penancCy &c., and the whole contains notes by Roman Catholic divines. Double X. {See XX.) Double or quits. The winner stakes his stake, and the loser promises to pay twice the stake if he loses again ; but if he wins the second throw he pays no- thing, and neither player loses or wins anything. This is often done when the stake is 3d., and the parties have no copper : if the loser loses again, he pays 6d. ; if not, the winner does not claim his 3d. Double or Double-walkers. Those aerial duplicates of men or women who repre- sent them so minutely as to deceive those that know them. We apply the word to such persons as the Dromio brothers, the Corsican brothers, the brothers Antiph'olus. The ^^head centre Stephens ” is said to have a double, who is perpetually leading astray those set to hunt him down. Double -Dutch. Gibberish, jargon, or a foreign tongue not understood by the hearer. Dutch is a synonym for foreign ; and double is simply excessive, in a twofold degree. Double-edged Sword. Literally, a sword which cuts either way; meta^ phorically, an argument which makes both for and against the person employ- ing it, or which has a double meaning. “ Your Delphic sword,” the panther then replied, “ Is double-edged, and cuts on either side,” Drydcn^ “ Hind and Fanther,” pt. iii. Double-tongued. One who makes contrary declarations on the same sub- ject at different times ; deceitful. Be grave, not double-tongued.—! Tim. hi. s. Doubting Castle. The castle of the giant Despair, in which Christian Q / 242 DOUCEUk Down. and Hopeful were incarcerated, but from which they escaped by means of the key called Promise.” — Biinyan, Pilgrim* s Progress^ Douceur'. French for sweetness. The English use of the word, meaning a present for service to be rendered, is unknown in France. Douglas. The tutelary saint of the house of Douglas is St. Bridget. Ac- cording to tradition, a Scottish king in 770, whose ranks had been broken by the fierce onset of the lord of Isles, saw the tide of battle turned in his favour by an unknown chief. After the battle, the king asked who was the Du-glass ” chieftain, his deliverer, and received for answer Sholto Du-glass (Behold the dark- grey man you inquired for). The king then rewarded him with the Clydesdale valley for his services. ^ Let him not ctoss or thwart me,” said the page ; “ for I will not yield him an inch of way, had he in his body the soul of every Douglas that has lived since the time of the Dark Gray Man.— -ht. Drop Serene {gutta serdna). An old name for amauro'sis. It was at one time thought that a transparent watery humour, distrlling on the optic nerve, would produce blindness without chang- ing the appearance of the eye. So thick a “drop serene” hath quenched these orbs. Milton, “ Paradise Lost” iii. Drowned Hat. As wet as a drowned^ rat—i.e., soaking wet. Drowned rats certainly look deplorably wet, but so also do drowned mice, drowned cats, drowned dogs, and all sic ilk. Drows or Trows. A sort of fairy race, residing in hills and caverns. They are curious artificers in iron and precious metals. {Zetland superstition.') I hung about thy neck that gifted chain, which all in our isles know was wrought by no earthly artist, but by the Drows in the secret recesses of t! eir oavernf. Scott, “ The Pirate” c. x. Druid. A chief priest (Celtic der, superior; wydd, priest or ^instruct or). In 1 Taliesin we read, B'dmgioydd yngwarth an (at length I became a priest or wydd). , It was after this period that the wydds i were divided into two classes, the Der- wydds and the Go-wydds (D’ruids and Ovidds). We have the Irish draoi or drui (a magician), and the Hebrew drushim (interpreter), drsh (Deut. xviii. j 11), and Idrush (2 Chron. xv. 12). Pliny j derives the word from drus (an oak), but i i how could the Celts borrow from the 1 ^ Greeks ? ■ Drum. A crowded evening party; 1 also called a “rout,” a “hurricane,” &c. J = Drum applies to the close packing, as a ‘ drum of figs. Rout is the Welsh rhaivter Ij (a crowd). Hurricane alludes to the * hurry, bustle, and confusion which mark ^ these soirees. It is impossible to live in a drum. ' Lady M. W. Montagu. \ John Drum's entertainment. Turning an unwelcome guest out of doors. The allusion is to drumming a soldier out of a regiment. Drum Ecclesiastic. The pulpit cushion, often vigorously thumped by what are termed “rousing preachers.” , When Gospel trumpeter, surrounded With long-eared rout, to battle sounded ; And pulpit drum ecclesiastick Was beat with fist instead of a stick. Butler, “ Hudibras,” pt. i., ch. i., v. 9. # Drum-head Court-martial. One held in haste ; like a court-martial sum- | moned on the field round the big drum to deal summarily with an offender. Drum'mond Light. The lime- light. So named from Capt. Thomas Drummond, R.E., who suggested the idea, and prepared the necessary appa- ratus, in the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain. Drunk as Chloe or Drunk as a fiddler. Chloe is a lady mentioned often in Prior’s “Poems,” who had a great pro- pensity for strong drinks. The fiddler referred to is the fiddler at wakes and fairs, on board ship, and other places where a fiddler was paid in drink for playing to rustic dancers. Drunk as David’s Sow. {See Davy’s Sow.) Drupner ( The dripper) . A gold ring given to Odin ; every ninth night other DRUEY. DUCKS. 247 rings dropped from it of equal value to itself. — The Edda. Drury Lane (London) takes its name from the habitation of the great Drury family. Sir William Drury, K. G., was a most able commander in the Irish wars. Drury House stood on the site of the present Olympic Theatre. Dru'ees (2 syl. ). A people of Syria governed by emir's, half Christian and half Mahometan. They offer up their devotions both in mosques and churches, worship the images of saints, and yet observe the fast of Ram'medan. Their language is pure Arabic. Dry-nurse. When a superior officer does not know his duty, and is instructed in it by an inferior officer, he is said to be dry-nursed. The interior nurses the superior as a dry-nurse rears an infant. Dry Rot. The spontaneous rot of timber or wall-paper, not unfrequently produced by certain fungi attaching them- selves thereto. It is called dry rot because the wood is not purposely exposed to wet, although, without doubt, damp from de- fective ventilation is largely present. Dry Wine. Wine neither sweet nor sparkling. In sparkling wine, some of the carbonic acid gas is retained to pro- duce the “moss ; ” in sweet wine, some of the sugar is not yet decomposed ; but in old dry wine the fermentation is complete, the carbonic acid gas has escaped and much of the water, leaving the spirit dry or alone. Dryads. N ymphs of the trees (Greek, drus, any forest tree). They were sup- posed to live in the trees and die when the trees died. Dry'asdust {Rev. Dr.). A dull, plodding author, very prosy, very dull, and very learned; an antiquary. Sir Walter Scott employs the name to bring out the prefatory matter of some of his novels. The Prussian Dryasdust . . . excels all other “Dry- asdusts ” yet kno wn. Carlyle. Dsis'oo. The Japanese deity that presides over roads and travellers. Du'alism. A system of philosophy which refers all things that exist to two ultimate principles. It is eminently a Persian doctrine. The Orphic poets made the ultimate principles of all things to be Water and Night, or Time and Necessity, In theology the Maniche'an doctrine is dualistic. Dub. To make a knight by giving him a Mow. Dr. Tusler says, “ The an. cient method of knighting was by a box on the ear, implying that it would be the last he would receive, as he would henceforth be free to maintain his own honour.’’ The present ceremony is to tap the shoulder with a sword. (Saxon, duhlan, to strike with a blow.) Dubrie {St.). A holy monk in the court of king Arthur. — Idylls of the King, Enid.** Duc'at. A piece of money. So called from the legend on the early Sicilian pieces : Sit tihi, Christe^ datus, quern tu regis, iste ducdtus (May this duchy [ducat-us'] which you rule be de- voted to you, O Christ). Duchesne (2 syl. ). Le 'pere Duchesne. Jacques Rene Hebert, chief of the Cor- delier Club in the French Revolution, the members of which were called Hebertists. He was called “ Father Duchesne,” from the name of his vile journal. (1755-1794.) Duchess. An old woman is often termed A}i old duchess or a regular old duchess. The longevity of the peers and peeresses is certainly very striking. Duck. The wild duck covers up her eggs with moss or hay every time she leaves them. Duck Lane. A row for old and second-hand books which stood formerly near Smithiield, but has given way to city improvements. It might be called the Holywell Street of Queen Anne’s reign. Scotists and Thornists now in peace remain Amidst their kindred cobwebs in Duck Lane. Pope, “ Eemy on Criticism.” Ducks-foot Lane (City). A cor- ruption of Dukes* Foot Lane. So called from the dukes of Suffolk, whose manor- house was there. Ducks and Drakes. To male Duels Ojud Drales of onds money. To squander it in as foolish a manner as if it were a stone to make “ Ducks and Drakes” with. The French call this rebound of a stone on water, Ridochet. What figured slates are best to make On watery surface duck and drake. Butler, “ Hudibras,*’ ii, 3. / 248 DUCKWEED. DUKES. Duckweed. A corruption of dylce^ weed—i.e., ditch-weed. So called because it always covers old moats and ponds ; but it is by no means a favourite food of ducks. Its Latin name is “Lemna,” from the Greek, limne (a stagnant pool). Dudley Locust. A fossil trilobite (Calym'ene), Dud'man. When Dudman and Ram^ head meet. Never. Dudman and Ram- head are two forelands on the Cornish coast, about twenty miles asunder. I’ll have it done, and that before Dudman and Ramhead meet ! ” means assuredly,” before never ” begins. Make yourself scarce ! depart ! vanish ! or we’!! have you summoned before the mayor of Hal'gaver, and that before Dudman and Ramhead meet. Scott, '‘'■Kenilworth” c. iv. Duds. Old clothes, tattered gar- ments (Gaelic, d^id, a rag; Dutch, tod; Italian, tozzi). A dudder or duds- man is a scarecrow, or man of straw dressed in cast-off garments to fray birds ; also a pedlar who sells duds or gown-pieces. Dudu. A pensive maiden of seven- teen, ^^who never thought about herself at all.” — Byron, Bon Juan,'' vi., vii. Duende (3 syl.). A Spanish gobelin or house-spirit. Cal'deron has a comedy called La Dama Duenda.” Disputase por los hombres entendidos Si fu6 de los caidos este duende. Calderon. Duen'na {Lady'). The female of don. The Spanish don is the same word as the Welsh dyn and Irish duine. A duenna is the chief lady-in-waiting on the queen of Spain ; but in common par- lance it means a lady who is half com- panion and half governess, in charge of the younger female members of a noble- man’s or gentleman’s family in Spain. Duer'gar (2 syl.). Dwarfs who dwell in rocks and hills ; noted for their strength, subtilty, magical powers, and skill in metallurgy. They are the per- sonification of the subterranean powers of nature. According to the Gotho- German myth, the duergar were first maggots in Ymir’s flesh, but afterwards assumed the likeness of men. The first duergar was Modsoirn'er ; the next Dyrin. N.B. — The giant Ymir is Chaos. USee Heldenbuch.) Dues'sa {Bouble-mind or False-faith), Daughter of Falsehood and Shame, who assumes divers disguises to beguile the Red Cross Knight. At one time she takes the name of Fidessa, and entices the knight into the Palace of Pride {Luci- fe'ra). The knight having left the palace, is overtaken by Duessa, and drinks of an enchanted fountain, which paralyses him, in which state he is taken captive by the giant Orgoglio. Prince Arthur slays the giant and rescues the knight; Duessa, being stripped of her gorgeous disguise, is found to be a hideous hag, and flees into the wilderness for concealment. She appears again in book ii. — Sjyenser, Fciery Queen," book i. Duf'fer. A make-believe ; a hawker of ‘^Brummagem,” whether moral, intel- lectual, or material. To duff is to rub up the nap of old clothes so as to make them look amaist as weel as new ; ” a duffer is one who performs the operation. Robinson, a thorough duffer he. Alexander Smith, “ Summer Idyll.” Duke. The Great Dulce—i.e., the duke of Wellington. (1769-1852.) Duke and Duchess in ^^Don Quixote,” who play so many tricks on the Knight of the Woeful Countenance, were don Carlos de Borja, count of Ficallo, who married donna Maria of Ar'agon, duchess of Villaher'mora, in whose right the count had extensive estates on the banks of the Ebro ; among others he had a country seat called Bue- na' via, which was the place Cervantes referred to. Duke Combe. William Combe, author of ^^Dr. Syntax,” ^^The Devil upon Two Sticks,” &c., who in the days of his prosperity was noted for the splendour of his dress, the profusion of his table, and the magnificence of his deportment. Having spent all his money, he turned author, but passed the last fifteen years of his life in the King’s Bench. (1743-1823.) Duke Humphrey. {See Hum- phrey.) Duke or Darling. Heads or tails ; pitch and toss. When the scandals about the duke of York and Mrs. Clarke were the common talk of the town, the street boys, instead of crying DUKE, DUMACHUS. 249 Heads or tails, used to say DuJce or Bar- ling. — Lord Colchester Diary,'' 1861). Duke Street (Strand), so named from George Villiers, duke of Bucking- ham. Duke’s. A fashionable theatre in the reign of Charles II. It was situate in Portugal Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It was named from its great patron, James, duke of York, afterwards James II. Duke’s Walk. To meet one in the DuJce's Walk. An invitation to fight a duel. In the vicinity of Holyrood House is a place called the Duke’s Walk, from being the favourite promenade of the duke of York, afterwards James II., during his residence in Scotland. This walk was the common rendezvous for settling affairs of honour, as the site of the British Museum was in England. If a gentleman shall ask me the same question, I shall regard the incivility as equivalent to an in- vitation to meet him in the Duke’s Walk.— /Sco«, '*Bride of Lammermoor^” c. xxxiv. Dulcar'non. The horns of a di- lemma (or Syllogismum cormltum) ; at my wits’ end ; a puzzling question. Dulcar'nein is the Arabic dhu'lkarnein (double - horned, having two horns). Hence the pons asino'rum of Euclid is called the Dulcarncn, '^a pons asinorum to some good Grecians.” Alexander the Great is called Iscander Dulcarnein, and the Macedonian sera the cera of Did- carnein. According to the Koran, c. xviii., {Alexander) built the famous iron walls of Jajuge and Majuge, within which Gog and Magog are con- fined till the end of the world.” Hence, to send one to Dulcarnein is to send one to the prison of Gog and Magog, to daze them with puzzles, to defeat them, especially in argument. Dulee Domum. The holiday song of Winchester School. Mr. Brandon says it was composed by a boy of St. Mary’s College, Winchester, who was confined for misconduct during the Whitsun holidays, as report says, tied to a pillar.” On the evening preceding the Whitsun holidays, ‘Hhe master, scholars, and choristers of the above college walk in procession round the ‘ pillar,* chanting the six stanzas of the song.” In the March number of the ‘‘ Gentleman’s Magazine,” 1796, a trans- lation, signed J.R.,” was given of the song ; and Dr. Milner thinks the original is not more than a century old. It ia rather remarkable that the author has made domum” a neuter noun. {See Adeste Fideles.) CHORUS. Domum, domum, dulce domum! Domum, domum, duica domum ; Dulce, dulce, dulce domum ! Dulce domum, resone'mus ! Home, home, dearest home I Home, home, dearest home ! Dearest, dearest, dearest home I Hurrah for darling home ! DuPcimer is now applied chiefly to a stringed musical instrument, played by striking the wires with little hammers ; but the word so translated in Daniel iii. 5 was a species of bagpipe. Furst de- duces the Hebrew word from smpn (a pipe), and the Greek is symphonia. (Italian, dolcimello.) In a vision once I saw A damsel with a dulcimer. Coleridge, “ Vision of Knbla Khanf* Dulcin'ea. A lady-love. Taken from Don Quixote’s amie du coeur. Her real name was Aldonza Lorenzo, but the knight dubbed her Dulcin'ea del Tobo'so. I must ever have some Dulcinea in my head— it harmonises the souL— Sterne. Dul'einists. Heretics who followed the teaching of Dulcin, who lived in the fourteenth century. He said that God reigned from the beginning to the com- ing of Messiah ; and that Christ reigned from his ascension to the fourteenth century, when he gave up his dominion to the Holy Ghost. Duli'a. An inferior degree of wor- ship or veneration, such as that paid by Roman Catholics to saints and angels ; Hyper-duli'a is a superior sort of venera- tion reserved for the Virgin ; but that worship which is paid to God alone is called latri'a. ^^Dulia” means that sort of veneration which slaves pay to their lords (Greek, doulos, a slave); ^^Latria” means that sort of veneration which mortals pay to the gods (Greek, latren'o, to worship the gods). Dulness. King of dulness. Colley Cibber, poet laureate after Eusden. “ God save king Cibber ! ’’mounts on every note . , So, when Jove’s block descended from on high . . . Loud thunder to its bottom shook the bog. And the hoarse nation croaked, “God save king Log I” Pope, “ Duncind” bk. i. Du'maelius. The impenitent thief. In Longfellow’s ''Golden Legend,” Du- machus and Titus were two of a band of robbers who attacked Joseph in his 250 DUMB. DUNCE. flight into Egypt. Titus said, Let these good people go in peace,” but Dumachus replied, First let them pay for their release.” Upon this Titus gave his fellow-robber forty groats, and the infant Jesus said — When thirty years shall have gone by, I at J erusalem shall die . . . On the accursed tree. Then on my right and my left side, These thieves shall both be crucified ; And Titus thenceforth shall abide In Paradise with me. “ The Miracle Play^” iiL Dumb-bells. A corruption of Dum- pels or Dumpies, the same word as Dum- plings, and meaning heavy (weights), (German and Danish, dumm, heavy, dull, insipid ; dumplvig, a heavy, insipid pudding; dumps, heavy, stupid morose- ness.) {See Dump.) Dumb-waiter. A piece of dining- room furniture, fitted with shelves, to hold glasses, dishes, and plate. So called because it answers all the pur- poses of a waiter, and is not possessed of an insolent tongue. Dum'my. In three-handed whist, the exposed hand is called dummy, from the German dumm (stupid), meaning ‘^rather stupid or dull.” The French call it mort (a dead man), and the party is said jouer avec un mort, Dum'mies (2 syl.). Empty bottles or drawers in a druggist’s shop ; wooden heads in a hairdresser’s shop ; lay figures in a tailor’s shop ; persons on the stage who appear before the lights, but have nothing to say. These all are dumb, actually or figuratively. Dump. A Brazilian copper coin, worth about 2 Jd. ; also a round flat lump of lead used on board ship for playing quoits and chuck-penny. Hence, dump>y or dximpty (squat or small). An egg is called a hum'pty-dum'pty in the nursery verses beginning with Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,” &c. Dumps. To he in the dumps. Out of spirits; in the sullens.” According to etymological fable, it is derived from Dumops, Mng of Egypt, who built a pyramid and died of melancholy. Gay’s Third Pastoral is Wednesday, or the Dumps.” (German, dumm, stupid, dull ; Dutch, dom; Hebrew, dum, &c.) Why, how now, daughter Katharine ? in your dumps “i— Shakespeare, ^'Taming of the Shrew,” ii. 1. Dun. One who importunes for pay- ment of a bill (Saxon, dunan, to din or clamour). The tradition is, that it refers to Joe Dun, a famous bailiff of Lincoln in the reign of Henry VII. The British Apollo ” says he was so active and dex- terous in collecting bad debts, that when any one became ^'slow to pay,” the neighbours used to 'say to the creditors, ‘^Dun him” (send Dun after him). An Universitie dunne ... is an inferior creditor of some ten shillings or downe wards, contracted for horse-hire, or perchance dririke, too weaae to be put in suite. — Bishop Earle, ^^Microcosmographia.'* (1601- 1695.) Squire Dun. The hangman between Kichard Brandin and Jack Ketch. And presently a halter got. Made of the best strong hempen teer ; And. ere a cat could lick his ear. Had tied him up with as much art As Dun himself could do lor ’s heart. Cotton, “ Virgil Travested,” bk. iv. As dull as Dun in the mire (Chaucer). Dun means a donkey or dun-key, so called from its colour. Kalph calls Hu- dibras his dunship”( pt. iii. 3). Dun in tbe mire” is one greatly embarrassed. There was a game so called, to which Shakespeare refers in Borneo and Juliet” (i. 4): ‘^If thou art dun, we’ll draw thee from the mire.” Gifford has described the game in his edition of Ben Jonson, vii. 283. Well done, my masters, lend’s your hands, Draw Dun out of the ditch ; Draw, pull, helpe all ; so, so, well done. ( They pull him out.) Dutchesse of Suffolke. (1631.) Dun-cow. The Dun- cow of Duns- more heath was a savage beast slain by Sir Guy, earl of Warwick. A huge tusk, probably that of an elephant, is still shown at Harwich Castle, as one of the horns of the dun- cow. {See Guy.) Dunce. A dolt; a stupid person. The word is taken from Duns Scotus, the learned schoolman and great sup- porter of the immaculate conception. His followers were called Dunsers. Tyn- dal says, when they saw that their hair- splitting divinity was giving way to modern theology, '^the old barking curs raged in every pulpit” against the classics and new notions, so that the name indicated an opponent to progress, to learning, and hence a dunce. He knew what’s what, and that’s as high As metaphysic wit can fly. . . A second Thomas, or at once To name them all, another Dunse. Butler, “ Hudibras” I L DUNCIAD, DUNSTAN. 251 Dunce, {See Abderitan, Arcadian, Bceotian.) Dun'ciad. The dunce-epic, a satire by Alexander Pope. Eusden, the poet lau- reate, being dead, the goddess of Dulness elects Colley Cibber to be his successor. The installation is celebrated by games, the most important being the proposal to read without sleeping two voluminous works, one in verse and the other in prose ; as every one falls asleep, the games come to an end. King Cibber is now taken to the temple of Dulness, and is lulled to sleep on the lap of the goddess ; and during his slumber sees in a vision the past, present, and future triumphs of the empire. Finally, the goddess, having destroyed order and science, esta- blishes her kingdom on a firm basis, and having given directions to her several agents to prevent thought and to confine the people to foolish and trifling pursuits, Night and Chaos are restored, and the poem ends. Dun'derliead. A blockhead, or, rather, a muddle-headed person. Dunder is the lees or dregs of wine, &c. ; more correctly, the overflow of fermented liquors (yeast). (Spanish, redundar, to overflow or froth over. ) The use of Dunder in the making of rum answers the purpose of yeast in the fermentation of flour.— EdwardSt “ West Indies” Dundrea'ry, Lord (3 syl.). The impersonation of a good-natured, indo- lent, blundering, empty-headed swell. The chief character in Tom Taylor’s dramatic piece, called Our American Cousin.” Mr. Sothern created the cha- racter of Lord Dundreary by the power of his conception and the genius of his acting. (iSee Brother Sam.) Dungeon. A corruption of domin'ium (dominjum, contracted into dom’jum), that part of the castle in which the lord took his meals, and which dominated over the whole building. The under- ground storey of this grand tower was used for a prison, and persons of rank were confined in Keep-tower itself, as being the strongest part of the castle. The word is sometimes spelt donjon^ and at Canterbury is a mound corruptly called the Dane John, on which stood formerly the donjon or keep of the castle. The grete tour, that was so thikke and strong. Which of the castel was the cheef dongoun. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales.” (1059.) Dunghill. Thou hast it, ad dunghill, at thy fingers’ ends. To this Holofernes replies, Oh, I smell false Latin ; ‘ dung- hill’ for 'unguem.’ —ShaTces'geare^ “ Love’s Labour’s Lost,” v. 1. Dunkers. {See Tunkers.) Dunmow, To eat Dunmow bacon. To live in conjugal amity, without even wishing the marriage knot to be less firmly tied. The allusion is to the institution of Robert Fitzwalter. Between 1244 and 1772, eight claimants have been admitted to eat the flitch. Their names merit im- mortality. 1445. Richard Wright, labourer, Bau- burgh, near Norwich. 1467. Steven Samuel, of Little Ayston, Essex. 1510. Thomas Ley, fuller, Coggeshall, Essex. 1701. William and Jane Parsley, butcher, Much-Easton, Essex. Same year, John and Ann Reynolds, Hatfield Regis. 1751. Thomas Shapeshaft, wool- comber, Weathersfield, Essex. 1763. Names unknown ! ! 1772. John and Susan Gilder, Tarling, Essex. The recent attempt to revive this pre- mium for humbug ” is manifestly a mere “get-up ” for the benefit of the town. Ah, madam ! cease to be mistaken ; Few married fowl peck Dunmow bacon. Prior, Dunmow Flitch. {See Bacon.) Dun'stable. Bailey, as if he actu- ally believed it, gives the etymon of this word Duns’ stable ; adding Duns or “Dunus was a robber in the reign of Henry I., who made it dangerous for travellers to pass that way. {Dunes or duns tavell, our table — i.e., the table-land or flat of the hills.) Plain as the road to Dunstable ; or, as Shakespeare says, “Plain as way to parish church.” The road leading to Dunstable is the confluence of many leading to Lou- don, but the play is on the word dunce. Dun'stan {St. ). Patron saint of gold- smiths, being himself a noted worker in gold. St. Dunstanand the Devil. Dunstan was a painter, jeweller, and blacksmith ; being expelled from court, he built a cell near Glastonbury church, and there he worked at his handicrafts. It was in 252 DUODECIMO. DUST. this cell that tradition says the devil had a gossip with the saint through the lat- tice window. Dunstan went on talking till his tongs were red-hot, when he turned round suddenly and caught his Satanic majesty by the nose. One can trace in this legend, the notion that all knowledge belonged to the Black Art; that the saints” are always more than conquerors over the spirits of evil; and the singular cunning which our fore- fathers so delighted to honour. Duodee'imo. A book whose sheets are folded into twelve leaves each. This word, which differs from both the Italian and French, is from the Latin duodecim (twelve). It is now called twelve-mo from the contraction 12mo. Dup is do up. Thus Ophelia says, in one of her snatches, he ^^dupped the chamber door,” ^.e., did up or pushed up the latch, in order to open the door, that he might ‘^et in the maid” Hamlet,” iv. 1). ^^To dup the gate” sometimes means to do it up, or draw up the port- cullis. Duranda'na or Dunn’dana. Or- lando’s sword, given him by his cousin Malagi'gi. It once belonged to Hector, and was made by the fairies. It could cleave the Pyrenees at a blow. N.B. — In French romance Orlando is called Malagigi Maugisy and the sword durandal or durin'dal. Nor plated shield, nor tempered casque defends, Where Durindana’s trenchant edge descends. Hoole, “ Orlando Furioso,*’ bk. v. Du'randar'te. A knight who fell at Eoncesvalles, cousin to Montesi'nos. The tale says he loved Belerma, whom he served seven years, at the expiration of which time he was slain. In his last breath he told Montesi'nos to take his heart and give it to Belerma. He is described by Lewis as Sweet in manners, fair in favour, Mild in temper, fierce in fight. Dur'den {Dame). A notable house- wife. Dame Durden of the famous Eng- lish song kept five serving girls to carry the milking pails, and also kept five serving men to use the spade and flail. The five men loved the five maids. ’Twas Moll and Bet, and Boll and Kate, and Borothy Bracgletail ; And John and Dick, and Joe and Jack, and Hum- phrey with his flail Anon. Dur'ham Book. By Eadfrid, bishop of Lindisfarne, who died in 721, one of the most splendid examples of illumina- tion in the world. Durham Mustard. So called from the residence of Mrs. Clements, who first conceived the idea of grinding mustard in a mill, instead of pounding it in a mortar. George I. stamped it with his approval, hence the pots are labelled with the words, Durham mustard,” and bear the royal initials in a medallion. Dus or Deuce. The chief god of the Brigan'tes, one of whose altars, bearing an inscription, was discovered at Gret- land. — Camderiy Britannia.^^ Du'siens. The name given by the Gauls to those demons that produce nightmares. Dust. Money ; so called because it is made of gold-dust. Dean Swift took for the text of a charity sermon, “ He who giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord and is reported to have said, '^Now, brethren, if you like the security, down with your dust.” ril dust yoiir jacket for you. Give you a good beating. The allusion is to dust- ing carpets, &c., by beating them with a stick, To throw dust in one's eyes. To mislead. The allusion is to a Mahometan practice of casting dust into the air for tjie sake of ‘^confounding” the enemies of the faith. This was done by Mahomet on two or three occasions, as in the battle of Honein ; and the Koran refers to it when it says, “ Neither didst thou, 0 Mahomet, cast dust into their eyes ; but it was God who confounded them.” But the following incident will suffice : One day the Koreishites surrounded the house of Mahomet, resolved to murder him. They peeped through the crevice of his chamber-door, and saw him lying asleep. Just at this moment his son-in-law Ali opened the door silently, and threw into the air a handful of dust. Immediately the conspirators were confounded. They mistook Ali for Mahomet, and Mahomet for Ali ; allowed the prophet to walk through their midst uninjured, and laid hands on Ali. No sooner was Mahomet safe, than their eyes were opened, and they saw their mistake. Dust. The wild Irish peasantry believe that dust is raised on roads by fairies on DUSTY. DWARF. 253 a journey, and raise their hats to it, say- ing-, God speed you, gentlemen.” The Arabs think the whirlwind and water- spout are caused by evil jinns. Dusty-foot. {See Pie Poudre.) Dutch. The Dutch have talceii Hol- land. A quiz when any one tells what is well known as a piece of wonderful news. Similar to Queen Bess (or Queen Anne) is dead ; the Arh rested on Mount Ararat; &c. Dutch Auction. An ^‘auction” in which the bidders decrease their bids till they come to the minimum price. Dutch gold is no gold at all ; Dutch courage is no real courage; Dutch con- cert is no music at all, but mere hubbub ; and Dutch auction is no auction, or in- crease of bets, but quite the contrary. Dutch Clocks. A corruption of Deutsche clocJcs (German clocks), chiefly made in the Black Forest. As many as 180,000 are exported annually from Fri- burg. A -woman, that is like a German clock, Still a-repairmg ; ever out of frame ; And never going aright. Shakespeare, “ Love’s Labour’s Lost,” iii 1. Dutch Concert. A great noise and uproar, like that made by a party of Dutchmen in sundry stages of intoxica- tion, some singing, others quarrelling, speechifying, wrangling, and so on. Dutch Courage. The courage ex- cited by drink ; pot valour. Dutch Gold. Deutsche or German gold. An alloy of copper and zinc, in- vented by prince Rupert of Bavaria. Dutch School of painting is a sort of ^^pre-Raphaelite” exactness of detail without selection. It is, in fact, photo- graphing exactly what appears before the artist, as faithfully as his art will allow. The subjects are generally the lower classes of social life, as pothouse scenes, drunken orgies, street groups, Dutch boors, &c., with landscapes and still-life. The greatest of the Dutch masters are : for portraits, Rembrandt, Bol, Flinck, Hals, and Vanderhelst; for conversation pieces, Gerhard Douw, Ter- burg, Metzu, Mieris, and Netscher; for low life, Ostard, Bower, and Jan Steen ; for lan^capes, Ruysdael, Hobbem.a, Cuyp, Vanderneer, Berchem, and A. Both ; for latile scenes, Wouvermans and Huchten- burg ; for marine 'pieces, Vandevelde and Bakhuizen ; for still-life and flowers, Half, A. Van Utrecht, Van Huy sum, and De Heem. Dutch Uncle. I will talk to you like a Dutch uncle. Will reprove you smartly. Uncle is the Latin notion ol pat' runs, ‘^an uncle,” ^^^severe guardian,” or stern cas tigator.” Hence Horace, 3 Od, xii. 3, Metuentes patruce verhera linguae (dread- ing the castigations of an uncle’s tongue); and 2 Sat. iii. 88, Ne sis patruus mihi (Don’t come the uncle over me). Dutchman. Dm a Dutchman if 1 do. A strong refusal. During the rivalry between England and Holland, the word Dutch was synonymous with all that was false and hateful, and when a man said, I would rather be a Dutchman than do what you ask me,” he used the strongest term of refusal that words could express. Duty means what is due or owing, a debt which should be paid. Thus obe- dience is the debt of citizens to rulers for protection, and service is the debt of persons employed for wages received, Duum'virs (3 syl.). Certain Roman officers who were appointed in pairs, like our London sheriffs. The chief were the two officers who had charge of the Sibyl- line books, the two who had the super- vision of the municipal cities, and the two who were charged with naval matters. Dwarf (YAe). Richard Gibson, painter (1615-1690), a page of the back-stairs in the court of Charles I. He married Anne Shepherd, a dwarf also, and the king honoured the wedding with his presence. Each measured three feet ten inches. Design or chance makes others wive, But I^ature did this match contrive. Waller. The Black Dwarf. A fairy of the most malignant character ; a genuine northern Duergar, and once held by the dalesmen of the border as the author of all the mischief that befell their flocks and herds. Sir Walter Scott has a novel so called, in which the black dwarf” is introduced under the aliases of Sir Ed- ward Mauley ; Elshander, the recluse ; Cannie Elshie ; and the Wise Wight of Mucklestane Moor. Dwarf Albrich. (in the Nihelungen Lied) is the guardian of the famous hoard” won by Siegfried from the Nibeluncrs- dwarf is twice van- / 254 DWARF. ilAGiLE. quished by the hero, who gets possession of his Tarn-lcajtpe (cloak of invisibility). (/See Elberich.) Dwarf Peter {das Peter MancJieri), An allegorical romance by Ludwig Tieck. The dwarf is a castle spectre that ad- vises and aids the family; but all his advice turns out evil, and all his aid productive of trouble. The dwarf re- presents that corrupt part of human nature called by St. Paul the ^Haw in our members which wars against the law of our minds, and brings us into cap- tivity to the law of sin.” Dwarfs. The most remarkable are : Phile'tas, a poet (contemporary with Hippoc'rates), so small ^^that he wore leaden shoes to prevent being blown away by the wind.” (Died B.c. 280.) Niceph'orus Calistus tells us of an Egyptian dwarf not bigger than a par- tridge. Aris'tratos, the poet, was so small that Athense'os says no one could see him. Sir Jeffrey Hudson, born at Oakham, in Rutlandshire, at the age of thirty was only eighteen inches in height. (1619- 1678.) Owen Farrel, the Irish dwarf, born at Ca'van, hideously ugly, but of enormous muscular strength. Height, three feet nine inches. (Died 1742.) Count J oseph Boruwlaski, at the age of twenty, was two feet four inches, and died at the age of ninety-eight. (1739-1837.) Nicholas Ferry, usually called Beb^, a native of France, died at the age of twenty- three, and was not three feet high. A contemporary of Boruwlaski. General Tom Thumb (Charles S. Strat- ton), born 1832, at Bridgeport, Connec- ticut, U.S., was twenty-five inches in height, and weighed twenty-five lbs. at the age of twenty-five. Tom Thumb, a Dutch dwarf, at the age of eighteen was two feet four inches high. Prince Colo'bri of Sleswig, at the age of twenty-five, was also twenty-five inches high, and weighed twenty-five lbs. (1851.) Caroline Crach'ami', the Sicilian dwarf, born at Palermo, was twenty inches at death. Exhibited in Bond Street, 1824. (1814-1824.) Ther^se Souvray, {See Addenda.) Dwergar. Demi-gods of pigmy size, who preside over echoes. {Scandinavian vi.yihology.') Dyeing Scarlet. Drinking deep. Drinking dyes the face scarlet. They call drinnin? deep, dyeine scarlet. Shakespeare^ “1 Henry IV.," ii. 4. Dymph'na. The tutelar saint of those stricken in spirit. She was a native of Britain, and a woman of high rank. It is said that she was murdered, at Geel, in Belgium, by her own father, for resisting his incestuous passion. Geel or Gheel has long been a famous colony for the insane, who are sent thither from all parts of Europe, and are boarded with the peasantry. Dyser. The deities who conduct the souls of the deceased to the palace of Odin. {Scandinavian mythology.) Dy'vour. The debtor’s badge in Scotland (French, devoir, to own). Bank- rupts were compelled to wear an upper garment, half yellow and half brown, with a party-coloured cap. This law was abolished in the reign of William IV. Dyz'emas Day. Tithe day. (Por- tuguese, didimas, tithes ; Law Latin, dec'imce . ) Dzoha'ra. The Arabian Venus.— Banier, vol. ii. Dzolil. The Saturn of the Arabians. — Banier, vol. ii. ^4 ^ E. E. This letter represents a window ; | in Hebrew it is called he (a window). I E.a. or e.g. (Latin for exempli gra'tia'). 9 By way of example ; for instance. | Eager or eagre. Sharp, keen, acid ; ^ the French aigre. ^ Posset and curd, like eager droppings into milk. ^ Shakespeare, “ Hamlet” i. 5. It is a nipping and an eager air. “ Hamlet,” i. 4. Vex him with eager words. Shakespeare, “ 3 Henry VI,” ii- 4. j Eagle is the supporter of a lectern, because the eagle is the natural enemy of the serpent. The two testaments are the two outspread wings of the eagle. Eagle is emblematic of St. John the evangelist, because, like the eagle, he looked on ^‘the sun of glory the eagle was one of the four figures which made up the cherub (Ezek. i. 10). Eagle in heraldry signifies fortitude. 'I EAGLfi. EARING. 255 Eagle in royal banners. It was the ensign of the ancient kings of Babylon and Persia, of the Ptolemies and Se- leu'cides. The Romans adopted it in con- junction with other devices, but Ma'rius made it the ensign of the legion, and confined the other devices to the cohorts. The French under the empire have as- sumed the same device. The two-headed eagle signifies a double empire. Thus Austria has one for the eastern and one for the western empire. She claims to be the successor of the Caesars of Rome, and also of Charlemagne. She added the second head to her stan- dard in 802, to denote the union of Rome and Germany. Russia, also, has a double- headed eagle, having added that of Poland to her own. Constantine was the first to introduce this device, to intimate that the empire had two heads or kings, but was nevertheless one body or empire. Eagle^ a public-house sign, is in honour of queen Mary, whose badge it was. She put it on the dexter side of the shield, and the sun on the sinister — a conjugal compliment which gave great offence to her subjects. The Golden Eagle and the Spread Eagle are commemorative of the crusades ; they were the devices of the emperors of the East. Thy youth is renewed like the eaglds. This refers to the superstition feigned by poets that every ten years the eagle soars into the fiery region,” and plunges thence into the sea, where, moulting its feathers, it acquires new life. She saw where he upstarted brave Out of the well. . . As eagle fresh out of the ocean wave. Where he hath lefte his plumes all hory gray, And decks himself with fethers youthly gay. Spenser^ “ Faery Queenp i. 11. Eagle. The Romans used to let an eagle fly from the funeral pile of a de- ceased emperor. Dryden alludes to this custom in his stanzas on Oliver Cromwell after his funeral, when he says, Officious haste ‘^did let too soon the sacred eagle fly.” Eagle of Brittany. Bertrand Dugues- clin, constable of France. (1320-1380). Eagle of Meaux {mo). Jacques B^- nigne Bossuet, bishop of Meaux, the grandest and most sublime of the pulpic orators of France. (1627-1704.) Eagle of the doctors of France. Pierre d’Ailiy, a French cardinal and great astrologer, who calculated the horoscope of our Lord, and maintained that the stars foretold the great deluge. (1350- 1425.) Ear. I am all ear. All attention. I was all ear, And took in strains that might create a soul Under the ribs of death. Milton, “ Comus." Til send you off with a flea in your ear — with a cuff or box of the ear. The allu- sion is to domestic animals, who are sometimes greatly annoyed with these '^tiny torments.” There seems also to be a pun implied— /ea oxidiflee. Ears. If your ears burn, people say some one is talking of you. This is very old, for Pliny says, When our ears do glow and tingle, some do talk of us in our absence.” Shakespeare, in ^^Much Ado About Nothing” (hi. 1.), makes Bea- trice say to Ur'sula and Hero, who had been talking of her, ^^What fire is in mine ears ? ” Sir Thomas Browne ascribes this conceit to the superstition of guardian angels, who touch the right ear if the talk is favourable, and the left if other- wise. This is done to cheer or warn. One ear tingles ; some there be That are snarling now at me. Herrick, “ HesperidSs.’* To set people together hy the ears. To create ill-will among them ; to set them quarrelling. It is a pot-house metaphor, taken from the metal pots, which are collected, and being slung on a rope by their handles or ears, rattle against each other. Mine ears hast thou hored. Thou hast accepted me as thy bond-slave for life. If a Hebrew servant declined to go free after six years’ service, the master was to bring him to the doorpost, and bore his ear through with an awl, in token of his voluntary servitude (Exod. xxi. fi). This probably was an Egyptian custom, as the ear is an hieroglyphic of obedience. Walls hem ears. Things uttered in secret get rumoured abroad. Chaucer says, '^That field hath eyen, and the wood hath ears.” — Canterbury Tales v. 1524. Ear-shot. Within ear-shot. Within hearing. The allusion is palpable. Earing. Ploughing. (Anglo-Saxon, erian, to plough ; Latin, aro. ) And yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.— (?en. xlv. 6. ^ In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.? Axorf. xxxiv. 21. 256 EARL. EATING. Earl means an elder. The words seigneur and senator are of similar meaning. (Danish, jarl, an elder ; our alderman. ) Earl of Mar’s Grey Breeks. The 21st Foot are so called, because they wore grey breeches when the earl of Mar was their colonel. (1678-1686.) Earth. To gather strength from the earth. The reference is to Antseos, son of Posei'don and Ge, a giant and wrestler of Lib'ya (Africa). So long as he touched the earth, his strength was irresistible. Hercules, knowing this, lifted him into the air and crushed him to death. Near the town of Tingis, in Maurita'nia, is a hill in the shape of a man, and called The hill of Antoeos. Tradition says it is the wrestler’s tomb. {See Malegea.) Earwig. A corruption of the Saxon ear-wiega (ear-insect). So called because the hind wings resemble in shape the human ear. East. The custom of turning to the east when the creed is repeated is a relic of the Roman Catholic notion about the real presence ; but the custom of plac- ing the altar at the east end of the church is to remind us of Christ, the Day - spring ” and ^^Resurrection.” Persons are buried with their feet to the east, because they '^look for the Day-spring and Resurrection.” The ancient Greeks always buried their dead with the feet towards the east. — JJiog, Laert.f Vit. Solon f East Indies. (1) He came safe from the East Indies^ and was drowned in the Thames. He encountered many dangers of great magnitude, but was at last killed where he thought himself secure. (2) To send to the East Indies for Kentish pippins. To go round about to accomplij^h a very simple thing. To crush a fly on a wheel. To send to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for a penny postage stamp. Easter. April was called Oster- monah — the month of the Ost-end wind (wind from the east). Easter is there- fore the April feast, which lasted eight days. Our Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the 21st of March. It may fall as early as the 22nd of March, or as late as the I 25th of April. (Teutonic, ostara ; Anglo- t Saxon, eastre.) j Easter. The Saxon goddess of the I east, whose festival was held in the ^ spring. Easter-day Sun. It was formerly a common belief that the sun danced on Easter Day. Sir Thomas Browne com- bats the notion in his Vulgar Errors.” ’ But oh, she dances such a way, Ko sun upon an Easter day Is half so fine a sight. Sir John Suckling, Easter Eggs or Pasch eggs are sym- bolical of creation, or the re-creation of spring. The practice of presenting eggs to our friends at Easter is Magian or Persian, and bears allusion to the mun- dane egg, for which Ormuzd and Ahri- man were to contend till the consumma- tion of all things. It prevailed not only with the Persians, but also among the Jews, Egyptians, and Hindus. Chris- tians adopted the custom to symbolise the resurrection, and they colour the eggs red in allusion to the blood of their redemption. There is a tradition, also, that the world was ^^hatched” or created at Easter-tide. Bless, Lord, we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance to thy faithful seivants, eating it in thankfulness to thee, on account of the resurrection of our Lord- Pope Paul V., RituaV* Eat. To eat the mad cow. A French phrase, implying that a person is re- duced to the very last extremity, and is willing to eat even a cow that has died of madness ; glad to eat cat’s meat. {See Lick.) II mangea de cette chose inexprimable qu’on appelle de la vache enragee.— Ftcior Hugo^ Lqs Miserables.’* To eat one out of house and home. To eat so much that one will have to part with house and home in order to pay for it. Eating Together. To eat together in the East was at one time a sure pledge of protection. A Persian nobleman was once sitting in his garden, when a man prostrated himself before him, and im- plored protection from the rabble. The nobleman gave him the remainder of a peach which he was eating, and when the incensed multitude arrived, and de- clared that the man had slain the only son of the nobleman, the heart-broken father replied, We have eaten together EATING. ECHIDNA. 257 go in peace,” and would not allow the murderer to be punished. Eating Terms. (See Doctors’ Commons. ) Eau de Cologne. A perfumed spirit prepared at Cologne. The most famous maker was Jean Maria Fari'na. Eau de Vie. Brandy. A French translation of the Latin aqua vitce {water of life). This is a curious perversion of the Spanish ojcqua di vite (water or juice of the vine), rendered by the monks into aqua vitce instead of aqua vitis, and confounding the juice of the grape with the alchemists’ elixir of life. The same error is perpetuated in the Italian acqua mte ; the Scotch whisky, which is the Celtic uisc-lyf ; and the Irish usque- ha'iigh, which is the Gaelic and Irish uisgce-heatha. (See Aqua ViTiEJ.) Eaves-dropper. A listener under walls. The derivation of the term is not usually understood. The owners of private estates in Saxon times were not allowed to cultivate to the extremity of their possessions, but were obliged to leave a space for eaves. This space was called the yfesdrype (eaves- drip). An eaves-dropper is one who places himself in the eaves-drip to overhear what is said in the adjacent house or field. Under our tents I’ll play the eaves-dropper. To hear if any mean to shrink from me. Shakespeare,** JRichard 3. Eb'ionism. The doctrine that the poor only shall be saved. Ehion, plural ehionim (poor). At the end of the second century, the Ebionites were treated as heretics, and a pretended leader (Ebion) was invented by Tertullian to explain the ** Life of Jesus,” ch. xL Eb'ionites (4 syl.). A religious sect of the first and second centuries, who maintained that Jesus Christ was merely an inspired messenger, the greatest of all prophets, but yet a man and a man only, without any existence before his birth in Bethlehem. (See above.) Eblis or Ihleis. A jinn, and the ruler of the evil genii or fallen angels. Before his fall he was called Azaz'el or Hha'ris. When Adam was created, God commanded all the angels to worship him ; but Eblis replied, Me thou hast created of smokeless fire, and shall I reverence a creature made of dust?” God was very angry at this insolent answer, and turned the disobedient fay into a Shey- tlln (devil), and he became the father of devils. His majesty was 100 feet inheii^ht ; his skin, striped with red, was covered with small scales, which made it glisten like armour. His hair was so long and curly, a snake might have lost its way in it. His flat nose was pierced with a ring of admirable workmanship. His small eyes assumed all the prismatic colours ; his ears, which resembled those of an elephant, flapped on his shouldeis; and his tail, sixty feet long, ter- minated in a hooked claw.— “ Croquemitaine,” ii. lo. When he said unto the angels, “ Worship Adam,’* all worshipped him except Eblis.— .Ai Koran, ii. Eb'ony. God's image done in ebony. Negroes. Thomas Fuller gave birth to this expression. Ebu'da. The Hebri'des. — Orlando Furioso. Ecce Homo. A painting by Cor- regg'io of our Lord crowned with thorns and bound with ropes, as he was shown to the people by Pilate, who said to them, *^Ecce homo!" (Behold the man.) (John xix. 5.) There is a semi- theological work so called, published anonymously, but at- tributed to professor Seeley, of Univer- sity College. The object is to show that the Lord Jesus Christ is not divine. '^Ecce homo!" (behold a man), not Ecce Deus!" nor Ecce homo-Deus ! ” Eccen'tric means deviating from the centre ; hence irregular, not accord- ing to rule. Originally applied to those planets which wander round the earth, like comets, the earth not being in the centre of their orbit. (Latin, ex centrum.) Ecclesias'tical. The father of eccle- siastical history. Euse'bius of Csesare'a. (264-340.) Ecclesias'ticus is so ^ called, not because the writer was a priest, but be- cause the book (in the opinion of the fathers) was the chief of the apocryphal books, designated by them Ecclesias'tici Libri (books to be read in churches), to distinguish them from the canonical Scriptures. Echidna (E-kid' -na). Half woman, half serpent. She was mother of the Chimaera, the many-headed dog Orthos, the hundred- headed dragon of the Hes- perides, the Col'chian dragon, the Sphinx, CeFberos, Scylla, the Gorgons, the Ler- nsean hydra, the vulture that gnawed away the liver of Prome'theus, and the Nem’ean Mon.- -Hesiod. B 258 ECHNOBAS. EDDA. (She) seemed a woman to the waist, and fair ; But ended foul in many a scaly fold, Voluminous and vast. Milton, “ Paradise Lost,'* bk. i. EchnolDas {Elc~no'~has), One of the dogs of Actseon. Eclio. The Eomans say that Echo was a nymph in love with Narcissus, but her love not being returned, she pined away till only her voice remained. We use the word to imply similarity of sen- timent, as You echo my ideas; That is an echo to my opinion. Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv’st unseen Within thy aery shell. By slow Meander’s m argent green. . . Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pair That likest thy Narcissus are ? Milton, **Comus.** Eckliardt. A faithful Echhardt, who warneth every one (German). Eck- hardt, in German legends, appears on the evening of Maunday-Thursday to warn all persons to go home, that they may not be injured by the headless bodies and two-legged horses which traverse the streets on that night. Eclec'tics. Ancient philosophers, who selected what they thought best in all other systems, and made a patchwork therefrom. There is the eclectic school of painters, of which Paul Delaroche was the founder and best exponent ; the eclectic school of modern philosophy, founded by Victor Cousin ; the eclectic school of architecture ; and so on. (Greek, eJcdegOj to pick out. ) Eclectics or Modm Platonists. A Christian sect which arose in the second century. They professed to make truth their sole object of inquiry, and adopted from existing systems whatever, in their opinion, was true. They were called Pla- tonists, because they adopted Plato’s notions about God and the human soul. Eclip'tie. The path apparently de- scribed by the sun in his annual course through the heavens. Eclipses happen only when the moon is in or near the same plane. Eclogue (2 syl.). Pastoral poetry not expressed in rustic speech, but in the most refined and elegant of which the language is capable. (Greek, mean- ing elegant extracts,” ^‘select poetry.”) Ecne'phia. A sort of hurricane, similar to the Typhon. The circling Typhon, whirled from point to point, ,, And dire Ecnephia reign, Thomson. “ Summer.’* Ecole des Femmes. Moli^re bor- rowed the plot of this comedy from the novelletti of ^'Ser Giovanni, composed in the fourteenth century. Econ'omy means the rules or plans adopted in managing one’s own house. As we generally prevent extravagant waste, and make the most of our means in our own homes, so the careful expen- diture of money in general is termed house-management. The word is applied to time and several other things, as well as money. (Greek, oihos nomoSj house- law.) Ecorcheurs. Freebooters of the twelfth century, in France ; so called because they stripped their victims of everything, even their clothes. (French ecorcher, to flay. ) Ec'stasy means out of the body. St. Paul refers to this when he says he was caught up to the third heaven and heard unutterable words, ^'whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell ” (2 Cor. xii. 2-4). St. John also says he was ‘^in the spirit,” i.e., in an ecstasy, when he saw the apocalyptic vision (i. 10). The belief that the soul left the body at times was very general in former ages, and is still the belief of many. {See Ecstatici.) Ecstat'ie Doctor. Jean de Ruys- brock, the mystic. (1294-1381.) Ecstat'ici. A class of diviners among the ancient Greeks, who used to lie in trances, and when they came to them- selves gave strange accounts of what they saw while they were out of the body.” (Greek, ex-istdmi.) Ector {Sir). The tutor of king Arthur. Edda. There are two religious codes, so called, containing the ancient Scandi- navian mythology. One is in verse, com- posed in Iceland in the eleventh cen- tury by Saemund Sigfusson, the Sage; and the other in prose, compiled a cen- tury later by Snorri Sturleson, who wrote a commentary on the first edda. The poetical edda contains an account of creation, the history of Odin, Then', Freyr, Baldet', &c. &c. The prose one contains the exploits of such conquerors as Voelsu'ug, Sigurd, Attle, &c^ and is divided into several parts. Tlie first 1 part contains historical and mythological EDEN. EDWARD. 259 traditions ; the second a long poetical vocabulary ; and the third Scandinavian prosody, or the modes of composition adopted by the ancient Skalds. The poetical compilation is generally called Soemund's Edda, and the prose one Snorra Edda. Eden. Paradise, the country and garden in which Adam and Eve were placed by God (Gen. ii. 15). The word means delight fulness, 'pleasure. Eden Hall. The luck of Eden Hall. An old painted drinking-glass, supposed to be sacred. The tale is that the butler once went to draw water from St. Cuth- bert’s Well, in Eden Hall garden, when the fairies left their drinking-glass on the well, to enjoy a little fun. The butler seized the glass, and ran off with it. The superstition is — If that class either break or fall, Farewell the luck of Eden Hall. {See Palladium.) Edgar or Edgar' do. Master of Ravenswood, in love with Lucy Ashton {Lucia di Lam'niermoor). While absent in France on an important embassy, the lady is led to believe that her lover has proved faithless to her, and in the tor- rent of her indignation consents to marry the laird of Bucklaw, but stabs him on the wedding- night, goes mad, and dies. In the opera Edgardo stabs himself also ; i but in the novel he is lost in the quick- j sands at Kelpies-Flow, in accordance j with an ancient prophecy. — Donizetti's opera of Lucia di Lammermoor Sir ! Waltefi' Scott's Bride of Laminerriioor." Edhilin'gi. The aristocratic class among the Anglo-Saxons ; the second rank were termed the Frilingi ; and the third ilaoLazzi. (Anglo-Saxon, cedele or edele, noble ; freeding, free - born. Ricardo says of the third class, they were the ^'unwilling to work, the dull” — quos hodie lazie di'cimus.) Edict of MiPan. Proclaimed by Constantine, after the conquest of Italy (313), to secure to Christians the resti- tution of their civil and religious rights. Edict of Hantes. An edict pub- lished by Henri IV. of France, granting toleration to his Protestant subjects. It was published from Nantes in 1598. This edict was repealed in 1685 by Louis XIV. Edie Ochiltree. In Scott’s Anti- quary.” Charles II. would be as sceptical as Edie Ochiltree about the existence of circles and avenues, altar- stones and cromlechs.— “ Old England.’' Edlftr is to build a house (Latin, cedes f ado') ; morally, to build instruction in the mind methodically, like an archi- tect. The Scripture word edification means the building up of ‘^believers” : in grace and holiness, St. Paul says, i Ye are God’s building,” and elsewhere f he carries out the figure more fully, saying— All the building {or body of Christians), fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord.— ii. 21. E'diles (2 syl.). Roman officers who had charge of the streets, bridges, aque- ducts, temples, and city buildings gene- rally. W e call our surveyors city ediles sometimes. (Latin, cedes, a house.) E'dith, called the Maid of Lorn (Argyleshire), was about to be married to lord Ronald, when Robert, Edward, and Isabel Bruce, tempest-tossed, sought shelter at the castle. Edith’s brother recognised the Bruce, and being in the English interest, a quarrel ensued, in the course of which the abbot arrived, but refused to marry the bridal pair amidst such discord. Edith fled, and, assuming the chai’acter of a page, passed through, divers adventures. At length Robert Bruce won the battle of Ban- nockburn, and when peace was restored Ronald married the ‘^Maid of Lorn.” — Scott, Lord of the Isles." Ednam, in Roxburghshire, near the Tweed, where Thomson, the author of The Seasons,” was born. The Tweed, pure parent-stream, "Whose pastoral banks first heard my Doric reed. Autumn. Edolbe (2 syl.). Edohe cottages are those made of sun-dried bricks, like the buildings of ancient Egypt. — W. Hepivorth Dixon, New America," i. 16. Ed'ward. Edward the Confessor's sioord. Curta'na {the cutter), a blunt sword of state, emblematical of mercy. The Chevalier Prince Charles Edward. The Young Pretender. Introduced by Sir Walter Scott in ^^Redgauntlet,” first as Father Buenaventura,” and afterwards as Pretender to the crown. Again in Waverley.” R 2 260 EDWIDGE. EGGS. Ed'widge. Wife of William Tell. — Rossin'Cs oj^era of Guglielmo Tcliy Edwin. The hero of Beattie’s Min- strel.” And yet poor Edwin was no vulgar boy ; Deep thought oft seemed to fix his infant eye. Dainties he heeded not, nor gaud, nor toy. Save one short pipe of rudest minstrelsy ; Silent when glad ; aifectioiiale, though shy ; And now his look was most demurely sad ; And now he laughed aloud, yet none knew 'why. The neighbours stared and sighed, yet blessed the lad; - Some deemed him wondrous wise, and some believed him mad. Canto i. 16. Ed'yrn. Son of Nudd ; called the ^^Sparrow-hawk.” He ousted the earl of Yn'iol from his earldom, and tried to win E'nid, the earl’s daughter, but fail- ing in this, became the evil genius of the gentle earl. Being overthrown in a tournament by prince Geraint', he was sent to the court of king Arthur, where his whole nature was completely changed, and subdued to that gentleness which, when it weds with manhood, makes a —Idylls of the King^ Enid Eel. To shill an eel hy the tail is to do things the wrong way. Eelkhance Tables. The celebrated calculations of Nazir’ u Dien, the Persian astronomer, grandson of Zenghis Khan, brought out in the middle of the thir- teenth century. EfFen'di. A Turkish title, about equal to our squire,” given to emir's, men of learning, and the high priests of mosques. The title is added after the name, as Ali effendi (Ali Esquire), Ef'figy. To hum or hang one in effigy. To burn or hang the representation of a person, instead of the person himself. The custom comes from France, where the public executioner used to hang the effigy of the criminal, if the criminal him- self could not be found. EFfrontery. Out-facing, rude per- sistence and overbearing impudence. (Latin, effrons — i.e., exfrons, out-face.) Egalite. Philippe, due d’OrMans, father of Louis-Philippe, king of the French, was so called, because he sided with the revolutionary party, whose motto was ^‘Liberty, fraternity, and equality.” Philippe Egalite was guillo- tined in 1793. Ege'ria. The nymph who instructed Numa in his wise legislation. Numa used to meet her in a grove near Aric'ia. Egg. The sei'pent egg of the This wonderful egg was hatched by tho joint labour of several serpents, and was buoyed into the air by their hissing. The person who caught it had to ride off at full speed to avoid being stung tO' death ; but the possessor was sure to prevail in every contest or combat, and to be courted by those in power. Pliny says he had seen one of these eggs, and that it was about as large as a moderate- sized apple. The mundane egg. The Phoenicians, and from them the Egyptians, Hindus, J apanese, and many other ancient nations, maintained that the world was hatched from an egg made by the Creator. Or- pheus speaks of this egg. From the egg to the apples. (Latin, ab ovo usque ad mala).” From first to last. Uhe Komans began their ‘^dinner” witb eggs, and ended with fruits called “mala.’' Eggs. Golden eggs. Great profits. {See Goose.) 1 doubt the bird is flown that laid the golden eggs^ —Scotty*'' The Antiquary,** Pasch eggs. {See Eastfr Eggs.) DonH put all your eggs in one hasJeeL Don’t venture all you have in one specu- lation ; don’t put all your property in one bank. The allusion is obvious. I have eggs on the spit. I am very busy, and cannot attend to anything else. The reference is to roasting eggs on a spit. They were first boiled, then the yolk was taken out, braided up with spices, and put back again; the eggs were'then drawn on a “ spit,” and roasted. As this required both dispatch and con- stant attention, the person in charge could not leave them. It must be remem- bered that the word “ spit ” had at one time a much wider meaning than it has now. Thus toasting-forks and the hooks of a Dutch oven were termed spits. I forgot to tell you, I write short journals now ; I have e^gs on the spit.— Lilce as two eggs. Exactly alike. They say we are almost as like as eg&t.— Shakespeare, " Winter's Tale," i. Sure as eggs is eggs. Professor De Mor- gan suggests that this is a corruption of the logician’s formula, “a: is a?.” — Notes and Queries'* Teach your grandmother to roast eggs. Attempting to teach your elders and supe- EGG-FEAST. EITHEK. 261 riors. The French say, ^^The goslings want to drive the geese to pasture” {Les oisons veident mener les oies paitre). The great art of roasting eggs is to keep turning them incessantly. Th€7‘e is reason in roasting eggs. Even the most trivial thing has a reason for being done in one way rather than in some other. When wood fires were usual, it was more common to roast eggs than to boil them, and some care was required to prevent their being '^ill- roasted, all on one side,” as Touchstone gays ("As You Like It,” iii. 2). One likes the pheasant’s wing, and one the leg; The vulgar boil, the learned roast an egg. Pope, ^'‘Episaesr ii- Will you taJce eggs for your money 1 Will you allow yourself to be imposed upon 1 will you take kicks for halfpence ? ” This saying was in vogue when eggs were plentiful as blackberries. The phrase, / got eggs for Piy money ^ means, I gave valuable money, and received instead such worthless things as eggs. When Wolsey accused the earl of Kildare for not taking Desmond prisoner, the earl replied. He is no more to blame than his " brother Ossory, who (notwithstanding his high promises) is glad to take eggs for his money” — i.e., is willing to be imposed upon. — Campion. ^‘History of Ireland'^ <1633.) My honest friend, will you take eggs for money .?— Shakespeare, “ Winter's Tale,"' i. 2. Egg-feast. In Oxford the Saturday preceding Shrove Tuesday is so called ; it is also called Egg- Saturday ; because pasch eggs are provided for the students •on that day. Egg-on or Edge-on. A corruption of the Saxon eggian (to incite). The Anglo-Saxon ecg, and Scandinavian eg, means a " sharp point” — hence edge-hog (hedge-hog), a hog with sharp points, called in Danish, pin-sicin (thorny swine), and in French, where is the Latin spidula (spikes). Egg-trot. A cautious, jog-trot pace, like that of a good housewife riding to market with eggs in her panniers. Egil. Brother of Weland, the Vulcan of Northern mythology. Egil was a great archer, and a tale is told of him the •exact counterpart of the famous story about William Tell:— One day king Nidung commanded Egil to shoot an apple off the head of his son. Egil took two well-selected arrows from his quiver, and when asked by the king why he took two, replied (as the Swiss peasant to Gessler), " To shoot thee, 0 tyrant, with the second, if I fail.” Egis. {See ^Egis.) Eglantine (3 syl.). Daughter of king Pepin, and bride of her cousin Valentine, the brother of Orson. She soon died . — Valentine and Orson. Madame Eglantine. The prioress in Chaucer’s "Canterbury Tales.” Good- natured, wholly ignorant of the world, vain ©f her courtly manners, and noted for her partiality to lap-dogs, her delicate oath, "by seint Eloy,” her "entuning the service swetely in her nose,” and her speaking French "after the scole of Stratford atte Bo we.” Eg'otism. The too frequent use of the word I ; the habit of talking about one’s-self, or of parading one’s own doings. (Latin, ego, I.) E'gypt, in Dryden’s satire of "Ab- salom and Achitophel,” means France. Egypt and Tyrus ( Holland) intercept your trade. And Jebusites {Papists) your sacred rites invade. Parti Eider-down. The down of the eider duck. Tnis duck is common in Greenland, Iceland, and the islands north and west of Scotland. It is about the size of a goose, and receives its distinctive name from the river Eider in Denmark. Eikon Basil'ike (a regal image). A book attributed to Charles I. ; but in reality the production of J ohn Gauden, bishop of Exeter. (1605-1662.) Eisell. Wormwood wine. Hamlet says to Laertes, WouVt drink up eisell — i.e., drink wormwood wine to show your love to the dead Ophelia. In the " Troy Book” of Lydgate we have the line "Of hitter eysell and of eager {sour) wine.” And in Shakespeare’s sonnets — I will drink Potions of eysell, ’gainst my strong infection; bitterness that 1 will bitter think, Nor double penance, to correct correction. cxi. Eisteddfod. The meetings of the Welsh bards. (Welsh, eistedd, to sit.) Eitker. Greek, heJcateV; Irish, ceach- tar ; Saxon, cegther. CeacK , our "each,’' and oegther, our " either.” 262 EL. ELECTRICITY. El Dora'do. Golden illusion ; a land or means of unbounded wealth. Orella'na, lieutenant of Pizarro, pre- tended he had discovered a land of gold {el dorado) between the rivers Orino'co and Am'azon, in South America. Sir Walter Raleigh twice visited Guia'na, as the spot indicated, and published a highlj^-coloured account of its enormous wealth. The real ^Hand of gold” is California, and not Guiana. {See Balnibaebi.) The whole comedy is a sort of El dorado of wit— T, Moore. El Infante de Anteque'ra is the regent Fernando, who took the city of Anteque'ra from the Moors in 1419. El Islam. The religion of the Mos- lems. The words mean The resigning one's-self to God.” El Khi'dr. One of the good angels, according to the Koran. Elagab'alus. A Syro - Phoenician sun-god. One of the Roman emperors was so called because he was priest of Elagabalus. This madman invited the principal men of Rome to a banquet, and smothered them in a shower of roses. Ela'ine (2 syl.). The lily maid of As'tolat” {Guildford in Surrey) ^ who loved Sir Lancelot with that love which was her doom.” Sir Lancelot, being sworn to celibacy, could not have mar- ried her, even if he had been willicg; and, unhappily, what little love he had was bestowed on the queen. Elaine felt that her love was a vain thing, and died. According to her last request, the bed on which she died was placed on a barge, and on it was laid her dead body, ar- rayed in white, a lily in the right hand, and a letter avowing her love in the left. An old dumb servitor steered and rowed the barge down the river, and when it stopped at the palace staith, king Arthur ordered the body to be brought in. The letter being read, Arthur directed that the maiden should be buried like a queen, with her sad story blazoned on her tomb.— Idylls of the King, ^‘Elaine.^^ EPamites (3 syl.). Persians. So called from Elam, son of Shem. Elas'mothe‘'rmm (Greek, the metal- plate beast). An extinct animal, between the horse and the rhinoceros. El^berich. The most famous dwarf of German romance. He aided the emperor Otnit (who ruled over Lom- bardy) to gain for wife the Soldan’s daughter. — The Heldenhuch. Elbow. A constable in Shakespeare’s- Measure for Measure.” Elbow Grease. Perspiration ex- cited by hard manual labour. They say Elbow grease is the best furniture oil.” We have also the expression Palm oil, meaning hand- work. Elden Hole. Elden Hole needs filU ing. A reproof given to great braggarts. Elden Hole is a deep pit in Derb^yshire Peak, said to be fathomless. Elder Tree. Sir J ohn Maundeville^ speaking of the Pool of Sil'oe, says,, ^^Fast by is the elder-tree on which Judas hanged himself . . . when he sold and betrayed our Lord.” Shakespeare, in Love’s Labour’s Lost,” v. 2, says, Judas was hanged on an elder.” {Se^ Fig-tree.) Judas he japed With Jewish siller. And sithen on an elder tree Hanged himsel. Fiers Plowman ^ Vision.'* EleatTc Philosophy. Founded by Xenoph'anes of El'ea about B.c. 530. The Ionic school believed there, was but one element; the Eleatics said there were four or six, as heat and cold, moisture and dryness, odd and even, from the anagonism of which visible objects sprang ; Thus, Fire is heat act- ing on dryness ; A ir is heat acting on moisture ; Water is cold acting on moisture ; and Earth is cold acting on dryness. {See below.) The Neu) Eleatic School was founded by Leucippos of El'ea, a disciple of Zeno. He wholly discarded the phan- tasmagoric theory, and confined his attention to the physical properties of the visible world. He was the father of the Atomic System, in which the agency of chance was again revived. Elector. A prince who had a vote in the election of the emperor of Ger- many. The Great Elector. Frederick- Williani of Brandenburg. (1620-1688.) Electricity means the special pro- perty of amber (Greek, electron, amber). ELECTRO. ELEVEN. 263 Thales (b.C. 600) noticed that amber, when rubbed, had the property of at- tracting light substances, and this was the fons et ori'go of this most important science. Bright amber shines on his electric throne, And adds ethereal lustres to his own. J>arui7i, “ Economy of Nature" L 2. Electro-Biology means the influ- ence of electricity on life— t.e., the effect of magnetism on the affections, passions, and sensations of living animals. Elec'tuary. Something to be licked up ; a medicine made “ thick and slab,” which cannot be imbibed like a liquid, nor bolted like a pill, but which must be licked up like honey. (Greek, eJc-leicTio.) Eleemos'ynam. Eleemos'ynam se'pulcri jpatris tui (Alms on your father’s grave). (*SeeMEAT.) Elegant Extracts. The 85th Foot, remodelled in 181*3, after the numerous court-martials which then occurred. The officers of the regiment were removed, and officers draughted from other regi- ments were substituted in their places. At the University of Cambridge, in the good old times, some few men were too good to be plucked and not good enough for the poll : a line was drawn below the poll-list, and these lucky un- fortunates were allowed to pass, and were nicknamed the Elegant Extracts. There was a similar iimbo in the honour-list, called the Gulf, in allusion to a Scripture passage well-known and thus parodied, ^‘Between them {in the poll) and us {in the honour-lists) there is a great gulf fixed,” &c. EFements. Anstotle's elements. The ancient Greeks asserted that there are four elements — fire, air, water, 'and earth ; and this assertion has been the subject of very unwise ridicule. Modern chemists maintain the same fact, but have selected four new words for the four old ones, and instead of the term ‘^element,” use material forms.” We say that matter exists under four forms, the imponder- able (fire), the gaseous (air), the liquid (water), and the solid (earth), and this is all the ancient philosophers meant by their four elements or elemental forms. It was Emped'ocles of Sicily who first maintained that fire, air, earth, and water are the four elements ; but he called them Zeus, Hera, Goea, and Posi'« don. (Latin, eleOj to grow out of. ) Let us the great philosopher [Aristotle) attend. . .. His elements, “Earth, Water, Air, and Eire;”.... Tell why these simple elements are four ; Why just BO many ; why not less or more ? Jtilackmo)-e^ “ Creation^' v. Elephant and Castle. A public- house sign at Newington, said to derive its name from the skeleton of an ele- phant dug up near Battle Bridge in 1714. A flint-headed spear lay by the remains, whence it is conjectured that the creature was killed by the British in a fight with the Romans. — The Times. There is another publie-house with the same sign in St. Pan eras, probably intended to represent an elephant with a howdah. Elephan'ta, in Bombay, is so called from a stone elephant, which carried a tiger on its back, and formerly stood near the landing-place on the south side of the island. It has now nearly dis- appeared. The natives call it Gahra- pooree (cave town), from its cave, 130 feet \oiog.—Chow-choic. Elephan'tine (4 syl.). Heavy and ungainly, like an elephant. In Rome, the registers of the senate, magistrates, generals, and emperors, were called ele- phantine books, because they were made of ivory. In geology, the elephantine period was that noted for its numerous large thick-skinned animals. The disease called elephanti'asis is when the limbs swell and look like those of an elephant more than those of a human being. Eleusin'ian Mysteries. The re- ligious rites in honour of Deme'ter or Ceres performed at Eleu'sis, in At'tica. Elevation of the Host. The lifting up of the sacred elements imme- diately after consecration. The object is that the people may see them and fall down in adoration. Eleven. The eleven thousand virgins. Ur'sula being asked in marriage by a pagan prince, fled towards Rome with her eleven thousand virgins. At Cologne they were all massacred by a party of Huns, and even to the present hour ^Hheir bones” are exhibited to visitors through windows in the wall. Maury says that Ursula’s handmaid was named Undecimella, and that the legend of her eleven thousand virgins rose out of this nSkUiQ.—Legendes Fieitses. 264 ELF, ELION. Elf, plural Elves ; ” Swedish, alp, alf. Properly a mountain fay, but more loosely applied to those airy creatures that 5ance on the grass or sit in the leaves of trees and delight in the full moon. They have fair golden hair, sweet musical voices, and magic harps. They hav,e a king and queen, marry and are giveh in marriage. They imper- sonate the shimmering of the air, the felt but indefinable melody of Nature, and all the little prettinesses which a lover of the country sees, or thinks he sees, in hill and dale, copse and meadow, grass and tree, river and moon-light, denser says that Prome'theus called the man he made ‘‘Elfe,” who found a maid in the garden of Ado'nis whom he called Fay,” of whom all Fayres spring.” Of thcFe a miglUy people shortly grew. And puissant kings, which all the world warrayd, And to themselves all nations did sujbdue. “ Faery Queens* ii. 9, stan. 70, &0. Hed Elf. In Iceland, a person gaily dressed is called a red elf {raud dlfv), in allusion to a superstition that dwarfs wear scarlet or red clothes. — NiaVs Sagas. Elf-arrows are what we call celts — triangular pieces of flint occasionally found under-ground, and superstitiously supposed to have been shot by elves against cattle for the purpose of be- witching them. There every herd by sad experience knows 1 1 ow. winged with fate, their elf shot arrows fly, A\ he n the sick ewe her summer food forgoes, Ur stretched on earth the heart-smit heifers lie, Collins, Popular Superstitions." Elf-fire. The ignis-fatuus. The name of this elf is Will o’ the Wisp, Jack o’ lanthern, Peg-a-lantern, or Kit o’ the canstick {candlestick). Elf-land. The realm ruled over by Oberon, king of Faery. King James says, ‘^1 think it is liker ViFgilis Campi Elysii nor anything that ought to be believed by Christians.” — Dcemonol.,*' iii. 5. Elf-locks. Tangled hair. It is said that one of the favourite amusements of queen Mab is to tie people’s hair in knots. When Edgar impersonates a madman, ^^he elfs all his hair in knots.” — Lear, ii. 3. This is that very Mab That plats the manes of horses in the night. And bakes the elf-locks in foul sluttish hairs. Shakespeare^ “ Borneo and Juliet," L 4 . Elf-marked. Those born with a natural defect, according to the ancient Scottish superstition, are marked by the elves for mischief. Queen Margaret called Richard III. — Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog I Shakespeare, ** liichard III.,” i. 3. Elf-shot. Afflicted with some un- known disease, and supposed to have been wounded by an elfin arrow. The rinderpest would, in the Middle Ages, have been ascribed to elf- shots, {See Elf- ARROWS.) Elfin. The first fairy king. He ruled over India and America. {Middle Age Romance.) El'gin Marbles. A collection of ancient bas-reliefs and statues made by lord Elgin, and sent to England in 1812. They are chiefly fragments of the Par- thenon at Athens, and were purchased by the British government for £35,000, to be placed in the British Museum. (1816.) E^lia. A nom de plume adopted by Charles Lamb. — Essays of Elia. The adoption of this signature was purely acci- dental. Lamb’s first contribution to the London Maga~ zine was a description of the old South-Sea House, where he had passed a few months’ novitiate as a clerk, . . . and, remembering the name of a gay, light- hearted foreigner, who fluttered there at the time, substituted his name for his o'wa.—Tal/ourd. Eli'ab, in the satire of Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, is meant for Sir Henry Bonnet, earl of Arlington. Eliab was one of the chiefs of the Gadites who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chron. xii. 9). Hard the task to do Eliab right ; Long with the royal wanderer (Charles II.) he roved, And firm in all the turns of fortune proved. PartiL Eli'akim. J ehoiakim, king of J udah. (B.c. 635, 610-599.) EPidure (3 syl.). A legendary king of Britain, advanced to the throne in place of his elder brother Art'egal, sup- posed by him to be dead. Artegal, after a long exile, returned to his country, and Elidure resigned to him the throne. Wordsworth has a poem on the subject. Eliminate (4 syl.). To turn out of doors ; to turn out of an equation everything not essential to its conditions. (Latin, e limine, out of doors.) Elion. Consort of Beruth and father of Ghe. — SaRchoniatho. ELIOT, ELOHISTIC. 2G5 {George). A nom de plume of Miss Evans, author of Adam Bede,” &c. Elis'sa {deficiency or parsimony ; Greek, ellipsis). Step-sister of Medi'na and Peris'sa, but they could never agree upon anv subject. — Spenser, Faery ^neen ” bk. ii. Eliva'ger (4 syl.). A cold venomous stream which issued from Niflheim, and in the abyss called the Ginnunga Gap hardening into layer upon layer of ice. {Scandinavian mythology. ) Elixir of Life. A tincture or de- ■coction supposed by the alchemists to prolong life indefinitely. The tincture for transmuting metals was also called an elixir. (Arabic, el or al ecsir, the de- coction. Some derive it from the Latin ^lixo, to boil.) {See Amrita.) Elizabeth, had pet names for all her favourite courtiers— 9'. : The mother of Sir John Norris she called ^'My own Crow.” Burghley was her ^'Spirit.” Mount joy she termed her “ Kitchen- maid in Ireland.” Elizabeth of Hungary {St.). Patron saint of queens, being herself a queen. (1207-1231.) Ehzabe'than. After the style of things in the reign of queen Elizabeth. Elizabethan architecture is a mixture of Gothic and Italian, prevalent in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. Eli means the arm ; eVlow, the bow or joint of the arm ; the ell measure was the length of Henry I.’s arm. (1101.)' Give him an inch and he'll take an ell. Give him a little licence and he will take great liberties, or make great encroach- ments. The ell was no definite length. The English ell was a yard and a quarter, the Scotch ell a little more than a yard, while the Flemish ell was only three- quarters of a yard. This indefinite mea- sure' expresses the uncertainty of the length to which persons will go to whom you give the inch of liberty. Some will go the English ell ; while others, of more modesty or more limited desires, will be satisfied with the shorter measures. Ella. King of Northumberland, who married Cunstance.— “Man of Lawes Tale." Elliot. In the “Black Dwarf,” by Sir Walter Scott, are seven of that name — viz.. Halbert or Hobbie Elliot, of the Heugh-foot (a farmer) ; Mrs. Elliot, his grandmother; John and Harry, his brothers ; and Lilias, Jean, and Arnot, his sisters. EUyl'lon. The souls of the ancient Druids, which, being too good for hell, and not good enough for heaven, are permitted to wander upon earth till the judgment day, when they will be ad- mitted to a higher state of being. ( Welsh mythology. ) Elmo {St.). Gomazants or electric lights occasionally seen on the masts of ships before and after a storm. So called by the Spaniards, but by the Italians they are called “ the fires of St. Peter and St. Nicholas.” {See Castor and Pollux.) Sudden, breaking on their raptured sight. Appeared the splendour of St. Elmo’s light. Hoole^ “ Orlando Furiosop book ix Elohis'tic and Jehovis'tic Scrip- tures. The Pentateuch is supposed by "bishop Colenso and many others to have been written at two widely different periods, because God is invariably called EloKim in some paragraphs, while in others he is no less invariably called Jehovah. The Elohistic paragraphs, being more simple, more primitive, more narrative, and more pastoral, are said to be the older ; while the Jehovistic para- graphs indicate a knowledge of geo- graphy and history, seem to exalt the priestly office, and are altogether of a more elaborate character. Those who maintain this theory think that some late transcriber has compiled the two Scriptures and combined them into one, much the same as if the four Gospels were collated and welded together into a single one. To give one or two ex- amples : — Gen. i. 27, it is said, “So God {Elohim) created man in his own image, (both) male and female ;” whereas, in the next chapter (21—24), it is said that God (Jehovali) caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and that he then took from the sleeping man a rib and made it a woman, and therefore (says the writer) a man shall cleave unto his wife, and the two be considered one flesh. Again, Gen. vi. 19, Elohim tells Noah, “ Two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ! ark, a male and a female ;” and (vii. 9) 26S ELOI. EM. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God {Elokim) commanded Noah.’’ In Gen. vii. 2, Jehovah tells Noah he is to make a distinction between clean and unclean beasts, and that he is to admit the former by sevens and the latter by twos. In the first example, the priestly character is indicated by the moral, and in the latter, by the distinction made between clean and unclean animals. We pass no opinion upon this theory, but state it as fairly as we can in a few lines. Eloi Patron saint of artists and smiths. He was a celebrated worker in gold and silver, and was made bishop of Noyon in the reign of Dag'obert. Probably the St. Eloi of Chaucer’s Prioress was St. Louis (St. ’Loy). Ther was also a nonne, a prioresse, That of hire smiling was full simp* and coy; Hire gretest othe n’as but by Seint Eloy. Chaucer, “ Canterbury laid*’ Eloquent. The Old Man Eloquent. Isoc'rates, the Greek orator. When he heard that Grecian liberty was extin- guished by the battle of Chserone'a, he died of grief. That dishonest victory At Chgeronea, fatal to liberty. Killed with report that Old Man Eloquent. Milton, “ Sonnets,** The Eloquent Doctor. Peter Aure'olus, archbishop of Aix, a schoolman. Elshander or Cannie Elshie. The Black Dwarf, alias Sir Edward Mauley, alias the Kecluse, alias the Wise Wight of Mucklestane Moor.— Walter Scott, The BlacJc Dwarf.'" Elsie. The daughter of Gottlieb, a farm tenant of prince Henry of Hohe- neck. The prince was suffering severely from some malady, and was told that he would be cured if any maiden would give her life as a substitute. Elsie vowed to do so, and accompanied the prince from Germany to Salerno. Here Elsie surrendered herself to Lucifer, but was rescued by the prince, who married her. His health was perfectly re-established by the pilgrimage.— fellow, The Golden Legend." Elvi'no. A rich farmer, in love with Ami'na, the somnambulist. Ami'na being f®und in the bed of count Ko- dolpho, the day before the wedding, induces Elvino to reject her hand and promise marriage to Liza ; but he is soon undeceived — ^Ami'na is found to be' innocent, and Liza to have been the paramour of another; so Ami'na and Elvi'no are wedded under the happiest auspices. — Belli' ni's best opera, La Son- namhuta." Elvi'ra {Donna). A lady deceived by don Giovanni, who deluded her into- a liason with his valet, Leporello. — Mozart's opera of ^‘Don Giovanni." Elvira. A lady who loves Erna'ni, the robber- captain and head of a league against don Carlos, afterwards Charles V. of Spain. Being betrothed to don Buy Gomez de Silva, an old Spanish grandee, whom she detests, Ernani re- solves to rescue her ; but it so happens that the king himself falls in love with her, and tries to win her. When Silva learns this, he joins the league; but the king, overhearing the plot in conceal- ment, arrests the conspirators. Elvira intercedes for them, and the king grants them a free pardon. When Ernani is on the point of wedding Elvira, Ernani, being summoned to death by Silva, stabs himself. — Verdi's opera of Er^ nani." Ervish. Irritable, peevish, spiteful ; full of little mischievous ways, like the elves. Our superstitious forefathers thought such persons were actually possessed ” by elves. Elysian Fields. {See Behesth.) Ely'sium. Elysian Fields. The Paradise or Happy Land of the Greek poets. Elysian (the adjective) means happy, delightful. O’er each were shadowy cast Elysian gleams. Thomson. Wrapped my spirit in Elysium. Milton, “ Comus." El'zevir. An edition of a classic author, published and printed by tho family of Elzevir, and said to be im- maculate. Virgil, one of the master- pieces, is certainly incorrect in somo places. (1592-1626.) Em. The unit of measure in printing. The standard is a pica M ; and the width of a line is measured by the number of such M’s that would stand side by side in the stick.” This dictionary is in double columns, each column equals 11 pica Ms in width, and one M is allowed for the space between. Some work is made up to 10^, 20^, &c., ems ; and for EMBARGO. EMOLUMENT. 267 the half-em printers employ the letter N, which is in width half a letter M. As no letter is wider than the M, and all narrower letters are fractions of it, this letter forms a very convenient standard for printing purposes. Embargo. To lay an emlargo on him or it is to impose certain conditions before you give your consent. It is a Portuguese and Spanish word, meaning an order issued by authority to prevent ships leaving port for a fixed period. .Ember Days are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of Ember Weeks ($.2;.). Ember Weeks. A corruption of quat'uor tem'qooraf through the Dutch quatemper and German quatemler. The four times are after Quadragesima Sunday, Whit Sunday, Holyrood Day (Sepiemher), and St. Lucia’s Day {Decern- her). The supposition that persons sat in embers (or ashes) on these days is without foundation. Emblem is a picture with a hidden meaning ; the meaning is cast into ” or ^Mnserted in” the visible device. Thus, a balance is an emblem of justice, white of purity, a sceptre of sovereignty. (Greek, en-hallo.') {^See Apostles, Pa- tron Saints.) Some of the most common and simple emblems of the Christian church are — The circle inscribed in an equilateral triangle, to denote the co- equality and co-eteinity of the Trinity. A hand from the clouds, to denote God the Father. A lamb, fish, pelican, &c. &c. The Lord J esus Christ. A dove. The Holy Ghost. A chalice. The eucharist. A phoenix. The resurrection. A cross. The Christian’s life and con- flict ; the death of Christ for man’s re- demption. A crown. The reward of the perse- verance of the saints. Emblers de Gentz (French). A stealing from the people. — Old Rolls. Em'bryo means that which swells inside something (Greek, en-bru'o) ; hence, the child in the womb ; the rudiment in a plant before it shows itself in a bud ; an idea not developed, &c. Em'elye. The sister-in-law of duk 0 > Theseus,” beloved by the two knights, Pal'amon and Ar'cyte, the former of' whom had her to wife. It is of this lady the poet says, ‘^Up roos the sun, and up roos Emelye” (v. 2275). This passeth yeer by yeer, and day and day, Till it fel ©ones in a inorne of M ay. That Emelie, that fairer was to scene Than is the lilie on hire stalkes grene, And fresscher than the May withfloures newe. . . , Er it was day, as sche was wont to do, Sche was arisen. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales "{TheKnigMes Tale). Em'eralds. According to tradition, if a serpent fixes its eyes upon an emerald ’ it becomes blind.— ben Abdalaziz, Treatise on Jewels.'* Em'erald Isle. Ireland. This term was first used by Dr. Drennan (1754- 1820), in the poem called ^^Erin.” Of course, it refers to the bright green ver- dure of the island. An emerald set in the ring of the sea. Cushlamachree. Emer'gency. A sudden emergency • is something which starts suddenly into . view, or which rises suddenly out of the current of events. (Latin, e-mergo, tO' rise out of ^Hhe water.”) Emeute (French). A seditious rising or small riot. Literally, a moving-out. (Latin, e-moJeo.) Emile (2 syl.). The French form of Emil'ins. The hero of Jean Jacques ■ Rousseau’s novel of the same name, and his ideal of a perfectly educated young man. Emilia (in Shakespeare’s Othello”). Wife of lago. She is induced by her ■ husband to purloin Desdemona’s hand- kerchief, which lago conveys to Cassio’s chamber, and tells the Moor that Desde- mo'na had given it to the lieutenant as a . love-token. At the death of Desdemona, Emilia (who till then, never suspected the real state of the case) reveals the fact, and lago rushes upon her and kills her. Emil'ia. The sweetheart of Peregrine ^ Pickle, in Smollett’s novel. Emily. {See Emelye.) Eminence (^His). The title given- to cardinals since 1620. Emolliment. Literally, that which comes out of the mill. (Latin, e-mola.) It originally meant toll on what was - ground. {See Grist. ) -263 EMOTION. ENCHANTED Emo'tion. Literally, the movement of the mind brought out by something which affects it. The idea is this : The miind is passive till something occurs to affect it, when it becomes roused; the active state thus produced is its emotion, and the result thereof is passion or affec- tion. Thus, in the famous ‘ ‘ Hermetic Books” {q.v.')y passion is said to be the result of motion. (Latin, e-moveo^ to move out of.) Empan'nel or Impaoiiiel is to write the names of a jury on a pannel or piece of parchment. (French, pannem(,— i.e.j pan depeau, piece of skin.j Emped'ocles (4 syl.) of Sicily. A disciple of Pythag'oras. According to Lu'cian, he threw himself into the crater ^of Etna, that persons might suppose he was returned to the gods ; but Etna threw out his iran sandal, and destroyed dhe illusion. — Horace, Ars Poetica,’’ 464. {See Cleombrotos.) He who, to be deemed A god, leaped londly into ^tua flamee, Empedocles. Milton^ “ Paradise Lostp iii. Emperor. Emperor of Believers. Omar L, father-in-law of Mahomet, and “Second caliph of the Mussulmans. (581- 644.) Emperor of the mountains, Icing of the woods, and lord of the highways from Florence to Naples. A title assumed by Peter the Calabrian, a famous bandit- chief. (1812.) Emperor, not for myself, hut for my people. The maxim of Ha'drian, the Homan emperor. (117-138.) Empire. The empire of reason; the empire of truth ; kc.—i.e. , reason or truth as the governing principle. Empire is the Latin imper'ium, a jurisdiction, and .an emperor is one who holds command. Em'pirics. Quacks. A school of medicine founded by Serap'ion, of Alex- andria, who contended that it is not necessary to obtain a knowledge of the nature and functions of the body in order to treat diseases, but that experience is the surest and best guide. They were ■opposed to the Dogmatics {q.v.). (Greek, ^n-pira'o, to experimentalise on.) We must not So stain our judgment, or corrupt our hope. To prostitute our past-cure malady To empirics. Shakespeare, All's Well that Ends Well” ii. 1. Employe (French). One in our em- ploy ; such as clerks, shopmen, servants, &c. Empson. The favourite flageolet- player of Charles II., introduced into Scott’s ^^Peveril of the Peak.” J ulian c«uld only bow obedience, and follow Emp> son, who was the same person that played so rarely on the flageolet.— Ch. xxx. Empty Cliaiice. A chance not worth calculating on. The ace of dice was, by, the Greeks and Bomans, left empty, because the number of dice was equal to the number of aces thrown. As ace is the lowest chance, the empty chance was the least likely to win. Empyre'an. According to Ptolemy, there are five heavens, the last of which is pure elemental fire and the seat of deity ; this fifth heaven is called the empj^rean (from the Greek, en-pur, in fire)“ (A^ee Heaven. ) Enal'io - saurians (Greek, sea- lizards). A group of fossil saurians, including the Ich'thyosaur, Ple'siosaur, Sauropter'ygy, &c. &c. Encel'ados. The most powerful of the giants that conspired against Zeus (Jupiter). The king of gods and men cast him down, and threw Mount Etna over him. The poets say that the flames of this volcano arise from the breath of this giant. The battle-field of his contest was Phleg'ra, in Macedonia. So fierce Enceladus in Phlegra stood. Hoole, “ Jerusalem Delivered” I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus, With all his threat’ning band of Typhon’s brood. .. Shall seize this prey out of his facer’s hands. Shakespeare, “ Titus u^dronicus,” iv. 2. Enclianter is one who sings incan- tations. (Latin, in-canto, to sing over or against some one.) Enchanted Castles. De Saint Foix says that women and girls were subject to violence whenever they passed by an abbey, quite as much as when they approached a feudal castle. When these victims were sought for and de- manded back, th-e monks would sustain a siege rather than relinquish them, and, if close pressed, would bring to the walls some sacred relic, which so awed the assailants that they would desist rather than incur the risk of violating such holy articles. This, he says, is the origin of enchanters, enchantments, and enchanted castles . — Historical Essays. ENCORE. ENSCONCE. 2 ^ 9 - Encore (French). Our use of this word is unknown to the French, who use the word his (twice) if they wish a thing to be repeated. The French, however, say, encore une tasse (another cup), encore iinefois (still once more). It is strange how we have perverted almost every French word that we have naturalised. Encrat'ites (4 syl.). A sect of the second century, who condemned mar- riage, forbade eating flesh or drinking wine, and rejected all the luxuries and comforts of life as ^Hhings sinful.” The sect was founded by Ta'tian, a dis- ciple of Justin Martyr. (Greek, egcrates, self-mastery.) Encroach means literally to put on a hook, or to hook on. Those who hook on a little here and a little there. (French, eii crocj on a hook.) End-irons. Two movable iron cheeks or plates, still used in cooking-stoves to enlarge or contract the grate at pleasure. The term explains itself, but must not be mistaken for andirons or dogs.” Endorse. I endw'se that statement. I accept it ; I fully accord with it. The allusion is to the commercial practice of writing your name on the back of a bill of exchange or promissory note if you choose to make yourself responsible for it. (Latin, in-dorsum.^ on the back.) Endym'ion. in Greek mythology, is the sunset, with which the moon is in love. Endym'ion was condemned to endless sleep and everlasting youth, and Sile'ne kisses him every night on the Latmian hills. The moon sleeps with Endymion, And v\ ould not be awaked. Shakespeare^ "‘Merchant of Venice," v. 1. Enemy. Hoic goes the enemy 1 or What says the enemy t What o’clock is it ? Time is the enemy of man, especially of those who are behind time. Enfield Rifie. So called from the factory at Enfield where it is made. Enfilade (French) means literally to spin out ; to put thread in [a needle], as enjiler nne aguille ; to string beads by putting them on a thread, as enjiler des perles. Soldiers being compared to thread, we get the following metaphors ; to go through a place as thread through a needle— to string artillery by placing it in a line and directing it against an enemy; hence to scour or rake with shot. England. Verst egan quaintly says that Egbert was '^chiefly moved” to call his kingdom England in respect of pope Gregory’s changing the name of Engelisce into Angellyhe.” And this may have moved our kings upon their best gold coins to set the image of an angel.” — Restit. of Decayed Intell. in Antiq.f p. 147. England expects that every man will do his duty. The parole signalled by Horatio Nelson to his fleet before the* battle of Trafalgar. Englishman. The national nick- name of an Englishman is '^A John Bull.” The nation, taken in the aggre^ gate, is nicknamed ^^John Bull.” The French nickname for an Englishman is- Godam',” from a familiar oath once common, and still too frequently usedv {See Bull.) Englishman’s Castle. His house is so called, because so long as a man shuts himself up in his own house, no’ bailiff can break through the door to arrest him or seize his goods. It is not so in Scotland. E'nid. The daughter and only child of Yn'iol, and wife of prince Geraint', one of the Knights of the Round Table. Ladies called her Enid the Fair,” but the people named her ‘^Enid the Good.” She is a model of conjugal love and obe- dience, and was one of the three celebrated ladies in the court of king Arthur. — Idylls^ of the King f Enid.'’ Enlightened. The En I igh tened Doc- tor. Raymond Lully, of Palma, one of the most distinguished men of the thir- teenth century. (1234-1315.) Enniskillens. The 6th Dragoons ; instituted 1689, on account of their** brave defence of the town of Innis- killen, in favour of William III. En'nius. The Chaucer or father of Roman poets, (b.c. 239-169.) The French Ennins. Guillaume do Lorris (1235-1265), author of the '^Ro- mance of the Rose,” called the ** Iliad ” of France. The Spanish Ennius. Juan de Mena,, born at Cor'dova. (1412-1456.) Enscon'ce (2 syl.). To hide ; to put under cover. Literally, to cover with a 270 ENSEMBLE. EPHIALTES. ■sconce or fort. (German, sclian^Cy a fort ; Danish, sdians; Swedish, shans.') Ensemble. The tout ensemhle. The general effect ; the effect when the whole is regarded. {French.') Ensign. Of Ancient Athens. An owl. The British Navy. A double cross (St. ■George and St. Andrew) on a red, white, -or blue field. China. A dragon. Ancient Corinth. A fl 3 dng horse— Peg'asos. A ncimt Danes. A raven. Ancient Egypt. A bull, a crocodile, a vulture. England (in the Tudor era). St. George’s cross. Ancient France. The cape of St. Martin ; then the oriflamme. The FranJcs (Ripua'rian). A sword with the point upwards. The Franks (Salian). A bull’s head. The Gauls. A wolf, bear, bull, cock. The ancierd Lacedemonians. The letter alpha (A). The ancient Messe'nians. The letter mu (M). The ancient Pei'sians. A golden eagle, with outstretched wings on a white field ; a dove. The Paisdad'ian Dynasty of Persia. A blacksmith’s apron. {See Standard.) The ancient Romans. An eagle for the legion ; a wolf, a horse, a boar, a mino- laur, &c. Rom'uhis. A handful of hay or fern (manip'ulus). The ancient Saxons. A trotting horse. The Turks. Horses’ tails. The ancient Welsh. A dragon. Entail'. An entail is an estate cut irom the power of a testator. The tes- tator cannot bequeath it ; it must go to the legal heirs. (French, en-tailler.) Entele'chie. The kingdom of queen ■Quintessence, in the famous satirical romance of Rabelais called the '^History •of Gargan'tua and Pantagruel'.” Panta- gruel and his companions went thither in search of the Holy Bottle. It may be called the city of speculative science. Entering Short. When bills are paid into a banker’s hands to receive the amount when due, it is called “entering them short.” In this case, if the banker fails, the assignees must give them up. Bills in the hands of factors may be so entered. Enthn'siast is one who believes that he himself is in God, or that God is in him (Greek, en theos). Our word in- s'pired is very similar, being the Latin in spiritu (in the spirit). Entremets {arn-tr e-may). Sweet foods or kickshaws served at table between the main dishes, courses, or removes ; literally, entre-mets (French), things put between. We now use two words, entrees and entremets, the former being meats handed round between the main dishes, and the latter being sweet made-dishes. Entre iN'ous (French). Between you and me ; in confidence. Eolian. An Eolian harp. A box fitted with strings, like a fiddle. The strings, however, are not sounded by a bow, but by a current of air or wind passing over them. Eolus. God of the winds. {Roman mythology.) Epact. The excess of the solar above the lunar year, the former con- sisting of 365 days and the latter of 354, or eleven days fewer. The epact of any year is the number of days from the last new moon of the old year to the 1st of the following January. (Greek, epactos, adscititious.) Eper'gne (2 syl.). A large orna- mental stand placed in the middle of a dining-table. It is generally said to be a French word, but is not known in France. The French call such an orna- mental stand a surtout, strangely adopted by us to signify a frock-coat, which the French call a pardessus. Ephe'bi. Youths between the age of eighteen and twenty were so called at Athens. (Greek, arrived at puberty .) Ephe'sian. A jovial companion ; a thief ; a roysterer. A pun on the verb to pheese — A-pheeze-ian. Pheeze is to flatter. It is thine host, thine Eplips'an, calls. Shakef^peare, “ Merry Wivjs of Windsor," iy, 5. The Ephesian Poet. Hippo'nax, born at Ephesus in the sixth century B.c. Ephlal'tes (4 syl.). A giant who was deprived of his left eye by Apollo, and of his right eye by Hercules. EPHORI. EQUIPAGE. 271 Eph'ori or Eplwrs. Spartan magis- trates, five in number, annually elected from the ruling caste. They exercised control even over the kings and senate. Epic. Father of epic poetry. Homer {about 950 B.C.), author of the Iliad” and Odyssey.” The great Puritan epic. Milton’s Paradise Lost.” Speaking of M, Dore’s performnnces as an iHus- trator of the great Puritan epic.— T/ie Times. Epicure (3 syl.). A sensualist ; one -addicted to good eating and drinking. Ho called from EpicuTos (q.v.). Sir Epicure. A worldly sensualist in The Alchymist,” by Ben Jonson. His surname is Mammon.” Epicure'an. Carnal; sensual; per- taining to good eating and drinking. i{See Epicuros.) T. Moore has a prose romance entitled The Epicurean.” Epicurean cooks Sliarpen with cloj’less sauce his appetite. Shakespeare^ '^Antony and CleopatraP ii. 1. Epicu'ros. (Latin form, Epicurus.') ‘The Greek philosopher who founded the Epicure'an school. His axiom was, that ‘^happiness or enjoyment is the summum bojium of life.” His disciples corrupted his doctrine into '^Good living is the •object we should all seek,” or, according to the drinking song, Who leads a good life is sure to live well.” Blest be the day I ’scaped the wrangling crew. From Pyrrho’s maze and Epicurus’ sty. Beattie. ‘‘ Minstrel.” The Epicurus of China. Tao-tse, who commenced the search for the elixir of life.” Several of the Chinese emperors lost their lives by drinking his ‘^Potion of Immortality. (B.c. 540.) Epi-dem'ic is from the two Greek •words, epi-d^mos (upon the people), a disease that attacks a number of people at once, either from bad air, bad drain- age, or other similar cause. Epi-zoot'ic is epi-zoon (upon the herds and flocks). Zoology is used to signify a treatise on animals, but we generally •except man ; so epi-zobtic is used, demos (man) not being included. Ep'ilepsy was called by the Eomans 'the ‘‘ Comitial or Congress sickness (mor- bus comitia'lis), because the polling for i;he comitia centuria'ta was null and void if any voter was taken with epilepsy while the votes were being taken. Epimen'ides (5 syl.). A philosopher of Crete, who fell asleep in a cave when a boy, and did not wake again for fifty- seven years, when he found himself endowed with miraculous wisdom. {See Kip van Winkle.) Like Epimenidea, I have been sleeping in a cave; and, waking, see those whom I left children are bearded men.— Nir E. L. Bulwer Lytton [Lord Lytton). Epipli'any. The time of appearance, meaning the period when the star ap- peared to the wise men of the East. The bth January is the feast of the Epiphany. (Greek, epi-phaino.) Ep'isode (3 syl.) is the Greek epU eis-odos (coming in besides— ^.e., adven- titious), meaning an adventitious tale introduced into the main story. Epis'tle is something sent to another. A letter sent by messenger or post. (Greek, epi-stello.) E Plu'ribus Unum (Latin). One unity composed of many parts. The motto of the United States of America. E’poeh. means that which bounds in or holds in hand. A sequence of events harnessed together like a team of horses, (Greek, epi-echo.) Ep'ode (2 syl.). Father of choral epode. Stesic'horos of Sicily, (b.c. 632- 552.) Epsom Salts. A salt formerly ob- tained by boiling down the mineral water in the vicinity of Epsom, but now chen>i- cally prepared. It is the sulphate of magnesia. Equation of Time. The difference between mean and apparent time — i.e., the difference between the time as shown by a good clock and that indicated by a sun-dial. The greatest difference is in November, at the beginning of which month the sun is somewhat more than sixteen minutes too slow. There are days in December, April, June, and September, when the sun and the clocks agree. Eques Aura'tus. A knight bachelor, caked aura'tus because he was allowed to gild his armour— a privilege confined to knights. Eq'uipage (3 syl.). Tea equipage. A complete tea-service. To equip means to arm or furnish, and equipage is the furniture of a military man or body of 272 ERACLIUS. EMIRENES. troops. Hence camp equipage (all things necessary for an encampment) ; field equipage (all things necessary for the field of battle) ; a prince’s equipage, and so on. Equity. {See Astr^a.) Eraelius, the emperor, condemned a knight to death because the companion who went out with him returned not. ‘'Thou hast slain thy fellow,” said the emperor, “and must die. Go,” con- tinued he, to another knight, “and lead him to death.” On their way, they met the knight supposed to be dead, and returned to Eraelius, who, instead of revoking his sentence, ordered all three to be put to death— the first because he had already condemned him to death ; the second because he had disobeyed his orders ; and the third because he was the real cause of the death of the other two. Chaucer tells this anecdote in his “Sompnoures Tale.” It is told of Cor- nelius Piso by Sene'ea in his “ De Ira,” lib. i. 16 ; but in the “ Gesta Romano'- rum ” it is ascribed to Eraelius. Eras'tians. The followers of Eras- tus, a German “heretic” of the six- teenth century. They referred the punishment of all offences in the church to the civil magistrate. E 'rebus. Darkness. The gloomy cavern underground through which the Shades had to walk in their passage to Hades. “A valley of the shadow of death.” Not Erebus itself were dim enough To hide thee from prevention. Shakespeare^ '•* Jtdius CcBsat\” ii. 1. Eret'rian. The Eretrian hull. Mene- de mos of Eret'ria, in Euboea ; a Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.c., and founder of the Eretrian school, which was a branch of the Socrat'ic. He was called a “ bull ” from the bull- like gravity of his face. Eri'gena. John Scotus, the school- man. (1265-1308.) Erin. Ireland {q.v.). Erin'nys or Eri'nfys. The goddess of vengeance, one of the Furies. {GreeJc mythology.) EriphTla. The person! 6 cation of Avarice, who guards the path that leads to pleasitre, in “ Orlando Furioso,” vi. 61. Erl-kingi King of the elves, wha prepares mischief for children, and even deceives men with his seductions. He is* said to haunt the Black Forest. Er'meline (Dame). Reynard’s wife,, in the tale of “ Reynard the Fox.” Er 'min age Street. One of the four great public ways made in England by the Romans. The other three are WaU ling Street^ IJcenild Street^ and the Fosse.- German'icus derives Ermin from Hernus, whence Irniinsull (a column of Mercury), because Mercury presided over public- roads. Fair weyes many on ther ben in Englond, But four moat of all ben zunrterstond .. Fram the south into the north takit Erming-strete Fram the east into the west goeth Ikeneld-strete ; Fram south-est (east) to North-west (that is sum del grete) Fram Borer (Dover) into Chestre go’th Watling-strete ; The forth is most of all that tills from Toteueys— Fram the one end of Cornwall anon to Catenaya (Caithness)— Fram the south to North-est into Englondes end Fosse men callith thisk voix. Robert of Gloucester. Er'mine (2 syl.). A corruption of Arme'nian, the ermine being the mus^ Pon'ticus or Armenian mustela. Ermin'ia. The heroine of “Jeru- salem Delivered.” When her father, the- king of Antioch, was slain at the siege of Antioch, and Erminia fell captive into* the crusaders’ hands, Tancred gave her her liberty, and restored to her all her father’s treasures. This generous con.- duct quite captivated her heart, and she fell in love with the Christian prince. Al'adine, king of Jerusalem, took charge of her. When the Christian army be- sieged Jerusalem, she dressed herself in Clorinda’s armour to go to Tancred, but,, being discovered, fled, and lived awhile with some shepherds on the banks of the Jordan. Meeting with Vafri'no, sent as a secret spy by the crusaders, she revealed to him the design against the life of Godfrey, and, returning with him to the Christian camp, found Tancred wounded. She cured his wounds and nursed him tenderly, so that he was able to take part in the last great day of the siege. We are not told the ultimate lot of this fair Syrian. Emire'nes (4 syl.). A renegade Christian, whose name was Clement.. He was entrusted with the command of the caliph’s “regal host,” and was slain, by Godfrey. — Tasso ^ Jerusalem, livered.'' ERNANI. ESPRIT. 273 Erna'ni. The bandit- captain, dnke of Segor'bia and Cardo-na, lord of Ar'a- gon, and count of Ernani, in love with Elvi'ra, who is betrothed to don Ruy Gomez de Silva, an old Spanish grandee, whom she detests. Charles V. of Spain also loves her, and tries to win her. Silva, finding that the king has been tampering with his betrothed, joins the league of Ernani against the king. The king in concealment overhears the plot- ters, and at a given signal they are arrested by his guards, but at the inter- cession of Elvira are pardoned and set free. Erna'ni is on the point of marry- ing Elvira, when a horn is heard. This born Ernani had given to Silva when he joined the league, saying, Sound but this horn, and at that moment Ernani will cease to live.” Silva insists on the fulfilment of the compact, and Ernani stabs himself. — Verdi's opera of Er- nanif Erot'ic Poetry. Love songs. So called from Eros, the god of love in Greek mythology. Erra-Pater. An almanack. William Lilly, the almanack-maker and astro- loger, is so called by Butler. It is said to have been the '‘name” of an eminent Jewish astrologer. — HalliwelL ‘^Archaic Diet:' In mathemat’Cfl he was greater Than Tycho Brahe or Erra Pater, Butler, “ Huaihras** Erse (1 syl.). The native language of the West Highlanders of Scotland, who are of Irish origin. It is a corruption of Irish. The proper name is Gaelic. Er 'udite. Most erudite of the Romans. Marcus Terentius Varro, a man of vast and varied erudition in almost every -department of literature, (b.c. 116-27.) Erytlire'oe. One of the horses of the sun. (Greek, the red-jrroditcer.) Escapa'de (3 syl.) means, literally, the fling of a horse. Applied to any “fling,” prank, or spree. Eschales, Escales, &c. These proper names have for their armorial device, six escallops or scallop-shells. Escu'age (3 syl.) means “ shield ser- vice,” and is applied to that obligation W'hich bound a vassal to follow his lord to war at his own private charge, (French, ^cuj ecUf a shield.) Escula'pios (Latin, Esculapius'). A disciple of Esculapius means a medical student. Escula!pian, medical. Escu- la'pios, in Homer, is a “ blameless phy- sician,” whose sons were the medical attendants of the Greek army. Subse- quently he was held to be the “god of the medical art.” Escu'rial. The palace of the Spanish sovereigns, about fifteen miles north- west of Madrid. It is one of the most superb structures in Europe, but is built among rocks, as the name signifies. Esh-Bhea'ra-I-Aboor'. The name given to Sirius, and worshipped by the Keys, an Arab tribe. Esin'gae. A title given to the kings of Kent, from Ese, their first king, sometimes called Ochta. Esmond {Henry). A chivalrous cavalier in the reign of queen Anne. The hero of Thackeray’s novel entitled “ Esmond.” Esoteric (Greek, those within). Exo- ter'ie, those without. The term ori- ginated with Pythag'oras, who stood behind a curtain when he gave his lec- tures. Those who were allowed to attend the lectures, but not to see his faoe, he called his exoteric disciples ; but those who were allowed to enter the veil, his esoteric. Aristotle adopted the same terms, though he did not lecture behind a cur- tain. He called those who attended his evening lectures, which were of a popu- lar character, his exoterics; and those who attended his more abstruse morning lectures, his esoterics. Espiet {Es-pe-a). Nephew of Oriande la F^e. A dwarf not more than three feet high, with yellow hair as fine as gold, and though above a hundred years old, a seeming child of seven. He was one of the falsest knaves in the world, and knew every kind of enchantment. — Ro' mance of Maugis d' Aygremont et de Vivia- sonfr^re. Esplan'dian. Son of Am'adis and Oria'na. He is the hero of Montalvo’s continuation of “Am'adis,” called “The FifthBook.” Esprit de Corps. Fellow-feelmg for the society with which you are asso- ciated. A military term — every soldier will stand up for his own corps. a 274 ESQUIRE. ETERNAL. Esquire. One who carried the ezcii or shield of a knight. (Latin, scuiliger, a shield-bearer.) Esquire. A title given to the younger sons of the nobility, to officers of the queen’s court and household, to coun- sellors of law, justices of the peace, sheriffs, gentlemen who hold commis- sions in the army and navy, and gradu- ates of the universities not in holy orders. By courtesy it is given to at- torneys, solicitors, surgeons, merchants, bankers, the landed gentry, and gentle- men living in independence. Es'says. Lord Bacon’s essays were the first that bore the name. To -write just treatises requireth leisure in the writer and leisure in the reader . . . which is the cause which bath made me choose to write certain brief notes . . . which I have called essays.— cation to Prince Henry. Esse'nes (2 s} 1.). A sect among the J ews in the time of our Saviour. They took no part in public matters, but devoted "Ehem selves to contemplative studies. They held the Jewish Scrip- tures in great reverence, but interpreted them allegorically. Essex. East seaxe (the territory of the East Saxons). Essex Lions. Calves, for which the county is famous. Valiant as an Essex lion (ironical). Essex Stile. A ditch. As Essex is very marshy, it abounds in ditches, and has very few stiles. Est-il-possible. A nickname of prince George of Denmark, given him by James II. The story goes that James, speaking of those who had deserted his standard, concluded the catalogue with these words, ‘^And who do you think besides? "Why, little Est-il-possible, my w^orthy son-in-law.” James applied this cogncmen to the prince because, when George was told of his father-in-law’s abdication, all he did was to exclaim, '^Est-il-possible !” and when told of the several noblemen who had fallen away from him, " Est-il-possible 1 ” exhausted his indignation. Estafette (French ; Spanish, esta- fe’ta). Military couriers sent express. Their duty is to deliver the despatches consigned to them to the postilions ap- pointed to receive them. Estates. Estates of the realm. The powers that have the administration of affairs in their hands. The three estates of our own realm are the Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal, and the Commons ; popularly speaking, the public press is termed the fourth estate. It is a great mistake to call the three estates of Eng- land, the Sovereign, the Lords, and the Commons, as many do. The word means that on which the realm stands, (Latin, stOy to stand.) Herod made a Bupper to his.... chief estates.— Mark vi. 21. Este. The house of Este had for their armorial bearing a white eagle on an azure shield. Rinaldo, in "Jerusalem Delivered,” adopted this device ; and Ariosto, in his "Orlando Furioso,” gives it both to Mandricardo and Roge'ro, adding that it was once borne by Trojan Hector. As the dukes of Brunswick are a branch of the house of Este, our queen is a descendant of the same noble family. D’Este was the surname adopted by the children of the duke of Sussex and lady Augusta Murray. Estella. Heroine of Dickens’s "Great Expectations.” Estot'iland. An imaginary tract of land near the Arctic Circle in North America, said to have been discovered by John Scalve, a Pole. The enow From cold Estotiland. Milton, “Paradise Lost,** x. 685. Estrildis or Estrild. Daughter of a German king, and handmaid to the mythical king Humber. When Humber was drowned in the river that bears his name, king Locrine fell in love with Estrildis, and would have married her, had he not been betrothed already to Guendoloe'na ; however, he kept Estrildis for seven years in a palace underground, and had by her a daughter named Sa- bri'na. After the death of Locrine, Guendoloe'na threw both Estrildis and Sabri'na into the Severn. — Geoffrey, " British Histoo'yj' ii. c. ii. — v. Es'tuary. Literally, the boiling place ; the mouth of a river is so called because the water there seems to seethe and boil. (Latin, cestuo, to boil.) Eter'nal. The Eternal City. Rome. Virgil makes Jupiter tell Venus he would give to the Romans impefrium sine fini (an eternal empire). (".Eneid,” i. 79.) ETERNAL. EULALIE. 275 Eternal Tables. A white pearl, extending from east to west, and from heaven to earth, on which, according to Mahomet, God has recorded every event, past, present, and to come. Thus Ma- homet writes in the Koran, ‘‘As Allah has ordained, and recorded on the eternal tables.” Eth'nic-plot. The Popish plot. In Dryden’s satire of “Absalom and Achito- phel,” Charles II. is called David, the royalists are called the Jews, and the Papists Gentiles or Ethnoi, whence “Ethnic-plot” means the Gentile or Popish plot. Saw with disdain an Ethnic plot begun .... ’Gainst form and order they their power employ, Nothing to build, and all things to destroy. Pt.i. Etb'nopliro'nes (4 syl.). A sect of heretics of the seventeenth century, who practised the observances of the ancient Pagans. (Greek, ethnos- 2 yhrenj heathen-minded. ) E'tlion. The eagle or vulture that gnawed the liver of Prome'theus. Etiquette (3 syl.). The usages of polite society. The word means a ticket or card, and refers to the ancient custom of delivering a card of directions and regu- lations to be observed by all those who attended court. Et'na. Virgil ascribes its eruption to Typhon, a hundred-headed giant, who breathed flames of devouring fire, and lies buried under the mountain. Etrenn'es (2 syl.). New-year’s gifts are so called in Prance. Stren'ia, the Roman goddess, had the superintendence of new-year’s gifts, which the Romans called strenoe. Ta'tius entered Rome on New-year’s Day, and received from some augurs palms cut from the sacred grove, dedicated to the goddess Strenia. Having succeeded, he ordained that the 1st of January should be celebrated by gifts to be called strence^ consisting of figs, dates, and honey ; and that no word of ill omen should be uttered on that day. Ettrick Shepberd. James Hogg, the Scotch poet, who was born in the forest of Ettrick, Selkirkshire. (1772- 1835.) The Ettrick Shepherd was my guide. Wordswortlu Etzel — i.e., Aitila. King of the Huns, a monarch ruling over three kingdoms and more than thirty principalities ; being a widower, he married Kriemhild, the widow of Siegfried. In the Nibelungen- Lied, where he is introduced (partii.), he is made very insignificant, and sees his liegemen, and even his son and heir, struck down without any effort to save them or avenge their destruction. He is as unlike the Attila of history as pos- sible. Eu'charis, in Fenelon’s ‘ ‘ Telemaque,” is meant to represent Mdlle. de Fon- tanges. Eu'cliarist literally means a thank- offering. Our Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of me”— ^.e., out of gra- titude to me. The elements of bread and wine in the Lord’s supper. (Greek, 621 - char istia . ) Eu'clio. A penurious old hunks in one of the comedies of Plautus (“ Aulu- la'ria ”). Eu'crateS (3 syl.). More shifts than Ev! crates. Eucrates, the miller, was on© of the archons of Athens, noted for his shifts and excuses for neglecting the duties of the office. Eudox'ians. Heretics, whose founder was Eudox'ius, patriarch of Antioch in the fourth century. They maintained that the Son had a will independent of the Father, and that sometimes their wills were at variance. Eu'dromos. One of Actseon’s dogs.. (Greek, the good runner.) Euge'nius. The friend and wise counseller of Yorick in Sterne’s “Tris- tram Shandy.” Eu'gubine Tables. Bronze tables found near Eugu'bium {Gohho) in 1444. Of the inscriptions, five are Umbrian and Etruscan, and two are Latin. Eulalie {St.). Eu'lalon is one of the names of Apollo ; but in the calendar there is a virgin martyr called Eu'lalie, born at Mer'ida, in Estramadu'ra. When she was only twelve years old, the great persecution of Diocle'tian was set on foot, whereupon the young girl left her maternal home, and, in the presence of the Roman judge, cast down the idols he had set up. She was martyred by torture, 12th of February, 303. Longfellow calls Evangeline the “ Sun- shine of St. Eulalie.” s 2 276 EQLEN-SPIEGEL.. EURYDICE. Eulen-spie'gel {Tyll), or Tyll Owl- glass. The hero of a German tale, which relates the pranks and drolleries, the ups and downs, the freak and fun of a wan- dering mechanic of Brunswick. The author is said to have been Dr. Thomas Murner. (1475-1530.) EumaB'os or EumcBUS. A swineherd. So called from the slave and swineherd of Ulysses. This second Eumaeus strode hastily down the forest-glade, driving before him. ...the whole herd of his inharmonious charge.— called because their fangs extend up- wards nearly to the orbits of the eyes. To draw one's eye-teeth. To take the- conceit out of a person ; to fleece one' without mercy ; to make one suffer loss> without seeing the manoeuvre by which- it was effected. I guess these Yanks will get their eye-teeth drawn, if they f^on’t look sharp. W. Hepworth Dixon^ *' New America,” voL i. Ey'ra. The physician of the gods.. {Scandinavian mythology.") Eyre. Justices in Eyre. A corrup- tion of "Justices in itin'ere.” At first, they made the circuit of the kingdom, every seven years, but Magna Charta provided that it should be done annually^ Eyre {Jane). The heroine of Char- lotte Bronte’s novel so called. Jane- Eyre is a governess, who stoutly copes^ with adverse circumstances, and ulti- mately wins the love of a man of for- tune. Ezour Ve'da or Atharva'na Vdda. The last of the four sacred books of the Hindus. It regulates ceremonials, ofl’er- ings, the forms of worship, and the plan) of building and decorating the temples. The whole four books are called the* vedas or vedams. F. FACE. 281 F F. F is written on his face. “ Rogrie” is written on his face. The letter F used to be branded near the nose, on the left cheek of felons, on their being admitted to ‘^benefit of clergy.” The same was used for brawling in church. The custom was not abolished by law till 1822. F Sharp. A flea. The pun is F, the initial letter, and sharp because the bite is acute. {See B Flats.) ff. A corrupt way of making a capital JF in Old English, and used as low down as 1750 ; as ttrance for France ; ffarring- ton for Farrington ; &c. F. E. R. T. The letters of the Sar- dinian motto. Either Foi'titu'do Ejus Rhodum Ten'uity in allusion to the succour rendered to Pvhodes by the house of Savoy, 1310 ; Or, Foed'ere Et Religio'ne TendmuVy on the golden doubloon of Victor Ama- deus I. ; Or, Fortitu'do Ejus Renipuh'licam Tenet. F. O. B. Free on board ; meaning that the shipper, from the time of ship- ment, is free from all risk. Faljian Tactics or Policy— i.e.y delay. Win like Fabius, by delay.” The Roman general Fabius wearied out Hannibal by marches, counter-marches, ambuscades, and skirmishes, without ever coming to an open engagement. Met by the Fab’ an tactics, which preyed fatal to its predecessor.— Times. Fab'ila’s Sad Fate. The king don Fab'ila was a man of very obstinate pur- pose and fond of the chase. One day he encountered a boar, and commanded those who rode with him to remain quiet and not interfere, but the boar overthrew him and killed him. — “ Chronica Antiqua de Espahaf p. 121. Fabius. The American FaUus. Washington (1732-1799), whose military policy was similar to that of Fabius. He wearied out the English troops by harass- ing them, without coming to a pitched battle. Duguesclin pursued the same policy in France, by the advice of Charles V., whereby all the conquests of Edward and the Black Prince were retrieved. Fa'hius of the French. Anne, due de Montmorency, grand constable of France ; so called from his success in almost an- nihilating the Imperial army which had invaded Provence, by laying the country waste and prolonging the campaign. (1493-1567.) Fables. The most famous writers- of fables are — Pilpay, among the Hindus. Lokman, among the Arabs. iEsop and Babrios, among the Greehs. Phsedrus and Aria'nus, among the Romans. Faerne, Abste'mius, and Casti, among the Italians. The last wrote “ The Talking Animals.” La Fontaine and Florian, among the French. John Gay and Edward Moore, among our own countrymen. The former is sometimes called The English ^Esop.” Lessing and Pfeffel, among the Ger-^ mans. Kryloff, among the Russians. {See iEsop.) Fabliaux. The metrical fables of: the Trouveres, or early poets north of the Loire, in the twelfth and thirteenth, centuries. The word in this case, is- used very widely, for it includes not only such tales as “ Reynard the Fox,” but all sorts of familiar incidents of knavery and intrigue, all sorts of legends and family traditions. The fabliau of ^^Au- cassin and Nicolette ” is full of interesting incidents, and contains much true pathos* and beautiful poetry. Fabricius {Fa-hrich'-ius). A Roman* hero, representative of inflexible purity and honesty. The ancient writers love* to tell of the frugal way in which he- lived on his hereditary farm ; how he- refused the rich presents offered him by the Samnite ambassadors; and how at. death he left no portion for his daugh- ters, whom the senate provided for. Fabricius, scorner of all-conquering gold. Thomson^ Seasons" {Winter). Face. To face it 02 (t. To persist in. an assertion which is not true. To main- tain without changing colour or hanging down the head. A rebec face. (French, “visage de^ rebec”.) An ugly, grotesque face, like that which used to be cut on the upper part of a rebec or three-stringed fiddle. Dead is the noble Badebec, Who had a f ice like a rebec. Rfxbelais, “ Pantagruel," book ii. 4, Face-card or Faced card. A courfe card, a card with a face on it. 282 FACHIMAN. FAEIIY. Facli'iman. The Japanese god of war. Facile Princeps. By far the best. But the facile princeps of all gypsologists is Pro- fessor Pott, of HaMe.— Chambers, “ Cyclopaedia*' Pac'tion. The Romans divided the combatants in the circus into classes, called factions, each class being distin- guished by its special colour, like the crews of a boat-race. The four original factions were the leek-green {pras'ina)^ the sea-blue (ven'eta), the white (alba), and the rose-red (ros'ea). Two other factions were added by Domitian, the colours being golden - yellow {aura'ta) and purple. As these combatants strove against each other, and entertained a strong esprit de corps, the word was easily applied to political partisans. Pac'tor. An agent; a substitute in mercantile affairs ; a commission mer- chant. (Latin, facio, to do, whence the French facteur, one who does something for an employer.) Asleep and naked, as an Indian lay, An honest factor stole a gem aw ay. Pope, Moral Essays," Ep. iii. 361. Thomas Pitt, ancestor of the earl of Chatham, was appointed by queen Anne governor of Fort St. George, in the East Indies, and in 1702 purchased there, for ^620,400, a diamond weighing 127 carats, which he sold to the king of France. This gem is still called the Pitt diamond. Pope insinuates that Pitt stole the dia- mond ; but, although there were many aigly rumours, no definite charge was ever brought against the governor. Pacto'tum. One who can turn his hand to anything ; or, rather, one who does for his employer all sorts of services. Sometimes called a Jokan'^ies Facto'ium, Our ^'Jack of All Trades” does not mean a factotum, but one who on his own ac- count does odd jobs for any one who will pay him. (Latin, facer e totum, to do all sorts of things.) Fada. A Me or kobold of the south of France, sometimes called ‘‘Hada.” These house-spirits, of which, strictly speaking, there are but three, bring good luck in their right hand and ill luck in their left. Fadda. Mahomet’s white mule. Fadge (1 syl.). To suit or fit to- gether, as. It word fadge; wc cannot fadge together ; he does not fadge ivith me. (Saxon, to fit together; Welsh, ffag, what tends to unite.) How will this fadge ? Shakespeare, “ Twelfth Night; ii 2. Fa'dha (Al). Mahomet’s silver cuirass, confiscated from the Jews on their expul- sion from Medi'na. Fadladeen'. The great Nazir' or chamberlain of Aurungze'be’s harem, in '^Lalla Rookh.” The criticism of this self-coQceited courtier upon the several tales which make up the romance are very racy and full of humour, and his crest-fallen conceit when he finds out that the poet was the prince in disguise is well conceived. He was a judge of everything— from the pencil- ling of a Circassian’s eyelids to the deepest questions of science and literature ; from the mixture of a conserve of rose-leaves to the composition of an epic poem.... all the cooks and poets of Delhi stood in awe of him.— r. Moore. Faerie or F eerie. The land of the fays or faeries. The chief fay-realms are Av'a- lon, an island somewhere in the ocean; O'beron’s dominions, situate in wilder- ness among the holtis hairy ;” and a realm somewhere in the middle of the earth, where was Pari Banon’s palace. For learned Colin (Spenser) lays his pipes to gage, And is to Faery gone a pilatrimage. Drayton, “ Eclogue," iii. FaSry Queen. A metrical romance in six books, by Edmund Spenser (in- complete). It details the adventures of various knights, who impersonate dif- ferent virtues, and belong to the court of Gloria'na, queen of faery land. The first book contains the legend of the Red Cross Knight (the spirit of Chris- tianity), and is by far the best. The chief subject is the victory of Ploliness over Error. It contains twelve cantos. The second book is the legend of Sir Guyon {the golden mean), in twelve cantos. The third book is the legend of Brito- martis {love without hist), in twelve cantos. Britomartis is Diana, but Spenser uses the word equivocally for a Britoness. The fourth book is the legend of Cambel and Tri'amond {fidelity), in twelve cantos. The fifth book is the legend of Ar'tegal {justice,) in twelve cantos. The sixth book is the legend of Sir Cal'idore (courtesy), in twelve cantos. There are parts of a seventh book — viz., cantos 6 and 7, and two stanzas of canto 3. The subject is Mutability. The plan of the “ Faerj^ Queen ” is bor- rowed from the Orlando Furioso,” but FAG FAIRSERVICE. 283 tlie creative power of Spenser is more original and his imagery more striking than Ariosto’s. Thomson says of him — (He) like a copious river, poured his song O’er all the mazes of enchanted ground. “ Thi Seasons,” {Summer). Fag. One who does, and perseveres in doing. In public schools, it means a little boy who waits upon a bigger one. (Saxon, fegan; Latin, facio ; Scotch, faiJc.) Fag. Servant of Captain Absolute, who apes his master in all things. — Sheridan, “ The Rivals.'^ Even the mendacious Mr. Fag assures us, though he never scruples to tell a lie at his master's com- mand, yet it hurts his conscience to be found out.— Sir Walter Scott. Fa'gin. An infamous Jew, who teaches boys and girls to rob with dex- terity. — DicJcens, Oliver TwisV* Fagot. A badge worn in mediaeval times by those who had recanted their ‘‘heretical” opinions. It was designed to show what they merited, but had nar- rowly escaped. II y cbfogots et fagots. There are divers sorts of fagots; every alike is not the same. The expression is in Moli^re’s “Le Medecin rnalgr^ lui,” where Sgana- relle wants to show that his fagots are better than those of other persons : “Ay, but those fagots are not so good as my fagots.” (Welsh, that which unites ; Sax-on, fxgan, to unite.) Sentir les fagots. To be heretical; to smack of the fagots. In allusion to the custom of burning heretics by surround- ing them with blazing fagots. Fagots. Cakes made of the ‘ ‘ insides” of pigs, with scraps of pork, sage and other herbs, fried together in grease, and eaten with potatoes. (Greek, jphago, to eat.) Fagot Votes. Votes given by elec- tors expressly qualified for party pur- poses. Bailey says, “ Ineffective persons, who receive no regular pay, but are hired to appear at muster and fill up the com- panies,” are called fagots. The object was to prevent the creation of fagot votes.— TAe Times. Fah'fah. One of the rivers of para- dise in Mahometan mythology. Fa'ids. The second class of Druids. Fai'ence (2 syl.). Majolica. So called from Faen'za, where it was once largely manufactured. It is termed ma- jolica because the first specimens the Italians saw came from Majorca. Fain'eant. Les Rois Faineants (the cipher or puppet kings). Clovis II. and his ten successors, who were the puppet kings of the Palace Mayors. Louis V. (last of the Carlovingian dynasty) re- ceived the same designation. “My signet you shall command with all my heart, madam,” said earl Philip... .“1 am, you know, a complete Boy Faineant, and never once interfered with my Maire de Palais in her proceedings.— W. Scott, “ Peveril of the Peak,” ch. xv. Faint. Faint heart ne'er won fair lady. The bold a way will find or make. King, “ Orpheus and Eurydice.” Fair {The). Charles IV., king of France, le Bel. (1294, 1322-1328.) Philippe IV. of France, le Bel, (1208, 1285-1314.) Fair as lady Done. A great Cheshire family that has long occupied a mansion at U tkinton. ( Cheshire expression. ) Fair Maid of Anjou. Lady Edith Plantagenet, who married David, prince royal of Scotland. Fair Maid of February. The snow- drop, which blossoms in February. Fair Maid of Kent. Joan countess of Salisbury, wife of the Black Prince, and only daughter of Edmond Plantagenet, earl of Kent. She had been twice mar- ried ere she gave her hand to the prince. Fair Maid of Norway. Margaret, daughter of Eric II. of Norway, and granddaughter of Alexander III. of Scot- land. Being recognised by the states of Scotland as successor to the throne, she set out for her new kingdom, but died on her passage from sea-sickness. (1290.) Fair Maid of Perth. Katie Glover, the most beautiful young woman of Perth. Heroine of Scott’s novel of the same name. Fair. {See Geraldine, Rosamond.) Too late for the fair. A day after the fair. Too late for the fun, the fair being over. Fair fall you. Good befall you. Fair City. Perth ; so called from the beauty of its situation. Fairlimb. The sister of Bitelas, and daughter of Rukeuaw, the ape ; in the tale of “ Reynard the Fox.” Fair service {Andrew'). A shrewd Scotch gardener at Osbaldis'tone Hall. — Sir Walter Scott, “ Rob Roy.'* 284 FAIR-STAR. FAKAR. Fair-star. The 'princess Fair-star^ in love with prince Chery, whom she sets to obtain for her the dancing water/' 'Hhe singing apple," anvi “the green bird " {g.v.). This tale is borrowed from the fairy tales of Straparo'la the Milanese. (1550.) — Chery and Fair-star, hy the Countess d^Aulnoy. Fairies are the dispossessed spirits which once inhabited human bodies, but are not yet meet to dwell with the ‘^saints in light." All those airy s-hapes you now behold Were human bodies once, and clothed with earthly mould ; Our souls, not yet prepa’Jed for upper light, Till dooms-day wander in the shades of night. Dryden, “ The Flower and the Leaf*' Fairy of nursery mythology is the personification of Providence. The good ones are called fairies, elves, elle-folks, andfays ; the evil ones are urchins, ouphes, eil-maids, and ell-women. Fairies, black, grey, green, and white, You moonshine revellei-s, and shades of night. You ouphen-heirs of fixed destiny, Attend your office. Shakespeare, “ Merry Wives of Windsor,’* v. 5. The dress of the fairies. They wear a red conical cap ; a mantle of green cloth, inlaid with wild flowers ; green panta- loons, buttoned with bobs of silk ; and silver shoon. They carry quivers of adder-slough, and bows made of the ribs of a man buried where “three lairds’ lands meet ;" their arrows are made of bog- reed, tipped with white flints, and dipped in the dew of hemlock ; they ride on steeds whose hoofs would not ‘ ^ dash the dew from the cup of aharebell." — CromeJc. Fairies small, two foot tall. With caps red on their head. Dance around on the ground. Dodsley*s Old Plays, Fuimus TroSs,**\. 5. Fairy of the Mine. A malevolent being supposed to live in mines, busying itself with cutting ore, turning the wind- lass, &c., and yet effecting nothing. {See Gnome.) No goblin, or sw'art fairy of the mine. Hath hurtful power o’er true virginity. Milton, “ Comus.'* Fairy-darts. Flint arrow-heads, now called celts ; supposed at one time to have been darted by fairies in their mischievous pranks. Fairy-hillocks. Little knolls of grass, like mole-hills, said in the “ good old times ” to be the homes of fairies. Fairy-ladies or Mage, such as Urganda, the guardian of Amadi'gi ; the fair Oria'na; Silva'na, the guardian of Alido'ro ; Luci'na, the protectress of AlidoVo and his lady-love, the maiden- warrior, Mirinda; Eufros'ina, the sister of Luci'na ; Argea, the protectress of Floridante ; and Filide'a, sister of Ardea ; all in Tasso’s “ Amadi'gi.” Fairy-loaves or Fairy -stones. Fossil sea-urchins {eclii'ni), said to be made by the fairies. Fairy-money. Found money. Said to be placed where it was picked up by some good fairy. Fairy-rings. Circles of rank or withered grass, often seen in lawns, meadows, and grass-plots. Said to be produced by the fairies dancing on the spot. In sober truth, these fairies are simply an ag'aric or fungus below the surface, which has seeded in a circular range, as many plants do. Where the ring is hroivn and almost hare, the “ spawn" is of a greyish-white colour. The grass dies because the spawn en- velops the roots so as to prevent their ab- sorbing moisture ; but where the grass- is rank, the “ spawn" is dead. You demi-puppets, that By moonshine do the green-sour ringlets make. Whereof the ewe not bites. Shakespeare, “ Tempest,’* v. I. Fairy Sparks. The phosphoric light from decaying wood, fish, and other substances. Thought at one time to be lights prepared for the fairies at their revels. Fait Accompli (French). A scheme which has been already carried out with success. The subjection of the Souih is as much a fait accompli as the declaration of independence itse «'.— The Times. Faith. Defender of the Faith. {See Defender.) Faithful, in Runyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress," is seized at Vanity Fair, burnt to death, and taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. A Puritan used to be called Brother Faithful, and it was this,, no doubt, that suggested the name. Jacob Faithful. The hero of Captain Marryatt’s novel so called. Father of the Faithful, Abraham (Rom. iv. ; Gal. iii. 6—9). Fakar {Dhu'l). The scimitar of Ma- homet, which fell to his share when the SI oil was divided after the battle of Bekr. This term means “ The Trenchant." FAKE. FAN. 285 Fake(lsyl.). Fake away. Cutaway, make off (Latin, /cic, do, make). It also means to do—i.e.y to cheat or swindle. Fake. A single fold of a coiled cable. {Scotch, faiky a fold ; Swedish, vikay to involve; Saxon, to unite.) Fakenham Ghost. A ballad by Robert Bloomfield, author of ‘^The Farmer’s Boy.” The ghost was a donkey. Fakir' {Indian). A poor man, a mendicant, a religious beggar. Falcon and Falconet. Pieces of light artillery, the names of which are borrowed from hawks. {See Saker.) Falcon Peregrine or PeVerin. La seconde lignie est faucons que horn apele ^‘pelerins,” par ce que nus ne trouve son ni ; ains est pris autresi come en pelerin- age, et est mult legiers a norrir, et mult cortois, et vaillans, et de bone maniere. — Tresor de Brunst Latin Des F ancons.'^ A faukonn peregryn than eemed sche Of fremde {foreign) land. ChauceVt “ Canterbury Tale$f’ 10,742. Fald-stool. A small desk at which the Litany is sung or said. The place at the south side of the altar at which sove- reigns kneel at their coronation. (Barb. Latin, falday a thing which folds or shuts up.) Faldistory. The episcopal seat in a chancel, which used to fold or lift up. Falernian, the second best wine in Italy, was so called by the ancient Romans, because it was made of grapes from Falernum. There were three sorts —the rough, the sweet, and the dry. Falkland. In Godwin’s novel called Caleb Williams.” He commits murder, and keeps a narrative of the transaction in an iron chest. Williams, a lad in his employ, opens the chest, and is caught in the act by Falkland. The lad runs away, but is hunted down. This tale, dramatised by Colman, is entitled The Iron Chest.” Fal-lals. Nick-nacks ; ornaments of small value. (Greek, jplialaray metal ornaments for horses, &c.) Fall. In the fall. In the autumn, at the fall of the leaf. {An Americanism.) To try a fall. To wrestle, when each tries to fall ” or throw the other. I am given, sir,., to understand that your younger l)rother, Orlando, ha! h a disposition to come in dis- guised against me to try a fall .— You Like It 1 1. Fall Foul. To fall fonl of one is to make an assault on some one. A sea term. A rope is said to be fowl when it is entangled ; and one ship falls fonl of another when it runs against her and prevents her free progress. Hence to run up against, to assault. Fall-in. To concur with. To fall onty to disagree with. To fall in with my desire ” is to come or fall into the lot of my desire. To ^'fall out with one” is to drop out of one’s lot, and therefore to be no longer united. Falling Bands. Neck-bands which fall on the shoulders, common in the seventeenth century. Falling Sickness. Epilepsy, in which the patient falls suddenly to the ground. Brutus.— Ae (i.e., Ccesar) hath the falling-sickuesa. Cassius.— No, Caasar hath it not : but you, and I, And honest Casca. we have the/a?Zmflr-sickness, Shakespeare, Julius Coesar,” i. 2. Falling Stars are said by Ma- hometans to be firebrands flung by goo so called from being the /awwrs bestowed by ladies on the successful champions of tournaments. {See True-love Knot.) Here. Fluellen ; wear thou this favour forme, and fctick it in thy Shakespeare, “ Henry F.,” iv. 7. Favourite. One to whom a lady gives a “ favour” or token. (^See above.) Faye (1 syl.) The way to Faye. (French, Faie-la-vineuse.”) A winding or zigzag manner, like ‘^Crooked Lane at Eastcheap.” A person who tries to do something indirectly, goes by the pathway to Faye. Faye is a little village in France, built on an eminence so steep that there is no getting to it except by a winding or very zigzag pathway. They go 1o Paradise as the way is to Faye. Rabelais, “ Garyantua and Pantagruel,” bk. i. 27. Faz'io. A native of Florence, who first tried to make his fortune by alchemy ; but being present when Bartoldo, an old miser, died, he buried the body secretly, and stole his money-bags. Being now rich, he became acquainted with the marchioness Aldabella, with whom he passed his time in licentious pleasure, iiis wife Bianca, out of jealousy, accused him to the duke of being privy to the death of Bartoldo ; and Fazio was con- demned to death for murder. Bianca now tried to undo the mischief she had done, but it was too late : she went mad with grief, and died of a broken heart . — Dean Milman, ‘‘ Fazio. Fear Fortress. An hypothetical castle in a forest near Saragossa. It represents that terrible obstacle which Tear conjures up, but which vanishes into thin air as it is approached by a stout heart and clear conscience. The allegory forms the third part of the legend of Croquemitaine.” If a child disappeared, or any cattle were carried off. the trembli' g peasants said, “ The lord of Fear- fortres-s has taken them.” If a fire broke out any- where, it was the lord of t ear- fortress who must have lit it. The origin of all accidents, mishaps, and disasters was traced to the mysterious owner of this invisible castle.— “ Croquemitaine,^ iii. 1. It sunk before my earnest face, It vanished quite away. And left no shadow ou the place, Between me and the day. Such castles rise to strike us dumb ; But, w'eak in every part. They melt before the strong man’s eyes And fly the true of heart. C. Mackay,*' The Giant’* (slightly altered). Fearless {Sans peur). Jean, duke of Burgundy. (1371-1419.) Feasts. Anniversary days of joy. They are either immovable or movable. The chief immovable feasts are the four rent-days — viz., the Annunciation, or Lady Day (March 25), the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24), Michaelma.s Day (September 29), St. Thomas’s Day, which is the shortest (Dec. 21), and the great chui’ch festivals— viz., Christmas Day (Dec. 25), the Circumcision (Jan. 1), Epiphany (Jan. 6), Candlemas Day (Feb. 2), Lady-Day (as abovef All-Saints (Nov. 1), All Souls (Nov. 2), and the several Apostles’ days. The movable fesists depend upon Easter : they are Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Ash- Wednesday, Sexagesima Sunday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sun- day, and so on. Feather. Meaning species or kind. From the proverb, Birds of a feather’* — i.e.,of the same plumage, and thereforo of the same sort. I am not of that feather to shake off My frieud, wlien he must need me. Shakespeare, “ Timon of Athens,” i. 1. Feather. A light, volatile person. A wit’s a feather, and a chief’s a rod ; An honest man’s the noblest work of God. Pope, ” Essay on Man.” In full feather. Flush of money. In allusion to birds not on the moult. He has feathered his nest well. He has plenty of money ; has married a rich woman. The allusion is to birds, which line their nests with feathers to make them soft and warm. That's a feather xn your cap. An honour to you. The allusion is to the very general custom in Asia and among the American Indians of adding a new FEATHERS. FEEBLE. 291 feather to their head-gear for every enemy slain. The Caufirs of Cabul stick a feather in their turban for every Mus- sulman slain by them. The Incas and Caciques, the Meunitarris and Mandans (of America), the Abyssinians and Tur'comans, &c. &c., follow the same custom. So did the ancient Lycians, and many others. In Scotland and Wales it is still customary for the sports- man who kills the first woodcock to pluck out a feather and stick it in his cap. In fact, the custom, in one form or another, seems to be almost universal. To feather an oar is to turn the blade parallel with the surface of the water as the oar is drawn home. (The Greek pteron means both ^^an oar” and “a feather;” and the verb to ‘‘furnish with oars” or “with feathers.”) Pro- bably the movement of a bird’s wings in flying suggested the word. He feathered his oars with such skill and dexterity Jolly Young Waterman. ■ Cut a feather. A ship going fast is said to cut a feather, in allusion to the ripple which she throws off from her bows. Metaphorically, “to cut a dash.” Jack could never cut a feather. Sir IT. Scotty “ The PiratBy’ xxxiv. Feathers {The). A public-house sign in compliment to Henry VI., whose cognizance it was. Fine feathers make fine birds. (Latin, “Vestis virum facit,” dress makes the man.) The Prince of Waled feathers. The tradition is, that the Black Prince, having slain John of Luxemburg, king of Bohe- mia, in the battle of Cressy, assumed his crest and motto. The crest con- sisted of three ostrich feathers, and the motto was, “/c/t dien'^ (I serve). John of Arden disoovered a contemporary MS. in which it is expressly said that this was the case ; but much controversy has arisen on the question. Dr. Bell affirms that the crest is a rebus of queen Philip- pa’s hereditary title— viz., countess of Ostre-vant (ostrich-feather). Randall Holmes claims an old British origin ; and the Rev. II. Longueville asserts that the arms of Roderick Mawe, prior to the division of Wales into principalities, was thus blazoned : — “Argent, three lions passant regardant, with their tails pass- ing between their legs and curling over their backs in a feathery form.” Feather-stone. A federal stone, or stone table at which the ancient courts baron were held in the open air, and at which covenants were made. (Latin, foedus, a treaty.) Feature means the “ make.” Spenser speaks of God’s “ secret understanding of our feature’'— ^^e., make or structure. It now means that part which is most conspicuous or important. Thus we speak of the chief feature of a painting, a garden, a book, &c. &o. (Norman, faiture ; Latin, factura. ) February. The month of purifica- tion amongst the ancient Romans. (Latin, feb'ruo, to purify by sacritice.) The 2nd of Feh'ruary (Candlemas Day). It is said if the weather is fine and frosty at the close of January and beginning of February, we may look for more winter to come than we have seen up to that time. Si sol splendescat Mari'a Purificante, Major erit glacies post festum quam luit ante. Sir T. Browne, “ Vuigar EriorsP If Candlemas Day be dry and fair. The half o’ winter’s come and malr; If Candlemas Day be wet au i foul. The half o' winter was gane at Youl. Scotch Proverb. The badger peeps out of his hole on Candlemas Day, and if he finds snow, walks abroad; but if he sees the sun shining, he draws back into his hole.— German Proverb. Fe'cit (Latin, he did it). A word inscribed aRer the name of an artist, sculptor, &c., as David /eaf, Goujon /cftf — i.e., David painted it, (Joujon sculp- tured it, &c. Fee'ula means sediment. Starch is a fee'ula, being the sediment of flour steeped in water. (Latin, dregs.) Fed'eral States. In the late Ame- rican war the Unionists were so called — ^^e., those northern states who combined to resist the eleven southern or Con- federate states ( 2 '.v.). Fee-farm-rent is where an estate is granted, subject to a rent in fee of at least one-fourth its value. It is rent paid on lands let to farm, and not let in recompense of service at a greatly reduced value. Feeble. 3fost forcible feeble. A writer whoso language is very “loud,” but whose ideas are very jejune. Feeble is a “woman’s tailor,” brought to Sir John Falstaff as a recruit. He tells Sir John T 2 292 FEED. FENTON. he will do his good will,” and the knight replies, Well said, courageous Feeble ! Thou wilt be as valiant as the wrathful dove, or most magnanimous mouse . . . most forcible Feeble.’’ — ShaJcespearCj ‘^2 Henry IF.,” hi. 2. Feed of Corn. A quartern of oats, the quantity given to a horse on a journey when the ostler is told to give him a feed. Fehm - gericht or Vehmgericht (3 syh). The secret tribunals of West- phalia, for the preservation of public peace, suppression of crime, and main- tenance of the Catholic” religion. The judges were enveloped in profound mys- tery ; they had their secret spies through all Germany ; their judgments were cer- tain, but no one could discover the exe- cutioner. These tribunals rose in the twelfth century and disappeared in the sixteenth. Sir Walter Scott, in Anne of Geierstein,” has given an account of the Westphalian Fehmgericht. (Old German, fehmen, to condemn ; Gericht, a tribunal.) This Vigilance Committee {of Denver city) is a modern reproduction of the famous Vehmgericht.— The Times. Felician (Father). The priest and schoolmaster of Grand Pre, who accom- panied Evangeline in her wanderings to find Gabriel, her affianced husband. — Longfellotv, ‘ ^ Evangeline. ” Felixmar'te (4 syh). The hero of a Spanish romance of chivalry by Mel- chior de Or'teza, Cahalle'ro de Uheda (1566). The curate in Don Quixote” condemned this work to the flames. Fellow Comnioner. A wealthy or married undergraduate of Cambridge, who pays extra to common” (i.e., dine) at the fellows’ table. In Oxford, these demi-dons are termed Gentlemen Com- moners. Fellow Commoner or Gentleman Com- moner. An empty bottle. So called because these sort of students are, as a class, empty-headed. Felo de Se. One who commits felony on himself. Murder is felony, and if a man murders himself he is a felon of his own life. Feme-covert. A married woman, who is under covert of her husband, and cannot, therefore, sue or be sued for debt. (French, /m we, a woman.) Feme-sole. A single woman. Feme- sole merchant. A woman who carries on a trade on her own account. Fem'ynye (3 sy).). A mediseval name for the kingdom of the Am'azons. Gower terms Penthesile'a queen of Feminee.” He {Theseus) conquered al the regne of Femynye, Chaucevy “ Canterbury Tales,'* 868. Fen-Hightingale. A frog, which sings at night in the fens, as nightingales sing in the groves. Fenchurch. Street (London). The church in the fens or marshy ground by the ^^Langbourne” side. Fenella. A pretended deaf and dumb sylph- like attendant on the countess of Derby, in Scott’s ‘‘ Pev'eril of the Peak.” Fe'nians. An anti-British associa- tion of disaffected Irishmen, incorpo- rated in the United States in 1865, and having for its object the separation of Ireland from England. They gave out that they intended to form Ireland into a republic. The word Fenian means a hunter — Gaelic, jianna, from feadhach (pronounced fee-agh)^ a hunt. Before the Germanic invasion, a Celtic race so called occupied not only parts of Ire- land and Scotland, but also the north of Germany and the Scandinavian shores. Oisin (Ossian) refers to them, and one passage is thus rendered in The Anti- quary ‘^Do you compare your psalms to the tales of the bare- armed Fenians?" Oisin was the grandson of Fionn, the ‘‘fair-haired righ (chiej) of the Fenians, and all the high officers of this volunteer association were men of rank. It ap- pears that the Fenians of Ireland (Eirin), Scotland (Alba), England (Lochlin), and Scandinavia, had a great civil battle at Gabhra, in Ireland, and extirpated each other. Oisin alone escaped, and he had slain “twice fifty men with his own hand.” In the rebellion of 1865, &c., the leaders were termed “ head centres,” and their subordinates, “ centres.” Fen'rir. The demon wolf, brother of Hel (q.v.). It was cast by the gods into- Niflheim. Fenton. One who seeks to mend his fortune by a matrimonial alliance. Fen- ton is the suitor of Anne Page, and he tells the lady that her father objected to his suit, saying— FERAMORZ. FERRARA. 293 I am too great of birth ; And that, my state being gall’d with my expense, I seek to heal it only by his wealth. Shakespeare,'" Merry Wives of IFindsoJ',” iii. 4. Fer'amorz. The young Cashmere poet, who relates poetical tales to Lalla Rookh, in her journey from Delhi to Lesser Buchar'ia. Lalla Rookh is going to be married to the young sultan, but falls in love with the poet. On the wed- ding morn she is led to her future hus- band, and finds that the poet is the sultan himself, who had gallantly taken this course to win the heart of his bride and beguile her journey. — T, Moore. Fer'dinand. Son of the king of Naples, and suitor of Miranda, daughter of Pros'pero, the banished duke of Milan. — Sliakespearef Tempest. In ‘‘ Love’s Labour’s Lost,” the same name is given to the king of Navarre. Ferdinan'do. A brave soldier who obtained a complete victory over the king of Morocco and Grena'da, near Tari'fa, in 1340. Being in love with Leono'ra de Guzman, Alfonzo XI., whose life he had saved in the battle, created him count of Zamo'ra and marquis of Montreal, and gave him the hand of Leonora in marriage. No sooner was this done, than Ferdinando discovered that Leonora was the king’s mistress ; so he restored his ranks and honours to the king, repudiated his bride, and re- tired to the monastery of St. James of Compostella. Leonora entered the same monastery as a novice, obtained the for- giveness of Ferdinando, and died. — Donizetti’s opera of La Favori'ta.” Ferdo'si. A Persian poet, famous for the copious flow of his diction. He wrote in verse the ^^Shah-N^meb,” or history of the Persian kings, which took him thirty years, and contains 120,000 verses. Fern. Fanny.) Fern-seed. We hare the receipt of fern-seedy we walk invisible (^^1 Henry IV.,” act iv. 4). The seed of certain species of fern is so small as to be in- visible to the naked eye, and hence the plant was believed to confer invisibility on those who carried it about their per- son. It was at one time believed that plants have the power of imparting their own speciality to their wearer. Thus the herb-dragon was said to cure the poison of serpents ; the yellow celandine the jaundice; wood-sorrel, which hasaheart- shaped leaf, to cheer the heart ; liver-wort to be good for the liver, and so on. Why, did you think thfit you had Gyges’ring, Or the herb that gives invisibility ? Beaumont and Fletcher, '"Fair Maid of the Inn,” i. l. The seeds of fern, which, by prolific heat Cheered and unfolded, form a plant so great, Are less a thousand times thnn what the ej’e Can unassisted by the tube descry. Blackmore, “ Creation^ iv. Fernando Florestan. A state prisoner of Seville, married to Leonora, who, in man’s disguise, and under the name of Fide'lio, became the servant of Rocco, the jailor. Pizarro, governor of the prison, conceived a hatred to Fer- nando, and resolved to murder him. Rocco and Leonora were sent to dig his grave, and when Fizarro entered the dungeon, Leonora intercepted his pur- pose. At this juncture the minister of State arrived, and commanded the pri- soner to be released.— Opera, Fi- delio.” Ferney. The patriarch of Ferney. Voltaire. So called because he retired to Ferney, a little desert village near Gene'va, from which obscure retreat he poured forth his invectives against the FYench Government, the Church, nobles, nuns, priests, and indeed all classes of men. There are in Paris five or six statues of the patri- arch of Ferney.— l imes. Fero'hers. The guardian angels of Persian mythology. They are countless in number, and their chief tasks are for the well-being of man. Fer'r acute {sharp-iron). A giant in Turpin’s Chronicle of Charlemagne.” He had the strength of forty men, and was thirty-six feet high. Though no lance could pierce his hide, Orlando slew him by Divine interposition. Fer'ragus. The giant of Portugal, who took Bellisant under his care after she had been divorced by Alexander, emperor of Constantinople. — Valentine and Orson. The great '^Brazen Head,” that told those who consulted it whatever they required to know, was kept in the castle of this giant. — Valentine and Orson. {See Feurau.) Ferra'ra. An Andrew Ferrara. A broadsword or claymore of the best 294 FERRAU. FI quality, bearing the name of Andrea Ferra'ra, either an Italian or Spanish sword cutler, of whom nothing is known. Genuine ^‘Andrew Ferraras” have a crown marked on the blade. We’ll put in bail, boy ; old Andrew Ferrara shall lodge his security.— ;Sir W. acott^ “ Waverley” ch. i. Ferrau (in Orlando Furioso”). Ferraute, Fer'racute, or Fer'ragus, a Saracen, son of Lanfu'sa. He dropped his helmet in a river, and vowed he would never wear another till he had won that worn by Orlando. Orlando slew him with a wound in the navel, his only vulnerable part. Ferrex and Porrex. Two sons of Gorbogu'do, a mythical British king. Porrex drove his brother from Britain, and when Ferrex returned with an army he was slain, but Porrex was shortly after put to death by his mother. One of the first, if not the very first, his- torical play in the English language was ‘^Ferrex and Porrex,” by Thomas Nor- ton and Thomas Sackville. Ferumbras. {See Fierabbas.) Fes'cennine Verses. Lampoons; so called from Fescennia in Tuscany, where performers at merry-meetings used to extemporise scurrilous jests of a per- sonal character to amuse the audience. Fest (Saxon). Apledge. Festing-man, a surety to another. Festing-penng, a penny given in earnest to secure a bar- gain. Fetch. A wraith — the disembodied ghost of a living person. {See Fetiche.) Fetches. Excuses, tricks, artifices. {Saxon.) Peny to speak with me ? They are sick ? they are weary ? They have travelled bard to-night ? Mere fetches. Shukenpeare, ''King Lear" ii. 4. Fetiche or Fet'ish. The African idol, the same as the American Man'itou. The worship of this idol is called Fet'ichism or FePishism. (Portuguese, fetisso, ma- gician, fairy, oracle.) The Fetiche or Fetish of the bottle. The imp drunkenness, or drunkenness itself. Fetter Lane (London). Howel says it is a corruption of Feivior Lane—i.e.y the lane where worthless fellows were always sawntering about on their way to the gardens. (Latin, jactc/i'y means ‘^an «vil-doer ; ” Norman-French, faitowr.) Fettle, as a verb, means to repair ; as an adjective, it means well-knit, all right and tight. It is connected with our word feat, the French faire, the hatm fac^re. Fettled ale, in Lancashire, means ale warmed and spiced. Feu de Joie (French). A running fire of guns on an occasion of rejoicing. Feud, meaning hatred,” is the Saxon (hatred); but feud, a ^^fief,” is the Teutonic fee-odh (trust -land). {See below.) Feudal or Feodal (2 syl.). In Gothic, odh means property,” hence odh-alL (entire property) ; Flemish, udal. By transposition we getAll-ohd, whence our allodium (absolute property claimed by the holders of fiefs) ; and by combining the words fee and odh we get fee-odh, feodh, or feod (property given by way of foe for services conferred). — Pontoppidan. Feuillans. A religious order, an offset of the Bemardines. So called from the convent of Feuillant, in Lan- guedoc, where they were established in 1577. The club of the Feuillants, in the French Revolution, composed of moderate Jaco- bins. So called because the convent of the Feuillants, near the Tuileries, was their original club-room. (1791-2.) Feuilleton (feu-^-ton). A fly-sheet. Applied to the bottom part of French newspapers, generally devoted to a tale or some other light literature. Fever-lurdan or Fever-lurgan. A fit of idleness. Lurden means a block- head. (French, lourd, heavy, dull, thick- headed; lourdand, a blockhead.) Fever-lurk. A corruption of Fever- lurg, as “Fever-lurgan” is of Fever- lurdan, The disease of laziness. Fever-lurk, Neither play uor work. Fe'zon. Daughter of Savary, duke of Aquitaine, demanded in marriage by a pagan, called the Green Knight; but Orson, having overthrown the pagan, was accepted by the lady instead. — Valentine and Orson. Fi or Fie / An exclamation indicating that what is reproved is dirty or indecent. The dung of many animals, as the boar, wolf, fox, marten, and badger, is called FI. FIELD, 29 ^ fiantSf and the orificium ana'le ” is called a. jij a word still used in Lincoln- shire. (Anglo-Norman, /o-y, to clean out; Saxon, a/3//a?i, to foul; o\xv defile or filCf to make foul ; filth, &c. ) The old words, /e-com (dross corn), fi- lands (unenclosed lands), (the dung of any wild beast), &c., are com- pounds of the same word. I had another process against the dung-farmer. Master Fifi.— iiofteZais, Pantagru&l," book li. 17. Fi. Fa. A contraction of the two Latin words, fiferi facias (cause it to be done). A judicial writ for one who has recovered damages in the Queen’s courts, being a command to the sheriff to see the judgment of the court duly carried out. Fiars. Striking the fiars. Taking the average price of corn. Fiars is a Gothic word, still current in Ireland. {Scotch.) Fias'co. A failure, a mull. In Italy they cry Old, old, fiasco ! to an unpopular singer. This word, common in France and Germany, is employed as the opposite of furore. Fiat. I give my fiat to that proposal. I consent to it. (Latin, fiat, let it be done.) Fib. An attendant on queen Mab in Drayton’s ‘‘Polyalbion.” Fi'co. {See Fig.) Fico for the phrase. Shakespeare. “ Merry Wives of Windsor.*' i. 3. I see contempt marching forth, giving me the fico ■with this thombe in his mouth.— IFit’s Miser ie. (1596.) Fiddle. He was first fiddle. Chief man, the most distinguished of the com- pany. T 0 play second fiddle. To take a sub- ordinate part. The allusion is to the leader of concerts, who leads with a fiddle. Fiddleback. The name of Oliver Goldsmith’s poor unfortunate pony, on which he made his country excursions. Fiddler. Drunk as a fiddler. Fiddlers at wakes and fairs were allowed meat and drink to their heart’s content, and seldom left a merry-making in sobriety. Fiddler’s-fare or Fiddler's pay. Meat, drink, and money. Fiddler’s Money. Sixpence. The usual fee in money given to a tiddler at a wake was sixpence from each dancer. Fiddlestick. In the great German epic called The Nibelungen-Lied,” this word is used six or eight times for a broadsword. His fiddlestick he grasped, ’twas massy, broad, and long. As sharp as any razor. Stanza 1,841. My fiddlestick’s no feather; on whom I let it fall. If he has friends that love him, ’twill set tiiem weep- ing all. Stanza 1,880. His fiddlestick, sharp -cutting, can hardest steel divide, And at a stroke can shiver the morion’s beamy pride. Stanza 2,078. Fiddling About. Wasting one’s time in trities ; like fiddlers, who .spend the day in scraping catgut, and picking up stray gifts. Fidele (3 syl.). The name assumed by Imogen in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.” Collins has a beautiful elegy on Fidele. Fidelio. Beethoven’s best opera. {See Leonora.) Fides (2 syl.). Mother of John of Leyden. Not knowing that her son was the prophet” and ruler of Westphalia, but thinking that the prophet had caused his death, she went to Munster to curse the new-crowned, monarch. The mo- ment she saw him, she recognised him, but the prophet-king,” surrounded by his courtiers, pretended not to know her. Fides, to save her son annoyance, declared she had made a mistake, and was confined in the dungeon of the palace at Munster, where John visited her and was forgiven. When her son set fire to his palace, Fides rushed into the flames, and perished with him. — Meyerbeer* s op)era of ** Le Prophete,** Fides Carbona'rii. Blind faith, faith of a child. A carbona'ro being asked what he believed replied, “ What the church believes and being asked again what the church believes, made answer, “What I believe.” {See Car- bonari.) — Roux, ^^Dictionnaire Comique.** Field (The), in huntsman’s language, means all the riders. To keep hack the field is to keep back the riders. In the racing world, to lay against the field is to back one horse against all comers. To keep the field. To continue military operations. Field of Ice. A large body of float- ing ice. 296 FIELD. FIG. Field of Blood. Acel'dama, the piece of land bought by the chief priests with the money which J udas threw down in the temple ; so called because it was bought with blood- money. — Matt, xxvii. 5 ; Acts i. 19. Field of Vision. The space in a telescope, microscope, stereoscope, &c., within which the object is visible. If the object is not distinctly visible, it must be ’brought into the field by adjustment. Field of tlie Cloth of Gold. The plain, near Guisnes, where Henry VIII. had his interview with Fran 9 ois I., in 1520 ; so called from the splendour and magnificence displayed there on the occa- sion. Field of the Forty Footsteps. At the back of the British Museum, once called Southampton Fields. The tradi- tion is that two brothers, in the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion, took different sides, and engaged each other in fight. Both were killed, and forty impressions of their feet remained on the field for many years, where no grass would grow. The encounter took place at the extreme north-east of Upper Montague Street. The Miss Porters wrote a novel on the subject, and the Messrs. Mayhew a nielo-drama. Field-day. Day of business. Thus, a clergyman jocosely calls a kept festi- val” his field day. A military term, meaning a day when a regiment is taken to the fields for practice. Field Officer. Any officer above the rank of captain; so called because he is qualified to command whole battalions, or a “ field.” Field Pieces. Small cannons car- ried into the field with an army. Field Works. Works throvm up by an army in besieging or defending a fortress, or in strengthening its position. Fielding. The Fielding of the drama. George Farquhar, author of the Beaux Stratagem,” kc. (1678-1707.) Fierabras {Sir). A Saracen of Spain who made himself master of Rome, and carried away the crown of thorns and the balsam which embalmed the body of the Lord, one drop of which would cure any sickness or heal any wound. One of his chief exploits was to slay the fearful huge giant” that guarded the bridge of Mantible, famous for its thirty arches of black marble. Having accomplished this feat, he next slew an innumerable multitude of pagans under his command.” Sir Fie'rabras figures in several mediaeval romances. (yS'ee Balakd.) Fie'rabras of Alexandria. Tlie greatest giant that ever walked the earth, who for height of stature, breadth of shoulder, and hardness of muscle, never had his equal. He possessed all Babylon, even to the Red Sea ; was seigneur of Russia, lord of Cologne, master of Jerusalem, and even of the Holy Sepulchre itself. His pride was laid low by Oliv'ier. The giant became a child of God, and ended his days in the odour of sanctity, “meek as a lamb, and humble as a chidden slave.” Fifth-Monarchy Men. A sect of English fanatics in the days of the Puri- tans, who maintained that Jesus Christ was about to come a second time to the earth, and establish the fifth universal monarchy. The four preceding monar- chies were the Assyrian, the Persian, the Macedonian, and the Roman. In politics the Fifth - Monarchy Men were arrant Radicals and levellers. Fig. Full fig. Full dress. A cor- ruption of the Italian in fioc'chi (in gala costume). It was derived from the tas- sels with which horses were ornamented in state processions. Thus we read in Miss Knight’s “Autobiography,” “The Pope’s throne was set out for mass, and the whole building was in perfect fiocchi (in full fig).” Another etymology has been suggested by a correspondent in Notes and Queries,” that it is taken from the word full fig. (figure) in fashion books. Fig or Figo. I don't care a fig for you ; not uorih a fig. Anything at all. Here fig is fico — a fillip or snap of the fingers. Thus we say, “I don’t care that for you,” snapping the fingers at the same time. (Italian, far le fiche^ to snap the fingers ; French, faire la figue ; German, dief eigen weisen ; Dutch, de vyghe setten^ &c.) (fe Fico.) A fig for Peter. Shakespeare. “ 2 Henry VL”n. 3. The figo fur tliy friendship Shakespeare. '•'Henry 61 FIGS. FILIA. 297 Figs. I slianH huy my Attic figs in future, hut groio them. Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched. It was Xerxes who boasted that he did not intend any longer to buy his figs, because he meant to conquer Att'ica and add it to his own empire ; but Xerxes met a signal defeat at Sal'amis, and never loosed his sandal till he reached Abde'ra.” In the name of the Prophet, Figs!'^ A burlesque of the solemn language em- ployed in eastern countries in the com- mon business of life. The line occurs in the imitation of Dr. Johnson’s pompous style, in “Rejected Addresses,” by James and Horace Smith. Fig-tree. It is said that Judas hanged himself on a fig-tree. (See Elder-tree.) Quaeret aliquis qua ex ar'bore Judas se suspen'- derit? Arbor dcusfuisse di'citur.— .Barradiits. Figged out, (See Fig, No. 1.) Fig'aro. A type of cunning, dex- terity, and intrigue. The character is in the “ Barbier de Seville” and “ Manage de Figaro,” by Beaumarchais. In the former he is a barber, and in the latter a valet ; but in both he outwits every one. There are several operas founded on these dramas, as Mozart’s “Nozze di Figaro,” Paisiello’s “ II Barbiere di Si- viglia,” and Rossini’s “II Barbiere di Seviglia.” Fight. He that fights and runs awr.y May live to fight anotlier d ly ; But he that is in battle slain Can never rise to tight again. James Smiih,^* Musarum Delicice.'* ( 1655 .) Demosthenes, being reproached for running away from Philip of Macedon, at Chserone'a, replied, “A man that runs away may fight again (’Avi/p 6 300 FIRE-DRAKE. FIVES. Fire-drake or Fire-dragon. A fiery serpent, an ignis fatuus of large propor- tions, superstitiously believed to be a flying dragon keeping guard over hid treasures. There is a fellow somewhat near the door, he should be a brazier by his face, for, o’ my conscience, twenty of the dog-days now reign in ’s nose.... That tire- drake did I hitthree times on the head. —(S/iaArespcare, Hmry 3. Fire-eaters. Persons ready to quar- rel for anything. The allusioti is to the jugglers who eat ’’flaming tow, pour melted lead down their throats, and hold red-hot metal between their teeth. Richardson, in the seventeenth century — Signora Josephine Girard elli (the origi- nal Salamander), in the early part of the present century — and Chaubert, a Frenchman, of the present century, are the most noted of these exhibitors. The great fire-eater lay unconscious upon the floor of the house , — Nashville Banner. Fire-new. Spick and span new {q.v.). You should have accosted her; and with some excellent jests, fire-new from the iamt.-~Shakespeare, ■*' Twelfth Night "Hi. % Fire-sllip. A ship filled with com- bustibles to be sent against adverse vessels in order to set them on fire. Fire Worsliip was introduced into Persia by Phoe'dima, widow of Smerdis and wife of Gushtasp daratveshy usually called Darius (B.c. 521-485). It is not the sun that is worshipped, but God, who is supposed to reside in it ; at the same time they reverence the sun, not as a deity, but as the throne of deity. (See Parsees.) First-fruits. The first profitable results of labour. In husbandry, the first corn that is cut at harvest. We also use the word in an evil sense ; as the first- fruits of sin, the first-fruits of repentance, &c. &c. First Gentleman of Europe. A nickname given to George IV., who certainly was first in rank, but it would be sad indeed to think he was ever the most gentlemanly man in feeling, man- ners, and deportment. First Grenadier of France. A title given by Napoleon to Latour d’ Au- vergne. (1743-1800.) Fish. The reason why fish are em- ployed as card counters is from a mis- apprehension of the French word Jiche (a five- sou piece). The two points allowed for the ‘^rub” are called in French la ficlie de consolation. The Spanish word pez has also a double mean- ing— a winning,” or a ^^fish;” pez is the Welsh Latin pise’ , English fish. Mute as a fish. Fish have no language like birds, beasts, and insects. Their utmost power of sound is a feeble cry of pain, the result of intestinal respiration. I have other fish to fry. Other business to attend to. (See above.) A pretty hettle offish. (See Kittle.) Fisherman. The fisherman ivho ivas father of three Icings. Abu Shujah al Bony ah was a Persian fisherman in the province of Delem', whose three sons, Iraad, Ruken, and Mooz, all rose to sovereign power. Fishing. Fishing for compliments. Laying a bait for praise. Fisk (in ^^Hudibras”) was Nicholas Fisk, a physician and astrologer, who used to say that a physician never deserved his bread till he had no teeth to eat it. In his old age he was almost a beggar. Fitz (Norman). Son of ; as Fitz- Herbert, Fitz-William, Fitz-Peter, &c. It is sometimes applied to illegitimate children, as Fitz- Clarence, Fitz-roy, &c. Fitz-Fulke (Ilehe). ^‘A gracious, graceful, graceless grace;” ^^fat, fair, and forty.” — Byron, Bon Juan,” c. xvi. Fitz william Museum (Cambridge University). So called from earl Fitz- william, who left £100,000, with books, paintings, &c., to form the nucleus of a museum for the benefit of the university. Five. A mystical number ; the Greek diapante. The major chord consists of a fundamental or tonic, its major third, and its just fifth; and in the Har- mony” of Nature all these numbers are mystical. The eighth note, or comple- ment of the octave, is the diapa'son or man, and beyond that is Deity. (See Diapason.) Five-minute-clause. A provision sometimes inserted in deeds of separation, whereby it is stipulated that the deed is null and void, if the husband and wife remain together five minutes after the separation is enjoined. Five Points. (/See Calvinism.) Fives. A hunch of fives. The fist, in which the five fingers are bound in a bunch. FIX. FLANEUE. 301 Fix. l*m in a fix. A predicament. The allusion is to machinery which will not move. The Northumberland was in a terrible fix at the launch, when it refused to leave the dock. (1866.) Fixed Air. Carbonic acid gas. Dr. Black gave it this name, because car- bonate of magnesia evolved by heat carbonic acid, that is, MgO, CO 2 evolved CO 2 , thereby proving that CO 2 (carbonic acid) is a fixed air.” Fixed Oils. Oils which do not readily dry or fiy off, but remain fixed in their oily character. Fixed Stars. Stars whose relative position to other stars is fixed or always the same. Planets are always shifting their relative positions. Flaccus. Horace, the Roman poet, whose full name was Quintus Flaccus Hora'tius. Flag. To 'unfurl the blach fiag. To declare war. The curtain which used to hang before the door of Ayeshah, Mahomet’s favourite wife, was taken for a national flag, and is regarded by Mus- sulmans as the most precious of relics. It is black, and is never unfolded except as a declaration of war. To display the red fiag. To defy or dare to battle. Red is the emblem of blood. To hang out the ivhite fiag. To sue for quarter; to give in. The white flag throughout the world is a token of peace. To liang the flag half-mast high is in token of mourning or distress. To strike the flag. To lower it or pull it down upon the cap, in token of re- spect or submission. In naval warfare, it moans to surrender. Flag of Distress. A card at one’s window announcing ‘lodgings” or “board and lodgings.” The allusion is evident. Flag -officer. Either an admiral, vice-admiral, rear-admiral, or commo- dore. These officers alone are privileged to carry a flag denoting rank. Admirals carry their flag at the main, vice-admi- rals at the fore, and rear-admirals at the mizen. (*8ee Admiral. ) Flag-ship. The admiral’s ship, or the ship in which the admiral is sailing. (fiee Admiral.) Flagellants. A sect of enthu- siasts in the middle of the thirteenth century, who ran naked about the streets inflicting on themselves daily flagella- tions, in order to merit thereby the favour of God. They were put down soon after their appearance, but revived in the fourteenth century. Flam. Flattery for an object ; blar- ney. (Irish, j^m.) Flamberge or Floberge. The sword which Maugis took from Anthenor, the Saracen admiral, when he came to attack the castle of Oriande la Fee. It was made by Weyland, the Vulcan of the Northern Olympus. — Romance of Mau- gis d’ Aygremont et de Vivian son Nrh's." Mats si une fois je luy fais essayer ceste-cy plus tranchante que “ Joyeuse, Uurandel, llauteulaire, ou I'lamberge,” je le fendray jusques a restomach. —Fierre de VArivey, *''Les Jaloux,’'y. 6 . Flamboroughs {The Miss). The daughters of a village farmer, whose homeliness contrasts well with the vul- gar, flashy pretenders to fashion intro- duced by squire Thornhill.— ‘ ^ Vicar 0 f I Voice field. ’ ’ Flaming. Superb, captivating, at- tractive. The French flambant. This word was originally applied to those persons who dressed themselves in rich dresses “flaming” with gold and silver thread. We now speak of a “flaming, advertisement,” &c. Le velour, trop commun en France, Sous toy reprend son vieil hoiineur. Tenement que ta remontrancs I'lous a fait voir la difference Du valet et de son seigneur, Et du muguet charge de soye Qui a tes princes s’esgaloit, Et riche en draps de soye, alloit Faisant flamber toute la voye. Eonsard, “ Au Roy Henri I IF (1546. Fla'ming Swords. Swords with a wavy or flamboyant edge, generally used for state purposes. The dukes of Bur- gundy carried swords of this sort, and they were worn in our own country till the accession of William III. Flamin'ian Way. The great northern road of ancient Italy, con- structed by C. Flamin'ius, and beginning at the Flaminian gate of Romo. Flanders {Moll). The chief cha- racter of De Foe’s novel of the same name. She runs through the whole career of female profligacy, and then' turns religious. Flaneur (French). A lounger, go siper. From to saunter about. S02 FLA^P-DRAGONS. FLECKNOE, riap-dragons. Small combustible ^dies blazing at one end and floating in glass of liquor. The liquor was stirred ;U,bout with a candle-end to promote com- bustion. A skilful toper would swallow them blazing, as we swallow the blazing Taisins of snap-dragons. He drinks off cmdles’ ends for flap-dragons. Shakespeare^ "'iHeni'y /F.,” ii. 4. Flare-up. To be suddenly very =angry, as a gas-jet or other ignitible body flares wh^en lighted with a sudden b)laze. Flash. All flash in the pan. All sound and fury, signifying nothing; like the explosion of a gun which ends with -a flash in the lock-pan, the gun itself hanging fire.” To cut a flash or clash is to make a flashy show — ^.e., a show very prononed but of short duration, like the flash of a gun. Flash Men and Flash ISTotes. Between Buxton, Leek, and Macclesfleld is a wild country, called the Flash, from a chapel of that name. Here used to live a set of pedlars, who hawked about buttons, ribbons, and other articles made -at Leek, together with handkerchiefs and small wares from Manchester. They were known on the road as Flash-men, and frequented fairs and farm-houses. The}^ paid, at first, ready-money; but when they had established a credit, paid in promissory notes, which were rarely honoured. They were ultimately put dov/n by the magistracy. Autol'icus, in The Winter’s Tale,” is a Flash Man.” Flat. One who is not sharp. Oh, Messrs. . . . what flats you are '.—The Times. Flat as a flounder. I knocked him 'down flat as a flounder ; I beat him flab ns a flounder, &c. A flounder is one of the flat-fish. Flat as a pancahe. Quite flat. A pan- cake is a thin flat cake, fried in a pan. Flat-fisli. He is a regular flat-fish. A dull, stupid feUow, not up to any- thing. The play is upon flat (stupid), nnd such fi&h as plaice, dabs, and soles. Fiat Milk cr Fleet Milh. Skimmed milk. The verb to fleet, meaning ^Ho skim,” has several forms in the past paaticiple, as fleeted, fleeten, or fleet; flatted, flatten, or flat. Same word as flit. Flath-innis {Isle of the Brave). The Paradise of Celtic mythology. Flatterer. Vitellius, the Roman sy- nonym of flatterer. — Tacitus, Ann.wi. 32. Flea. When the princess Badoura was placed on prince Camaral'zaman’s bed, in order to compare their claims to beauty, the fairy Maimoune changed her- self into a flea, and bit the prince on the neck in order to awake him. Next, the genius Danhasch changed himself into a flea, and bit the princess on the lip, that she might open her eyes and see the prince . — Arabian Nights {CamaraUaman and Badourci). I sent him off \cith a flea in his car. Peremptorily. A dog which has a flea in the ear is very restless, and runs off in terror and distress. Probably there is a pun implied. Flea-bite. It is a mere flea-bite. A thing of no moment. Thus, a merchant who has suffered loss by speculation or failure might say that the loss is a mere flea-bite to him. A soldier might call a wound a mere flea-bite. A passing inconvenience, which annoys but leaves no permanent injury. Mr, Disraeli spoke of the National Debt as a mere flea-bite. Flea’s Jump. Aristoph'anes, in the Clouds,” says that Soc'rates and Chse'- rephon tried to measure how many times its own length a flea jumped. They took in "wax the size of a flea’s foot ; then on the principle of ex pede Herculem cal- culated the length of its body. Having found this, and measured the distance of the flea’s jump from the hand of Socrates to Chserephon, the knotty problem was resolved by simple multiplication. Fle'ance (2 syl.). Son of Banquo.-- Shalespeare, ^ ‘ M acbeth. ’ ’ Fleclie. Faive fleche de tout hois. To turn every event into a cause of censure. To make whatever wood falls in your path an arrow to discharge at your ad- versary. Flecknoe {Richard). An Irish priest, who printed a host of poems, letters, and travels. As a poet his name, like tho names of Mcevius and Bavins among the Romans, is proverbial for vileness. Dry- den says he — Reigned without dispute Through all the realms of nouseuse, absolute. Mac Flecknoe. FLEDGEBY. FLEUK-DE-LYS. 3CG Fledgeby (2 syl. ). A q over-reaching, ^cowardly sneak, who conceals his dirty bill-broking under the trade name of Pubsey and Co. He is soundly thrashed by Alfred Lammle, and quietly pockets the affront.— Mutual Friend.'^ Fleeced (1 syl.). Cheated of one’s money ; sheared like a sheep. Fleet-book Evidence. No evi- dence at all. The books of the old Fleet prison are not admissible as evidence to prove a marriage. — Wharton^ Law Dic- tionary.'*’ Fleet Marriages. Clandestine mar- riages, at one time performed without banns or licence by needy chaplains, in Fleet Prison, London. As many as thirty marriages a day were sometimes con- •summated in i;his disgraceful manner j -and Malcolm tells us that 2,954 were registered in the four months ending with February 12tb, 1705. Suppressed by the Marriage Act in 1754. Fleet Street (London). For two hundred yea rs after the Conquest, London was watered on the west by ‘'the river of Wells,” afterwards called “Fleet dyke, because (Stowe says) it rumieth past the Fleete.” In the middle of the city and falling into the Thames was Wellbrooke ; on the east side, Langbourne ; and in the western suburbs, Oldbourne. Along the Fleete and Oldbourne “ ships” used to ply with merchandise. These four, together with the lloding, the Lea, the Ravensbourne, and the Wandle, are now merely sewers to the great metropolis. Fleet of the Desert. A caravan. — Washington Irving. Flemish Account. A sum less than that expected. In Antwerp ac- counts were kept in Ihres, sols, and pence ; but the livre or pound was only 12s., so that what the Antwerp merchant called one livi’e thirteen and fourpence, would in English currency be only 20s. In “Notes and Queries” we have an example of a Flemish account, where £373 Flemish becomes £213 2s. lOd. English. Flemish School. A school of painting established by the brothers Van Eyck, in the fifteenth century. The chief early masters were Memiing, Weyden, Matsys, Mabus, and Moro. 6t the second period, Rubens and Vandyck, Snyders, Jordaens, Gaspar de Grayer, and the younger Teniers. Flesh. He jleshed his sivord. Used it for the first time. Men jleshed in cruelty — t.e., initiated or used to it. A sportsman’s expression. When a sports- man wishes to encourage a young dog or hawk, he will allow it to have the first game it catches for its own eating. This “flesh” is the first it has tasted, and fleshing its tooth thus gives the creature a craving for similar food. Hence, also, to eat with avidity. The wild dog Shall flesh his tooth in every innocent. Shakespeare^ “ 2 Henry IV,*’ iv. 4. Flesh-pots. Sighing for the jlesh- pots of Egypt. Hankering for good things no longer at your command. The children of Israel said they wished they had died “ when they sat by the flesh- pots of Egypt” (Exodus xvi. 3)— i.r., when they sat watching the boilers which contained the meat they were to have for dinner. The expression also means abundance of appetising food. Fle'ta. An excellent treatise on the common law of England, written in the fourteenth century %an unknown writer, while a prisoner in the Fleet. Fleurs-de-Lys {Louis’ jtoivers), at one time supposed to be the iris flower or blossom- ing flag, which was accordingly adopted by Louis VII. (1137-1180), when the national standard was thickly charged with these flowers. In 1365 the number was reduced by Charles VI. to three (the mystical church number). Givillim, in his “Display of Heraldrie,” 1611, says the device is “Three toads erect, saltant ; ” in allusion to which Nostrada'mus, in the six- teenth century, calls French men crapauds (toads). Recently it has been thought that the device is really a “ bee flying,” because certain ornaments resembling bees were found in the tomb of Childeric, father of Clovis, when it was opened in 1653. These bees. are now generally believed to be the fieurons of horse-trappings, and quite independent of the emblem. The feur-de-lys was chosen by Flavio Gio'ja to mark the north point of the compass, out of compliment to the king of Naples, who was of French descent. (1302.) 804 FLIBBEETIGIBBET. FLOEA. Flibbertigibbet. One of the five fiends that possessed ‘^poor Tom.” Shakespeare got it from Bishop Harsnet’s account of the Spanish invasion, where we are told of forty fiends which the Jesuits cast out, and among the number was Fliberdigibet. Shakespeare says, he ^‘is the fiend of mopping and mowing', who possesses chambermaids and waiting women” (^^King Lear,” iv. 2). And, again, that he “ begins at curfew and walks till the first cock,” giving men pins and needles, squint eyes, hare-lips, and so on. — Shakespeare, Lear, iii. 4. Flic (French). A policeman or ser- geant de ville. Une allusion a I’epee des sergents de ville, ou plutot aux Arches des archers primitifs ” {Raille). Hence, *^flic-flacs,” thumps and thwacks. Flick. To strike with a quick jerk. To “flick a whip in one’s face” is to strike the face with the lash and draw the whip suddenly back again. (Anglo- Saxon '^Qoioh., flicker ; Danish, Hikkeren, to twinkle, &c.) Flins (a stone). An idol of the an- cient Vandals settled in Lusace. It was a huge stone, draped, wearing a lion’s skin over its shoulders, and designed to represent death. Mr. Lower says that the town of Flint in North Wales is named in honour of this stone deity, and gives Alwin Flint in Suffolk as an- other example. — Pat. Brit. The Welsh call Flint Flird Teg-cingl (Flin’s beautiful band or girdle). Flint Im'plements. Arrow-heads, axe-heads, lance-heads, and knives, made of granite, jade, serpentine, jasper, ba- salt, and other hard stones. The first were discovered on the banks of the Somme, near Amiens and .Abbeville, but others have been discovered in Belgium, Germany, Italy, &c. They were the rude instruments of men before the use of metal was known. Flint Jack. Edward Simpson, an occasional servant of Dr. Young', of Whitby, So called because he used to tramp the kingdom vending spurious fossils, flint arrow-heads, stone celts, and other imitation antiquities. Professor Tennant charged him with forging these wares, and in 1867 he was sent to prison for theft. Flirt. A coquette. The word is from the verb flirt (to move to and fro with a pert motion), as ‘Ho flirt a fan.” The fan being used for coquetting, those who coquetted were called fan-flirts. Lady Frances Shirley, the favourite of lord Chesterfield, introduced the word. Flirt is allied to flutter, flit, jerk, &c. Flitter-mouse. A bat. South calls the bat n flinder -mouse. (German, - maus. ) Flo (French). A crowd. A contract tion otflotj Latin, fluctus (a wave). Grant flot de gens apres s’arrive. Guillaume Guiart, (1031.) Puis lor tramist par huiz ouverz Grand flo d’Anglois de fer couverz. Ditto, verse. (1692.) Flog. Flogging the dead horse. Try* ing to revive an interest in a subject out of date. Bright said that earl Bussell’s “ reform bill” was a “ dead horse,” and every attempt to create any enthusiasm in its favour was like “ flogging the dead horse.” Floor. I floored him. Knocked him down on the floor; hence to overcome, beat, or surpass. Thus, we say at the university, “I floored that paper” — i.e., answered every question on it. “I floored that problem” — did it perfectly, or made myself master of it. Floorer. That was a floorer. That blow knocked the man down on the floor. In the university we say, “ That paper or question was a floorer;” meaning it was too hard to be mastered. {See above.) Flora. Flowers ; all the vegetable productions of a country or of a geo- logical period, as the flora of England, the flora of the coal period. Flora was the Eoman goddess of flowers. Another Flora there, of bolder hues. And richer sweets, beyond our garden’s pride. Thomson, Summer.*’ Metrop)olis of Flora. Aranjuez, in Spain, is so called, from its many beau- tiful gardens. Flora’s Dial. A dial formed by flowers which open or close at stated hours. I. Dial of flowers which open — {a.) The first twelve hours. I A. M. OPENS. I ]. {Scrtndinavinji Sotcthis’le closes.) , 2. Yellow Goat’s-beard. 3, Common 0.x tongue. DELIOE. FLOllIZEL. 305 4. ITawkweed ; Late-flowering Dandelion ; and Wild Succor V. 5. White Water-lily; Naked-stalked Poppy; and Smooth Sowthistle. fi. Shrubby Hawkweed and Spotted Cat’s-ears, 7. AV hite AV ater-lily ; Garden Lettu:e ; and African Marigold. a Scarlet Pimpernel: Mouse-ear Hawkweed; and Proliferous Pink. 0. Field Marigold. J'». Red Sandwort. ll. S‘ar of Bethlehem, oon. Ice Plant. (6.) The second twelve hours. IP.M. ( PKNS. 1. Common Purslane. 2. (Purple Sandwort closes.) 3. (Dandelion closes.) 4. ( White Spiderwort closes.) 5. J ulap. 6. Dark Crane’s-bill. 7. (Naked stalked Poppy closes.) 8. (Orange Day-lily closes.) 9. Cactus Opuntia. 10. Purple Bindweed. 11. Night-blooming Catch-fly. Midnight. (Late-flowering Dandelion closes.) II. Dial of closing flowers — (a.) The first twelve hours. A.M. CLOSES. 1. Scandinavian Sowthiistle. 2. (Yellow Goat's-beard opens.) 3. (Common Oxtongue opens.) 4. ( Wild Sticcory opens.) 5. (Several Sowthistles ope?}.) 6. (Spotted CaVs-ear opens.) 7. Night-flowering Catch-fly. 8. Evening Primrose, y. Purple Bindweed. 10. Yellow Goat’s-beard. 11. Alpine Hawkweed. Noon. Field Sowthistle. (6 ) The second twelve hours. P.M. CLOSES. 1 . Red or Proliferous Pink. 2. Purple Sandwort. 3. Dandelion, or Field Marigold. 4. AV hite Spadewort and Field Bindwort. 5. Common Cat’s-ears. i6. AVhire Water-lily. 7. Naked-stalked Poppy. y. Orange D>jy-lily and Wild Succory. 9. Convoivulus Linnae'ns and Chickweed. 10. Common Nipple-wort. 11. Smooth Sowthistle. Midnight. Creeping 3Iallow and Late Dandelion. Flor'deliee (3 syl.). The mistress of Bran'dimart, — Ariosto j Orlando Fu- rioso.*’ Florence. The German Florence, Dresden is so called. Floren'tius. A knight who bound himself to marry a “ foul and ugly witch,” if she would teach him the solution of a riddle on which his life depended. — Gower, Confessio Amantis'* Flor'ian (aS'^.). Patron saint of mer- cers, being himself of the same craft. Floria'ni. A sect of heretics of the second century who maintained that God is the author of evil, and taught the Gnostic doctrine of two principles. Flo- riahus was their founder. Florid Architecture. The latter division of the perpendicular style, often called the Tudor, remarkable for its florid character or profusion of ornament. Florlmel {honey -flower). A damsel of great beauty, but so timid that she feared the smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor,” and was abused by every one. Her form was simulated by a witch out of wax, but the wax image melted, leaving nothing behind except the girdle that was round the waist. — Spenser, ** FaMry Queen Florimel loved Mar'inel, but Proteus cast her into a dungeon, from whicb be ng relea-ed by the ordei of Neptune, she marrifed the man of her choice.— Spenser, “ Faery Queen," bk. iv. St. Amaiid had long since in bitterness repented of a transient infatuation, had long since distinguished the true Florimel from tite false.— >Sir E. B. Lytto?i, **Bilgrinis of the Rhine,” hi. Florlmers Girdle gave to those who could wear it the virtue* of chaste love and wifehood true but if any woman not chaste and faithful put it on, it ^Moosed or tore asunder.” It was once the cestus of Venus, made by her husband Vulcan; but when she wan- toned with Mars it fell off, and was left on the ^‘Acida'lian mount.” — Spenser, ** Faery Queen bk. iv. Florin. A coin ; so called from Flo- rence, where it was first struck in the thirteenth century. It had a lily on one side and the head of John the Baptist on the other. Flor'ipes (3 syl.). Sister of Sir Fiera- bras, daughter of Laban, and wife of Gny, the nephew of Charlemagne. Florisan'do. One of the knights of the Spanish version of ‘‘Am'adis of Gaul,” whose exploits and adventures are recounted in the 6th and following books. This part of the romance was added by Paez de Ribe'ra. Flor'isel of Nice'a. A knight whose exploits and adventures form a supplemental part of the Spanish version of “Am'adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Felicia'no de Silva. Flor'ismart. One of Charlemagne’s paladins, and the bosom friend of Roland. Flor'izel. Prince of Bohemia in love with Per'dita. — Wire- ier's Tale.’^ U FLOTSAM. FLUSH. S06 Florizel, George the Fourth, when prince, corresponded, under this name, with Mrs. Robinson, actress and poet, generally known as Perdita, that being the character in which she first attracted the prince’s attention. Flotsam and Jetson. Waifs found in the sea or on the shore. ‘^Flot- sam” means goods found floating on the sea after a wreck. Jetson,” things thrown out of a ship to lighten it. (Saxon, flotan, to float ; French, jetevj to throw out.) Flower of Chivalry. A name given to several cavaliers— e.g., William Douglas, lord of Liddesdale, in the four- teenth century. Sir Philip Sidney. (1554-1586.) Chevalier de Bayard {le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche) . (147 6-1524. ) Flower of Kings. Arthur is so called by John of Exeter. (Sixth cen- tury.) Flower of Paradise. The Ipomoea or Camala'ta, called by Sir W. Jones Love’s creeper.” It symbolises that mythological plant which fulfils all desire. Flowers and trees. — (I.) Dedicated to heathen gods — The Cornel cberry-t „ Cypress „ Dittany „ Laurel •» „ Maiden’s-hair „ Myrtle „ Narcissus «, Oak „ Olive „ Pine-cone „ Poppy V ine to Apollo, ., Pluto. „ The Moon. „ Apollo. „ Juno. „ Pluto Venus. ,, Ceres. „ Jupiter. „ Minerva. ,, Assyrian temples. „ Cei es. „ Bacchus. (II.) Dedicated to saints — Canterbury Bells Crocus Crown Imperial Da sy Hei b Christopher Lady s-smock Rose St. Johu’s-wort St. Bamaby’s Thistle to St. Augustine of England. „ St. Valentine. „ Edward the Confessor. „ St. Margaret. „ St. Chriitopher. „ The Virgin Mary. „ Mary Magdalene. „ St.John. „ St. Barnabas. (HI.) National emblems — Leek Lily (Flerir-de-hjs) «• {Giglio bianco) „ white «. red Linden Mignonette Pomegranate Rose .1 red ,, white Shamrock Thistle V iolet emblem of Wales. ^ Prance. Plorence. the Chibeilinc badge, badge of the Guelphs. Prussia, Saxony, Spain. Etigland, Lancastrians \oTkists. Ireland. Scotland. Athens and N apoleon. (IV.) Symbols — Box Cedars Coru-ears Dates Grapes Holly Ivv Lily Olive Orange-blossom Palm Bose Vine Vew is a symbol of the resurreetion. „ the faithful. „ the Holy Communioo. ,, the faithful. „ this i.s my blood, •y the rtsurrec’ion. the resurrection, pu ity. peace. ^irg nity. victory, incorruption. Christ our Life, death. N.R.— The laurel, oak, olive, myrtle, rosemary;, cypress, aud amaranth are all funereal plants. You are icelcome as flowers in May^ Your coming is as opportitne and givew me as much pleasure as flowers in the- month of May. Fluellen. A Welsh captain and? great pedant, who, amongst other learned quiddities, attempted to draw a parallel between Henry V. and Alexander the- Great; but when he had said that one was born at Monmouth, and the other at Macedon, both beginning with the same letter, and that there was a river in botit cities, he had exhausted his best paral- lelisms. — Henry F.,” iv. 7. His parallel is, in all egs^ntial circumstances, an incorrect as that which Plueilen drew between. 3Iacedon and Monmouth.— Lo?*ci Macaulay. Fluke. Hap-hazard. (Saxon, floe, vfhQxiQQ fluJee, a flounder.) We seem to have discovered, as it were by a flukC;. a most excellent rule for all future Cabinet arrange- ments.— Times. Flummery. Flattering nonsense, palaver. In Wales it is a food made of oatmeal steeped in water and kept till it has become sour. In Cheshire and Lan- cashire it is the prepared skin of oatmeal mixed with honey, ale, or milk ; pap ; blanc-mange. (Welsh, llymryj wash- brew, from llynif sour or sharp.) Flunkey. A livery servant. (OM French, /awgw ter, a henchman.) Flur. The bride of Cas'sivelauny '' for whose love the Roman Caesar flr.st I invaded Britain.” — Tennyson, Enid.^' Flush, i’m all of a flush. My whole hand of cards is of one and tbe same suit : as a flush of clubs f a flush of hearts f kc. {^ee below.") I am flush of money. Full of mone}'., A flush of water is a sudden and full flow of it. (Latin, /w:r.) Strut was not very flush in [the] ready.— ' Atbuthnot. FLUTTER. FOIL. 807 Flutter. A very weak specimen of a fop, iu the Belle’s Stratagem,” by Mrs. Cowley. Fly. An insect. All flies shall perish except one, and that is the bee-fly. — Koran, The Mahometans say ten animals be- sides man will be admitted into heaven. {See Paradise, p. G54.) A Fly has three eyes and two com- pound eyes, each of which has 4,000 facets. Crushing a fly on a wheel. Making a mountain of a mole- hill. Taking a wheel used for torturing criminals and heretics for killing a fly, which one might destroy with a flapper. The fly on the coach-wheel. One who fancies himself of mighty importance, but who is in reality of none at all. The allusion is to the fable of a fly sitting on a chariot- wheel and saying, ‘^See what a dust we make.” Not a fly with him. Domitian, the Roman emperor, was fond of catching flies, and one of his slaves being asked if the emperor was alone, wittily replied. Not a fly with him.” Flies in Amber. An incongruous mixture of natural objects, which cause wonderment, like flies in amber. Leaves and insects are often found imbedded in amber, and the fact gave rise to a poli- tical satire, where a learned philosopher is represented as noting the phenomenon, and puzzling his brains to account for it. Amber.) Fly. A hackney coach; a cab. A contraction of Fiy-hy-night, as sedan- chairs on wheels used to be called in the regency. These Fly-by-nights,” pa- tronised greatly by George, Prince of Wales, and his boon companions, during their wild night pranks at Brighton, were invented 1809, by John Butcher, a cai‘i»entcr of Jew Street. To fly in ones face. To get into a pas- sion with a person ; to insult ; as a hawk, when irritated, flies in the face of its master. To fly in the face of danger. To run in a foolharfiy manner into danger, as a hen flies in the face of a dog or cat. Fly-boy. The boy in a printing office who lifts the printed sheets off the press. He is called the fly -boy because he catches the sheets as they fly from the tymj)nn {g.v.)^ immediately the frisket (q.v.) is opened. This is now generally performed by the pressmen. Fly-by-night. One who defrauds his creditors by decamping at night- time. (/See Fly.) Flying Dutchman. A spectral ship, seen in stormy weather off the Caps of Good Hope, and considered ominous of ill luck. Sir Walter Scott says she was originally a vessel laden with precious metal, but a horrible mur- der having been committed on board, the plague broke out among the crew, and no port would allow the vessel to enter. The ill-fated ship still wanders about like a ghost, doomed to be sea- tossed, but never more to enjoy rest. No flying without iviugs. Nothing can be done without the proper means. Sine pennis vola're baud facile est — Plautus. Fogie or Fogey. An old Fogey. Properly an old military pensioner. This term is derived from the old pensioners of Edinburgh Castle, whose chief occupa- tion was to fire the guns, or assist in quelling street riots. The word is allied to a host of Teutonic words, meaning policemen, guards, watchmen, protectors, and the like {q.v.')—fogatf phogot, voget, foged^ fogde, &c. Another plausible derivation is the French /owywewa;— pep- pery, irritable, tetchy. A correspondent in Notes and Queries” tells us that the Scotch use the word fog as synonymous with moss ; ” as the fogie rose” (moss rose); the ‘‘fogie bee” (humble bee) ; a “rolling stone gathers no fog” (moss); and thinks that “old fogie” means “old mossy” (like a ruined tower). The suggestion is not without wit and poetical ingenuity. Fo-h-i or Foe. One of the chief deities of the Chinese. His mother, Moye, was walking one day along a river bank when she became suddenly encircled by a rainbow, and at the end of twelve years was the mother of a son. During ges- tation she dreamed that she was pregnant with a white elephant, and hence iho- honours paid to this beast. {Asiat. Fes.) Foigard. A humorous French re- fugee priest, in the “ Beaux Stratagem,”" by Far qu bar. Foil. That which sets off sometlnng to advantage. 4 he allusion is to the metallic leaf used by jewellers to set off u 2 308 FOLIO. FONDLE WIFE. precious stones. (French, Latin, folium; Greek 'phuUon, a leaf. Hector as a foil to set him off.— Broome. I’ll be your foil, T.aertes. In mine ignorance Your skill shall, like a star i’ the darkest night, Stick firy off indeed. Shakespeare^ '‘Hamlet" v. 2. He foiled me. He outwitted me. The allusion is to fighting with foils or blunt swords. Similar expressions are “ I speared him/’ ‘‘I harpooned him/’ hooked him,” ‘'I piked him,” &c. &c. (Welsh, a thrust.) If I be foiled, there is but one shamed who never was gracious. Shakespeare, “ As You Like It" i. 2. To run a foil. To puzzle ; to lead astray. The track of game is called its foil; and an animal hunted will some- times run back over the same foil, in order to mislead its pursuers. This is the Saxon ful, German faul (foul), in allusion to the scent left behind. Folio. A book of the largest size, formed by folding the paper only once, so that each sheet makes two leaves. It is from the Italian un lihro in foglio, through the French in-folio. Fol. is the contraction for folio. Folio (so-and-so) in mercantile books means page so-and-so, and sometimes the two pages which lie exposed at the same time, one containing the credit and the other the debit of one and the same account. So called because ledgers, &c., are made in folio. The paging is called the folio also. Folio. In conveyances seventy-two words, and in Parliamentary proceedings ninety words, make a folio. Folk. Latin, vulg^ (the common people); German, rolk ; Dutch, volch ; Saxon, /o^c; Danish, our and vulgar. Folk, fairies, also called ''people,” ‘'neighbours,” "wights.” The Germans have their kleine volk (little folk), the Swiss their hill people and earth people. The little folk. So happy and so gay, amuse themselves ?'ometime8 wit*i singing Sometimes with dancing, when they jump and spring Like the young skipping kids in the Alp-grass. U'yss, Idyll of Gertrude and Rosy." In the hinder end of harvest, at All-hallow e’en| ^ W hen our good neighbours ride, if 1 read right. Some buckled on beenwand, and some on a been MonUjomery. “ Flytiny against Poiwart." I crouche thee from the elves, snd from wights. Chaucer, “ The Millet cs Tale.” Folk-lore. Legends, traditions, and superstitions connected with fairy my- thology, customs, and ways. Folk-mote (a folk meeting'). A word used in England before the conquest for what we now call a Parliament. Follets. Goblins of the North of France, who live in the houses of simple rustics, and can be expelled neither by water noi exorcism. They can be heard but are never seen. In the singular number, "Esprit Follet.” Follower, A male sweetheart, who follows the object of his affections. A word very common among servants. Mistresses say to female servants, "I allow no followers,”— i.e., I do not allow men to come into my house to see you. Follow. Follow your nose, go straight on. He followed his nose, he went on and on without any discretion or thought of consequences. Folly. Father of Folly (AhuJahl) an aged chief who led 100 horse and 700 camels against Mahomet, and fell at the battle of Bedr. His own people called him Father of Wisdom (Ahu 'Lhoem). Folly. A country seat (French a mansion, hall, or gentleman’s house. (See '‘ Spiers’ Dictionary.”) Fishery Folly. A large and beautiful house in Bishopsgate, with pleasure gardens, bowling-green, and hot-houses, built by Jasper Fisher, one of the six clerks of Chancery and a Justice of the Peace. Queen Elizabeth lodged there. Kirby’s castle, and Fishers fo ly, Spinola’s plei^sure, and j\Iegse‘s glory. Stowe, “ Stirvey." Fond. A foolish, fond parent. Here fond does not mean affectionate, but silly. Chaucer uses the \wordi fonne for a simple- ton, and the Scotch fou is to play the fool. Shakespeare has "fond desire,” "fond love,” "fond shekels of gold,” " fond wretch,’’ "fond mad-woman,” &c. " Fondling” means an idiot, or one fond. See how simple and how fond I am. Shakespeare. "Midsummer Night's Dream,” ii'. 2. Fonder than ienorance Shakespeare, “ Troilus and CressHa" i. 1. Fonda del Caiman, or the sign of the Crocodile, in “ Croquemitaine.” Fondlewife. An uxorious banker in Congreve’s “ Old Bachelor.” FONT. FOOLS. 309 Pont, in printing*, sometimes called Fountf a complete set of type of any one size with all the usual points and accents ; a font consists of about 100,000 charac- ters. The word is French Jonte from foadre (to melt or cast). When a letter of a different type to the rest gets into a page it is called a “ wrong font,” and is signified in the margin by the two let- ters w.f. Taken to the font, baptised. The font is a vessel employed for baptism. Pontara'bia. Now called Fuenter- rabia (in Latin Fons rap'idus), near the Gulf of Gas'cony. Here, according to Maria'na and other Spanish historians, Charlemagne and all his chivalry fell by the sword of the Spanish Saracens. Mez'eray and the French writers say that the rear of the king’s army being cut to pieces, Charlemagne returned and re- venged their death by a complete victory. When Charlemagne with all his peerage fell By Fontarabia. Milton, “ Paradise Lost** bk. i. Pood. Sir Walter Scott remarks that live cattle go by Saxon names, and slain meat by Norman- French, a standing evi- dence that the Normans were the lords who ate the meat, and the Saxons the serfs who tended the cattle. Examples : Sheep Ox Calf Hog Pig [Saxon). Mutton Beef Veal Bacon Pork [Norman-French). Food of the gods. (See Ambrosia, Nectar.) Pool. In chess, the French call the ** bishop ” fouy and used to represent the piece in a fool’s dress ; hence Regnier says, Les fous sont aux echecs les plus proches des Rois” (14 Sat.). Fou is a corruption of the eastern word Fol (an elephant), as Thomas Hyde remarks in his Lndis (h'ientallhus i. 4, and on old boards the places occupied by our bishops” were occupied by elephants. A Tom Fool. A person who makes himself ridiculous. (See Tom.) The ancient and noble family of Tom Fool.— Quar- terly Review. Every man hath a fool in his sleeve. No one is always wise. The allusion is to the tricks of jugglers. As the fool thinks, so the hell clinks (Latin, ‘'Quod valde voFumus facile cre'- dimush A foolish person believes what ho desires. Pools. (I.) The most celebrated court fools : (a) Dag'onet, jester of King Arthur; Scogan, of Edward IV. ; Thomas Killi- grew, called “King Charles’s jester” (1611-1682) ; Archie Armstrong, jester in the court of James I. (h) Trib'oulet, jester of Louis XII. and Francois I. (1487-15361; Brusquet, of whom Brantome says “he never had his equal in repartee” (1512-1563); Chicot, jester of Henri III. and IV. (1553-1591) ; and An'geli, jester of Louis XIV., last of the titled fools of France. (c) Klaus Narr, jester of Frederick the Wise, elector of Prussia. (d) Yorick, in the court of Denmark, referred to by Shakespeare in “ Hamlet,” V. 1. (II.) Not attached to the court. (a) Patrick Bonny, jester of the regent Morton ; John Hey wood, in the reign of Henry VII. , author of numerous dramatic pieces, died 1565 ; Dickie Pearce, the fool of the earl of Suffolk, on whom Swift wrote an epitaph. (h) Kunz von der Rosen, private jester to the emperor Maximilian I. (c) Gonnella the Italian (q.v.). (d) Le Glorieux, the jester of Charles le Hardi, of Burgundy. (III.) Men worthy of the motley. (а) Andrew Borde, physician to Henry VIII., usually called Merry A ndrew (1500- 1549). (б) Gen. Kyaw, a Saxon officer, famous for his blunt jests. (c) Jacob Paul, baron Gundling, who was laden with titles in ridicule by Frederick William I. of Prussia. (d) Seigni Jean (Old John), so called to distinguish him from Johan “ fol de Madame,” of whom Marot speaks in his epitaphs. Seigni Jean lived about a century before Caillette. (e) Caillette “ flourished” about 1494. In the frontispiece of the “ Ship of Fools,” printed 1497, there is a picture both of Seigni Jean and also of Caillette. Feast of Fools. A kind of Saturnalia, popular in the Middle Ages. Its chief object was to honour the ass on which our Lord made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This ridiculous mum- mery was held on the day of circum- cision (January 1). The office of the day was first chanted in travesty; then a procession being formed, all sorts of 310 FOOL’S BOLT. FOOTING. absurdities, both of dress, manner, and instrumentation, were indulged in. An ass formed an essential feature, and from time to time the whole procession imitated the braying of this animal. Fool’s Bolt. A fooVs holt is soon shot (‘‘Henry V.,” iii. 7). Simpletons cannot wait for the proper time, but waste their resources in random en- deavours ; a fool and his money are soon parted. The allusion is to the British bowmen in battle, where the good soldier shot with a purpose, but the foolish soldier at random. {See Prov. xxix. 11.) Foolscap. A corruption of the Italian /o/io-ca;90 (folio-sized sheet). The error must have been very ancient, as the water -mark of this sort of paper from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century was a fool’s head, with cap and bells. Fool’s Paradise. U nlawful pleasure, illicit love, vain hopes. Thus, in “Borneo and Juliet,” the Nurse s^^ys to Romeo, “If ye should lead her (Juliet) into a fool’s paradise, it were a gross . . behaviour.” The old schoolmen said there were three places where persons not good enough for paradise were admitted : (1) The limbus patrum, for those good men who had died before the death of the Redeemer ; (2) The limbus infantum or paradise of unbaptised infants ; and (3) The limbus fatud rum or paradise of idiots and others who were non com'pos mentis. {See Limbo.) F o o t . ^ Greek, pod' ; Latin, ped' ; French, pied ; Dutch, voet ; Saxon, fot ; owY foot, pedal, &c. Foot of a page. The bottom of it. Foot-notes. Notes placed at the bottom of a page. A trifl'ng sura of misery N ew added to ihe foot of thy account. Dnjden. I have not yet got my foot in. I am not yet familiar and easy with the work. The allusion is to the preliminary exercises in the great Roman foot-race. While the signal was waited for, the candidates made essays of jumping, run- ning, and posturing, to excite a suitable warmth and make their limbs supple. This was “ getting their foot in ” for the race. (/See Hand.) You have put your foot in it nicely. You hav^ got yourself into a pretty mess. (In French, vous avez mis le pied dedans.) When porridge is burnt or meat over- roasted, we say, “ The bishop hath put his foot in.” (>SVe Bishop.) Your best foot foremost. Use all pos- sible dispatch. To “set on foot” is to set agoing; so here, “your best foot” means your best powers of motion. If you have various powers of motion, set your best foremost. Nay, but make haste ; the better foot before. Shakespeare, **King John,'* iv. 3. Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath (Isa. Iviii. 13). Abstain from working and doing your own pleasure on that day. The allusion is to the law which prohibited a Jew from walking on a Sabbath more than a mile. He was not to “foot it” on that day, but was to turn away his foot from the road and street. I have the measure or length of his foot, I know the exact calibre of his mind. The allusion is to the Pythagore'an ad- measurement of Hercules by the length of his foot. {See Ex pede.) The matter is now afoot. In train, stir- ring. II marche bien, it goes on well. Now let it work. Misch'ef, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt. Shakespeare, '‘ Julius Ccesar,”iii. 2. Foot-breadth or Quern-biter. The sword of Thoralf Skolinson the Strong, a companion of Hako I. of Norway. {See Swords.) Foot-lights. To appear before the foot-lights. On the stage, where a row of lights is placed in front along the floor to lighten it up. Foot Monsters. In the Italian ro- mance of “ Gueri'no Meschi'no,” Indians are spoken of with feet so large that they carry them over their heads like umbrellas. Foot-pound. The unit of result in estimating woric done by machinery. Thus, if we take 1 lb. as the unit of weight and 1 foot as the unit of dis- tance, a foot-pound would be 1 lb. weight raised 1 foot. Footing. He is on good footing loith the world. He stands well with the world. This is a French phrase, fire sur un grand pied dans le m onde. “ Grand pied” means “large foot,” and the allu- sion is to the time of Henry VIII., when the rank of a man was designated by the size of his shoe— the higher the rank FOPPINGTON. FOI.LORN. 311 the larger the shoe. The proverb would be more correctly rendered, He has a large foot in society.'’ To 'pay your footing. To give money -for drink when you first enter on a trade. Entry money for being allowed to put your foot in the premises occupied by fellow-craftsmen. This word is called foot-aU by ancient writers. {See Garnish. ) Foppington {Lord). An empty Session. For many years he ruled the destinies and greatly contributed to the prosperity of Scotland. He was on friendly terms with Pope, Swift, Ar- buthnot, &c. The word is now pro- si ounced as a monosyllable. Thee, Forbes, too, whom every worth attends.... 'rhy country feels thro’ her reviving arts, Planned by thy wisdom, by thy soul informed. Autumn. Forbidden Fruit {The), Maho- metan doctors aver, was the banana or Indian fig, because fig-leaves were em- ployed to cover the disobedient pair when they felt shame as the result of sin. Forcible Feeble School. Ap- plied to writers who crush flies upon wheels, and elaborate things not worth -elaborating. They may be termed lite- rary Nathos. Feeble, a recruit (in Henry IV.,” pt. 2), calls him'^elf a woman’s tailor,” but says he will do his best,” that ^'no one can die more than once,” and if one dies this year he cannot die next.” Falstaff calls him ^•most forcible Feeble,” ^Waliant as a wrathful dove or most magnanimous mouse.” Ford. Mr. and Mrs. Ford are cha- racters in ^’The Merry Wives of Wind- sor.” 1^1 rs. Ford pretends to accept Sir John Falstaff’ s nrotestations of love, in order to punish him by her devices. For'delis (in Orlando Furioso ”). Wife of Bran'dimart, Orlando’s intimate friend. When Brandimart was slain, iihe dwelt for a time in his mausoleum in Sicily, and died broken-hearted. Fore and Aft. The whole length of a ship from stem to stern. The stem is called the fore-end, and the stern the hind-part or aft-end. {See Stern.) A slight spar deck fore and affc.— Sir W. Raleigh. Fore-castle. Ancient ships had a castle, as may be seen in the tapestry of the House of Lords, representing the Spanish Arma'da. The term fore -castle means before the castle. The Romans called the castled ships naves tuidritce. That part of the fore-castle which is aloft, and not in the hold, is called the prow.— Nir W. Raleigh. Fore-close. To put an end to. A legal term, meaning to close before the time specified ; ^.e.— suppose I hold the mortgage of a man called A, and A fails to fulfil his part of the agreement, I can insist upon the mortgage being cancelled, foreclosing thus our agreement. The embargo with Spain foreclosed this trade.— Caretv, Fore-shortened. Not viewed late- rally, but more or less in the line of sight. Thus a man’s leg lying on the ground, with the sole of the foot pre- sented foremost, would be perspectively shortened. He forbids the fore-shorteaings, because they make the parts appear little.— Forfar. Do as the cow o’ Forfar did, taS a stannin! drink. A cow, in passing a door in Forfar, where a tub of ale bad been placed to cool, drank the whole of it. The owner of the ale prosecuted the owner of the cow, but a learned bailie, in giving his decision, said, ‘‘As the ale was drank by the cow while standing at the door, it must be considered deoch o.n' dorius (stirrup-cup), to make a charge for which would be to outrage Scotch hospitality.” — Waverley. Fork out. Hand over ; pay down ; stand treat. Fingers are called and this may suffice to explain the phrase ; if not, we have the Saxon verb feccan (to draw out, to take), and “ fork out” would be “fee out.” Forks. The gallows. (Latin, jurea) ; hence Cicero {de Dlv. i. 26), “ Ferens fur- cam ductus est'* (he was led forth bearing a gallows). A slave so punished was called a “gallows-bearer” {furefer). Forlorn Hope means simply the troop sent forward. For-lorn is the Saxon fore-Horan (to send forward), and hope is hauife (a troop). Cromwell says. 312 FORLOr. F0SC4RI, Omv forlorn of horse marched within a mile of the enemy”— ^.e., our horse picket sent forward to reconnoitre ap- proached within a mile of the enemy’s camp. In huntsman’s language, a hound that goes before the rest of the pack, and follows the chase, is called a ovforloyne one. Porlot or FirloL The fourth part of a boll. Yvomfeoiver (four), Mot (part). Forma Pau'peris (Latin, Under plea of poverty). To sue iiiformd pauperis. When a person has just cause of a suit, but is so poor that he cannot raise £5, the judge will assign him lawyers and counsel without the usual fees. For'seti. God of Justice in Scandi- navian mythology. Ho was a son of Baldur, and lived in Glitner Palace. (Old Norse, /or to preside.) For'titer in He (Latin). Firmness in doing what is to be done ; an unflinch- ing resolution to persevere to the end. Fortunate Islands. Now called the Cana'ries. Fortuna'tus. You have found For- tunatus's purse. Are in luck’s way. The nursery tale of Fortuna'tus” records that he had an inexhaustible purse. It is from the Italian fairy tales of Strapa- rola, called “ Nights.” Translated into French in 1585. {See Wishing Cup.) Fortune. Fortune favours the hrave, f Fortes fortu'na ad'juvat.) — Terence, Phor'miof i. 4. Fortu'nio. The assumed name of a damsel, youngest of three sisters, who dressed herself as a cavalier to spare her aged father, who was summoned to the army. Fortunio on the way engaged seven servants : Strong-back, who could carry on his back enough liquor to fill a river ; Lightfoot, who could traverse any distance in no time; Marksman, who could hit an object at any distance ; Fine- ear, who could hear anything, no matter where uttered ; Roisterer, who could do any amount of cudgelling ; Gourmand, who could eat any amount of food ; and Tippler, who could drink a river dry and thirst again. Fortunio having rendered invaluable services to king Alfourite, by the aid of her seven servants, at last married him. — Grimm's Gohlins, ** For- tunio." Forty. A superstitious number, arising from the Scripture use. Thus Moses was forty days in the mount ; Elijah was forty days fed by ravens; the rain of the flood fell forty days, and another forty days, expired before Noah opened the window of the ark; forty days was the period of embalming; Jonah gave Nineveh forty days to repent ; our Lord fasted forty days ; he w'as seen forty days after his resurrection ; &c. St. Swithin betokens forty days’ rain or dry weather ; a quarantine extends to forty days ; forty days, in the old English law, was the limit for the payment of the fine for manslaughter; the privilege of sanctuary was for forty days ; the widow was allowed to remain in her husband’s house for forty days after his decease ; a knight enjoined forty days’ service of his tenant ; a stranger at the expiration of forty days was compelled to be enrolled in some tithing ; members of parliament were protected from arrest forty days after the prorogation of the house, and forty days before the house was con- vened ; a new-made burgess had to forfeit forty pence unless he built a house within forty days ; &c. &c. The ancient physicians ascribe many strange changes to the period of forty ; the alchemists looked on forty days as the charmed period when the philosopher’s stone and elixir of life were to appear. Forty Thieves. In the tale of ‘ ^ Ali Baba'. ” — Arabian Nights' Entertain^ ments. Forty Winks. A short nap. Forty is an indefinite number, meaning a few. Thus we say, ‘^A, B, C, and forty more.”' Coriola'nus says, I could beat forty of them,” hi. 1. (NeeFoRTV.) The slave had forty thousand lives. Shakespeare^ “ Othello ” iii, 1. I loved Ophelia ; forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love Make up my sum, Shakespeare. ** Hamlet^' y. l. Fos'cari (Francis). Doge of Venice. He occupied the office for thirty- five, years, added Brescia, Ber'gamo, Crema, and Ravenna to the Republic, greatly improved the city, and raised Venice to the pinnacle of its glory. Of his four sons only one, named Jac'opo, survived, who was thrice tortured. Before his final banishment, the old doge, then eighty- four years of age, hobbled on crutches to the gaol where his son was confined, but FOSETA. FOUR. 313 would not mit’gate the sentence of The Ten.” His son, being banished to Candia, died, and Francis was deposed. As he descended the Giant Staircase he heard the bell toll for the election of his suc- cessor, and dropped down dead. — Byron, “ TJie Tivo FoscariJ*' Jacopo Fos'cari. Denounced by the Council of Ten for taking bribes of foreign powers. He was tried before his own father, confessed his guilt, and was banished. During his banishment a Venetian senator was murdered, and Jacopo, being suspected of complicity in the crime, was again tortured and ban- ished. He returned to Venice, was once more brought before the council, sub- jected to torture, and banished to Candia, where in a few days he died. Nothing can sympathise with Foscari, Not e’en a Foscari. Byron ^ “ The Two Foscari.** Fos'eta. A Frissian goddess, who had a temple in Fos'etis-land. Called, since the preaching there of St. Willibrod in the seventh century, Heligoland (^Holy land). Foss {Corporal). An attendant on lieutenant Worthington. A similar cha- racter to Trim, in Sterne’s “ Tristram Shandy.”— G. Colman, The Poor Gen- tleman.^^ Foss-way. One of the four prin- cipal highways made by the Romans in England, leading from Cornwall to Lin- coln. It had a foss or ditch on each side of it. Fossa et Furca {Pit and Gallows). An ancient privilege granted by the crown to its vassals, to cast female felons into a ditch, and hang male ones on a gallows. Fossils. Things dug up, animal and vegetable remains dug out of the earth. (Latin, to dig up.) Many other bodies, which, because we discover them by digging into the bowels of tlie eai th. are called by one common name, fossils, under which are comprehended metals and minerals. [Notnow.l -Locke. Foster Brother or Sistei'. One brought up by the same nurse. A foster-child is one brought up by those who are not its real parents. (Saxon, fostrian, Danish, /o5^rer, to nurse.) Fot'tei (3 syl.) or Miroku'. God of health and wealth, represented with a very projecting paunch {Japanese my- thology). Fou Drunk. Wilbraham has fou- drunk’* — i.e., is despicably drunk, dead drunk. French, fou, f mad,” as fou- enrage; or simply i.e., “full,” “in- tensive,” as in fuLl-oft, ‘ 'full-well ye reject the commandment of God,” Mark vii. 9. Foul Proof. A proof is a rough impression of a manuscript sot up im type, or of a drawing engraved, for the author’s correction. The proof with many faults is a foul proof, but the pull ” after the errors are corrected is- termed a clean proof. These impressions are called proofs because they must be approved o/by author and reader before they are finally printed. Foul-weather Jack. Commodore* Byron, said to be as notorious for foul weather, as our queen is for fine. (1723- 1786 .) Admiral Sir John Norris, who died" 1746. Fountain of Death. In “Jeru- salem Delivered,” the hermit tells Charles^ and Ubald of a fountain, the sight of which excites thirst, but those who taste its water die with laughter. Pompo'nius Me'la speaks of a fountain in the Fortunate Islands, “ Qui potave're- risu solvuntur in mortem.” Petrarch alludes to the same. These fountains symbolise the pleasures of sin. Fountain of Youth. A fountain supposed to possess the power of restoring youth. It was thought to be on one of the Baha'ma Islands, and was the object of earnest search by Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish navigator. Four Kings. The History of the Four Kings (Livre des Quatre Rois). A pack of cards. In a I’rench pack tho four kings are Charlemagne, David, Alexander, and Caesar, representatives of the four great monarchies - the Franco- German, Jewish or Christian, Macedo- nian, and Roman. Four Letters, containing the namo of God, and called by divines “ tetra- grammaton:” Thus, in Hebrew, JtlVH (JeHoVaH); in Greek, oeoc; in Latin, Dens; in French, Dteu; in Assyrian, Adad; Dutch, Godl; German, Goit; Danish, Godh; Swedish, Uolh. Four Masters. Michael and Cu- coirighe O’Clerighe, Maurice and Fear- FOUETERISM, FRAME. CjU sfeafa Conry, authors of the ''Annals of Donegal.” Foii'rierism. A communistic sys- “tem so called from Charles Fourier, of Besanyon. According to Fourier all the world was to be cantoned into groups, called phalansteries, consisting each of 400 families or 1,800 individuals, who were to live in a common edifice, fur- nished with workshops, studios, and all sources of amusement. The several groups were at the same time to be asso- ciated together under a unitary govern- ment, like the cantons of Switzerland or the States of America. Only one lan- ; guage was to be admitted ; all the gains nf each phalanstery were to belong to the common purse; and though talent and industry wer« to be rewarded, no one was tc be suffered to remain indigent, ■ or without the enjoyment of certain luxuries and public amusement. (1772- 1837). Fou'rierists. French communists, • 30 called, from Charles Fourier. {See 'he was bathing, discovered her to be a " filthy old hag,” and resolved to leave her. False-faith instantly metamorphosed him into a tree, and he will never be relieved till "he can be bathed from the well of living water.” — Faery Qyieenfl book i. Frame of Mind. Disposition. A printers frame is a stand on which the type is dis-posed ; a founder s frame is a mould into which molten metal is dis- posed or poured ; a weavei^s frame is a loom where the silk or thread is dis- posed or stretched for quilting, &c. ; a picture frame is an ornamental edging within which the picture is dis-posed ; a mental frame, therefore, is the boundary within which the feelings of the mind are dis-posed. FRANCESCA. FREA. 315 Prances'ca. A Venetian maiden, daughter of Minotti, governor of Corinth. :Sbe loved Alp, and tried to restore him to his country and faith, but, as he re- fused to recant, gave him up, and died broken-hearted. — Byron, Siege of Co- rinth.^' France. The heraldic device of the •city of Paris is a ship. As Sauval sa3"s, “L’ile de la cit^ est faite comme un grand navire enfonc^ dans la vase, et •echou^ au fil de I’eau vers le milieu de la Seine.” This form of a ship struck the heraldic scribes, who in the latter part •of the middle ages emblazoned a ship on the shield of Paris. Franees'ea da Rim'ini. Daugh- ter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. Her story is told in Dante’s Inferno” (c. V.), from which it seems that she committed adultery with Lanciotto, her husband’s brother, and was put to death, with her paramour, by her husband in 1389. Leigh Hunt has a poem, and Silvio Pellico a tragedy, on the subject. Francis'cans, or Min'orites (3 syl.). Founded in 1208 by St. Francis of Assisi, v*^ho called poverty ^^his bride.” Poverty was the ruling principle of the order. Duns Scotus, Roger Bacon, cardinal Ximenes, Ganganelli, &c., were of this ■order. Frangipa'ni. A powerful Roman family. So called from their benevolent •distribution of bread during a famine. Fvang^'pani. A delicious perfume, made of spices, orris-root, and m^isk, in imitation of real Frangipani. I\ier- 1 cutio Frangipani, the famous Italian botanist, v^isited the West Indies in 1493. The sailors perceived a delicious fragrance as they neared Antig'ua, and Mercutio told them it proceeded from the Plnm^ria Alha. The plant was re-named Frangipani, and the distilled essence received the same name. Frangipani pudding is pudding made of broken bread. (Frangere, to break ; panis, bread.) Frank. A name given by the Turks, Greeks, and Arabs, to any of the inhabi- tants of the western parts of Europe, as the English, Italians, Germans, Spaniards, French, &c. Frank Pledge. Neighbours bound for each other’s good conduct. Hallam says every ten men in a village were answerable for each other, and if one of them committed an offence the other nine were bound to make reparation. The word means the security given by Franklins or free-men. Frankele3mes Tale, in Chaucer, resembles one in Boccaccio, ^^Decame- ron,” Day X. No. 5, and one in the fifth book of his ‘^Philocopo.” (iSeeDoRiGEN.) Frank'enstein (3 syl.). A young student, who made a soulless monster out of fragments of men picked up from churchyards and dissecting-rooms, and endued it with life by galvanism. The tale, written by Mrs. Shelley, shows how the creature longed for sympathy, but was shunned by every one. It was only animal life, a parody on the creature man, powerful for evil, and the instru- ment of dreadful retribution on the stu- dent who usurped the prerogative of the Creator. The Southern Confederacy will be the soulless monster of Frankenstein.— C/iarZes Sumnsr. Frankforter s. The people of Frankfort. Franklin. The Polish FranJelin, Thaddeus Czacki. (1765-1813.) Frantic. Brain-struck (Greek, phren, the brain), madness being a disorder of the brain. Cebel’8 frantic rites have made them mad. Spenser. F rater. An Abram -man (Latin, f rater, a brother, one of the samo community or society.) Frat'eret'to. A fiend mentioned by Edgar in the tragedy of “ King Lear.” " Frateretto calls me, and tells me Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent, and be- ware of the foul fiend,— J-Ci iii. 6. Frat'ery. The refectory of a monas- tery, or chief room of a frater-house. A frater is a member of a fraternity or society of monks. (Latin, frater, a bro- ther. ) Fraticelliaiis {Little Brethren). A sect of the Middle Ages, who claimed to be the only true Church, and threw off all subjection to the pope, whom they denounced as an apostate. They wholly disappeared in the fifteenth century. Fre'a. The Anglo-Saxon form of Frigga, wife of Odin. Our Friday is Frea's daeg. FREE. FRENCHMAN. m Free. A free and easy, a social ^fathering where persons meet together without formality to chat and smoke. Free Beneli {francus bancus). The widow’s right to a copyhold. It is not a dower or gift, but a free right indepen- dent of the will of the husband. Called bench because, upon acceding to the estate, she becomes a tenant of the manor, and one of the benchers — i.e., persons who sit on the bench occupied by the pares curiae. Freebooter means a free rover. (Dutch, huiten, to rove, whence vry-huiter; German, &c.) His forces consisted mostly of base people and free-booters. —Bacon, Freeliolds. Estates which owe no duty or service to any lord but the sove- reign. {See Copyhold.) Free-lances. Roving companies of knights, &c,, who wandered from place to place, after the Crusades, selling their services to any one who would pay for them. In Italy they were termed Con- dottie'ri. Freeman {Mrs. ), A name assumed by the duchess of Marlborough in her correspondence with queen Anne. The queen called herself Mrs. Morley. Freeman of Bucks. A cuckold. The allusion is to the buck’s horn. {See Horns.) Freeman’s Quay. DrinUng at Freeman's Quay. Free of cost. There was once a celebrated wharf so called, near London Bridge, where the porters, carmen, &c., had beer given them gratis. Freemasons. In the Middle Ages a guild of masons specially employed in building churches. Called ‘‘free” be- cause exempted by several papal bulls from the laws which bore upon common craftsmen, and exempt from the burdens thrown on the working classes. The Lady freemason was the Hon. Miss Elizabeth St. Leger, daughter of Lord Doneraile, who (says the tale) hid herself in an empty clock-case when the lodge was held in her father’s house, and witnessed the proceedings. She was dis- covered, and compelled to submit to initiation as a member of the craft. Freeport {Sir Andrew). A London merchant, industrious, generous, and of great good sense. He was one of the members of the hypothetical club under whose auspices the “Spectator” was published. Free-spirit. Brethren of the Free Spiritf a fanatical sect, between th^^ thirteenth and fifteenth century, diffused through Italy, France, and Germany. They claimed “freedom of spirit,” and based their claims on Romans viii. 2 — 14, “The law of the Spirit hath made me free from the law of sin and death,” Freestone is Portland stone, which Gu.t^ f7'eely in any direction. Free-thinker. One who thinks unbiassed by revelation or ecclesiastical canons, as deists and atheists. Atheist is an old-fashioned word. I am a free- thinker.— .Addison. Free Trade. The Apostle of Free Trade, Richard Cobden (1804-65). Freezing-Point.^ We generally mean by this expression that degree of Fahrenheit’s thermometer which indi- cates the temperature of frozen water — viz., 32° above zero. If we mean any other liquid we add the name, as the freezing-point of milk, sulphuric ether, quicksilver, and so on. In centigrade and Reaumur’s instruments zero marks the freezing-point. Freischutz (pronounce fry-shoots), the free-shooter, a legendary German archer in league with the devil, who gave him seven balls, six of which were to hit infallibly whatever the marksman aimed at, and the seventh was to be directed according to the will of his co-partner. F. Kind made the libretto, and Weber set to music, the opera based on the legend, called “Der Freischutz.” Freki and G-eri. The two wolves of Odin. French. Cream. Brandy. In France it is extremely general to drink after dinner a cup of coffee with a glass of brandy in it instead of cream. This “ patent digester ” is called a Gloria, French Leave. To take French leave. To take without asking leave or giving any equivalent. The allusion is to the French soldiers, who in their inva- sions take what they require, and never wait to ask permission of the owners or pay any price for what they take* Frenchman. Done like a French- man, turn and turn again (“1 Henry FRESCO-PAINTING. FPIAP. 317 VT.,” iii. 4). The French are usually satirised by mediaeval English authors as a fickle, wavering nation. Dr. Johnson says he once read a treatise the object of which was to show that a weather- cock is a satire on the word Galbis (a Gaul or cock). Frenchman. The nickname of a French- man is ‘^Crapaud” {q.v.), Johnny'’ or ^^Jean,” Moosoo,” ‘^Eobert Macaire ” {q.v.)\ but of a Parisian ‘‘ Grenouille ” (Frog). (>SeeBRissoTiNS.) They stani erect, they dance whene’er they walk ; Monkeys in action, perroquefs in talk. (ray, “ Epistle III.'* French Canadian, Jean Baptiste.” French Peasantry, Jacques Bon- homme.” French Pi.ef or mers, Brissotins” {q.v.). Fres^CO-paintillg means fresh- painting, or rather paint applied to walls while the plaster is fresh and damp. Only so much plaster must be spread as the artist can finish painting before he retires for the day. There are three chambers in the pope’s palace at Rome done in fresco by Raphael Urbino and Julio Roma'no ; at Fontainebleau there is a famous one, containing the travels of Ulysses in sixty pieces, the work of several artists, as Bollame'o, Martin Rouse, and others. A fading fresco here demands a sigh. Pope. FresB-man, at College, is a man not salted. It was anciently a custom in the different colleges to play practical jokes on the new-comers. ()ne of the most common was to assemble them in a room and make them deliver a speech. Those who acquitted themselves well had a cup of caudle ; those who passed muster had a caudle with salt water; the rest had the salt water only. Without scanning so deeply, ‘^fresh-man” may simply mean a fresh or new student. (See Bii JAN.) Freston. An enchanter introduced into the romance of ^^Don Belia'nis of Greece.” Truly I can’t tell whether it was Preston or Fris- ton; but sure I am that his name ended in “ ton.”— Don Quixote. Freyja. Daughter of Niord, goddess of love ; drawn in a car yoked with cats. She is the Venus of the north. {Scandi- navian mythology.) Frey. (>See Fpj£yr.) Freyr. Son of Niord, of the dynasty of the Vanagods ; god of fertility and peace, and the dispenser of rain. He was the patron god of Sweden and Ice- land, and rode on the boar called Gullin- bursti. {See Gerda.) Fria-r, in printing. A part of the sheet which has failed to receive the ink, and is therefore left blank. As Caxton set up his printing-press in Westminster Abbey, it is but natural to suppose that monks and friars should give foundation to some of the printers’ slang. {See Monk.) Friar Dom'inic, in Dryden’s Spanish Friar,” designed to ridicule the vices of the priesthood. Friar Ger'und. Designed to ridi- cule the pulpit oratory of Spain in the eighteenth century; full of quips and cranks, tricks an(i startling monstrosi- ties.— /osepA Isla, Life of Friar Ge- rund:' (1714-1783.) Friar JoBn. A tall, lean, wide- mouthed, long-nosed friar of Seville, who dispatched his matins with wonder- ful celerity, and ran through his vigils quicker than any of his fraternity. He swore lustily, and was a Trojan to fight. When the army from Lerne pillaged the convent vineyard, Friar J ohn seized the staff of a cross, and pummelled the rogues most lustily. He beat out the brains of some, crushed the arms of others, battered their legs, cracked their ribs, gashed their faces, broke their thighs, tore their jaws, dashed in their teeth, dislocated their joints, that never corn was so mauled by the threshers flail, as were these pillagers by the baton of the cross.” — Rabelais, “ Gar- gantua and Pantagruel," bk. i. 27. If a joke more than usually profane ’S to be uttered. Friar John is the spokesman — Amass of lewdness debauchery, profanity, and ^oXonx.— Foreign Quar- terly Review. Friar Laurence, in “Romeo and Juliet,” by Shakespeare. Friar RusB. A house-spirit, sent from the infernal regions in the seven- teenth century to keep the monks and friars in the same state of wickedness they were then in. The legends of this roysterer are of German origin. {Brnder R.ausch, brother Tipple.) S18 FKIAE, FEIDAY. Friar Tuck. Chaplain and steward of Robin Hood. Introduced by Sir Walter Scott in ^^Ivanhoe.” He is a pudgy, paunchy, humorous,, self-indul- gent, and combative clerical Fal staff. His costume consisted of a russet habit of the Franciscan order, a red corded . girdle with gold tassel, red stockings, and a wallet. A friar was nicknamed iuck^ because his dress was tucked by a girdle at the waist. Thus, Chaucer says, Tucked ho was, as is a frere about.’^ In this our epacious isle I think there is not one But he hath heard some talk of Hood and Little John ; Of Tuck, the merry friar, which many a sermon made In praise of Robin Hood, his outlaws, and their trade. Drayton, ^^Folyalbion,” s. 26. Friars {hrothers). Applied to the four great religious orders : Dominicans, Franciscans, Augiistines, and Carme- lites. Later, a fifth order was added — that of the Trinitarians. The first two were called Black and Orey friars, the Carmelites were called friars, and the Trinitarians Grutched friars {q.v.). Friars. Black. ) Friar’s Heel. The outstanding up- right stone at Stonehenge is so called. Geoffrey of Monmouth says the devil bought the stones of an old woman in Ireland, wrapped them up in a wyth and brought them to Salisbury plain. Just before he got to Mount Ambre the wyth broke, and one of the stones fell into the Avon, the rest were carried to the plain. After the fiend had fixed them in the ground, he cried out, '‘No man will ever find out how these stones came here.” A friar replied, “That’s more than thee canst tell,” whereupon the foul fiend threw one of the stones at him and struck him on the heel. The stone stuck in the ground, and remains so to the pre- sent hour. Friar’s Lantliern. Milton uses the expression as a synonym of “Jack o’ Lantern,” but Friar Kush, the esprit foUet, v/ho got admittance into a monas- tery as a scullion, and plaj’ed the monks sad pranks, was not a field bogie but a house spirit, and is never called “Jack.” The poet seems to have considered Friar Kush the same as “ Friar with the Kush (light),” and, therefore. Friar with the Lantern or Will o’ the Wisp. She was pinched and pulled, she said, And he by JTriar’s ianthern led. Milton, “ U Allegro." Better we had through mire and bush Been lauthern-lsd by Frinr Rush, Sir Walter Scott, " Marmion.'* Friars Major (Fratres majo'res). The Dominicans. Friars Minor {Fratres mind res). The Francis'eans. Friar’s Tale. A certain archdeacon had a sumpnour, who acted as his secret spy, to bring before him all offenders.. One day as he was riding forth on his business he met the devil disguised as a yeoman, swore eternal friendship, and promised to “go snacks” with him. They first met a carter whose cart stuck in the road, and he cried in his anger,, “The devil take it, both horse and cart and hay ! ” Soon the horse drew it out of the slough, and the man cried, “ God bless you, my brave boy!” “There,”' said the devil, “is my own true brother,, the churl spake one thing hut he thought another.” They next came to an old screw, and the sumpnour declared he would squeeze twelve pence out of her for sin, “though of her he knew no wrong ; ” so he knocked at her door and summoned her “for cursing” to the archdeacon’s court, but said ho would overlook the matter for twelvo pence, but she pleaded poverty and im- plored mercy. “ The foul fiend fetch mo if I excuse thee,” said the sumpnour,, whereat the devil replied that he would fetch him that very night, and seizing him round the body, made off with him., — Chaucer j “ Canterbury Tales. Fribble. An effeminate coxcomb of weak nerves, in Garrick’s farce of “ Mis^ in her Teens.” Friday is the Mahometan sabbaths It was the day on which Adam was. created, and our Lord was crucified. The Sabe'ans consecrate it to Venus or Astarte. (*!>eeFREA.) Friday. Fairies and all the tribes of elves of every description, according to mediaeval romance, are converted into hideous animals on Friday, and remain so till Monday. {See the romance of “ Gueri'no Meschi'no,” and others.) Friday, Lucky. In America, Friday is a lucky day, and a large number of their greatest political events have beei> consummated on that day. FRIDAY. FRISKET. 319” Sir William Churcliill saj's, Friday is my lucky day. I was born, christened, married, and knighted on that day ; and all my best accidents have befallen mo on a Friday.’" In Scotland Friday is tho most usual day for weddings, but they are very rarely performed on that day in England. Friday, Unlucky. Because it was the day of our Lord’s crucifixion; it is accordingly a fast-day in tho Roman Catholic Church. Soames says, '^Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and died on a Friday.” {Anglo^ Saxon Churchy p. 255.) Long Friday, Good Friday, long being a synonym of great. Thus Mrs. Quickly says, ^‘’Tis a long loan for a poor lone woman to bear ” (‘‘ Henry IV.”), and tho Scotch proverb, Between you and the long day” — i. e . , the gi'eat or j udgment day. Good Friday in Danish is Langjiedag, and in Swedish Ldngf redag. Be who laughs on Friday will weep on Sunday. Sorrow follows on the wake of joy. The line is taken from Racine’s comedy of Les Plaideurs.” Friday. {See Black.) My Man Friday. The young savage found by Robinson Crusoe on a Friday, and kept as his servant and companion on the desert island. Friday Street (London). A cor- ruption of Friga Street. {See Frigga.) Friends. ^‘Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they are not divided.” Said of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. i. 2—3.) {See Achates.) Friend at Court properly means a friend in a court of law who watches tlie trial, and tells the judge if he can nose out an error; but the term is more generally applied to a friend in the royal court, who will whisper a good word for you to the sovereign at the proper place and season. {See Amicus CUKliE.) Friend of Man. Marquis de Mira- beau. So called from one of his works, ^^L’ami des Hommes” (5 vols.). This was the father of the great Mirabeau, called by Barnave ‘‘The Shakespeare of eloquence” (1715.1789). Friendship, examples of— Hercules and lola'os ; Theseus and Pirith'ods; Py hades and Orestes ; Achilles ! and Patroc'lus; Tdom'eneus and Mer'ionp Diome'des and Sthen'elos; Harmo'dios and Aristogi'ton ; Epaminon'das and Pelop'idas ; Septim'ios and Alcander- (all Greeks) ; Damon and Pyth'ias ; Sa- charissa and Am'oret (Syracusans) ; Amys and Amylion {q.v ) ; David and Jonathan; our divine Redeemer and the apostle John. Friese. The central part of the en- tablature of a building, generally en- riched with sculpture. (Italian, fre'gio,. an ornament, &c.) Frigga, in the genealogy of Ases, is the supreme goddess, wife of Odin, and daughter of the giant Fidrgwyn. She presides over marriages, and may be- called the Juno of the Valhalla. {Scan- dinavian mythology. ) Frilingi. The second rank of people'- among the ancient Saxons. {See Edhi- LINGI.) Fringe. The Jews wore fringes to their garments, and these fringes on the garments of the priests were accounted sacred, and were touched by the common- people as a charm. Hence tho desire of the woman who had the issue of blood to touch the fringe of our Lord’s garment (Matt. ix. 20-22). Frippery. Rubbish of a tawdrj’ character; worthless finery; foolish levity. A friperer or fripperer is one who deals in frippery, either to sell or clean old clothes. (French, friperie, old clothes- and cast-olf furniture.) We know what belongs to a frippery, Shakespeare, “ Tempest," iv. 1. Old cloaths, cast dresses, tattered raais, ■\Vho8e works are e’en the frippery of wit, Ben Jonson. Frippery properly means rags and all sorts of odds and ends. French, fripe (a rag), friperie (o‘d clothes and furni- ture), fripier (a broker of old clothes, &c.). Applied to pastry. Eugene Grandet says, “ En Anjou la frippe ex- prime I’accompagnemcnt du pain, depui&- le beurre plus distingu^e des frippes.” Frisket. The light frame of the= printing-press, which folds down upon the tympan {q.v.) over the sheet of paper to be printed. Its object is two-fold — to hold tho sheet in its place and to keep the margins clean. It is called frisket because it frisks or skips up and down very rapidly— i.e., the pressman opens- 320 FJRISCO. l^KOZEN. it and slints it over with gi’eat alacrity, the movement being called “ flying the frisket.” Frisco'. God of peace and pleasure among the ancient Saxons. Frith. By frith and fdl. By wold and wild, wood and common. Frith is the Welsh frith or friz, and means a woody place.” Fell is the German fels (rock), and means barren or stony jflaces, a common. Frith-iof (pron. Frit-yoff) means peace-maker.” In the Icelandic myths he married Ingeborg {In-ge-hoy'-e), the daughter of a petty king of Norway, and widow of Hring, to whose dominions he succeeded. His adventures are recorded in the Saga which bears his name, and which was written at the close of the thirteenth century. Fritliiof’s Sword. Angurva'del {stream of anguish). Fritz. Old Fritz. Frederick II. the Oreat, king of Prussia. (1712, 1740- 1786.) Fro. God of the air and tempests. '{Scandinavian mythology. ) Frog. A frog offered to carry a -mouse across a ditch with the intention of drowning it, but both were carried off by a kite. Old iEsops’ fable, where he told What fate unto the mouse and frog befell. Caj'y, “ Dante,” exxm. Nic Frog is the Dutchman (not French- man) in Arbuthnot’s ^‘History of John Bull.” Frogs are called ‘‘Dutch Night- ingales.” Frogs. Frenchmen, properly Paris- ians. So called from their ancient heraldic device, which was three frogs or three toads. Qu’en disent les grenouilles % What will the frogs (people of Paris) say, was in 1791 a common court phrase at Ver- sailles. There was a point in the plea- santry when Paris was a quagmire, called Luteitia (mud-land) because, like frogs or toads, they lived in mud, but now it is -quite an anomaly. {See Crapaud.) Frogs. The L 3 ^cian shepherds were changed into frogs for mocking Lato'na. Ovid, “ J/ei.,” vi. 4. .As when those hinds Iha^ were transformed to frogs Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny. MiUm, " :Sonnet”'ni. It may he all fun to you, hut it is death to the frogs. The allusion is to the fable of the boy stoning the frogs, who was told by one of the persecuted creatures, “It may be fun to you; but it is death to us.” Frollo {Archdeacon Claude). A priest who has a great reputation for sanctity, but falls in love with a gipsy girl, an from a witty illustration of a councillor, who said that they were “like school- boys who sling stones about the streets. When no eye is upon them they are bold as bullies ; but the moment a ‘ police- man’ approaches, away they scamper to the ditches for concealment ” {Alontglat). The French for a sling is fronde, and for slingers, frondeurs, Frondenr. {See Fronde.) Frontalet'to. Name of Sa'cripant’s horse. — Orlando Furioso. Fronti'no, once called Balisarda. Name of BogeTo’s horse. — Orlando Furioso. The renowned Frontino, which Bradamanfe pur- chased at so high a price, could never be thought thy equal.— Don Quixote. Frost. Jack Frost. The personifica- tion of frost. Jack Frost looked forth, one still, e’ear night. And he said, “Row 1 shall be out of sight; So over the valley and over the height In silence I’ll take my way.” Miss Gould. Froth. (Master). “A foolish gentle- man” in “ Measure for Measure.” Lord Froth. A pompous coxcomb in “ The Double Dealer,” by Congreve. Frozen Music. Architecture. So called by F. Schlegel. Frozen Words appears to have been a household joke with the ancient Greeks, for Antiph'anes applies it to the discourses of Plato : “As the cold of cer- tain cities is so intense that it freezes the very words we utter, which remain congealed till the heat of summer thaws them, so the mind of youth is so thought- less that the wisdom of Plato lies there frozen, as it were, till it is thawed by the FRUMENTIUS. FUM, 321 ripened judgment of mature age.” — Plu- tarch! & Morals. The moment their backs were turned, little Jacob thawed, and renewed his crying from the point where Quilp had frozen him.— DicArens, "'Curiositi/ Shop.** Truth in person doth appear Like words congealed in northern a1r. Butler. Hudibras” pt. i. 1. . Every one knows the incident of the '^Frozen Horn” related in Baron Mun- chausen.” Frumen'tius (St.). Apostle of Ethi- opia and the Abyssinians in the fourth century. Fry. Children (a word of contempt). Get away, you young fry. It means pro- perly a crowd of young fishes, and its application to children should be limited to those that obstruct your path, crowd about you, or stand in your way. (French, frai, spawn.) Nothing to fry with (French). Nothing to eat ; nothing to live on. (& Widb- NOSTRILS.) Frying-pan. Out of the frying-pan into the fire. In trying to extricate yourself from one evil, you fell into a greater. The Greeks used to say, Out of the smoke into the flame ; ” and the French say, ^‘Tombre de la poele dans la braise.” Fuaeam et Flagellum (gallows and whip). The meanest of all servile tenures, the bondman being at the lord’s mercy, both life and limb. Fub. To steal, to prig. (French, fourhi, ^^a Jew who conceals a trap;” fourler, ‘Ho cheat ;”/owr, a false pocket for concealing stolen goods. ) Fuch {fox). A freshman of the first year in the German University. In the second year he is called a Bursch, Fudge. Not true, stuff, make-up. (Gaelic, ffug, deception ; Welsh, ffug, pretence ; whence jfugiwr, a pretender or deceiver.) A word of contempt be- stowed on one who says what is absurd or untrue. Disraeli quotes the following clause : There was, in our time, one Captain Fudge, a commanaer of a merchant -man ; who, upon nis return from a voyage, always broU'.;ht h .me a go ;tl cargo of lies ; insomuch that now, aboard ship, the sailors, w'hen they hear a great lie, cry out, Fudge !— Remarks upon the Navy. (1700.) We were put on board the Black Eagle. The master’s name was Fudge by some called Lying J^udge.— Mr, Crouch.'* AOollecUonof Papers.'* inn.) Fudge Family. A series of metri- cal epistles by Thomas Moore, purport- ing to be written by a family on a visit to Paris. Fuel. Adding fuel to fire. Saying or doing something to increase the anger of a person already angry. The French say, pouring oil on fire.” Fuggers. German merchants, pro- verbial for their great wealth. ^^Kich as a Fugger ” is common in old English dramatists. Charles V. introduced some of the family into Spain, where they superintended the mines. I am neither an Indian merchant, nor yet a Fugger, but a poor boy like yourself. — d'Alfarache. Fugleman means properly wing- man, but is applied to a soldier who stands in front of men at drill to show them what to do. Their proper and original post was in front of the right wing. (German, a wing.) Fulliams, or Loaded dice. So called from the suburb where the bishop of London resides, which, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, was the most notorious place for black-legs in all Eng- land. Dice made with a cavity were called “ Gourds.” Those made to throw the high numbers (from five to twelve) were called High Fullams” or Gourds,” and those made to throw the low num- bers (from ace to four) were termed Lovv Fullams” or ‘^Gourds.” For gourd and fallam holds, And “high” and “ low ’ beguile the rich and poor. Shakespeare, "Merry Wives of Windsor," i. 3. FiUhams. Make-believes. So called from false or loaded dice. {See above.) Fulhams of poetic fiction. Butler, “ Hudibras," pt. ii, 1. Have their fulhams at commend, Brought up to Uo tiieir fe it' at hand. Butler, “ Upon G .irnlng.'* Full Cry. When all the hounds have caught the scent, and give tongue in chorus. Fum, or Fung {the phoenix). One of the four symbolical animals supposed to preside over the destinies of the Chinese empire. It originated from the element of fire, was born in the Hill of the Sun s Halo, and has its body inscribed with the five cardinal virtues. It has the forepart of a goose, the hind- quarters of a stag, the neck of a snake, the tail of a V 322 FUMAGE. FYRAPEL, fish, the forehead of a fowl, the down of a duck, the marks of a dragon, the back of a tortoise, the face of a swallow, the beak of a cock, is about six cubits high, and perches only on the woo-tung tree. It is this curious creature that is em- broidered on the dresses of certain man- darins. Fu'mage (2 syh). A tax for having a fire, mentioned in Domesday Book, and abolished by William III. (Latin, fumusy smoke.) Fume. In a fume. In ill- temper, especially from impatience. The French say, Fumer sans iabac ; Fumer sans 'pijpe (to put oneself into a rage). Smoking with rage, or rather with the ineffectual vapour of anger. A! Rignot, il est courageulx Pour un homme avantureulx Et terrible quant il se fume. L'Aventureulx (a farce). Fund. The sinhing fund is money set aside by the Government for paying off a part of the national debt. This money is '‘sunk,” or withdrawn from circulation, for the bonds purchased by it are destroyed. Funds or Public Funds. Money lent at interest to Government on Govern- ment security. It means the national stock, which is the foundation of its operations. To he interested in the funds is to have money in the public funds. A rise in the funds is when the quota- tion is higher than it was before. A fall in the funds is when the quo- tation is lower than when it was last quoted. ^ Funeral means a torchlight proces- sion (from the Latin, funus. a torch), be ause funerals am mg the Romans took place at night by torchlight, that magistrates and priests might not be violated by seeing a corpse, and so be prevented from performing their sacred duties. Funeral Banquet. The custom of giving a feast at funerals came to us from the Romans, who not only feasted the friends of the deceased, but also distributed meat to the persons em- ployed. Thrift, thrift, Horatio ! the funeral baked meats pjd coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. ^teespcare,'‘ Hamlet,” Fungo'so. A character in "Every Man in His Humour,” by Ben Jonson. Unlucky as Fungoso in the play. Pope, '‘JSssay on Criticism” 323. Funny Bone. A pun on the word hu'merus. The bone at the end of the 05 hu'meri, or bone which runs from the shoulder to the elbow. Fur'below. A corruption of falbala, a word in French, Italian, and Spanish, to signify a sort of flounce. Flounced and furbelowed from head to foot.— Addison. Furca. (See Fossa.) Furor. Son of Occasion, an old hag, who was quite bald behind. Sir Guyon bound him " with a hundred iron chains and a hundred knots.” — Sjpenser, " Faery Queen f bk. ii. Fusber'ta. Rinaldo's sword is so called in " Orlando Furioso.” This awful sword was as dear to him as Durin- da'na or Fushberta to their respective masters.— Sir W. Scott. Fusilier's. Foot-soldiers that used to be armed with a fusil or light musket. The word is now a misnomer, as the six British and two Indian regiments so called carry Enfield rifles like the rest of the infantry. Fuss. Much ado about nothing. (Al- lied to fizz, froth; fuzz, to fly off in minute particles. Latin, fundo, to pour out; Greek, phuza, flight with terror, &c. ; Anglo-Saxon, /%5, eager.) Nor with senates keep a fuss. Swift. Fus'tian- Stuff, bombast, preten- tious words. Properly, a sort of cotton velvet. (French, futaine ; Spanish, Fus- tan, the name of a place.) (iSee Bombast.) Fustian his thoughts and words ill-sorted. Dryden. Discourse fustian with one’s own shadow. Shakespeare, “ Othello,” ii.3. Futile (2 syl.) is that which will not hold together; inconsistent. A futile scheme is a design conceived in the mind which will not hold good in practice. ( Latin, to run off like water.) (See Scheme.) Fylla. Confidante and lady’s-maid of queen Frigga. — Scandinavian mythology. F.v'rapel (^Sir). The leopard, king Lion’s nearest kinsman, in the B^ast ppic of " Reynard the Fox,” GABRINA. 323 G. a. G. This letter is the outline of a camel’s head and neck. It is called in Hebrew (a camel). G.C.B. (>Sf€eBATH.) G.H.V.Ii. on the coin of William III. of the Netherlands is Groot Ilertog Van Luxemburg (grand duke of Luxembourg). Gab {g hard). The gift of the gab. Fluency of speech ; or rather, the gih of boasting. (French, gaber, to gasconade ; Danish and Scotch, gab, the mouth; Gaelic, gob ; Irish, cab ; whence our gap and gape, gabble and gobble. The gable of a house is its beah.') There was a good man named J ob, Who lived in the land of Uz, He had a good gift of the gob, The same thing happened* us. “ Book of Job," by Zach. Boyd. Thou art one of the knights of France, who hold it for glee and pastime to gab, as they term it, of exploits that are beyond human power.— >Sir W. Scott, “ The Talisman," ch. ii. Gabel', Gabelle {g hard). A salt- tax. A word applied in French history to the monopoly of salt. All the salt made in France had to be brought to the royal warehouses, and was there sold at a price fixed by the government. The iniquity was that some provinces had to pay twice as much as others. Edward III. jokingly called this monopoly ^^King Philippe’s Salic law.” It was abolished in 1789. (German, gabe^ a tax.) Gaberlunzie, or A gabevlunzie man {g hard). A mendicant ; or, more strictly speaking, one of the king’s bedesmen, who were licensed beggars. The word gaban is French and Spanish for a cloak with tight sleeves and a hood.” Hence gabardine (the Jewish cassock). Lunzic IS a diminutive of laine (wool), as in linsey- woolsey (half linen half woollen). So that gaber-lunzie means coarse woollen gown.” These bedesmen were also called blue-godms (g'.-y.), from the colour of their cloaks. Ga'briel [g hard), an J ewish mytho- logy, is the angel of death to the favoured people of God, the prince of fire and thunder, and the only angel that can speak Syriac and Chaldee. The Maho- metans call him the chief of the four favoured angels, and the spirit of truth. In mediaeval romance he is the second of the seven spirits that stand before the throne of God, and, as God’s messenger, carries to heaven the prayers of men (^^ Jerusalem Delivered,” bk. i.)„ The word means power of God.” Milton makes him chief of the angelic guards placed over Paradise. Betwixt these rocky pillars Gabriel sat. Chief of the angelic guards. '^Paradise Lost," iv. Longfellow, in his Golden Legend,” makes him the angel of the moon, and says he brings to man the gift of hope. I am the angel of the moon . . . Nearest the earth, it is my ray That best illumes the miduight way. I bring the gift of hope. “ The 31iracle Play" iii. GabrieVs horse. Ha'izum. GoibrieVs hounds. Wild geese. The noise of the bean goose {gnser segetum) in flight is like that of a pack of hounds in full cry. Ga'briel Laj eunesse (3 syl. ). Son of Basil, the blacksmith of Grand Pre (Nova Scotia), the affianced husband of Evangeline. Longfellow, ^‘Evangeline.'' Gab'riell'e (3 syl. ; g hard). La Belle Gabrielle. Daughter of Antoine d’Estr^es, grand-master of artillery, and governor of the He de France. Henri IV., towards the close of 1590, happened to sojourn for a night at the Ch5,teau de Coeuvres, and fell in love with Gabrielle, then nine- teen years of age. To throw a flimsy veil over his intrigue, he married her to Da- merval de Liancourt, created her duchess de Beaufort, and took her to live with him at court. Charraante Gabrielle, Perc6 de mille dards, Quand la gloire ra’appelle A la suite de Mars. Henri TV. Gabri'na, in Orlando Furioso,” is a sort of Potiphar’s wife. She was the wife of Arge'o, a baron of Servia. While Philander, a Dutch knight, was enter- tained by Arge'o, Gabrina assayed his virtue, but Philander fled the house. Gabrina, in revenge, accused him to her husband of adultery, and Arge'o followed him, brought him back, and locked him in the castle dungeon. One day Gabri'na went to visit him, and implored him to avenge her on a faithless knight who had tempted her virtue. Philander readily undertook to be her champion ; but the pretended lover was Arge'o, whom Phi- lander ignorantly slew. Gabrina now threatened to deliver up her champion V 2 324 GABRIOLETTA, GALEN, to the law unless he married her; an alternative that Philander accepted, but ere long he was killed by poison. The whole affair being brought to light, Gabrina was shut up in prison, but effecting her escape, wandered about the country as an old hag. Knight after knight had to defend her, but at last she was committed to the charge of Odori'co, who, to get rid of her, hung her on an elm. Galbriolet'ta {g hard). Governess of Brittany, rescued by Am'adis of Gaul from the hands of Balan, “ the bravest and strongest of all the giants.’' — dis of Gaulf bk. iv., ch. 129. Gad (g hard). Gadding from 'glace, to glace. Wandering from pillar to post without any profitable purpose. (Irish, gad^ a roving; Russian, cliod^ &c.) A gadabout is one who gads. Give water no passage, neither a wicked woman liberty to gad abroad.— ^ccZus. Gad-fly is not the roving but the goading fly. (Saxon, gad, a goad.) I will go get a leaf of brass. And, with a gad of steel, w ill write these words. Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus^'* iv. 1. Gad-steel. Flemish steel. So called because it is wrought in gads, or small bars. (Saxon, gad, a small bar or goad.) Gadshill, in Kent, near Rochester. Famous for the attack of Sir John Fal- staff and three of his knavish companions on a party of four travellers, whom they robbed of their purses. While the rob- bers were dividing the spoil, Poins and the Prince of Wales set upon them, and outfaced them from their prize;” and as for the “ Hercules of flesh,” he ran and roared for mercy, and still ran and roared,” says the prince, ^^as ever I heard a bull-calf.” Gadshill is also the name of one of the thievish companions of Sir John. — Shakesgeare, Henry IV.,'* ii. 4. Gaels. A contraction of Gad-hels (hidden rovers). The inhabitants of Scot- land who maintained their ground in the Highlands against the Celts. It is an error to derive this word from Gaul, Gallia, Ga-flfl {g hard). Crooked as a gaff. A gaff is an iron hoe or hook. The metal spurs of fighting cocks ; in nautical lan- guage, a boom or spar used to extend the upper edge of the mizen. (Irish, gaf; Spanish and Portuguese, Shemitic, cafah, to bend.) Gaffer {g hard). A title of address, as Gaffer Grey,” '^Good-day, Gaffer.” About equal to ‘‘mate.” (Saxon, a companion or mate.) Gather is {Sir). Brother of Sir Gawain, and a knight of the Round Table. Ga'ilan. Forest demon of Arabian mythology. Gaiter {g hard). A proper name. {See Brewer.) Gala Day {g hard). A festive day ; a day when people put on their best attire. (Spanish, gala, court dress ; Italian, gala, finery ; French, gala, pomp.) Gal'ahad, or Sir Galahalt {g hard). Son of Sir Launcelot and GanoY{Guinevei'), one of the Knights of the Round Table, so pure in life that he was successful in his search for the sangrael. Tennyson has a poem on the subject. Mold d* Arthur." There Galaad sat, with manly grace, Yet maiden meekness in his face. Sir W. Scott, “ Bridal of Triermaini* ii. 13. GaPaor {Don). Brother of Am'adis of Gaul, a gay libertine, whose adven- tures form a strong contrast to those of the more serious hero. Galate'a {g hard). A sea-nymph, beloved by Polyphe'me, but herself in love with Acis. Acis was crushed under a huge rock by the jealous giant. Handel has an opera entitled “Acis and Galatea.” GaPathe (3 syl.). Hector’s horse. There is a thousand Hectors in the field ; Now here he fights on Galathohis horse, And there lacks work. Shakespeare^ Troilus and Cms*dfl,”v. 5 . GaPaxy {g hard). A galaxy of beauty. A cluster, assembly, or coterie of hand- some women. The galaxy is the “ Milky Way” sown thick with stars. (Greek, gala, milk.) Gale’s Compound. Powdered glass mixed with gunpowder to render it non-explosive. Gale is the patentee. Galen (g hard). Galen says “ Hay,*' and lligpocraies “ Yea." The doctors disagree, and who is to decide? Galeu GALEOfTl. GALLICENiE. 325 was a physician of Asia Minor in the second Christian century. Hippoc'rates — a native of Cos, born b.c. 460— was the most celebrated physician of antiquity, Galen. A generic name for an apothe^ cary. Thus, the host says to Dr. Caius— Is he dead, . . . my Galen ? . . . is he dead ? Shakespeare^ ‘^Ilerry Wives,” ii. 3. Galeot'ti (Martins'). Louis XI. ’s Italian astrologer. Being asked by the king if he knew the day of his own death, he craftily replied that he could not name the exact day, but he knew this much : it would be twenty-four hours before the decease of his majesty. Thra- sullus, the soothsayer of Tiberius, em- peror of Dome, made verbally the same answer to the same question. “Can thy pretended skill ascertain the hour of thine own death ? ” “Only by referring to the fate of another,” sail Galeotti. “ 1 understand not thine answer,” said Louis. “Know then, O king,” said Martius, “that this only I can tell with certainty concerning mine own death, that it shall take place exactly twenty-four hours before your majesty’s.” Sir W. Scott, “ Quentin Durward” ch. xxix. Galera'na (g hard), according to Ariosto, was wife of Charlemagne. — ** Orlando Furioso^' bk. xxi. (See Charlemagne.) Galere. Q,ne didble allait-il faire dans eette galere I (What business had he to be on this galley ? ) This is from Moliere’s comedy of Les Fourberies de Scapin.” Scapin wants to bamboozle Geronte out of his money, and tells him that his master (Geronte’s son) is detained pri- soner on a Turkish galley, where he went out of curiosity. He adds, that unless the Old man will ransom him, he will be taken to Algiers as a slave. Geronte replies to all that Scapin urges, “What business had he to go on board the galley?” The retort is given to those who beg money to help them out of difficulties which they have brought on themselves. “I grant you are in trouble, but what right had you to go on the galley?” Gale'sus [g hard). ^ A river of Puglia, not far from Tarentum. The sheep that fed on the meadows of Gale'sus were noted for their fine wool. — Horace, “ Carm.,*' ii. 6, 10. Galia'na {g hard). A Moorish prin- cess. Her father, king Gadalfe of Tole'do, built for her a palace on the Tagus so splendid that the phrase, “ a palace of Galiana” became proverbial in Spain. Galimau'frey {g hard) . A medley ; any confused jumble of things ; but strictly speaking, a hotch-potch made up of all the scraps of the larder. (French, galimafrh ; Spanish, gallofa, “ broken meat,” from gallofero, a beggar.) He wooes both high and low, both rich and poor. Both young and old, one with another, Ford ; He loves thy gally-mawfry {all sorts). Shakespeare, ** 3Ierry Wives” ii. 1, Gall {g hard). St. GalVs hell. A four-sided bell, which was certainly in existence in the seventh century, and is still shown in the monastery of St. Gall, Switzerland. Gallant' ig hard). Brave, polite, cour- teous, &c. (Gael, galLan, “a branch,” whence also callant^ “a stripling” or, in Bible language, an “olive branch.”) Only the aristocracy have a genealogical tree, and therefore gallant applies strictly to them alone. Galley {g hard). A printer’s frame into which type from the stick {q.v.) is emptied. In the galley the type appears only in columns ; it is subsequently di- vided into pages, and transferred to the “ chase ” {q.v.). (French, galee.) Galley Pence. Genoese coin brought over by merchants who im- ported their wines and other goods in galleys. These pence, or rather half- pence, were larger than our own. Gal'lia {g hard). France. Impending hangs o’er Gallia’s humbled coast. Thomson, “ Summer.*^ Gall'ia Bracca'ta (trousered Gaul). Gallia Narbonen'sis was so called from the “braccrn” or trousers which the natives wore in common with the Scy- thians and Persians. Gall'ia Coma'ta. That part of Gaul which belonged to the Roman em- peror, and was governed by leg'ates {lega'ti^f was so called from the long hair {coma) worn by the inhabitants flowing over their shoulders. Gallice'nae. The nine virgin priest- esses of the Gallic oracle. By their charms they could raise the wind and waves, turn themselves into any animal form they liked, cure wounds and dis- eases, and predict future events. — Gallic mythology. S26 GALLICISM. GAMELYI^. Gall'icism iq hard). A phrase or sentence constructed after the French idiom ; as when you shall have returned home you will find a letter on your table.” Government documents are especially guilty of this fault. In St. Matt. xv. 32 is a Gallicism : I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat.” Compare St. Mark viii. 2. Galligan'tus {g hard). The giant who lived with Hocus-Pocus, the con- juror. Jack the Giant-killer blew the magic horn, and both the giant and con- juror were overthrown .” — Nursery Tale of Jack the Giant Killer f Gallimaufry. {See Galimaufrey.) Gallipot {g hard) means a glazed pot, as galletyles (3 syl.) means glazed tiles. (Dutch, gleipot, glazed pot.) In farce and jest it forms a by-name for an apothecary. Gallo-Bergieus. An annual register in Latin for European circulation, first published in 1598. It is believed, And told for news with as much diligi^nce Asif’twere writ in Gallo-Belgicus. Thomas May, “ The HeirJ- (1615.) Galloon. {See Caddice.) Gall'oway {g hard). A small horse of the breed which originally came from Galloway in Scotland. Thrust him downstairs! Know we not Galloway naga^—lShakespeare, 2 Henry ii. 4. Galor'e (2 syl., g hard). A sailor’s term, meaning ^^in abundance,” (Irish, go leor, in abundance. ) For his Poll he had trinkets and gold galore, Besides of prize-money quite a store. Jack RoMnson. Gal'vanism {g hard). So called from Louis Galva'ni, of Bologna. Signora Gal- vani in 1790 had frog-soup prescribed for her diet, and one day some skinned frogs which happened to be placed near an electric machine in motion exhibited signs of vitality. This strange pheno- menon excited the curiosity of the experi- menter, who subsequently noticed that similar convulsive effects were produced when the copper hooks on which the frogs were strung were suspended on the iron hook of the larder. Experiments being carefully conducted, soon led to the dis- covery of this important science. Galway Jury. An enlightened, independent jury. The expression has its birth in certain trials held in Ire- land in 1635 upon the right of the king to the counties of Ireland. Leitrim, Eoscommon, Sligo, and Mayo, gave judgment in favour of the crown, but Galway opposed it ; whereupon the sheriff was fined ,£1,000, and each of the jurors £4,000. Gam. {See Ganelon.) Ga'ma {g hard), Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese, was the first European navigator who doubled the Cape of Good Hope. With such mad seas the daring Gama fought . . . Incessant labouring round the stormy Cape. Thomson, '•^Summer'' Vasco de Gama. The hero of Camoens’ Lusiad.” He is represented as saga- cious, intrepid, tender-hearted, pious, fond of his country, and holding his temper in full command. He is also the hero of Meyerbeer’s posthumous opera, L’Africaine.” Gama, captain of the venturous band, Of bold emprise, and born for high command, Whose martial fires, with prudence close allied, Ensured the smiles of fortune on his side. Camoens, “ Lusiad,” bk i. Gama'hes {g hard). Stones which contain naturally the representation of some object, such as a plant, landscape, or animal. The word is used by Albertus Magnus, and is from the French camaieu (an agate). The natural ‘^cameos” are called agate-stones, because most of them belong to the agate family. Gambo'ge (2 syl., firsts hard, second g soft). So called from Gambo'dia or Cambogia, whence it was first brought. Game (1 syl., g hard). Are you game for a spree 1 Are you inclined to join in a bit of fun? The allusion is to game-cocks, which never show the white feather, but are always ready for a fight. You are malcing game of me. You are chaffing me. (Anglo-Saxon, gamen, jest, scoffing.) Game-leg. A bad or lame leg. (Welsh, cam; Irish, gam, bad, crooked.) Gam'elyn (3 syl., g hard). The youngest of the three sons of Sir Johan de Boundys. On his death -bed the old knight left five plowes of land ” to each GAMMER. GANELON. 327 of his two elder sons, and the rest of his property to Gamelyn. The eldest took charge of the boy, but entreated him shamefully; and when Gamelyn, in his manhood, demanded of him his heritage, the elder brother exclaimed, Stand still, gadelyng, and hold thy peace ! ” ** I am no gadelyng,^’ retorted the proud young spirit ; but the lawful son of a lady and true knight.” At this the elder brother sent his servants to chastise the youngling, but Gamelyn drove them off with ‘^a pestel.” At a wrestling-match held in the neighbourhood, young Game- lyn threw the champion, and carried off the prize ram; but on reaching home found the door shut against him. He at once kicked down the door and threw the porter into a well. The elder bro- ther, by a manoeuvre, contrived to bind the young scapegrace to a tree, and left him two days without food ; but Adam, the spencer, unloosed him, and Gamelyn fell upon a party of ecclesiastics who had come to dine with his brother, ^^sprink- ling holy water on the guests with his stout oaken cudgel.” The sheriff now sent to take Gamelyn and Adam into custody ; but they fled into the woods and came upon a party of foresters sitting at meat. The captain gave them welcome, and in time Gamelyn rose to be king of the outlaws.” His brother, being now sheriff, would have put him to death, but Gamelyn constituted himself a lynch judge, and hanged his brother. After this the king appointed him chief ranger, and he married. This tale is the foun- dation of Lodge’s novel, called ^^Euphue’s Golden Legacy,” and the novel furnished Shakespeare with the plot- of As You Like It.” Gammer {g hard). A contraction of grandmbre, first into gan-mer, then into gammer. Gammer Gurton^s Needle, The earliest comedy but one in the English language. It was “Made by Mr. S., Master of Arts.” The author is said to have been Bishop Still of Bath and Wells. (1543-1607.) Gam'mon {g hard). A corruption of gamene. Stuff to impose upon one’s credulity; chaff. (Anglo-Saxon, scoffing ; our game, as “You are making game of me.”) Gammon {g hard) means the leg, not the buttock. (French, jamhon, the leg, jamle ; lioWan, gamha.) Gam'mut, or Gamut {g hard). It i& gamma lit, “ut” being the first word in the Guido von-Arrezzo scale of ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la. In the eleventh century the anciemt scale was extended a note below the Greek proslamban'omy note (our A), the first space of the bass staff. The new note was termed 7 (gamma), and when “ut” was substituted by Ar- rezzo, the “supernumerary” note was called gamma or ut, or shortly gamm* ut — i.e., “Gut.” The gammut, therefore, properly means the diatonic scale be- ginning in the bass clef with “ G.” Gamp (Mrs. ), or Sarah Gamp (g hard). A monthly nurse, famous for her gouty urn^ Telia and perpetual reference to Mrs. Harris, a purely imaginary person, whose opinions always confirmed her own. — JJichens, Martin Chuzzlewit.'^ Punch caricatures the Standard as “ Mrs. Sarah Gamp,” a little woman with an enormous bonnet and her character- istic umbrella. A Sarah Gamp, or Mrs. Gamp. A big, pawky umbrella, so called from Sarah Gamp. (See above. ) In France it is called un Pohhison, from Robinson Crusoe’s umbrella. — Defoe. Gamps and Harrises. Work- house nurses, real or supposititious. (See Gamp.) Mr. Gathorne Hardy is to look after the Gamps and Harrises of Lambeth and the fetrand.— T/ie Telegraph. Gan'abim. The island of thieves. So called from the Hebrew gannah (a thief). — Rabelais, Pantagruel/’ iv, 66 . Gander (g hard). What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Both must be treated exactly alike. Apple- sauce is just as good for one as the other. Gander-eleugh. Folly cliff; that mysterious land where any one who makes a “goose of himself” takes up his temporary residence. The hypothe- tical Jedediah CJeishbotham, who edited the “ Tales of my Landlord,” lived there, as Sir Walter Scott assures us. Gander-month. Those four v/eeks when the “monthly nurse” rules the house with despotic sway, and the master is made a goose of. Gan'elon {cj hard). Count of May- ence, one of Charlemagne’s paladins, the 328 GANEM. GAHAGANTUA. Judas” of knights. His castle was built on the Blocksberg, the loftiest peak of the Hartz Mountains. Jealousy of Roland made him a traitor; and in order to destroy his rival, he planned with Marsillus, the Moorish king, the attack of Roncesvalles. He was six and a half feet high, with glaring eyes and fiery hair; he loved solitude, was very taciturn, disbelieved in the existence of moral good, and never had a friend. His name is a by- word for a traitor of the basest sort. Have you not held me at such a distance from your counsels, as if 1 were the most faithless sny since the days of Qanelon 7— Sir Walter Scott, “ The Abbot,’’ ch. xxiv. You would have thought him [Ganelon] one of Attila’s Huns, rather than one of the paladins of Charlemagne’s court.— ' Groqxiemitaine,” iii. Ga'nem {g hard), having incurred the displeasure of Calif Haroun-al- Raschid, effected his escape by taking the place of a slave, who was carrying on his head dishes from the califs table. — Arabian Nights' Entertainments. Gan'esa {g hard). Son of Siva and Parbutta ; also called Gunputty, the elephant god. The god of wisdom, fore- thought, and prudence. The Mercury of the Hindus. Camdeo bright and Ganesa sublime Shall bless with juy their own propitious clime. Campbell. Ganga. One of the three goddesses of rivers . — Indian mythology. Gangas. Black priests of Angola, Congo, &c . — African mythology. Gang-board, or Oang-way {g hard). The board or way made for the rowers to pass from stem to stern, and where the mast was laid when it was unshipped. Now it means the board with cleats or bars of wood by which passengers walk into or out of a ship or steamboat. A gang is an alloy or avenue. Gang-day [g hard). The day when the boys qanq round the parish to beat its bounds. Gan'ges (2 syl. ; first g hard, second g soft). Pliny tells us of men living on the smell of the Ganges., ‘^Nat. Hist.,” xii. By Ganges’ bank, as wild traditions tell, Of old the tribes lived healthful by the smell ; 2^ o food they knew, such fragrant vapours rose, Rich from the flowery lawn where Ganges flows. Camoens,^* Ltmiad,” bk. vii. Ganglati (Slow-pace), The servant of the goddess Hel {q.v.). Gangway (g hard). Below the gang- way. In the House of Commons there is a sort of bar extending across the house, which separates the Ministry and the Opposition from the rest of the mem- bers. To sit below the gangway” is to ^ sit amongst the general members, neither among the Ministers nor with the Opposition. Clear the gangway. Make room for the passengers from the boat, clear the passage. {See Gang-board.) Ganna. A Celtic prophetess, who succeeded Velle'da. She went to Rome, and was received by Domitian with great honours. — Tacitus, Annals f 55. Ganor (g hard), Gineura {g soft), or Gitinever. Arthur’s wife. Gan'ymede (3 syl. ; g hard). Jove’s cup-bearer ; the most beautiful boy ever born. He succeeded Hebe in office. When Ganymede above His service ministers to mighty Jove. Iloole’s “ Ariosto.*’ Ga'ora. A tract of land inhabited by a people without heads. Their eyes are in their shoulders, and their mouths in their breasts.— Voyages." {See Blemmyes.) Gape {g hard). Looking for gape- seed. Gaping about and doing nothing. A corruption of ^Mjooking a-gapesing ; ” gapesing is staring about with one’s mouth open. A-gapesing and a-trapes- ing are still used in Norfolk. Seeking a gape's nest. (Devonshire.) A gape's nest is a sight which people stare at with wide-open mouth. The word nest” was used in a much wider sense formerly than it is now. Thus we read of a *‘nest of shelves,” a ^'nest of thieves,” a '^cozy nest.” A gape’s nest is the nest or place where anything stared at is to be found. {See Mare’s Nest.) Gar'agan'tua {g hard). The giant that swallowed five pilgrims with their staves and all in a salad. From a book entitled The History Of Garagantua,” 1594. Laneham, however, mentions the book of Garagantua in 1575. The giant in Rabelais is called Gargantua {q.v.). You must borrow me Garagantua’s mouth (before I can utter so long a word), . . . ’tis a word too gi eat for any mouth of this age’s size, Shaktsj eare, “ As You Like It,” iii. 2. GABAGANTUAN. GARGANTUA. G-aragantua.n. Threatening, bul- ly ing. {See 'preceding. ) Garble {g hard) properly means to sift out the refuse. Thus, by the statute of 1 James, I. 19, a penalty is imposed on the sale of drugs not garbled. We now use the word to express a mutilated extract, in which the sense of the author is perverted by what is omitted. (French, garheVy to make clean; Spanish, garlil- lar ; Chaldee, carhl ; our cribhUy a corn- sieve; crihbled, sifted.) Garci'as {g hard). The soul of Pedro Garcias. Money. It is said that two scholars of Salamanca discovered a tombstone with this inscription : — Here lies the soul of the licentiate Pedro Garci'as j” and on searching for this '^soul,” found a purse with a hundred golden ducats. — Gil Bias {Preface). Gar'darike (4 syl., g hard). So Russia is called in the Eddas. Garden {g hard). The garden of Joseph of Arimathe'a was the spot where the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre stands. The Garden or Garden Sect. The disciples of Epicu'rus, who taught in his own private garden. Epicurus in his garden was languid ; the birds of the air have more enjoyment of their food.— jEcce Homo. Garden of England. Worcestershire and Kent are both so called. Garden of Europe. Italy. Garden of France. Amboise, in the department of Indre-et-Loire. Garden of Italy. The island of Sicily. Garden o f Spain. An dalu'ci a. Garden of the West. Illinois ; Kansas is also so called. Garden of the World. The region of the Mississippi. Gardener {g hard). Get on, ga'r- dener I Get on, you slow and clumsy coachman. The allusion is to a man who is both gardener and coachman. Gardener, Adam is so called by Tennyson. From yon blue sky above us bent. The grand old gardener and his wife (Adam and Eve) Smile at the claims of long descent. Lady Clara Vere de Vere.** Thou, old Adam’s likeness, Set to dress this garden. Shakespeare, '' Richard II.,” iii. 4. Gardening hard). {See Adam’s Profession.) Garder le Mulet (To hold the 'inule). To be kept waiting. Till recently, per- sons went on mules to make calls, and the servant of the house held the mule till the caller had finished his visit. Even in the reign of Louis XIV., coun- sellors of state went to the palace on mules. Gargamelle (3 syl., g hard) was the wife of Grangousier, and daughter of the king of the Parpaillons {butterflies). On the day that she gave birth to Gargantua she ate sixteen quarters, two bushels, three pecks, and a pipkin of dirt, the mere remains left in the tripe which she had for supper; for, as the proverb says — Scrape tripe as clean as e’er you can, A tithe of filth will still remain. Gargamelle. Said to be meant for Anne of Brittany. She was the mother of Gargantua, in the satirical romance of Gargantua and Pan'tagruel',” by Ra- belais. Motteux, who makes ^^Panta- gruel” to be Anthony de Bourbon, and ‘^Gargantua” to be Henri d’Albret, says Gargamelle ” is designed for Catherine de Foix, queen of Navarre. Gargan'tua (g hard) according to Rabelais, was son of Grangousier and Gargamelle. Immediately he was born he cried out Drink, drink ! ” so lustily, that the words were heard in Beauce and Bibarois ; whereupon his royal father exclaimed, ^^Que grand tu as!” which, being the first words he uttered after the birth of the child, were ac- cepted as its name ; so it was called ^^Gah-gran’-tu-as,” corrupted into Gar- g’an-tu-a. It needed 17,913 cows to supply the babe with milk. When he went to Paris to finish his education, ho rode on a mare as big as six elephants, and took the bells of Notre Dame to hang on his mare’s neck as jingles. At the prayer of the Parisians he restored the bells, and they consented to feed his mare for nothing. On his way home, he was fired at from the castle at Vede Ford, and on reaching home combed his hair with a comb 900 feet long, when at every ‘^rake” seven bullet-balls fell from his hair. Being desirous of a salad for dinner, he went to cut some lettuces as big as walnut-trees, and ate up six pilgrims from Sebastian, who had hidden themselves among them out of fear. Picrochole, having committed certain 330 GARGANTUAN. GARLAND* offences, was attacked by Gargantua in the rock Clermond, and utterly de- feated, and Gargantua, in remembrance of this victory, founded and endowed the abbey of Theleme. — Gargantyxi and PaMagruel. Gargantua is said to be a satire on Frangois I., but this cannot be correct, as he was born in the kingdom of the butterflies, was sent to Paris to finish his education, and left it again to suc- cour his own country. Motteux, perceiv- ing these difficulties, thinks it is meant for Henri d’Albret, king of Navarre. Gargantua' s Mare. Those who make Gargantua to be Francois I., make bis great mare” to be Mad. d’Estampes. Motteux, who looks upon the romance as a satire on the Reform party, is at a loss how to apply this word, and merely , says, ‘^It is some lady.” Rabelais says, She was as big as six elephants, and had her feet cloven into fingers. She was of a burnt- sorel hue, with a little mixture of dapple-grey ; but, above all, she had a terrible tafi, for it was every whit as great as the steeple -pillar of St. Mark.” When the beast got to Orleans, and the wasps assaulted her, she switched about her tail so furiously that she knocked down all the trees that grew in the vicinity, and Gargantua, delighted, ex- claimed, ‘^Je trouve beau ce!” where- fore the locality has been called ^^Beauce ” ever since. The satire shows the wilful- ness and extravagance of court mis- tresses. — Rabelais, Gargantua and PaMagruel,^’ bk. i. 16. Gargantua' s Shepherds, according to Motteux, mean Lutheran preachers ; but those who look upon the romance as a political satire, think the crown ministers and advisers are intended. Gargantua' s Thirst. Motteux says the great thirst” of Gargantua, and mighty drought ” at PantagrueFs birth, refer to the withholding the cup from the laity, and the clamour raised by the Reform party for the wine as well as the bread in the eucharist. Gargan'tuan. Enormous, inordinate, great beyond all limits. It needed 900 ells of Ch§,telleraut linen to make the body of his shirt, and 200 more for the gussets ; for his shoes 406 ells of blue and crimson velvet were required, and 1, 100 cow-hides for the soles. He could play 207 different games, picked his teeth with an elephant’s tusk, and did every- thing in the same ^ Marge way.” It sounded like a Gargantuan order for a diam.— The Standard. A Gargantuan course of studies, A course including all languages, as well ancient as modern, all the sciences, all the ologies and onomies, together with calisthenics and athletic sports. Gar- gantua wrote to his son Pantagruel, com- manding him to learn Greek, Latin, Chal- daic, and Arabic ; all history, geometry, arithmetic, and music ; astronomy and natural philosophy, so that ‘Hhere be not a river in the world thou dost not know the name and nature of all its fishes; all the fowls of the air; all the several kinds of shrubs and herbs ; all the metals hid in the bowels of the earth ; with all gems and precious stones. I would furthermore have thee study the Talmudists and Cabalists, and get a perfect knowledge of man. In brief, I would have thee a bottomless pit of all knowledge.” — Rabelais, Pantagruel," bk. ii. 8. Gar'gery {Joe). A kind-hearted, il- literate blacksmith, in Great Expecta- tions,” by Dickens. Mrs. Gargery is a virago of the fiercest type. Gargit'tios. One of the dogs that guarded the herds and flocks of Ger'ydn, and which Hercules killed. The other was the two-headed dog, named Orthos, or Orthros. Gargouille, or Gargoil {g hard). A water-spout in church architecture. Sometimes also spelt Gurgogle. They are usually carved into some fantastic shape, such as a dragon’s head, through which the water flows. Gargouille was the great dragon that lived in the Seine, ravaged Rouen, and was slain by St. Roma'nus, bishop of Rouen, in the seventh century. {See Dragon. ) Garibaldi’s Red Shirt. The red shirt is the habitual upper garment of American sailors. Any Liverpudlian will tell you that some fifteen years ago a British tar might be discerned by his blue shirt, and a Yankee salt” by his red. Garibaldi first adopted the American shirt, when he took the command of the merchantman in Baltimore. Garland {g hard). A head-dress, so called from Domeni'co Ghirlanda, an eminent goldsmith of Florence, the in- GARNISH. GASTROLATORS. 331 ventor of gold and silver ornaments of great elegance in the form of a wreath, which became in the fourteenth century the favourite head-dress of the Floren- tine beauties. His son was an eminent fresco painter. Garland. A collection of ballads in '^True Lovers’ Garland,” &c. Nu'ptial Garlands are as old as the hills. The ancient Jews used them, according to Selden (Uxor Heb. hi. 655), the Greek and Roman brides did the same (Vaughan, Golden Grove”): so did the Anglo-Saxons and Gauls. Thre ornamentys pryncipaly to a wyfe : A rynge on hir fynger, a broch on hit brest, and a garlond on hir hede. The rynge betokenethe true love ; the broch clennesse in herte and chastitye ; the garlond . . . gladness and the dignity of the bacreraent of wedlock.— XeZand, ''Dives ana Pauper." (1493.) G-arnisli {g hard). Entrance-money, to be spent in drink, demanded by jail- birds of new-comers. In prison slang garnish means fetters, and garnish- money is money given for the ‘^honour” of wearing fetters. (French, garnisaire, a bailiff’s man put into a debtor’s house.) Garrat {g hard). The Mayor of Garrat. Garrat is between Wandsworth and Tooting; the first mayor of this village was elected towards the close of the eighteenth century ; and his election came about thus : Garrat Common had been often encroached on, and in 1780 the inhabitants associated themselves together to defend their rights. The chairman of this association was entitled Mayor, and as it happened to be the time of a general election, the society made it a law that a new “mayor” should be chosen at every general elec- tion. The addresses of these mayors, written by Foote, Garrick, Wilks, and others, are satires on the corruption of electors and political squibs. The first Mayor of Garrat was ‘^Sir” John Harper, a retailer of brickdust in Lon- don ; and the last was ^^Sir” Harry Dimsdale, muffin-seller, in 1796. Foote has a farce entitled ^‘The Mayor of Garrat.” Garrot'e (2 syl., g hard) is the Spanish garrote (a stick). The original way of garrotting in Spain was to place the victim on a chair with a cord round fiis neck, then to twist the cord with a stick tiW strangulation ensued. In 1851 General Lopez was garrotted by the Spanish authorities for attempting to gain possession of Cuba; since which time the thieves of London, &c., have adopted the method of strangling their victim by throwing their arms round his throat, while an accomplice rifles his pockets. Garter {g hard). Knights of the Garter. The popular legend is that Joan, countess of Salisbury, accidentally slipped her garter at a court ball. It was picked up by her royal partner, Edward HI., who gallantly diverted the attention of the guests from the lady by binding the blue band round his own knee, saying as he did so, ‘^Honi soit qui mal y pense.” Wearing the garters of a pretty maiden either on the hat or knee was a common custom with our forefathers. Brides usually wore on their legs a host of gay ribbons, to be distributed after the marriage ceremony amongst the bride- groom’s friends ; and the piper at the wedding dance never failed to tie a piece of the bride’s garter round his pipe. If there is any truth in the legend given above, the impression on the guests would be wholly different to what such an accident would produce in our days ; but perhaps the Order of the Garter,” after all, may be about tantamount to The Order of the Ladies’ Champions,” or The Order of the Ladies’ Favourites.” Gar'vies (2 syl., g soft). Sprats. So called from Inch Garvie, an isle in the Frith of Forth, near which they are caught. Gascona'de (3 syl., ^ hard). Talk like that of a Gascon — absurd boasting, vainglorious braggadocio. It is said that a Gascon was asked what he thought of the Louvre in Paris, and replied, Pretty well ; it reminds me op the back part of my father’s stables.” The vainglory of this answer is more palpable when it is borne in mind that the Gascons were proverbially poor. The Dictionary of the French Academy gives us the following specimen: ‘^A Gascon, in proof of his ancient nobility, asserted that they used in his father’s castle no other fuel than the batons of the family marshals.” Gaston {g hard). Lord of Claros, one of Charlemagne’s paladins. GastroPators. People whose god is their heWy.—Rahelais, Pantagruel,*' iv. 58. 332 GATE OE ITALY. GAtJVAiNB. Gate of Italy. That part of the valley of the Adige which is in the vicinity of Trent and Eovere'do. It is a narrow gorge between two mountain ridges. Gate of Tears {Balelmandel). The passage into the Ked Sea. So called by the Arabs from the danger of the naviga- tion and number of shipwrecks that took place there. Like some ill-destined bark that steers In silence thro’ the Gate of Tears. T. Moore, “ Fire Worshipper^.'* Gath, {g hard), in Dryden’s satire of Absolom and Achitophel,” means Brus- sels, where Charles II. long resided while he was in exile. Had thus old David (Charles II.) . , . Not dared, when fortuue called him, to be a king, At Gath an exile he might still remain. Gathers {g hard). Out of gathers. In distress ; in a very impoverished con- dition. The allusion is to a woman’s gown, which certainly looks very seedy when ^^out of gathers” — i.e.y when the cotton that kept the pleats ” together has given way. Gat -tooth (g hard). Goat-tooth. (Saxon, gad.) Goat-toothed is having a liquorice tooth. Chaucer makes the wife of Bath say, “ Gat-toothed I was, and that became me wele.” Gauch (French, the left hand). Awk- ward. the left hand. (^See Adroit.) Gauch'erie (3 syl., ^ hard). Things not commeil faut ; behaviour not accord- ing to the received forms of society ; awkward and untoward ways. {Bee above. ) Gau'difer {g hard). A champion, celebrated in the romance of Alex- ander.” Notunlike the Scotch Bruce. Gaul {g hard). France. Insulting Gaul has roused the world to war. Thomson, '^Autumn.** Shall haughty Gaul invasion threat Burns. Gaunt {g hard). John of Gaunt. The third son of Edward III. ; so called from Ghent, in Flanders, the place of his birth. Gauntgrim {g hard). The wolf. For my part (said he), I don’t wonder at my cousin’s refusing Bruin thSeeGREAL.) Grab. To clutch or seize. I grabbed it; he grabbed him, i.e., the bailiff caught him. (Swedish, grabba, to grasp; Danish, griber ; owe grip, grippe, grope, grap'ple, &c.) Grace. The sister Graces. The Ro- mans said there were three sister Graces, bosom friends of the Muses. They are represented as embracing each other, to show that where one is the other is welcome. Grace’s Card or Grace-card. The six of hearts is so called in Kilkenny. At the Revolution in 1688, one of the family of Grace, of Courtstown, in Ireland, equipped at his own expense a regiment of foot and troop of horse, in the service of king James. William of Orange pro- mised him high honours if he would join the new party, but the indignant baron wrote on a card, ^^Tell your master I despise his offer.” The card was the six of hearts, and hence the name. Grace Cup or Loving Cup. The large tankard passed round the table GBACE DABLING. GBAMMABIANS. 359 after grace. It is still seen at the Lord Mayor’s feasts, at college, and occasion- ally in private banquets. Grace Darling, daughter of William Darling, lighthouse-keeper on Longstone, one of the Fame Islands. On the morn- ing of the 7th Sept., 1838, Grace and her father saved nine of the crew of the Forfarshire steamer, wrecked among the Fame Isles, opposite Bamborough Castle. (1815-1842.) Grace Days or Da ys of Grace. The three days over and above the time stated in a commercial bill. Thus, if a bill is drawn on the 20th June, and is payable in one month, it ought to be due on the 20th of July, but three days of grace are to be added, bringing the date to the 23rd. Gracecliurcli (London) is Gracs- church, or Grass- church, the church built on the site of the old grass-market. Grass at one time included all sorts of herbs. Graceless Florin. The first issue of the English florins, so called because F.D. {fidei defensor) was omitted. ' The omission was not from inadvertency, but because there was not room for the letters in the circumference. Gracio'sa. A princess beloved by Percinet, who thwarts the malicious schemes of Grognon, her step-mother. — A fai'ty tale. Gracio'so. A Spanish droll or licensed fool in pantomime. With his coxcomb cap and truncheon terminated in a fool’s-head, he mingles with ever}^ event, ever and anon directing his gibes to the audience, like the clowns of our own pantomimes. Gradas'so. A bully ; so called from Gradasso, king of Serica'na, called by Ariosto the bravest of the Pagan knights.” He went against Charlemagne with 100,000 vassals in his train, all dis- crowned kings,” who never addressed him but on their knees. — Orlando Furioso” and Orlando Innamorato.” Gradely. Orderly, regularly: as. Behave yourself gradely, A gradely fine day, Grad'grind (^Thomas). A man who measures everything with rule and com- pass, allows nothing for the weakness of human nature, and deals with men and women as a mathematician with his figures. He shows that summum jus is su'prema injur a. — Dickens , Hard Times f The Gradgrinds undervalue and disparage it.— “ (Jhurch Review." Graham. A charlatan who gave indecent and blasphemous addresses in the Great Apollo Boom,” Adelphi. He some times made mesmerism a medium of pandering to the prurient taste of his audience. Grahame’s Dike. The Boman wall between the friths of the Clyde and Forth, so called from the first person who leaped over it after the Bomans left Britain. This wall defended the Britons for a time, but the Scots and Piets assembled themselves in great num- bers, and climbed over it. . .. A man named Grahame is said to have been the first soldier who got over, and the common people still call the remains of the wall “ Grahame’s Dike.”— 6’ir Walter Scott, “ Tales of a Grandfather." Grain. A knave ingrain. A knave, though a rich man, or magnate. Grain means scarlet (Latin, gramtm, the coccus, or scarlet dye). A military vest of purple flowed Livelier than Melibe'an (Thessalian), or the grain Of Sarra [Tyre) worn by kings and heroes old In time of truce. Paradise Lost," xi. Rogue in grain. A punning application of the above phrase to millers. To go against the grain. Against one’s inclination. The allusion is to wood, which cannot be easily planed the wrong way of the grain. Gramercy. Thank you much (the French, grand merci). Thus Shakespeare, ^^Be it so, Titus, and gramercy too.” 0^ Titus Andronicusf i. 2). Again: ^^Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou ad- vise.” Taming of the Shrew fi i. 1.) When Gobbo says to Bassanio, God bless your worship !” he replies, ‘^Gramercy. Wouldst thou aught with me?” — ^‘Mer- chant of Venicef ii. 2. Grammar. Zenod'otos invented the terms singular, plural, and dual. The scholars of Alexandria and of the rival academy of Per'gamos were the first to distinguish language into parts of speech, and to give technical terms to the various functions of words. The first Greek Grammar was by Dionysios Thrax, and it is still extant. He was a pupil of Aristarchos. Julius Caesar was the inventor of the term ablative case. Grammarians. Prince of Gram- marians. Apollo'nios of Alexandria, 360 GRAMMONT. GRANGOUSIER. called by Priscian Grammatico'rmyi 'prin- ceps, (icent. B.c.) Grammont. The count de Gram- mont’s short memory. When the count left England he was followed by the brothers of la belle Hamilton, who, with drawn swords, asked him if he had not forgotten something. True, true,” said the count ; I promised to marry your sister,” and instantly went back to repair the lapse by making the young lady countess of Grammont. Granary of Europe. So Sicily used to be called. Granby. The marquis of Granby. A public-house sign in honour of John Manners, marquis of Granby, a popular English general. (1721-1770.) The Times says the old marquis owes his sign-board notoriety partly to his personal bravery and partly to the bald- ness of his head. He still presides over eighteen public-houses in London alone.” Old Weller, in Pickwick,” married the hostess of the Marquis of Granby” at Dorking. Grand {French). Le Grand Corneille. Corneille, the French dramatist. (1606-1684.) Le Grand Dauph'in. Louis, son of Louis XIV. (1661-1711.) La Grande Mademoiselle. The duchesse de Montpensier, daughter of Gaston, due d'Orleans, and cousin of Louis XIV. Le Grand Monarque. Louis XIV., also called The Baboon.” (1638, 1643- 1715.) Le Grand Pan. Voltaire. (1696-1778.) Monsieur le Grand. The Grand Equerry of France in the reign of Louis XIV., &c. Grand Alliance. Signed May 12, 1689, between England, Germany, and the States General, subsequently also by Spain and Savoy, to prevent the union of France and Spain. Grand Lama. The object of wor- ship in Thibet and Mongolia. The word lama in the Tangutanese dialect means mother of souls.” It is the represen- tative of the Shigemooni, the highest god. Grande Jument. Meant for Diane de Poitiers. — Rabelais^ Gargantua and Pantagruel.^* Grandison {Sir Charles). The union of a Christian and a gentleman. Richard- son’s novel so called. Sir Walter Scott calls Sir Charles ^^the faultless monster that the world ne’er saw.” Robert Nel- son, reputed author of the Whole Duty of Man,” was the prototype. Grandison Cromwell Lafayette. Grandison Cromwell is the witty nick- name given by Mirabeau to Lafayette, meaning thereby that he had all the ambition of a Cromwell in his heart, but wanted to appear before men as a Sir Charles Grandison. Grandmother. My Grandmother's Review, the ^ ^ British Review. ” Lord Byron said, in a sort of jest, ^‘1 bribed My Grandmother's Revieiv. The editor of the British” called him to account, and this gave the poet a fine opportunity of pointing the battery of his satire against the periodical; Grane. To strangle, throttle (Anglo- Saxon, gryn). Grane. Siegfried’s horse, whose swift- ness exceeded that of the winds. Grange. Properly the granum (granery) or farm of a monastery, where the corn was kept in store. In Lincoln- shire and other northern counties any lone farm is so called. These granges” were generally moated. Mariana, of the Moated Grange,” is the title of a poem by Tennyson, sug- gested by the character of Mariana in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.” Grangousier. King of Uto'pia, who married in ^Hhe vigour of his old age” Gargamelle, daughter of the king of the Parpaillons, and became the father of Gargantua, the giant. He is described as a man in his dotage, whose delight was to draw scratches on the hearth with a burnt stick while watching the broiling of his chesnuts. When told of the inva- sion of Picrochole, king of Lern^, he exclaimed, Alas ! alas ! do I dream ? can it be true ?” and began calling on all the saints of the calendar. He then sent to expostulate with Picrochole, and seeing this would not do, tried what bribes by way of reparation would effect. In the meantime he sent to Paris for his son, who soon came to his rescue, utterly defeated Picrochole, and put his army to full rout. Some say he is meant for Louis XII., but this is most improbable, not only because there is very little resem- blance between the'two, but because he was king of Utopia, some considerable distance from Paris. Motteux thinks the GRANITE REDOUBT. GRAY CLOAK. 361 academy figure of this old Priam was John d’Albret, king of Navarre. He certainly was no true Catholic, for he says in chap. 45 they called him a heretic for declaiming against the saints. — Rabe- lais, Gargantua and Pantagruel” Granite Redoubt. The grenadiers of the Consular Guard were so called at the battle of Marengo in 1800, because when the French had given way, they formed into a square, stood like flints against the Austrians, and stopped all further advance. Granite State. New Hampshire is so called because the mountain parts are chiefly granite. Grannus. The Celtic Apollo. Grantorto. A giant who withheld the inheritance of Ire'na {Ireland). He is meant for the genius of the Irish re- bellion of 1580, slain by Sir Art'egal. — Sl^enser, Faery Queen,'' v. Grapes. The grapes are sour. You disparage it because it is beyond your reach. The allusion is to the well-known fable of the fox, which tried in vain to get at some grapes, but when he found they were beyond his reach, went away saying, I see they are sour.” Grass. Gone to grass. Dead. The allusion is to the grass which grows over the dead. Also, Gone to rusticate,” the allusion being to a horse which is sent to grass when unfit for work. Grass-hopper, as the sign of a grocer, is the crest of Sir Thomas Gresham, the merchant grocer. The Royal Gresham Exchange used to be profusely decorated with grass-hoppers, and the brass one on the eastern part of the present edifice is the one which escaped the fires of 1666 and 1838. Grass-market. At one time the place of execution in Edinburgh. “ I like nane o’ your sermons that end in a psalm at the Grass-market .”— Walter Scott, ** Old Mor- tality,” chap. XXXV. Grassum. A fine in money paid by a lessee for the renewal of his lease. (Anglo-Saxon, gcersum, a treasure.) Grass-widow was anciently an un- married woman who has had a child, but now the word is used fora wife temporarily parted from her husband. The word means a grace widow, a widow by cour- tesy (French, grace; Italian, grasa ; &c.) A slightly different idea has been re- cently attached to the term. During the gold mania in California a man would not unfrequently put his wife and children to board with some family while he went to the diggings. This he called putting his wife to grass,” as we put a horse to grass when not wanted or unfit for work. Gratia'no. Brother of the Vene- tian senator, Brabantio. — Shakespeare, Othello.'* Also a character in The Merchant of Venice,” who talks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice.” He marries Nerissa, Portia’s maid. Grave. To carry away the meal from the grave. The Greeks and Persians used to make feasts at certain seasons (when the dead were supposed to return to their graves), and leave the fragments of their banquets on the tombs (Elee- mos'ynam sepul'cri pat'ris). With one foot in the grave. At the very verge of death. The expression was used by Julian, who said he would ‘'learn something even if he had one foot in the grave.” The parallel Greek phrase is “With one foot in the ferry-boat,” mean- ing Charon’s. Grave-diggers (“Hamlet”). “If the water come to the man . . .” The legal case referred to by Shakespeare occurred in the fifth year of queen Eliza- beth’s reign, called Hales V. Petit, stated at length in “Fotes and Queries f vol. viii. p. 123 (first series). Grave Maurice. A public-house sign. The head of the Graaf Maurice, prince of Orange, and captain -general of the United Provinces. (1567-'1625.) — Rotten, “ Book of Signs." Grave Searchers. Monkir and Nakir, so called by the Mahometans. — Ockley, vol. ii. (/See Monkir.) Gravel. Pm regularly gravelled. In a quandary, in a muddle, confused with too many things at once. (Latin, dus, laden, burthened.) When you were gravelled for lack of matter.— Shakespeare, “ As You Like It.” Gray. The authoress of Auld Robin Gray was lady Anne Lindsay, afterwards lady Barnard. (1750-1825.) Gray Cloak. An alderman above the chair, so called because his proper 862 GRAYHAM’S. GREAT. costume is a cloak furred witk gray amis. — Hutton f Neio View of London,'^ intr. xxxii. Grayham’s. {See Geahame’s Dike. ) Gray Man’s Path. A singular fissure in the greenstone precipice near Ballycastle, in Ireland. Gray’s Inn (London) was the inn or mansion of the lords Gray. Graysteel. The sword of Kol, fatal to the owner. It passed to several hands, but always brought ill-luck. — Icelandic Edda, Gold OF Nibelungen.) Greal (Grail). The St. Greal was the vessel from which our Saviour is said to have taken his last supper, and which was subsequently filled with the blood that flowed from the wounds inflicted on Calvary. It was. fabled to have been preserved by Joseph of Arimathe'a. The quest of this is the most fertile source of adventures to the Knights of the Round Table, and Merlin, when he made the table, left a place for the Greal. The word is immediately from the old French grasal (the sacramental cup), a corruption of Sanguis-Realis, which was contracted to San-grasal, Sangraal, and corrupted into St. Greal. Menage, how- ever, says, Grail, un vaisseau de terre, une terrine ; ce mot vient de grais, parce- que ces vaisseaux sent faits de grais cuit.” Greasy Sunday. One of the chief days of the Carnival. Great {The). (1) Abbas I., schah of Persia. (1557, 1685-1628.) (2) Albertus (Magnus), the school- man. (1193-1280.) (3) Alfonso III., king of Asturias and Leon. (848, 866-912.) (4) Alfred of England. (849, 871-901.) (5) Alexander of Macedon. (b.c. 356, 340-323.) (6) St. Basil, bishop of Csesare'a. (329- 379.) (7) Canute, of England and Denmark. (995, 1014-1036.) (8) Casimir III., of Poland. (1309, 1333-1370.) (9) Charles I., emperor of Germany, called Charlemagne. (742, 764-814.) (10) Charles III. (or II.), duke of Lor- raine. (1543-1608.1 (11) Charles Emmanuel I., duke of Savoy. (1562-1630.) (12) Lewis I., of Hungary. (1326, 1342- 1381.) (13) Louis II., prince of Conde, due d’Enghien. (1621-1686.) (14) Constantine I., emperor of Rome. (272, 306-337.) (15) Francis Couperin, the French musical composer. (1668-1733.) (16) Archibald Douglas, great earl of Angus, also called Bell-the-Cat. a.v. (Died 1514.) (17) Ferdinand I., of Castile and Leon. (*, 1034-1065.) (18) Frederick William, elector of Brandenburg, surnamed The Great Elec^ tor. (1620,1640-1688.) (19) Frederick II., of Prussia. (1712, 1740-1786.) (20) Gregory I., pope. (544, 590-604.) (21) Henri IV., of France. (1553, 1589- 1610.) (22) Herod Agrippa I., tetrarch of Abile'ne, who beheaded James (Acts xii.). (Died A.D. 44.) (23) Hiao-wen-tee, the sovereign of the Hdn dynasty of China. He forbad the use of gold and silver vessels in the palace, and appropriated the money which they fetched to the aged poor. (B.c. 206, 179- 157.) (24) John II., of Portugal. (1455, 1481- 1495.) (25) Justinian I. (483, 527-565.) (26) Mahomet II., sultan of the Turks. (1430, 1451-1481.) (27) Maximilian, duke of Bavaria, vic- tor of Prague. (1573-1651.) (28) Cosmo di’ Medici, first grand duke of Tuscany. (1519, 1537-1574.) (29) Gonzales Pedro de Mendoza, great cardinal of Spain, statesman and scholar. (1503-1575.) (30) Nicholas I., pope. (% 858-867.) (31) Otho I., emperor of Germany. (912, 936-973.) (32) Pierre HI., of Aragon. (1239, 1276-1285.) (33) James Sforza, the Italian general. (1369-1424.) (34) Sapor or Shah-pour, the ninth king of the Sassan'ides, q.v. (240, 307-379.) (35) Sigismund, king of Poland. (1466, 1506-1548.) (36) Theo'doric, king of the Ostrogoths. (454, 475-526.) (37) Theodo'sius I., emperor. (346,378r 395.) GREAT BULLET-HEAD. GREEK. (38) Matteo Visconti, lord of Milan. (1250, 1295-1322.) (39) Vladimir, grand duke of Russia. (*, 973-1014.) (40) Waldemar I., of Denmark. (1131, 1157-1181.) Great Bullet-head. George Cadou- dal, leader of the Chouans, born at Brech, in Mor'bihan. (1769-1804.) Great Captain. {See Captain.) Great Cham of Literature. So Smollett calls Dr. Johnson. (1709-1784.) Great Cry and Little Wool. Much ado about nothing. {See Or?.) Great Dauphin. (/S^ee Grand.) Great Elector. Frederick William, elector of Brandenburg. (1620, 1640-1688.) Great Go. A cant term for a uni- versity examination for degrees ; the previous examination ” being the ^'Little Go.” Great Harry (The'). A man-of-war built by Henry VII. , the first of any size constructed in England. It was burnt in 1553. (See Henry Grace de Died.) Great Head. Malcolm III. , of Scot- land ; also called Canmore., which means the same thing. (*, 1057-1093.) Malcolm III., called Canmore orGieafc Head.— Sir W. Scottt “ Tales of a Grandfather ” i. 4. Great-heart (Mr.). The guide of Christiana and her family to the Celestial City. — Bimyariy Pilgrim' s Progress." Great Mogul. The title of the chief of the Mogul empire, which came to an end in 1806. Great Mother. The earth. When Junius Brutus and the sons of Tarquin asked the Delphic Oracle who was to succeed Superbus on the throne of Rome, they received for answer, He who shall first kiss his mother.” While the two princes hastened home to fulfil what they thought was meant, Brutus tell to the earth, amd exclaimed, “ Thus kiss I thee, 0 earth, the great mother of us all.” Great Unknown. Sir Walter Scott, who published the W averley Novels. oxiony- mously. (1771-1832.) Great Unwashed. The artisan class. A term first used by Sir Walter Scott. Great Wits Jump. Think alike, tally. Thus Shakespeare says, It jumps with my humour.” — Henry IV." i. 2. Greaves ( Sir Launcelot ) . A sort of Don Quixote, who, in the reign of George II., wandered over England to redress wrongs, discourage moral evils not re- cognisable by law, degrade immodesty, punish ingratitude, and reform society. His Sancho Panza was an old sea captain. — Smollett^ Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves." Grebenski Cossacks. So called from the Roman word grehen (a comb). This title was conferred upon them by czar Ivan I., because, in his campaign against the Tartars of the Caucasus, they scaled a mountain fortified with sharp spurs, sloping down from its summit, and projecting horizontally, like a comb. — Duncan f Russia." Grecian Coffee-house, in Deve- reux-court, the oldest in London, was originally opened by Pasqua, a (Jreek slave, brought to England in 1652 by Daniel Edwards, a Turkey merchant. This Greek was the first to teach the method of roasting coffee, to introduce the drink into the island, and to call himself a coffee-man.” Grecian Stairs. A corruption of greesing stairs. Greesings (steps) still survives in the architectural word greeSy and in the compound word de-grees. There is still on the hill at Lincoln a flight of stone steps called Grecian stairs." (Justice). In ‘^A New Way to Pay Old Debts,” by Massinger. Greegrees. Charms. — African supers stition. A gree-gree man. One who sells charms. Greek (The). Manuel Alva'rez (el Griegojy the Spanish sculptor. (1727- 1797.) Last of the Greeks. Philopce'men, of Megalop'olis, whose great object was to infuse into the Achseans a military spirit, and establish their independence. (b.C. 252-183.) Un Grec (French). A cheat. Towards the close of the reign of Louis XIV., a knight of Greek origin, named Apoulos, was caught in the very act of cheating at play, even in the palace of the grand monarque. He was sent to the galleys, 1 and the opprobrious nation which gave 364 GREEK CALENDS. GREEN BAG. him birth became from that time a by- word for swindler and blackleg. To play the Greek (Latin, grcecari). To indulge in one’s cups. The Greeks have always been considered a luxurious race, fond of creature comforts. Thus Cicero, in his oration against Verres,” says : ‘^Discum'bitur ; fit sermo inter eos et invita'tio, ut Graeco more bibere'tur : hospes horta'tur, posount majo'ribus poc'ulis; celebra'tur omnium sermo'ne laetitiaq : conviv'ium.” The law in Greek banquets was E piilii e apithi (Quaff, or be off!) (Cut in, or cut off!). In Troilus and Cressida,” Shakespeare makes Pan'darus, bantering Helen for her love to Tro'ilus, say, I think Helen loves him better than Paris ; ” to which Cressida, whose wit is to parry and per- vert, replies, Then she’s a merry Greek indeed,” insinuating that she was a Greek, not by birth alone, but by her habits also. When Greek joins Greek then is the tug of war. When two men or armies of undoubted courage fight the contest will be very severe. The line is a verse from the drama of ^‘Alexander the Great,” slightly altered, and the reference is to the obstinate resistance of the Greek cities to Philip and Alexander, the Mace- donian kings. When Greeks joined Greeks then was the tug of 'Wwc.—Nathanid Lee. Greek Calends. Never. To defer anything to the Greek Calends is to defer it sine die. There were no calends in the Greek months. The Romans used to pay rents, taxes, bills, &c., on the calends, and to defer paying them to the ‘'Greek Calends ” was virtually to repudiate them. {See St. Tib’s Eve, Lammas, Two Sundays.) Will you speak of your paltry prose doings in my resence, whose great historical poem, in twenty ooks, with notes m proportion, has been postponed “ ad Graecas Kalendas ? ”—Sir W. Scott, “ The Be- trothed" (Introduction). Greek Chiircli, includes the church within the Ottoman empire subject to the patriarch of Constantinople, the church in the kingdom of Greece, and the Russo- Greek Church. It formally separated from the Roman Church in 1054. They dissent from the doctrine that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son {Tilioque)f reject the papal claim to supremacy, and administer the eucha- rist in both kinds to the laity ; but agree with the Romanists in their belief of seven sacraments, transubstantiation, the ado- ration of the host, confession, absolution, penance, prayers for the dead, &c. Greek Commentator. Fernan Nunen de Guzman, the great promoter of Greek literature in Spain. (1470-1553.) Greek Cross. Same shape as St. George’s cross +. Greek Fire. A composition of nitre, sulphur, and naphtha. Tow steeped in the mixture was hurled in a blazing state through tubes, cr tied to arrows. The invention is ascribed to Callini'cos, of Heliop'olis, a.d. 668. A very similar projectile was used by the Federals in the great American con- test, especially at the siege of Charleston. Greek Life. A sound mind in a sound body. This healthy life, which was the Greek life, came from keeping the body in good txme.— Daily Telegraph. Greek Trust. No trust at all- Plautus uses the phrase Grcecd fideraerca!ri (to buy for ready money), and Grcecafidls was with the Romans no faith at all. Green. Young, fresh ; as green cheese, i.e., cream cheese, which is eaten fresh ; green goose, a young or Midsummer goose; di, green-horn {q.v.) Green. The imperial green of France is the old Merovin'gian colour restored, and the golden bees are the ornaments found on the tomb of Childeric, the father of Clovis, in 1653. Green is held unlucky to particular clans and counties of Scotland. The Caith- ness men look on it as fatal, because their bands were clad in green at the battle of Flodden. It is disliked by all who bear the name of Ogilvy, and is especially unlucky to the Grahame clan. One day an aged man of that name was thrown from his horse in a fox chase, and he accounted for the accident from his having a green lash to his riding- whip. The Greens of Constantinople were a political party opposed to the Blues in the reign of Justinian. Green Backs. The bank notes issued by the United States during the civil war (1861-5). So called from the colour of the chief of them. Green Bag. What’s in the green lag i What charge is about to be pre- GREEN BAG INQUIRY, GREGARINES. 365 f erred against me? The allusion is to the Green Bag Inquiry ” {q.'o.'). Green Bag Inquiry. Certain papers of a seditious character packed in a green bag during the Regency. The contents were laid before Parliament, and the committee advised the suspen- sion of the Habeas Corpus Act. (1817.) Green Bird ( The ) told everything a person wished to know, and talked like an oracle. — Fair jstar and Prince Cheryl' hy Countess D'Aulnoy, Green Cloth. The Board of Green Cloth. A board connected with the royal household, having power to cor- rect offenders within the verge of the palace and two hundred yards beyond the gates. A warrant from the board must be obtained before a servant of the palace can be arrested for debt. So called because they sit with the steward of the household at a board covered with a green cloth in the count- ing-house, as recorders and witnesses to the truth.” It existed in the reign of Henry I., and probably at a still earlier period. Green-eyed Jealousy or Green- eyed Monster. Expressions used by Shake- speare {‘^ Merchant of Venice,” hi. 2 ; “ Othello,” hi. 3). As cats, lions, tigers, and all the green-eyed tribe mock the meat they feed on,” so jealousy mocks its victim by loving and hating it at the same time. Greengage. Introduced into Eng- land by lord Gage from the Chartreuse Monastery, near Paris. Called by the French Reine Claude,” out of compli- ment to the daughter of Anne de Bre- tagne and Louis XII., generally called la bonne reine. (1499-1524:.) Green-Horn means an ox with the horns just making their appearance ; metaphorically, a lad no more accus- tomed to the ways of the world than a young steer to the plough. {See Green.) The Greenhorn. Louis II., emperor of Germany, Le Jeune. (822, 855-875.) Louis yiL, of France, Le Jeune. (1120, 1137-1180.) Green Horse ( The ) . The 5th Dra- goon Guards, so called because they are a horse regiment, and have green for their regimental facings. Green Howards (The). The 19th Foot, named from the lion. Chas, Howard, colonel from 1738 to 1748. Green Isle or The Emerald Isle. Ireland, so called from the brilliant green hue of its grass. Green Knight (The). A Pagan, who demanded Fezon in marriage, but being overcome by Orson, was obliged to resign his claim. — Valentine andOrson.'^ Greenlander. A greenhorn, one from the verdant country called the land of green ones. Green Linnets. The 39th Foot, so called from the colour of their facings. Green Man. This public-house sign represents the gamekeeper or squire’s chief man, who used at one time to be dressed in green. But the “ Green Man ” shall I pass by unsung. Which mine own James upon his sign-post hung ? His sign, his image,— for he once was seen A squire’s attendant, clad in keeper’s green. Crabbey ''Borough.'^ Green Man and Still. This public- house sign refers to the distillation of spirits from green herbs, such as pepper- mint cordial, and so on. The green man is a herbalist, or green grocer of herbs, and the still is the apparatus for distilla- tion. Ritson, in his ^^Life of Robin Hood,” says the green man should be represented with a bundle of peppermint and pennyroyal under his arm.” Green Sea. The Persian Gulf, so called from a remarkable strip of water of a green colour along the Arabian coast. Greenwich is the Saxon Grene-wic (green village), formerly called Grenawic, and in old Latin authors Grenoviam viridis.'’ Some think it is a compound of grian-wic (the sun city), as Greenock in Scotland is the Gaelic grian aig (the sun bay) ; and Granard, in Longford, is grian-ard (the sunny height or hill). His tibi Grynsei nem'oris dica'tur ori'go. Greenwich Barbers. Retailers of sand, so called because the inhabitants of Greenwich shave the pits ” in the neighbourhood to supply London with sand. Greg'arines (3 syl.). In 1867 the women of Europe and America, from the thrones to the maid servants, adopted the fashion of wearing a pad made of 866 GREGORIAN CALENDAR. GREVE. false liair behind their head, utterly destroying its natural proportions. The microscope showed that the hair employed for these ^^uglies” abounded in a pedic'- ulous insect called a greg'arine (or little herding animal), from the Latin grex (a herd). The nests on the filaments of hair resemble those of spiders and silkworms, and the ‘^object’' forms one of the ex- hibits in microscopical soiries. Grego'rian Calendar. One which shows the new and full moon, with the time of Easter and the movable feasts depending thereon. The reformed calen- dar of the Church of Rome, introduced by pope Gregory XIII. in 1582, corrected the error of the civil year, according to the Julian calendar. Qrego'rian Chant. So called be- cause it was introduced into the church service by Gregory the Great. (600.) Grego'rian Epoch. The epoch or day on which the Gregorian calendar commenced — March, 1582. Grego'rian Telescope. The first form of the reflecting telescope, invented by James Gregory, professor of mathe- matics in the university of St. Andrews. (1663.) Grego'rian Tree. The gallows, so named from three successive hangmen — Gregory, sen. , Gregory, jun . , and Gregory Brandon. To the last Sir William Segar, garter knight of arms, granted a coat of arms. {See Hangmen.) This trembles under the black rod. and he Doth fear his fate from the Gregoi'ian tree. Mercutius Pragmaticus. 1941. Grego'rian Water or Gringorian Water. Holy water, so called beciiuse Gregory I. was a most strenuous recom- mender of it. In case they should happen to encounter with devils, by virtue of the Gringorieue water they might make them disappear. —iJa&eiais, “ Gargantua” book i. 43. Grego'rian Year. The civil year, according to the correction introduced by pope Gregory XIII. in 1582.^ The equinox which occurred on the 25th of March, in the time of Julius Caesar, fell on the 11th of March in the year 1582. This was because the Julian calculation of 3651 days to a year was 11 min. 10 sec. too much. Gregory suppressed ten days, so as to make the equinox fall on the 21st of March, as it did at the council of Nice, and, by some simple arrangements, pre- vented the recurrence in future of a similar error. Greg'ories (3 syh). Hangmen. {See Gregorian Tree.) Gregory (St). The last pope who has been canonised. U sually represented with the tiara, pastoral staff, his book of homilies, and a dove. The last is his peculiar attribute. Grenadier' (3 syl.). Originally a soldier employed to throw the hand- grenade. Grenadier Guards. The first regiment of Foot Guards. Grendel. A superhuman monster slain by Beowulf, in the Anglo-Saxon romance of that title.— Turner's dbridgemeiit. Gresham College (London). Founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1575. Greta Hall. The poet of Greta Hall. Southey, who lived at Greta Hall, in the Vale of Keswick. (1771-1843. ) Gretehen. A pet German diminu- tive of Margaret. Greth'el ( Gammer ) . The hypo- thetical narrator of the ‘^Nursery Tales,’* edited by the Brothers Grimm. Gretna Green Marriages. Run- away matches. In Scotland all that is required of contracting parties is a mutual declaration before witnesses of their wil- lingness to marry, so that elopers reach- ing the parish of Graitney, or village of Springfield, could getlegally married with- out licence, banns, or priest. The decla- ration was generally mad e to a blacksmith . Crabbe has a metrical tale called ‘ ^Gretna^ Green,” in which young Belwood elopes with Clara, the daughter of Dr. Sidmere, and gets married; but Belwood was a screw,” and Clara a silly, extravagant hussy, so they soon hated each other and parted . — Tales of the Hallf book xv. Greve (1 syl.). Place de Greve. The Tyburn of ancient Paris. The present H6tel de Ville occupies part of the site. The word greve means the strand of a river or shore of the sea, and is so called GEEWNDS. GEIMES. 367 from gravier (gravel or sand). The Place de Greve was on the bank of the Seine. Who has e’er been to Paris must needs know the Greve, The fatal retreat of th’ unfortunate brave, Where honour and justice most oddly contribute To ease Hero’s pains by a halter or gibbet. Prior, “ The Thief anti the CordelierP Grewnds. The servants of the Eounfis or Breton ogres. Grey from Grief. Ludovico Sforza became grey in a single night. Charles I. grew grey while he was on his trial. Marie Antoinette grew grey from grief during her imprisonment. Greys. The Scotch Greys. The 2nd (Eoyal North British) Dragoons, so called because they are mounted on grey horses. Grey Friars. Franciscan friars, so called from their grey habit. Greyhound. A public-house sign, in honour of Henry VII., whose badge it was. Grey Mare. The Grey Mare is the better horse. The woman is paramount. It is said that a man wished to buy a horse, but his wife took a fancy to a grey mare, and so pertinaciously insisted that the grey mare was the better horse that the man was obliged to yield the point. The French say, when the woman is paramount, Gest le mariage d'epervier (’Tis a hawk’s marriage), because the female hawk is both larger and stronger than the male bird. As long as we have eyes, or hands, or breath, W e’ll look, or write, or talk you all to dea h. Yield, or she-Pegasiis will giin her course, And the grey mare will prove the better horse. Prior, *• Epilogue to Mis- Manley's * Lucius.^'* Grey Mare’s Tail. A cataract made by the Lock-skene, in Scotland, so called from its appearance. Grey Wethers. Huge holders, either embedded or not, very common in the Valley of Stones ” near Avebury, Wilts. When split or broken up they are called sarsens or sarsdens (German, sarge steins, coffin stones). Gridiron. Emblematic of St. Law- rence, because in his martyrdom he was broiled to death on a gridiron. In allu- sion thereto the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, near Guildhall, has a gilt gridiron for a vane. The gridiron is also an at- tribute of St. Faith, who was martyred like St. Lawrence ; and St. Vincent, who was partially roasted on a gridiron covered with spikes. {See Escurial.) Griffon Horse (The), belonged to Atlantes, the magician, but was made use of by Eoge'ro, Astolpho, and others. It flew through the air at the bidding oi the rider, and landed him where he listed. — Ariosto, Orlando Furioso)* Griffin. A cadet newly arrived in India, an inexperienced youngster, a half-and-half (half English, half Indian). The head and legs may be English, but his body being in India, must be Indian. Griffon, Griffen, or Griffin. Off- spring of the lion and eagle. Its legs and all from the shoulder to the head is like an eagle, the rest of the body is that of a lion. This creature was sacred to the sun, and kept guard over hidden treasures. Sir Thomas Browne says it is emblematical of watchfulness, courage, perseverance, and rapidity of execution. — Vulgar Errors, ill. 2. (*SeeARiMASPiANS.) Grig. Merry as a Grig. A grig is a small eel. There was also a class of vaga- bond dancers and tumblers who visited ale-houses, so called. Hence Levi Solo- mon, Cockleput, who lived in Sweet Apple Court, being asked in his examina- tion how he obtained his living, replied that he went a-grigging.” Many think the expression should be merry as a Greek, and have Shakespeare to back them: Then she’s a merry Greek and again, ‘^Cressid ’mongst the merry Greeks” (ft Troilus and Cressida,” i. 2 ; iv. 4). Patrick Gordon also says, ^^No people in the world are so jovial and merry, so given to singing and dancing, as the Greeks.” Grim (Giant ), in Bunyan’s '^Pilgrim’s Progress,” pt. ii. He tried to stop the pilgrims on their way to the Celestial City, but was slain by Mr. Greatheart. Grima'ce (2 syl.). Cotgrave says this word is from Grima'cier, a celebrated carver of fantastic heads in Gothic archi- tecture; but probably the Saxon grim, Welsh gremiaw, Dutch grinwiig, may be considered the basis of the word. Grimes ( Peter). The son of a steady fisherman, was a drunkard and a thief. He had a boy whom he killed by ill- usage. Two others he made away with. 368 GRIMMALKIN. GRIST. but was not convicted for want of evi- dence. As no one would live with him, he dwelt alone, turned mad, and was lodged in the parish poor-house, confessed his crime in his delirium, and died. — Crahhe, Borough,^ let. xxii. Grimmal'kin or GrayinalJcin. French, gris malkin. Shakespeare makes his Witch in '^Macbeth” say, come, Graymalkin,” Malkin being the name of a foul fiend. The cat, supposed to be a witch and the companion of witches, is called by the same name. Grimm’s Law. A law discovered by Jakob L. Grimm, the German philolo- gist, to show how the mute consonants interchange as corresponding words oc- cur in different branches of the A'ryan family of languages. Thus, what is 'p in Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit, becomes / in Gothic, and 6 or /in the old High Ger- man ; what is t in Greek, Latin, or San- skrit, becomes th in Gothic, and d in old High German ; &c. Grimsby (Lincolnshire). Grim was a fisherman who rescued from a boat adrift an infant named Habloc, whom he adopted and brought up. This infant turned out to be the son of the king of Denmark, and when the boy was restored to his royal sire. Grim was laden with gifts. He now returned to Lincolnshire and built the town which he called after his own name. The ancient seal of the town contains the names of Gryme and Habloc. This is the foundation of the mediseval tales about ‘‘ Havelock the Dane.” Grim’s Dyke or DeviVs Dyke. (Anglo-Saxon, grima, a goblin or demon.) Grind. To work up for an examina- tion ; to grind up the subjects set, and to grind into tbe memory the necessary cram. The allusion is to a mill, and the analogy evident. To take a grind is to take a constitu- tional walk ; to cram into the smallest space the greatest amount of physical exercise. This is the physical grind. The literary grind is a turn »t hard study. To take a grinder is to insult another by applying the left thumb to the nose, and revolving the right hand round it, as if working a hand- organ or coffee- mill. This insulting retort is given when some one has tried to practise on your credulity, or to impose upon your good faith. Grinders. The double teeth which grind the food put into the mouth. The preacher speaks of old age as the time when ‘‘ the grinders cease because they are few ” (Ecc. xii. 3). {See Almond- tree.) Grise. A step. (Latin, gradi^s). Which as a grise or step may help these lovers Into your favour. Shakespeare. “ Othello” i. 8. Grisilda or Griselda. The model of enduring patience and conjugal obe- dience. She was the daughter of Janic'- ola, a poor charcoal-burner, but became the wife of Walter, marquis of Saluzzo. The marquis put her humility and obe- dience to three severe trials, but she submitted to them all without a murmur : (1) Her infant daughter was taken from her, and secretly conveyed to the queen of Pavi'a to bring up, while Grisilda was made to believe that it had been mur- dered. (2) Four years later she had a son, who was also taken from her, and sent to be brought up with her sister. When the little girl was twelve years old, the marquis told Grisilda he intended to divorce her and marry another, so she was stripped of all her fine clothes and sent back to her father’s cottage. On the wedding day” the much-abused Grisilda was sent for to receive her rival ” and prepare her for the ceremony. When her lord saw in her no spark of jealousy, he told her the bride ” was her own daughter. The moral of the tale is this : If Grisilda submitted with- out a murmur to these trials of her hus- band, how much more ought we to sub- mit without repining to the trials sent us by God. This tale is the last of Boccaccio’s ‘^De- cam'eron it was rendered by Petrarch into a Latin romance, entitled ‘‘De Obedientia et Fide Uxo'ria Mytholo'gia,” and forms The Clerkes Tale ” in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.” Grist. A ll grist that comes to my mill. All is appropriated that comes to me ; all is made use of that comes in my way. Grist is all that quantity of corn which is to be ground or crushed at one time. The phrase means, all that is brought, good, bad, and indifferent corn, with all GEIZEL. GEOTTO. 369 refuse and waste, is put into the mill and ground together. {See Emolument.) Griz'el or Grissel. Octavia, wife of Marc Antony and sister of Augustus Caesar, is called the “ patient Grizel ” of Eoman story. {See Grisilda.) For patience she will prove a second Grissel. Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew,'' ii. 1. Groat. From John o’ GroaH 8 house to the Land's End, From Dan to Beer- sheba, from one end of Great Britain to the other. John o’ Groat was a Dutch- man, who settled in the most northerly point of Scotland, in the reign of James IV., and immortalised himself by the way he settled a dispute among his nine sons respecting precedency. He had nine doors to his cottage, one for each son, so that none could go out or come in before another. Blood without groats is nothing (North of England), meaning family without fortune is worthless.” The allusion is to black- pudding, which consists chiefly of blood and groats formed into a sausage. Not worth a groat. Of no value. A groat is a silver four-pence. The Dutch had a coin called a grote, a contraction of grote-schware (great schware), so called because it was equal in value to five little schware. So the coin of Edward III. was the groat or great silver penny, equal to four penny-pieces. The modern groat was first issued in 1835. GrCBmes {The). A class of free- booters, who inhabited the debateable land, and were transported to Ireland at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Grog. Eum and water cold without. Admiral Vernon was called Old Grog by his sailors, because he was accustomed to walk the deck in rough weather in a grogram cloak. As he was the first to serve water in the rum on board ship, the mixture went by the name of grog. Six-water grog]^ one part rum to six parts of sea- water. Grog, in common parlance, is any mixture of spirits and water, either hot or cold. Gro'gram. A coarse kind of taffety, stiffened with gum. A corruption of the French gros-grain. Groined Ceiling. One in which the arches are divided or intersected. (Swedish, grena^ to divide.) Gromet, Grumet, or Grummet. A younker on board ship. In Smith’s Sea Grammar we are told that ^‘younkers are the young men whose duty it is to take in the top-sails, or top and yard, for furling the sails, or slinging the yards. . . .” ^‘Sailers,’' he says, ‘^are the elder men.” Gromet is the Flemish grom (a boy) with the diminutive. It appears in hride-groom, &c. Grongar Hill, in South Wales, rendered famous by Dyer’s poem so called. Groom of tlie Stole {Grom of the Stole). Keeper of the stole or state- robe. The original duty of this officer was to invest the king in his state-robe, but he had also to hand him his shirt when he dressed. The office when a queen reigns is termed Mistress of the Rohes, though queen Anne had her Groom of the Stole.” (Greek, stole, a garment.) {See Bridegroom.) Gross. (/Sfee Advowson.) Grosted or Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, in the reign of Henry III,, the author of some 200 works. He was accused of dealings in the black arts, and the pope ordered a letter to be written to the king of England, enjoining him to disinter the bones of the too-wise bishop and burn them to powder. (Died 1253.) None a deeper knowledge boasted, Since Hodge, Bacon, and Bob Orosted. Butler, “ Huditn'as,” ii. 3 Grotes'que (2 syl.) means in Grotto style.” Classical ornaments so called were found in the thirteenth century in grottoes, that is, excavations made in the baths of Titus and in other Eoman buildings. These ornaments abound in fanciful combinations, and hence any- thing outre is termed grotesque. Grotta del Cane (Naples). The Dog's Gave, so called from the practice of sending dogs into it to show visitors how the carbonic acid gas of the cave kills them. Grotto. Pray Remember the Grotto. July 25 new style, and August 5 old style, is the day dedicated to St. James the Greater, and the correct thing to do in days of yore was to stick a shell in your hat or cloak, and pay a visit on that day to the shrine of St. James of Compostella. Shell grottoes with an image of the saint were erected for the behoof of those who T 370 GROUNDLING. GUARINOS. could not afford such pilgrimage, and the keeper reminded the passer-by to remem- ber it was St. James’s day, and not to forget their offering to the saint. Groundling. One who stood in the pit, which was the ground in ancient theatres. To split the ears of the groundlings. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet” iii. 2. Grove. The grove for which the Jewish women wove hangings, and which the Jews were commanded to cut down and burn, was the wooden Ash'era, a sort of idol, symbolising the generative power of Nature, and placed on the stone altar of Baal. It was called P hallos by the Greeks. The Hindus have two emblems, Linga and Yoni, the former symbolising generative power, and the latter produc- tive power. Grub Street. Since 1880 called Milton Street, near Moorfields, London, <®nce famous for literary hacks and inferior literary productions. The word is the Gothic gralan (to dig), whence grab (a grave), and gy'oep (a ditch).— See Dunciad,” i. 38, &c. Gruel. To give him his gruel. To kill him. The allusion is to the^very common practice in France, in the six- teenth century, of givingpoisoned possets, an art brought to perfection by Catherine de Medicis and her Italian advisers. Grumbo. A giant in the tale of Tom Thumb. A raven picked up Tom, think- ing him to be a grain of corn, and dropped him on the flat roof of the giant’s castle. Old Grumbo came to walk on the roof terrace, and Tom crept up his sleeve. The giant, annoyed, shook his sleeve, and Tom fell into the sea, where a fish swal- lowed him, and the fish being caught and sold for Arthur’s table, was the means of introducing Tom to the British king, by whom he was 'kmghiQdi.— Nursery Tale, Tom Thumb P Grundy. What will Mrs. Grundy say 1 What will our rivals or neighbours say ? The phrase is from Tom Morton’s Speed the Plough.” In the first scene Mrs. Ashfield shows herself very jealous of neighbour Grundy, and farmer Ashfield says to her, ‘^Be quiet, woolye? Ale- ways ding, dinging Dame Grundy into my ears. What will Mrs. Grundy zay? What will Mrs. Grundy think 1 . P Grunth. The sacred book of the Sikhs. Gryll. Let Gryll he Gryll, and keep his hoggish mind. Don’t attempt to wash a blackamoor white ; the leopard will never change his spots. Gryll is from the Greek gru (the grunting of a hog). When Sir Guyon disenchanted the forms in the Bower of Bliss some were exceed- ingly angry, and one in particular, named Grjll, who had been metamorphosed by Acra'sia into a hog, abused him most roundly. ^^Come,” says the palmer to Sir Guyon, Let Gryll be Gryll, and keep his hoggish mind, But let us hence depart while weather serves and wind. Spenser, “ Faery Queen,” book ii. Gryphon (in Orlando Furioso”), son of Olive'ro and Sigismunda, brother of Aquilant, in love with Origilla, who plays him false. He was called White from his armour, and his brother Black. He overthrew the eight champions of Damascus in the tournament given to celebrate the king’s wedding-day. While asleep Marta'no steals his armour, and goes to the king Norandi'no to receive t^he meed of high deeds. In the mean- time Gryphon awakes, finds his armour gone, is obliged to put on Marta'no’s, and being mistaken for the coward, is hooted and hustled by the crowd. He lays about him stoutly, and kills many. The king comes up, finds out the mistake, and offers his hand, which Gryphon, like a true knight, receives. He joined the army of Charlemagne. Gryphons. {See Griffon.) Guadia'na. The squire of Duran- darte. Mourning the fall of his master at Roncesvalles, he was turned into the river which bears the same name. — Bon Quixote,^’ ii. 23. Guaff. Victor Emmanuel is so called from his nose. Gua'no is the Peruvian word hua'no (dung), and consists of the droppings of sea-fowls. GuarPnos [Admiral). One of Char- lemagne’s paladins, taken captive at the battle of Roncesvalles. He fell to the lot of Marlo'tes, a Moslem, who offered him his daughter in marriage if he would become a disciple of Mahomet. Guari- nos refused, and was cast into a dungeon, where he lay captive for seven years. A GUBBINGS. GUENDOLEN. 371 joust was then held, and Admiral Guari'- nos was allowed to try his hand at a target. He knelt before the Moor, stabbed him to the heart, vaulted on his grey horse Treb'ozond', and escaped to France. Gubbings. Anabaptists near Brent, in Devonshire. They had no ecclesiasti- cal order or authority, but lived in holes, like swine ; had all things in com- mon ; and multiplied without marriage. Their language was vulgar Devonian. . » They lived by pilfering sheep ; were fleet as horses ; held together like bees ; and revenged every wrong. One of the society was always elected chief, and called King oj the Gubhings” (Fuller). N.B. Their name is ivom. gubbings^ the offal of fish (Devonshire), Gudgeon. Gaping for gudgeons. Looking out for things extremely im- probable. As a gudgeon is a bait to deceive fish, it means a lie^ a deception. To swallou) a gudgeon. To be bam- boozled with a most palpable lie, as silly fish are caught by gudgeons. Make fools believe in their foreseeing Of things before they are in being ; To swaliow gudgeons ere they’re catchsd, And count their chickens ere they’re hatched. Butler, “ Hudibras," ii. 3. Gudrun. A model of heroic forti- tude and pious resignation. She was. a princess betrothed to Herwig, but the king of Norway carried her off captive. As she would not marry him, he put her to all sorts of menial work, such as wash- ing the dirty linen. One day her brother and lover appeared on the scene, and at the end she married Herwig, pardoned the naughty ” king, and all went merry as a marriage bell.— J. North- Saxonpoem. Gudule (2 syl.) or St. Gudu'la, patron saint of Brussels, was daughter of Count Witger, died 172. She is represented with a lantern, from a tradition that she was one day going to the church of St. Morgelle with a lantern, which went out, but the holy virgin lighted it again by her prayers. St. Gudule in Christian art is repre- sented carrying a lantern which a demon tries to put out. The legend is a repeti- tion of that of St. Genevieve, as Brussels is Paris in miniature. Gue'bres (Fire-Worshippers). Fol- lowers of the ancient Persian religion, reformed by Zoroaster. They are called in the Talmud Chebers, and by Origen Kabirs, a corruption of the Arabic Kafirs a non-Mahometan or infidel), a term bestowed upon them by their Arabian conquerors. Guelder Eose is the Kose de Guel- dres, i.e., of the ancient province of Guelder or Guelderland, in Holland. Guelplio (3 syl.), son of Actius IV.,. Marquis d’Este and of Cunigunda, a German, king of Carynth'ia. He led an army of 5,000 men from Germany, but two-thirds were slain by the Persians. He was noted for his broad shoulders and ample chest. Guelpho was Einaldo’s uncle, and next in command to Godfrey. — Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered iii. Guelplis and Ghibellines. Two great parties, whose conflicts make up the history of Italy and Germany from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Guelph is the Italian form of Welfe, and Ghibelline of Waiblingen, and the origin of these two words is this : At the battle of Weinsberg, in Swabia (1140), Conrad, duke of Franconia, rallied his followers with the war-cry Hie Waiblingen, while Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, used the cry of Hie Welfe (the family names of the rival chiefs). The former were the supporters of the imperial authority in Italy, and the latter were the anti-im- perialists. Guen'dolen (3 syl. ). A fairy whose mother was a human being. One day king Arthur wandered into the valley of St. John, when a fairy palace rose to view, and a train of ladies conducted him to their queen. King Arthur and Guen'do- len fell in love with each other, and the fruit of their illicit love was a daughter named G} neth. After the lapse of three months Arthur left Guen'dolen, and the deserted fair one offered him a parting cup. As Arthur raised the cup a drop of the contents fell on his horse, and so burnt it that the horse leaped twenty feet high, and then ran in mad career up the hills till it was exhausted. Arthur dashed the cup on the ground, the con- tents burnt up everything they touched, the fairy palace vanished^, and Guen'do- len was never more seen. This tale is told by Sir Walter Scott in Tho Bridal of Triermain,” It is called LgulpK s’Tale, y 2 372 GUENDOLCENA. GUIDO. from canto i. 10 to canto ii. 28. {See Gyneth.) Her mother wag of human birth, Her sire a Genie of the earth. In days of old deemed to preside O’er lovers’ wiles and beauty’s pride. “ Bridal of Triermain,’^ ii. 3, Guendoloe'na, daughter of Corin'eus and wife of Locrine, son of Erute, the legendary king of Britain. She was divorced, and Locrine married Estrildis, by whom he already had a daughter named Sabri'na. Guendoloe'na, greatly indignant, got together a great army, and a battle was fought near the river Stour, in which Locrine was slain. Guen- doloe'na now assumed the government, and one of her first acts was to throw both Estrildis and Sabri'na into the river Severn. — Geoffrey ^ ^^Brit. Hist.” ii., c. iv., V. Guenever. {See Guinever.) Guerilla, improperly Guerilla tears, means a petty war, a partisan conflict ; and the parties are called Guerillas or Guerilla chiefs. Spanish guer'ra (war). The word is applied to the armed bands of peasants who carry on irregular war on their own account, especially when Government is occupied with invading armies. Gueri'no Meschi'noC^Ae Wretched). An Italian romance, half chivalric and half spiritual, first printed in Padua in 1473. Guerin was the son of Millon, king of Alba'nia. On the day of his birth his father was dethroned, and the child was rescued by a Greek slave, and called Meschino. When he grew up he fell in love with the princess Elize'na, sister of the Greek emperor, at Constantinople. Guest. The Ungrateful Guest was the brand fixed by Philip of Macedon on a Macedonian soldier, who had been kindly entertained by a villager, and being asked by the king what he could give him, requested the farm and cottage of his entertainer. Gueux. Les Gueux. The ragamuf- fins. A nick-name assumed by the first revolutionists of Holland. It arose thus : When the duchess of Parma made inquiry j about them of count Barlamont, he told her they were ‘Hhe scum and offscouring of the people ” {les gueux). This being made public, the party took the name in defiance, and from that moment dressed like beggars, substituted a fox’s tail in | ©f ^ feather^ and a wooden platter | instead of a brooch. They met at a public-house which had for its sign a code crowing these words, Vire les Gueux par tout le monde ! N.B. The revolters of Guienne assumed the name of Eaters ; those of Normandy Barefoot; those of Beausse and Boulogne Wooden-pattens ; and in the French revo- lution the most violent were termed Sans- culottes. Gugner. A spear made by the dwarf Eitri, and given to Odin. It never failed to hit and slay in battle. — The Edda. Gui. Le Gui (French). The mis- tletoe or Druid’s plant. The Druids used to be called Guys, meaning guides” or ‘Headers.” (Spanish and Portuguese, guia, from guiar, to guide.) (See Guy- ropes. ) Guide'rius. The elder son of Cym- beline, a legendary king of Britain, dur- ing the reign of Augustus Csesar. Both Guiderius and his brother Arvir'agus were stolen -in infancy by Bela'rius, a banished nobleman, out of revenge, and were brought up by him in a cave. When grown to man’s estate, the Homans in- vaded Britain, and the two young men so distinguished themselves that they were introduced to the king, and Belarius related their history. Geoffrey of Mon- mouth says that Guiderius succeeded his father, and was slain by Hamo. — Shakespeare, “ Cymheline.” Guides (pron. geed). Contraction of guidons. A corps of French cavalry which carries the guidon, a standard borne by light horse-soldiers, broad at one end and nearly pointed at the other. The corps des Guides was organised in 1796 by Napoleon as a personal body guard ; in 1848 several squadrons were created, but Napoleon HI. made the corps a part of the Imperial Guard. Great care must be taken not to confound the Guides with the Gardes, as they are totally distinct terms. Guido, surnamed the Savage (in Or- lando Furioso), son of Constantia and Amon, therefore younger brother of Binaldo. He was also Astolpho’s kins- man. Being wrecked on the coast of the Amazons, he was doomed to fight their ten male champions. He slew them all, and was then compelled to marry ten of the Amazons. He made his escape with Ale'ria, his favourite wife, and joined the army of Charlemagne, GUIDOBALDO. GULES. 373 Guidobardo. Second son of Fran- cesco Maria, duke of Urbi'no. Giiildenstern. (See Kosencrantz.) GiiildhalL The hall of the city guilds. Here are the Court of Common Council, the Court of Aldermen, the Chamberlain’s Court, the police court presided over by an alderman, &c. The ancient guilds were friendly trade socie- ties, in which each member paid a certain fee, called a guild, from the Bsixon gildan (to pay). There was a separate guild for each craft of importance. Guiriotine (3 syl.). So named from J oseph Ignace Guillotin, a French phy- sician, who proposed its adoption to pre- vent unnecessary pain. (1738-1814.) The Guillotine is not unlike the Maiden, which the regent Morton of Scotland introduced when the laird of Pennycuick was to be beheaded. Guinea. Sir H. Holmes, in 1666, captured in Schelling Bay 160 Dutch sail, containing bullion and gold-dust from Cape Coast Castle in Guinea. This rich prize was coined into gold pieces, stamped with an elephant, and called Guineas to memorialise the valuable cap- ture. (/See Dryden, Annus Mirabilis.”) Guinea. The legend is M. B. F. et H. Bex. F. D. B. L. D. S. R. I. A. T. et E. — Magnse Britannise, Franciae, et Hiber- niaeRex ; Fidei Defensor ; Brunsvicensis, Lunenburgensis Dux ; Sacri Romani Im- perii Archi Thesaurarius et Elector. Guinea-dropper. A cheat. The term is about equal to thimble- rig, and alludes to an ancient cheating dodge of dropping counterfeit guineas. {See Gay, Trivia,” iii.) Guinea Fowl. So called because it was brought to us from the coast of Guinea, where it is very common. Guinea-hen. A courtesan who is won by money. The play is on the word guinea. Ere.... I would drown myself for the love of a Guinea hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.— Othdlo,’’ i. 3. Guin'ever, or rather Guanhuma'ra {i syl.). Daughter of Leodograunce of Cam'- elyard, the most beautiful of women, and wdfe of king Arthur. She enter- tained a guilty passion for Sir Launcelot of the Lake, one of the knights of the Round Table, but during the absence of king Arthur in his expedition against Leo, king of the Romans, she married ” Modred, her husband’s nephew, whom he had left in charge of the kingdom. Soon as Arthur heard thereof he has- tened back, Guinever fled from York and took the veil in the nunnery of Julius the Martyr, and Modred set his forces in array at Cam'bula, in Cornwall. Here a desperate battle was fought, in which Modred was slain, and Arthur mortally wounded. Guinever is generally called the grey-eyed she was buried at Meigle, in Strathmore, and her name has become the synonym of a wanton or adulteress. — Geoffrey, Brit. Hist.’* In the romance called Sir Launfal,” Gwenevere is called the daughter of Ryon, king of Ireland. That was a woman when queen Guinever of Britain was a I'ttle wench. Hhakespeare, “ Lovds Labour's Lost” iv. 1. Guin'ever e (3 syl.). Tennyson’s Idyll” represents her as loving Sir Lancelot, but one day, when they were bidding farev/ell, Modred tracked them, and brought his creatures to the base- ment of the tower for testimony.” Sir Lancelot hurled the fellow to the ground and instantly got to horse, and the queen fled to a nunnery at Almesbury, When the abbess died, Guinevere was appointed her successor, and remained head of the nunnery for three years, when she died. {See Guinever.) Guingelot. The boat of Wato or Wade, the father of Weland, and son of Vilkinr, in which he waded over the nine-ell deep, called Groenasund, with his son upon his shoulders.— vian mythology. Guisan'do. The Bulls of Guisando. Five monster statues of antiquity, to mark the scene of Ceesar’s victory over the younger Pompe^r. Guitar. Greek Idthara, IjdMiicithara, Italian chitarra, French guitar e. The Greek Jcithar is the Hindu cha*tar (six- strings). Guitar. The best players on this instrument have been Guilia'ni, Sor, Zoechi, Stoll, and Horetzsky. Gules (rod). An heraldic term. The most honourable heraldic colour, signifying valour, justice, and veneration. Hence it was given to kings and princes. The royal livery of England is gules or 374 GULF. GUNTHER, scarlet. (Persian, gliul, rose or rose- colour ; French, giieules^ the mouth and throat, or the red colour thereof ; He- brew, guhf.de, red cloth.) With man’s blood paint the ground, gules, gules. Shakespeare^ “ Timon of Athens^' iv. 3, And threw warm gules on Madeline’s fair breast. Keats, “ Eve of St. Agnes” Gulf. A man that goes in for honour at Cambridge, Le., a mathematical degree, is sometimes too bad to be classed with the lowest of the three classes, and yet has shown sufficient merit to pass. When the list is made out a line is drawn after the classes, and one or two names are appended. These names are in the gulf, and those so honoured are gulfed. In the good old times these men were not qualified to stand for the classical tripos. The ranks of our curatehood are supplied by youths whom, at the very best, merciful examiners have raised from the very gates of “ pluck ” to the com- parative paradise of the “ Gulf.”— Review. Gulf Stream. The stream which issues from the Gulf of Mexico, and extends over a range of 3,000 miles, rais- ing the temperature of the water through which it passes, and of the lands against which it flows. It washes the shores of the British Isles, and runs up the coast of Norway. Gulistan {garden of roses). The famous recueil of moral sentences by Saadi, the poet of Shiraz, who died 1291. (Persian ghul, a rose, and tan, a region.) Gull. A dupe, one easily cheated. Wilbraham says all unfledged nestlings are called naked gulls’’ yellow tint of their skin. (Icelandic guls, Danish guul, yellow, omv gold.) {See Bejan.) The most notorious geek and gull That e’er invention vdayed on. Shakespeare, “ Twelfth Night,” v. i. Gulliver {Lemuel). The hero of Swift’s famous Travels” to Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Lapu'ta, and the Houyhn- hnms {Roo-nims). Gulna're (2 syl.), afterwards called Kaled, queen of the haram, and fairest of all the slaves of Seyd {Seed). She was rescued from the flaming palace by lord Conrad, the corsair, and when the corsair was imprisoned, released him and mur- dered the sultan. The two escaped to the Pirate’s Isle, but when Conrad found that Medo'ra, his betrothed, was dead, he and Gulnare left the island secretly, and none of the pirates ever knew where they went to. The rest of the tale of Gulnare is under the new name, Kaled {g.v.).— Byron, The Corsair.^* Gummed (1 syl.). He frets like gummed velvet or gummed tajfety. Velvet and taffeta were sometimes stiffened with gum to make them sit better,” but being very stiff, they fretted out quickly. Gumption. Wit to turn things to account, capacity. In Yorkshire we hear the phrase, ^^I canna gaum it” (under- stand it, make it out), and Gaum-tion is the capacity of understanding or making out. Gumption. A nostrum much in request by painters in search of the supposed lost medium ” of the old masters, and to which their unapproachable excellence is ascribed. The medium is made of gum mastic and linseed-oil. Gun. Sure as a gun ; quite certain. It is as certain to happen as a gun to go off if the trigger is pulled. Son of a gun. A jovial fellow. A gun is a large flagon of ale. Hds a great gun. A man of note. The reference is not to artillery, but to the ancient flagons. {See above.) Gunner. Kissing the Gunner's daugh- ter ; being flogged on board ship. Boys in the Royal Navy who are to be flogged are first tied to the breech of a cannon. Gunpowder Plot. A project of a few Roman Catholics to destroy James I. with the lords and commons assembled in the Houses of Parliament, on the 5th of November, 1605. It was to be done by means of gunpowder when the king went in |:)erson to open Parliament. Robert Catesby originated the plot, and Guy Fawkes undertook to fire the gunpowder. Gunter’s Chain, for land surveying, is so named from Edmund Gunter, its inventor (1580-1626). It is sixty- six feet long, and divided into one hundred links. As ten square chains make an acre, it fol- lows that an acre contains 100,000 square links. Gunther, king of Burgundy and brother of Kriem'hild. He resolved to v/ed Brunhild, the martial queen of Iss- land, who had made a vow that none should win her who could not surpass her in three trials of skill and strength. The first was hurling a spear, the second throwing a stone, and the third was GUEGOILS. GUFON. 375 jumping. The spear could scarcely be lifted by three men. The queen hurled it towards Gunther, when Siegfried, in his invisible cloak, reversed it, hurled it back again, and the queen was knocked down. The stone took twelve brawny champions to carry, but Brunhild lifted it on high, flung it twelve fathoms, and jumped beyond it. Again the unseen Siegfried came to his friend’s rescue, and flung the stone still further, and, as he leaped, bore Gunther with him. The queen was overmastered, and exclaimed to her subjects, I am no more your mistress ; you are Gunther’s liegemen now” {Lied, vii.). After the marriage the masculine maid behaved so obstre- perously that Gunther had again to avail himself of his friend’s aid. Siegfried entered the chamber in his cloud-cloak, and wrestled with the bride till all her strength was gone ; then he drew a ring from her finger, and took away her girdle. After which he left her, and she became a submissive wife. Gunther, with unpardonable ingratitude, was privy to the murder of his friend and brother- in-law, and was himself slain in the dungeon of Etzel’s palace by his sister Kriemhild. In history this Burgundian king is called Giin'tacher . — The Nihel- ungen~Lied. Gurgoils. {See Gargouille.) Gurme (2syl.). The Celtic Cer'be- rus. While the world lasts it is fastened at the mouth of a vast cave, but at the end of the world it will be let loose, when it will attack Tyr, the war-god, and kill him. Gurney-Light, {See Bdde.) GuthTac {St^, of Crowland, Lincoln- shire, is represented in Christian art as a hermit punishing demons with a scourge, or consoled by angels while demons torment him. Guthrum. Silwr of Guthrum, or Silver of Guthrum’s Lane. Fine silver was at one time so called, because the chief gold and silver smiths of London resided there in the thirteenth and four- teenth centuries. The hall of the Gold- smiths’ Company is still in the same \oc, 2 i\\ty.— Riley, Munimenta GildhallceT Gutta Percha. Latin gutta (a drop or the juice), Percha from the island of Pulo Percha. The juice is obtained by cutting the bark of a variety of trees, of the order called Sapota'cea. ^ Gutter Lane (London). A corrup- tion of Guthurun Lane, from a Mr. Guthurun, Goderoune, or Guthrum, who, as Stowe informs us, possessed the chief property therein.” {See Guthrum.) A ll goes down Gutter Lane. He spends everything on his stomach. The play is between Gutter Lane, London, oxidguttur (the throat), preserved in our word gut- tural (a throat letter). Guy. The Guiser or Guisard was the ancient Scotch mummer, who played be- fore Yule ; hence our words guise, dis- g^iise, guy, &c. Guy. The Druids were called Guys, whence the mistletoe is termed in French le gui. {See Guy-ropes.) Guy, earl of Warwick. An Anglo - Danish hero of wonderful puissance. He was in love with fair Phelis or Felice, who refused to listen to his suit till he had distinguished himself by knightly deeds. First, he rescued the daughter of the emperor of Germany ‘^from many a valiant knight then he went to Greece to fight against the Saracens, and slew the doughty Coldran, Elmaye , king of Tyre, and the soldan himself. Then returned he to England and wedded Phelis, but in forty days he returned to the Holy Land, where he redeemed earl Jonas out of prison, slew the giant Am'- arant, and many others. He again re- turned to England, andslewat Wincho'^ter in single combat Coibroiide or Colbrand, the Danish giant, and thus redeemed England from Danish tribute. At W ind- sor he slew a boar of passing might and strength.” On Dunsmore Heath he slew the Dun-cow of Dunsmore, a monstrous wyld and cruell beast.” In Northumberland he slew a dragon “black as any cole,” with lion’s paws, wings, and a hide which no sword could pierce. Having achieved all this, he became a hermit in Warwick, and hewed himself a cave a mile from the town. Daily he went to his own castle, where he was not known, and begged bread of his own wife Phelis. On his death-bed he sent Phelis a ring, by which she recognised her lord, and went to close his dying eyes. (890-958.) His combat with Col- brand is very elaborately told in Dray- ton’s “ Polyolbion.” I am not Sampson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand, to mow thorn down before vae.— Shakespeare, “ Henry VIII., " V. 3. Guyon {Sir). The impersonation of 376 GUY-EOPES. GYEFALCOiT. Temperance or Self-government. He destroys the witch Acra'sia, and destroys her bower, called the Power of Bliss.” His companion was Prudence. — S'pensevj Fcwry Queen,' bk. ii. The word Guy on is the Spanish guiar (to guide), and the word Temperance is the Latin tem'gyero (to guide). Guy-ropes. Guide or guiding- ropes, to steady heavy goods while a- hoisting. (Spanish and Portuguese, guia, ixoxQ. guiar, to guide.) Gwynn (Nell). An actress, and one of the courtesans of Charles II. of Eng- land (died 1687) . Sir W alter Scott speaks of her twice in ^^Peveril of the Peak;” in ch. xi. he speaks of the smart hu- mour of Mrs. Nelly,” and in ch. xl. lord Chaffinch says of Mrs. Nelly, wit she has, let her keep herself warm with it in worse company, for the cant of strollers is not language for a prince’s chamber.” Gyges’ King rendered the wearer invisible. Gyges, the Lydian, is the person to whom Candau'les showed his wife naked. According to Plato, Gyges descended into a chasm of the earth, where he found a brazen horse ; opening, the sides of the animal, he found the carcase of a man, from whose finger he drew off a brazen ring, which rendered him invisible, and by means of this ring he entered the king’s chamber and mur- dered him. Why did you think that you had Gvges’ring, Or the herb that gives invisibility ifern-seed) ? Beaumont and Fletcher^ “ Fair Maid of the Inn’' i. 1. The wealth of Gyges. Gyges was a Lydian king, who married Nyssia, the young widow of Candaules, and reigned thirty-eight years. He amassed such w^ealth that his name became proverbial. (Reigned b.c. 716-678.) Gymnas'ties. Athletic games. The word is from gymna'sium, a public place set apart in Greece for athletic sports, which were done naked. (Greek, gumnos, naked.) Gymnos'opliists. A sect of Indian philosophers who went about with naked feet and almost without clothing. They lived in woods, subsisted on roots, and never married. They believed in the transmigration of souls. Strabo divides them into Brahmins and Samans. (Greek, gumnos, naked; sophistes, sages.) Gy'neth. Natural daughter of Guen'- dolen and king Arthur. Arthur swore to Guendolen that if she brought forth a boy, he should be his heir, and if a girl, he would give her in marriage to the bravest knight of his kingdom. One pentecost a beautiful damsel presented herself to king Arthur, and claimed the promise made to Guendolen ; accordingly a tournament was proclaimed, and the warder given to (Jyneth. The king prayed her to drop the warder before the combat turned to earnest warfare, but Gyneth haughtily refused, and twenty knights of the Round Table fell in the tournament, amongst whom was young Vanoc, son of Merlin. Immediately Vanoc fell, the form of Merlin rose, put a stop to the fight, and caused Gyneth to fall into a trance in the Valley of St. John, from which she was never to awake till some knight came forward for her hand, as brave as those which were slain in the tournay. Five hundred years passed away before the spell was broken, and then De Vaux undertook the adven- ture of breaking the spell. He overcame four temptations— fear, avarice, pleasure, and ambition, when Gyneth awoke, the enchantment was dissolved, and Gyneth became the bride of the bold warrior. — Sir Walter Scott, Bridal of Triermainf c. ii. Gyp. A college-servant, whose office is that of a gentleman’s servant, waiting on two or more collegians in the Univer- sity of Cambridge. He differs from a bed-maker, inasmuch as he does not make beds ; but he runs on errands, waits at table, wakes men for morning chapel, brushes their clothes, and so on. His perquisites are innumerable, and he is called a gyp (vulture, Greek) be- cause he preys upon his employer like a vulture. At^Oxford they are called scouts. Gypsy. (See Gipsy.) Gyr falcon. Gerfalcon, or Jer falcon. A native of Iceland and Norway, highest in the list of hawks for falconry. Gyr ” or ^^Ger” is, I think, the Dutch gier, a vulture. It is called the ** vulture- falcon ” because, like the vulture, its beak is not toothed. The common ety- mology from hieros, sacrad, ^^becausethe Egyptians held the hawk to be sacred,” is utterly worthless. Besides Ger-falcons, we have Gier-eagles, Lammer-giers, &c. (German, gier, greedy.) (See Hawk.) H. HAD A, 377 H H. This letter represents a stile or hedge. It is called in Hebrew heth or chetli (a hedge). II.!B.(Mr. Doyle, father of Mr. Kichard Doyle, connected with Punch), the politi- cal caricaturist, died 1868. H.M.S. His or Her Majesty’s service or ship, as H.M.S. Wellington, Habeas Corpus. The '^Habeas Corpus Act ” was passed in the reign of Charles II., and defined a provision of similar character in Magna Charta, to which also it added certain details. The Act provides (1) That any man taken to prison can insist that the person who charges him with crime shall bring him bodily before a judge, and state the why and wherefore of his detention. As soon as this is done, the judge is to decide whether or not the accused is to be ad- mitted to bail. [No one, therefore, can be imprisoned on mere suspicion, and no one can be left in prison any indefinite time at the caprice of the powers that be. Imprisonment, in fact, must be either for punishment after conviction, or for safe custody till the time of trial.] (2) It provides that every person ac- cused of crime shall have the question of his guilt decided by a jury of twelve men, and not by a Government agent or nominee. (3) No prisoner can be tried a second time on the same charge. (4) Every prisoner may insist on being examined within twenty days of his arrest, and tried by jury the next session. (5) No defendant is to be sent to prison beyond the seas, either within or without the British dominions. The exact meaning of the words 77a- heas Corpus is this : You are to produce the body.” That is. You, the accuser, are to bring before the judge the body of the accused, that he may be tried and receive the av/ard of the court, and you (the accused) are to abide by the award of the judge. Suspension of Haheas Corpus. When the Habeas Corpus Act is suspended the Crown can imprison persons on suspicion, without giving any reason for so doing ; the person so arrested cannot insist on being brought before a judge to decide whether or not he can be admitted to bail ; it is not needful to try the prisoner at the following assize ; and the prisoner may be confined in any prison the Crown chooses to select for the purpose. Haberdaslier, from hapertas, a cloth the width of which was settled by Magna Charta. A ‘Giapertas-er ” is the seller of hapertas-erie. . To match this saint there was an:ther, As busy and perverse a brother, An haberda-^her of small wares In politics and state affairs. Butler, “ HudibrasP iii. % Habit is Second Hature. The wise saw of Diogenes, the cynic. (B.C. 412- 323.) Habsburg is a contraction of Habichts-hurg (Hawk’s Tower), so called from the castle on the right bank of the Aar, built in the eleventh century by Werner, bishop of Strasburg, whose ne- phew (Werner II.) was the first to as- sume the title of Count of Habsburg.” His great-grandson, Albrecht II., as- sumed the title of Landgraf of Sund- gau.” tiis grandson, Albrecht IV., in the thirteenth century, laid the founda- tion of the greatness of the House of Habsburg, of which the imperial family of Austria are the representatives. H aekell’s Coit. A vast stone near Stantin Drew, in Somersetshire ; so called from a tradition that it was a coit thrown by Sir J ohn Hautville. In Wiltshire three huge stones near Kennet are called the Peril's coits. Hackney, from the French hciqiienh (a cob-horse), Italian acchinea. The Romance word haque is a horse (Latin equus). The French were accustomed to let out their cob-horses for short jour- neys, and at a later period they were harnessed to a plain vehicle called, coche- ci-haquenie. The knights are well horsed, and the common people and others on litell /inA;ene.y5 and geldynges.— i'h’ots- sart. Hackum (Ca^:>^am). A thick-headed bully of Alsa'tia, impudent but cowardly, tie was once a sergeant in Flanders, but ran from his colours, and took refuge in 7dsa'tia, where he was dubbed captain. — Shadwell, Squire of A Isatia." Haco I. His sword was called Quern- Biter ifoot-breadi/i). Hada. The Juno of the Babylonians. 378 Haddock. hagaH. Haddock. According to tradition it was a haddock in whose mouth St. Peter found the stater (or piece of money), and the two marks on the fish’s neck are said to be the impressions of the apostle’s finger and thumb. It is a pity that the person who invented this pretty story forgot that salt-water haddocks cannot live in the fresh water of the lake Gen- nesaret. O superstitious dainty, Peter’s fish. How com’st thou here to make so goodly dish ? MetdluSy “ Dialogues'* (1G93.) liases. Either the god of the in- fernal regions, or the infernal regions themselves. The word means Unseen (Greek, aides.). Ha'dith. {a legend'). The traditions about Mahomet the Prophet’s sayings and doings. This compilation forms a supplement to the Koran, as the Talmud to the Jewish Scriptures. Like the Jewish Gema'ra, the ^‘Ha'dith” was not allowed originally to be committed to writing, but the danger of the traditions being perverted or forgotten led to their being placed on record. Hadj. The pilgrimage to Kaa'ba (temple of Mecca), which every Mahome- tan feels bound to make once at least before death. Those who neglect to do so might as well die Jews or Chris- tians.” (Hebrew hag, the festival of Jewish pilgrimages to Jerusalem.) Hadji. A pilgrim, a Mahometan who has made the Hadj or pilgrimage to the Prophet’s tomb at Mecca. Every Hadji is entitled to wear a green turban. Haemony. Milton, in his Comus,’* says haemony is of sovereign use ’gainst all enchantments, mildew, blast, or damp.” Coleridge says the word is hcema-oinos (blood-wine), and refers to the blood of Jesus Christ, which destroys all evil. The leaf, says Milton, had prickles on it,” but it bore a bright golden flower.” The 'pricJcles are the crown of thorns, the jlower the fruits of salvation. This interpretation is so in accordance with the spirit of Milton, that it is far preferable to the suggestions that the plant ag'rimony or allysum was intended, for why should Milton have changed the name? Dioscor'ides ascribes similar powers to the herb allysum, which, as he says. ^H^eepeth man and beast from enchant- ments and witching. ” Hsemos. A range of mountains separating Thrace and Moe'sia, called by the classic writers Cold Hcemos. (Greek cheimon, winter ; Latin hiems, Sanskrit hima.) O'er high Pier'ia thence her course she bore, O'er fair Emath'ia’s ever-pleasing shore ; O’er Haemus’ hills with snows eternal crown’d, Nor once her flying foot approached the ground. Pope, ‘'Iliad'* xiv, Hafed. A Gheber or Fire-worshipper, in love with Hinda, the Arabian emir’s daughter, whom he first saw when he entered the palace under the hope of being able to slay her father, the tyratit usurper of Persia. He was the leader of a band sworn to free their country or die, and his name was a terror to the Arab, who looked upon him as superhuman. His rendezvous was betrayed by a traitor comrade, but when the Moslem army came to take him he threw himself into the sacred fire, and was burnt to death. — Thomas Moore. Hafiz, the great Persian lyrist, called the ‘‘Persian Anacreon” (fourteenth century). His odes are called ghazels, and are both sweet and graceful. The word hafiz (retainer) is a degree given to those who know by heart the Koran and Hadith (traditions). Hag. So called from hah (a species of snake), whence hag- worms (snakes). How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags ? Shakespeare, “Macbeth," iv, l. Hagan of Trony ovHaco of Norway, son of Aldrian, liegeman of Giinther, king of Burgundy. Gunther invited Siegfried to a hunt of wild beasts, but while the king of Netherland stooped to drink from a brook, Hagan stabbed him between the shoulders, the only vulnerable point in his whole body. He then deposited the dead body at the door of Kriemhild’s chamber, that she might stumble on it when she went to matins, and suppose that he had been murdered by assassins. When Kriemhild sent to Worms for the “ Nibelung Hoard,” Hagan seized it, and buried it secretly somewhere beneath the Khine, intending himself to enjoy it. Kriemhild, with a view of vengeance, married Etzel, king of the Huns, and after the lapse of seven years, invited the king of Burgundy, with Hagan and many others, to the court of her hus- HAGGADA. HAiR. 879 band, but the invitation was a mere snare. A terrible broil was stirred up in the banquet hall, which ended in the slaugh- ter of all the Burgundians but two (Giin- ther and Hagan), who were taken prisoners and given to Kriemhild, who cut off both their heads. Hagan lost an eye when he fell upon Walter of Spain as he was dining on the chine of a wild boar. Walter pelted him with the bones, one of which struck him in the eye. His person is thus de- scribed in the great German epic : — "Well-grown and well-compacted was 1 hat redoubted guest ; Long were his legs and sinewy, and deep and broad his chest ; His hair, that once was sable, with grey was dashed of late ; Most terrible his visage, and lordly was his gait. The “ Nibelungeu'Lied.’’ Stanza 1789. Hag'gada. The free rabbinical interpretation of Scripture. (Hebrew hogged^ to relate.) Hag-knots. Tangles in the manes of wild ponies, supposed to be used by witches for stirrups. The term is com- mon in the New Forest. Seamen use the word hag's-teeth to express those parts of a matting, &c., which spoil its general uniformity. Hagring. The Fata Morga'na. — (Jicandinaviaii). Haknemann (Samuet). A German physician, who set forth in his ^'Organon of Medicine ” the system which he called ^^homoeopathy,’.’ the principles of which are these : (1) that diseases are cured by those medicines which would produce the disease in healthy bodies ; (2) that medicines are to be simple and not compounded ; (3) that doses are to be exceedingly minute. (1755-1843.) Haidee. A beautiful Greek girl, who found Don Juan when he was cast ashore, and restored him to animation. ‘^Her hair was auburn, and her eyes were black as death.” Her mother, a Moorish woman from Fez, was dead, and her father, Lambro, a rich Greek pirate, was living on one of the Cyclades. She and Juan fell in love with each other during the absence of Lambro from the island. On his return Juan was ar- rested, placed in a galliot, and sent from the island. Haidee went mad, and after a lingering illness, died. — Byron ^ Bon Juan/’ can. ii., hi,, iv. Hail. Health, an exclamation of welcome, like the Latin Salve (Saxon, hael). All hail, Macbeth ! Hail to thee, thane of Gla'mis ! Shakespeare, “ Macbeth” i. 3. He ibas Hail-jeUow neU-met with every one; on easy, familiar terras. Hailing every one with courtesy, and making every one believe that it was well they had met together. {See Jockey.) I f ail fellow well met, all dirty and wrt ; Find out, if you can, who’s master, who’s man. Swift, “ Jfy Lady's Lamentation;* Hair. One single tuft is left on the shaven crown of a Mussulman, for the angel to grasp hold of when conveying the deceased to Paradise. The scalp-lock of the North American Indians, left on the otherwise bald head for a conquering enemy to seize when he tears off the scalp, is somewhat analagous. A hair of the dog that hit yon (simiVia simiFibus curantur). In Scotland it is a popular belief that a few hairs of the dog that bit you applied to the wound will prevent evil consequences. Take the hair, it’s well written. Of the dog by which you’re f itten ; AVork off one wine by his brother. And one hibour wii>h another ... Cook with cook, and strife w th strife ; Business with business, wife Avitli wife. Athenceus [ascribed to Aristophanes). Hair of a dissemhling colour. Red hair is so called, from the notion that Judas had red hair. Rosalind. His very hair is of the dissembling colour {red). Celia. Somewhat browner than J udas’s. Shakespeare, “As You Like It,** iii. 4. Against the hair. Against the grain, contrary to its nature. If you should fight you go against the hair of your prefeiSiODS.— iS^ftAres/ieaj’e, "Merry Wives of Windsor*’ ii. 3 . Hair hy hair, you will pidl out the horse’s tail. Plutarch says that Serto'rius, in order to teach his soldiers that persever- ance and wit are better than brute force, had two horses brought before them, and set two men to pull out their tails. One of the men was a burly Hercules, who tugged and tugged, but all to no purpose ; the other was a sharp, weasen- faced tailor, who plucked one hair at a time, amidst roars of laughter, and soon left the tail quite bare. The three hairs. When Reynard wanted 380 HAIR STANE. HALGAVER. to get talked about, be told Miss Magpie, under the promise of secrecy, that ^Hhe lion king had given him three hairs from the fifth leg of the a'moronthol'ogos'pho- rus ... a beast that lives on the other side of the river Cylinx ; it has five leg’s, and on the fifth leg there are three hairs, and whoever has these three hairs will be young and beautiful for ever.” They had effect only on the fair sex, and could be given only to the lady whom the donor married. — Si7' E. B. Lytton, Pilgrims of the Rhine f xii. Hcdr-hreadth 'scape. A very narrow escape from some evil. In measurement the forty- eighth part of an inch is called a ^Hiair- breadth.” Wherein I spahe of most disastrous chances. Of moving accidents by flood and field, Of hair-breadth ’scapes i’th' imminent deadly breach. Shakespeare, “ Othello,” i. 3. Hair Stane {Celtic) means boun- dary stone ; a monolith sometimes, but erroneously termed a Druidical stone. {Scotland.') Haiz'um (3 syl.). The horse on which the archangel Gabriel was mounted when he led a squadron of 3,000 against the Koreishites (3 syl.), in the famous battle of Bedr. Hajj. Hadj.) Hake. We lose in halcCf hid gain in herring. Lose one way, but gain in another. Herrings are persecuted by the hakes, which are therefore driven away from a herring fishery. Halaclia {ride). The Jewish oral law. {See Gemara, Mishna.) Halberj ects or Haulergets. A coarse thick cloth used for the habits of monks. Thomson says it is the German ahhergen (cover-all) or Hals-bergen (neck-cover). — Essay on Magna Charta. Halcyon Days. A time of happi- ness and prosperity. Halcyon, is the Greek for a king-fisher, compounded of hals (the sea) and hiio (to brood on). The ancient Sicilians believed that the king- fisher laid its eggs and incubated for fourteen days, before the winter solstice, on the surface of the sea, during which time the waves of the sea were always unruffled. Amidst our arms as quiet you shall be As halcyon brooding on a winter’s sea, Dry den. The peaceful king-fishers are met together About the deck, and prophesie calm weather. Wild, “ Iter Boreale " Half. Half is more than the whole. (nXeov niaidv TravTor), This is what Hesiod said to his brother Perseus, when he wished him to settle a dispute without going to law. He meant ‘^half of the estate without the expense of law will be better than the whole after the lawyers have had their pickings.” The remark, however, has a very wide signification. Thus an embarras de richesse is far less profitable than a sufficiency. A large estate to one who cannot manage it is impoverishing. A man of small income will be poorer with a large house and garden to keep up than if he lived in a smaller tenement. Increase of wealth, if expenditure is more in proportion, tend- eth to poverty. TJnharpy they to whom God has not revealed. By a strong light v/hich must their sense control. That half a great e:'tate’s more than the whole. Cowley, “ Essays in Verse and Prose,” No. iv. Half Done. Half done, as Elgin was burnt. In the wars between James II. of Scotland and the Douglases in 1452, the earl of Huntly burnt one-half of the town of Elgin, being the side which belonged to the Douglases, but left the other side standing, because it belonged to his own family.— /StV Walter Scott, Tales of a Grandfather f xxi. Half-seas over. Almost up with one. Now applied to a person almost dead drunk. The phrase seems to be a corruption of the Dutch op-zee zober, over-sea beer,” a strong heady beverage introduced into Holland from England {Gifford). ‘^Up-zee ITeese” is Frieze- land beer. The German zauber means ^^strong-beer” and ‘^bewitchment.” I am half-seas o’er to death. Dryden,. I do not like the dulness of your eye, It hath a heavy cast, ’tis upsee Dutch, Ben Jonson, Alchemist,” iv. 2. Halgaver. Summoned before the Mayor of Halgaver. The mayor of Hal- gaver is an imaginary person, and the threat is given to those who have com- mitted no offence against the laws, but are simply untidy and slovenly. Hal- gaver is a moor in Cornwall, near Bod- min, famous for an annual carnival held there in the middle of July. Charles II. was so pleased with the diversions when he passed through the place on his way to Scilly, that he became a member of i the “ self-constituted ” corporation. The i Mayor of Garratt {q.v.) is a similar “ mag- ! nate.” HALIFAX, HALLOWEEN. 381 Halifax. The name of this Y ork shire town is derived from Saxon halig, holy, and feaXf hair, from the sacred hair of a certain virgin who was murdered because she would not surrender her virtue, and was afterwards canonised. Halifax (in Nova Scotia). So called by the Hon. Edward Cornwallis, the governor, in compliment to his patron, the Earl of Halifax. (1749.) Halifax Law. By this Taw whoever commits theft in the liberty of Halifax is to be executed on the Halifax gibbet, a kind of guillotine. At Hallifax the law so sliarpe doth d^ale, That whoso more than thirteen pence doth steale, They iiave a jyn that wondrous qnick and well Sends thieves all headless into he iven or hell. Taylor (the Water poet), “ Works,'’ ii. (1630). Hall Mark. The mark on gold or silver articles after they have been as- sayed. Every article in gold is compared with a given standard of pure gold. This standard is supposed to be divided into twenty-four parts called carats ; gold equal to the standard is said to be twenty- four carats fine. Manufactured articles are never made of pure gold, but the quantity of alloy used is restricted. Thus sovereigns and wedding rings contain two parts of alloy to every twenty-two of gold ; and are said to be twenty- two cai’ats fine. Gold watch-cases contain six parts of silver or copper to eighteen of gold, and are therefore eighteen carats fine. Other articles may contain nine, twelve, or fifteen parts of alloy, and only fifteen, twelve, or nine of gold. The Mint price of standard gold is £3 17s. lO^^d. per ounce, or £46 14s. 6d. per pound. Standard silver consists of thirty-seven parts of pure silver and three of copper. The Mint price is 5s. 6d. an ounce, but silver to be melted is worth sixpence an ounce less. Suppose the article to be marked is taken to the assay office for the hall mark. It will receive a leopard’s head for London ; an anchor for Birmingham ; three wheat sheaves or a dagger for Chester ; a castle xciih two wings for Exeter ; five lions and a cross for York ; a croivn for Sheffield ; three castles for Newcastle- on- Tyne ; a thistle or castle and lion for Edinburgh ; a tree and a salmon with a ring in its mouth for Glasgow ; a harp or Hibernia for Dublin, &c. The specific mark shows at once where the article was assayed. Besides the hall mark, there is also the standard mark, which for England is a lion passant ; for Edinburgh a thistle; for Glasgow a lion rampant; and for Ireland a croimied harp. If the article stamped contains less pure metal than the standard coin of the realm, the number of carats is marked on it, as eighteen, fifteen, twelve, or nine carats fine. Besides the hall mark, the standard mark, and the figure, there is a letter called the date mark. Only twenty letters are used, beginning with A, omit- ting J, and ending with V ; one year they are in Roman characters, another year in Italian, another in Gothic, another in Old English ; sometimes they are all capitals, sometimes all small letters ; so by seeing the letter and referring to a table, the exact year of the mark can be discovered. Lastly, the head of the reigning sove- reign completes the marks. Hall’ Sunday. The Sunday pre- ceding Shrove Tuesday; the next day is called Hall’ Monday, and Shrove Tuesday eve is called Hall’ Night. The Tuesday is also called pancake-day, and the day preceding callop Monday, from the special foods popularly prepared for those days. All three were days of merrymaking. Hall’ or Halle is a con- traction of Hallow or Haloghe, meaning holy or festival. Hall of Odin. The rocks, such as Halleberg and Hunneberg, from which the Hyperboreans, when tired of life, used to cast themselves into the sea ; so called because they were the vestibule of the Scandinavian Elysium. Hallelujah. Victory. A victory gained by some newly-baptised Bretons, led by Germa'nus, bishop of Auxerre (a.D. 429). The conquerors commenced the battle with loud shouts of Hallelu- jah ! ” Hallifax. {See Halifax.) Halloween, according to Scotch superstition, is the time when witches, devils, fairies, and other imps of earth and air hold annual holiday. Robert Burns, in his poem called Halloween,” has recorded the chief customs observed 382 HALTIOS. HANAP. and credulities entertained by his coun- trymen on this high festival. Haltios. In Laplandic mythology, the guardian spirits of mount Nie'mi. From this heiaht (Nie'mi, in Lapland) v?e had opportunity several times to see those vapours rise from the lake, ■which the people of the counp y call Haltios, and which they deem to 1 e the guardian spirits of the mountain.— 3/. de Maiipertuis. Ham and Heyd. Storm- demons or weather-sprites. — Scandinavian my- thology. Though valour never should be scorned, Yet now the storm rules wide; By now again to life returned ill -wager Ham and Heyd. Fnthiof Saga, “Lay act.” Hameh. In Arabian mythology, a bird formed from the blood near the brains of a murdered man. This bird cries Iskoo'nee !” (Give me drink!), meaning drink of the murderer’s blood ; and this it cries incessantly till the death is avenged, when it flies away. Hamet. The Cid Hamet Benengi'li. The hypothetical Moorish chronicler from whom Cervantes professes to derive his adventures of Don Quixote. Of the two had cassocks I am worth . . I would have given the latter of them as freely as even Cid Hamet oifered his ... to have stood by.— Sterne. Hamilton. The reik of Mr. Patrick Hamilton has infected as many as it did blow upon, i.e., all who came under his influence were converted to his way of thinking. Patrick Hamilton was one of the most influential precursors of the Scotch Eeformation. (1504-1528.) Hamilto'nian System. A method of teaching foreign languages by inter- linear translations, suggested by James Hamilton, a merchant. (1769-1831.) Hamlet. A daft person (Icelandic amlodh), one who is irresolute and can do nothing fully. Shakespeare’s play is based on the Danish story of Amleth’ recorded in Saxo-Grammat'icus. Hammer. (1) Pierre d’Ailly, Le Marteau des HerUiques, president of the council that condemned John Huss. (1350-1425.) (2) Judas Asmonaeus, surnanied Mac- cahceus, ‘^the hammer.” ( b . c . 166-161.) (3) St. Augustine is called by Hake- ! well ^^That renowned pillar of truth and | hammer of heresies.” (39.5-430.) (4) John Faber, surnanied Malleus I Heretico'rum from the title of one of his works. (1470-1541.) (5) St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, Malleus Ariano'rum. (350-867.) (6) Charles Martel. (689-741.) On pretend qu’on lui donna le surnom de Martel, parcequ’il avait ecrase comme avec un marteau les Savrasins, qui, sous la conduite d’Abderarae, avaient envahi la France. — Boxdllet, “ Dictionnaire Uni- versel," &c. Hammer of the Scotch. Edward I. On his tomb in Westminster Abbey is the inscription, Edwardus longus Scotorum Malleus hie est” (Here is long Edward, the hammer of the Scots). Gone to the hammer ; applied to goods sent to a sale by auction ; the auctioneer giving a rap with a small hammer when a lot is sold, to intimate that there is an end to the bidding. They live hammer and tongs; are always quarrelling. They beat each other like hammers, and are as cross as the tongs.” Hammer Cloth. The cloth that covers the coach-box, in which hammer, nails, bolts, &c., used to be carried in case of accident. Another etymology is from the Icelandic hamr (a skin), skin being used for the purpose. Our ^^yel- low-hammer” means yellow-skin. A third suggestion is that the word hammer is a corruption of ^‘hammock,” the seat which the cloth covers being formed of straps or webbing stretched between two crutches like a sailor’s hammock. Hampton Court Conference. A conference held at Hampton Court in January, 1604, to settle the disputes between the Church party and the Puri- tans. It lasted three days, and its result was a few slight alterations in the Book of Common Prayer. Plamshaekle. A harum-scarum, a wild sort of a fe low, one who is very irre- gular. To hamshackle a horse is to shackle his head to one of his fore-legs. Hamuli. The guardian angel of the Gu ebres . — Persian mythology. Han. Sons of Hdn. The Chinese are so called from Han the founder of the twenty-sixth dynasty, with which modern history commences. (206-220.) Hanap. The cup out of which our Lord drank at the last supper, afterward? called the San-greal.” {See Greal.) HANAPER. HAND-BOOK. 383 Han'aper. Exchequer. Hanaper- office,” an office where all writs relating to the public were formerly kept in a hamper {in lianapeiHo). Hanaper is Nor- man for ‘‘ a hamper.” Hand. The whole deal of cards given to a single player. The cards which he holds in his hand. A saint in heaven would grieve to see such “ hand” Cut UD by one who will not understand. Crabbe, “ Borough. Hand. Previous to the twelfth century the Supreme Being was represented “by a hand extended from the clouds ; some- times the hand is open, with rays issuing from the fingers, but generally it is in the act of benediction, i.e., with two fingers raised. Hand of Justice. The allusion is to the sceptre or baton anciently used by kings, which had an ivory hand at the top of it. An em'pty hand is no lure for an haiok. You must not expect to receive anything without giving a return. The Germans say Wer schmeert der fahert. The Latin proverb is Da^ si vis acceperey or Pro oiihUo, nihil fit. Putting the hand under the thigh. An ancient ceremony used in swearing. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant . . . Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and 1 will make thee swear . . . that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaan- ites. — Genesis xxiv. 2, 3. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die ; and he called his son Joseph and said unto him , . . Put . . . thy hand under my thigh, and deal. . . truly with me : bury me not ... in Egypt.— Genesis xlviL 29. To kiss the hand (Job xxxi. 27). To worship false gods. Cicero (‘^In Ver- rem,” lib. iv. 43) speaks of a statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which wore considerably worn by the kisses of his worshippers. Hosea (xiii. 2) says, “ Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.” {See Adore.) I have left me seven thousand in Israel .... which have not bowed unto Baal, and . . . which [have] not kissed [their hand to] him.— 1 Kings xix. 18. To strike hands (Prov. xvii. 18). To make a contract, to become surety for another. (^See also Prov. vii. 1 and xxii. 26.) The English custom of shaking hands in confirmation of a bargain has been common to all nations and all ages. In feudal times the vassal put his hands in the hands of his overlord on taking the oath of fidelity and homage. The open red hand, forming part of the arms of the Province of Ulster, comme- morates the daring of O’Neile, a bold adventurer, who vowed to be first to touch the shore of Ireland. Finding the boat in which he was rowed outstripped by others, he cut off his hand and flung it to the shore, to touch it before those in advance could land. The open red hand in the armorial coat of baronets arose thus : — James I. in 1611 created 200 baronets on the payment of £1,000 each, ostensibly ^Uorthe ameliora- tion of Ulster,” and from this connection with Ulster they were allowed to place on their coat armour the ^‘open red hand,” up to that time borne by the O’Neiles. The O’Neile whose estates were made forfeit by king James w^as surnamed Lamb-derg Eirin (red-hand of Erin). The red or bloody hand in coat armour is generally connected with some tra- ditional tale of blood, and the badge was never to be expunged till the bearer had passed, by way of penance, seven years in a cave, without companion, without shaving, and without uttering a single word. In Aston Church, near Birmingham, is a coat-armorial of the Holts, the bloody hand” of which is thus accounted for ; — It is said that Sir Thomas Holt, some 200 years ago, murdered his cook in a cellar with a spit, and when pardoned for the offence, the king enjoined him,. by way of penalty, to wear ever after a bloody hand” in his family coat. In the church of Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey, there is a red hand upon a monu- ment, the legend of which is, that a gentle- man shooting with a friend, was so morti- fied at meeting with no game, that he swore he would shoot the first live thing he met. A miller was the victim of this rash vow, and the “bloody hand” was placed in his family coat to keep up a perpetual memorial of the crime. Similar legends are told of the red hand in Wateringbury Church, Kent ; of the red hand on a table in the hall of Church- Gresly, in Derbyshire; and of many others. Hand-book. Spelman says that king Alfred used to carry in his bosom memorandum leaves, in which he made observations, and took so much pleasure therein that he called it his hand-book, because it was always in his hand. 384 HANDFASTING. HANGED. Handfasting. A sort of marriage. A fair was at one time held in Dumfries- shire, at which a young’man was allowed to pick out a female companion to live with him. They lived together for twelve months, and if they both liked the ar- rangement, were man and wife. This was called hand-fasting or handfasteniiig. This sort of contract was common among the Romans and Jews, and is not unusual in the East even to the present hour. Hand Paper. A particular sort of paper well known in the Record-office, and so called from its water- mark, which goes back to the fifteenth century. Handicap. A game at cards not unlike Loo, but with this difference — the winner of one trick has to put in a double stake, the winner of two tricks a triple stake, and so on. Thus : if six persons are playing, and the general stake is Is., and A gains three tricks, he gains 6s., and has to hand i’ the cap ” or pool 3s. for the next deal. Suppose A gains two tricks and B one, then A gains 4s. and B 2s., and A has to stake 3s. and B 2s. for the next deal. To the Mitre Tavern in Wood Street, a house of the greatest note in London. Here some of us fell to handicap, a sport I never knew before, which was very good. —Pepys, “ His Diary,'’ Sept. 18, 1660. Handicap, in racing, is the adjudging of various weights to horses differing in age, power, or speed, in order to place them all, as far as possible, on an equality. If two unequal plaj’^ers challenge each other at chess, the superior gives up a piece, and this is his handicap. So called from the ancient game referred to by Pepys. TJie Winner's Handicap. The winning horses of previous races being pitted together in a' race royal are first handi- capped according to their respective merits : the horse that has won three races has to carry a greater weight than the horse that has won only two, and this latter more than its competitor who is winner of a single race only. Handker chief. ‘ ^ The committee wa^ at a loss to know whom next to throw the handkerchief to"" (The Times'). The mean- ing is that the committee did not know whom they were to ask next to make a speech for them ; and the allusion is to the game called in Norfolk ‘‘Stir up the dumplings,” and by girls “Kiss in the ring.” Handle. He has a handle to his name. Some title, as “lord,” “sir,” “doctor.” The French say Monsieur sans queue, a man without a tail (handle to his name). HandyeufFs. Cuffs or blows given by the hand. “ Fisticuffs ” is now more common. Hang. To hang in the hell ropes. To be asked at church, and then defer the marriage so that the bells hang fire. Hanged or Strangled. Examples from the ancient classic writers : — (1) Ac'iiius, king of Lydia, endeavoured to raise a new tribute from his subjects, and was hanged by the enraged populace, who threw the dead body into the river Pactolus. (2) Ama'ta, wife of king La, tiffins, pro- mised her daughter Lavin'ia to king Turnus; when, however, she was given in marriage to JEne'as, Ama'ta hanged herself that she might not see the hated stranger.— Virgil, HLneidf vii. (3) Aeach'ne, the most skilful of needlewomen, hanged herself because she was outdone in atrial of skill by Minerva. — Ovid, “ Metamorphoses,^' vi., fab. 1. (4) Autol'yca, mother of Ulysses, hanged herself in despair on receiving false news of her son’s death. (5) Bono'sus, a Spaniard by birth, was strangled by the emperor Probus for assuming the imperial purple in Gaul. (A.H. 280.) (6) Iphis, a beautiful youth of Salamis, of mean birth, hanged himself because his addresses were rejected by Anaxar'ete, a girl of Salamis of similar rank in life. — Ovid, ^‘‘Metamorphoses," xiv. 708, &c. (7) Lati'nus, wife of. {See Amata, cbbove.) (8) Ltcam'bes, father of Neobula, who betrothed her to Archil'ochos, the poet. He broke his promise, and gave her in marriage to a wealthier man. Archil'o- chos so scourged them by his satires that both father and daughter hanged them- selves. (9) Neobu'la. {See above.) (10) Phyllis, queen of Thrace, the ac- cepted of Demoph'obn, who stopped on her coasts on his return from Troy. Demo- phobn was called away to Athens, and promised to return ; but failing so to do, Phyllis hanged herself. HANGER. HANSEATIC LEAGUE. 385 Hanger. Properly the fringed loop or strap hung to the girdle by which the dagger was suspended, but applied by a common figure of speech to the sword or dagger itself. Men’s swords in hangers hang fast by their side. J. Taylor. (1630.) Hanging. Hanging gardens of Baby- lon, Four acres of garden raised on a base supported by pillars, and towering in terraces one above another, 300 feet in height. At a distance they looked like a vast pyramid covered with trees. This mound was constructed by Nebuchad- nezzar to gratify his wife Am'ytis, who felt weary of the flat plains of Babylon, and longed for something to remind her of her native Me'dian hills. Har gmen and Executioners. (1) Bull is the earliest hangman whose name survives {ji. 1593). (2) Jock Sutherland. (3) Derrick, who cut off the head of Essex in 1601. (4) Gregory. Father and son, men- tioned by Sir Walter Scott (1647). (5) Gregory Brandon, about 1648. (6) Richard Brandon, his son, who executed Charles I. (7) Squire Dun, mentioned by Hudi- bras, (pt. hi., c. 2). (8) Jack Ketch (1678) executed lord Russell and the duke of Monmouth. (9) Rose, the butcher (1686), but Jack Ketch was restored to office the same year. (10) Edward Dennis (1780), introduced as a character in Dickens’s ^^Barnaby Rudge.” (11) Thomas Cheshire, nicknamed ‘*01d Cheese.” (12) John Calcraft. (13) Of foreign executioners the most celebrated are Little John; Capeluche, headsman of Paris during the terrible days of the Armagnacs and Burgundians ; and the two brothers Sanson, who were exe- cutioners during the first French Revolu- tion. *♦* Hudibras, under the name of Dun, personates ” Sir Arthur Hazelrig, the activest” of the five members impeached by King Charles I. The other four were Monk, Walton, Morley, andAlured. Hangman’s Wages. 13^. The fee given to the executioner at Tyburn, with lid, for the rope. This was the value of a Scotch merk, and therefore points to the reign of James, who decreed that ‘‘ the coin of silver called the mark- piece shall be current within the king- dom at the value of 13. jd.” Whatever the ancient fee might be, the present price is 14s. 6d., of which 7s. 6d. is the fee, 4s. 6d. for stripping the body, and 2s. 6d. for the use of the shell. Noblemen who were to be beheaded were expected to give the executioner from £7 to £10 for cutting off their head. Hang-nail is a corruption of the Saxon ang-ncegl (pain-nail). Our word anguish is from ange. The older word is ag-nail. Hanoverian Shield. This escut- cheon used to be added to the arms of England ; it was placed in the centre of the shield to show that the House of Hanover came to the crown by election, and not by conquest. Conquerors strike out arms of a conquered country, and place their own in lieu. Hans von E,ippaeh(H^-i9a^). Jack of Rippach, a Monsieur Nong-tong-pas, i.e. some one asked-for who does not exist. A gay German spark calls at a house and asks for Herr Hans von Rippach. An English spark a ks for Monsieur Nong- tong-pas. Rippach is a village near Leipsig. Hansard. The British parliamentary records and debates, printed and pub- lished by the Messrs. Hansard. The pre- sent firm print only the bills before par- liament, the reports of committees, and some of the accounts; the other parlia- mentary records are printed by other firms. Luke Hansard, the founder of the present family, came from Norwich iu 1752. Hanse Towns. The maritime cities of Germany, which belonged to the Han- seatic League (q.v.). Hanseat'ic League. The first trade union ; it was established in the thir- teenth century by certain cities of Nor- thern Germany for their mutual prospe- rity and protection. The diet which used to be held every three years was called the Hansay and the members of it Hatlr sards. The league was virtually broken up in 1630. (German, am-see, on the sea. The league was originally called the Am^ zee-stenen^ cities on the sea). Z S88 HANSEL. HARE. Hansel. A gift or bribe, the first mo- ney received in a day. Hence Hansel- Monday, the first Monday of the year. To ‘‘ hansel our swords” is to use them for the first time. In Norfolk we hear of hanselling a coat, i.e., wearing it for the first time. Lemon tells us that super- stitious people will spit on the first mo- ney taken at market for luck, and Misson says Ils le baisent en le recevant, cras- chent dessus, et le mettent dans une poche apart .” — Travels in England,^* p. 192. Hansel Monday. The first Monday of the new year. {See above.) Happy Arabia. A mistranslation of the Latin Arabia feliXy which means simply on the right hand^ i.e., Arabia on the ^Helix”side of Mecca; the sinister city is Al-Shan. Happy Valley, in Dr. Johnson’s tale of Rasselas, is placed in the kingdom of Amhara, and was inaccessible except in one spot through a cave in a rock. It was a Garden of Paradise where resided the princes of Abyssinia. Hapsburg. {See Habsburg.) Har. The second person of the In- dian Trinity. He has already passed his ninth incarnation ; in his tenth he will take the forms first of a peacock, and then of a horse, when all the followers of Mahomet will be destroyed. Ha'ram or Ha'rem, means in Ara- bic sacred or not to be violated ; a name given by Mahometans to those apart- ments which are appropriated exclusively to the female members of a family. Har'apha. A descendant of Og and Anak, a giant of Gath, who went to mock Samson in prison, but durst not venture within his reach. Rapha in He- brew means a giant, and Arapha was father of the giants of Rephaim. — Mil- ton, * ‘ Samson A gonistes. ” Harbinger. One who looks out for lodgings or a harbour, hence a fore- runner, a messenger. I’ll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful The hearing of my wife with your approach. Shakespeare, Macbeth" L 4. Hard by. Near ; a corruption of the German hierhei (here-by). Hardouin (2 syl.). E'en Hardouin would not object. Said in apology of an historical or chronological incident intro- duced into a treatise against which some captious persons take exception. Jean Hardouin, the learned jesuit, waslibrarian to Louis le Grand. He was so fastidious that he doubted the truth of all received history, denied the authenticity of the ‘‘iEneid” of Virgil, the ‘^Odes” of Horace, &c. ; placed no faith in medals and coins, regarded all councils before that of Trent as chimerical, and looked on Descartes, Malebranche, Pascal, and all Jansenists as infidels. (1646-1729.) Even pere Hardouin would not enter his protest against such a collection. --Dr. A, Clarke, “ Essay." Hardy (Letitia). Heroine of the Belle’s Stratagem,” by Mrs. Cowley. She is a young lady of fortune destined to marry Doricourt. She first assumes the air of a raw country hoyden and dis- gusts the fastidious man of fashion ; then she appears at a masquerade, and wins him. The marriage is performed at mid- night, and Doricourt does not know that the masquerader and hoyden are the same Miss Hardy till after the ceremony is over. The Hardy, i.e., brave or daring ; hence the phrase fiardi coinme un lion. (1) William Douglas, defender of Ber- wick. (Died 1302.) (2) Philippe III. of France, le Hardi. (1245, 1270-1285.) (3) Philippe IT. due de Bourgogne, le Hardi. (1312, 1363-1382.) Hare. It is unlucky for a hare to cross your path, because witches were said to transform themselves into hares. Nor did we m et, with nimble feet, One tittle f avful l^-pii' ; Thar certiiu siirn. as s ane divine, Of ioriuue "at to keep 'ig. Ellison, " Trip to Benwell" lx. Hold with the hare and run with the hounds. To play a double and deceitful game, to be a traitor in the camp. To run with the hounds as if intent to catch the hare, but all the while being the se- cret friend of poor Wat. In the Ameri- can war these double dealers were called Copperheads [q.v.). ' Mad as a March hare. Hares are un- usually shy and wild in March, which is their rutting season. Melancholy as a hare (Shakespeare, ^^1 Henry IV.,” i. 2). According to medioc- val quackery the flesh of hare was sup- posed to generate melancholy, and all foods imparted their own speciality. HARE-BELL. HARM. 187 Th€ quaJcinq harCf in Dryden’s ‘^Hind and Panther,” means the Quakers. Amon» the timorous kind, the quaking hare Professed neutrality, but would not swear. Part i. Hare-bell. A corruption of Ayr-bell, from the Welsh awyT^pcl, a balloon or distended globe. Hare-brained. Mad as a March hare, giddy, fool-hardy. Let’s leave this town, for they (tM English) are hair- brained slaves, And hunger will enforce them to be more easer. Shakespeare, “1 Henry VI.'* i. 2. Harefoot. Swift of foot as a hare. The surname given to Harold I., youngest son of Canute. (1035-1040.) To hiss the hare's foot. To be too late for anything, to be a day after the fair. The hare has gone by, and left its foot- print for you to salute. A similar phrase is To kiss the post. Hare-lip. A cleft lip. So called from its supposed resemblance to the upper lip of a hare. It was said to be the mischievous act of an elf or malicious fairy. This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet. He begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock. He . . . squmts the eye and makes the hSkve-lip.— Shakespeare, “ King Lear,** iii. 4. Hare-stone. Boundary-stone in the parish of Sancred (Cornwall), with a heap of stones round it. It is thought that these stones were set up for a similar purpose as the column set up by Laban (Genesis, xxxi. 51, 5*2). Behold this heap, and behold this pillar,” said Laban to Jacob, which I have cast betwixt me and thee. This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap unto me, for harm.” Haricot Mutton. A ragoht made with hashed mutton and turnips. In old French harigot, harligot, and haligote are found meaning a morsel,” a piece.” Et li chevalier tuit monte, Letaillie et dehaligot§. Chauvenci, “ Les Tournois,** p. 138. Har'idi. A serpent honoured in upper Egypt. Harlequin means a species of drama in two parts, the introduction and the harlequinade, acted in dumb show. The prototype is the Roman atelldiice, but our Christmas pantomime or harlequinade is essentially a British entertainment, first introduced by Mr. Weaver, a dancing- master of Shrewsbury, in 1702. (Se€ heloio.) What Momus was of old to Jove, The same a harlequiu is now The former was buffoon abjve. The latter is a Punch below. Smft, “ The Puppet Show.** Harlequiny in the British pantomime, is a sprite supposed to be invisible to all e 5 '-es but those of his faithful Columbine. His office is to dance through the world and frustrate all the knavish tricks of the Clown, who is supposed to be in love with Columbine. In Armoric Harlequin means ‘^a juggler,” and Harlequin metamor- phoses everything he touches with his magic wand. In the Italian drama, Arlecchino is the mischievous and tricky low comedian, almost answering to the Clown of our pantomime. Menage derives the word from Achille de Harlay, a comedian of Paris (1536- 1616) ; and Francisque Michel from the old French word ‘^harligot.” {See Hari- cot.) Harlequin. So Charles Quint was called by Francois I. of France. Harlot is said to be derived from Harlotta, the mother of William the Conqueror, but it is more likely to be a corruption of horelet (a little hireling), hore ” being the past participle of hyran (to hire). It was once applied to males as well as females. Hence Chaucer speaks of a sturdy harlot . . . that was her hostes man.” The word varlet is another form of it. He was a gentil harlot, and a kinde ; A bettre felaw sbulde man no wli^^r finde. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales," prol. 649. The harlot king is quite beyond mine arm. Shakespeare, “ Winter’s Tale," ii. 3. Harlowe {Clarissa). The heroine of Richardson’s novel of that name. In order to avoid a marriage urged upon her by her parents, she casts herself on the protection of a lover, who grossly abuses the confidence thus reposed in him. He subsequently proposes to marry her, but Clarissa rejects the offer, and retires from the world to cover her shame and die. Harm. Harm set, harm get. Those who lay traps for others get caught them- selves. Haraan was hanged on his own gallows. Our Lord says, They that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” — Matt. xxvi. 52. Z S88 HARMONIA’S NECKLACE. HARPIES. Harmo'nia’s IsTecklace. An un- lucky possession, something that brings evil to all who possess it. Harmonia was the daughter of Mars and Venus. On the day of her marriage with king Cadmos she received a necklace, which proved fatal to all who possessed it. Harmo'nia’s Hobe. On the mar- riage of Harmonia, Vulcan, to avenge the infidelity of her mother, made the bride a present of a robe dyed in all sorts of crimes, which infused wickedness and impiety into all her offspring. Both Harmonia and Cadmos, after having suffered many misfortunes, and seen their children a sorrow to them, were changed into serpents . — “ Fausanias/’ 9, 10. Haro. To cry out haro to any one. To denounce his misdeeds, to follow him with hue and cry. ‘^Ha tlou” was the ancient Norman hue and cry, and the exclama- tion made by those who wanted assist- ance, their person or property being in danger. Similar to our cry of ‘‘ Police !” but it is to be hoped that the cry was more effectual. Probably our halloo is the same word. Haroe'ris. The elder Horus. His eyes are the Sun and Moon, which illu- minate the world . — Egyptian mythology. Harold the Dauntless, son of Witi- kirid, the Dane. He was rocked on a buckler, and fed from a blade.” He became a Christiah, like his father, and married Eivir, a Danish maid, who had been his page . — Sir W, Scotty Harold the Dauntless.” Harold’s Stones at Trelech (Mon- mouthshire). Three stones, one of which is fourteen feet above the ground, evi- dently no part of a Druidical circle. Probably boundary stones. {See Hare- stone.) Haroot and Maroot. Two angels who, in consequence of their want of compassion to man, are susceptible of human passions, and are sent upon earth to be tempted. They were at one time kings of Babel, and are still the teachers of magic and the black arts. Haroun al Rasehid. Calif of the East, of the Abbasside race. (765-809.) His adventures form a part of the Ara- bian Nights’ Entertainments.” Harp . The arms of Ireland. According to tradition, one of the early kings of Ire- land was named David, and this king took for arms the harp of Israel’s sweet psalm- ist. Probably the harp is altogether a blunder arising from the invented in the reign of John to distinguish his Irish coins from the English. The reason why a triangle was chosen may have been in allusion to St. Patrick’s explanation of the trinity, or more likely to signify that he was king of England, Ireland, and France. Henry VIII. was the first to as- sume the harp positive as the Irish device, and James I. to place it in the third quarter of the royal achievement of Great Britain. To harp for ever on ihe same string. To be for ever teazing one about the same subject. There is a Latin proverb (Ean- dem cantile'nam recin'ere). I once heard a man with a clarionet play the first half of In my cottage near a wood ” for more than an hour without cessation or change. It was in a crowded market-place, and the annoyance became at last so unbear- able that he collected a rich harvest to move on. Still harping on my daughter. “ Hamlet,'* ii. 1. Har'pagon {A). A miser. Harpa- gon is the name of the miser in Moli^re’s comedy called ‘^L’Avare.” Harpal'ice. A Thracian virago, who liberated her father Harpal'icos when he was taken prisoner by the Getsc. With such array Harpalice bestrode Her Thracian courser. Dryden. Harpe (2 syl.). The cutlass with which Mercury killed Argus, and Perseus subsequently cut off the head of Medu'sa. Harpies (2 syl.). Vultures with the head and breasts of a woman, very fierce and loathsome, living in an atmosphere of filth and stench, and contaminating everything which they came near. Homer mentions but one harpy. He'siod gives twoy and later writers three. The names indicate that these monsters were per- sonifications of whirlwinds and storms. Their names were Ocyp^eta {rapid), Cele'- no {blackness), and AelPo {storm). He is a regular harpy. One who wants to appropriate everything, one who sponges on another without mercy. I will ... do you any embassage . . . rather than hold three words conference with this harpy. Shukespearet **Mach Ado About Nothing," ii. i. HARPOCRATES. HARVEST MOON. 389 Harpoc'rates. The Greek form of the Egyptian god Har-pi-kruti (Horns the Child)y made by the Greeks and Romans the god of silence. This arose from a pure misapprehension. It is an Egyptian god, and was represented with its finger on its mouth,” to indicate youths but the Greeks thought it was a symbol of silence. Har'ridan. A haa^gard old beldame. So called from the French haridclle, a worn-out jade of a horse. Har'rier (3 syl.). A dog for hare- hunting, whence the name. Harri-kari (happy despatch). Official suicides of Japan. All persons in Japan holding civil appointments are bound to kill themselves when commanded by the Government. This they do by ripping themselves up with two gashes cross- wise, called harri-kari. Harrington. A farthing. So called from lord Harrington, to whom James I. granted a patent for making them of brass. Drunken Barnaby says — Thence to Hnrringtou be it spoken. For namf-sake I f?ave a token To a beggar that did crave it. Harris. Mrs. Harris. An hypotheti- cal lady, to whom Sarah Gamp referred for the corroboration of all her state- ments, and the bank on which she might draw to any extent for self-praise. — Dickens f Martin Chuzzlewit.^* Not Mrs. Harris in the immortal narrative was more quoted and more mythical. Lord Lytton. Harry. Old Harry. Old Scratch. To harry (Saxon) is to tear in pieces, whence our harrow. There is an ancient pamph- let entitled ^‘The Harrowing of Hell.” I do not think it is a corruption of ^^Old Hairy,” although the Hebrew Seirim (hairy ones) is translated devils in Lev. xvii. 7, and no doubt alludes to the ho- goat, an object of worship with the Egyp- tians. Moses says the children of Israel are no longer to sacrifice to devils (seirim) j as they did in Egypt. Harry Soph. A student at Cam- bridge who has declared ” for Law or Physic, and wears a full-sleeve gown. The word is a corruption of the Greek Heri-sophos (more than a Soph or com- mon second-year student ). — Cambridge Calendar. The tale goes that at the destruction of the monasteries, in the reign of Henry VIII., certain students waited to see how matters would turn out before they com- mitted themselves by taking a clerical degree, and that these men were called SophistcB HenricioJni or Henry Sophis- ters.” Hart. In Christian art, the emblem of solitude and purity of life. It was the attribute of St. Hubert, St. Julian and St. Eustace. It was also the type of piety and religious aspiration. — P6alm xlii 1. (See Hind,.) The White Hart or hind, with a golden chain, in public-house signs, is the badge of Richard II., which was worn by all his courtiers and adherents. It was adopted from his mother, whose cognizance was a white hind. Hart Royal. A male red deer, when the crown of the antler has made its appearance, and the creature has been hunted by a king. Hartnet. 'fhe daughter of Rukenaw, the ape in the tale of Reyni.rd the Fox.” The word in old German means hard or strong strife. Harum Scarum. A hare-brained person who scares quiet folk. Some derive it from the French cLameur de Haro (hue and cry), as if the mad- cap were one against whom the hue and cry is raised, but probably it is simply a gingle-word having allusion to the “mad- ness of a March hare^' and the “scaring” of honest folks from their proprieties. Who’s there ? I s’pose young harum scarum. Cambridge Facetvce, “ Collegian and Porter.** Haruspex (pi. haru^ pices). Persons who interpreted the will of the gods by inspecting the entrails of animals offered in sacrifice (old Latin harn' ga, a victim ; specto. 1 inspect). Cato said, “ I wonder how one haruspex can keep from laugh- ing when he sees another.” Harvard College, in the United States, endowed by the Rev. John Harvard in 1639. Founded 1636. Harvest Goose. A corruption of A rvyst Gos (a stubble goose). (See W ayz- GOOSB.) A young wife and an arvyst gos, Mochegagil Icldter] with both. *• Reliquice Antiques.” ii. 113. Harvest Moon. The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. The peculiarity of this moon is that it rises 390 fiASSAN. flATTEMiSTS. for several days nearly at sunset, and about the same time, instead of tifty-two minutes later each successive day as usual. Hassan. Caliph of the Ottoman empire ; noted for his hospitality and splendour. His palace was daily thronged with guests, and in his seraglio was a beautiful young slave named Leila (2 syl.')^ who had formed an unfortunate attachment to a Christian called the Giao'ur. She is put to death by an emir, and Hassan is slain by the Giaour near Mount Parnassus. —Byroiiy T he Giaour ” Al JHassan. The Arabian emir' of Persia, father of Hinda, in Moore’s Fire- Worshippers.” He won the battle of Cadessia, and thus became master of Persia. Hassan-Ben-Sabah (the Old Man of the Mountain), founder of the sect of the Assassins. In Kymer’s Foedera are two letters by this sheik. Hassock. A doss or footstool made of Msg (sedge or rushes). Ha«socks should be gotten in the fens, and laid at the foot of the ‘ aid bank . . . where need required.— Dugdale, Jmbanking p. 322. The knees and hassocks are well-nigh divorced. Cowper. Hat. How lord Kingsale acquired the right of wearing his hat in the royal presence is this : King John and Philippe II. of France agreed to settle a dispute respecting the duchy of Normandy by single combat. John de Courcy, earl of Ulster, was the English champion, and no sooner put in his appearance than the French champion put spurs to his horse and fled. The king asked the earl what reward should be given him, and he replied, Titles and lands I want not, of these I have enough ; but in remembrance of this day I beg the boon for myself and successors to remain covered in the pre- sence of your highness, and all future sovereigns of the realm.” Cockle hat. A pilgrim’s hat. So called from the custom of putting cockle-shells upon their hats, to indicate their inten- tion or performance of a pilgrimage. How should 1 your true love know From another one ? By his cockle-h.it and staff And his samlal shoori. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet^ iv. 5. You are only jit to wear a steeple-crowned hat. To be burnt as a heretic. The victims of tl**? Autos-da-Fe of the ‘^Holy” Inquisition were always decorated with such a head-gear. Never wear a hroim hat in Friesland. Do as Rome does. If people have a strong prejudice do not run counter to it. Fries- land is a province of the Netherlands, where they cut their hair short, and cover the head first with a knitted cap, then a high silk skull-cap, then a metal turban, and lastly a huge flaunting bonnet. Four or five dresses always constitute the ordi- nary head-gear. A traveller once passed through the province with a common brown chimney-hat or wide-awake, but was hustled by the workmen, jeered at by the women, pelted by the boys, and sneered at by the magnates as a regular guy. If, therefore, you would pass quietly through this enlightened ” province never wear there a brown hat. Hats and Caps. Two political fac- tions of Sweden of the eighteenth century, the former favourable to France, and the latter to Russia. Carlyle says the latter were called caps, meaning night-caps, be- cause they were averse to action and war ; but the fact is that the French partisans wore a French chapeau as their badge, and the Russian partisans a Russian cap. Hat Money. A small gratuity paid to the master of a ship for his care and trouble, originally collected in a hat at the end of a good voyage. Hatcliet. Greek axinCy Latin asciay Italian accettay French hachettey our hatchet and axe. To throw the hatchet. To tell falsehoods. In allusion to an ancient game where hatchets were thrown at a mark, like quoits. Same as drawing the long-bow (?■'!>•)• Bury the Hatchet. {See Burt.) Hatchway. Lieutenant Jack Hatch- way. A retired naval officer, the com- panion of Commodore Trunnion, in Smollett’s Peregrine Pickle.” Hatef deadly). One of Mahomet’s swords, confiscated from the Jews when they were exiled from Medi'na. Hat'temists. An ecclesiastical sect in Holland, so called from Pontian von Hattem,of Zealand (seventeenth century). They denied the expiatory sacrifice of Christ, and the corruption of human nature. tlATTERAlCK. HAVERING. 391 Hatter aick {Dirh). Also called Jans Janson.” A Dutch smuggler and thorough villain, bub faithful to his em- ployers. Being an accomplice of lawyer Glossin’s in carrying off Henry Bertrand, both he and the lawyer were put into prison. During the night Glossin con- trived to enter the smuggler’s cell, when a quarrel ensued, and Hatteraick strangled Dlossin, and then hanged himself. Hatto. Archbishop of Mainz, ac- cording to tradition, was devoured by mice. The story says that in 970 there was a great famine in Germany, and Hatto, that there might be better store for the rich, assembled the poor in a barn, and burnt them to death, saying. They are like mice, only good to devour the corn.” By and by an army of mice came against the archbishop, and the abbot, to escape the plague, removed to a tower on the Rhine, but; hither came the mouse-army by hundreds and thou- sands, and ate the bishop up. The tower is still called Mouse-tower. Southey has a ballad on the subject, but makes the invaders an army of rats. (^See MOUSE Tower.) A very similar legend is told of count Graaf, a wicked and powerful chief, who raised a tower in the midst of the Rhine for the purpose of exacting tolls. If any boat or barge attempted to evade the exaction, the warders of the tower shot the crew with cross-bows. Amongst other ways of making himself rich was buying up corn. One year a sad famine prevailed, and the count made a harvest of the dis- tress ; but an army of rats, pressed by hunger, invaded his tower, and falling on the old baron, worried him to death, and then devoured him . — Legends of the Rhine. And in at the windows, and in at the door, And ttiTough the walls by thoosai'de they poor. And down through the ceiling, and up ihrougti the fl' -or. From the riyht and the left, from b-^hind and before, Fro.u within and without, from above and below, And all at once to the bishop they go. They have whetted their teeth acrainst the itones And now they are picking the bishop's bones; 'I'hey gnawed the flesh from every lim% For they were sent to do judgm nt on him. Southey, “ Bishop Hcitto'* Hatton. The dancing chancellor. Sir Christopher Hatton was brought up to the law, but became a courtier, and at- tracted the attention of queen Elizabeth by his very graceful dancing at a masque. The queen took him into favour, and soon made him both chancellor and knight of the garter. (% — 1591.) His bushy beard, and shoestrings green, His high-crowned hat and satin doublet, Movfd the stout heart of England’s queen. Though pope and Spaniard could not trouble iU Gray. Hatton Gardens (London). The place of Sir Christopher Hatton, the dancing chancellor. {See above.) Haul over the Coals. Take to task. Jamieson thinks it refers to the ordeal by fire, a suggestion which is favoured by the French corresponding phrase, mettre sur la selleite {to put on the culprit’s stool). Hauss'manniza'tion. The pulling down and building up anew of streets and cities, as baron Haussmaun re- modelled Paris, at the expense of some 100 millions sterling. In 1868 he had saddled Paris with a debt of about twenty- eight millions. Hautboy. A strawberry. So called either from the hant hois (high woods) of Bohemia whence it was imported, or from its haut-bois (long-stalk). The latter is the more probable, and furnishes the etymology of the musical instrument also, which has a long month-reed. Hav'elok (3 syl.), the orphan son of Birkabegn, king of Denmark, was exposed at sea through the treachery of his guardians, and the raft drifted to the poast of Lincolnshire. Here a fisherman named Grim fdund the young prince, and brought him up as his own son. In time it so happened that an English princess stood in the way of certain ambitious nobles, who resolved to degrade her by uniting her to a peasant, and selected the young foundling for the purpose ; but Havelok having learnt the story of his birth, obtained the aid of the king his father to recover his wife’s possessions, and became in due time king of Denmark and partof England . — Haveloc the Dane’' ify the Tronveurs). Haver-eakes. Oaten cakes (Scan- dinavian hafrey German haferj oats). ITaveril (3 syl.). A simpleton, April- fool. French poisson d'Avril (Islandio gijr, foolish talk). Havering (Essex). The legend says that while Edward the Confessor was dwelling in this locality an old pilgrim 392 HAVIOH. HEAD. asked alms, and the king replied, have no money, but I have-a-ring and drawing it from his fore-finger, gave it to the beggar. Some time after certain English pilgrims in Jewry met the same man, who drew the ring from his finger, and said, Give this to your king, and say within six months he shall die.” The request was complied with, and the pre- diction fulfilled. The shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey gives colour to this legend. Havior, Heavier, Haiver, or Hevor. Ox-deer, wilder than either hart or hind. Colquhoun says they are so called from the French hiver (winter) because they are in season all the winter. Jamieson says the derivation is averie (live stock generally). Havock. A military cry to general massacre without quarter. This cry was forbidden in the ninth year of Kichard II. on pain of death. Probably it was ori- ginally used in hunting wild beasts, such as wolves, lions, &c., that fell on sheep- folds, and Shakespeare favours this sug- gestion in his ^‘Julius Csesar,” where he says At€ shall cry havock ! and let slip the dogs of war.” (Welsh, hafog, devastation ; Irish, arvach.') Havre (France). A contraction of Le harvre de notre dame de grace. Hawks are thus distinguished : — Gerfalcon : a Tercellof a Gerfalcon are due to a king. Falcon gentle and a Tercel gentle, for a prince. Falcon of the rock, for a duke. Falcon peregrine, for an earl. Bastard hawk, for a baron. Sacre and a Sacrit, for a knight. Lanare and Lanrell, for a squire. Merlyn, for a lady. Ho by, for a young man. Goshawk, for a yeomc\n. Tercel, for a poor man. Sparehawk, for a priest. Murky te, for a holy-water clerk. Hesterel> for a knave or servant. Dame Juliana Barges. The Sore-hawk ” is a hawk of the first year, so called from the French sor or saure, brownish yellow. The ‘^^Spar” or Sparrow” hawk is a small, ignoble hawk (Saxon, speara; Goth, spanva; our spare, spar, spur. spear, spire, sparing, sparse, &c. ; Latin, sparsusj all referring to minuteness). The Hawk was the ava'tar of Ra or Horus, the sun-god of the Egyptians. I know a hawk from a handsaw. Hand- saw is a corruption oihernshaw (a heron). I know a hawk from a heron, the bird of prey from the game flown at. ■ The proverb means, I know one thing from another. (>See Hamlet,” ii. 2.) Hawse-holes. He has crept through the hawse- holes. Has risen from the ranks. A naval phrase. The hawse-holes are those in the bow of a ship through which cables pass. Hawthorn was chosen by Henry VII. for his device, because the crown of Richard III. was discovered in a haw- thorn bush at Bosworth. Hay. A bottle of hay. (French ** botte de foyne,” bundle of hay.) Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hpy, good hay ; sweet hay hath no fellow.— S/tatespea?*;, '"'Midsummer Night's Dreamt" iv, 1. Hayston {Frank). The laird of Bucklaw, afterwards laird of Girnington. — Sir Walter Scott, ‘‘ Bride of Lammer- moor.'* Hayward. A keeper of the cattle or common herd of a village or parish. The Word hay means hedge,” and this herdsman was so called because he had ward ” of the hedges ” also. Hazel. Dsed for discovering metals and wpvter. It must be forked like a Y, and the diviner walks with the rod slowly over the places where he suspects mines or springs to be concealed ; when he passes over the place, the rod makes a dip or inclination. This is a relic of the vir'gula divi'na superstition, men- tioned more than once in the Old Testa- ment. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them.— ^osea, iv- 12. he Be juans .‘eek to leatn beforehand the issue of an enterprise by consulting ttieir staffs like th« ancient Jews .— "Travels in South Af'ica." •rfazis. The war-god of the Syrians. The word means “ terrible in battle.” Head. Latin, caput; Saxon, heafod; Scotch, hafet ; contracted into head. Men without heads, {See Blemmyes.) Men with heads beneath the shoulders. {See Caora). HEADLANDS. HEART. 393 Better he the head of an ass than the tail of a horse. Better be foremost amongst commoners than the lowest of the aris- tocracy ; better be the head of the yeo- manry than the tail of the gentry. The Italians say, “E meglio esser testa di luccio che coda di sturione.’* ril bundle you out head and heels. Sans cer^monie,” altogether. The allusion is to a custom at one time far too frequent in cottages, for a whole family to sleep together in one bed head to heels or pednam'ene, as it was termed in Cornwall ; to bundle the whole lot out of bed, was to turn them out head and heels. You have hit the nail on the head. You have guessed aright, you have done the right thing. The allusion is obvious. The French say, “ Vous avez frappe' au but” (You have hit the mark); the Italians have the phrase, Havete date in brocca” (You have hit the pitcher), al- luding to a game where a pitcher stood in the place of Aunt Sally (^q.v.). The Latin, ^^Rem acu tetigisti” (You have touched the thing wuth a needle), refers to the custom of probing sores. Heads or tails. Guess whether the coin tossed up will come down with head- side uppermost or not. The, side not bearing the head has various devices, sometimes Britannia, sometimes George and the Dragon, sometimes a harp, some- times the royal arms, sometimes an in- scription, &c. These devices are all in- cluded in the word tail, meaning opposite to the head. The ancient Romans used to play this game, but said, Heads or ships.” Cum pueri deuarios in sublime js.ctentes, "capita aut iiftvn,” lusu teste vetustatis exclamant.— Macro^ius, " S tui na lxa.^ i. 7. Headlands. A corruption of hege- lands y the parts against the hedgey which at one time were left uncultivated. Headrigg {Cuddie). A ploughman in lady Bell enden’s service.— /S'tr Walter Scotty Old Mortality.'* Heady, wilful, is the German heftig, violent, self-willed. Healing Gold. Gold given to a king for '‘healing” the king’s evil, which was done by a touch. Health. Your health. The story is that Vortigern was invited to dine at the house of Hengist, when Rowe'na, the host’s daughter, brought a cup of wine which she presented to their royal guest, saying, " Was h^aly hldford cyning** (Your health, lord king). {See Wassail.) William of Malmesbury says, the cus- tom took its rise from the death of young king Edward the Martyr, who was trai- torously stabbed in the back while drink- ing a cup of wine presented to him by his mother Elfrida Drinking healths. The Romans adopted a curious fashion of drinking the health of their lady-loves, and that was to drink a bumper to each letter of her name. Hudibras satirises this custom, which he calls ‘'spelling names with beer-glasses” (pt. ii., c. 1). Nsevia sex cyathis, septem Justina bibatur, Quinque Lycas, Lyde quatuor, Ida tnbug. “ 31artial^" \. 72. Three cups to Amy, four to Kate be given, To Susan five, six Rachel, Bridget seven. Hear as hog in harvest. In at one ear and out at the other, hear without paying attention. Giles Firmin says, " If you call hogs out of the harvest stubble, they will just lift up their heads to listen, and fall to their shack again . — Real Chris- tian.** (1670.) Hearse (1 syl. ) means simply a harrow. Those harrows used in Roman Catholic churches (or frames with spikes) for holding candles are called in France herses. These frames at a later period were covered with a canopy, and lastly were mounted on wheels. Heart. A variety of the word core, (Latin, cord*, the heart ; Greek, hard* ; Sanskrit, hercC ; Saxon, heorte). Heart (in Christian art), the attribute of St. Theresa. A heart pierced with arrows (in Christian art) indicates the wounds of sorrow. The heart of the Virgin Mary is frequently represented as pierced with seven arrows or daggers, indicative of her seven sor- rows {q.v.). Yea, an arrow shall pierce through thine own soul [heart].— iSl- Luke, ii. 35. A bloody heart. Since the time of Good lord James the Douglasses have carried upon their shields a bloody heart w’th a crown upon it, in memory of the expedi- tion of lord James to Spain with the heart of king Robert Bruce. King Robert com- missioned his friend to carry his heart to the Holy Land, and lord James had it enclosed in a silver casket, which he wore HEBii. 394 HEART OF MID-LOTHlAiT. round his neck. On his way to the Holy Land, he stopped to aid Alphonso of Castile against Osmyn the Moor, and was slain. Sir Simon Lockhard of Lee was commissioned to carry the heart back to Scotland. — Tales of a Grandfather,” xi. The jiaming heart (in Christian art), the symbol of charity. An attribute of St. Augustine, denoting the fervency of his devotion. The heart of the Saviour is frequently so represented. Heart of Mid-Lothian. The old jail, the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, taken down in 1817. Sir "Walter Scott has a novel so called. Heat. One course in a race. So called because the horses must be allowed to cool down before they run again. Feigned Zeal, you saw, R“t out with speedier pace, But the last heat, Plaiu Dealing won the race- Li'yden, Heathen. A dweller on a heath or common. Christian doctrines would not reach these remote people till long after it had been accepted in towns, and even villages. Pagan.) Heaven. The first heaven, says Ma- homet, is of pure silver, and here the stars are hung out like lamps on golden chains. Each star has an angel for warder. In this heaven ^^the prophet’* found Adam and Eve. The second hto.ven, says Mahomet, is of polished steel and dazzling splendour. Here the prophet” found Noah. The third heaven, says Mahomet, is studded with precious stones too bril- liant for the eye of man. Here Az'rael, the angel of death is stationed, and is for ever writing in a large book, or blotting words out. The former are the names of persons born, the latter those of the newly dead, heloiv ‘^Heaven of Heavens.”) The fourth heaven, he says, is of the finest silver. Here dwells the Angel of Tears, whose height is 500 days’ jour- ney,” and he sheds ceaseless tears for the sins of man. The fifth heaven is of purest gold, and here dwells the Avenging Angel, who presides over elemental fire. Here “ the prophet” met Aaron. {Seehelow.) The sixth heaven is composed of Has'ala, a sort of carbuncle. Here dwells the Guardian Angel of heaven and earth, half snow and half fire. It was here that Mahomet saw Moses, who wept with envy. The seventh heaven, says the same veri- table authority, is formed of divine light beyond the power of tongue to describe. Each inhabitant is bigger than the whole earth, and has 70,000 heads, each head 70,000 mouths, each mouth 70,000 tongues, and each tongue speaks 70,000 languages, all for ever employed in chanting the praises of the Most High. Here he met Abraham. {See lelow.) IF The fifth heaven. According to Ptolemy there are five heavens : (I) The planetary heaven ; (2) the sphere of the fixed stars ; (3) the crystalline, which vibrates ; (4) the primum mo'bile, which communicates motion to the lower spheres ; (5) the empyre'an or seat of deity and angels. (See above.) SompfimeR she doeuncd that IVFars had from above Left his fifth heaven, the powers of men 1o prove. Hoole, “ Orlando Furioso," bk. xiiL ^ To he in the seventh heaven. Supremely happy. The Cabbalists maintained that there are seven heavens, each rising in happiness above the other, the seventh being the abode of God and the highest class of angels. {See above.) ^ The ninth heaven. The terra heaven was used anciently to denote the orb or sphere in which a celestial body was supposed to move, hence the number of heavens varied. According to one sys- tem, the first heaven was that of the Moon, the second that of Venus, the third that of Mercury, the fourth that of the Sun, the fifth that of Mars, the sixth that of Jupiter, the seventh that of Saturn, the eighth that of the fixed stars, and the ninth that of the primum mo'bile. The heaven of heavens. The H ebrews acknowledged three heavens : the air, the starry firmament, and the residence of God. Thus ‘Hhe fowls of heaven,” “the dew of heaven,” “the clouds of heaven,” mean of the air. “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven” (Genesis i. 14) means the starry vault. “Heaven is my throne” (Isa. Ixvi. 1 and I Matt. V. 34), is the residence of God and the angels. “Heaven of heavens” is a Hebrew superlative meaning the highest of the heavens. In modern phraseology the word heaven is used for the starry firmament, and the residence of God and angels. Helbe. Goddess of youth, and cup- bearer to the celestial gods. She had hebertistes. HEDGE-PRIES^. 395 the power of restoring the aged to youth and Greek mythology. Wreathed smiles Sach as hang on He^ie’s cheek. And love to live in dimple sleek. Milton, U Allegro'' Hebe Vases. Small vases like a coty- liscos. So termed because Hebe is re- presented as bearing one containing nectar for the gods. Hebertistes (3 syl.). The partisans of the vile demagogue, Jaques Rene Hebert, chief of the Cordeliers, a revo- lutionary club which boasted of such names as Anacharsis Clootz, Ronsin, Vincent, andMomoro, in the great French Revolution. Heb'ron, in the satire of ‘‘ Absalom and Achitophel,” in the first part stands for Holland, but in the second part for Scotland. Heb'ronite (3 syl.), a native of Holland, or Scotland. Hec'ate (3 syl. in Greek, 2 in Eng.). A triple deity, called Phoebe or the Moon in heaven, Diana on the earth, and He- cate or Proserpine in hell. She is de- scribed as having three heads— one of a horse, one of a dog, and one of a lion. Her offerings consisted of dogs, honey, and black lambs. She was sometimes called Tri'via,” because offerings were presented to her at cross-roads. Shakes- peare refers to the triple character of this goddess. And we fairies that do run By the triple Hecate’s team. '^Midsummer Alight's Dream," v. 2. Hecate, daughter of Perses the Titan, is a very different person to the Triple Hecate,” who, according to Hesiod, was daughter of Zeus and Deme'ter. This latter was a benevolent goddess, for whom Zeus had more regard than for any other deity. The former was a Titan who poisoned her father, raised a tem- ple to Diana in which she immolated strangers, and was mother of Mede'a and Circe. She presided over magic and enchantments, taught sorcery and witchcraft. She is represented with a lighted torch and a sword, and is attended with two black dogs. Wow witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s otfermgs. iShakesptare, '^Macbeth," ii. 1, Hector. Eldest son of Priam, the noblest and most magnanimous of all the chieftains in Homer’s Iliad” (a Greek epic). After holding out for ten years, he was slain by Achilles, who lashed him to his chariot, and dragged the dead body in triumph thrice round the walls of Troy. The Iliad ” con- cludes with the funeral obsequies of Hector and Patrocdos. The Hector of Germany. Joachim II., elector of Brandenburg. (1514-1571.) Hector. A leader ; so called from the son of Priam and generalissimo of the Trojans. Hector. To bully, or play the bully. It is hard to conceive how the brave, modest, noble-minded patriot came to be made the synonym of a braggart and blusterer like Ajax. You wear HectoVs cloak. You are paid off for trying to deceive another. You are paid in your own coin. When Thomas Percy, earl of Northumberland, in 1569, was routed, he hid himself in the house of Hector Armstrong, of Har- law. This villain betrayed him for the reward offered, but never after did any- thing go well with him ; he went down, down, down, till at last he died a beggar in rags on the road-side. Hee'uba. Second wife of Priam, and mother of nineteen children. When Troy was taken by the Greeks, she fell to the lot of Ulysses. She was after- wards metamorphosed into a dog, and threw herself into the sea. The place where she perished was afterwards called the Doq's-qrave (eynos-se'ma). — Homer, Iliad On to Hecuba. To the point or main incident. The story of Hecuba has furnished a host of Greek tragedies. Hedge. To hedge in betting is to defend oneself from loss by cross-bets. As a hedge is a defence, so betters defend themselves by hedging. Hedge Lane (London) inelud< s that whole line of streets (Dorset, Whitcomb, Prince’s, and Wardour) stretching from Pall Mall East to Oxford Street. Hedge-Priest. A poor or vagabond parson. The use of hedge for vagabond or very inferior is common : as hedge- mustard, hedge-writer (a Grub-street author), hedge-marriage (a clandestine one), &c. Shakespeare uses the phrase, hedge-born swain ” as the very opposite of ^^gentle blood.” — '^1 Henry U/.,” iv. 1. SEELS. HELEN. H eels. Out at heels. In a sad plight, in decayed circumstances, like a beggar whose stockings are worn out at the heels. A good man’s fortune may grow out at heels. Shakespeare, *^King Lear," ii. 2. Heel-tap. Bumpers all round, and no heel taps, i.e., the bumpers are to be drained to the bottom of the glass. A heel-tap is the peg in the heel of a shoe, which is taken out when the shoe is finished ; metaphorically the wine left in a glass when the drinker sets it down as empty ’* or finished. Heenan. In Heenan style. ^'By apostolic blows and knocks.” Heenan, the Bermcia boy of North America, dis- puted for the champion’s belt against Sayers, the British champion. His build and muscle were the admiration of the ring. Heep {Uri'ah). An abject toady, malignant as he is base ; always boasting of his ^umble birth, ^umhle position, ^umble abode, and ^umhle calling. — Dichens, David CojpperJiekV^ Hegem'ony (4 syl.). The hegemony of na* ions. The leadership. (Greek, hege- mon'ia, from ago, to lead.) Hegi'ra. The epoch of the flight of Mahomet from Mecca, when he was expelled by the magistrates, July 16, 622. From this event the Mahometans begin their dates (Arabic, haja'ra, to remove). He'il (2 syl.). An idol of the ancient Celts, worshipped in Devonshire. Heimdall (2 syl.). In Celtic myth- ology, son of the nine virgins, all sisters. He is called the god with the golden tooth, or ivith golden teeth. He is said to live at the further extremity of the bridge Bifrost {g.v.), and keep the keys of heaven. He is watchman or sentinel of Asgard {q.v.), sleeps less than a bird, sees even in sleep, can hear the grass grow, and even the wool on a lamb’s back. Heimdall, at the end of the world, will wake the gods with his trumpet, when the sons of Muspell will go against them, with Loke, the wolf Fenris, and the great serpent Jormungandar. Heimdaller. The learned humbugs in the court of king Dinu'be of Hisisburg. — ‘‘ Grimm^s Goblins,^' Heimskrin'gla. The universe. — Scandinavian, Heims-Kringla {The), A prose legetid of historic foundation found in the Snorra Edda. Heir Apparent. The person who is heir if he survives. At the death of his predecessor the heir-apparent be- comes heir-at-law. Heir Presumptive. One who will be heir, if no one is born having a prior claim. Thus the princess royal was heir-presumptive till the prince of Wales was born, and if the prince of Wales had been king before any family had been born to him, his brother prince Alfred would have been heir-presumptive. Hel or Hela (in Scandinavian myth- ology) is goddess of the ninth earth or nether world. She dwelt beneath the roots of the sacred ash {yggdrasiV), and was the daughter of Loki or Loke. The All-father sent her into Niflheim, where she was given dominion over nine worlds, and to one or other of these nine worlds she sends all who die of sickness or old age. Her dwelling is Elvid'nir {dark clouds), her dish Hungr {hunger), her knife Suilt {starvation), her servants Gangla'ti {tardy -feet), her bed Kor {sick- ness), and her bed-curtains Blikian'dabbl {splendid misery), Down the yawning steep he rode That led to liela’s drear abode. Qray, “ Descent of Odin.*’ Hel Keplein. A mantle of invisi- bility belonging to the dwarf-king Laurin. (German, hehlen, to conceal). — The Rel- denbuchJ^ Heldenbueh (Book of Heroes). A German compilation of all the romances pertaining to Diderick and his cham- pions, by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Helen. The type of female beauty, more especially in those who have reached womanhood. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and the wife of Menela'os, king of Sparta. She moves a goddess and she looks a queen. Pope, “ Iliad,” iii. The Helen of Spain. Cava or Florinda, daughter of count Julian. {See Cava.) St. Helen. Represented in royal robes, wearing an imperial crown, because she was empress. Sometimes she carries in her hand a model of the Holy Sepulchre, an edifice raised by her in the East; sometimes she bears a large cross. ( HELENA. HELLENES. 397 typical of her alleged discovery of that upon which the Saviour was crucified ; some'imes she also bears the three nails by which he was affixed to the cross. St. Helens fire (feu d’ Helene) ; also called Feu St. Herme (St. Helme’s or St. Elmo’s fire) ; and by the Italians ^Hhe fires of St. Peter and St Nicholas.” Meteoric fires seen occasionally on the masts of ships, &c. If the flame is single, foul and tempestuous weather is said to be at hand ; but if two or more flames appear, the weather will improve. {See Castor.) Hel 'ena. The type of a lovely woman, patient and hopeful, strong in feeling, and sustained through trials by her enduring and heroic ioMh.. — Shake- speare, All's Well that Ends WelV* Hel'enos. The prophet, the only son of Priam that survived the fall of Troy. He fell to the share of Pyrrhos when the captives were awarded; and because he saved the life of the young Grecian, was allowed to marry Androm'- acha, his brother Hector’s widow. — Virgil, JEneid.'' Helicon. The Muses’ Grove. It is part of the Parnassos, a mountain range in Greece. Helicon’s harmonious stream is th e stream which flowed from the mountains to tbe fountains of the Muses, called Aganippe and Hip'pocrene (3 syl.). Heligh-Monat (Holy-month). The name given by the Anglo-Saxons to the month of December, in allusion to Christ- mas-day. Helios. The Greek Sun-god, who rode to his palace in Colchis every night in a golden boat furnished with wings. Heliotrope (4 syl.). Apollo loved Clytla, but forsook her for her sister Leucoth'oe. On discovering this, Clytia pined away, and Apollo changed her at death to a flower, which, always turning towards the sun, is called heliotrope (Greek, ^^turn-to-sun”). Hell. In the Buddhist system there are 136 places of punishment after death, where the dead are sent according to their degree of demerit. {See Euphem- isms.) Descended into hell (Creed) means the place of the dead. Anglo-Saxon helan, to cover or conceal, like the Greek Ha'des,” the abode of the dead, from the verb a-eid.o, not to see. In both cases it means “the unseen wmrld” or “the world concealed from sight.” The god of this nether world was called “Hades” by the Greeks, and “Hel” or “Hella” by the Scandinavians. In some counties of England to cover in with a roof is “to hell the building,” and thatch ers or tilers are termed “ helliers.” Lead apes in hell. Die an old maid. As an old maid would not lead a husband in this world, she will be doomed to lead or marry an ape in the realms infernal. Beatrice says — He that is more than youth is not for me, and he that is less thm man I am not for him ; therefore I will . . . even lead Hi's apes into hell. Shakespeare, “ Much Ado About Nothing,'* ii. 1. But ’tis an old proverb, and you k"Ow it well, That women, dying maids, lead apes in hell. The London Prodigal," it Hell Gate. A dangerous pass be- tween Great Barn Island and Long Island (North America). The Dutch settlers of New York gave it this name because its navigation was very dan- gerous. Hell-gates, according to Milton, are nine-fold — three of brass, three of iron, and three of adamant ; the keepers are Sin and Death. This allegory is one of the most celebrated passages of “Para- dise Lost.” {See Book ii., 643-676.) Hell Kettles. Cavities three miles long at Oxen-le-field, in Durham. Hell Shoe. In Icelandic mythology, indispensable for the journey to Valhalla as the obolus for crossing the Styx. Hellanod'icse. Umpires of the public games in Greece. They might chastise with a stick any one who created a disturbance. Lichas, a Spartan noble- man, was so punished by them. Helle'nes (3 syl.). “This word had in Palestine three several meanings : Sometimes it designated the pagans; sometimes the Jews, speaking Greek, and dwelling among the pagans ; and sometimes men of pagan origin converted to Judaism” (John, vii. 35, xii. 20; Acts, xiv. 1, xvii. 4, xviii. 4, xxi. 28). — Rhian, Life of Jesus,” xiv. N.B. — The present Greeks call them- selves “ Helle'nes,” and the king is termed “ King of the Helle'nes.” The ancient Greeks called their country “ Hellas ;” it was the Romans who mis- named it “ Grsecia,” 198 HELLENIC, HEMUS. Helle'nic. The common dialect of the Greek writers after the age of Alex- ander. It was based on the Attic. Hellenis'tic. The dialect of the Greek language used by the Jews. It was full of Oriental idioms and metaphors. HelTenists. Those Jews who used the Greek or Hellenic language. (All these four words are derived from Hellas, in Thessaly, the cradle of the race.) Hellespont (3 syl.), now called the Dardanelles, means the “sea of Helle,’’ and was so called because Helle, the sister of Phryxos, was drowned there while seeking to escape from Ino, her mother-in-law, who most cruelly op- pressed her. Both Helle and Phryxos were transported through the air on a golden ram, but Helle, turning giddy, fell into the sea, which was accordingly called after her name. Helmets. Those of Saragossa were most in repute in the days of chivalry. Close helmet. The complete head-piece, having in front two movable parts, which could be lifted up or let down at pleasure. Visor, One of the movable parts ; it was to look through. Bever, or drinking -’piece. One of the movable parts, which was lifted up when the wearer ate or drank. It comes from the Italian verb hevere (to drink). Mo'rion. A low iron cap, worn only by infantry. Mahomet^s Helmet. Mahomet wore a double helmet ; the exterior one was called al mawashah (the wreathed gar- land). The helmet of Perseus, which rendered the wearer invisible. This was the “Helmet of Ha'des,” which, with the winged sandals and magic wallet, he took from certain nymphs who held them in possession ; but after he had slain Medusa he restored them again, and presented the gorgon’s head to Athe'na [Minerva], who placed it in the middle of her segis. Helon, in the satire of “Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, is meant for the earl of Feversham. Helter-skelter. Higgledy-piggledy; in hurry and confusion. The Latin hilar iter -celeriter comes tolerably near the meaning of post haste, as Shakes- peare uses the expressio (2 Henry IV., V. 3) : — Sir .Tohn, I am thy Pistol and thy friend, And heiter-sl^elter have I rode lo thee. And tidings do I bring. The archaic word helt, “poured out,” is doubtless the same as helter; and probably shelter is a variation of the same. Helve. To thro 2 o the helve after tiu hatchet. To be reckless, to throw away what remains because your losses have been so great. The allusion is to the fable of the wood-cutter who lost the head of his axe in a river, and threw the handle in after it. Helve'tia. Switzerland. So called from the Helve'tii, a powerful Celtic people who dwelt thereabouts. See from the ashes of Helvetia’s pile The whitened skull of old Serve'tus smile. Holmes. Hemp. To have some hemp in your pocket. To have luck on your side in the most adverse circumstances. The phrase is French (Avoir de la corde-de-pendu dans sa poche), referring to the popular notion that hemp brings good luck. Hempe (1 syl). When Hempe is spun England is done. Lord Bacon says he heard the prophecy when he was a child, and he interpreted it thus : Hempe is composed of the initial letters of i/enry, Edward, i/ary, fhilip, and A^lizabeth. At the close of the last reign “ England was done,” for the sovereign no longer styled himself “King of England,” but “ King of Great Britain and Ireland.” {See Notabica.) Hempen Caudle. A hangman’s rope. Ye shall have a hempen caudle then, and the help of a hsXchet.— Shakespeare, “ 2 Henry Ki.,” iv. 7. Hempen Fever. Death on the gallows, the rope being made of hemp. Hempen Widow. The widow of a man who has been hanged. {See above ) Of a hempen widow the kid forlorn. Ainsworth, ''’Jack Sfwppard.” Hemph'ta. The Egyptian J upiter. — Trismegisttis, “ Pimandre.” He'mus or Ha^mus. A chain of mountains in Thrace. According to mythology, Hfemos, son of Bo'reas, was changed into a mountain for aspiring to divine honours. HEN AND CHICKENS. HERBS. 399 Hen and Chickens (in Christian art), emblematical of God’s providence. {See ‘^St. Matthew,” xxiii. 37.) A whistling maid and crowing hen is neither fit for God nor men. A whistling maid means a witch, who whistles like the Lapland witches to call Tip the winds ; they were supposed to be in league with the devil. Th-e crowing of a hen v/as supposed to forbode a death. The usual interpretation is that masculine qualities in females are undesirable, but admitting the truth of the dictum, it would be the grossest exaggeration to say that mascu- line women are unfit for heaven. Hen-pecked. A man who submits to be snubbed by his wife. It is a fact that cocks, though very brave at large, are frequently under hen-government in coops. Henchman. Hencliboy. The Saxon hinc is a servant or page. I do but beg a little changeling boy To be my henchman. ShaJcespeare, Midsummer NighVs Dream,” ii. 1. Hengist and Horsa. German hengst (a stallion), and Horsa is connected with our Anglo-Saxon word hors (horse). If the names of two brothers, probably they were given them from the devices borne on their arms. According to tradition, they landed in Pegwell Bay, Kent. Henna. The Persian ladies tinge the tips of their fingers with henna, to make them a reddish -yellow. Hennil. Idol of the Vandals. It was represented as a stick surmounted with a hand holding an iron ring. Hen'ricans or Henridans. A reli- gious sect. So called from Henri'eus, its founder, an Italian monk, who, in the twelfth century, undertook to reform the vices of the clergy. He rejected infant baptism, festivals, and ceremonies. He was imprisoned by pope Euge'nius III. in 1148. Henriette (3 syl.), in the French lan- guage, means a perfect woman.” The character is from Molibre’s ‘^Femmes Savantes.” Henry Grace de Dieu. The largest ship built by Henry VIIT. ; it carried 72 guns, 700 men, and was 1,000 tons bur- then. {See Great Harry.) Hephaes'tos. The Greek Vulcan. Heptarchy (Greek for seven govern- ments). The aaxon Heptarchy is the divi- sion of England into seven parts, each of which had a separate ruler : as Kent, Sussex, Wessex, Essex, East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. He'ra. The Greek Juno, and wife of Zeus. (The word means chosen one,” aireo. ) HeraclePdae (4 syl.). The descen- dants of Her'acles (Latin, Hercules), Heralds. The coat of arms represents the knighi himself from whom the bearer is de- scended. The shield represents his body, and the helmet his head. The flourish is his mantle. The motto is the ground or moral pre- tension on which he stands. The supporters are the pages, desig- nated by the emblems of bears, lions, and so on. Herald’s College consists of three kings-at-arms, six heralds, and four pur- suivants. The three Tcings-at-arms are Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy. The six heralds are styled Windsor, Chester, Lancaster, Somerset, York, and Richmond. The four pursuivants are Portcullis, Rouge Dragon, Blue Mantle, and Rouge Croix. Garter King-at-arms is so called because of his special duty to attend at the solemnities of election, investiture, and installation of the Knights of the Garter. Clarencieux King-at-arms. So called from the duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. His duty is to marshal and dispose the funerals of knights on the south side of the Trent. Norroy King-at-arms has similar jurisdiction to Clarencieux, only on the north side of the Trent. 1 In Scotland the heraldic college con- sists of the Lyon King-at-arms, six heralds, and five pursuivants. f In Ireland it consists of the Ulster King-at-arms, two heralds, and two pursuivants. Herbs. Many herbs are used for curative purposes simply because of their m HERCULES. HEREFORDSHIRE. form or marks : thus Wood-sorrel, being shaped like a heart, is used as a cordial; liver-wort for the liver ; the celandine, which has yellow juice, for the jaundice ; herb-dragon, which is speckled like a dragon, to counteract the poison of serpents, &c. Her'cules (3 syl.). A Grecian hero, possessed of the utmost amount of physical strength and vigour that the human frame is capable of. He is re- presented as brawny, muscular, short- necked, and of huge proportions. The Pythian told him if he would serve Eurys'theus for twelve years he should become immortal ; accordingly he bound himself to the Argive king who imposed upon him twelve tasks of great difficulty and danger : 1st. To slay the Nem'ean lion. 2nd. To kill the Ler'nean hydra. 3rd. To catch and retain the Arca'dian stag. 4th. To destroy the Eryman'thian boar. 5th. To cleanse the stables of king Au'geas. 6th. To destroy the cannibal birds of the lake Stymphalis. 7th. To take captive the Cretan bull. 8th. To catch the horses of the Thra- cian Diome'des. 9th. To get possession of the girdle of Hippol'yte, queen of the Am'azons. 10th. To take captive the oxen of the monster Ger'yon. 11th. To get possession of the apples of the Hesper'ides. 12th. To bring up from the infernal regions the three-headed dog Cer'beros. The Nem'eaa lion first he killed, then Lerne’s hydra Th’ ' r a'dian sUg and monster h<>ar before Eurys'- theus drew ; Cleansed .Au'geas’ stalls, and made the birds from lake Siymplia'iis flee ; The Cretan hulh a'ld Thracian mares, first seized and then set free ; Took prize ihe Amazo'nian belt, brought Gerybn kine t om Gades ; Fetched apt les iroui the Hesperides and Cer'oeros from Haaes. Attic Hercules. Theseus, who went about, like Hercules, his great contem- porary, destroying robbers and achieving wondrous exploits. Egyptian Hercules. Sesostris. (Flou- rished B.c. 1500.) Jewish Hercules. Samson. (Died B.c. 1113.) Hercules Secundus. Com'modus, the Roman emperor, gave himself this title. He was a gigantic idiot, of whom it is said that he killed 100 lions in the amphi- theatre, and gave none of them more than one blow. He also overthrew 1,000 gladia- tors. (Ihl, 180-192.) The Farndse Hercules. A celebrated work of art, copied by Glykon from an original by Lysippos. It exhibits the hero, exhausted by toil, leaning upon his club ; his left hand rests upon his back, and grasps one of the apples of the Hes- per'ides. A copy of this famous statue stands in the gardens of the Tuileries, Paris ; but Glykon’s statue is in the Farnese Palace at Rome. A beautiful description of this statue is given by Thomson (^'Liberty,” iv.) Hercules' Club. A stick of unusual size and formidable appearance. Hercules' Horse. Ari'on, given him by Adras'tos. It had the power of speech, and its feet on the right side were those of a man. Hei'cules' Pillars. Calpe and Aby'la, one at Gibraltar and one at Ceuta, torn asunder by Hercules that he might get to Gades {Cadiz). Macro'bius ascribes these pillars to Sesostris (the Egyptian Hercules), and Lucan follows the same tradition. Venit ad oocasum, mundique extrema Sesostrig. Fharsa'lia,” x» I will folloio you even to the pillars of Hercules. To the end of the world. The ancients supposed that these rocks marked the utmost limits of the habitable globe. {See above Hercules’ Pillars.” Hereu'lean Knot. A snaky com- plication on the rod or cadu'ceus of Mer- cury, adopted by the Grecian brides as the fastening of their woollen girdles, which only the bridegroom was allowed to untie when the bride retired for the night. As he did so, he invoked Juno to render his marriaL^e as fecund as that of Hercules, who had a vast number of wives, all of whom had families, amongst others the fifty daughters of Thestius, each of whom conceived in one night. {See, Knot.) Hereford (3 syl.). Saxon, here-ford (army ford). Herefordshire Kindness. A good turn rendered for a good turn received. Latin proverbs, Fricantemrefri'ca ; Manus manum lavat. Fuller says the people of Herefordshire drink back to him who drinks to them.” HERETIC. HERMETIC BOOKS. 401 Heretic means one who chooses/’ and heresy means simply a choice.” A heretic is one who chooses his own creed, and does not adopt the creed authorised by the national church. (Greek, hair^sis, choice.) Heretics op the First Century were the Simo'nians (so called from Simon Magus), Gerin'thians (Cerinthus), Eh' ion- ites (Eb'ion), and Nicolditans (Nicholas, deacon of Antioch). Second Century : The Basilid/ians (Basil ides), Carpocra' tians (Carpoc'ra- tes), Valentin! ixiTis (Valenti'nus), Gnostics (Knowing Ones), Nazare'neSy Millena'- rians, Cain'ites (Cain), Seth'ians (Seth), Quartodecimans (^who kept Easter on the fourteenth day of the first month), Cer- do'nians ( Gordon) , Mar'cionites { Mar'cion ), Monta'nists (Monta'nus), Ta!tianixts (Ta'- tian), (who denied the ‘‘Word”), Artoty' rites {q.v.)^ and Angel'ics (who worshipped angels). Third Century : The Pai'ri-passians, Arab'aci, Aqua' rians, Nova' tians ^ Or'igen- ists (followers of Or'igen), M elchisedech' - ians (who believed Melchis'edech was the Messiah), Sahellians (from Saberiius), and Maniche'ans (followers of Manies). Fourth Century : The A'rians (from Arius), CoUuth'ians (Collu'thus), Mace- donians, Agoe'tcB, Appollina'rians (Apol- lina'ris), Timdtheans (Timothy, the apostle), Collyrid'ians (who offered cakes to the Virgin yL 2 ivy),Seleu' dans (Seleu cus), Priscillmns (Priscillian), Anthropo-inor- phites (who ascribed to God a human form), J ovin' ianisis (Jovin'ian), Mtssa'- lians, and Bono'sians (Bono'sus). Fifth Century : The Pela'gians{Ve\d!- gius), Nesto'rians (Nesto'rius), Eutych'- ians (Eu'tychus), Theo-paschites (who said all the three persons of the Trinity suf- fered on the cross). Sixth Century: HhQ Predesthia'rians, Incorrup' titles (who maintained that the body of Christ was incorruptible), the new Agoe'Ue (who maintained that Christ did not know when the day of judgment would take place), and the Monoth' elites (who maintained that Christ had but one will). Her'iot. A right of the lord of a i manor to the best jewel, beast, or chattel of a deceased copyhold tenant. The word is compounded of the Saxon here (army), ! geatn (grant), because originally it was ! military furniture, such as armour, arms, i and horses paid to the lord of the fee. — Canute, c. 69. Herniac. Busts of the god Hermes affixed to a quadrangular stone pillar, diminishing towards the base, and be- tween five and six feet in height. They were set up to mark the boundaries of lands, at the junction of roads, at the corners of streets, and so on. The Romans used them also for garden decorations. In later times the block was more or less chiselled into legs and arms. Hermaph'rodite (4 syl. ). A human body having both sexes ; a vehicle com- bining the structure of a wagon and cart ; a flower containing both the male and female organs of reproduction. The word is derived from the fable of Her- maph'rodi'tus, son of Hermes and Aph'- rodite. The nymph Sal'macis became enamoured of him, and prayed that she might be so closely united that “the twain might become one flesh.” Her prayer being heard, the nymph and boy became one body.- — Ovid, ^^Metamor- phoses,** iv. 347. Her'megyld or Uermyngyld. The wife of the constable of Northumberland, converted to Christianity by Cunstance, by whose bidding she restored sight to a blind Triton,— Chaucer, Man of Lawes Tale.** Her'mensul or Ermensul. A Saxon deity, worshipped in Westpha'lia. Char- lemagne broke the idol, and converted its temple into a Christian church. The statue stood on a column, holding a standard in one hand, and a balance in the other. On its breast was the figure of a bear, and on its shield a lion. Pro- bably it was a war-god. Her'mes (2 syl.). The Greek Mer- cury ; either the god or the metal. So when we see the liquid metal fall Which chemists by the name of Hermes call. Hoole. ""Ariosto,” bk. viii. Milton (“Paradise Lost,” hi. 603) calls quicksilver “ Volatil Hermes.” Hermet'ic Art. The art or science of alchemy ; so called from the Chaldean philosopher, Hermes Trismegis'tus, its hypothetical founder. Hermet'ic Books. Egyptian books written under the dictation of Thoth (the Egyptian Hermes), the scribe of the gods, Jamblichus gives their number as 20,000, A A 402 HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY. HEROIC VERSE. blit Man'etho raises it to 86,525. These books state that the world was made out of fluid ; ■ftiat the soul is the union of light and life ; that nothing is destruc- tible; that the soul transmigrates; and that suffering is the result of motion. Hermetic Philosophy. A system which acknowledges only three chemical principles — viz., salt, sulphur, and iDcr- cury — from which it explains every phe- nomenon of nature. {See Hermes.) Hermetic Powder. The sym- pathetic powder, supposed to possess a healing influence from a distance. The mediaeval philosophers were very fond of calling books drugs, &c., connected with alchemy and astrology by the term hermetic, out of compliment to Hermes Trismegislus.— KenelniDicjhy, Dis- course concerning the Cure of Wounds hy Symjiaihyr For hy his side a pouch he wore Replete with strange hermetic powder. That wounds nine miles noint-blaiik would solder. Butlur, “ Hudibrasi' i. 2. Hermetically Sealed. Closed securely. Thus we say, ‘‘My lips are hermetically sealed,” meaning so as not to utter a word of what has been im- parted. The French say close-fitting doors and windows “shut hermetically.” When chemists want to preserve any- thing from the air, they heat the neck of the vessel till it is soft, and then twist it till the aperture is closed up. This is called sealing the vessel her- metically, or like a chemist. (From Hermes, called “ Trismegistus,” or thrice- great, the supposed inventor of che- mistry. ) Her'mia. Daughter of E'geus, who betrothed her to Deme'trius ; but she refused to marry him, as she was in love with Lyssiuder.— Shakespeare, Midsuon- mer Night's Dream.^' Hermi'one (4 syl. ). Wife of Leontes, king of Silicia. Being suspected of in- fidelity, she is thrown into jail, swoons, and is reported to be dead. She is kept concealed till her infant Peri'dita is of marriageable age, when Leontes discovers his mistake, and is reconciled. — Shake- speare, “ Winter’s Tale.” Hermit. Peter the Hermit. Preacher of the first crusade. (1050-1115.) Hermite (2 syl.). Trlstrem Vllermite or Sir Tristan VErmite, Provost-marshal of Louis XI. He was the main instru- ment in carrying into effect the nefarious schemes of his wily master, who used to call him his gossip (1405-1493). Sir Walter Scott introduces him in “Anne of Geierstein,” and again in “ Quentin Durward.” Hermothr or Hermode (2 syl.). The deity who, with Bragi, receives and welcomes to Valhalla all heroes who fall in battle. — Scandinavian mythology. He'ro. Daughter of Leonato, governor of Messi'na. Her attachment to Beatrice is very beautiful, and she serves as a foil to show off the more brilliant qualities of her cousin. — Shakespeare, “ Much Ado about Nothing.” He'ro and Lean'der. The tale is that Hero, a priestess of Venus, fell in love with Leander, who swam across the Hellespont every night to visit her. Oue night he was drowned in so doing, and Hero in grief threw herself into the same sea. Her'od. A child-killer; from Herod the Great, who ordered the massacre of the babes in Bethlehem. (Matt. ii. 16.) To out-herod Herod. To out-do in wickedness, violence, or rant, the worst of tyrants. Herod, who destroyed the babes of Bethlehem, was made (in the ancient mysteries) a ranting, roaring tyrant ; the extravagance of his rant being the measure of his bloody-minded- ness. {See Pilate.) Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious, perriwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to vi^ry j ags, to split the ears of the groundlings . . . it out-herods liexodi.— Shakespeare, “ HamUt," iii. 2. Heroic Age. That age of a nation which comes between the purely mythical period and the historic. This is the ago when the sons of the gods take unto themselves the daughters of men, and the offspring partake of the twofold character. Heroic Medicines. Those which produce serious or even fatal results, when administered too freely, as calomel, quinine, &c. Heroic Size in sculpture denotes a stature superior to ordinary life, but not colossal. Heroic Verse. That verse in which epic poetry is generally written. In Greek and Latin it is hexameiyv verse, in HEtlOK CRESTS. HEYDAY OF YOUTH, 403 English it is ten-syllable verse, either in rhymes or not. So called because it is employed for the celebration of heroic exploits. Her'on-crests. The Uzbek Tartars wear a plume of white heron feathers in their turbans. Heros'tratos or ErostratoSf an Ephe- sian who set fire to the temple of Ephesus in order that his name might be per- petuated. The Ephesians made it penal \o mention the name, but their law effec- tually defeated its object, (b.c. 356.) Herring. Dead as a sliotten herring. The shotten herring is one that has shot off or ejected its spawn. This fish dies the very moment it quits the water, from want of air. Indeed, all the herring tribe die very soon after they are taken from their native element. By gar de herring is no dead so as I vill kill him. Shakespeare, “ Merry Wives of Windsor,'' ii. 3. Herrings. {See Battle.) Herring-bone in building. Courses of stone laid angularly, thus : . Also applied to strutting placed between thin joists to increase their strength. Also a peculiar stitch in needlework, chiefly used in working flannel. Hertford. Saxon, heart- ford (the hart’s ford). The arms of the city are ‘‘a hart couchant in water.” Hertford^ invoked by Thomson in his Spring,” was Frances Thynne, who married Algernon Seymour, earl of Hert- ford, afterwards duke of Somerset. Hertba. Mother earth. Worshipped by all the Scandinavian tribes with orgies and mysterious rites, celebrated in the dark. Her veiled statue was transported from district to district by cows which no hand but the priest’s was allowed to touch. Tacitus calls this goddess Cyb'ele. Her Trippa. Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, a philosopher and physician. One of the characters in the romance of “ Gargantua and Pan'- tagrueP,” by Rabelais. idesPone. Daughter of Laom'edon, king of Troy, exposed to a sea-monster, but rescued by Hercul^is. Hesper'ia. Italy was so called by the Greeks, because it was to them the “ Western Land;” but the Romans, for a similar reason, transferred the name to Spain. HesperldeS. Three sisters who guarded the golden apples which He'ra {Juno) received as a marriage gift. They were assisted by the dragon La'don. Many English poets call the place where these golden apples grew the ‘ ^ garden of the Hesperides.” Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost,” iv. 3) speaks of climbing trees in the Hesperides.” Shew thee the tree, leafed with reSned gold. Whereon the fearful dragon held his seat. That watched the garden c died Hesperides. Robert Greene, “ Friar Baco^i and Friar Bungay.-' (I5y8.) Hes'perus- The evening star. Ere twice in murk and occidental damp Moist Hrsperus hath quenched his sleepy lamp. Shakeapaare, "'All's Well that Ends Well," iL 1. He'sus or M'sus. A Gaulish war-god corresponding to Mars. He'sychasts {He'-se-Jcasts), The “quietists” of the East in the fourteenth century. They placed perfection in con- templation. (Greek, hesu'chia, quiet.) {See Gibbon, ‘'Roman Empire,” Ixiii. ) Milton well expresses their belief in his Comus — Till oft converse with heavenly habitants Begin to ca. Hold-fast. Brag is a good dog, hut Holdfast is a better. Promises are all very good, but acts are far better. Holdfast is the only dog, mv duck. Shakespeare, “ Henry F'.,”ii. 3. HoIg. Pic/c a hole in his coat. To find out some cause of blame. The allu- sion is to the Roman custom of dressing criminals in an old ragged gown (Liv. ii. 61). Hence a holey coat is a synonym for guilt. Holipher'nes (4 syl.), called English Henry (in “Jerusalem Delivered”), one of the Christian knights in the first crusade, was slain by Dragu'tes. — Bk. ix. HoUand. The country of para- doxes. The “houses are built on the sand the sea is higher than the shore ; the keels of the ships are above the chimney-tops of the bouses ; and the cow’s tail does not “grow downward,’ but is tied up to a ring in the roof of the stable. Voltaire took leave of the land and people in these words, “Adieu! canaux, canards, canaille.” And Butler calls it — A land that rides at anchor, and is moored, In which they do not live, bu" go aboard. “ Description of Holland,* Holland. A particular kind of cloth, so called because it used to be sent to Holland to be bleached. Laim is cloth bleached on a lawn ; and grass-laxon is lawn bleached on a grass-plat. Bleaching is now performed by artificial processes. Hollow. I heat him hollow. A cor- ruption of “ I beat him wholly.” Holly used to be employed by the early Christians at Rome to decorate churches and dwellings at Christmas ; it had been previously used in the great festival of the Saturnklia, which occurred at the same season of the year. The pagan Romans used to send to their friends holly-sprigs, during the Satur- nalia, with wishes for their health and well-being. According to tradition it is the bush in which Jehovah appeared to Moses. Hollyhock is the Greek tholos-aWea, the towering marsh-mallow. It is a mistake to derive it from Holy-oak. Holman (Lieutenant James). The blind traveller. ' (1787-1857.) Holopher'nes (4 syl.). Master Tuhal Holophernes. The great sophister-doctor, who, in the course of five years and three months, taught Garg^intua to say his A B C backward. —Rabelais, “ Gargantua and Pantagruelf' bk. i. 14. Holofemies, in“ Love’s Labour’s Lost.” Shakespeare satirises in this character the pedantry and literary affectations of the Lyly school. Holy AUiance. A league formed by Russia, Austria, and Prussia to regu- late the affairs of Europe “ by the prin- ciples of Christian charity,” meaning that each of the contracting parties was to keep all that the league assigned them. (1816.) Holy City. That city which the religious consider most especially con- nected with their religious faith, thus : Allahabad' is the Holy City of the Indian Mahometans. Bena'res of the Hindus. ^ Cuzco of the ancient Incas. Jerusalem of the Jews and Christians. Mecca and Medi'na of the Mahometans. Moscow and Kief of the Russians. Holy Coat of Treves, said to be the seamless coat of our Saviour, deposited at Treves by the empress Hele'na, who discovered it in the fourth century. 412 HOLY FAMILY. HOMER. Holy Family. The infant Saviour and his attendants, as Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, and J ohn the Baptist. All the five figures are not always intro- duced in pictures of the Holy Family.” Holy Land. (1) Christians call Palestine the Holy Land, because it was the site of Christ’s birth, ministry, and death. (2) Mahometans call Mecca the Holy Land, because Mahomet was born there. (3; The Chinese Buddhists call India the Holy Land, because it was the native land of Sakya-muni, the Buddha {q.v.'). (4) The Greek considered Elis as Holy Land, from the temple of Olympian Zeus, and the sacred festival held there every four years. (5) In America each of the strange politico-religious sects calls its own settle- ment the Holy Land, or something imply- ing pretty much the same thing. Holy League. A combination formed by pope Julius II. with Louis XII. of France, Maximilian of Germany, Ferdinand III. of Spain, and various Italian princes, against the republic of Venice in 1508. There was another league so called in the reign of Henri III. of France, in 1576, under the , auspices of Henri de Guise, ^‘for the defence of the Holy Catholic Church against the encroach- ments of the reformers.” The pope gave it his sanction, but its true strength lay in Felipe II. of Spain. Holy Maid of Kent. Elizabeth Barton, who incited the Roman Catholics to resist the progress of the Reformation, and pretended to act under direct inspi- ration. She was hanged at Tyburn in 1534. Holy Orders. The mino'nim or'di- num or first four in the Roman Catholic Church, are Ostia'rius, Lector, Exorcis'ta, and Acoly'tus. Holy Places. Places in which the chief events of our Saviour’s life occurred, such as the Sepulchre, Gethsemane, the Supper-room, the Church of the Ascen- sion, the tomb of the Virgin, and so on. Holy Thursday. The day of our Lord’s ascension. Holy Water. Water blessed by a priest or bishop for holy uses. The devil hates holy water. Johannes Beli'thus says that holy water is very unpopular with the demons,” and is used in sepulchral rites ^‘to keep them away from the corpse.” “ 1 love him as the devil loves holy water.” Holy W ater Sprinkle. A military club set with spikes. So called jocularly because it makes the blood to flow as water sprinkled by an aspergillum. Holywell Street (London). Fitz- stephens, in his description of London, in the reign of Henry II., speaks of ‘Ghe excellent springs at a small distance from the city,” whose waters are most sweet, salubrious, and clear, and whose runnels murmur over the shiningstones. Among these are Hulywell, Clerkenwell, and St. Clement’s well.” Home (1 syl.). Who goes home 1 When the House of Commons breaks up at night the door-keeper asks this question of the members. In byegone days all members going in the direction of the Speaker’s residence went in a body to see him safe home. The question is still asked, but is a mere relic of antiquity. Homer. The Celtic Homer. Ossian, son of Fin- gal, king of Morven. Homer of the FranTcs. Charlemagne, called Angilbert his Homer. (Died 814.) Homer of Ferra'ra (^^Omero Ferra- re'se”). Ariosto is so called by Tasso. (1474-1533.)^ The. Scottish Homer. William Wilkie, author of “The Epigoniad.” (1721-1772.) On Gray’s monument in Westminster Abbey, Milton is called the British Homer. No more the Grecian muse unrivalled reigns, To Br tain the nations homage pay ; She felt a Homer’s tit e in Miltori s strains, A Pindar’s rapture in the lyre of Gray. The prose Homer of human nature. So Byron called Henry Fielding, the novel- ist. (1707-1754.) Good Homer sometimes nods. We are all apt to make mistakes sometimes. The phrase is from Horace, ^^ArsPoetica.** Quando'que bonus dormi'tat Home'rus. (359.) The CasTcei Homer. An edition corrected by Aristotle, which Alexander the Great always carried about with him, and laid under his pillow at night with his sword. After the battle of Arbe'la, a golden casket richly studded with gems was found in the tent of Darius ; and Aler- HOMERIC VERSE. HONI. 413 ander being asked to what purpose it should be assigned, replied, ‘‘There is but one thing in the world worthy of so costly a depository saying which he placed therein his edition of Homer. Homeric V erse. Hexameter verse, so called because Homer adopted it in his two great epics. Homoeop'athy (5 syh). The plan of curing a disease by very minute doses of a medicine which would in healthy per- sons produce the very same disease. The principle of vaccination is a sort of homoeo- pathy, only it is producing in a healthy person a mitigated form of the disease guarded against. You impart a mild form of small-pox to prevent the patient from taking the virulent disease. (Greek, homoios pathos, like disease.) (See Hah- nemann.) Tut, man ! one fire burns out another’s burning ; One pain is lessened by another’s anguish . . . Take thou some new infection to the eye, And the rank poison of the old will die. Shakespeare, ''Romeo and Juliet” i- 2. Hon'est (h silent). Honest Jack Ban- nister. An actor in London for thirty- six years. (1760-1836.) After his retirement he was once accosted by Sir George Rose, when Honest Jack, being on the oppo- site side of the street, eried out, “ Stop a moment. Sir George, and 1 will come over to you.” “ No, no,” replied his friend,” ” I never yet made you cross atid will not begin no'w.”— Grinded, " Relics of Genius.” Honeycomb. The hexagonal shape of the bees’ cells is generally ascribed to the instinctive skill of the bee, but is simply the ordinary result of mechanical laws. Solitary bees always make circular cells ; and without doubt those of hive bees are made cylindrical, but acquire their hexagonal form by mechanical pres- sure. Dr. Wollaston says all cylinders made of soft pliable materials become hexagonal under such circumstances. The cells of trees are circular towards the extremity, but hexagonal in the centre of the substance ; and the cellular mem- branes of all vegetables are hexagonal also. (See Ant.) Honeycomb Will. A fine gentleman. One of the members of the imaginary club from which the Spectator issued. Honey-dew. A sweet substance found on lime-trees and some other plants. Bees and ants are fond of it. It is a curious misnomer, as it is the excretion of the aphis or vine-fretter. The way it is excreted is this : the ant beats with its antennae the abdomen of the aphis, which lifts up the part beaten, and excretes a limpid drop of sweet juice called honey- dew. Honey Madness. There is a rho- dodendron about Trebizond, the flowers of which the bees are fond of, but if any one eats the honey he becomes mad. — Tourneford. Honey-moon. The month after marriage, or so much of it as is spent away from home ; so called from the practice of the ancient Teutons of drink- ing honey- wine (hydromeV) for thirty days after marriage. Attila, the Hun, indulged so freely in hydromel at his wedding- feast that he died. Honey Soap contains no portion of honey. Some is made from the finest yellow soap, and some is a mixture of palm-oil soap, olive-soap, and curd-soap. It is scented with oil of verbena, rose- geranium, ginger-grass, bergamot, &c. Honey wood. A yea-nay type, illus- trative of what Dr. Young says : “ What is mere good nature but a fool?” — Gold smith, “ The Good-natured Man.^* Hong Merchants. Those mer- chants who were alone permitted by the government of China to trade with China, till the restriction was abolished in 1842. The Chinese applied the word hong to the foreign factories situated at Canton. Hon'i. Honi soit qui rnal y pense (Evil be ( to him] who thinks evil of this). The tradition is that Edward HI. gave a grand court ball, and one of the ladies present was the beautiful countess of Salisbury, whose garter of blue ribbon accidentally fell off. The king saw a significant smile among the guests, and gallantly came to the rescue. “ Honi soit qui mol y pense"’ (Shame to him who thinks shame of this accident), cried the monarch. Then, binding the ribbon round his own knee, he added, “ I will bring it about that the proudest noble in the land shall think it an honour to wear this band.” The incident deter- mined him to abandon his plan of forming an order of the Round Table, and he formed instead the order of the “ Garter. ” — Tigf^ and Davis, Annals of Windsor.” 414 HONOUB. HOOK OB CBOOK. Honour {h silent). A superior seigniory, on which other lordships or manors depend by the performance of customary service. An affair of honour. A dispute to be settled by a duel. Duels were generally provoked by offences against the arbi- trary rules of etiquette, courtesy, or feeling, called the laws of honour and as these offences were not recog- nisable in the law courts, they were settled by private combat. Debts of honour. Debts contracted by betting, gambling, or verbal promise. As these debts cannot be enforced by . law, but depend solely on good faith, they are called debts of honour. Laivs of honour. Certain arbitrary rules which the fashionable world tacitly admits ; they wholly regard deportment, and have nothing to do with moral offences. Breaches of this code are punished by duels, expulsion from so- ciety, or suspension called sending to Coventry ” (g.v.). Point of honour. An obligation which is binding because its violation would offend some conscientious scruple or notion of self-respect. Word of ho^iour. A gage which cannot be violated without placing the breaker of it beyond the pale of^ respectability and good society. Honours {h silent). Crushed by his honours. The allusion is to the Sabine damsel who agreed to open the gates of Borne to king Ta'tius, provided his sol- diers would give her the ornaments wh ch they wore on their arms. As they entered they threw their shields on her and crushed her, saying as they did so, These are the ornaments worn by Sabines on their arms.” Roman story says the maid was named Tarpe'ia, and that she was the daughter of Tarpeius, the governor of the citadel. Draco, the Athenian legislator, was crushed to death in the theatre of .^gi'na, by the number of caps and cloaks showered on him by the audience, as a mark of their high appreciation of his ' merits. ^ i Elagab'alus, the Roman emperor, in- i vited the leading men < f Rome to a banquet, and under the pretence of show- ' ing them honour rained roses upon them ; but the shower continued till they were all buried and smothered by the flowers. ' Two or four by honours, A term in whist. If two ‘‘partners” hold three court cards, they score two points ; if they hold four court cards, they score four points. These are honour points, or points not won by the merit of play, but by courtesy and laws of honour. The phrases are, “ I score or claim two points by right of honours,” and “ I score or claim four points by right of four court or honour cards.” Honours of war. The privilege allowed to an honoured enemy, on capitulation, of being permitted to retain their offen- sive arms. This is the highest honour a victor can pay a vanquished foe. Sometimes the soldiers so honoured are required to pile arms, in other cases they are allowed to march with all their arms, drums beating, and colours flying. Hood (Robin). Introduced by Sir W. Scott in “The Talisman.” 'Tis not the hood that makes *the monk (Cucurius non facit mon'achum). We must not be deceived by appearances, or take for granted that things and persons are what they seem to be. Thf^y should be good men ; their affairs are righteous ; But all hoods make not Uionks. Shakespeare, "'■Henry F///.,”iiLl. Hook. With a hook at the end. You suppose I assent, but my assent is not likely to be given. The subject has a hook or note of interrogation to denote that it is dubious (?). He is off' the hooks. Done for, laid on the shelf, superseded, dead. The bent pieces of iron on which the hinges of a gate rest and turn are called hooks; if a gate is off the hooks it is in a bad way, and cannot readily be opened and shut. To drop off the hooks. To die. In allusion to the ancient practice of sus- pending the quarters of felons on hooks till they dropped off. Hook or Crook. Somehow ; in one way or another ; by foul means or by just measures. Many suggestions have been ventured in expl i nation of this phrase, but none are satisfactory. I am inclined to think it means “ foully, like a thief, or holily, like a bishop,” the hook being the instrument used by footpads, and the “crook” being the bishop’s crosier HOOKEY WALKER. HORACE. 415 “ for catching men.” The French phrase is “A droit on a tort.” {See heloiv.) Their work was by hook or crook to rap and bring all under the emperor’s ^oyrtx.— Thomas Byme>\ “ On Parliaments." Hooh and crooJc. Forinerly the poor of a manor were allowed to go into the forests with a hook and crook to get wood. What they could not reach they might pull down with their crook. This sort of living was very precarious, but eagerly sought. Boundary stones, beyond which the '^hook and crook folk” might not pass, exist still. This custom does not satisfy our use of the preceding phrase, which does not mean in a precarious manner,” but at all hazards, ill or well. Dynmure Wood was ever open and common to the . . . inhabitants of Bodmiu ... to bear away upon their backs a bui den of lop, crop, hook, crook, ana bag wood.— .Bodmin Register. (1525.) Hookey Walker. (iSee Walker.) Hooped Pots. Drinking pots at one time were made with hoops, that when two or more drank from the same tankard no one of them should take more than his share. Jack Cade promises his followers that ‘‘seven half-penny loaves shall be sold for a penny ; the three- hooped pot shall have ten hoops ; and I will make it felony to drink small beer.” — Slmhespearef Henry F/.,” iv. 2. Hoopoo. A bird revered by all the ancient Egyptians, and placed on the sceptre of Horus, to symbolise joy and filial affection. Hop. One of queen Mab’s maids of honour. — Drayton. To h il ' f enc 'm nuuie-ttion by iiauue expressed. Hotinnhed, ‘ Chronicle.” Houssain {Prince), brother of prince Ahmed. He possessed a piece of carpet or tapestry of such wonderful power that any one had only to sit upon it, and it would transport him in a moment to any place he desired to go to. If prince Houssain’s flying tapestry or Aatolpho’s hippogriff had been shown, he would have judged them by the ordinary rules, and preferred a well- hung chariot.— Sir Walter Scott. Houyhnlinms ijioo'hims). A race of horses endowed with reason, who bear rule over the race of man. Gulliver, in his ‘‘Travels,” tells us what he “saw’* among them. — Sioift. Nay, would kind Jove my organ so dispose To hymn harmonious Houyhuhnms through the no8f% I’d call thee Houyhnhnra,that high-sounding name ; Thy children’s n »ses all should twang the same. Uope 424 HOWARD. HUDIBRAS. How'ard. A philanthropist. John Howard is immortalised by his efforts to improve the condition of prisoners. He visited all Europe/’ says Burke, not to survey the sumptuousness of palaces or the stateliness of temples ; not to make accurate measurements of the remains of ancient grandeur, nor to form a scale of the curiosity of modern art ; not to col- lect manuscripts ; but to dive into the depths of dungeons ; to plunge into the infection of hospitals ; to survey the mansions of sorrow and pain; to take the dimensions of misery, depression, and contempt ; to remember the for- gotten, to attend to the neglected, to visit the forsaken, and to compare the distress of all men in all countries. His plan is original, and it is as full of genius as it is of humanity. It was a voyage of discovery; a circumnavigation of charity.’* The radiant path that Howard trod to heaven. Bloomjieldt Farmer's Boy.'* The female Hoivard. Mrs. Elizabeth Fry. (1780-1844.) All the Hood of all the Howards. All the nobility of our best aristocracy. The ducal house of Norfolk stands at the head of the English peerage, and is interwoven in all our history. What could ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards ? Alas ! not all the blood of all the Howards. Pope, “ Essay on Man," Ep. iv. Howard. Mr. Bug, late of Epsom (Surrey), then of Wakefield (Yorkshire), landlord of the Swan Tavern, changed his name (June, 1862) to Norfolk Howard. How'die (2 syl.). A midwife. As an example of tortured etymology this word has been derived from the word hodie in the line “Jesus hodie natus est de vir- gine.” Truly we may say the word brethren comes from the word tabernacle because we breathe therein. Howleglass (2 syl.). A clever rascal. So called from the hero of an old German jest-book, popular in England in the time of queen Elizabeth. Hrimfax'i. The horse of night, from whose bit fall the rime-drops that every morning bedew the Qoxth..— Scandinavian mythology. Hulbal. An Arab idol brought from Bulka, in Syria, by Amir Ibn-Lohei, who asserted that it would procure rain wheu wanted. It was the statue of a man in red agate ; one hand being lost, a golden one was supplied. He held in his hand seven arrows without wings or feathers, such as the Arabians use in divination. This idol was destroyed in the eighth year of “ the flight.” 'H.vA:>'hdiV6. {Old Mother'). The famous dame of nursery mythology, who went to the cupboard to fetch her poor dog a bone ; but when she got there the cup- board was bare, so the poor dog had none. She then goes upon divers errands on her dog’s behoof, and on her return finds the dog engaged in some marvellous feat. Having finished her wanderings to and fro, she makes a curtsey to the dog, and the dog, not to be outdone in politeness, makes the dame a profound bow. Hubert {h silent), in Shakespeare’s “King John,” is Hubert de Burgh, justice of England, created earl of Kent. He died 1243. St. Hubert. Patron saint of hunts- men. He was son of Bertrand, due d^Acquitaine, and cousin of king Pepin, Hubert was so fond of the chase that he neglected his religious duties for his favourite amusement, till one day a stag bearing a crucifix menaced him with eternal perdition unless he reformed. Upon this the merry huntsman entered a cloister, became in time bishop of Liege, and the apostle of Ardennes and Brabant. Those who were descended of his race were supposed to possess the power of curing the bite of mad dogs. St. Hubert in Christian art is repre- sented sometimes as a bishop with a miniature stag resting on the book in his hand, and sometimes as a noble huntsman kneeling to the miraculous crucifix borne by the stag. Hu'dibras. Said to be a caricature of Sir Samuel Luke, a patron of Samuel Butler. The Grub-street Journal (1731) maintains it was colonel Rolle, of Devon- shire, with whom the poet lodged for some time, and adds that the name is derived from Hugh de Bras, the patron saint of the county. He represents the Presbyterian party, and his squire the Independents. ’Tis sung, there’s a valiant Mameluke In foreign lands ycleped [Sir Luke^ Butler, “ Hudibras” i. 3. Sir Hudibras. The cavalier of Elissa or Parsimony. — Spenser, Faery Queene,^ bk. ii. HUDIBEASTIC VERSE. HULL OHEESE. 425 Hudibras'tic Verse. A doggerel eight-syllable rhyming verse, after the style of Butler’s ‘^Hudibras.” Hud'son (>S'^V Jeffrey). The famous dwarf, at one time page to queen Hen- rietta Maria. Sir Walter Scott has in- troduced him in his ^^Peveril of the Peak,” ch. xxxiv. Vandyke has immor- talised him by his brush ; and his clothes are said to be preserved in Sir Hans Sloane’s museum. Hugger-mugger. The primary meaning is clandestinely, in a smuggled manner. The secondary meaning is disorderly, meanly, in a slovenly and muddled manner, means ‘Mike a squatter,!’ and mugger means “ se- cretly,” “in an underhand manner.” (Of the first we have Danish huger., to squat; German hochen ; Dutch hukhen^ &c. Of the latter we have Danish smug, clandestinely; Dutch smuig ; Welsh mwg, smoke ; miocan, cloud; omv smuggle^ smuggler, muddle, &c.) The King in “ Hamlet” says of Polo'- nius, “We have done but greenly in hugger-mugger to inter him,” i.e., to smuggle him into the grave clandestinely and without ceremony. Sir T. North, in his “Plutarch,” says: — “ Antonius thought that his body should be honourably buried, and not in hugger-mugger ” (clandestinely). Ralph says : — While 1, in hugger-mugger hid, Have noted all they said and did. Butler, “ Hudihras,” iii. 3. Under the secondary idea we have the following expressions : — He lives in a hugger-mugger sort of way. The rooms were all hugger-mugger (dis- orderly). Huggins and Muggins. Mr. and Mrs. Vulgarity, of Pretension Hall. The best etymology I know for these two words is the Dutch Hooge en Mogende (high and mighty), the style of addressing the States- General of Holland, much ridiculed in the seventeenth century. Hugh Lloyd’s Pulpit (Merioneth- shire). A natural production of stone. One pile resembles the Kilmarth Rocks. There is a platform stone with a back in stone. (Hugh yrom. You.) Hugh of Lincoln. It is said that the Jews in 1255 stole a boy named Hugh, whom they tortured for ten days and then crucified. Eighteen of the richest Jews of Lincoln were hanged for taking part in this affair, and the boy was buried in state. This is the subject of “ The Prioress’s Tale ” of Chaucer, which Wordsworth has modernised. In Ry- mer’s “Foedera” are several documents relating to this event. Hu gin and Mun'in {mind and memory). The two ravens that sit on the shoulders of Odin or Alfader. Perhaps the nursery saying, “ A little bird told me that,” is a corrupt!' n of Hugo and Muniin, }8ee Bogie.) The Turks employed this name to frighten their pe^-verse children. He was corruptly denominated “Janous Lain.”— Cri6&on, ** Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire^ xii 166. Hunks. An old hunks. A screw, a mean, sordid fellow. Icelandic, hunskur^ sordid. Hunneberg and Halleberg {holy mountain). West Gothland. {See Hall OF Odin.) Hunooman. In Hindu mythology, the monkey god. Hunt. Like Hunt's dog^ he would neither go to church, nor stay at home. One Hunt, a labouring man in Shrop- shire, kept a mastiff, which, on being shut up while his master went to church, howled and barked so terribly as to disturb the whole congregation ; where- upon Hunt thought he would take his Lycisca with him the next Sunday ; but on reaching the churchyard, the dog positively refused to enter. The proverb is applied to a tricky, self-willed person, who will neither lead nor drive. Hunter. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Hunter, Two lion hunters, or persons who hunt up all the celebrities of London to grace their parties. — Dickens, “ Pickwick Papers." The mighty hunter. Nimrod is so called (Gen. X. 9). The meaning seems to be a conqueror. Jeremiah says, “I (the Lord) will send for many hunters {war- riors), and they shall hunt {chase) them {the Jews) from every mountain . . . and 428 HUNTING. HUSBAND. out of the holes of the rocks” (xvi. 16. See 13). Proud Nimrod first the bloody chase began— A mighty hunter, and his prey was man. Pope, “ Windsor," Hunting of the Hare. A comic romance, published in Weber’s collection. A yeoman informs the inhabitants of a village that he has seen a hare, and invites them to join him in hunting it. They attend with their curs and mastiffs, pugs, and house- dogs, and the fun turns on the truly unsportsman-like manner of giving puss the chase. Huntingdon means the county famous for hunts. It was once a deer forest. Huon de Bordeaux encounters in Syria an old follower of the family named Gerasmes (2 syl.), whom he asks the way to Babylon. Gerasmes told him the shortest and best way was through a wood sixteen leagues long, and full of fairies; that few could go that way because king O'beron was sure to en- counter them, and whoever spoke to this fay was lost for ever. If a traveller, on the other hand, refused to answer him, he raised a most horrible storm of wind and rain, and made the forest seem one great river. ‘^But,” says the vassal, the river is a mere delusion, through which any one can wade without wetting the soles of his shoes.” Huon for a time followed the advice of Gerasmes, but afterwards addressed Oberon, who told him the history of his birth. They became great friends, and when Oberon went to Paradise he left Huon his successor as lord and king of Mommur. H e married Esclairmond, and was crowned King of all Faerie.” — Huon de Bordeaux'* (a romance), Hurlo-thrumbo. A ridiculous burlesque, which in 1730 had an extra- ordinary run at the Haymarket Theatre. So great was its popularity that a club called “The Hurlo-thrumbo Society” was formed. The author was SamuelJohnson, a half-mad dancing master, who put this motto on the title-page when the bur- lesque was printed : — Ye sons of fire, read my “ Hurlo-thrumbo,*’ 'J urn it betwixt your finger and your thumbo. And being quite undone, be quite struck dumbo. Hurly-burly. Uproar, tumult, especially of battle. Dr. Johnson says, “I have been told that this word owes its origin to two neighbouring families named Hurleigh and Burleigh, which filled their part of the kingdom with contests and violence.” Without stop- ping to examine the worth of this hear- say derivation, it may be stated that hurly is probably derived from the verb hurl, and refers to the confusion arising from the hurling of missiles in battle. Burly is from burl (noisy) ; Kussian, hurlyu (turbulent), our hurly meaning boisterous, powerful. The Dutch have hurl-om-burl (topsy-turvy). In the ' ^ Gar- den of Eloquence” (1577) the word is given as a specimen of onomatopoeia. When the hurly-burly’s done. When the battle’s lost and won. WUches of "Macbeth" Hurrah' or Huzza'. The word is common to many nations. Jewish, hosanna; Old French, huzzer (to shout aloud) ; Dutch, husschen ; Kussian, hoera and hoezee, {See below.) Hur'rar'. A corruption of Tur aie (Thor aid), a battle cry of the North- men. — Wace, “ Chronicle." Hurry. The Mahouts cheer on their elephants by repeating ur-r^^ the Arabs their camels by shouting ar-r^, the French their hounds by shouts of hare^ the Ger- mans their horses by the word hurs., the herdsmen of Ireland their cattle by shout- ing hurrish. Whence our words to harry y harass j hurry; Welsh, gyru (to drive); Armenian, haura (to hasten) ; Latin, curro (to run) ; &c. Don't hurry y Hoghins. A satirical re- proof to those who are not prompt in their payments. It is said that one Hopkins, of Kentucky, gave his creditor a promissory note on which was this memorandum : “ The said Hopkins is not to be hurried in paying the above.” Husband is the house farmer. Bonde is Norwegian for a “farmer,” hence honde-hy (a village where farmers dwell) ; and hus means “ house.” Hus-hand-man is the man-of-the-house farmer. The husband, therefore, is the master farmer, and the husband-man the servant or labourer. Old Tusser was in error when he derived the word from “house-band,” as in the following distich : — The name of the husband, what is it to say ? Of wife and of ftowse-hold the band and the stay. “ Five Hundred Poinis of Qood Hmoandry.*' ■ HUSHAI. HYDRA. 429 Hush'ai (2 syl.), in Dryden’s satire of ‘^Absalom and Achitophel,” is Hyde, earl of Rochester. Hushai was David’s friend, who counteracted the counsels of Achitophel, and caused the plot of Absa- lom to miscarry ; so Rochester defeated the schemes of Shaftesbury, and brought to nought the rebellion of the duke of Monmouth. N.B. This was not John Wilmot, earl of Rochester, the wit. Hussar'. A Hungarian word {hmz, twenty, ar, pay). When Mathias Corvi'- nus succeeded to the crown of Hungary, Mohammed III. and Frederick III. con- spired to dethrone the boy king,” but Mathias was equal to the emergency. In order to have a regular and powerful cavalry, he decreed that one man out of every twenty families should be enrolled, and share the expense among themselves. This cavalry went by the name of the twenty-paid soldiers” or ‘‘Hussars.” Hus'sites (2 syl. ). Followers of John Huss, the Bohemian reformer, in the fourteenth century. {See Bethleme- NITES.) Hussy. A little hussy. A word of slight contempt, though in some counties it seems to mean simply girl, as “ Come hither, hussy.” Of course the word is a corruption of housewife or hussif. In Swedish hustru means woman in general. It is rather remarkable that mother in Norfolk has given rise to a similar sort of word, morther, as “Come hither, morther,” i.e., girl. Neither hussy nor morther is applied to married women. In Norfolk they also say mor for a female, and hor for the other sex. Moer is Dutch for woman in general, and hoer for peasant, whence our boor, Hus'tab'. One of the idols of the ancient Ninevites. Hus'terloe. A wood in Flanders, where Reynard declared his vast trea- sures were concealed. — “ Reynard the Foxr Hus'tings. House-things or city courts. London has still its court of Hustings m Guildhall, in which are elected the lord mayor, the aldermen, and city members. The hustings of elections are so called because, like the court of Hust- ings, they are the places of elective as- semblies. Hutcllinso'liians. Followers of Anne Hutchinson, who retired to Rhode Island. Anne and fifteen of her children were subsequently murdered by the Indians. (Died 1643.) Hu'tin. Louis le Hutin, Louis X. Mazerai says he received the name be- cause he was tongue-doughty. The huti- net was a mallet used by coopers which made great noise, but did not give severe blows ; as we should say, the barker or barking dog. It is my belief that he was so named because he was sent by his father against the “Hutins,” a se- ditious people of Navarre and Lyons. (1289, 1314-1316.) Hutkin. A cover for a sore finger, made by cutting off the finger of an old glove. The word hut in this instance is from the German huten (to guard or pro- tect). It is employed in the German noun finger-hut ^a thimble to protect the finger), and in the word huth or hut. (^See Hodeken.) Hvergel'mer. A deep pit in Nifl- heim, whence issues twelve poisonous springs, which generate ice, snow, wind, and rain. — Scandinavian mythology. Hy'acinth., according to Grecian fable, was the son of Amyclas, a Spartan king. The lad was beloved by Apollo and Zephyr, and as he preferred the sun- god, Zephyr drove Apollo’s quoit at his head, and killed him. The blood became a flower, and the petals are inscribed with the boy’s rraxne. — Virgil, Eel.,'' i\\. 106. The hyacinth bewrays the doleful “ AI,” And culls the tribute of Apollo's sigh. Still on its bloom the mourn tul flower retains The lovely blue that dyed the stripling’s veins. Camoens, “ Lusiad," ix. I Hy'ades 13 syl.). Seven nymphs placed among the stars, in the constella- tion Taurus, which threaten rain when they rise with the sun. The chief of them is by the Arabs called AldebarUn. Hy'dra. A monster of the Ler'nean marshes, in Ar'golis. It had nine heads, and Hercules was sent to kill it. As soon as he struck off one of its heads, two shot up in its place. Hydra-headed. Having as many heads as the hydra {q.v.) ’, a difficulty which goes on increasing as it is combated. Hydra-headed Multitude. The rabble, which not only is many-headed numeri- cally, but seems to grow more numerous the more it is attacked and resisted. 430 HYENA. HYSON. Hye'na was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Pliny says that a certain stone, called the “ hysenia,” found in the eye of the creature, being placed under the tongue, imparts the gift of prophecy. — xxxvii. 60. Hygei'a (3 syl.). Goddess of health and daughter of ^sculapios. Her symbol was a serpent drinking from a cup in her hand. Hyksos. A tribe of Cuthites (2 syl.) driven out of Assyria by Ara'lius and the Shemites, founded in Egypt a dynasty called Hyksos (shepherd kings), a title assumed by all the Cuthite chiefs. This dynasty, which gave Egypt six or eight kings, lasted 259 years, when the whole horde was driven from Egypt, and retired to Palestine. It is from these refugees that the lords of the Philistines arose. The word is compounded of hyk (king) and s6s (shepherd). Hylaeo-saurus or Hyloeo-saur (Greek for forest- lizard). A large fossil pre- Adamite reptile. Specimens have been discovered in the Wealden of Kent and Sussex. Hyl'as- A boy beloved by Hercules, carried off by the nymphs while drawing water from a fountain in Mys'ia. Hy'men. God of marriage, a sort of overgrown Cupid. His symbols are a bridal-torch and veil in his hand. Hy'mer. The giant in Celtic mytho- logy, who took Thor in his boat when that g 9 d went to kill the serpent; for which service he was flung by the ears into the sea. Hyperbo'reans (5 syl). The most norths- rn people, who dwell beyond Bo'reas (the seat of the north wind), placed by Virgil under the North Pole. They are said to be the oldest of the human race, the most virtuous, and the most happy ; to dwell for some thousand years under a cloudless sky, in fields yielding double harvests, and in the enjoyment of per- petual spring. When sated of life they crown their heads with flowers, and plunge headlong from the mountain Hunneberg or Halleberg into the sea, and enter at once the paradise of Odin . — Scandinavian mythology. The ByperboWeanSy it is said, have not an atmosphere like our own, but one con- sisting wholly of feathers. Both Herod'o* tos and Pliny mention this fiction, which they say was suggested by the quantity of snow observed to fall in those regions. — HerodotoSy iv. 31. Hyperion. Apollo, a model of manly beauty. The proper pronuncia- tion is Hyperi'on. Thus Ovid — Placat equo Persis radiis HyperiSne cinctum. “ Fasti,” i. 335, So excellent a king, that ivas to this Hyper' ion to a satyr. Shakespeare^ “ Hamletp i. 9. Hypochon'dria (Greek, hypo chon- droSy under the cartilage), i.e.y the spaces on each side of the epigastric region, supposed to be the seat of melancholy as a disease. Hypoc'risy . Bhypocrisie est un horn- mageque levice rend d la vertu.— Roche- foucald. Hyp'oerite (3 syl). Prince of Hypo- crites. Tibe'rius Caesar was so called, because he affected a great regard for decency, but indulged in the most de- testable lust and cruelty. (B.c. 42, 14 to A.D. 37.) Abdallah Ibn Obba and his partisans were called The Hypocrites by Mahomet, because they feigned to be friends, but were in reality disguised foes. Hyp'ocrites’ Isle, called by Rabe- lais Chanephy which is the Hebrew for hypocrisy.” Rabelais says it is wholly inhabited by sham saints, spiritual come- dians, bead- tumblers, mumblers of ave- mari'as, and such like sorry rogues, who lived on the alms of passengers, like the hermit of Lormont. — Pantagruely* iv. 63. Hyposta'tie Union. The union of two or more persons into one undivided unity, as, for example, the three persons of the eternal Godhead. The Greek hypos'tases corresponds to the Latin per- sona. The three persons of the God and three hypos'tases of the Godhead mean one and the same thing. Hypped {hipt). Melancholy, low- spirited. Hyp. is a contraction of hypo- chondria. Hy'son. One of the varieties of green tea. ‘‘ Ainsi nomme d’un mot chinois qui veut dire printempSy parce que c’est au commencement de cette saison qu’on le cueille.” — M. H, BouilleU 1 . ICE-BROOK. 431 I I. This letter represents a finger, and is called in Hebrew yod orjod (a hand). + LH.S. or I.H.S. A Latin corrup- tion of the Greek iTTs, meaning iHSou? (Jesus), the long e (H) being mistaken for a capital H, and the dash perverted into a cross. The letters being thus ob- tained, St. Bernardine of Sienna, in 1347, hit upon a suitable representative in the words, Jesus Hom'inum Salvator (Jesus, Saviour of Men). {See A.GNUS Castus.) I.O.U. The memorandum of a debt given by the borrower to the lender. It must not contain a promise to pay. The letters mean, owe You.” I. R . B. Irish Rebeilion Brotherhood ( ? Irish Republican Brotherhood), mean- ing the Fenian conspiracy. lacli'inio {Yak-e-mo). An Italian libertine, in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.” lago (^Yar'go or E-ar'-go). Othello’s ensign or ancient. He hated the Moor both because Cassio, a Florentine, .was preferred to the lieutenancy instead of himself, and also from a suspicion that the Moor had tampered with his wife ; but he concealed his hatred so well that Othello wholly trusted him. lago per- suaded Othello that Desdemo'na intrigued with Cassio, and urged him on till he murdered his bride. His chief argument was that Desdemona had given Cassio a pocket-handkerchief, the fact being that lago had set on his wife to purloin it. After the death of Desdemona, Emilia (lago s wife) revealed the fact, and lago was arrested. Shak> speare generally makes three syllables of the name, as — Lpt it n t gall your pat ence. g'^od l-a-go. ) Left n the cond ict of t e bold la-go. Mi. 1. ’Ii8 one l-a-go, aucieut to the general. ) lam'bic. Father of Iambic verse, Archirochos of Paros, (b.c. 714-676.) lan'the (3 syl.), to whom lord Byron dedicated his ‘^Childe Harold e,” was lady Charlotte Harley, born 1809, and only eleven years old at the time. lap'etos. The father of Atlas and ancestor of the human race, called genus Id'p'tti^ the progeny of lapetus (Greek mythology). By many considered the same as Japlieth, one of the sons of Noah. latraleip'tes (5 syl.). One who cured diseases by friction and anointing. (Greek iatros aleijghoy a physician who anoints.) Ibe'ria. Spain; the country of the Ibe'rus or Ebro. {See Rowe On the Late Glorious Successes.”) Ilbis or Nile-hird. The Egyptians call the sacred Ibis Father John. It is the avatar of the god Thoth, who in the guise of an Ibis escaped the pursuit of Typhon. The Egyptians say its plumage symbolises the light of the sun and shadow of the moon, its body a heart, and its legs a triangle. It was said to drink only the purest of water, and its feathers to scare (*r even kill the croco- dile. It is also said that the bird is so fond of Egypt that it would pine to death if transported elsewhere. It appears at the rise of the Nile, but disapp- ars at its inundation. If indeed it devours crocodiles’ eggs, scares away the croco- diles themselves, devours serpents and all sorts of noxious reptiles and insects, no wonder it should be held in veneration, and that it is made a crime to kill so useful a creature. Ibis. The Nile-bird, says Solinus, “rummages in the mud of the Nile for serpents’ eggs, her most favourite food.” Iblis or Ihlees. Satan, and the fath er of the Shey tans or devils . — A rabian mythology. Ib'rabam. The Abraham of the Koran. Icar'ian. Soaring, adventurous. {See I CAROS.) Ic'aros. Son of Dae'dalos, who flew with his father from Crete, but the sun melted the wax with which his wings were fastened on, and he fell into the sea, hence called the Ica'rian. {See Shakespeare, ‘^3 Henry VI.,” v. 6.) Ice (I syl.). To break the ice. To broach a disagreeable subject, to open the way. In allusion to breaking ice for bathers. {ItoXmyScin'dere glaciem ; Italian, romper il giaccio.') [We] An’ if you break the ice, and do this feat.... Will not so graceless be, to be ingrate. Shakespeare^ “ Taming of the Shrew'’ i. 2. Ice-brook. A sword of ice-brook temper. Of the very best quality. The Spaniards used to plunge their swords and other weapons, while hot from the 432 icH mm. IDOMENEUS. forge, into the brook Salo [Xalon], near Bilbilis, in Celtiberia, to harden them. The water of this brook is very cold. It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook temper. Shakespeare, “ Othello, v. 2. Saevo Bilbilin op'timam metallo Et ferro Plat/eam suo sonantem Qiiam fluctu tenui sed inquie'to Armo'rum Salo tempera'tor ambit. Martial. leh Dien. ♦According to a Welsh tradition, Edward I. promised to provide Wales with a prince '^who could speak no word of English,” and when his son Edward of Carnarvon was born he pre- sented him to the assembly, saying in Welsh, Eich dyn (behold the man). The more general belief is that it was the motto under the plume of J ohn, king of Bohemia, slain by the Black Prince at Cressy in 1346, and that the Black Prince who slew the Bohemian assumed it out of modesty, to indicate that ^^he served under the king his father.” Ichneu'mon. An animal resem- bling a weasel, and well worthy of being defended by priest and prince in Egypt, as it feeds on serpents, mice, and other vermin ; and is especially fond of crocodiles’ eggs, which it scratches out of the sand. According to legend, it steals into the mouth of crocodiles when they gape, and eats out their bowels. Ichnoba'te {Ih-no-ba'-te), One of Actaeon’s dogs. The word means track follower.” Ichor {F-hor). The colourless blood of the heathen deities. Ichthyosau'rus or IMhyosaur (Greek, fish-lizard). A fossil reptile, remains of which have been found in the lias of Lyme Eegis. (Pronounce Ik'-the- o-saw'-rus or Ik'-the-o-saw '. ) Icon'oclasts (Greek, image-breakers'). Reformers who rose in the eighth cen- tury, especially averse to the employ- ment of pictures, statues, emblems, and all visible representations of sacred objects. The crusade against these things began in 726 with the emperor Leo III. and continued for 120 years. Icthus for /e'sous Christos, THqom ZJios, /Scoter. This notarica is found on many seals, rings, urns, and tombstones belonging to the early times of Chris- tianity, and was supposed to be a charm” of mystical efficacy. Idse'an Mother. Cyb'ele, who had a temple on mount Ida, in Asia Minor. I'des (1 syl.). In the Roman calendar the 15th of March, May, July, and Octo- ber, and the 13th of all the other months. So called because they always fell eight days after the Nones. (Welsh, wyth ; Saxon, eahta; French, huit ; Swedish, otta; Greek, octo; in Ide we have the substitution of d for t. ) Eemember March ; the ides of March remember. Shakespeare, “ Julius Ccesar,’’ iv. 3. Id'iom. A mode of expression pe- culiar to a language, as a Latin idiom, a French idiom. (Greek, id'ioSy peculiar to oneself.) Id'iosyn'erasy. A crotchet or pe- culiar one-sided view of a subject, a mono- mania. Properly a peculiar effect pro- duced by medicines or foods, as when coffee acts as an aperient, the electrical current as an emetic. (Greek, idios sun krasis, something peculiar to a person’s temperament.) Td'iot means simply a private person, one not engaged in any public office. Hence Jeremy Taylor says, '^Humility is a duty in great ones, as well as in idiots” (private persons). The Greeks have the expressions '^a priest or an idiot” (layman), ^‘a poet or an idiot” (prose- writer). As idiots were not em- ployed in public offices, the term became synonymous with incompetency to fulfil the duties thereof. (Greek, ^c?^o'^es.) {See Baron.) I'dle Lake. The lake on which Phaedria or Wantonness cruised in her gondola. It led to Wandering Island. — Spensei', Faery Queenefi bk. ii. Tdle Worms. It. was once supposed that little worms were bred in the fingers of idle servants. To this Shakespeare alludes : A round litMe worm, Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid. “ Romeo and Juliet," i. 4. I'dleness. The Lake of Idleness. Spenser says whoever drank of this lake grew '^instantly faint and weary.” The Red Cross Knight drank of it, and was made captive by Orgoglio. — Spenser, FaMry Queenef^ bk. i. Idom'eneus (4 syl. ). King of Crete, and ally of the Greeks in the siege of Troy. After the city was burnt he made a vow to sacrifice whatever he first en*- IDUNA. IHRAM. 433 countered, if the gods granted him a safe return to his kingdom. It was his own son that he first met, and when he offered him up to fulfil his vow he was banished from Crete as a murderer. — Homer, Compare the story of Jephthah in Judges xi. Idun^a or I dun'. Daughter of the dwarf Svald, and wife of Bragi. She kept in a box the apples which the gods tasted as often as they wished to renew their youth. Loki on one occasion changed her into a Scandinavian mythology. Ifa'kins. A corruption of In good faith. I’ fa’ kin, where hin is equivalent to dear or good. Ifreet or ’Efriet. A powerful evil jin or spirit of Arabian mythology. If'urin. The Hades of the ancient Gauls. A dark region infested by ser- pents and savage beasts. Here the wicked are chained in loathsome caverns, plunged into the lairs of dra- gons, or subjected to a ceaseless distilla- tion of poison. — (7e^^^c mythology. Iger'na, Igerne, or Igratne. Wife of Gorlois, duke of Tin'tagel, in Corn- wall, and mother of king Arthur. His father was Uther, pendragon of the Britons, who married Igerna thirteen days after her husband was slain. Igna'ro. Foster-father of Orgoglio. Whatever question Arthur asked, the old dotard answered, ^^He could not tell.” Spenser says this old man walks one way and looks another, because ignorance is always ^^wrong-headed.” — Spenser, Faery Queen,'' bk. i. Igna'tius (^St.) is represented in Christian art accompanied by lions, or chained and exposed to them, in allusion to his martyrdom. The legend is that he was brought before the emperor Trajan, who condemned him to be made the food of lions and other wild beasts for the delectation of the people. Ac- cording to tradition, St. Ignatius was the little child whom our Saviour set in the midst of his disciples for their example. (About 30-115. ) Ignatius Loy'ola, founder of the order of Jesuits, is depicted in art sometimes with the sacred monogram I.H.S. on his breast ; atid sometimes as contemplating it, surrounded by glory tn the skies, in allusion to his boast that he had a miracu-* lous knowledge of the mystery of the Trinity vouchsafed to him. He is so re- presented in Rubens’ famous picture in Warwick Castle. Brother Ignatius. The Rev. James Leicester Lyne, for some time head of the English Benedictines at the Norwich Protestant monastery. Father Ignatim. The Hon. and Very Rev. Geo. Spencer, formerly a clergyman of the Church of England, who joined the Roman communion, and became Superior of the order of Passionists. (1799-1864.) Ig'neous Rocks. Those which have been produced by the agency of fire, as the granitic, the trappean, and the vol- canic, the last of which belong to the Tertiary strata. Ignis Pat'uiis means strictly a fatuous fire; also called JacTc o' Lan- tern," Spunhie," Will o' the Wisp," Walking Fire," and The Fair Maid of Ireland." Milton calls it Friar's lan- thern, and Sir Walter Scott Friar Rush with a lantern. Morally speaking, a Uto'- pian scheme, no more reducible to prac- tice than the mete'or so called can be turned to any useful end. {See Friar’s Lanthern.) “When thou ran’st up Gadshill in the night to catch my horse, if I did not think thou hadst been an ignis fatuus or a ball of wild lire, there’s uo pur- chase in money.” Shakest'eare, “ 1 Henry I K,” iii. 3. Ignora'mns. One who ignores the knowledge of something ; one really un- acquainted with it. It is an ancient law term. The grand jury used to write Ignoramus on the back of indictments ** not found ” or not to be sent into court. Hence ignore. Ignoran'tines (4 syl.). A religious association founded by the abb^ de la Salle in 1724, for educating gratuitously the children of the poor. Igrayne. {See Igerna. ) Ig'uan'odon. An extinct gigantic reptile, with the tooth of the iguan'a. Ihram. The pilgrim garb of Ma- hometans. For men, two scarfs, without seams or ornament of any kind, of any material except silk ; one scarf is folded round the loins, and the other is thrown over the neck and shoulders, leaving the C C 434 IL BIBBTENA. ILIAD. right arm free ; the head is uncovered. For women, an ample cloak, enveloping the whole person. II Bibbie'na. Cardinal Bernardo, who resided at Bibbiena, in Tuscany ; author of Calandra,” a comedy. (1470-1520.) II Passato're. A title assumed by Belli'no, a talented bandit chief of Italy, who died 1851. II Pastor Pi'do {the Faithful Swain). This standard of elegant pastoral compo- sition is by Giovanni Battista Guarani, of Ferrara. (1537-1612.) III May-day. The 1st of May, 1517, when the London apprentices rose up against the resident foreigners, and did great mischief. More commonly known as Evil May-day. Ill Omens averted. W hen Julius Caesar landed at Adrume'- tum, in Africa, he happened to trip and fall on his face. This would have been considered a fatal omen by his army, but, with admirable presence of mind, he exclaimed, ^^Thus I take possession of thee, 0 Africa.” When William the Conqueror leaped upon the shore at Bulverhythe he fell on his face, and a great cry went forth that it was an ill omen ; but the duke exclaimed, ‘‘I have taken seisin of this land with both my hands.” Ill-starred. Unlucky ; fated to be unfortunate. Othello says of Desdemona, ** O ill-starred wench !” Of course the allusion is to the astrological dogma that the stars influence the lot of men for good and evil. ITiad (3 syl.). The tale of the siege of Troy, an epic poem by Homer. Men'e- la'os, king of Sparta, received as his guest Paris, a son of Priam (king of Troy), who ran away with Helen, his hostess. Mene- la'os induced the Greeks to lay siege to Troy to avenge the perfidy, and the siege lasted ten years. The poem begins in the tenth year with a quarrel between Agamemnon commander-in-chief of the allied Greeks, and Achilles the hero who retires from the army in ill-temper. The Trojans now prevail, and Achilles sends his friend Patroclos to oppose them, but Patroclos is slain. Achilles, in a desperate rage, rushes into the battle, and slays Hector, the commander of the Trojan army. The poem ends with the funeral rites of Hector. (Greek, Il'ion aido, I sing of Il'ium or Troy.) The Iliad ” in a nutshell. Pliny, vii. 21, tells us that the Iliad” was copied in so small a hand that the whole work could lie in a walnut-shell. Pliny’s au- thority is Cicero ('^Apud Gellium,” ix. 421). Huet, bishop of Avranches, de- monstrated the possibility of this achieve- ment by writing eighty verses of the Iliad ” on a single line of a page similar to this Dictionary.” This would be 19,000 verses to the page, or 2,000 more than the Iliad ” contains. Whilst they (as Homer’s “Iliad ” in a nut) A world of wonders in one closet shut. On thi monumental stone of the Tradescants in Lambeth Churchyard. The French Iliad. The Bomance of the Rose,” begun by Guillaume de Lorris in the latter half of the thirteenth cen- tury, and continued by Jean de Meung in the early part of the fourteenth. The poem is supposed to be a dream. The poet in his dream is accosted by dame Idleness, who conducts him to the palace of Pleasure, where he meets Love, accom- panied by Sweet-looks, Riches, Jollity, Courtesy, Liberality, and Youth, who spend their time in dancing, singing, and other amusements. By this retinue the poet is conducted to a bed of roses, where he singles out one and attempts to pluck it, when an arrow from < upid’s bow stretches him fainting on the ground, and he is carried far away from the flower of his choice. As soon as he recovers, he finds himself alone, and resolves to return to his rose. Welcome goes with him ; but Danger, Shame-face, Fear, and Slander obstruct liim at every turn. Reason advises him to abandon the pur- suit, but this he will not do ; whereupon Pity and Liberality aid him in reaching the rose of his choice, and Venus permits him to touch it with his lips. Meanwhile, Slander rouses up Jealousy, who seizes Welcome, whom he casts into a strong castle, and gives the key of the castle door to an old hag. Here the poet is left to mourn over his fate, and the ori- ginal poem ends. Meung added 18,000 lines as a sequel. The GermoM Iliad. ''The Nibelungen- lied,” put into its present form in 1210 by a wandering minstrel of Austria. It consists of twenty parts. {See Nibelung.) The Portuguese Iliad,. "TheLusi^d” (j.v.), by Camoens, ILK, IMMACULATE. 435 The Scotch Iliad. The Epigo'niad,” by William Wilkie, called The Scottish Homer (1721-1772). The Epigo'niad is the tale of the Epig'oni, or seven Grecian heroes who laid siege to Thebes, with the view of placing Pol'yni'ces on the throne which his brother unlawfully held from him. (E'dipos devised that his two sons should reign alternately for a year, but at the close of the first year, Ete'ocles refused to retire. Whereupon his younger brother, aided by the four Argives named Adrastos, Am'phiara'os, Kap'aneus (3 syl.), and Hippom'edon, the Arcadian Parthenopoe'os, and Tydeus (2 syl.). ex- king of Calydon, led an expedition against Ihebes. The Greek tragic poets iE'schy- lus and Eurip ides have dramatised this subject. An Il'iad of ills (a punning trans- lation of the Latin Il'ias malo'rum). A number of evils falling simultaneously ; there is scarce a calamity in the whole catalogue of human ills that finds not mention in the “ Iliad,” hence tbe Ho- meric poem was the fountain of classic tragedy. Ilk (Saxon), The same ; as Macleod of that ilfCy i.e.y ‘^Macleod of Macleod.” All of that ilk, i.e.y of that name, cha- racter, or class. Illuminated Doctor. Eaymond Lully. (1235-1315.) John Tauler, the German mystic. (1294-1361). Illuminati. There have been four societies so called : — (1) The Alombra'dos of Spain in the sixteenth century. (2) The Guerinets of France in the seventeenth century. (3) The Mystics of Belgium in the eighteenth century. (4) The order of the Illumina'ti of Germany founded at Ingoldstadt in 1776, and having for its object the establish- ment of a religion consistent with sound reason. ” {See Eosicruci ans. ) Illuminations. Characteristics of An^lo-Saxon illuminations from the eighth to the eleventh century. Ex- treme intricacy of pattern. Interlacings of knots in a diagonal or square form, sometimes interwoven with animals and terminating with heads of .erpents or birds.— /Sir F. Mad“ i*athway to Prayer.” Imp of darkness. Milton calls the ser- pent “fittest imp of fraud,” P. L., ix. Impana'tion. The dogma of Luther that the body and soul of Christ are infused into the eucharistic elements after consecration, and that the bread and wine are united with the body and soul of Christ in much the same way as the body and soul of man are united. The word means putting into the bread, Impanna'ta. The Madonna del Impannata, by Raphael, takes its dis- tinctive name from the oiled paper win- dow in the back-ground. (Italian, im- pannata, oiled paper. ) Imper'tinence (4 syl.). A legal term, meaning matter introduced into an affidavit, &o., not pertinent to the case. Impon'derables (Latin, thingswith^ out iveight). The “ matter” of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. If indeed there is such matter, it is without ap- preciable weight. Imposition. A task given for punishment. Of course the word is taken from the verb impose, as the task is imposed ; it is an imposition, or thing imposed. The term is common in schools, colleges, and universities. In the sense of a deception it means to “ put a trick on a person,” hence the expressions “ to put on one,” “ to lay it on thick,” &c. Imposition of Hands. The bishop laying his hand on persons confirmed or ordained. — Acts vi., viii., xix. Impropria'tion. Profits of eccle- siastical property in the hands of a lay- man. Appropriation is when the profits of a benefice are in the hands of a college. Impro'priator. A layman who has church lands or ecclesiastical preferment. (Latin, in-pi'oprius, belonging to.) Improvis'ator (^Italian). One who utters verses impromptu. It was intro- duced by Petrarch, and is still a favourite amusement with Italians. The most celebrated improvisatori or male impro- visators are — (1) Serafi'no d’Aquila. (*-1500.) (2) Metastas'io. (1698-1781.) (3) Bernardino Perfetti, of Sienna (1681-1747), who received a laurel crown in the Capitol, an honour conferred only upon Petrarch and Tasso, IMPKOVISATRIX. INCOG. 437 (4) Marc* Antony Zucco, of Vero'na. (♦-1764.) (5) Serio, beheaded at Naples, 1799. (6) Kossi, beheaded at Naples, 1799. (7) Gianni, pensioned by Bonaparte. (1759-1822.) (8) Tommaso Sgricci. (1788-1836.) Improvis'atrix or Improvisatrice. The most famous improvisatrices or fe- male improvisators are — Maria Magdale'na Moralli, surnamed the Olympic Gorilla Fernandez, crowned at Rome for improvisation. (1740-1800.) Tere'sa Bandetti'ni. (1756-*.) Rosa Taddei. (1801-*.) Signora Mazzei, the most talented of all. Nur Jeh^n, of Bengal {d. 1640), In Germany, Anna Louisa Karsch. In Casna Domini. A papal bull, containing a collection of extracts from different constitutions of the popes, with anathemas against those who violate them. So called because it was annually read ^^at the Lord’s Supper” on Holy Thursday. In Commen'dam {Latin). The holding of church preferment for a time, on the recommendation of the Crown, till a suitable person can be provided. Thus a clergyman elevated to the bench re- tains for a time his living ” in comment dam. In Esse {Latin). In actual existence. Thus a child living is in esse,” but before birth is only in posse.” In Exten'so {Latin). At full length, word for word without abridgment. In Forma Pau'peris. A person who will swear he is not worth £5 has writs, &c., gratis, and is supplied gra- tuitously with attorney and counsel (Henry VII., c. 12). In Lim'ine {Batin'), At the outset, at the threshold. • In Perpet'uam {Latin). In per- petuity. In Petto {Italian). Held in reserve, kept back, something done privately, and not announced to the general public. {In pec' tore, Latin, in the breast.) In Posse {Latin). What may be considered probable, but has not yet any real existence. In Pro'pria Perso'na {Latin). Personally, and not by deputy or agents. In Prospeet'u {Latin). What is intended or in contemplation to be done at some future tin^e. In lie {Latin). In the matter of, as In Re Jones v. Robinson. In Si'tu {Latin). In its original place. In Stat'u Quo or In stat'u quo ante” {Latin). In the condition things were before the change took place. Thus, two nations arming for war may agree to lay down arms on condition that all things be restored to the same state as they were before they took up arms. In Terro'rem {Latin). As a warn- ing, to deter others by terrifying them. In To'to {Latin), Entirely, alto- gether. In Vae'uo {Latin). In a vacuum, i.e., where all the air has been taken away. Inau'gurate (4 syl. ) means to be led in by augurs. The Roman augurs met at their college doors the high officials about to be invested, and led them up to the altar ; hence to install. Inea. A king or royal prince of the ancient Peruvians. The empire of the Incas was founded by Manco Capac. Incanta'tion. A singing against, that is, singing a set form of words in order to bring Divine wrath upon persons or nations. Incheape Rock. Twelve miles from land, in the German Sea. It is dangerous for navigators, and therefore the abbot of Aberbrothok fixed a bell on a float, which gave notice to sailors of its whereabouts. Ralph the Rover, a sea pirate, cut the bell from the float, and was wrecked on his return home on the very rock. Southey has a ballad on the subject. Precisely the same tale is told of St. Goven’s bell, in Pembrokeshire. In the chapel was a silver bell, which was stolen one summer evening by pirates, but no sooner had the boat put to sea, than all the crew was wrecked. The silver bell was carried by sea nymphs to the brink of a well, and whenever the stone of that well is struck the bell is heard to moan. N.B. Inch or Inis means island. Incog., 6., Incog' nito {Italian). With- out wishing to have your rank recognised. 438 INCUBUS. INFANT. When a royal person travels, and does not wish to be treated with royal cere- mony, he assumes some inferior title for the nonce, and travels incog. In'cubus. A nightmare, anything that weighs heavily on the mind. (Latin, in cubo, to lie on.) Incul'cate (3 syl.). To stamp into with the heel. (Latin, calx, the heel. ) Incum'bent. (^See Clerical Titles.) Indepen'dence. The Declaration of Indtpendence. A declaration made July 4, 1776, by the American States, declaring the colonies free and indepen- dent, absolved from all allegiance to Great Britain. Indepen 'dents. Certain Dissenters are so called, because it is a fundamental principle with them that every congrega- tion is an independent church, and has a right to choose its own minister and make its own laws. Index ( The), or The Roman Index, or the Index Lihro'rum Prohibito'rum, or the Index Expurgato'rius. A list of books prohibited by the church of Kome, and published every year by a board of car- dinals called the Congregation of the Index.” Indian Arrow-root. The root which the Indians apply to arrow- wounds to neutralise the venom of the arrow. They mash the meal, and apply it as a poultice. —Miller, Indian Ink. So called because it was first brought from China. It is now made at home of lampblack and glue. Indian Red. Red haematite (per- oxide of iron) found abundantly in the forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It is of a deep lakey hue, used for flesh tints. The Persian Red, which is of a darker hue with a sparkling lustre, is imported from the island of Ormuz in the Persian Gulf. The Romans obtained this pigment from the island of Elba. Insulam ex- haustis chalybdum generosa metallis.” Ovid, Indians. American Indians. When Columbus landed at Cat Island, bethought that he had landed on one of the Indian islands, and in this belief gave the natives the name of Indians, India proper is so named from Indus (the river), in Sanskrit Sindhu, in Persic Hind, whence the Greek Hindus. Hin- dustan is the tan or ‘^country” of the river Hindus, Indra. A Hindu deity of the Vedio period, noted for having slain the demon Vri'tra. As god of the firmament he corresponds with the Latin Jupiter. In works of art he is represented as a youth- ful god mounted on a gigantic elephant. Indracit'tran. A famous giant in Indian mythology, the ally of Shrira'ma. Indr ant. Wife of the god Indra, the god who presides over the air, winds, and thunder. — Hindu mythology. Indnc'tion (Latin, the act of leading in). When a clergyman is inducted to a living he is led to the church door, and the ring which forms the handle is placed in his hand. The door being opened, he is next led into the church, and the fact is announced to the parish by tolling the bell. InduPgence (3 syl.), in the Roman Catholic church, is the entire or partial pardon of sins granted by the pope, to save or relax the punishment thereof in this world or in purgatory. Iner'tia (Latin, powerlessness). That want of power in matter to change its state, either from rest to motion, or from motion to rest. Kepler calls it Vis in- ertice. (Ars in Latin is the Greek ar'eVi, power or inherent force; In-ars is the absence of this power.) Infallibility (of the church of Rome) is the doctrine that the church of Romo cannot at any time cease to be orthodox in her doctrine, and that what she de- clares ex cathedra is substantially true. The doctrine is based on the Divine pro- mise to the disciples, “Howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.”— xvi. 13. In'famous means not allowed to speak or give witness in a court of justice. (Latin, in, negative, fari, to speak ; Greek, pliMmi or phdmi.) Infant. Infant of Luhech. Christian Henry Heinecken. (1721-1725.) Atone year old he knew the chief events of the Pentateuch ; at thirteen months he knew the history of the Old Testament ; at fourteen months he knew the history of INFANTA. INOCULATE. 439 the New Testament ; at two and a-half years he could answer any ordinary ques- tion of history or geography ; at three years he knew well both French and Latin. Infanta. Any princess of the blood royal, except an heiress of the crown, is so called in Spain and Portugal. Infan'te (3 syl.). All the sons of the sovereigns of Spain and Portugal bear this title, except the crown prince, who is called in Spain the prince of Astu'rias. In the middle ages the word childe was used as a title of honour in England, France, and Germany : hence Childe Harold, Childe-ric, Childe-bert, &c. Infernal Column. So the corps of Latour d’ Auvergne was called, from its terrible charges with the bayonette. (1743-1800.) Infer no. We have Dante’s notion of the infernal regions in his Inferno Homer’s in the Odyssey,” book xi. ; Vir- gil’s in the iEne'id,” book vi. ; Spenser’s in the '' Faery Queen,” book ii. canto 7 ; Ariosto’s in the “Orlando Furio'so,” book xvii. ; Tasso’s in “Jerusalem Delivered,” bk. iv. ; Milton’s in “ Paradise Lost and Beckford’s in his romance of “ Vathek.” Infra Dig. {dignita'tem). Not in ac- cordance with one’s position and cha- racter. Latin for “beneath one’s rank or status in society.” Infra-Lapsa'rians. A sect which hold that God has created some men to condemnation, without the possibility of being saved. They are called Infra- lapsarian, because they suppose that these ill-fated beings are justly treated, as they have fallen in Adam. Ingoldsby. The Rev. Richard Harris Barham, author of “ Ingoldsby Legends.” (1788-1845.) Injunc'tion A writ forbidding a person to do a specified meditated wrong. The wrong specified does not amount to a crime. Injunctions are of two sorts— temporary and perpetual. The first is limited “till the coming on of the de- fendant’s answer;” the latter is based on the merits of the case, and is of per- petual force. Ink. Pancirollus says the emperors used a fluid for writing called encavstum. (Italian, inchiostro; French, mere; Dutch, inht. ) Inkle and Yar'ico. The hero and heroine of a drama so called by George Colman. The story is from the “ Spec- tator,” No. 11. Inkle is a young English- man who is lost in the Spanish main ; he falls in love with Yarico, an Indian maiden, whom he lives with as his wife ; but no sooner does he find a vessel to take him to Barbadoes, than he sells her for a slave. Inland INavigation. Francis Egerton, duke of Bridgewater, is called the Father of British Inland Navigation. (1729-1803.) A title certainly due to James Brindley. (1716-1772.) Inn (*8(Xxo?t). Chamber; originally ap- plied to a mansion, like the French hdtel. Hence Clifford’s Inn, once the mansion of De Clifford ; Lincoln’s Inn, the man- sion of the Earls of Lincolu ; Gray’s Inn, that of the Lords Gray, &c. Now, when as Phoebus, with his fiery waine, Unto his inne began to draw apace. Spenser, “ Faery Queen,*’ vi. 3. Inns of Courti The four voluntary societies which have the exclusive right of calling to the bar. They are the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, Lincoln’s Inn, and Gray’s Inn. Each is governed by a board of benchers. Innings. He has had a long innings, A good long run of luck. A term in cricket for the time that the eleven are in, or not out as scouts. The innings' of an individual is the time he has the bat. The field or scouts are oiiters. Innocents. Feast of the Holy Inno- cents. The 28th December, to commemo- rate Herod’s butchery of the children of Bethlehem from two years old and up- ward, with the design of cutting off the infant Jesus. Innuen'do. An implied or covert hint of blame. It is a law term, meaning the person nodded to (Latin, in~nuo\ and is thus used : A defendant or his pleader speaking of the plaintiff would say, “He, innuendo, did so and so,” i.e., He, the person 1 nod to or refer to (viz., the plaintiff) did so and so. Inoc'ulate (4 syl.) is to put in an eye (Latin, in oculus). The allusion is to a plan adopted by gardeners who insert the “ eye ” or small bud of a superior plant into the stock of an inferior one, in order to produce flowers or fruits of better quality. 440 INOGENE. INTERPRETER. In'ogene or Ig'noge (3 syl.)- Wife of Brute, the mythological king of Britain. Thus Brnte this realme unto his rule subdewd, And raigned lung in grear, felicity. Loved of his friends, and of his foes eschewd. He left three sons, his fa-nous progeny, Born of fayre Inogene of Italy. Spenser, “ Faery Queen, ii. 10. Inquisition. A court instituted to inquire into offences against the Roman Catholic religion. The first was estab- lished in the south of France in the thirteenth century. (Latin, inquisitio, a searching into.) Inspired. The ins'pired idiot. So Walpole called Oliver Goldsmith. (1728- 1774.) Instantia Crucis. (/See Crucial.) Instinct. Something pricked or punctured into one. Distinguish is of the same root, and means to prick or puncture separately. Extinguish means to prick or puncture out. In all cases the allusion is to marking by a puncture. At college the markers ” at the chapel doors still hold a pin in one hand, and prick with it the name of each ‘‘ man ” that enters. Insu'bri. The district of Lombardy, which contained Milan, Como, Pavi'a, Lodi, Nova'ra, and Vercelli. Insult. To leap on the prostrate body of a foe. Insultor. One who leaps upon you or against you. Thus Terence says, ‘qnsulta're fores cal'cibus” {Eun. 2. 2. 54). It will be remembered that the priests of Baal, to show their indignation against their gods, “ leaped upon the altar which they had made ” (1 Kgs. xviii. 26). Zepha- niah (i. 9) says that God will punish all those that leap on the threshold.” [See Desultory.) Intaglio [Italian). A design cut in a gem, like a crest or initials in a stamp. The design does not stand out in relief, as in caTnieoSj but is hollowed in. Intellect. The power of reading mentally. (Latin, intus lego, I read within me.) Inter alia {Latin), Among other things or matters. Intercal'ary [Latin). Called be- tween. Thus, an intercalary day is a day foisted in between two others, as the 29th February in leap-year. (iSee Calends.) Interdict and Excommunicate. The pope or some ecclesiastic interdicts a kingdom, province, county, or town, but excommunicates an individual. This sentence excludes the place or individual from partaking in certain sacraments, public worship, and the burial service. The most remarkable instances are the following : — 1081. Poland was laid under an inter- dict by pope Gregory VII., because Boleslas II. had murdered Stanislaus at the altar. 1180. Scotland was put under a similar ban by pope Alexander III. 1200. France was interdicted by In- nocent III. because Philippe Auguste refused to marry Ingelburge, who had been betrothed to him. 1209. England was laid under similar sentence by Innocent III., and continued so for six years, in the reign of king John. In France, Robert the Pious, Philippe I., Louis VIL, Philippe Auguste, Philippe IV., and Napoleon I., have all been subjected to the papal thunder. In England, Henry II. and John. Victor Emmanuel of Italy has been excommu- nicated by Pius IX. for despoiling the papacy of a large portion of its temporal dominions. In'terest [Latin). Something that is between the parties concerned. The interest of money is the sum which the borrower agrees to pay the lender for its use. To take an interest in anything is to feel there is something between it and you which may affect your happiness. Interlard {French). To put lard or fat between layers of meat. Meta- phorically, to mix what is the solid part of a discourse with fulsome and irrelevant matter. Thus we say, ^^To intdrlard with oaths,” to interlard with compli- ments,” &c. Interlo'per. One who runs between traders. One who sets up business, and by so doing interferes with the actual or supposed rights of others. (Dutch, loogen, to run. ) Inter'polate (4 syl.). For two or more persons to polish up something between them ; spurious emendations. (Latin, inter polio.) Inter 'preter [Mr.). The imper- sonation of the Holy Spirit in Pilgrim’s I Progress,” by John Bunyan. INTER REX. INVISIBLES. 441 hiterpreter really means the Holy Spirit. In Pilgrim’s Progress” he is lord of a house a little way beyond the Wicket Gate. Here Christian was kindly entertained and shown many wonderful sights of an allegorical character. Chris- tiana and her party stopped here also, and were entertained in a similar manner. — Bunyan. Inter Rex (^Latin). A person ap- pointed to hold the office of king pro lem. Into'ne (2 syh). To thunder out’,' intonation f the thundering of the voice. (Latin, tono^ to thunder). The Romans said that Cicero and Demosthenes 'thun- dered out their orations.” It is instruc- tive to notice how thunder symbolises the human voice even in its musical cha- racter. Intrigue (2 syl.) comes from the Greek thrixy hair, whence the Latin triccBy trifles or hairs ; the German triig^ a deception carried on by false hair. Inure (2 syl. ) is to burn in, as colours used to be in encaustic painting, or as a brand was burnt on the skin of a criminal. To inure oneself to labour is to burn it into the body by habit till it can be no more separated than a brand, or the colour of encaustic tiles. Invalide (French). A four-sou piece, so called because it was debased to the value of three sous and a-half. Tien, prens cet invalide a ma sant6 va boire. Deux Arlequins.” ( 1091 .) Invei'gle (3 syh). To lead blind- fold. (Norman French, enveogler; French, aveugler; Italian, invogliare.) Invention of the Cross (discovery of the cross'). A festival held on May 3rd, in commemoration of the discovery of the cross by the agents of St. HeFena, mother of Constantine the emperor (316). (Latin, inven'io, to discover.) Inventors punished by their own inventions : — (a) Peril los, who invented the Brazen Bull for Phal'aris, tyrant of Agrigentum, was the first person baked to death in the monster. (h) The regent Morton of Scotland, who invented or adopted the Maiden^ a sort of guillotine, was the first to be ; executed by his own machine (in the reign of queen Elizabeth). (c) Hugues Aubriot, provost of Paris, who built the Bastile, was the first person con finned in his own strong castle. The charge against him was heresy. (d) The bishop of Verdun who invented the iron cages y too small to allow the person confined in them to stand upright or lie at full length, was the first to be shut up in one ; and cardinal La Balue, who recommended them to Louis XI., was himself confined in one for ten years. (e) Ludivi'co Sforza, who invented the Iron Shroud, was the first to suffer death by the horrible torture. (/) Haman, son of Hammeda'tha, the Amalekite, of the race of Agag, devised a gallows fifty cubits high, on which to hang Mordecai, by way of commencing the extirpation of the Jews; but the fa- vourite of Ahasue'ruswas himself hanged on his gigantic gallows. In modern his- tory we have a repetition of this incident in the case of Euguerrand de Marigni, Minister of Finance to Philippe the Fair, who was hung on the gibbet which he had caused to be erected at Montfaucon, for the execution of certain felons ; and four of his successors in office underwent the same fate. {g) Captain Cowper Coles, inventor of the iron turret ship, perished in the Cap- taiuy off Cape Finisterre, Sept. 7, 1870. Inves'titure. (Latin, clothing in or putting on canonicals.) The admission to office is generally made by investiture : Thus a pair of gloves is given to a Free- mason in France; a cap is given to a graduate; a crown, &c., to a sovereign, &c. A crosier and ring used to be given to a church dignitary. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the kings of Europe and the pope were perpetually at variance about the right of investiture ; the ques- tion was, should the sovereigns or should the pope invest clergymen or appoint them to their livings and dignities ? Invin'eible Doctor. William of Occam or Ockham (a village in Surrey), also called Doctor Singuta'ris. (1270- 1347.) Invisibles. (1) The Rosicrucians were so called, because they never dared to appear in public. ‘(2) The disciples of Osiander, Flaccius, Illiricus, &c., who denied the perpetual visibility of the church. 412 lOL. IRELAND. lol (pron. Yol). The Danish word for Christmas ; the same as Yule. The savage Dane At lol more deep the mead did drain. Sir WixUer ScotU'* Marmion.** lo'nian Mode. A species of church music in the key of C ma.jor, in imitation of the ancient Greek mode so called. Ionic Accomplishments. Ges- ture and dress. lon'ic Architecture. So called from lo'nia where it took its rise. The capitals are decorated with volutes, and the cornice with dentils. The people of Ionia formed their order of archi- tecture on the mo de on the event, which was for a time wonderfully popular. Pauvre Jacques, quand j’etais pres de toi< Je ne sentais pas ma misere : Jlais a present que tii vis loin de moi, Je manque de tout sur la terre. 3tarquise de Travanet. Jacques Bon-homme. A sort of fairy good-luck, who is to redress all wrongs, and make all the poor wealthy. The i>ench peasants are so called some- times, and then the phrase is like our term of sneering pity, “my good fellow,” or “ my fine fellow.” {See Jacquerie.) Jaeu'si. God of mQdiiGme.— Japanese mythology. Jade or The Divine Stone. Worn by the Indians as an amulet to preserve them from the bite of venomous animals, and to cure the gravel, epilepsy, &c. — —Hill. JaTfier (3 syl.), in “Venice Pre- served,” a tragedy by Otway. He joins the conspiracy of Pierre against the Ve- netian state, but communicates the secret to his wife Belvide'ra. Belvide'ra, being the daughter of a senator, is naturally anxious to save the life of Priu'li, her father, and accordingly induces her hus- band to disclose the plot, under promise of pardon to all the conspirators. The plot being revealed, the senate condemned the conspirators to death, whereupon Jaffier stabbed Pierre to prevent his being broken on the wheel, and then stabbed himself. Jaga Baba. The Belo'na or war- goddess of the Slaves. Jai'nas. The followers of Jai'na, a heterodox sect of the Hindus. They believe that all objects are classed under nine categories. Jamambuxes {Soldiers of the round •valleys). Certain fanatics of Japan, who roam about and pretend to hold converse with the devil. They scourge themselves severely, and sometimes refrain from sleeping for several days, in order to win the odour of sanctity. They are employed by the people for the discovery of articles stolen or lost. Jainbusclia(Jaw-^a5-car). Adam’s preceptor, according to the pre- Adamites. Sometimes called Boan, and sometimes Zagtith. James {St). Patron saint of Spain. At Padron, near Compostello, they used to show a huge stone as the veritable boat in which the apostle sailed from Palestine. His body was discovered in 840 by divine revelation to bishop Theo- domi'rus, and king Alphonso built a church at Compostello for its shrine. According to another legend : It was the relics of St, James that were miraculously conveyed to Spain in a ship of marble from Jersualem, where he was bishop. A knight saw the ship sailing into port, his horse took fright, and plunged with its rider into the sea. The knight saved himself by “ boarding the marble vessel,” but his clothes were found to be entirely covered with scallop shells. In Christian art this saint has some- times the sword by which he was be- headed, and sometimes he is attired as a pilgrim, with his cloak covered with shells. {See above.') St. James {the Less). His attidbute is a fuller’s club, in allusion to the instru- ment by which he was put to death, after having been precipitated from the summit of the temple. St. James's College. So called from James I., who granted a charter to a college founded at Chelsea by Dr. Sut- cliffe, dean of Exeter, to maintain priests to answer all adversaries of religion. Laud nicknamed it “Controversy Col- lege.” The college was a failure, and Charles II. gave the site to the Koyal Society, who sold it for the purpose of erecting the Royal Hospital for Old Soldiers, which now exists. St. James's Day. July 25, the day of his martyrdom. Jamma-Locon. The Indian hell ; after a time the spirits return to earth and enter the first body they encounter. Jam'nes and Mam'bres. The two magicians of Pharaoh, who imitated some of the miracles of Moses. The Jannes and Jambres who “ withstood Moses,” mentioned by St. Paul (2 Tim. iii. 8, 9), are supposed to be the same. The para- phrast Jonathan says they were the sons of Balaam. Jamshid'. King of the Genii, famous for a golden cup full of the elixir of life. ITiis cup, hidden by the genii, was dia- 454 JANE. JANUa covered while digging the feundations of Persep'olis. j I ]{now too where the genii hid , The je»'«;lled cud of tJietr king Jamshid, Willi life’s elixir sparkling high. Thomas Moore, ** Farudise and the Peri." Jane. A Genoese halfpenny, a cor- ruption of Januensis or Genoensis. Jane. A most ill-starred name for rulers. To give a few examples : Lady Jane Grey, beheaded by Mary for treason ; Jane Seymour; Jane or Joan Beaufort, wife of James I. of Scotland, who was infamously and savagely murdered ; Jane of Burgundy, wife of Philippe le Long, who imprisoned her for adultery in 1314 ; Jane of Flanders, who was in ceaseless war with Jane of Fenthi^vre, after the cap- tivity of their husbands. This contest is known in history as The wars of the two Janes’* (fourteenth century). Jane of Framce (de Valois), wife of Louis XII., who repudiated her for being ugly ; Jane d*A Ibret, mother of Henri lY. of France. Being invited to Paris to attend the espousals of her son with Margaret de Valo'is, she was pois@ned by Catharine de’ Medicis(1572) ; Jane,cowntess ofHainault, daughter of Baldwin, and wife of Fernand of Portugal, who was made prisoner at the battle of Bouvines in 1214. She re- fused to ranscm him, and is thought to have poisoned her father; Jane Renri- quez, wife of John II. of Navarre, stirred np war between her husband and his son Carlos by a former marriage, and ulti- mately made away with the young prince, a proceeding which caused a revolt of the Catalonians (1462) ; Jane the imbecile of Castile, who lost her reason from grief at the neglect of her husband, Philip the handsome, archduke of Austria ; Jane I, of Naples married Andrew of Hungary, whom she caused to be murdered, and then married the assassin. Her reign was most disastrous. La Harpe has a tragedy entitled ^'Jeanne de Naples;’* Jane II. of Naples, a woman of most scandalous character, guilty of every sort of wantonness. She married James, count of March, who put to death her lovers and imprisoned J ane for two years. ! At her release, James fled to France, when J ane had a liaison with Caraccioli, whom she afterwards murdered ; Joan, the pope, if indeed such a person ever existed; Jeanne la Pucetle [Joan of Arc] cannot bo called a ruler, but her lot was not more happy ; &c., &c. {See John.) J ane Eyre. The heroine in a novel of the same name, by Currer Bell (q.v.). Jangu-Mon {Good man). Two gods of the negroes of the Gold Coast. Janic'ulum. One of the armed po- sitions on the farther side of the Tiber,, which prohibited approach to Home. Janissaries or Jan'izaries, a cele- brated militia of the Ottoman empire,, raised by Orchan in 1326, and called the Yengi-tscheri (new corps). It was blessed by Hadji Bektash, a saint, who cut off a sleeve of his fur mantle and gave it to the captain, who put it on his head, and from this circumstance arose the fur cap worn by these foot-guards. Janitor {Latin). A door-porter. Jan'nanins. The departed spirits of the Africans of Guinea. They resem- ble in a striking manner the Roman ma'nes, in their guardian care, and in the-^ great interest they take in the family over which they preside. Jannat iAl) {The Garden). The name given by Mahomet to his paradise. Jan'senists. A sect of Christians, who followed the opinions of Janse'nius, bishop of Ypres, in France. They en- tertained Calvinistic views, and long did battle with the Jesuits; but Louis XIV. took part against them, and they were put down by pope Clement XI., in 1705, in the famous bull called Unigen'itus {q.v.). Janua'rius {St.). A martyr in 305. Two vials of his blood are preserved in the cathedral at Naples, and every year on September 19 (the day of his martyr- dom) the blood liquefies. Order of St. Januarius (patron saint of Naples), instituted in 1788 by infante don Carlos. Jan'uary. The month dedicated by the Romans to Janus {q.r.). Ja'nus. The temple of peace, in Rome. The doors were thrown open in times of peace and closed in times of I war. Some think the two faces of this mythical deity allegorise Noah and his sons, who look back on the world before the flood, and forward on the world after the deluge had abated. This idea will do very well in poetry. Slavery was the hincte ou whicli the gates of the temple of Jaaus turned Ctu the Americau war).-~ The limes. JAPANESE. JEAN DE LETTRE. 455 Japanese (3 syl). The latipfiiage of Japan, a native of Japan, anything per- taining thereto. Japheth’s Stone. According to tradition, Noah gave Japheth a stone which the Turks call giud'etasch and senk- jede. Whoever possesses this stone has the power of bringing rain from heaven at wUl. It was for a long time preserved by the Moguls. Jaques (1 syl.). A morose cynical moraliser in Shakespeare’s ‘‘As You Like It.” It is much disputed whether the word is a monosyllable or not. Charles Lamb makes it a dissyllable — “Where Jaques fed in solitary vein;” but Sir Walter Scott uses it as a mono- syllable — “ Whom humorous Jaques with envy viewed.” Jarkman. An Abram-man {q.v.), Jark means a seal, whence also a safe- conduct. Abram-men were licensed beggars, who had the “seal” or licence of the Bethlehem Hospital to beg. Jarnac. Coup de Jarnac. A peculiar stroke of the sword by which the oppo- nent is ham-strung. The allusion is to the duel between Jarnac and La Ch4- teigneraie, on the 10th July, 1547, in the presence of Henri II., when Jarnac dealt his adversary such a blow, from which he died. Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. An in- terminable Chancery suit in Dickens’s “ Bleak House.” The character of Jarn- dyce is that of a kind-hearted, easy fellow, who is half ashamed that his left hand should know what his right hand gives. Jarvie {Baillie Nicol). A Glasgow magistrate in Scott’s “Rob Roy.” Ho is petulant, conceited, purse-proud, without tact, and intensely prejudiced, but sincere and kind-hearted. Jatte(pron. Yetta), Giants in Swedish mythology. J aun'dice (2 syl. ). A jaundiced eye, A prejudiced eye, which sees “faults that are not.” It was a popular belief among the Romans that to the eye of a person who had the jaundice everything looked i of a yellow tinge. 1 All seems infecfe^l that th’ infected spy. As all yellow to the jauudii.ed eve. jPopc, “ Ensuy on Criticitm,** Javan (day). Son of Japheth. In most eastern languages it is the collective name of the Greeks, and is to be so un- derstood in Isa. Ixvi. 19, and Ezek. xxvii. 13. In the “World before the Flood,” by James Montgomery, Javan is the hero. On the day of his birth, his father died, and Javan remained in the “ patriarch’s glen” under his mother’s care, till she also died ; then he resolved to sre the world, and sojourned for ten years with the race of Cain, where he became the disciple of Jubal, and noted for his mu- sical talents. At the expiration of that time he returned, penitent, to the patri- arch’s glen, where Zillah, daughter of Enoch, “won the heart to Heaven de- nied.” The giants invade the glen, and carry off the little band captives. Enoch reproved the giants, who would have slain him in their fury, but they could not find him, “for he walked with God.” As he ascended through the air, his mantle fell on Javan, who, “smiting with it as he moved along,” brought the captives safely back to the glen again. A tempest broke forth of so fearful a nature that the giant army fled in a panic, and their king was slain by some treacherous blow, given by some un- known hand. Jav'anese (3 syl.). A native of Java, anything pertaining to Java. Javert. An officer of police, the impersonation of inexorable law in “ Les Misdrables,” by Victor Hugo. J awbone (2 syl. ). Credit, promises. {Jaw, words or talk; bo7i, good.) Ja'zey. A wig; a corruption of Jer- sey, and so called because they are made of J ersey flax and fine wool, Je Maintiendrai {I icill maintain). The motto of the house of Nassau. When William III. came to England, he re- tained the motto, but added to it, “ I will maintain the liheidies of E)igland and the Protesta7it religio^if Jeamesfl syl.). Any flunky. Some- times the Morning Post is so called. Thackeray wrote in “ Jeames’s Diary,” of which Jeames de la Piuche was the hero. Jean de Lettro {Mr, Jenkins^, “ Qui pour I’ordinaii'e, dit Tallemant, 456 JEAN DE LA SUIE. JEjMMY- DAWSON. ^st un animal mal idoine b, toute autre y fishermen. Jeb'usites (3 syl.), in Dry den’s satire of “Absalom and Achitophel,” stands for the Roman Catholics ; so called be- cause England was Roman Catholic before the Reformation, and Jerusalem was <5alled J ebus before the time of David. Jedwood Justice. Putting an ob- noxious person to death first, and trying him afterwards. We will have Jedwood justice— harg in haste and try at leisure.— wr- ple), or the planet Mercury. Jez'ebel. A painted Jezebel. A flaunting woman of bold spirit, but loose morals ; so called from queen Jezebel, the wife of Ahab. Jib. A triangular sail borne in front of the foremast. It has the bowsprit for a base in small vessels and the jib-boom in larger ones, and exerts an important m effect when the wind is abeam, in throw- ing the ship’s head to leeward. Jib. The under-lip. A sailor’s ex- pression ; the under-lip indicating the temper, as the jib indicates the character of a ship. The cut of his jib. The expression of the face dependent on the ‘4iang” of the under-lip. (See above.) To hang the jib. To look cross, to drop the under-lip in ill-temper. Jib-boom. An extension of the bowsprit by the addition of a spar pro- jecting beyond it. Sometimes the boom is further extended by another spar* called flying jib-boom. Jib-door. A door flush with the outside wall, and intended to be con- cealed ; forming thus part of the jib or face of the house. (See “ Cut of his Jib.”) Jig, from gigue. A short piece of music much in vogue in olden times, of a very lively character, either six-eight or twelve- eight time, and used for dance- tunes. It consists of two parts, each of eight bars. You jig, you amble, and you lisp. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet,'^ iii, L Jihon. The river Oxus* Jim Crow. Brought out at the Adelphi, in 1836. The character of Jim Crow played by T. D. Rice, as the original of the nigger minstrels ’I since so popular. A renegade or turncoat is called a Jim Crow, from the burden of the song, Wheel about and turn about.” Jingo. By Jingo. An oath ; a cor- ruption of Gingou’ — i.e.y St. Gingoulph. Jinn. A sort of fairy in Arabian mythology, the offspring of fire. They propagate their species like human be- ings, and are governed by a race of kings named Suleyman, one of whom built the pyramids.” Their chief abode is the mountain KM, and they appear to men under the forms of serpents, dogs, cats, monsters, or even human beings, and become invisible at pleasure. The^ evil jinn are hideously ugly, but the good are exquisitely beautiful. The singular of jinn is jinnee. Jin'nistan. The country of the Jinn, or Fairy Land, the chief province of which is The Country of Delight, and the capital The City of Jewels^ 460 JOACHIM. JOCKEY OF NORFOLK. Jo'achim (5<.). The father of the Virgin Mary. Generally represented as an old man carrying in a basket two turtle-doves, in allusion to the offering made for the purification of his daughter. His wife was St. Anne, or St. Anna. Joan (Pope), A supposed female •^^pope” between Leo IV. and Benedict JII. She is said to have been bom in England and educated at Cologne, pass- ing under the name of Joannes An'glicus (John of England). Blindel, a Calvinist, has shown that no such person ever oc- cupied the papal chair. Joan Cromwell. Joan Cromwell’s hitchen-stuff tub. A tub of kitchen per- quisites. The filchings of servants sold for '^market pennies. The royalists used to call the Protector’s wife, whose name was Elizabeth, Joan Cromwell, and declared that she exchanged the kitchen- ‘ stuff of the palace for tallow candles. Joan of Arc or Jeanne la Pucelle. M. Octave Delepi^rre has published a pamphlet, called ^'Doute Historique,” to deny the tradition that Joan of Arc was burnt at Rouen for sorcery. He cites a document discovered by Father Vignier in the seventeenth century, in the archives of Metz, to prove that she became the wife of Sieur des Armoise, with whom she resided at Metz, and became the mother of a family. Vignier subsequently found in the family muni- > ment- chest the contract of marriage be- tween Robert des Armoise, knight, and Jeanne D’Arcy, surnamed the Maid of Orleans.” In 1740 there were found in the archives of the Maison de Ville (Orleans) records of several payments to certain messengers from Joan to her brother John, bearing the dates 1435, 1436. There is also the entry of a pre- sentation from the council of the city to the Maid, for her services at the siege (dated 1439). M.Delepi^rrehas brought forward a host of other documents to corroborate the same fact, and show that the tale of her martyrdom was invented to throw odium on the English. A sermon is preached annually in France towards the beatification of the Maid, who will eventually become the patron saint of that nation, and Shakespeare will prove a true prophet in the words— No longer on St. Denia will we cry. But Joan la Pucelle stall be rmnce’s saint. Joannes Hagustaldensis is John, prior of Hexham, author of an old English Chronicle,” and “ Lives of the Bishops of Hexham ” in two books. Job (o long). The personification of poverty and patience. ‘‘ Patient as Job,’' in allusion to the patriarch whose history is given in the Bible. Poor as Job. Referring to the patriarch when he was by Satan deprived of all his worldly possessions. I am as poor as J ob, my lord, but not so patient Shakespeare, “2 Henry IV.,’* j, 2, Job’s Comforter. One who pre- tends to sympathise in your grief, but says that you brought it on yourself; thus in reality adding weight to your sorrow. (See above.) Job Thornberry. A rough, but generous and tender-hearted brazier, who is reduced to bankruptcy ; but while the bailiffs are in the house, a youth named Peregrine, to whom he once lent ten pounds, arrives and pays the several claims. Of course the young man be- comes the old brazier’s son-in-law. — George Colman, John Bull.” Job (o short). A ministerial job. Sheridan says : — Whenever any emolu- ment, profit, salary, or honour is con- ferred on any person not deserving it — that is a job ; if from private friendship, personal attachment, or any view except the interest of the public, any one is appointed to any public office . . . that is a job.” Joba'tion. A scolding ; so called from the patriarch Job, who was well rated by his three friends. Jocelin de Brakelonda, de Rebus gestis Samsonis, &c., published by the Camden Society. This record of the acts of abbot Samson of Edmondsbury, contains much contemporary history, and gives a good account of English life and society between 1173 and 1202. Jockey is a little Jack (boy). So in Scotch, ‘‘ Ilka Jeanie has her Jockie.” (See Jack.) All jellows, JocJcey and the laird (man and master).— ^Sco^c/t proverb. Jockey of INorfolk. Sir John Howard, a firm adherent of Richard III. On the night before the battle of Bos- JOE. JOHN. 461 worth, he found in his tent the warning couplet : — Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold, • For Dickon, thi' master, is bought and sold. Joe or a Joe Miller. A stale joke ; so called from the compilation of jokes under that nom de plume. {See Miller.) J oey. A groat ; so called from J oseph Hume, M.P., who strongly recommended the coinage for the sake of paying short cab-fares, he.— Hawkins. Jog. Jog away, jog off, jog on. Get awa}', be off, keep moving. Shakespeare uses the word shog in the same sense— as, ‘•Will you shog off? ’’(“Henry V.,” ii.l.) and again in the same play, “Shall we shog?” (ii. 3). Beaumont and Fletcher 1 use the same expression in “ The Cox- ; comb” — “Come, prithee, let us shog off and again, in “Pasquilland Katha- rine” — “Thus it shogges” [goes]. In the “ Morte d’ Arthur ” we have another variety — “ He shokkes in sharpely ” [rushes in]. The words seem to be con- nected with the Dutch schokken, to jolt, and the Saxon scacan, to depart, to flee. To jog his memory, or Give his memory a jog. To remind one of something ap- parently forgotten. Jog is to shake or stir up. (Welsh, gogi, to shake ; French, choque)' ; o\n: shock, shake, &c.) Joggis or Jogges. The pillory. Jamieson says, “ They punish delin- quents, making them stand in jogges, as they call their pillories. (The word is Yoke; Latin, jugum ; French, joug ; Saxon, gcocJ) Staune ane wholl Sabothe daye in ye joirgia.— Gien. History of Dumbarton.” Jolin. A contraction of Johannes (Joh’n). The French contract it dif- ferently, Jean — ie., Jehan or Jehann; in Italian, Giovanni. John. A proverbially unhappy name with royalty, insomuch that when John Stuart ascended the throne of Scotland, he changed his name to Robert; but misfortune never deserted him. and after an evil reign he died overwhelmed with calamities and infirmity. Witness John Baliol of Scotland; John of England, a most disastrous reign. John I. of France reigned only a few days; ,lohn II. was for years a captive in England, and to France his reign was a tissue of evils. John of Bohemia was slain at Cressy. John 1, of Aragon was at ceaseless war with his subjects, by whom he was exe- crated ; John II. was at ceaseless wai • with his son, Don Carlos. John I. of Constantinople was poisoned by Basil, his eunuch; John IV. had his eyes put out; John V. was emperor in name only, and was most unhappy ; John VI., harassed with troubles, abdicated, and died in a monastery. Pope John I. died wretchedly in jail ; John VIII. was im- prisoned by Lambart, duke of Spole'to,* at a subsequent period he was dressed in female attire out of mockery, and was at last poisoned ; John X. was overthrown by Gui, duke of Tuscany, and died in prison ; John XI. was imprisoned with his mother by Alberic, and died there ; John XII. was deposed for sacrilege, and was at last assassinated ; John XXI. was crushed to death by the fall of a house at Viterbo (1277) ; John XXIII. fled in disguise, was arrested, and cast into prison for three years. John I. of Sweden was unhappy in his expeditions, and died childless ; John II. had his wife driven out of the kingdom by his angry subjects. Jean Sans Peur of Burgundy engaged in the most horrible massacres, and was murdered. John of Suabia, called the Parricide, because he murdered his father Albert, after which he was a fugitive and a vagabond on the face of the earth, &c. &c. {See Jane.) N.B. — John of Portugal was a signal exception. King John and the abbot of Cantef)'bury.t, John, being jealous of the state kept by the abbot, declared he should be put to death unless he answered three questions. — The first question was, how much the king w as worth ; the second, how long it would take to ride round the world ; and the third, what the king was thinking of. The king gave the abbot three weeks’ I grace for his answers. A shepherd un- dertook to answer the three questions, so with crozier, mitre, rochet, and cope, he presented himself before the king. “What am I worth?” asked John. “Well,” was the reply, “the Saviour was sold for thirty pence., and your ma- jesty is a penny worse than he.” The king laughed, and demanded what he had to say to the next question, and the man replied, “ If you rise with the sun and ride with the sun, you will get round the world in a day.” Again the king was satisfied, and demanded that the respond- ent should tell him his thoughts. “ Yot. 462 JOHN-A-DREAMS. JOHN IN THE WAB. tbink I am the abbot of Canterbury, but I’m only a poor shepherd who am come to ask your majesty’s pardon for him and me.’" The king was so pleased with the jest, that he would have made the sheplierd abbot of Canterbury; but the man pleaded that he could neither write nor ]*edd, whereupon the king dismissed him, and gave him a pension of four nobles a week. — Percy y ^^Reliqv.eSy^ series -2, bk. iii. 6. Prester John. The supposed Christian king and priest of a mediaeval kingdom in the interior of Asia. This Prester John was the Khan Ung who was de- feated and slain by Genghis Khan in 1202, said to have been converted by the Nestorian Christians. He figures in Ariosto, and has furnished materials for a host of mediaeval legends. I will fetch you a tooth-picker now from the far- thest inch of Asia ; bring you the length of Prester John’s foot; fetch you a hair off the great Cham’s beard.. “ Much Ado about Nothhig^* ii. 1. The three Johns — an alehouse picture in Little Park Street, Westminster, and in White Lion Street, Pentonville— is John Wilkes between the Rev. John Horne Tooke and Sir John Glynn (ser- jeant-at-law). — Hotten, ‘‘History of Sign- boards.'^ St. John the Evangelist is represented writing his gosp^ ; or bearing a chalice, from which a serpent issues, in allusion to his driving the poison from a cup pre- sented to him to drink. He is sometimes represented in a cauldron of boiling oil, in allusion to the tradition of his hieing plunged in such a cauldron before his banishment to the isle of Patmos. St. John. The usual war-cry of the English of the North in their encounters with the Scotch. The person referred to is St. John of Beverley, in Yorkshire, who died 721. John-a-Dreams. A stupid, dreamy fellow, always in a brown study and half asleep. Yet I. A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet” ii. 2. John-a-Droynes. A foolish cha- racter in Whetstone’s ‘^Promos and <}assandra” (1578). Bei:ig seized by in- formers, he stands dazed, and suffers himself to be quietly cheated out of his money. John Bull. The national nickname for an Englishman, represented as a bluff, kind-hearted, bull-headed farmer. The character is from a satire by Dr. Arbuth- not. In this satire the Ph-enchman is termed Lewis Babooiiy the Dutchman Nicholas Frog, &c. John BuU. A comedy by George Colman. Job Thornberry is the chief character. Johnny Crapaud. A Frenchman, so called by the English sailors in the long Napoleon contest. The ancient Flemings used to call the French Crapaud Fran- chos.” The allusion is to the toads borne originally in the arms of France. John Dory. Either a corruption of Ja 2 ine dorU (yellow gilt), from its golden lustre ; or of the Gascon Jan d comedy of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.” He represents a bourgeois placed by wealth in the ranks of gentlemen, and making himself extremely ridiculous by his endeavours to acquire accomplish- ments. Journal. Latin, diurnum (a daily thing); Welsh, diivrnod ; Italian, giorno; French, Applied to newspapers ; the word strictly means a daily paper, but the exteusion of the term to weekly papers is sanctioned by custom. JOUilNEY-WEIGHT. JUDAS. 465 Journey- weight. The weight of ‘Certain parcels of gold in the mint. A journey of gold is fifteen pounds Troy, which is coined into 701 sovereigns or •double that number of half-sovereigns. K journey of silver is sixty pounds Troy, which is coined into 3,960 shillings, or double that number of sixpences, half that number of florins, &c. So called because this weight of coin was required as a day’s work. (French, Jouvence (2 syl.). You have been to the fountain of Jouvence — i.e.. You have grown young again. This is a French phrase. Jouvence is a town of France in the department of Saone-et-Loire, and has a fountain called la fontaine de Jouvence \ but Jouvence means also youthj and la fontaine de jouvence may be rendered '‘the fountain of youth.” The play on the word gave rise to the tradition that whoever drank of this fountain would become young again. Jove (1 syl.). {8ee Jupiter.) The Titans made war against Jove, and tried to dethrone him. Not stronger were of old the giant crew. Who sought to pull high J ove from regal state. Thomson^ “ Castle of Indolence ” canto 1. Milton, in "Paradise Lost,” makes Jove one of the fallen angels (i. 512). Jo'vial. Merry and sociable, like those born under the planet Jupiter, which astrologers considered the happiest of the natal stars. Our jovial star reigned at his birth. Shakespeare^ “ Cymhdinef' v. 4. Joy. The seven joys of the Virgin : ■(1) The annunciation ; (2) the visitation ; <3) the nativity: (4) the adoration of the three kings ; (5) the presentation in the temple ; (6) the discovery of her youthful Son in the temple in the midst of the doctors ; (7) her assumption and corona- tion. {See Sorrow.) Joyeuse (2 syl.). Charlemagne’s sword, which bore the inscription Decern pracepto'rv.m custos Car'olus ; the sword of Guillaume au Court-Nez ; any one’s sword. Joyeuse Garde or Garde- Joyeuse, The estate given by king Arthur to Sir Launcelot of the Lake for defending the queen’s honour against Sir Mador. Juan Fernandez. A rocky island in the Pacific Ocean, on the coast of Chili. Here Alexander Selkirk, a buc- caneer, resided in solitude for four years, and his history is commonly supposed to be the basis of Defoe’s "Robinson Crusoe.” Sailors commonly believe that this island is the scene of Crusoe’s adventures ; but Defoe distinctly indicates an island on the east coast of South America, some- where near Dutch Guinea. Jubal (a trumpet). The son of Lamech and Adah. He is called the inventor of the lyre and flute (Gen. iv. 19 — 21 ). Then when he {Javan] heari the voice of Jubal’s lyre, Instinctive genius caught the ethereal are. J. Mojitgomery ^ “ The Woi Id before the Flood f' c. 1. Ju'bilee. The Year of Jubilee. Every fiftieth year, when the land which had passed out of the possession of those to whom it originally belonged was restored to. them ; all who had been reduced to poverty, and were obliged to let them- selves out for hire, were released from bondage ; and all debts were cancelled. The word is ixovajobil (a ram's horn), so called because it was proclaimed with trumpets of rams’ horns. Jubilee (m the Catholic church). Every twenty-fifth year, for the purpose of granting indulgences. Boniface VIII. instituted it in 1300, and ordered it to be observed every hundred years. Clement VI. reduced the interval to fifty years. Urban IV. to thirty, and Sixtus IV. to twenty- five. Protestant Jubilee j celebrated in Ger- many in 1617, the centenary of the Re- formation. Shakespeare Jubilee j held at Stratford- on-Avon, September 6th, 1769. Jubilee to commemorate the commence- ment of the fiftieth year of the reign of George III., October 25, 1809. Jubilee to celebrate the close of Revo- lutionary War, August 1, 1814. Ju'daise (3 syl.). To convert or conform to the doctrines, rites, or man- ners of the Jews. A Judaising spirit is a desire to convert others to the Jewish religion. Ju'daism (3 syl.). The religion of the Jews, or anything else which is spe- cial to that people. Ju'das, in the satire of "Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, was meant for Mr. Fergueson, a Non- conformist. He was ejected in 1662 from his living of Godmer^ham, in Kent, and afterwards distinguished himself by E E 466 JUDAS-COLOURED HAIR, JUGGERNAUT his political intrigues. He joined the duke of Monmouthj whom he afterwards betrayed. A Judas kiss, A deceitful act of cour- tesy. Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss. So Judas kissed his Master; And cried, “ All hail ! ” when as he meant ail harm. Shakespeare, “3 Henry VI v. 7. Le point de Judas {French'). The num- ber thirteen. The Messiah and his twelve disciples made thirteen. And as Judas was the first to die, he was the thirteenth. At the death of the Saviour, the number being reduced to eleven, a twelfth was elected by lot to fill the vacant place of the traitor. Judas-coloured Hair. Fiery red. His very hair is of the dissembling colour, some- thing browner than J udas’s. —Shakespeare, “ As You Like It,*' iii. 4. Judas Tree. A cormption of K 2 camos tree— t.e., the leguminous or bean tree. The corrupt name has given rise to the tradition that it was upon one of these trees that Judas Iscariot hanged himself. Judee. La petite Judee {French). The prefecture of police, so called because the bureau is in the Rue de Jerusalem, and those taken there for offences look on the police as their betrayers. Jude {St.)f in Christian art, is repre- sented with a club or staff, and a car- penter’s square, in allusion to his trade. Judge’s Black Cap. The judge puts on his black cap (now a three-cor- nered piece of black silk) when he con- demns to death, in sign of mourning. This sign is very ancient. ^'Haman hasted to his house mourning, having his head covered” (Esth. vi. 12). David wept and had his head covered ” (2 Sam. XV. 30). Demosthenes went home with his head covered when insulted by the populace. Darius covered his head on learning the death of his queen. Malcolm says to Macduff in his deep sorrow. What, man ! ne’er pull your hat upon your brows” (“Macbeth,” iv. 3). And the ancient English, says Fosbroke, “drew their hoods forward over their heads at funerals.” Judges’ Bobes. In the criminal courts, where the judges represent the sovereign, they appear in full court dress, and wear a scarlet robe ; but in Nisi Prius Courts the judge sits merely to balance the law between civilians, and therefore appears in his judicial undress, or violet gown. Ju'dica {Latin). The fifth Sunday after Lent, so called from the first word of the service for the day, Judica we, Dom'ine (Judge me, 0 Lord). — Ps. xliii. Judicium Crusis was stretching out the arms before a cross, till one of the party could hold out no longer, and lost his cause. The bishop of Paris and abbot of St. Denis appealed to this judg. ment in a dispute they had about the patronage of a monastery ; each of the disputants selected a man to represent their cause, and the man selected by the bishop gave in, so that the award was given in favour of the abbot. Judicium IJei {Latin). The trial of guilt by direct appeal to God, under the notion that he would defend the right even by miracle. There were nu- merous methods of appeal, as by single combat, ordeal by water or fire, eating a crust of bread, standing with arms ex- tended, consulting the Bible, &c. &c. Ju'dith.. The Jewish heroine of Bethulia, who perilled her life in the tent of Holof ernes, the general of Nebuchad- nezzar, in order to save her native town. The bold adventurer cut off the head of the Assyrian, and her townsmen rushing on the invaders, defeated them with great slaughter. — The Book of Judith. Juge de Paix {French'). A cudgel. Alber*; Mangin, condamne a morfc le 7floreal an. ii. ayant dit que les jacobins etaient tou des seelerats et des coquins, et montrant un gros baton qu’il tenait a la main : Voilaun “juge de paix” qui me servira a leur casser la barre du con.— £. P. Frudhomme^ JJict. des Individus Condamnes** S{C. Juggernaut or Jaggernaut. A Hindu god. The word is a corruption of the jag anndtha (lord of the world). The temple of this god is in a town of the same name in Orissa. King Ayeen Akbery sent a learned Brahman to look out a site for a temple. The Brahman wandered about for many days and then saw a crow dive into the water, and having washed, made obeisance to the element. This was selected as the site of the temple. While the temple was a-building the rajah had a prophetic dream, telling him that the true form of Vishnu should be revealed to him in the morning. When the rajah went to seer JUGGLER. JUNIOR OPTIME. 437 the temple he beheld a log of wood in the water, and this log he accepted as the realisation of his dream, enshrined it in the temple, and called it Jagann^th’. CarofJiLggei'naut An enormous wooden i machine adorned with all sorts of figures, | and mounted on sixteen wheels. Fifty j men drag it annually to the temple, and ' it is said to contain a bride for the god. I Devotees place themselves in the road, ' and allow the car to crush them to death, that they may “ inherit eternal life.” {See Kesora.) Juggler means a player on a jongleur a sort of hurdy-gurdy. These jugglers accompanied the minstrels and trouba- dours, to assist them, and added to their musical talents sleight-of-hand, antics, and feats of prowess, to amuse the com- pany assembled. In time the music was dropped as the least attractive, and tricks became the staple of these wandering performers. JuggS or Jongs. The name given in Scotland to a sort of pillory, consisting of an iron ring or collar fastened by a short chain to a wall. (Latin, jngum, a yoke.) {See Joggis.) Julian, the Roman emperor, boasted that he would rebuild Jerusalem ; but was mortally wounded by an arrow before the foundation was laid. Much has been made of this by early Christian writers, who dwell on the prohibition and curse pronounced against those who attempt to rebuild the city, and the fate of Julian is pointed out as an example of Divine wrath against the impious disregarder of the threat. Well pleaded they look for Sion’s coming state, or think of J uiian’s boast and J ulian’s fate. Crabbe, ** Borough." St. Julian. Patron saint of travellers and of hospitality. Represented as ac- companied by a stag in allusion to his early career as a hunter, and either re- ceiving the poor and afiiicted, or ferrying travellers across a river. An househaldere, and that a gret, was he ; Seynt Julian he was in his country, His breed, his ale. was al way after oon ; \onepattern\ A bettreenvyned man was nowhere n on. Chaucer^ “ Tht Frankeleyn" Introduction to "Canterbury Tales." St. Julian was he deemed. A great epicure. St. Julian was the epicurean of saints. {See above.) Julian Epoch or Era. That of the reformed calendar by Julivis Caesar, which began forty-six years before Christ. Julian Period is produced by mul- tiplying together the lunar cycle, the solar cycle, and the Roman indiction. The first year of the Christian era corre- sponded to the year 4714 of the Julian, and therefore, to reduce our B.c. dates to the Julian, we must subtract them Mora 4714, but our a.d. dates we must add to that number. So named from Julius Scaliger, the deviser of it. Julian Year. The year regulated by Julius Csesar, which continued to be observed till it was corrected by Pope Gregory XIII., in 1582. Juliet. Daughter of Lady Capulet, and “ sweet sweeting” of Romeo, in Shakespeare’s tragedy of Ro neo and Juliet.” She has become a household word for a lady-love. J alium Si'dus. The comet which appeared at the death of Julius Caesar, and which in court flattery was called the apotheo'sis of the murdered man. July'. The seventh month, named by Mark Antony, in honour of Julius Caesar, who was bom in it. Ju'mala. The supreme idol of the ancient Finns and Lapps. The \vord is sometimes used by the Scandinavian poets for the Almighty. On a lonely cliff An ancient shrine he found, of J umu’a the seat, Eor many a year cone by closed up and desolate. Frithiof-Sagd, “ TheReconcUi tion." Jump, meaning ‘‘just,” as jump at this same hour^ is the Welsh tr.ip (a graft or shoot); Danish, ympe ; our imp iq.v.). To jump or to fit or unite-wdth like a graft ; as, both our inventions meet and jump in one. Hence the adverb exactly, precisely. The Scotch xi^q jimp, as “When she had been married jimp four months.” — “ The Antiquary.'* June (1 syl.). The sixth month, so named by the Romans from the festivals give in honour of Juno. Ju'nior Op'time. A Cambridge University term, meaning a third-class i “ honour ” man— i. e., in the mathematical 1 “ honour” examination. £ E 2 ^463 JUNIOR SOPH, JUST. Ju'nior Soph.. A man of the second ; year’s standing is so called in our Uni- versities. {iSee Soph.) Ju'nius. Letters of Junius, In 1871 was published a book entitled ^^Tbe .Handwriting of Junius professionally in- vestigated by Mr. Charles Chabot, ex- ■ pert.” The object of this book is to f prove that Sir Philip Francis was the . author of these letters. In May 22, 1871, . appeared an article in the Times, to show that the case is ‘^not proven” by Mr. Chabot. Mr. Pitt told Lord Aberdeen t that he knew who wrote the Junius Letters, and that it was not Francis. Lady Grenville sent a letter to the editor -of Diaries of a Lady of Quality, to the Kjsame effect. Junk. Salt meat supplied to vessels ' for long voyages ; so called because it is hard and tough as old rope-ends so called. Ropes are called junks because they were once made of bulrushes. (Latin, juncus, ^ bulrush. ) Jun'ket. A cheese-cake, a sweet- meat, properly made of curd. The word is the Italian giuncaia (curd or cream- - cheese), so called because carried on junk vor bull-rushes {giitnco). . Yon know there wants no junkets at the feast. Shakespeare, “ Taming of the Shrew," iii. 2. . Junner. A giant in Scandinavian ; mythology, said in the Edda to represent •: the ** eternal principle.” Its skull forms : the heavens ; its eyes the sun and moon ; t its shoulders the mountains ; its bones the rocks ; &c. Hence the poets call vheaven ** Junner’s skull the sun, Junner’s right eye ; the moon, ‘^Jun- iper’s left eye the rivers, The ichor < of old Junner.” Ju'no. The ‘‘ venerable ox-eyed” wife « of Jupiter, and queen of heaven. — Roman mythology. Juno'nian Bird. The peacock, ' dedicated to the goddess-queen. Junto. A faction consisting of I Russell, lord-keeper Somers, Charles Montague, and several other men of mark, who ruled the Whigs in the reign of William III. for nearly twenty years, and exercised a very great influence over the nation. The word is a corruption of "the Spanish juiita ^n administrative assembly), but is in English a term of censure. Ju'piter is dies-pater, the day-god. The French jour is a remarkable illus- tration of the same sort of change, derived through diurn-n^, Italian giomo, French jibitrwe'e and ^owr, omx jcmrnal. The Roman god of the air and king of the celestials. Camoens, in his ‘‘ Lusiad,” calls the lord of destiny” Jupiter, and makes him pronounce in council that the Lusians shall succeed in their undertaking. Jupiter Scapin. A nickname of Napoleon Bonaparte, given him by the abbe de Pradt. Scapin is a valet famous for his knavish tricks, in Moli^re’s comedy of ‘‘ Les Fourberies de Scapin.” Jurassic Bocks. Limestone rocks, so called from the Jura ; the Jurassic period is the geological period when these rocks were formed. Our oolitic series pretty nearly corresponds with the Ju- rassic. Jurisprudence. The Father of Jurisprudence. Glanville, who wrote “Tracta'tus de Legibus et Consuetudi- nibus Angli 80 ,” in 1181. (Died 1190.) Jury Mast. A corruption of joury mast— i. e. , a mast for the day, a tempo- rary mast, being a spar used for the nonce when the mast has been carried away. (French, jour, a day. ) Jus de Reglisse (Liquorice). French slang for a negro. Jus Gen'tium {Latin). Interna- tional law. Jus Mari'ti {Latin). The right of the husband to the wife’s property. Just {The). Aristi'des, the Athenian. (Died B.C. 468.) BaTiaram, styled ^ah endeb (the Just King) fifth of the Sassanides (s'.r.). (276-296.) Casimir II., king of Poland. (1117- 1194.) Ferdinand I., king of Aragon. (1373- 1416.) Haroun al Raschid {the Just). The most renowned of the Abbaside califs, and the hero of several of the ‘‘ Arabian Nights” stories. (735-809.) James II., king of Aragon. (1261-1327.) Khosru or Chosroes, called by the Arabs Molk al Adel (the Just King). He was the twenty-first of the Sassan'ides. (531-579.) Pedro I. of Portugal. (1320,1357-1367.) JUSTE MILIEU. KALMAR. Juste Milieu {French). The golden mean. Justices in Eyre (pron. ire). A con- traction and corruption of Itiii'ere—i. e., in circuit. Justing of Watson and Barbour. A description of a ludicrous tilt between Watson and Barbour, in Scotch verse, by Sir David Lindsay. Justinian. The English Justinian. Edward I. (1239, 1272-1307.) JuVenal A youth ; common in Shakespeare, thus— The juvenal.the prince your ncaster, whose chin is not yet fledged.— “ 2 Henry I T.,” i. 2. The English Juvenal. John Oldham. (1653-1683; K K. The three had K's. The Greeks so called the Ka'rians, Kre'tans, and Kilik'ians. The Romans retained the same expression, though they spelt the three nations with C instead of K. K.C.B. Knight Commander of the Bath. K.G. Knight of the Garter. K. K. is the German Kaiserliche Kd~ nigliche. The emperor of Austria is styled K.K. Majestat — His imperial royal ma- jesty. KaaT^a (Arabic for square house). An oblong stone building within a mosque at Mecca, on the spot where Adam is said to have first worshipped after his expulsion from Paradise. The stone was originally white, but the sins of manki^id have turned it black. {See Adam’s Peak. ) Kab'eyun {Forth- American Indian). Zephyr. Kab'ibonok'ka ( North- A merican Indian). Son of Mudjekee'wis, and the Indian Boreas, who dwelt in Wabasso (the North). He paints the autumn leaves scarlet and yellow, sends the snow, binds i the rivers in ice, and drives away the sea-gull, cormorant, and heron. {See Shing'ebis.) Kadris. Religious Turks, whose ; devotion is characterised by their lacera- | tions with scourges. i Kaffir (Arabic, Kiafir, an infidel). A name given to the Hottentots, who* reject the Moslem faith. Kajiristany in Central Asia, means ‘‘the country of tho- infidels.” Kai-an'ians. The sixth Persian- dynasty. The semi-historic period (b.c. 660-331). So called because they took for their affix the term kai (mighty)^ called by the Greeks, Ku (Kuros), and- by the Romans, Cy (Cyrus). Kai-Omurs {the mighty Omui's), sur- named Ghil-shah (earth’s king). Son of; Du'laved, founder of the city Balk, andl first of the Kai-Omurs or Paishdad'ian dynasty of Persia (b.c. 940-920). {See- Paisdadian.) Kail'yal (2 syl.). The heroine oft Southey’s “ Curse of Keh^ma.” Kaiser. The emperor of Austria. He receives the title from Dalmatia^. Croatia, and the line of the Danube^.. which, by the arrangement of Diocletian^, was governed by a prince entitled Caesar, heir-presumptive to the imperial throne. It was Albert II., duke of Austria, who- added this part to the imperial throno- in 1438. KaTed is Gulnare (2 syl.) in the dis- guise of a page in the service of Lara. . After Lara is shot, she haunts the spot of his death as a crazy woman, and dies at length of a broken heart.— Kaleda (Sclavonic mythology'). Tho ' god of peace, somewhat similar to tho Latin Janus. His feast was celebrated- on the 24th of December. Kali. A Hindu goddess after whomr Calcutta receives its name, Kali-Kutta^ {Kali's village). Kaliyn'ga. The last of the four Hindu periods contained in the great -Yuga, equal to the Iron age of classic mythology. It consisted of 432,000 solar- sidereal years, and began 3102 years be- fore the Christian era. The bull repre- senting truth and right has but one foot in this period, because all the world de*- lights in wickedness. {See Krita.) Kalmar'. The union of Kalmar. A.. ; treaty made on July 12, 1397, to settlor I the succession of Norway, Sweden, and 1 Denmark on queen Margaret and her 470 KALMUCKS. KASWA. , heirs for ever. This treaty lasted only till the death of Margaret. Kalmucks — i.e., Khalimihs (apos- tates) from Buddhism. Kalpa. A day and night of Brahma, a period of 4,320,000,000 solar-sidereal years. Some say there are an infinity of Kalpas, others limit the number to thirty. A Great Kalpa is a life of BrahmA Kalpa-Tarou. A tree in Indian mythology from which might be gathered whatever a person desired. This tree is the tree of the imagination.” Kalyb. The Lady of the Woods,* who stole St. George from his nurse, brought him up as her own child, and endowed him with gifts. St. George enclosed her in a rock, where she was torn to pieces by spirits. — Seven Cham- 'pions of Christendom y'" pt. i. Kam. Crooked. (Erse haam^ squint- eyed. ) Clean Kam, perverted into Kim Kam, means wholly awry, clean from the purpose. This is clean kam— merely awry. Shakespeare, “ Coriolanus,’’^ iii. 1. Kama. The Hindu god of love. His wife is Rati {voluptuousness), and he is represented as riding on a sparrow, holding in his hand a bow of sugar-cane and five arrows {i.e., the five senses). Ka'mi. The celestial gods of the first mythical dynasty of Japan, the derm-gods of the second dynasty, the spiritual princes, and any one sainted or deified. Kamsin. A simoom or samiel, a hot, dry, southerly wind, which prevails in Egypt and the deserts of Africa. K anoon or Canun'. A sort of psaltery. Kansa. A king of the race of Bhoja, notorious for his enmity to Krishna, who ultimately slew him, — Hindu mythology. Kansas. Bleeding Kansas. So called because it was the place where that san- guinary strife commenced, which was the prelude of the civil war of America, According- to the Missouri Compromise made in 1820, slavery was never to be introduced into any western region lying beyond 36° 30' north latitude. In 1851, the slave-holders of Missouri, by a local act, pushed their west frontier to the river-bank, and slave lords with their slaves took possession of the Kansas hunting grounds, declaring that they would lynch, hang, tar and feather any white-livered abolitionist who pre- sumed to pollute the soil.” In 1854, thirty New England free-soilers crossed the river in open boats ; they were soon joined by others, and dared the slavers to carry out their threats. Many a fierce battle was fought, but in 1861 Bleeding Kansas was admitted into the Union as a free state. — W. Hepworth Dixon, New America,’’ vol. i., c. 2. Karaites {Scripturists). A Jewish sect that adhered to the letter of the Scriptures, rejecting all oral traditions. They abhorred the Talmud, and observed the Sabbath with more rigour than even the rabbinists. Karma. The Buddhists’ judgment, which determines at death the future state of the deceased. It is also their fiat on actions, pronouncing them to be meritorious or otherwise. Karma'thians. A Mahometan sect which rose in Irak in the ninth Christian century. Its name is from Karmata, its founder, a poor labourer who assumed to be a prophet. Karoon or Korah. The riches of Karoon (Arabic proverb). Korah, accord- ing to the commentators of the Koran, was the most wealthy and most beautiful of all the Israelites. It is said that he built a large palace, which he overlaid with gold, and that the doors of bis palace were solid gold (Sale, Koran ”)^. He was the Croesus of the Mahometans, and guarded his wealth in a labyrinth. Karrows. A set of gamblers in Ireland, who played away even the clothes on their backs. The karrows plaie awaie mantle and all to the bare skin, and then trusse themselves in straw or leaves. They wait for passengers in the high-waie, invite them to game upon the greene, and aske no more but companions to make them sport. For default of other stuffe they pawne their glibs, the nailes of their fingers and toe^, their dirrrissaries which they leefe or redeeme at the courtesie of the winner.— ^Yani^Mrsf. Karttikey'a. The Hindu Mars or war-god, and commander in-chief of the celestial armies. He slew T^raka, the demoti-king, whose power threatened the very existence of the gods. Kaswa {Al). Mahomet*s favourite camel, which fell on its knees in adoration KATHAY, KEMA. 471 when ‘Hhe prophet” delivered the last clause of the Koran to the assembled multitude at Mecca. This is one of the dumb creatures admitted into the Moslem paradise, {See Fly.) Kathay'. China. KatKerine or Cathari'na, daughter of Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua. She was very beautiful, but a shrew. Petruchio of Vero'na married her, and so subdued her imperious temper by his in- domitable -will, that she became the model of a “ submissive wife,” and gives Bianca, her sister, most excellent advice respecting the duty of submission. The Kathet'ine de' Medici of China. Voo-chee, widow of king Tae-tsong. Most imperious and cruel, but of irre- sistible energy. (684-705.) Kau'seroon', in Persia, famous for its orange groves, from which bees ex- tract a most delicious honey. — Morier, Travels.’’ Kay or Sir Key^ son of Sir Ector, and foster-brother of king Arthur. In Arthurian romance, this seneschal of England is represented as a rude and boastful knight, the first to attempt any achievement, but very rarely successful, Kayre or Kaire (1 syl.). Cairo. Straute unto Kayre his way he fongeth. Where he the souldan ihanne foude. Gower. Kayward. The hare, in the tale of ** Reynard the Fox.” (The word means ‘‘ Country-guardian.”) Keber'. A Persian sect (generally rich merchants), distinguished by their beards and dress. When one of them dies, a cock is driven out of the poultry yard ; if a fox seizes it, it is a proof that the soul of the deceased is saved. If this experiment does not answer, they prop the dead body against a wall, and if the birds peck out the right eye first, the Keber is gone to heaven ; if the left eye, the carcase is flung into a ditch, for the Keber was a reprobate. Kebla. The point of adoration — i.e., the quarter or point of the compass to- wards which persons turn, when they worship. The Persian fire-worshippers turn to the east, the place of the rising sun ; the Jews to Jerusalem, the city of the King of kings ; the Mahometans to Mecca; the early Christians turned to the ^'east,” and the communion table” even of the Reformed Church” is placed at the east end of the building, whenever this arrangement is practicable. Kebla-!N‘onia. The pocket compass carried by Mussulmans to direct them which way to turn when they pray. {See aJbove.) Ke'derli. The St. George of Ma- hometan mythology. He slew a mon- strous dragon to save a damsel exj^osed to its fury, and having drunk of the water of life, rode about the world to aid those warriors who invoked him. This tradition is exactly parallel to that of St. George, and explains the reason why the one is the field- word with the Turks, and the latter with the ancient English. Ked'jeree'. A corruption of the Indian word KhichH (a medley or hotch- potch). The word has been confounded with a place so called, forty miles south- west of Calcutta, on the Hoogly river. Keel-Hauling or Haling. A long, troublesome, and vexatious examination or repetition of annoyances from a land- lord or government official. In the Dutch and almost all other navies, delinquents were, at one time, tied to a yard-arm with weights on their feet, and dragged by a rope under the keel of their sffip, in at one side and out at the other. Keep touch. To keep faith ; the exact performance of an agreement, as, ‘‘To keep touch with my promise” (More). The idea seems to be embodied in the proverb, “ Seeing is believing, but feeling is naked truth.” And trust me on my truth. If thou keep touch with me. My dearest friend, as m.y own heart. Thou shalt right welcome be. “ Songi of the London 'Prentices** p., 87. Keha'ma. A Hindu rajah who ob- tains and sports with supernatural powers. — Southey, Curse of Kehama.” Kelpy or Kelpie. A spirit of the waters in the form of a horse, in Scottish mythology. Not unlike the Irish Phooka. Every lake has its Kelpie or Water-horse, often seen by the shepherd sitting upon the brow of a rock dashing along the surface of the deep, orbrowsing upon the pisture on its verge.— (?/’aAam, **Sketchea of Pei thshire.'* Ke'ma. The book containing the secrets of the gehii, who, infatuated with 472 KEMPFER-HAUSEN, KENSINGTON. love, revealed the marvels of nature to men, and were banished out of heaven. According to some etymologists, the word chemistry is derived from this word. — Zozime Panojyolite." Kemp'fer-Hau'sen. The nom de 'plume of Robert Pearce Gillies, one of the speakers in the ^^Noctes Am- brosia'nae. — Blachvood's Magazine'' Kertipis. The authorship of the work entitled De Imitatio'ne Christi,’* has afforded as much controversy as the Letters of Junius.’* In 1604, a Spanish Jesuit discovered a manuscript copy by the abbot John Gersen or Gesen, and since then three competitors have had angry and wordy defenders, viz., Thomas h> Kempis, Chancellor Gersen, and the abbot Gersen. M. Malou gives his ver- dict in favour of the first. Ken or Kiun. An Egyptian goddess similar to the Roman Venus. She is represented as standing on a lion, and holding two serpents in one hand and a flower in the other. l^See Amos v. 26.) Kendal Green. Green cloth for foresters, so called from Kenda], West- moreland, famous at one time for this manufacture. Kendal green was the livery of Robin Hood and his followers. In Rymer’s Foedera (ii. 283) is a letter of protection, dated 1331, and granted by Edward III. to John Kempe of Flanders, who established cloth-weaving in the borough. How could’st thou know these men in Kendal- g reen, when it was so dark thou could’st not see thy and Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry IV." ii. 4. Kenelm (N^.) was murdered at Clente-in-Cowbage, near Winchelcumb, in Gloucestershire. The murder, says Roger of Wendover, was miraculously notified at Rome by a white dove, which alighted on the altar of St. Peter’s, bearing in its beak a scroll with these words — In Clent cow pasture, under a thorn. Of head bereft, lies Kenelm king-born. Kenna. Daughter of king O'beron, who fell in love with Albion, son of the island-king. Oberon drove the prince from his empire, and when Albion in revenge invaded the kingdom he was slain. Kenna poured the juice of the herb moly on the dead body, and it was turned into a snow- drop. Kensington receives its name, according to fable, from the fairy Kenna. — Tichellf Ken^ singio7i Gardens." Kenna Quhair (/ hnow not ivhere), Scotch for terra incognita. Kenne. A stone said to be formed in the eye of a stag, and used as an antidote to poison. Kennedy. A poker, or to kill with a poker ; so called from a man of that name who was killed by a poker. — Dic- tionary of Modern Slang." Kennel. A dog’s house ; from the Latin canis (a dog), Italian canile; but kennel (a gutter) from the Latin canna (a cane), our canal, channel, &c. Ken'sington. O'beron, king of the fairies, held his royal seat in these gar- dens, which were fenced round with spells ^^interdicted to human touch;” but not unfrequently his thievish elves would rob the human mother of her babe, and leave in its stead a sickly changeling of the elfen race. Once on a time it so fell out that one of the infants fostered in these gardens was Albion, the son of Albion’s royal blood it was stolen by a fairy named Milkah. When the boy was nineteen, he fell in love with Kenna, daughter of King Oberon, and Kenna vowed that none but Albion should ever be her chosen husband. Oberon heard her when she made this vow, and instantly drove the prince out of the garden, and married the fairy maid to Azu'riel, a fairy of great beauty and large possessions, to whom Holland Park belonged. In the meantime Albion prayed to Neptune for revenge, and the sea-god commanded the fairy OTiel, w;hose dominion lay along the banks of the Thames, to espouse the cause of his lineal offspring. Albion was slain in the battle by Azuriel, and Nep- tune in revenge crushed the whole empire of Oberon. Being immortal, the fairies could not be destroyed, but they fled from the angry sea-god, some to the hills and some to the dales, some to the caves and others to river-banks. Kenna alone remained, and tried to revive her lover by means of the herb moly. No sooner did the juice of this wondrous herb touch the body than it turned into a snow-drop. When Wise laid out the grounds for the Prince of Orange, Kenna planned it a morning dream,” and gave her name to- the town and garden. — Tickell, *^Kenshg> ton Gardens." KENT. KETTLE OF FISH. 473- Kent (Latin, Caii'tium, the territory of the Kantii or Cantii. Old British, i Kanty a corner or headland). In the | reign of queen Elizabeth, Kent was so | notorious for highway robbery, that the 1 word signified a nest of thieves.” ! Some bookes are arrogant and impui3ent ; So are most thieves in Cristendome and Kent. Taylor, the Water Poet (1030). A Man of Kent. One born east of the Medway. These men went out with green boughs to meet the Conqueror, and obtained in consequence a confirma- tion of their ancient privileges from the new king. They call themselves the invicti. A Kentish man. A resident of Kent, without regard to his birthplace. Holy Maid of Kent. Elizabeth Barton, who pretended to the gift of prophecy and power of miracles. Having de- nounced the doom and speedy death of Henry VIII. for his marriage with Anne Boleyn, she was executed. Sir Walter Scott Abbot,” xiii.) calls her ‘*The Nun of Kent.”— /See Fair (Maid of Kent). Kent’s Hole. A large cave in the limestone rock near Torquay, Devon. Kent Street Ejectment. Taking away the street-door ; a method devised by the landlords of Kent Street, South- wark, when their tenants were more than a fortnight in arrears. Kentish Fire. Rapturous applause, or three times three and one more. The i expression originated with Lord Win- ' chelsea, who proposed the health of the Earl of Roden, on the 15th August, 1884, and added, ‘‘Let it be given with the ‘ Kentish Fire.’” In proposing another toast he asked permission to bring his “Kentish Artillery” again into action. Chambers, in his “Encyclopaedia,” says it arose from the protracted cheers given in Kent to the No- Popery orators in 1828-9. Kentish Moll. Mary Carlton, nick- named The German Princess. She was transported to Jamaica in 1671 ; but returning without leave, was hanged at Tyburn, January 22nd, 16/3. Kepler’s Laws : (1) That the planets describe ellipses, and that the centre of the sun is in one ' of the foci. I (2) That every planet so moves that j the line drawn from it to tbe sun describes* equal areas in equal times. (3) That the squares of the times of the planetary revolutions are as the cubes- of their mean distances from the sun. Kerchef of Plesaunce. An em- broidered cloth presented by a lady to- her knight to wear for her sake. The honoured knight was bound to place the gift in his helmet. Kerna. A kind of trumpet used by Tamerlane, the blast of which might be heard for miles. Kernel is the German Kern (corn, seed in general), whence acorn (the ac or oak corn). Kersey. A coarse cloth, usually^ ribbed, and woven from long wool; so- named from Jersey, where it was origi- nally made. Ker'zereh or Kerz'rah. A flower which grows in Persia. It is said, if any one in June or July inhales the hot south wind which has blown over this- flower he will die. Keso'ra. The female idol adored in. the temple of Juggernaut. Its head and. body are of sandal- wood ; its eyes two - diamonds, and a third diamond is sus- pended round its neck ; its hands are made entirely of small pearls, called i perles d Vonce ; its bracelets are of pearls and rubies, and its robe is cloth of gold. Ketch. {See Jack Ketch.) Ketchup. A corruption of the Japanese Kitjap, a similar condiment sometimes sold as soy, but not equal to it. Ketmir. The dog of the Seven. Sleepers. {See Fly. ) Kettle. Thor' s great kettle. The god’ Thor wanted to brew some beer, but not having a vessel suited for the purpo^^e in Valhalla, stole the kettle of the giant Hymer. — Scandinavian mythology. Kettle of Fish. A f6te-champetr©' in which salmon is the chief dish provided. In these pic-nics, a large caldron being provided, the party select a place near a salmon river. Having thickened some water with salt to the consistency of brine, the salmon is put therein and' ’ boiled; and when fit for eating, the com- pany partake thereof in gipsy fashion.. 474 KETTLE-DEUM. KEYNE. Some think the discomfort of this sort ©f pic-nic gave rise to the phrase A pretty kettle of fish.” {See Kittle.) The whole company go to the waterside to-day to CHta kettle offish .— Walter Scott, “St. Honan's Well," xii. Kettle-drum. A large social party. Among the Tartars a keUle” represents a family, or as many as feed from one kettle ; and on Tweedside it signifies a social party,” met together to take tea from the same tea-kettle ; hence any social party. Of course, the play upon this meaning of the word, and the instru- ment called a kettle-drum, is intentional. {See Drum.) Kettledrummle A Cove- nanter preacher in Sir Walter Scott’s •‘‘^Old Mortality.” Kevin (St) like St. Sena'nus (q.v.) ^retired to an island where he vowed no wo- man should ever land. Kathleen loved the saint, and tracked him to his retirement, but the saint hurled her from a rock. Kathleen died, but her ghost rose smiling from the tide, and never left it so long as the saint lived. A bed in the rock Glendalough (Wicklow) is shown as 'the bed of St. Kevin. Thomas Moore has a poem on this tradition. — Irish Melodies,'^ iv. Key. (>S'eeKAT.) Keys of stables and cowhouses have .not unfrequently, even at the present day, a stone with a hole through it and a piece of horn attached to the handle. This is a relic of an ancient superstition. The hag, halig, or holy stone was looked upon as a talisman which kept off the fiendish Mara or night-mare ; and the horn was supposed to ensure the protec- ition of the god of cattle, called by the Eomans Pan. Key as an emUem. St. Peter is always represented in Christian art with two keys in his hand ; they are consequently the insignia of the Papacy, and are borne saltier-wise, one of gold and the other of silver. They are the emblems also of St. Ser- vaTius, St. Hippol'ytus, St. Genevieve, Et. Petronilla, St. Osyth, St. Martha, and St. Germa'nus of Paris. One British bishop bears two keys and sword in saltire, viz., Winchester. Four bear two keys in saltire, viz., St. Asaph, Gloucester, Exeter, and Peterborough. The Cross Keys, A public-house sign ; the arms of the archbishop of JTork. The key shall he upon his shoulder. He shall have the dominion. The ancient keys were instruments about a yard long, made of wood or metal. On public occasions the steward slung his key over his shoulder as our mace-bearers carry their mace. Hence, to have the key upon one’s shoulder means to be in authority, to have the keeping of something. It is said of Eliakim, that God would lay upon his shoulder the key of the house of David (Isa. xxii. 22) ; and of our Lord that the government should be upon his shoulder ” (Isa. ix. 6). The chamberlain of the court used to bear a key as his insignia. The power of the keys — i. e., the su- preme authority vested in the pope as successor of St. Peter. The phrase is derived from St. Matt. xvi. 19. To throw the keys into the pit. To dis- claim a debt ; to refuse to pay the debts of a deceased husband. This refers to an ancient French custom. If a deceased husband did not leave his widow enough for her aliment and the payment of his debts, the widow was to throw the bunch of house-keys which she carried at her girdle into the grave, and this answered the purpose of a public renun- ciation of all further ties. No one after this could come on the widow for any of her late husband’s debts. Key-cold. Deadly cold, lifeless. A key, on account of its coldness, is still sometimes employed to stop bleeding at the nose. Poor key-cold figure of a holy king ! Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster ! Thou bloodless remnant of that royal h]ood ! Shakespeare, “Richard ///.,” i. 2. Key-stone. The Key-stone State. Pennsylva'nia, so called from its position and importance. Key of the Mediterranean. The fortress of Gibraltar; so called because it commands the entrance thereof. Key of Russia. Smolensk, on the Dnieper. Keyne {St.^. The well of St. Keyne, Cornwall, has a strange superstition attached to it, which is this : ^^If the bridegroom drinks therefrom before the bride, he will be master of his house ; but if the bride gets the first draught, the grey mare will be the better horse.” KHEDIVE D’EGYPTE. KILKENNY CATS. 475 Southey has a ballad on this tradition, and says the man left his wife at the church porch, and ran to the well to get the first draught; but when he returned his wife told him his labour had been ciuite vain, for she had taken with her a ‘'bottle of the water to church.” Khedive d’Egypte. An old regal title revived by Ismael I., higher than viceroy, but not so high as sultan. Khem or Chamno. A Semitic deity. Khorassan {Region of the Sun). A province of Persia, anciently called Aria'na. The Veiled Proghet of Khwassan. Mo- kanna, a prophet chief, who wore a veil under pretence of shading the dazzling light of his countenance. Terror seized her lest the love- light yhich encir- cled him should fade away, and leave him like the veiled prophet of Khorassan, a sin-stained thing of clay.-X®dj/ Hardy, “ A Casual Acquaintance." Khordad. The good genius of the Persians. Klhors {Sclavonic mythology). The Esculapius or medicine-god of the Slavi. TCi . A Chinese word, signifying age or period, generally applied to the ten periods preceding the first Imperial dynasty, founded B.C. 2205. It extended over some 300,000 years. The first was founded by Puon-ku (highest eternity), and the last byFo-hi, surnamed Tien-Tse ^son of heaven). Kiak-Kiak {god of gods). An idol worshipped in Pegu. This god is to sleep 6,000 years, and when he wakes the end of the world will come. Kick. is hard foi' thee to IdcTc against the ^ricJcs^^ (Acts ix. 5). The reference is not to the ox kicking against the goad, but to a horse kicking against the spur. The proverb occurs in Pindar (2 “Pyth.” V. 173), iniEschylos(“Agam.,” 1,620), in Euripides (‘^ Bacch.,” 793), &c. , in all which cases the spur, and not the ox-goad, is referred to. To kick the bucket. A bucket is a pulley; and in Norfolk a beam, called in Lincolnshire a buckler. When pigs are killed, they are hung by their hind- legs on a bucket, with their heads down- wards, and oxen are hauled up by a pulley. To kick the bucket is to be hung on the bulk or bucket by the heels. Quite the Hck. Quite a dandy. The Italians call a dandy a chic. The French chic means knack, as avoir le chic^ to have the knack of doing a thing smartly. I cocked my hat, and twirled my stick. And the girls they called me quite the kick. 6eo7-ge Colman the Younger, Kickshaws. Made dishes, odds and ends, formerly written “ kickshose.” (French, quelque chose.) Kicksy-winsy. A horse that kicks and winces in impatiefnce ; figuratively a wife {grey mare). The word is used by Taylor, the water poet. Shakespeare spells it kicksy-wicksy. He wears his honours in a box unseen That hugs his kicksy-wicksy here at home. Spending Ins manly marrow in her arms. Which should sustain the bound, and high curvet Of Mars’s fiery steed. All's Well that F.nds Well,'' ii. 3. Kidderminster Poetry. Coarse doggrel verse, like the coarse woollen manufacture of Kidderminster. The term was first used by Shenstone, who applied it to a Mr. C., of Kidderminster. Thy verses, friend, are Kidderminster stuff ; And I must own you’ve measured out enough. Kidnapper. A kid (common slang for), a child; nappe (Danish), to snatch at ; our nab. One who snatches at children, or “kiddies.” Kidney. Men of another^' kidney , or of the same kidney. The reins or kidneys were even by the Jews supposed to be the seat of the affections. Kikymo'ra {Sclavonic mythology). The god of night, corresponding to Morpheus of Roman mythology. Kilda {St). The farthest of the western isles of Scotland. Kilda're (2 syl.) is the Irish Kill dara, church of the oaks. Kildare’s Holy Fane. Famous for the “ Fire of Bridget,” which was in- extinguishable, because the nuns never allowed it to go out. Every twentieth night St. Bridget returned to tend the five. Part of the chapel of St. Bridget still remains, and is called “The Fire- house.” Apud Kildariamcccnrrit ignis SanctaeBrigidosquem iuextinguebilem vocaut Giraldus Cambremis, Hibernia," ii. 34. Kilken'ny is the Gaelic Kill Kenny^ church of St. Kenny or Cau'ice. Kilkenny Cats. {See Cat.) 476 KILLED BY INCHES. KINGLY TITLES. Killed by Indies. In allusion to divers ways of prolonging capital punish- ments in olden times ; e.g. : (l)The iron coffin of Lissa.’* The prisoner was laid in the coffin, and saw the iron lid creep slowly down with almost imperceptible movement— slowly, silently, but surely; on, on it came with relentless march, till, after lingering days and nights in suspense, the prisoner was at last as slowly crushed by the iron lid press- ing on him. (2) The ‘^baiser de la Vierge ” of Baden-Baden. The prisoner, blindfolded and fastened to a chain, was lowered by a windlass down a deep shaft from the top of the castle into the very heart of the rock on which it stands. Here he remained till he was conducted to the torture- chamber, and commanded to kiss ” the brazen statue of the Vir- gin ” which stood at the end of a passage ; but immediately he raised his lips to give the kiss, down he fell through a trap-door on a wheel with spikes, which was set in motion by the fall. (3) The ‘'iron cages of Louis XI.” were so con- trived that the victims might linger out for years ; but whether they sat, stood, or lay down, the position was equally uncomfortable. (4) The “ chambre a crucer” was a heavy chest, short, shal- low, and lined with sharp stones, in which the sufferer was packed and buried alive. (5) The “bernicles” consisted of a mattress on which the victim was fas- tened by the neck, while his legs were crushed between two logs of wood, on the uppermost of which the torturer took his seat. This process continued for several days, till the sufferer died with the lingering torment. Many other modes of stretching out the torment of death might easily be added. Killed by Kindness. It is said that Draco, the Athenian legislator, met with his death from his popularity, being smothered in the theatre of iEgi'na by the number of caps aud cloaks showered on him by the spectators (b.c. 590). {See Kindness.) Killing no Murder. A tract written by Sexby, who was living in Holland at the time of its publication. Probably Sexby was paid for fathering it, and that the real author was William Allan Killing-stone in Louth. A crom- lech, probably used for human sacrifice. Kilmansegg {Miss). An heiress of great expectation with an artificial leg of solid gold. — Thomas Hood, “A Goldeih Legend^' Kilmarnock Cowls. Nightcaps. The Kilmarnock nightcaps were one© celebrated all over Scotland. Kilmarth Kocks {Scotland), A pile of stones towering twenty-eight feet in height, and overhanging more than twelve feet, like the tower of Pisa (Italy). {See Cheesewring.) Kilwinning, in the county of Ayr, Scotland, the scene of the renowned tournament held in 1839 by the Earl of Eglinton. It was also the cradle of Free- masonry in Scotland, Kin, Kind. King. But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son— Jlam. A bitle more than kin, and less than kind. , Kin or kinsman is a relative by mar- riage or blood more distant than father ► and son. Kind means of the same sort or genus, ‘ as man-kind or man-genus. ! Hamlet says he is more than h’m to Claudius (as he was step-son), but still ^ he is not of the same kind, the same ^ class. He is not a bird of the same feather ^ as the king. ■ Klincliok. One of the two chief divinities of Thibet. Kind-hart. A jocular name for a • tooth-drawer ; so called from a dentist of ; the name in the reign of queen Elizabeth. Kindhart, the dentist, is mentioned by ( Kowland in his “ Letting of Humours- j Blood in the Head-vain^.” (1600.) | Kindness. Killed with kindness, J The allusion is to the ape, which not un- frequently strangles its young ones by ; hugging them too hard. {See Killed.) ' King means Father. The word takes us back to patriarchal times, when fami- lies were grouped into clans, clans into tribes, and tribes into nations. The elders formed the senate, and each “assembly of elders” had its fatlier. (German, konig ; Sanskrit, janaka, a father. Greek, anax, and Latin, seneXi the old man of the tribe, or paterfamilias of the nation.) (Nee Queen.) Elingly Titles : Ahim'etech (my father the king). Th© chief ruler of the ancient Philistines. KINGLY TITLES, KINGS OF COLOGNE. 477 Agng (lord). The chief ruler of the Amarekites (4syl.). Akhar Khan (very-great chieftain). Hindustan. Anax and Basileus. The chief ruler •of the ancient Greek kingdoms. A sser or A ss'ip' (blessed one) . The chief «Tiler of ancient Assyria. Aitdbeg (father prince). Persia, 1118. Aiign^Uis, The title of the reigning ■emperor of Rome, when the heir pre- sumptive was styled Caesar.” Augustus.) Autod'ot (self-potentate). One whose ;power is absolute— Russia. Beglerheg. (See Bey. ) Ben-Hadad (son of the sun) or Hadad, The chief ruler of ancient Damascus. Bey of Tunis. In Turkey, a bey is the governor of a banner, and the chief ■over the seven banners is the beglar- lie end of his dominions. The Latin proverb is, A n nescis longas re'gibus esse manus ; and the G erman. Mil gressen herren ist nicht gut kirschcn essen (It is not good to eat cherries with great men), as they throw the stones in your eyes. There’s such divinity doth hedge a king, That treason can but peep to what it would. Shakes pearei King in “ Hamltt," iv. 5. Prag aid of the king. When some one, vmder the belief that he has a right to the land, claims rent of the king’s tenants, they appeal to the sovereign, or ^'pray aid of the king.” Kings, &c., of England. Much foolish superstition has of late been cir- culated respecting certain days supposed to be “ fatal” to the crowned heads of Great Britain. The following list may help to discriminate truth from fiction : — * [From means the regnal year commenced from ; To is the day of death.] William I., from Monday, December 25th, 1066, to Thursday y September 9 th, 1087 ; William II., from Sunday, Sep- tember 26th, 1087, to Thursday, August 2nd, 1100; Henry I., from Sunday, August 5th, 1100, to Sunday, December Isb, 1135 ; Stephen, from Thursday, December 26th, 1135, to Monday, Octo- ber 25th, 1154. Henry II., from Sunday, December 19th, 1154, to Thursday, July 6th, 1189 ; Richard I., from Sunday, September 3rd, 1189, to Tuesday, April 6th, 1199 ; John, from Thursday, May 27th, 1199, to Wed'nesday, October 19th, 1216 ; Henry III., from Saturday, October 28th, 1216, to Wednesday, November 16th, 1272; Edward I., from Sunday, November 20th, 1272, to FHday, July 7th, 1307 ; Edward II., from Saturday, July 8th, 1307, to Tuesday, January 20th, 1327 ; Edward HI., from Sunday, January 25th, 1327 (N.S.), to Sunday, June 21st, 1377 ; Richard II., from Monday, June 22nd, 1377, to Monday, September 29th, 1399 ; Henry IV., from Tuesday, Sep- tember 30th, 1399, to Monday, March 20th, 1413 ; Henry V., from Tuesday, March 21st, 1413, to Monday, August 31st, 1422 ; Henry VI., from Tuesday, September 1st, 1422, to Wednesday, March 4th, 1461 ; Edward IV., from Wednesday, March 4th, 1461, to Wednes- day, April 9th, 1483 ; Edward V., from Wednesday, April 9th, 1483, to Sunday, June 22nd, 1483; Richard III., from Thursday, June 26th, 1483, to Monday, August 22nd, 1485. Henry VII., from Monday, August 22nd, 1485, to Saturday, April 21st, 1509 ; Henry VIII., from Sunday, April 22nd, 1509, to Friday, January 28th, 1547 Edward VI. , from Friday, January 28th, 1547, to TImrsday, July 6th, 1553 ; Mary, from Thurs^y, July 6th, 1553, to Thursday, November 17th, 1558 ; Eliza- beth, from Thursday, November 17th, 1558, to Monday, March 24th, 1603. James I., from Monday, March 24th, 1603, to Sunday, March 27th, 1625 ; Charles I., from Sunday, March 27th, 16’25, to Tuesday, January 30th, 1649 ; [Commonwealth — Cromwell died Fri- day, September, 3-13, 1658;"] Charles II., restored Saturday, May 29th, 1660, died Tuesday, February 6th, 1685 ; James 11. , from Tuesday, February 6th, 1685, to Saturday, December 11th, 1688 ; William III., from Sunday, February 13th, 1689, to Wednesday, March 8th, 1702 ; Anne, from Wednesday, March 8th, 1702, to Wednesday, August 1st, 1714. George I., from Wednesday, August 1st, 1714, to Wednesday, June 11th, 1727 ; George II., from Wednesday, June 11th, 1727 , to Satibrday, October 25th, 1760 ; George III., from Saturday, October 25th, 1760, to Saturday, January 29th, 1820 ; George IV., from Saturday, January 29th, 1820, to Saturday, June 26th, 1830 ; William IV., irom Saturday, KIKGS OF ENGLAND, KING OF MISEULE. 479 June 26th, 1830, to Tuesday ^ June 20th, 1837; Victoria, from Tuesday^ June 20th, 1837 * * Hence four have terminated their reign on a Sunday, six on a Monday, five on a Tuesday, seven on a W ednesday, five on a Thursday, three on a Friday, and five on a Saturday. Nine have begun and ended their reign on the same day : Henry I. and Edward III. on a Sunday ; Richard II. on a Monday ; Edward IV., Anne, and George I. cm a Wednesday ; Mary on a Thursday; George III. and George IV. on CL Saturday. Kings, 480 KING OF PAINTEES. KING ESTMERE. King of Painters. A title assumed by Parrhas'ios, the painter, a contem- porary of Zeuxis. Plutarch says he wore a, purple robe and a golden crown. {FI. 400 B.c.) King of Preacliers. Louis Bour- daloue, a French clergyman. (1632- 1704.) King of Rome. A title conferred by Napoleon I. on his son on the day of his birth ; who was more generally called 'duke of Reichstadt. (1811-1832.) King of Shreds and Patches. In the old mysteries Vice used to be dressed as a mimic king in a party-coloured suit. (Shakespeare, ‘‘Hamlet,” hi. 4.) The phrase is metaphorically applied to cer- tain literary operatives who compile books for publishers, but supply no originality ‘Of thought or matter. King of Terrors. Death. King of Waters. The river Am'- azon of North America. King of Yvetot (pron. Ev-to). A man of mighty pretensions but small merits. Yvetot is near Rouen, and was once a seigneurie, the possessors of which were entitled kings — a title given them in 534 by Clotaire I., and continued far into the fourteenth century. II €tait im roi d’Yvetot, Peu connu dans I’hisiolre ; Se levant tard, se couchanr, t6t. Dormant fort bien sans gloire ; &c. Biranger. King of the Bean (Roi de la F^ve). The Twelfth-night king ; so called be- ^cause he was chosen by distributing ^slices of Twelfth-cake to the children present, and the child who had the slice with a bean in it was king of the com- pany for the night. This sport was in- dulged in till the Reformation, even at 4he two universities. Without doubt, the basis of Twelfth-cake day must be traced to the old Roman feast of Janus, when people made each other presents of honey-cakes, fruits, and sweetmeats ; but the exact day has been conformed to the Epiphany, according to the usual custom of the Roman Catholic Church. ^(See King op Misrule.) King of the Beggars or Gipsies. Bampfylde Moore Carew, a noted English vagabond. (1693-1770.) King of the Forest. The oak, which not only braves the storm, but fosters the growth of tender parasites under its arms. King of the Teign. Baldrick of South Devon, son of Eri, who long de- fended his territory against Algar, a lawless chief. King of the World {Sliah-Jehan). The title assumed by Khorrum Shah, third son of Selim Jehan-Ghir, and fifth of the Mogul emperors of Delhi. {Died 1666.) King Ban. Father of Sir Launcelot du Lac. He died of grief when his castle was taken and burnt through the treachery of his seneschal. — “ Launcelot du Lac.^’ (1494.) King’s Cave. Opposite to Camp- belton ; so called because it was here that king Robert Bruce and his retinue lodged when they landed on the main- land from the isle of Statistical Account of Scotland/^ v., p. 167 (article, Arran). King’s Chair. A seat made by two bearers with their hands. On Can- dlemas Day, the children of Scotland used to bring their schoolmaster a present in money, and the boy who brought the largest sum was king for the nonce. When school was dismissed, the “ king” was carried on a seat of hands in pro- cession, and the seat was called the “ king’s chair.” King Cotton. Cotton, the staple of the Southern States of America, and the chief article of manufacture in Eng- land. The expression was first used by James H. Hammond in the senate of the L nited States, in 1858. The great cotton manufacturers are called “cotton lords.” King’s Crag. Fife, in Scotland; so called because Alexander III. of Scot- land was killed there. As he was riding in the dusk of the evening along the sea-coast of Fife, betwixt Burnt-island and Kine- horn, he approached too near the brink of the pre- cipice, and his horse starting or stumbling, he was thrown over the rock, and killed on the spot.... the people of the country still point out the very spot where it happened, and which is called “ The King s Crag.”— iSir Walter ScoUt**Tg,leso/a Grandfather," y\» King Estmere (2 syl.) of England was induced by his brother Adler to go to king Adland, and request permission to pay suit to his daughter. King Adland replied that Bremor, king of Spain, liUd already proposed to her and been re- jected ; but when the lady was intro- KING’S EVIL. KING KYENCE. 481 duced to the English king, she accepted him. King Estmere and his brother re- turned home to prepare for the wedding, but had not proceeded a mile when the king of Spain returned to press his suit, and threaten vengeance if it were not ac- cepted. A page was instantly dispatched to inform king Estmere, and request him to return. The two brothers in the guise of harpers rode into the hall of king Adland, when Bremor rebuked them, and bade them leave their steeds in the stable. A quarrel ensued, in which Adler slew “ the sowdan,’* and the two brothers put the Spanish retainers to flight. After which king Estmere mar- ried the lady, and took her to England to dwell with him. — T. Percy, ‘^Reliques,^* iic., series I., bk. i. 6 . King’s Evil. Scrofula, so called from a notion which prevailed from the reign of Edward the Confessor to that of queen Anne, that it could be cured by the royal touch. The Jacobites con- sidered that the power did not descend to William III. and Anne, because the ^'divine” hereditary right was not fully possessed by them, but the office re- mained in our Prayer Book till 1719. Prince Charles Edward, when he claimed to be prince of Wales, touched a female child for the disease in 1745 ; but the last person touched in England was Dr. Johnson, in 1712, when only thirty months old, by queen Anne. The French kings laid claim to the same divine power even from the time of Anne of Clovis, a.d. 481, and on Easter Sunday, 1686, Louis XIV. touched 1, 600 persons, using these words : Le roy te touche, Dieu te guerisse. The practice was introduced by Henry VII. of presenting the person “ touched” with a small gold or silver coin, called a touch- piece. The one presented to Dr. Johnson has St. George and the Dragon on one side and a ship on the other ; the legend of the former is Soli deo gloria, and of the latter Anna D:G.M.BR.F:ET.U. REG, (Anne, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland Queen). King-fislier. So called from the royal or kingly beauty of its plumage, chiefly blue and green. It frequents the banks of rivers, and dives for fish. King Franco'ni. Joachim Murat, so called because he resembled in dress and finery Franconi the mountebank, (176M8i5.) King Horn or CUlde Horn, The hero of a metrical romance by Mestre Thomas. King’s Keys. The crow-bars and hammers used by sheriffs’ officers to force doors and locks {law phrase). King Log. A roi faineant, a king , that rules in peace and quietness, but^ never makes his power felt. The allusion is to the fable of ‘^The Frogs Asking for a King,” when Jupiter threw a log into their pond. King-maker. Eichard Neville, earl of Warwick ; so called because, when he sided with Henry VI., Henry was king ; but when he sided with Edward IV., Henry was deposed and Edward was king. He fell at Barnet. (1420-1471.) King’s Men. The 78th Foot; so called from their motto, CuidicKn Rhi (Help the king). King Petand. The court oj Icing Petaud. A kind of Alsatia, where all are talkers with no hearers, all are kings with no subjects, all are masters and. none servants. There was once a society of beggars in France, the chief of whom called himself king Petaud. (Latin, pdo, to beg.) King’s-pictnre. Money ; so called, because coin is stamped with ‘Hhe image” of the reigning sovereign. King Kyenee, of North Wales, sent a dwarf to king Arthur to say “ he had overcome eleven kings, all of which paid him homage in this sort — viz., they gave him their beards to purfell his mantle. He now required king Arthur to do likewise.” King Arthur returned answer, “My beard is full young yet for a purfell, but before it is long enough for such a purpose. King Ryence shall do me homage on both his knees.” {See Percy, “Reliques,” &c., series hi., bk. 1.) Spenser says that Lady Bria'na loved a knight named Cruder, who refused to marry her till she sent him a mantle^ lined with the beards of knights and locks of ladies. To accotnplish this, she appointed Mal'effort, her seneschal, to divest every lady that drew near the castle of her locks, and every knight of his beard . — ** Faery Queen,'* bk, vi .5 cant. 1 . 482 KING STORK. KISSING. King Stork. A tyrant that devonrs his subjects, and makes them submissive vpith fear and trembling. The allusion is to the fable of ‘‘The Frogs Desiring a King,” but not such a one as King Log. Kingston-on-Thames. Named Kings-stme from a large, square block of stone near the town hall, on which the early Anglo-Saxon monarchs knelt when they were anointed to thq^ kingly office : Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund, Ethelred, Edred, Edwy, and Edward the Martyr received on this stone the royal unction. The stone is now enclosed with railings. Kingstown {Ireland)^ formerly called Dunleary. The name was changed in 1821 out of compliment to George IV., who visited Ireland that year, and left Dunleary harbour for his return home on the 5th of September. B[ingswood Lions. Donkeys; Kingswood being at one time famous for the number of asses kept by the colliers who lived thereabout. Kinless Loon. The judges whom Cromwell sent into Scotland were so termed, because they condemned and acquitted those brought before them wholly irrespective of party, and solely on the merits of the charge with which they were accused. Kiosk'. A Turkish summer-house or alcove supported by pillars. EZirk of Skulls. Gamrie church in Banffshire ; so called because the skulls and other bones of the Norsemen who fell in the neighbouring field, called the Bloody Pots, were built into its walls. Kirke-grim. The nix who looks to order in churches, and punishes those who misbehave themselves there, and the persons employed to keep it tidy if they fail in their duty . — Scandinaman mythology, Kirke’s Lambs. The 2nd Foot. Their colonel was Piercy Kirke, when they were appointed as a guard of honour to the queen of Charles II. on her pro- gress to London. For this service they were allowed to carry on their colours the “ Paschal Lamb.” Kirkrap'ine (3 syl.). While Una was in the hut of Corca:ca^ lurkrapine forced his way in ; but the lion springing on him tore him to pieces. The meaning is that Romanism was increased by ra- pine, but the English lion at the Re- formation put an end to the rapacity of monks.— >Sjoens€r, Faery Qween,,”bk. i. Kishmee. An island in the Persian Gulf, famous for its white wine. Kiss, as a mode of salutation, comes from its use to express reverence or worship. Thus to adore idols and to kiss idols mean the same thing. Indeed, the word adore signifies simply to carry the hand to ike mouthy that is, to kiss it to the idol. We still kiss the hand in salutation. Various parts of the body are kissed to distinguish the character of the adoration paid. Thus, to kiss the lips is to adore the living breath of tke person saluted ; to kiss the feet or ground is to humble oneself in adoration; to kiss the garments is to express venera- tion to whatever belongs to or touches the person who wears them. “ Kiss the Son lest he be angry” (Ps. ii. 12) means Worship the Son of God. Pharaoh tells Joseph “Thou shalt be over my house, and upon thy mouth shall all my people kiss,” meaning they shall reverence the commands of Joseph by kissing the roll on which his commands would be written. “ Samuel poured oil on Saul and khsed him,” to acknowledge subjection to God’s anointed (1 Sam. x. 1). In the Hebrew state, this mode of expressing reverence arose from the peculiar form of govern- ment established, whether under the patriarchal or matrimonial figure. A Judas hiss. An act of treachery. The allusion is to the apostle Judas, who betrayed his Master with a kiss. Kissing the Pope’s Toe. Matthew of Westminster says, it was customary formerly to kiss the hand of his holiness; but that a certain woman, in the eighth century, not only kissed the pope’s hand, but “ squeezed it.” The church magnate; seeing the danger to which he was ex- posed, cut off his hand, and was com- pelled in future to offer his foot, a custom which has continued to the present hour. Kissing under the Mistletoe. Balder, the Apollo of Scandinavian my- thology, was killed by a mistletoe arrow given to the blind Hdder, by Loki, the god of mischief and potentate of our earth. Balder was restored to life, but KTSSING-CRUST. KNAVE. 483 the mistletoe was placed in future under the care of Friga, and was never again to be an instrument of evil till it touched the earth, the empire of Loki. Hence is it always suspended from ceilings. ■And when persons of opposite sexes pass under it, they give each other the kiss of peace and love, in the full assur- ance that the epiphyte is no longer an instrument of mischief. A correspondent in Notes and Queries suggests that the Romans dedicated the holly to Saturn, whose festival was in December, and that the early Christians decked their houses with the Saturnian emblems to deceive the Romans and escape persecution. It was this sort of compromise that Naaman the Syrian re- quested when his master bowed in wor- ship to Rimmon. Kissing-crust. The crust where the lower lump of bread kisses the upper. Kist'nerap'pan. The Indian water- god. Persons at the point of death are sometimes carried into the Ganges, and sometimes to its banks, that Kistnerap- pan may purify them from all defilement before they die. Others have a little water poured into the palms of their hands, with the same object. !Kit. A soldier s kit. His outfit. fSaxon, kitUi) The whole kit of them. The whole lot. {See above.) Kit’s Coty House {Kent) is Kati- gern’s or Kitigern's eoty house — that is, the house or tomb of j^tigern, made of coits or huge flat stones. {See Hackell’s C oiT and Devil's Coit.) Katigern was the brother of Vortimer, and leader of the Britons, who was slain in the battle of Aylesford or Epsford, fighting against Hengist and Horsa. Lambarde calls it Citscotehouse (1570). The structure consists of two upright side- stones, one standing in the middle as a support or tenon, and a fourth im- posed as a roof. Kitchi-manltou. The good deity of the savages of Canada. Once a year they celebrate his festival with dancing and singing. Kite {SergeanC), in Farquhar’s Re- cruiting Officer.” Kite-flyin g. To fly the kite is to raise the wind,” or obtain money on bills, whether good or bad. It is a Stock Exchange phrase, and means, as a kito flutters in the air by reason of its light- ness, and is a mere toy, so these bills fly about, but are light and worthless. Kitely (2syl.). A jealous city mer- chant in Ben Jonson’s Every Man in his Humour.” Kit-kat Club. A club to which Addison belonged. It received its name from Christopher Katt, a pastry-cook, who served the club with mutton pies. Sir Godfrey Kneller painted a series of portraits of the club members to be hung in the room of meeting, and in order to accommodate the paintings to the height of the walls, was obliged to make them three-quarter lengths ; hence a three- quarter portrait is still called a hU-ccU. Strictly speaking, a kit-cat canvas is twenty-eight inches by thirty-six. Kit-kat Pictures are portraits of three-quarter length, like those painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller for the Kit-kat Club-room. Steele, Addison, Congreye, Garth, Yaabrugh, Man- waring, Stepney, Walpole, and Pulteney were of it; so was lord Dorset and the present duhe. Man- waring.... was the ruling man in all oonversa ion ... lord Stanhope and the earl of Essex were also members. . . . Each member gave his [picturej.— i'cpe to Spence. Kit Kats. Mutton pies, so called from Christopher Katt, the pastrycook, who excelled in these pasties. {See above. ) Kittle of Pish. A pretty kittle of fish. A pretty muddle, a bad job. A sea term. ‘^The kittle of fish” is the apparatus of pulleys employed in drag- ging the flukes of the anchor towards the bow, after it has been hoisted to the cat-head. If these pulleys get out of gear, they are “a pretty kittle of fish.” {See Kettle.) Kiwas'a. An idol of the Virginian savages. Klaus ( Peter'). The prototype of Rip Van Winkle, whose sleep lasted twenty years. {See Santa Klaus.) Kloka-man {wise folk). Doctors who undertake to cure the evils caused by wicked elves. They correspond to the Fairy- women of IrelvLad..— Scandinavia. Knave. A lad, a gargon, a servant. (Saxon, cnafa, a boy; German, knabe.') The knave of clubs, &c., is the son or servant of the king and queen thereof. F F 2 484 KNECHT GLOBES. KNIGHTS OF THE GARTER. In an old version of the Bible we read : ^‘Paul, a knave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,” &c. (Rom. i. 1). A knave of Sologne. More knave than fool. The French say un niais de Sologne. Sologne is a part of the departments of Loiret et Loir- et- Cher. Kneeht Globes. (See Santa Klaus.) Knee. Greek, gonu ; Latin, genu ; French, genou ; Sanskrit, janu ; Saxon, cneow ; German, hiie ; English, knee.- Knee Tribute. Adoration or re- verence shown by prostration or bending the knee. Kneph. The ram-headed god of ancient Egypt, called also Amen-ra, and by the Greeks, Ammon. Knicker-bocker (Die'drich). The imaginary author of a facetious ‘‘History of New York,” by Washington Irving. Knife is the emblem borne by St. Ag'atha, St. Albert, and St. Christi'na. The flaying knife is the emblem of St. Bartholomew, because he was flayed with one. A sacrificing knife is borne in Christian art by St. Zadkiel, the angel. The knife of academic knots. Chrysip'- pos, so called because he was the keenest disputant of his age. (B.c. 280-207.) Knight meams simply a hoy. (Saxon, cniht.') As boys (like the Latin 'puero^.n^ French gargon) were used as servants, so cniht came to mean a servant. Those who served the feudal kings bore arms, and persons admitted to this privilege were the king’s knights ; as this distinc- tion was limited to men of family, the word became a title of honour next to the nobility. In modern Latin a knight is termed aura' ins (golden), from the gilt spurs which they used to wear. Last of the knights. Maximilian I. of Germany. (1459, 1493-1519.) Knights Bachelors. Persons who are simply knights, but belong to no order. (French, has-chevaliers.') Knights Bannerets. Knights created on the field of battle. The kiog or general cut off the point of their flag, and made it square, so as to resemble a banner. Hence knights bannerets are called Knights of the Square Flag. Knights Baronets. Inferior ba- rons, an order of hereditary rank, created by James I. in 1611. The title was sold for money, and the funds went nominally towards the plantation in Ulster. These knights bear the arms of Ulster, viz., a field argent, a sinister hand couped at the wrist gules. {See Hand. ) Knights Errant. Iji France, from 768 to 987, the land was incumbered with fortified castles ; in England this was not the case till the reign of Stephen. The lords of these castles used to carry off females and commit rapine, so that a class of men sprang up, at least in the pages of romance, who roamed about in full armour to protect the defenceless and aid the oppressed. “Prox'ima quaecLue metit glad'io” is the perfect account of a knight , errant.— Dryden, Dedication of the '*JSne'is.’* Knight’s Fee. A portion of land held by custom, sufficient to maintain a knight to do service as such for the king. William the Conqueror created 60,000 such fees when he came to England. All who had £20 a- year in lands or income were compelled to be knights. Knight Bider Street {London). So named from the processions of knights from the Tower to Smithfield, where tournaments were held. Leigh Hunt says the name originated in a sign or some reference to the Heralds College in the vicinity. Knight of Arts and Industry <. The hero of Thomson’s “ Castle of Indo- lence,” canto ii. 7-13. Knights of the Bath. (See Bath.) Knights of the Blade. Bullies who were for ever appealing to their swords to brow-beat the timid. Knights of the Carpet or Carpet Knights, are not military but civil knights, such as mayors, lawyers, and so on ; so called because they receive their knighthood kneeling on a carpet, and not on the battle-field. Knights of the Chamber or Chamber Knights, are knights bachelors made in times of peace in the presence chamber, and not in the camp. Being military men, they differ from “carpet knights,” who are always civilians. Knights of the Garter. (See Gar- ter.) KNIGHTS OF THE HAKE. KNIPPERHOLLINGS. 485 Knights of the Hare. An order of twelve knights created by Edward III. in France, upon the following occasion : — A great shouting was raised by the French army, and Edward thought the shout was the onset of battle, but found after- wards it was occasioned by a hare run- ning between the two armies. Knight of La Mancha. Hon Quixote de la Mancha, the hero of Cer- vantes’ novel, called ‘‘ Hon Quixote.” Knights of Malta or Hosjpitallers of St. John of Jemsalem. Some time after the first crusade, some Neapolitan merchants built at Jerusalem an hospital for sick pilgrims and a church which they dedicated to St. John; these they com- mitted to the charge of certain knights, called Hospitallers of St. John. In 1310 these Hospitallers took Rhode Island, and changed their title into Knights of Rhodes. In 1523 they were expelled from Rhodes by the Turks, and took up their residence in the Isle of Malta. Knight of the Pestle or Knight of the Pestle and Mortar. An apothecary or druggist, whose chief instrument is the pesHe and mortar, used in compounding medicines. Knights o’ the Post. Persons who haunted the purlieus of the courts, ready to be hired for a bribe to swear anything; so called from their being always found waiting at the posts which the sheriffs set up outside their doors for posting proclamations on. There are knightg of the post and booby cheats enough to swear the truth of the broadest contra- dictions.— Knight of the Post. A man in the pil- lory, or that has been tied to a whipping- post, is jestingly so called. Knight of the Road. A highway- man. Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur’s knights, so called from the large circular table round which they sat. The table was circular to prevent any heart- sore about precedency. The number of these knights is variously given; the popular notion is that they were twelve ; several authorities place the number at forty ; but the History of Prince Arthur” states that the table was made to accommodate 150. King Leodegraunce, who gave Arthur the table on his wedding-day, sent him also 100 knights, Merlin furnished twenty-eight, Arthur himself added two ; and twenty ‘‘sieges” were left to reward merit. — Chaps. 45, 46. These knights went forth into all countries in quest of ad- ventures. The most noted are — Sir Acolon^ Ballamorey Beau’mariSy Beleobus, Belwure, Bet^sunt, Bors, Ector, Eric,Ewain,Floll^ Ga'hefi'is, Gal'ahadj Gal*- ohalty Gareth, Gau'riel, Gawain or Twain, Grislet, Kay, Lameroch, Launcelot du Lac, Lionell, Marhaus, Palamide, Pa'quinet, PeVleas, Per'edur or Per'ceval, Sagris, Superah'ilis, Tor, Tristam or Tristan de Le'onnais, Turquim, Wig'alois, Wig'amur, &c. &c. Knight of the Rueful Counte- nance. Hon Quixote. Knight of the Shears. A tailor. The word shear is a play on the word shire or county. Knights of St. Patrick. Instituted in 1783, in honour of the patron saint of Ireland. Knight of the Swan. An old English prose romance, compiled by Lord Berners. It was an order of the house of Cleve. Knights of the Thistle. Said to have been established in 809 by Achaicus, king of the Scots, and revived in 1540 by James V. of Scotland. Queen Anne placed the order on a permanent footing. These knights are sometimes called Knights of St. Andreev. Knights of the Whip. Coachmen. Knighten Guild, now called Port- soken Ward. King Edgar gave it to thirteen knights on the following con- ditions : — (1) Each knight was to be victorious in three combats, one above- ground, one underground, and one in the water ; (2) each knight was on a given day to run with spears against all comers in East Smithfield. William the Con- queror confirmed the same unto the heirs of these knights. Henry I. gave it to the canons of Holy Trinity, and acquitted it “ of all service.” Knipperdollings. A set of Ger- man heretics about the time of the Re- formation, disciples of a man named Bernard Knipperdolling. — Blount, ** Glos- sographia." (1681.) 486 KNOCK UNDER. KOLIS. Knock Under. Johnson says this expression arose from a custom once common of knocking uijder the table when any guest wished to acknowledge himself beaten in argument. Another derivation is knuckle xmdtr—i.e.^ to knuckle or bend the knuckle or knee in proof of submission. BellendenKerr says it is Te nock ander, which he interprets I am forced to yield.” Knockers. Goblins who dwell in mines, and point out rich veins of lead and silver. In Cardiganshire the miners attribute the strange noises so frequently heard in mines to these spirits, which are sometimes called coblyns (German, kobolds). Knot. He has tied a knot with his tongue he cannot untie with his teeth. He has got married. He has tied the mar- riage knot by saying 1 take thee for my wedded wife,” &c,, but the knot is not to be untied so easily. True lovers^ knot ''True lovers” is a corruption of the Danish trulofa, '‘ I plight my troth,” a knot being the em- blem, in Scandinavia, of fidelity, love, and friendship. Sir Thomas Browne thinks the knot owes its origin to the nodtts Hercula'nv^, a snaky complication in the cadu'ceus or rod of Mercury, in which form the woollen girdle of the Greek brides was fastened. The ship went six or seven knots an hour. Miles. The log-line is divided into lengths by knots, each length is the same proportion of a nautical mile as half a minute is of an hour. The log-line being cast over, note is taken of the number of knots run out in half a minute, and this number shows the rate per hour. Knotted. The knotted stick is planed. The house of Orleans is worsted by that of Burgundy. The house of Orleans bore for its badge a bdton noueux, the house of Burgundy a plane \ hence the French saying, "Le baton noueux est plan^.” Knout (1 syl.) is a knotted bunch of thongs made of hide. It is a Tartar in- vention, but was introduced into Russia. (^Knouty Tartar for knot. ) Know. Know the fitting moment The favourite maxim of Pittacos, one of the '* seven wise men.” Know thyself. The wise saw of Chilon, the Spartan ephor. (b.c. 6;35- 560.) Know your own mind. By Murphy ; borrowed from Destouches, the French dramatist. Know-noth-in gs, A secret politioal party of the United States, which arose in 1853, who replied to every question asked about their society, I know nothing about it.” Their object was te accomplish the repeal of the naturalisa- tion laws, and of the law which excluded all but natives from holding office. The party split on the slavery question and died out. Knox’s Croft, in Gifford Gate, Haddington ; so called because it was the birth-place of John Knox. Kobold. A house-spirit in German superstition ; the same as our Robin Goodfellow, and the Scotch b 7 'ow}i,ie(g.v.). (See Hinzelmann.) Koelila'ni. Arabian horses of royal stock, of which genealogies have been preserved for more than 2000 years. It is said that they are the offspring of Solomon’s stud.— Kiebuhr. Koll-i-lNur (ynountain of light). A large diamond in the possession of the Queen of England. It was found in a Golconda mine ( 1550), and belonged to Shah J ehan and Aurungzebe the Great, (Mogul kings). In 1739 it passed into the hands of Nadir Shah, who called it the Koh-i-nhr. It next went to the monarch s of Afghanistan, and when Shah Sujah was dispossessed he gave it to Runjeet Singh, of the Punjab, as the price of his assistance towards the re- covery of the throne of Cabul'. It next went to Dhuleep Singh, but when the Punjab was annexed to the British crown in 1849, this noble diamond was surren- dered to Great Britain. It is valued at .£120,664. ^ Koliol. Russell says, " The Persian women blacken the inside of their eyelids with a powder made of black Kohol.” And others mix the Kohol’s jetty dye To give that long, dark languish to the eye. Thomas Moure. Lalla Rookh," pt. i Kola'da. The Janus of the Slaves, His fete is December 24th. Kolah (a Persian cap). Made of the wool of the sheep of Tartary. — Waring. Koli. The 51st Foot, so called from the initial letters of the regimental title^ King’s Own JLight Infantry. KONX OMPAX. KRISS KRINGLE. 487, Konx Ompax. The words of dis- missal in the Eleusinian Mysteries. A correspondent in Notes and Queries says *'konx” or ‘^kogx” is the Sanscrit Canscha (the object of your desire) ; ompax” is om (amen), pacsha (all is over). If this is correct the words would mean, God bless you, Amen, The ceremo- nies are concluded. When a judge gave sentence by dropping his pebble into the urn of mercy or death, he said Pacsha (I have done it). The noise made by the stone in falling was called pacsha (fate), and so was the dripping noise of the clepsydra, which limited the pleader’s quota of time. Koom or Com and Cashan. ''Two Persian cities, full of mosques, mauso- le'ums, and sepulchres of the descendants of Ali (the saints of Persia).” — Chardin. TTor (sichiess). The bed of the god- dess Hel iq.v.). Its canopy is called " splendid misery.” Koran, or, with the Sixticle^Al-Kordn (the Reading). The religious, social, civil, commercial, military, and legal code of Islam. It is rather remarkable that we call our Bible the writing (Scrip- ture), but the Arabs call their Bible the reading (Koran). We are told to believe that portions of this book were com- municated to the prophet at Mecca and Medi'na by the angel Gabriel, with the sound of bells. Kor'rigans or Kor'igans. Nine fays of Brittany, of wonderful powers. They can predict future events, assume any shape they like, move quick as thought from place to place, and cure diseases or wounds. They are not more than two feet high, have long flowing hair, which they are fond of combing, dress only with a white veil, are excellent singers, and their favourite haunt is beside some fountain. They flee at the sound of a bell or benediction. Their breath is most deadly. — Breton mythology. Kraal. A South African village, being a collection of huts in a circular form ; so named by the early Dutch set- tlers, from kraal, French corail, a coral reef. Kraken. A supposed sea-monster of vast size, said to have been seen off the coast of Norway and on the North American coasts. It was first described by Pontoppidan. Pliny speaks of a sea- monster in the Straits of Gibraltar, which barred the entrance of ships. Kratim. The dog which accom- panied the Seven Sleepers. Kremlin. The imperial palace at Moscow, of a triangular form, and about two miles in circumference. (Russian, krem, a fortress.) K!rems White takes its name from Krems in Austria, the city where it is manufactured. Kreuzer (pron. krite-zer). A small copper coin in Southern Germany, once marked with a cross. (German, kreuz^ a cross.) Kriemliild (2 syl.). A beautiful Burgundian lady, daughter of Dancrat and Uta, and sister of Gunther, Gernot, and Gis'elher. She first married Sieg- fried, king of the Netherlanders, and next Etzel, king of the Huns. Hagan, the Dane, slew her first husband, and seized all her treasures ; and to revenge these wrongs, she invited her brothers and Hagan to visit her in Hungary. In the first part of the "Nibelungen-Lied,” Kriemhild brings ruin on herself by a tattling tongue (1) She tells Brunhild, queen of Burgundy, that it is Siegfried who has taken her ring and girdle, which so incenses the queen, that she prevails on Hagan to murder the Netherlander; (2) she tells Hagan that the only vul- nerable part in Siegfried is a spot be- tween his shoulders, a hint which ena- bles Hagan to direct his wound aright. In the second part of the great epic, she is represented as bent on vengeance, and in the accomplishment of this object, after a most terrible slaughter of friends and foes, she is slain by Hildebrand. Krish'na {the black one). The eighth avat&,ra or incarnation of Vishnu. Kansa, demon-king of Mathura', having com- mitted great ravages. Brahman com- plained to Vishnu, and prayed him to relieve the world of its distress ; where- upon Vishnu plucked off two hairs, one white and the other black, and promised they should revenge the wrongs of the demon-king. The black hair became Krishna. — Rindu mythology. Kriss Kringle. A sort of St. Nicholas {q.r.). On Christmas Eve, Kriss Kringle, arrayed in a fur cap and strange 488 KRITA. LABADISTS. apparel, goes to the bedroom of all good children, where he finds a stocking or sock hung up in expectation of his visit, in which depository he leayes a present for the young wearer. The word means Christ-child, and the eve is called Kriss- Kringle Eve.” Kri'ta. The first of the four Hindu periods contained in the great Yuga,wheu the genius of Truth and Right, in the form of a bull, stood firm on his four feet, and man gained nothing by iniquity. {See Kaliyuga.) KIrodo. The Saturn of the ancient Saxons. Kmpp’s Steel. Steel from the works of Herr Krupp, of Essen, in Prus- sia. Krusman. The Hercules of the ancient inhabitants of the Rhine. Ku'dos. Praise, glory. {Greeh) Ku'fLc. Ancient Arabic letters; so called from Kufa, a town in the pashahc of Bagdad, noted for its expert and nu- merous copyists of the ancient Arabic MSS. Kufic Coins. Mahometan coins with Kufic or Ancient Arabic characters. The first were struck in the eighteenth year of the Hegi'ra (a.d. 638). Kumara {youthful). The Hindu war- god, the same as K^rthkeya {q.v.). One of the most celebrated Hindu poems is the legendaiy history of this god. R. T. H. Griffith has translated seven cantos of it into English verse. Kurd. A native of Kurdistan. Kuru. A noted legendary hero of India, the contests of whose descendants form the subject of the two great Indian epics. Ku'vera. The god of riches, repre- sented as riding in a car drawn by hob- goblins . — Hindu mythology. Ky'anise (3 syl.). To apply cor- rosive sublimate to timber in order to prevent the dry-rot ; so called from Mr. Kyan, who invented the process. {See Paynising.) Kyle, Garrick, and Cunning- hani. Ajrshire is divided into three parts : Kyle, a strong corn-growing soil ; Garrick, a wild hilly portion, only fit for feeding cattle; and Cunningham, a rich dairy land. Hence the saying — Kyle for a man, Garrick for a coo, -Gunningham for butter, Galloway for woe. The last refers to the Mull of Galloway, noted for shipwrecks. Ky'rie Elei'son. Greek, Lord, have mercy upon us. Kyrle. (/See Ross.) Ii L. This letter represents ah ox-goad, and is called in Hebrew lamed (an ox- goad). L for fifty is half C {centum, a hun- dred). L. E. L. Letitia Elizabeth Landon (afterwards Mrs. Maclean), a poetess of the ‘^Lara” and ‘^Corsair” school. (1802-1839.) XjIi.E. Doctor of Laws — i.e,, both civil and canon. The double L is the plural ; thus MSS. is the plural of MS. (manuscript) ; pp., pages, L.Xi. Whiskey. Lord-Lieutenant whiskey. Mr. Kinahan being requested, to preserve a certain cask of whiskey highly approved of by his excellency, marked it with the initials L.L., and e\rer after called this particular quality L.L. Whiskey. L’Africaine. An opera by Meyer- beer. La Garde Meurt, ne se Kend Pas. The words falsely ascribed to General Cambronne, at the battle of Waterloo, and inscribed on his monu- ment at Nantes. La Muette de Portiei. Auber^s best opera. Also known as ‘‘Masaniello.” La Poche (1 syl.). A Protestant clergyman, whose story is told in The Mirror, by Henry Mackenzie. Lab'adists. A religious sect of the seventeenth century, so called from Jean Labadie, of Bourg in Guyenne. They were Protestant ascetics, who sought reform of morals more than reform of doctrine. They rejected the observance of all holy days, and held certain mystic notions. The sect fell to pieces early in the eighteenth century. LABARINTO. LADY. 489 Labarinto or Las Trecientas. The chief work of the poet Juan de Mena, called the Spanish Ennius; sug- gested by Dante’s ‘^Divi'na Come'dia.” Lab'arum. The standard borne be- fore the Roman emperors. It consisted of a lance with an eagle on the top, while from a cross-staff hung a splendid purple streamer, with a fringe, adorned with precious stones. Constantine substituted a crown for the eagle, and inscribed in the midst the mysterious monogram {see Constantine’s Cross). Fifty of the bravest men were deputed to bear it. (Greek, lahay a staff ; ruomaiy to rescue from danger.) LaJbe {Queen). The CircS of the Arabians, who, by her enchantments, transformed men into horses and other brute beasts. She is introduced into the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments,” where Beder, prince of Persia, marries her, defeats her plots against him, and turns her into a mare. Being restored to her proper shape by her mother, she turns Beder into an owl; but the prince ultimately regains his own proper form, and makes his escape. Lab'yrinth.. Said to be so called from Lab'yris, an Egyptian monarch of the twelfth dynasty . The chief labyrinths are : — (1) The Egyptian, by Petesu'chis or Tithoes, near the lake Moeris. It had 3,090 apartments, half of which were underground, (b.c. 1800.) (2) The Cretan, by Dse'dalos, for im- prisoning the Mi'notaun The only means of finding the way out of it was by a skein of thread. (3) The Cretan conduit, which had 1,000 branches. (4) The Lem'nian, by the architects Zmilus, Rholus, and Theodorus. It had 150 columns, so nicely adjusted that a child could turn them. (5) The labyrinth of Clu'sium, by Por- senna, king of Etruria, for his tomb. (6) The Samian, by Theodo'rus. (b.c. 540.) (7) The labyrinth at Woodstock, by Henry II., for the fair Rosamond. (8) Of mazes formed by hedges, the best known is that of Hampton Court. Labyrinth'odon (Greek for Lahy- vinth-tooth). A gigantic fossil sauroid. of the frog family, so called from the in- ternal structure of its teeth. Lace, ril lace your jacJcet for you — beat you. (French, laisse^ a lash ; Ger- man, lascheUy to strike.) Lachesis (pron. Lahfesis). One of the three Fates ; the one that spins the thread of life, which At'ropos cuts off, while Clotho holds the distaff. Lacon'ic. Very concise and pithy. A Spartan was called a Lacon from La- co'nia, the land in which he dwelt. The Spartans were noted for their brusque and sententious speech. When Philip of Macedon wrote to the Spartan magis- trates, If I enter Laco'nia I will level Lacedaemon to the ground,” the ephors wrote word back the single word, If.” The Greek t, being the smallest of the alphabet, is called the Lacedaemonian letter. Lacus'trine Deposits. Deposits formed at the bottom of fresb-water pools and lakes. (Latin, lacus, a lake.) Laeus'trine Habitations. The remains of human dwellings of great an- tiquity, constructed on certain lakes in Ireland, Switzerland, &c. They seem to have been villages built on piles in the middle of a lake. Lad and Lass. A lad is one led or in ^Heading strings” under a peda- gogue boy-leader). Lass is lad-ess” contracted first into 'Ta’ess,” and then into ''lass.” {See Miss.) Lad o’ Wax. A little boy, a doll of a man. In " Romeo and Juliet,” the Nurse calls Paris " a man of wax,” mean- ing a very ' ' proper man.” Horace speaks of the " waxen arms of Terephus,” meaning well modelled. La'das. Alexander’s messenger, noted for his swiftness of foot. La'don. One of the dogs of Actseon. Ladon. The dragon which guarded the apples of the Hesper'ides. Lady. A woman of wealth, station, or rank. Verstegan says, "It was an- ciently written Hleafdian [? Tsefdige], contracted first into Lafdy, and then into Lady. Laj or Hldf (loaf) means food in general or bread in particular, and dian means ‘to serve,’ whence lady means the 'bread-server.’ The lord supplied 490 LADY-BIRD. LADY OF THE LAKE. the food, and the lady saw that it was properly served, for Jadies used to carve and distribute the food to the guests.’^ [Dian, i.e., o^i^-ian.] Ladies retire to the drawing-room after dinner, and leave the gentlemen be- hind. This custom was brought in by the Norsemen. The Vikings always dismissed all women from their drinking parties.— aS. Bunbv.ry. Lady-bird. The bishop Barnaby, called in German, U'nsei' herrin, huhn (our Lady-fowl), Marien-huhn (Mary- fowl), and Marien Kdfer (Mary’s beetle). Cushcow Lady,” as it is called in York- shire, is also the German Marien-kalen (Lady-calf). Probably our bird in this instance is a corruption of bug. Thus the cockchafer is called the May bug, where the German kdfer is ren- dered bug ; and several of the scarabai are called bugs, as the rose-bug. {See Bishop.) Lady Bountiful. The benevolent lady of a village. The character of Lady Bountiful is from the Beaux* Strata- gem,” by Farquhar. Lady Chapel. The small chapel behind the sereen of the high altar ; so called because usually dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Lady-day. The 25th of March, to commemorate the Annunciation of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. Lady Isabella, the beloved daugh- ter of a noble lord, accompanied her father and mother on a chase one day, when her step-mother requested her to return and tell the master-cook to pre- pare ‘'the milk-white doe for dinner.” Lady Isabella did as she was told, and the master-cook replied, “ Thou art the doe that I must dress.” The scullion- boy exclaimed, “ O save the lady’s life, and make thy pies of me;” but the master-cook heeded him not When the lord returned he called for his daughter, the fair Isabelle, and the scullion-boy said, “If now you will your daughter see, my lord, cut up that pie.” When the fond father comprehended the awful tragedy, he adjudged the cruel step-dame to be burnt alive, and the master-cook “in boiling lead to stand but the scul- lion-boy he made his heir.— -Percy, “Pe- liquesf* dx., series iii., bk. 2. Lady Majestrate. Queen Mary made lady Berkley a justice of the peace for Gloucestershire, and appointed her to the quorum of Suffolk. Lady Berkley sat on the bench at assizes and sessions, girt with a sword. Tony Lumpkin says of Mr. Hardcastle — He'll persuade you that bis mother was an aider- man and his aunt a justice of the pe&oe.— Goldsmith, ‘ ‘ ahe Stoops to Conquer** Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, founded in 1502 by the mother of Henry VII The year following, she founded a preachership, both in the Uni- versity of Cambridge. Lady of England. Matilda, daugh- ter of Henry I. The title of “ Dom'ina Anglorum” was conferred upon her by the council of Winchester, held April 7th, 1141. Lady of Mercy (Our). An order of knighthood in Spain, instituted ito 1218 by James I. of Aragon, for the deliverance of Christian captives amongst the Moors. Within the first six years as many as 400 captives were rescued by these knights. Lady of Shalott'. A maiden who fell in love with Sir Lancelot of the Lake,, and died because her love was not re^ turned. Tennyson has a poem on the subject, and the story of Elaine, “the lily maid of As'tolat,” in the “Idylls of the King,” is substantially the same. {See Elaine.) Lady of the Bleeding Heart. A Douglas ; so called from the cognisance of the family. In the “ Lady of the Lake,” ii. 10, Ellen Douglas is so called. Lady of the Haystack — made her appearance in 1776 at Bourton, near Bristol. She was young and beautiful, graceful, and evidently accustomed to good society. She lived for four years in a haystack; but was ultimately kept by Mrs. Hannah More in an asylum, and died suddenly in December, 1801. Mrs. More called her Louisa; but she was probably a Mademoiselle La Friilen, natural daughter of Francis Joseph I., en^peror of Austria. {See “ World of Wonders,” p. 134.) Lady of the Lake. Vivian, mis- tress of Merlin, the enchanter, who lived in the midst of an imaginary lake, sur- rounded by knights and damsels. Ten- nyson, in the “ Idylls of the King,** tells LADY OF THE ROCK. LAMA, 491 the story of Vivian and Merlin. {See Lake, and Lancelot.) Lcudy of the Lake. Ellen Douglas, once a favourite of king James; but when her father fell into disgrace, she retired with him to the vicinity of Loch Katrine .— Walter Scott, Lady of the Lake"' But for the difference marriage makes "i vrixfc wives and ladies of the lakes. 5. BuUei\ “ Hudibras*' iiL 1. Lady of the Rock (Owr). A mi- raculous image of the Virgin found by the wayside between Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo in 1409. Lady in the Sacque. The appa- rition of this hag forms the story of the Tapestried Chamber/’ by Sir Walter Scott. An old woman, whose dress was an old-fashioned gown, which ladies call a sacque ; that is, a sort of robe completely loose in the body, but gathered into broad plaits upon the neck and shoulders. Laelaps (Storm). One of the dogs of Actseon. Lcelaps. A very powerful dog given by Diana to Procris ; Procris gave it to Ceph'alos. While pursuing a wild boar it was metamorphosed into a stone. Laer'tes (3 syl.). Son of Polo'nius and brother of Ophelia. He kills Hamlet with a poisoned rapier, and dies himself from a wound by the same foil. — Shake- speare, Hamlet.” Laeta're Sunday. The fourth Sun- day of Lent is so called, from the first word of the Introit, which is from Isa. Ixvi. 10: ^‘Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her.” It is on this day that the pope blesses the Golden Rose. ' Lag'ado. Capital of Balmbarbi, celebrated for its grand academy of pro- jectors, where the scholars spend their time in such useful projects as making pincushions from softened rocks, ex- tracting sun-beams from cucumbers, and converting ice into gunpowder. — Swift, ** GullivePs Travels” ( Voyage to Lapu’ta). LaiS. A courtezan or Greek Hetaira. There were two of the name ; the elder was the most beautiful woman of Corinth, and lived at the time of the Peloponne'- sian war. The beauty of the latter ex- cited the jealousy of the Thessalonian women, who stoned her to death. She was contemporary with Phryne, her rival, and sat to Apelles as a model. Laissez Faire, Laissez Passer. Lord John Russell said— Colbert, with the intention of fostering the manufac- tures of France, established regulations which limited the webs woven in looms to a particular size. He also prohibited the introduction of foreign manufactures. The French vine-growers, finding they could no longer get rid of their wine, began to grumble. Then Colbert asked a merchant what relief he could give, and received for answer ‘ Laissez faire, laissez passer' — Don’t interfere with our mode of manufactures and don’t stop the introduction of foreign imports.” The laissez-faire system. The let-alone system. Lake-school (The). The school of poetry introduced by the Lake Poets, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey, who resided in the Lake district of Cum- berland and Westmoreland, and sought inspiration in the simplicity of nature. The term was first used in the Edinburgh Revieio. N.B. Charles Lamb, Lloyd, and Pro- fessor Wilson (Christopher North) are sometimes placed in the list of ‘^Lakers.” Laked'ion or Laquedem (Isaac). The name given in France, in the four- teenth century, to the Wandering Jew. Lalcin. Bfr Lakin. An oath, mean- ing By our Lady-kin,” or Little Lady, where little does not refer to size, but is equivalent to dear. By’r Lakin, a parlous [perilous) Shakespeare^ ** Midsummer Night's Dream," iii. 1. Laks'mi or Lakshmi. One of' the consorts of Vishnu, goddess of beauty, wealth and pleasure . — Hindu mythology. Lalla Rookh {Tulip Cheek) is the supposed daughter of Au-nmg-ze'-be, emperor of Delhi, betrothed to Ahiris, sultan of Lesser Buchar'ia ; on her jour- nej^ from Delhi to the valley of Cashmere, she is entertained by a young Persian poet named Fer'amorz, who is supposed to relate the four poetical tales of the romance, and with whom she falls in love. Her delight is unbounded when she discovers that the poet and the sultan are one and the same person.— YAowaff Moore, Lalla Rookh.” La'ma, among the Mongols, means the priestly order. Hence the reUgion of the Mongols and Calmucs is termed LAMAISM. LAMP. Lamaism. The Grand Lamas wear yellow A female idol made of stone and said to be inspired with life ; the chief object of adoration by the Arabs before their conversion. Lat, at Somanat in India, was a single stone fifty fathoms high, placed in the midst of a temple supported by fifty-six pillars of massive gold. This idol was broken in pieces by Mahmood Ibi^Sabuk- tigeen, who conquered that part of India. Lat'eran. The ancient palace of the Latera'ni, given by the emperor Constantine to the popes, and now applied to the several buildings erected on the same site, the chief of which is the church of St. J ohn of Lateran. The Councils of the Late^'an are the eleven councils held in the basilica of the Lateran. The most celebrated was that held under pope Innocent III. Lath or Lathe. A division of a county. Sometimes it was an interme- diate division between a hundred and a shire, as the lathes of Kent and rages of Sussex, each of which contained three or four “ hundreds ” a-piece. In Ireland the arrangement was different. The officer G G 498 LATIN. LAUNFAL. over a lath was called a lathreeve, (Saxon Iceth, Morwegian lady articulation.) If all that tything failed, then all that lath was charged for that tything ; and if the lath failed, then all that hundred was demanded for them [i.c., tur- bulent fellows I ; aud if the hundred, then the shire. — Spencer^ Jrtland.*’ Latin. The language spoken by the people of La'tium, in Italy. The Latins are called aborigines of Italy. Alba Longa was head of the Latin league, and, as Borne was a colony of Alba Longa, it is plain to see how the Eoman tongue was Latin. The Latin Church. The Western Church, in contradistinction to the Greek or Eastern Church. ^ The Latin Cross. Formed thus : “p Latin Learning, properly so called, terminated with Boe'thius, but continued to be used in literary compositions and in the services of the church. Lati'nus. King of the Laurentians, a people of Latium. According to Virgil, Latinus opposed ^neas on his first land- ing, but subsequently formed an alliance with him, and gave him Lavin'ia in mar- riage. Turnus, king of the Bu'tuli, de- clared that Lavinia had been betrothed to him, and prepared to support his claim by arms. It was agreed to decide the rival claims by single combat, and .^ne'as, being victor, had Lavinia to wife. Latinus (in ‘^Jerusalem Delivered”), an Italian, went with his five sons to the Holy War. His eldest son was slain by Solyman ; Aramantes, going to his bro- ther's aid, was also slain ; then Sabi'nus ; and lastly, Picus and Laurentes, twins. The father now rushed on the soldan, and was slain also. In one hour, the father and his five sons were all slain. Latitudina'rians. A sect of divines in the time of Charles II., opposed both to the High Church party and to the Puritans. The term is now applied to those who hold very loose views of Divine inspiration, and what are called orthodox doctrines. Lato'na. Mother of Apollo and Diana. When she knelt by a fountain in Delos, infants in arms, to quench her thirst at a small lake, some Lycian clowns insulted her, and were turned into frogs. As when those hinds that were transformed to frogs Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny, Whioh after held the sun and moon in fee. Milton^ ** Sonnets.'* Latri'a and Duli'a. Greek words adopted by the Roman Catholics: the former to express that supreme reverence and adoration which is offered to God alone ; and the latter, that secondary reverence and adoration which is offered to saints. {Latvia is the reverence of a latris or hired servant, who receives wages ; dulia is the reverence of a doulos or slave.) Lattice or Chequers . A public- house sign, the arms of Fitz warren, the head of which house, in the days of the Henries, was invested with the power of licensing the establishments of vintners and publicans. Houses licensed notified the same by displaying the Fitz warren arms.— TAe TimeSy April 29, 1869. The Fitzwarren arms were chequy or and guleSy hence public-houses and their signs are frequently called the ^‘Bed Lattice.” He called me eyen now. my lord, through a red IsXiiQQ—Shakespmre, “ 2 Henry IF.,” ii. 2. Laudicoeni. Boman claqueurs, wha attended to applaud speeches, plays, &c. (See Claque.) Laughing Philosopher. Democ'- ritos of Ab'dera, who viewed with su- preme contempt the feeble powers of man. (b.c. 460-357.) (See Weeping Philosopher.) Launce. The clownish serving-man of Proteus, one of the two Gentlemen of Verona. Speed is the serving-man of Valentine, the other gentleman. Launce is famous for his soliloquies to his dog Crab, ‘‘the sourest-natured dog that lives.” Lord Dundreary is Launce po- lished into a gentleman. — Shahesgeare, “ Two Gentlemen of Verona.^^ Launeelot. (SAa^e- sjpeare, Romeo and Juliet.” Lavaine', Sir (2 syl.). Brother of Elaine', and son of the lord of As'tolat. He accompanied Sir Lancelot when he went incog, to tilt for the ninth diamond. He is described as young, brave, and a true knight. — Tennyson, ^'‘Idylls of the King ” {Elaine). Lav'ender. Laid up in lavender, i.e., taken great care of, laid away, as women put things away in lavender to keep off moths. Things in pawn, or persons in hiding, are said to be in lavender. Lavin'ia. Daughter of Lati'nus, be- trothed to Turnus, king of the Ru'tuli. When jEneas landed in Italy, Latinus made an alliance with the Trojan hero, and promised to give him Lavin'ia to wife. This brought on a war between Turnus and JEneas, which was decided by single combat, in which .Eneas was victor. — Virgil, JEneid.” Lavinia. The daughter of Titus An- dron'icus, bride of Bassia'nus, brother of the emperor of Rome. Being grossly abused by Chiron and Demetrius, sons of Tam'ora, queen of the Goths, the savage wantons cut off her hands and pluck out her tongue, that she may not reveal their names. Lavinia, guiding a stick with her stumps, makes her tale known to,, her father and brothers ; where- upon Titus murders the two Moorish princes and serves their heads in a pasty to their mother, whom he afterwards slays, together with the emperor Saturni'nus her husband. — Titus Andron'icus” {a play published 'with those of Shakespeare). Lavinia. Italy ; so called from Lavinia, daughter of Lati'nus and wife of .Eneas. JEneas built a town which he called Lavin'ium, capital of La'tium. Lavin'ia and Pale'mon. A free poetical version of Ruth and Boaz, by Thomson in his “Autumn.” Lavolt or Lavolta (French, la volte). A lively dance, in which was a good deal of jumping or capering, whence its name. Troilus says, “ I cannot sing, O G 2 500 LAW. LAZARISTS. nor heel the high lavolt ” (iv. 4). It is thus described : A lofty jumping or a leaping round. Where arm in arm two dancers are entwined. And whirl themselves with strict embracements bound, ^nd still their feet an anapest do sound. Sir John Davies. Law. To give one law. A sporting term, meaning the chance of saving oneself. Thus a hare or a stag is allowed ♦ ^^law” — i.e., a certain start before any hound is permitted to attack it ; and a tradesman allowed law is one to whom time is given to “ find his legs.” Quigs of law, called devices of Cepola,” from Bartholomew Cepola, whose law- quirks teaching how to elude the most express law, and to perpetuate law- suits ad inf nil turn, have been frequently reprinted— once in octavo, in black letter, by John Petit, in 1508. The Man of Laives Tale, by Chaucer. This story is found in Gower, who pro- bably took it from the French chronicle of N icholas Trivet. A similar story forms the plot of Em'are, a romance printed in Bitson’s collection. The treason of the knight who murders Hermengilde re- sembles an incident in the French ‘‘Ro- man de la Violette,” the English metrical romance of “ Le bone Florence of Rome” {in Ritson), and a tale in the “Gesta Romanorum,” c. 69 (Madden’s edition). (>See Constance.) The La%vs of Howel Dha, who reigned in South Wales in the tenth century, printed with a Latin translation by Wotton, in his “Leges Wallicse” (1841). Law’s Bubble. The famous Mis- sissippi scheme, devised by John Law, for paying off the national debt of France (1716-1720). By this “French South- Sea Bubble” the nation was almost ruined. It was called Mississippi because the company was granted the “exclusive trade of Louisia'na on the banks of the Mississippi.” Lawn is fine cloth bleached on a lawn, instead of the ordinary bleaching grounds. Lawrence {St.), Patron saint of curriers, because his skin was broiled on a gridiron. In the pontificate of Sextus I. he -was charged with the care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows. In the persecution of Vale'rian, being summoned to deliver up the treasures of the church, he produced the poor, &c., under his charge, and said to the praetor, “ These are the church’s treasures.” In Christian art he is generally represented as holding a gridiron in his hand. He is the subject of one of the principal hymns of Pruden- tius. (See Laurence.) St. Lawrences tears or The fiery tears of St. Lawrence. Meteoric or shooting stars, which generally make a great display on this anniversary (August 10th). The great periods of this phenomenon are between the 9th and 14th of August, from the 12th to the 14th of November, and from the 6th to the 12th of December. Tom Lawrence, alias “Tyburn Tom” or “Tuck.” A highwayman. — Sir Walter Scott, Heart of Mid- Lothian.'' Lawsuits. Miles d’llliers, bishop of Chartres (1459-1493) was so litigious, that when Louis XI. gave him a pension to clear off old scores, and told him in future to live in peace and good-will with his neigh- bours, the bishop earnestly entreated the king to leave him some three or four to keep his mind in good exercise. Simi- larly Panurge entreated Pantag'ruel not to pay off all his debts, but to leave some centimes at least, that he might not feel altogether a stranger to his own self. — Rabelais, Pantagruel," iii. 5. (See Lil- BURN.) Lay-brotbers. Persons not in holy orders received into convents under the three vows. They belong to the laity. (Greek, loos, people.) Lay Figures. Wooden figures with free joints, used by artists chiefly for the study of drapery. This is a metaphorical use of lay. As divines divide the world into two parties, the ecclesiastics and the laity, so artists divide their models into two classes, the living and the lay. Lay of the Last Minstrel. (For plot see Margaret.) Lay^amon, who wrote a translation in Saxon of the “ Brut” of Wace, in the twelfth century, is called The English Ennius, Ennius. ) Lazar-bouse or Lazaretto. A house for poor persons affected with contagious diseases. So called from the beggar Lazarus (q.v.), Laz^arists. A body of missionaries founded by St. Vincent de Paul in 1632, and so termed from the priory of St. Lazarus, at Paris, which was their head- quarters. LAZARILLO DE TORMES. LEADING-STRINGS. 501 Lazarillo de Tormes (1553). A comic romance, something in the Gil Bias” style, the object being to satirise all classes of society. Lazarillo, a light, jovial, audacious man-servant, sees his masters in their undress, and exposes their foibles. This work was written by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, general and statesman of Spain, author of ‘'War against the Moors,” the best historical production in Spain. Ijazaro'ne, plur. Lazaroni {Italian). The mob. Originally all those people of Naples who lived in the streets without any habitation of their own ; so called from the hospital of St. Lazarus, which served as a refuge for the destitute of that city. Every year they elected a chief, called the Capo Lazzaro. iMa- saniello, in 1647, with these vagabonds accomplished the revolution of Naples. In 1798 Michele Sforza, at the head of the Lazaroni, successfully resisted Etienne Championnet, the French general. Lazarus. Any poor beggar ; so called from the Lazarus of the parable, who was laid daily at the rich man’s gate (St. Luke xvi.). La'zy means serfs. Dividebantur anti'qui Saxo'nes (ut testa'tur Nithar- dus) in tres ordln^, Edhillingos, Tkilingos et Lazzos (hoc est nohUes ingen'uos, et servi'les) quam et nos distinctio'nem diu retinuimus. Sed Ricardo autem secund'o pars servo'rum max'ima se in liber- ta'tem vindica'vit ; sic ut hod'ie apud Anglos rarior invenia'tur servus, qui manicip'ium' di'citur. Restat nihilomen'ius auti'quae appellatio'nis commemora'- tio. Igna'vos enim hodie lazie diclmus. — Spelman. Lazy as David Lawrence's dog, that leaned his head against a wall to hark. In Yorkshire they say “Lazy as Lud- lam’s dog,” ‘which is sanctioned by Ray in his proverbs. {See Lazy Lawrence.) Lazy as Ludlam's dog, which leaned his head against the wall to hark. This Lud- 1am was the famous sorceress of Surrey, who lived in a cave near Farnham, called “Ludlam’s Cave.” She kept a dog, noted for its laziness, so that when the rustics came to consult the witch, it would hardly condescend to give notice of their approach, even with the ghost of a bark. Lazy Lawrence of Lubberland, The hero of a popular tale. He served the schoolmaster, the squire’s cook, the farmer, and his own wife, which was ac- counted high treason in Lubberland. Lazy-man’s Load. One too heavy to be carried ; so called because lazy people, to save themselves the trouble of coming a second time, are apt to over- load themselves. Lazzaro'ni. (See Lazaroni. ) L’Etat c’est Moi (/ am the State). The saying and belief of Louis XIV. On this principle he acted with tolerable consistency. Le Hoi le Vent {French, The king wills it). The form of royal assent made by the clerk of parliament to bills sub- mitted to the crown. The dissent is expressed by Le roi savisera (The king, will give it his consideration). Le'a. One of the “daughters of men ” beloved by one of the “sons of God.” The angel who loved her ranked with the least of the spirits of light, whose post around the throne was in the uttermost circle. Sent to earth on a message, he saw Lea bathing, and fell in love with her ; but Lea was so heavenly-minded that her only wish was to “dwell in purity, and serve God in singleness of heart.” Her angel lover, in the madness of his passion, told Lea the spell- word that gave him admittance into heaven. The mo- ment Lea uttered that word her body became spiritual, rose through the air, and vanished from his sight. On the other hand, the angel lost his ethereal nature, and became altogether earthy, like a child of clay. — Moore, Loves of the Angels f story i. LealDa na Peine {Beds of the Felne), The name of several large piles of stones in Ireland. The ancient Irish warriors were called Fe'-i-ne, which some mistake for Phoeni (Carthaginians), but which means hunters', thus Nimrod was called “ a mighty hunter” (warrior or Fenian). Leading IN’ote in music. The sharp seventh of the diatonic scale, which leads to the octave, only half a tone higher. Leading Question. A question so worded as to suggest an answer. “Was he dressed in a black coat?” leads to the answer “Yes.” In cross-examining Or witness, leading questions are permitted, because the chief object of a cross- examination is to obtain contradictions. Leading-strings. To he in leading^ strings, is to be under the control of 502 LEAF. LEARN. another. Leading-strings are those strings used for holding-up infants just learning to walk. Leaf. Before the invention of paper, one of the substances employed for writing was the leaves of certain plants. In the British Museum are some writings on leaves from the Malabar coast, and several copies of the Bible written on palm-leaves. The reverse and obverse pages of a book are still called leaves ; and the double page of a ledger is termed a folio,” iromfolmm (a leaf). League. TheHoly League was founded at P^ronne in 1576, for the maintenance of the Roman Catholic religion in its predominancy, and the exclusion of Pro- testant princes from the throne. This league was mainly due to the Guises. Lean'der (3 syl.). A young man of Aby'dos who swam nightly across the Hellespont to visit his lady-love. Hero, a priestess of Sestos. One night he was drowned in his attempt, and Hero leaped into the Hellespont also. This story is told in one of the poems of Musoeus, en- titled ‘‘ Hero and Leander.” Leandro the Fair. A knight whose adventures and exploits form a supple- mental part of the Spanish romance called Am'adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Pedro de Lujan. Leaning Tower. The one at Pisa, in Italy, leans a little more than six feet in eighty ; but at Caerphilly, in Glamor- ganshire, there is a tower which leans eleven feet in eighty. Leap-year. Every year divisible by four. Such years occur every fourth year. In ordinary years the day of the month which falls on Monday this year, will fall on Tuesday next year, and Wednesday the year after ; but the fourth year will leap over Thursday to Friday. This is because a day is added to Febru- ary, which of course affects every sub- sequent day. {See Bissextile. ) The ladies propose, and if not accepted, claim a silk gown. St. Patrick, having driven the frogs out of the bogs,” was walking along the shores of Lough Neagh, when’ he was accosted by St. Bridget in tears, and was told that a mutiny had broken out in the nunnery over which she presided, the ladies claim- ing the right of popping the question.” St. Patrick said he would concede them the right every seventh year, when St. Bridget threw her arms round his neck, and exclaimed, Arrah, Pathrick, jewel, I daurn’t go back to the girls wid such a proposal. Make it one year in four.” St. Patrick replied, Bridget, acushla, squeeze me that way agin, an’ I’ll give ye leap-year, the longest of the lot.” St. Bridget, upon this, popped the question to St. Patrick himself, who of course could not marry ; so he patched up the diffi- culty as ^st he could with a kiss and a silk gown. Lear {King). A legendary king of Britain, who in his old age divided his kingdom between Gonerel and Regan, two of his daughters, who professed great love for him. These two daughters drove the old man mad by their unnatural conduct. — Shakespeare, King Leard^ Percy, in his '^Reliques of Ancient English Poetry,” has a ballad about ‘‘King Leir and his Three Daughters” (series i., bk. 2). Camden tells a similar story of Ina, king of the West Saxons {see “ Remains,” p. 306, edition 1674). The story of king Lear is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his “Chronicles,” whence Holinshed transcribed it. Spenser has introduced the same story into his “ Faery Queen,” bk. ii., canto 10. Learn (1 syl.). Live and learn. Cato, the censor, was an old man when he taught himself Greek. Michael Angelo, at seventy years of age, said, “ I am still learning.” John Kemble wrote out Hamlet thirty times, and said, on quitting the stage, “ I am now beginning to understand my art.” Mrs. Siddons, after she left the stage, was found studying Lady Macbeth, and said, “ I am amazed to discover some new points in the character which I never found out while acting it.” Milton, in his blindness, when past fifty, sat down to complete his “ Paradise Lost.” Scott, at fifty-five, took up his pen to redeem an enormous liability. Richardson was above fifty when he published his first novel (“Pam'ela”). Benjamin West was sixty-four when he commenced his series of paintings, one of which is “ Christ Healing the Sick.” LEARNED. LEEK. 503 Learn by heart The heart is the seat of understanding; thus the Scripture speaks of men ‘‘ wise in heart and ^^slow of heart” means dull of under- standing. To learn by heart, is to learn and understand ; to learn by rote, is to learn so as to be able to repeat ; to learn by memory, is to commit to memory without reference to understanding what is so learnt. Learned. Coloman, king of Hun- gary, was called The Learned. (1095- 1114.) (See Beauclerc.) The Lea't'ned Blacksmith. Elihu Burritt, the linguist, who was at one time a black- smith. The Learned Paintei'. Charles Lebrun ; so called from the great accuracy of his oostumes. (1619-1690.) The Learnt Tailor. Henry Wild, of Norwich, who mastered, while he worked at his trade, the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic languages. (1684-1734.) Leather or Prunello. It is all leather or prunello. Nothing of any mo- ment, all rubbish. Prunello, or prunella, is a woollen stuff, used for the uppers of ladies’ boots and shoes. Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow ; The rest is all but leather or prunello. Pope, “ Essay on Man'' iv. Leathering. To give one a leathering is to beat him with a leather belt, such as policemen wear, and boys used to wear ; or, more probably, it is a corrup- tion of lathering (Welsh, llathen, a rod). Leatherstoeking (Natty). The nickname of Natty Biimppo (q.v.'), in Cooper’s novel, called ‘^The Pioneers.” A half savage and half Christian chevalier of American wild life. Led Captain {A). An obsequious person, who dances attendance on the master and mistress of a house, for which service he has a knife and fork at the dinner-table. He is led like a dog, and always graced with the title of •captain. If led is short for leddy, the phrase would be analogous to our ‘^lady’s man.” Leda. The mother of Castor and Pollux ; their father being Jupiter in the shape of a swan. Lee is the Saxon hleo (a shelter). Under the lee of the land. Under the shelter of the cliffs which break the force of the winds. Under the lee of a ship. On the side opposite to the wind, so that the sidp shelters or wards it off. To lay a ship by the lee, is to bring her so that all her sails may be flat against the masts and shrouds, and that the wind may come right on her broadside, so that she will make little or no way. Lee Hatch. Take care of the lee hatch. Take care, helmsman, that the ship goes not to the leeward of her course— the part towards which the wind blows. Lee Shore, is the shore under the lee of a ship, or that towards which the wind blows. (See Lee. ) Lee-side and Weather-side. The lee-side of a ship is that farthest from the point whence the wind blows; the weather-side is the opposite part, viz., that upon which the wind blows, or in other words, the part to windivard. Lee Tide or Leeward Tide, is a tide running in the same direction as the wind blows. A tide in the opposite direction is called a tide under the lee. Leeward and W^indward. Lee- ward is toward the lee, or that part towards which the wind blows ; windward is in the opposite direction, viz., in the teeth of the wind. Leek. Wearing the leek on St. David* s day. Mr. Brady says St. David caused the Britons under king Cadwallader to dis- tinguish themselves by a leek in their caps. They conquered the Saxons, and recall their victory by adopting the leek on every anniversary(Marchlst). — Claris CalendariaB Shakespeare makes out that the Welsh wore leeks at the battle of Poitiers, for Fluellen says : If your majesty is remembered of it, the Welsh men did goot service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps, which our majesty knows to this hour is an honourable adge of the service ; and I do believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear leek upon St. Tavy’s Day. — “ Henry V.," iv. 7. To eat the leek., To be compelled to eat your own words, or retract what you have said. Fluellen (in Shakespeare’s Henry V.”) is taunted by Pistol for wearing a leek in his hat. Hence,” says Pistol, ‘^1 am qualmish at the smell of leek.” Fluellen replies, I peseech 504 LEES. LEGLINtGIRTH. 3 "ou ... at my desire ... to eat this leek.” The ancient answers, ‘'Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.” Then the peppery Welshman beats him, nor desists till Pistol has swallowed the en- tire abhorrence. Lees. There are lees to every wine. The best things have some defect. A French proverb. Lefevre. The poor lieutenant whose story is so touchingly told in Sterne’s “Tristram Shandy.” Left, unlucky ; Riglit, lucky. The augur among the Romans having taken his stand on the Capit'oline hill, and marked out with his wand the space in the heavens to be the field of observation, divided the space into two from top to bottom. If the birds appeared on the left side of the division the augury was unlucky, if on the right side the augury was pronounced to be favourable. “Hail, gentle bird, turn thy wings and fly on my right hand ! ” but the bird flew on the left side. Then the cat grew very heavy, for he knew the omen to be unlucky.— “iley Hard the Fox,” iii. The Lefty in the Legislative Assembly of France, meant the Girondists ; it was famous for its orators. In the House of Commons the opposition occupies the left-hand side of the Speaker. In the Austrian Assembly the democratic party is called The Left. Over the left. A way of expressing disbelief, incredulity, or a negative. The allusion is to morganatic marriages {q.v.). When a woman so married claimed to be a wedded wife, she was told that such was the case “ over the left.” {See ’below.) Left-handed Marriage. A mor- ganatic marriage {q.v.). In these mar- riages the husband gives his left hand to the bride instead of the right, when he says “ I take thee for my wedded wife.” George William, duke of Zell, married Eleanora d’Esmiers in this way, and the lady took the name and title of Lady of Harburg; her daughter was Sophia Dorothe'a, the wife of George I. Leg (A), that is, a blackleg {q.v.). To make a leg, is to make a bow. The pursuivant smiled at their simplicitye, And making mauy leggs, tooke their reward. ‘‘ The King and Miller of Mansfield.” Leg-bail — i.e . , to cut and run. Legend means simply “ something to be read” as part of the divine service. The narratives of the lives of saints and martyrs were so termed from their being read, especially at matins, and after din- ner in the refectories. Exaggeration and a love for the wonderful so predominated in these readings, that the word came to signify the untrue, or rather, an event based on tradition. Legend of Pierce Gaveston. A poem of 702 lines, by Michael Drayton. Legend of Polio, Duke of Normandy. A poem of about 940 lines, by Michael Drayton. Legen'daAu'rea,by Jacob de Vora- gine. A collection of monkish legends in Latin. Leger. St. Leger Stakes (Doncaster) ; so called from colonel Anthony St. Leger, who founded them in 1776. The colonel was governor of St. Lucia, and cousin of the Hon. Elizabeth St. Leger (the lady Freemason). Legion. My name is Legion, for we are many (St. Mark v. 9) . A proverbial expression somewhat similar to hydra- headed. Thus, speaking of the houseless poor we should say, ‘ ‘ Their name is Legion;” so also we should say of the diseases arising from want of cleanliness, the evils of ignorance, and so on. Legion of Honour. An order of merit instituted by the First Consul in 1802^ for either military or civil merit. In 1843 there were 49,417 members, but in 1851 one new member was elected for every two extinct ones, so that the honour is no longer a mere farce. The Thundering Legion. The Roman, legion that discomfited the Marcomanni in 179 is so called, because (as the legend informs us) a thunder-storm was sent in answer to the prayers of certain Chris- tians. This storm relieved the thirst of the legion like that which was sent to the aid of Joshua after he commanded the sun to stay its course, and assisted them to their victory. — Dion. Cassius, Ixxi. 8. Legislator or Solon of Parnas- sus. Boileau was so called by Voltaire, because of his “ Art of Poetry,” a pro- duction unequalled in the whole range of didactic poetry. (1636-1711.) Leglin-girth. To cast a leglin-girilo To have “a screw loose to have oaade LEGKEE. LEONAR®. 505 fi faux pas; to have one’s reputation blown upon. A leglin-girth is the lowest hoop of a leglin or milk-pail. {See Sir Walter Scott, “Fortunes of Nigel,” ch. xxii. ) Legree. A slave-dealer in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” by Mrs. Beecher Stowe. Leicester is the camp-town on the river Leire, now called the Soar. Leicester Square {London). So called from a family mansion of the Syd- neys, earls of Leicester, which stood on the north-east side. The earl of Leicester, father of Algernon Sidney the patriot.... built for himself a stately house at the north-east corner of a square plot of “Lammas Land,” belonging to the parish of St. Martin’s, which plot henceforth became known to Londoners as Leicester Fields. A square gradually grew up on the spot, and was completed in 1671.— Casseirs Ma- gazine,*' London Legends;’ xi. Leigh. (-4 wrora). The heroine of Mrs. Browning’s poem so called, designed to show the noble aim of true art. Leilah {Li-lali). A beautiful young slave, the concubine of Hassan, caliph of the Ottoman empire. She falls in love with the Giaour, flees from the seraglio, is overtaken by an emir, put to death, and cast into the sea. — Byron, The Giaour.''^ Lely {Sir Peter), the painter, was the son of Vander Vaas or Faes, of West- phalia, whose house had a lily for its sign. Both father and son went by the nick- name of Le-lys (the Lily), a sobriquet which Peter adopted as his cognomen. Le'man {Lake). Geneva; called in Latin Lemannus. Lake Leman woos me with its crystal face. Lord Byron, “ Childe Harold,’* iii. 68. Leni'niaii. A Lemnian act. One of unusual barbarity and cruelty. The phrase arose from two horrible massacres perpetrated by the Lemnians : The first wa s the murder of all the men and male children on the island by the women ; and the other was the murder by the men of all the children in the island born of Athenian parents. Lem'nian Earth. A species of earth of a yellowish-grey colour, found in the island of Lemnos, said to cure the bites of serpents and other wounds. It was called terra sigilla'ta, because it was sealed by the priest before being vended. Philocte'tes was left at Lemnos when wounded in the foot by Hercules. Lem'ures. The spirits of the dead. Good lem'ures were called Lares, but bad ones Larvae, spectres who wandered about at night-time to terrify the living. Milton makes Lares one syllable, and Lemures two syllables. — Ovid, Fasti,'* v. Th« lars and lemures moan with midnight plaint. Milton, “ Ode on the Nativity." Length {A). Forty- two lines. This is a theatrical term; an actor says ho* has one, two, or more lengths in his part ; and if written out for him, the scribe- is paid by the length. Length-month. {See Lent.) Lens {Latin, a lentil or bean). Glasses used in mathematical instruments are so • called because the double convex one, which may be termed the perfect lens, is of a bean shape. Lenson. As much akin, as Lensoi^ hill to Pilsen pin — i.e., not at all. Lenson and Pilsen are two high hills in Dorset- shire, called by sailors the Cow and Calf. Out at sea they look like one elevation, though in reality several hills separate them. Lent is from Lenet. Lencten-ti'd (spring-tide) was the Saxon name foi March, because in this month there is a manifest lengthening of the days. As the chief part of the great fast falls in March, this period of fast received the name of the Lencten-fce 'sten, or Lent. Lenten. Frugal, stinted, as food in^ Lent. Shakespeare has “lenten enter- tainment” (“Hamlet,” ii. 2) ; “a lenten answer” (“Twelfth Night,” i. 5) ; “a lenten pye” (“Romeo and Juliet,” ii. 4). Le'on (in “Orlando Furioso”), son of Constantine, the Greek emperor, is pro- mised Bradamant in marriage by her parents, Amon and Beatrice ; but Brad- amant loves Roge'ro. By-and-by a friendship springs up between Leon and Rogero, and when the prince learns that Bradamant and Roge'ro are betrothed to each other, he nobly withdraws his suit, and Rogero is married to the lady of his affection. Leonard. A real scholar, forced for daily bread to keep a common school. — Crabbe, “ Borough," letter xxiv. St. Leonoird is usually represented in a deacon’s dress, and holding chains or broken fetters in his hand, in allusion to 506 LEONIDAS. LEOPARD. liis untiring zeal in releasing prisoners. 'Contemporary with Clovis. Leon'idas of Modern Grreece. Marcos Bozzaris, who with 1,200 men put to rout 4,000 Turco- Albanians, at Ker- penisi, but was killed in the attack (1823). He was buried at Mesolonghi. Le'onine Contract. A one-sided agreement, so called in allusion to the Fable of ^^The Lion and his Fellow- Hunters.” Glauous.) Le'onine Verses. Verses in which the middle word rhymes with the end one ; so called from the inventor Leoni'nus, a canon of the church of St. Victor, in Paris, in the twelfth century. Ki fallat fntum, Scoti, quocunque locatum Jnvenient lapidem, rcgnare tenentur ibidem; Gloria factor um conceditur honorum. If true the fate thy bards relate. Where bides this stane, Scotch kings shall reign ; Whose deeds of glory shall live in story. One of the most noted specimens of Leonine verse celebrates the tale of a Jew, who fell into a pit on Saturday and refused to be helped out because it was his Sabbath. His comrade, being a Christian, refused to aid him the day following, because it was Sunday : — Tende manus, Salomon, ego te de stercore collam. Sabbata nostra colo, de stercore nolo. Sabbata nostra quidem Salomon celebrabis ibidem. “Your hand,” cried John Bull, “and I’ll give you a pull.” “’Tis our Sabbath, dear John, when no work must be done.” “As mine is on Sunday, you must stay there till Monday.” Leonnoys, Leonnesse^ or Lyonnesse. A mythical country, contiguous to Corn- wall. Leono'ra, wife of Fernando Flores- tan, a state prisoner in Seville, in order to aid his release, assumed the attire of a man and the name of Fide'lio. She en- ters the service of Rocco the jailor, and Marcellina the jailor’s daughter falls in love with her. Pizarro, governor of the prison, being resolved to murder Fer- nando, sends Rocco and Fidelio to dig his grave in his cell. Pizarro descends to accomplish his nefarious purpose, when Leonora draws a pistol and intercepts him. At this moment the minister of state arrives, and orders the prisoner to be released. Leonora is allowed to un- lock the chains of her husband, and the revenge of Pizarro is toiledi.— Beethoven, Fidelio'^ i . .. 505 L . .. 298 N , .. 153! B . .. 463 R , .. 291 J . .. 69 i Letters. Philo affirms that letters were invented by Abraham. Many attribute the invention to Bada- manth, the Assyrian. Blair says they were invented by Memnon, the Egyptian, B.C. 1822. The same authority says that Menes invented hieroglyphics, and wrote in them a history of Egypt, B.C. 2122. J osephus asserts that he had seen in- scriptions by Seth, son of Adam. Lucan says— Phoeni'ces primi, famas si credltur, ausi Mansu'ram ru' dibus vocem signa're figu'ris. “ Pharsalia^'* iii. 220. Sir Richard Phillips says— ‘^Thoth, the Egyptian who invented current writ- ing, lived between B.C. 2806 and 3000.” Many maintain that Jehovah taught men written characters when he inscribed on stone the ten commandments. Of course all these assertions have a similar value to mythology and fable. Father of Letters (Pere des Lettres). Francois I. of France. (1494-1547.) Lorenzo de’ Medici, the MagnificenL (1448-1192.) Letters Patent. So denominated because they are written upon open sheets of parchment, with the seal of the sove- reign or party by whom they were issued pendent at the bottom. Close letters are folded up and sealed on the outside. — Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy. Letter of Credit. A letter written by a merchant or banker to another, re- questing him to credit the bearer with 508 LETTER OF MARQUE. LEWD. certain sums of money. Circular notes are letters of credit carried by gentlemen wlien they travel. Letter of Marque. A commission authorising a privateer to make reprisals on a hostile nation till satisfaction for injury has been duly made. Called marque because the persons to whom they are given may sell or bring to market all the spoil they take, and keep the proceeds for their own use. Lettre de Cacliet {French). An arbitrary warrant of imprisonment ; a letter folded and sealed with the king’s cachet or little seal. These were secret in- structions to the person addressed to pro- ceed against some one named in the letter. The lieutenant-general of police kept an unlimited number of these instruments, and any one, for a consideration, could obtain one, either to conceal a criminal, or to incarcerate some one obnoxious. This power was abolished in the Revolution. Lettre de Jerusalem. A letter written to extort money. {See Vidocq, ‘^Les Voleurs,” i. 240-253.) Leuea'dia or Leucas. The pro- montory from which desponding lovers threw themselves into the sea. Sappho threw herself from this rock into the sea, when she found her love for Phaon was in vain. Thence injured lovers, leaping from above. Their flames extinguish, and forget to love. Fope, ** Sappho to Fhaon.” Leucippus (Greek, Leukippos), Founder of the Atomistic school of Greek philosophy (about B.c. 428). Leucotli'ea {White Goddess). So Ino was called after she became a sea- nymph. Her son Palaemon, called by the Romans Portu'nus, was the protecting genius of harbours. Levant'. He has levan'ted—i.e., made off, decamped. A levan'ter is one who makes a bet, and runs away without paying his bet if he loses. (Saxon, Idefan, to lea\e.) Lev'ant and Couchant. Applied to cattle which have strayed into another’s field, and have been there long enough to lie down and sleep. Levee. Levee en masse (French). A patriotic rising of a whole nation to defend their country from invasion. The Queen's Levee. It was customary for the queens of France to receive at the hour of their levde — i.e., while making their toilet — the visits of certain noblemen. This custom was afterwards demanded as a right by the court physicians, messengers from the king, the queen’s secretary, and some few other gentlemen, so that ten or more persons were often in the dressing-room while the queen was making her toilet and sipping her coffee. The word is now used to express that concourse of gen- tlemen who wait on the Queen on mornings appointed. No ladies except those attached to the court are present on these occasions. Lev'ellers. Radicals in the time of Charles I. and the Commonwealth, who wanted all men to be placed on a level with respect to their eligibility to office. Ireton was a leveller. {See Lilburne. ) Le velliu g-up . Raising the lower to the higher level. The expression was first employed by lord Mayo when opposing Mr. Gladstone’s proposition to abolish the Church Establishment of Ireland. Lord Mayo meant by it that the tory go- vernment wished to endow the Roman Catholics and Dissenters as the Church of England was endowed, and not to* disendow the Church of England, and lower it to the condition of other religious communities in Ireland. (1868.) Lev'eret. The duke d’Epernon al- ways swooned at the sight of a leveret^ though he was not affected if he saw a hare. {See Fox.) Levi'athan. The crocodile, or some extinct sea-monster, described in the Book of Job (chap. xli.). It sometimes in Scripture designates Pharaoh, king of Egypt, as in Psa. Ixxiv. 14 ; Isa. xxvii. 1 ; and Ezek. xxix. 3, &c., where the word is translated dragon.” The Leviathan of literature. Dr. Johnson. (1709-1784.) Levit'ical. Belonging to the Levites or priestly tribe of Levi ; pertaining to the Jewish priesthood, as the Levitical laWf Levitical rites. Lewd (Saxon, leo'de) simply means the laity. This word carries with it a com- ment on the old ecclesiastical notion of the virtue of celibacy. The clergy were bound to celibacy, not so the laity, hence the clergy were the '^chaste men,” ! the laity the lewd or wanton ones.” LEWIS, LIBRARY. 509 Lewis (Monk). {See Monk.) Lewis Baboon. Louis XIV. of France is so called in Arbuthnot’s ‘‘ His- tory of John Bull.” Lex non scripta. The common law as distinguished from the statute or written law. Common law does not derive its force from being recorded, and though its several provisions have been compiled and printed, the compilations are not statutes, but simply remem- brancers. Lex Talio'nis {Latin). Tit for tat ; the law of retaliation. Leyden Jar or Phial. A glass "^^essel partly coated, inside and out, with lead-foil, and used in electrical experi- ments to receive accumulated electricity ; invented by Vanleigh, of Leyden, in the .Netherlands. Liak'ura (3 syl.). Parnassus. But where is he that hath beheld The peak of Liakura unveiled. Byron^**^ Ihe Giaour.*' Liar {The). A1 Aswad, who set him- self up as a prophet against Mahomet, and for four months met with great suc- cess. He was called the Weather-coch because he changed his creed so often, the Impostor, and the Liar. Moseilma, another contemporary, who affirmed that the belly is the seat of the soul.” He wrote to Mahomet, and began his letter : ‘‘ From Moseilma prophet of Allah, to Mahomet prophet of Allah,” and received for answer a letter beginning thus : From Mahomet the prophet of God, to Moseilma the Liar.” Prince of Liars. Ferdinand Mendez Pinto, a Portuguese traveller, whose narrative partakes so much of the Mun- chausen character, that Cervantes dubbed bim 'Hhe Prince of Liars.” He is alluded to in the Tatler” as a man of infinite adventure and unbounded imagination.” Li'bol means a little hooh (Latin, lihelliLs). A lampoon, a satire, or any defamatory writing. Originally it meant a plaintiffs statement of his case ; but as these statements defame” the de- fendant, the word lapsed to its present usage. Li'ber Albus (Latin, the White Booh). An ancient book containing the laws and customs of the city of London. Printed under the direction of the Master of the Rolls. Li'ber !N*iger or The Black Booh of {he Exchequer, compiled by Gervase of Tilbury. Lib'erals. A political term first em- ployed when lord Byron and his friends set on foot the periodical called The Liberal,” to represent their views in politics, religion, and literature. Liberal Arts. Book-learning (Latin, liber) ; viz.. Grammar, Rhetoric, Philo- sophy, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music. Lingua, Tropus, Batio, Numerus, Tonus, An- gulus, Astra. Lib'erator ( The). The Pemvians so call Simon Bolivar, who established the independence of Peru. (1785-1831.) Lib'ertines. A sect of heretics in Holland, led by Quinton a factor, and Copin. They maintained that nothing is sinful but to those who think it sin- ful, and that perfect innocence is to live without doubt. Liberty means balance of power.” (Latin, libra, a balance. ) Cap of liberty. The goddess of liberty, in the Aventine Mount, was represented as holding in her hand a cap, the symbol of freedom. In France, the Jacobins wore a red cap ; in England, a blue cap with a white border is the symbol of liberty, and Britannia is sometimes re- presented as holding such a cap on the point of her spear. {See Cap.) Libissa. Queen of the fairies. ^ Li'bra {the balance). One of the twelve signs of the Zodiac (September 23rd to October 23rd), when day and night being weighed would be found equal. Li'brary. One of the most approved materials for writing on, before the in- vention of paper, was the thin rind between the solid wood and the outside bark of certain trees. This substance is in Latin called liber, which came in time to signify also a book.” Hence our library, the place for books; librarian, the keeper of books; and the French livre, a book. A livinq or walhinq library. Longi'nus, the nhilosopher and rhetorician, was so called. (213-273.) 510 LIBYA. LIE. Public libraries. ^ Ancient. That of Alexandria, founded by the Ptolemies, and destroyed by the Arabs a.D. 641. The first public library of Rome was founded by Asfinus Polio ; the second, called the Palatine, by Augustus. The royal library of the Fatimites of Egypt contained 100,000 manuscripts, splendidly bound. — Gibbon. The library of the Ommiades of Spain contained 600,000 volumes, 44 of which were catalogues. — Gibbon. There were seventy public libraries in the kingdom of Andalu'sia. — Gibbon, When the monastery of Croydon was burnt, in 1091, its library consisted of 900 volumes, 300 of which were very large. — Ingul'plms. Modern. The British Museum con- tains 89,000 manuscripts, and about 900.000 volumes (some 40,000 additions are made annually). The Imperiale, France, about 600,000 books, 500,000 pamphlets, and 85,000 manuscripts. The Munich, about 500,000 books and 10.000 manuscripts. The Vienna, about 400,000 books and 20.000 manuscripts. The Vatican, about 150,000 books and 40.000 manuscripts. The Imperial, of Russia, about 600,000 books and 21,000 manuscripts. The Copenhagen, about 450,000 books and 15,000 manuscripts. Xiib'ya. Africa, or all the interior of Africa. Ijieen'tiate (4 syl.). One who has a licence to practise some art or faculty, as a licentiate of medicine. liieli. A dead body. (Saxon, lic\ German, leicTie.) Lich-field, in Staffordshire. The field cf the dead — i.e,, of the martyred Christians. Lichfowls. Birds that feed on carrion, as night-ravens, screech-owls, &c. Lich-gate. The shed or covered place at the entrance of church-yards, intended to afford shelter to the coffin and mourners, while they wait for the clergyman to conduct the cortege into the church. Lich-owl. The owl superstitiously supposed to foretell death. Lich-walce or Lyke-waJce. The funeral feast or the waking of a corpse — i.e., watching it all night. Lich-way. The path by which a fune- ral is conveyed to church, which not unfrequently deviates from the ordinary road. It was long supposed that wher- ever a dead body passed became a public thoroughfare. Iiiehten. Belonging to the lich- ground or cemetery. In Chichester, just outside the city walls on the east are what the common people call the lightnen or liten schools, a corruption of lichten schools, so termed because they stand on a part of the ancient Saxon lich-acre. The spelling usually adopted for these schools is litten.” liick. I licked him, I flogged or beat him. (Saxon, slic-an, to striked Generally derived from lictors, the Roman officers who inflicted punishment on criminals, but the resemblance of the words is acci- dental. To lick into shape. According to tradition the cubs of bears are cast shapeless, and remain so till the dam has licked them into proper form. So watchful Bruin forms, with plastic care, Each growing lump, and brings it to a bear. “Dimciad,” bk. i. 101. Lictors. Binders (Latin, to bind or tie). These Roman officers were so called because they bound the hands and feet of criminals before they exe- cuted the award of the law upon them. — Aulus Gellius. Lid. Greek, kleid, (to shut down) ; Latin, eland' and cludJ ; Saxon, hlid ; Dutch and Danish, lid ; our lid and close. LidskialTa {the terror of nations). The throne of Alfader, whence he can view the whole universe. — Scandinavian mythology. Lie. (Saxon, a falsehood.) A lie hath no feet, because it cannot stand alone. In fact a lie wants twenty others to support it, and, even then is in constant danger of tripping. You lie for the whetstone. This refers to an ancient custom mentioned by Lup- ton in his “ Too Good to be True ” (1580) : He who told the greatest lie gained a silver whetstone. Father of Lies, Satan (St. John viii. 44). Lie. (Saxon, Uegauy to ’bide or rest.) Lie heavy on him, earth, for he Laid many a heavy load ou thee; LIEBENSTEIN. LIGHTNING. 511 This is part of Dr. Evans’s epitaph on Sir John Vanbrngh_, the comic poet, herald, and architect. The “heavy- loads” referred to were Blenheim, Green- wich Hospital (which he finished), Castle Howard in Yorkshire, and other massive buildings. (1666-1726.) Lie at the catch. Thus Talkative says to Faithful, “You lie at the catch, I perceive.” To which Faithful replies. No, not I ; I am only for setting things right.” “To lie at the catch,” or lie on the catch, is to lie in wait to catch one up — to lay a trap to catch one. Ijiebenstein and Sternfels. Two ruined castles of the Rhine. According to tradition, Leoline, the orphan, was the sole surviving child of the lord of Liebenstein ; and two brothers, named Warbeck and Otho, were the surviving children of the lord of Sternfels. Both the brothers fell in love with Leoline ; but, as Leoline gave the preference to Otho, Warbeck joined the Crusades. A templar in time persuaded Otho to dO' the same ; but the war being over, Otho stayed at Constantinople, where he fell in love with a Greek, whom he brought home for his bride. Leoline retired te the adjacent convent of Bornhofen. Warbeck defied his brother to single combat for this insult to his betrothed j; but Leoline with the nuns interposed to prevent the fight. The Greek wife, in time, eloped with one of the inmates of Sternfels, and Otho died childless. A band of robbers broke into the convent ; but Warbeck armed in its defence. He repelled the robbers, but received his death -wound, and died in the lap of Leoline, and thus passed away the last lord of Liebenstein. — Traditiwis of the Rhine. Liege, applied to a king, is a lucns a non lucent. The word means one bound, a bondsman (Latin, ligo, to bind) ; hence, vassals were called liege-men — i.e., men bound to serve their lord. The lord was called the liege-lord, meaning not the bond-lord, but the liege-man’s lord, ar the lieging-lord. Li'en. A bond (Latin, ligodmen). Legally, a bond on goods for a debt ; a right to retain goods in a creditor’s hands till he has satisfied a legal claim for debt. Liesse (2 syl.). Ahhe de Liesse or Alias Letitice. The French term for the “Boy Bishop,” or “Abbot of Unreason.”’ {See Abbot.) Lieutenant is the Latin locum-tenens^ through the French. Life- G uar ds. Two senior regiments of the mounted body-guard, comprising 878 men, all six feet high ; hence a fine, tall, manly fellow is called “a regular Life-guards’ man.” Li-Flambe. The banner of Clovis, miraculously displayed to him in the- skies. {See Toads.) Lift. To have one at a lift is to have one in your power. When a wrestler has his antogonist in his hands and lifts him from the ground, he has him “at a lift,” or in his power. “ Sirra,’’ says he. “ I have you at a lift. Now you are come unto your latest shift,” Percy, “ Meliques ” ( Guy and Amarant). Lifter. A thief. We still call one who plunders shops “ a shop-lifter.” (Gothic, hliftus, a thief.) Is he so young a man, and so old a lifter ? ^Shakespeare, '* Troilus and Cressida,” i. 2. Lige'a. A sea-nymph and syren (Greek, ligus, sweet or shrill voiced). Light of the Age. Maimon'ides or Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, of Cor'dova. (1135-1204.) Light of the Haram. The sultana NourmahaF, afterwards called Nourjelmn (Light of the World). She was the bride of Selim. — Thomas Moore, ‘'‘LallaRoolch.” Light gains make a heavy purse. Small profits and a quick return, is the best way of gaining wealth ; French, Le petit gain remplit la lourse; Italian, I guadagni mediocri empiono la lorsa. Light-foot. One of Fortunio’s ser- vants. He could run ten “times faster than a deer. — ^‘Grimm's Gollins^’ {For- tunio). Lighthouse. The most celebrated of antiquity was the one erected by Ptolemy Soter in the island of Pharos, opposite Alexandria. Josephus says it could be seen at the distance of 42 miles. Of modern lighthouses the most famous are the Eddystone, opposite Plymouth Sound ; the Tour de Corduan, at the entrance of the Gironde, in France ; and the Bell Rock, opposite the Frith of Tay. Lightning (Barca). Hamilcar of Carthage was so called for the rapidity 512 LIGUOEIANS. LILY. of his march and severity of his attacks. Camoens’ version. (See aiove.) Lismaha'gO (Captain), in Smollett’s Humphry Clinker.” Very conceited, fond of disputation, jealous of honour, and brim-full of national pride. This poor but proud Scotch officer is the suitor of Miss Tabitha Bramble. The romance of Captain Lismaha'go among the Indians is worthy of CerA^antes. Lisuar'te of Greece. One of the knights whose adventures and exploits are recounted in the latter part of the Spanish version of ^^Am'adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Juan Diaz. Lit de Justice. Properly the seat occupied by the French king when he attended the deliberations of his parle-^ raent. The session itself. Any arbitrary edict. As the members of parlement derived their power from the king, when the king himself was present their power returned to the fountain-head, and the king was arbitrary. What he then pro- posed could not be controverted, and of course had the force of law. The last lit de justice was held by Louis XVI. in 1787. Little. Thomas Moore published a volume of amatory poems in 1808, under the name of Thomas Little. Little Britain or Brittany. Same as Armorica. Little Corporal (The). General Bonaparte. So called after the battle of Lodi, in 1796, from his low stature, youthful age, and amazing courage. Little Dauphin (The). The eldest son of the Great Dauphin — i.e., the due de Bourgogne, son of Louis, and grand- son of Louis XIV. Little-endians. The two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu waged a destructive war against each otfcr, exhausted their treasures, and decimated their subjects on their different views of interpreting this vital direction con- tained in the 54th chapter of the Blun'de- CYnX (Koran): ‘'All true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.” The godfather of Calin Deffar Plune, the reigning emperor of Lilliput, happened to cut his finger while breaking his egg at the big end, and very royally pub- lished a decree commanding all his liege and faithful subjects, on pains and penal- ties of great severity, to break their eggs in future at the small end. The orthodox Blefuscu'dians deemed it their duty to resent this innovation, and declared war of extermination against the heretical Lilliputians. Many hundreds of large treatises were published on both sides, but those of a contrary opinion were put in the Index expur gato'rius of the opposite empire. — Gulliver'' s Travels'* ( Voyage to Lilliput, iv.). The quarrel between the Little-endians and the Big-endians broke out on Thursday, like the after- fire of a more serious conflagration.— T/ie Times. Little-go. The examination held in the Cambridge University in the second year of residence. Called also the “pre- vious examination,” because it precedes by a year the examination for a degree. In Oxford the corresponding examination is called The Smalls. Little Jack Horner. (See Jack.) Little John. A big stalwart fellow, named John Little (or John Nailor), who encountered Robin Hood, and gave him a sound thrashing, after which he was LITTLE MASTEE.S. LIZA 519 re-christened, and Robin stood godfather. Little John is introduced by Sir Walter Scott in The Talisman/^ ** This infant was called John Little,” qnoth he ; ” Which name shall be changM anon. The words we’ll transpose, so whererer he goes. His name shall be called Little John.” Robin Hood” xxi. Little John was executed on Arbor Hill, Dublin. It will be remembered that Maria in Twelfth Night,” represented by Shake- speare as a little woman, is by a similar pleasantry called by Viola, Olivia’s giant and Sir Toby says to her, ** Good night, Penthesile'a” — i.e., Amazon. Little Masters. A name applied to certain designers, who worked for en- gravers, &c., in the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. Called little because their designs were on a small scale, fit for copper or wood. The most famous are Jost Amman, for the minuteness of his work; Hans Burgmair, who made drawings in wood illustrative of the tri- umph of the emperor Maximilian ; Hans Sebald Beham ; Albert Altdorfer, and Henrich Aldegraver. Albert Durer and Lucas van Leyden made the art renowned and popular. Little Nell. A child of beautiful purity of character, living in the midst of selfishness, worldliness, and crime. — JDickenSj Old Curiosity Shop** Little Paris. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and Milan in Italy are so called, from their gaiety and resemblance in miniature to the French capital. Little Peddlington. The village of quackery and cant, humbug and ego- tism, wherever that locality is. A satire by J ohn Poole. Little Ped-Ridinghood. This nursery tale is, with slight variations, j common to Sweden, Germany, and France. It comes to us from the French, called " Le Petit Chaperon Rouge,” in Charles Perrault’s Contes des Temps.” Liturgy means public worh^ such as arranging the dancing and singing parties on public festivals, the torch-races, the equipping and manning of ships, &c. In the church it means the public ministry of its ceremonies and service. (Greek, Idtos-ergon.) > Liver. White-livered, lily-livered. Cowardly. In the auspices taken by the Greeks and Romans before battle, if the liver of the animals sacrificed was healthy and blood-red, the omen was favourable ; but if pale, it augured defeat. The colour of the lips shows the colour of the liver, and fear makes the lips turn pale ; hence Cassius says, His coward lips did from their colours fly .” — Julius Ccesar,** i. 2. Liverpool. A corruption of Lhavan- pwll. Lavan or laver (liver- wort) is a sort of sea-weed that was much esteemed by the ancient Britons, and once an article of commerce. It was used for edible conserves. Laver-bread** was made of it. Pwll is the Welsh for an ^'oflQng” or ^^port.” Livery. What is delivered. The clothes of a man-servant delivered to him by his master. The stables to which your horse is delivered for keep. During the Merovingian and Carlovingian dynas- ties, splendid dresses were given to all the members of the royal household; barons and knights gave uniforms to their retainers, and even a duke’s son, serving as a page, was clothed in the livery of the prince he served. (French, livrer.) What livery is we kaow well enough ; it is the allowance of horse-meate to keepe horses at live^ ; the which word. I guess, is derived of delivering forth their nightly food.^Spenser on Ireland. Livery. The colours of a livery should be those of the field and principal charge of the armorial shield ; hence the queen’s livery is gules (scarlet) or scarlet trimmed with gold. The Irish regiments preserve the charge of their own nation, either by blue uniform or blue facings, scarlet being the reverse. Thus the Royal Irish Dragoon Guards have scarlet uniform with blue facings, and the Royal Irish Lancers have blue uniform with scarlet facings. Livery-men. The freemen of the ninety-one guilds of London are so called, because they are entitled to wear the livery of their respective companies. Livy. The Livy of Portugal. Jo^o de Barros, the best of the Portuguese his- torians. (1496-1570.) Liza. An innkeeper’s daughter in love with Elvi'no, a rich farmer; but 520 LIZARD ISLANDS. LOCKMAN. Elvi'no loves Ami'na. Suspicious circum- stances make the farmer renounce the hand of Amina and promise marriage to her rival; but Liza is shown to be the paramour of another, and Amina, being proved innocent, is married to the man who loves her. — Bellini, La Sonnam- lula” {his lest opet'a). Xiizard Islands. Fabulous islands where damsels, outcast from the rest of the world, are received. — Twquemada^ Garden of Flowers'^ Lloyd’s. So called because the head- quarters of the under-writers was ori- ginally Lloyd’s Coffee House (since 1716). Lloyd’s Rooms now form a part of the Royal Exchange, and are under the management of a committee. Lloyd’s List. A London periodical, in which the shipping news received at Lloyd’s Rooms is regularly published. Loaf. Never turn a loaf in the presence of a Mmteith, Sir J ohn Menteith was the person who betrayed Sir William Wal- lace to king Edward. His signal was, when he turned a loaf set on the table, the English were to rush upon the patriot and secure him . — Sir Walter Scott, “ Tales of a Grandfather,^* vii. A loaf held in the hand is the attribute of St. Philip the apostle, St. Osyth, St. Joanna, Nicholas, St. Godfrey, and of many other saints noted for their charity to the poor. Loafer. An idle man who gets his living by expedients, a chevalier d*indus- trie. (German, I'dnfer, a runner. ) Loathly Lady. A lady so hideous that nf one would marry her, except Sir Gawaip.; and immediately after the mar- riage, her ugliness — the effect of enchant- ment-disappeared, and she became a model of beauty. Lob’s Pound. A prison, the stocks, or any other place of confinement. (Welsh, lldb, a dolt). The Irish call it Pook’s or Pouk’s pondfold, and Puck is called by Shakespeare ^Hhe lob of spirits,” and by Milton '‘the lubber fiend.” Our word lolhy is where people are confined till admission is granted them into the audience chamber ; it is also applied to that enclosed space near farm-yards where cattle are confined. Lob's pound. Dr. Grey says : " Dr. Lob was a dissenting preacher who used to hold forth when conventicles were prohibited, but made himself a way of escape through the floor of the pulpit. One day, being pressed by the officers, the doctor was followed ; but the officers lost their way, and were obliged to cry for help. This maze was ever after termed "Lob’s pound.” Lobby. The bill will a'oss the lobbies. Be sent from the House of Commons to the House of Lords. Loblolly, among seamen, is spoon- victuals or pap for lobs or dolts. {Sea Lollypops.) LochPel (3 syl.) of Thomas Campbell is Sir Evan Cameron, lord of Lochiel,. surname d The Black, and The Ulysses of the Highlands. His grandson Donald was called The Gentle Lochiel. Sir Evan died in 1719, Donald in 1748. Lochinvar', being in love with a lady at Netherby Hall, persuaded her to dance one last dance. She was con- demned to marry a "laggard in love and a dastard in war,” but her young chevalier swung her into his saddle and made off with her, before the "bridegroom” and his servants could recover from their as- tonishment . — Sir Walter Scott, " Mar- 'inion** Lockbart. When the good lord James, on his way to the Holy Land with the heart of king Robert Bruce, was slain in Spain fighting against the Moors, Sir Simon Locard, of Lee, was commissioned to carry back to Scotland the heart, which was interred in St. Bride’s Church. In consequence thereof he changed his name to Lock-heart, and adopted the device of a heart within a fetterlock, with this motto — " Corda ser- rata pando” (Locked hearts I open). Of course this is romance ; Lockhart is Teutonic, " Strong beguiler.” For this reason men changed Sir Simon’s name from Lockhard to Lockheart, and all who are de- scended from Sir Simon are called Lockhart to this day.— Walter Scott, “ Tales of a Grandfather,'’ xi. Lockit. The jailor in Gay’s "Beg- gar’s Opera.” Lockitt’s. A fashionable coffee- house in the reign of Charles II. Lockman. An executioner ; ?o called because one of his dues was a lock (or ladleful) of meal from every LOCKSLEY. Loa. 521 caskful exposed for sale in the market. In the Isle of Man the under-sheriff is so called. Xiocksley. So Kobin Hood is some- times called, from the village in which he was born. {See ‘‘Ivanhoe,” ch. xiii.) Locksmith’s Daughter. A key. Loco Parentis {J^atin), One acting in the place of a parent, as a guardian or schoolmaster. Locofo'cos. Lucifer matches ; so called in America. (Latin, loco-foci, in lieu of fire. ) Locofo'cos. Ultra-radicals, so called in America, because at a grand meeting in Tammany Hall, New York, in 1834, the chairman left his seat, and the lights were suddenly extinguished with the hope of breaking up the turbulent assembly ; but those who were in favour of extreme measures instantly drew from their pockets their locofocos, and re-lighted the gas. The meeting was continued, and the Kadicals had it their own way. (^See above.) Locomotive, or Locomotive Engine* A steam-engine employed to move car- riages from place to place. (Latin, locns moveo, to move place. ) Locomotive Power. Power ap- plied to the transport of goods, in contradistinction to stationary power. Locri'ne (2 syl.). Father of Sabri na, and eldest son of the mythical Brutus, king of ancient Britain. On the death of his father he became king of Loe'gria (?.»•)• Locum Te'nens {Latin, one hold- ing the place of another). A substitute, a deputy, one acting temporarily for another, a lieutenant. Locus in quo {Latin). The place in question, the spot mentioned. Locus Pcenitentise {Latin, place for repentance) ; that is, the licence of drawing back from a bargain, which can be done before any act has been com- mitted to confirm it. In the interview between Esau and his father Isaac, St. Paul says that the former found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Heb. xii. 17) — i.e., no means whereby Isaac could break his bargain with Jacob. Locus Pcenitentice. fifime to withdraw from a 1: argain (in Scotch law). Locus Sigilli or L.S. {Latin)* The place where the seal is to be put. Locus Standi {Latin). Recognised' position, acknowledged right or claim. We say such-and-such a one has no- locus standi in society. Locust Bird. A native of Khoras- san (Persia), so fond of the water of the Bird Fountain, between Shiraz and Ispahan, that it will follow wherever it is carried. Locus'ta. This woman has become a byword for one who murders those she professes to nurse, or those whom it is her duty to take care of. She lived in the early part of the Roman empire, poisoned Claudius and Britan'- nicus, and attempted to destroy Nero ; but being* found out, she was put to death. Lode. The vein that leads or guides to ore. Lode. A ditch that guides or leads water into a river or sewer. Lodestar. The leading-star by which mariners are led or guided. Your eyes are lodestars, and your tongue sweet air. Shakespeare, “ Midsummer Jiight'a Bream,*’ i. 1. Load-stone or Lode-stone. The magnet or stone that guides. Lodo'na. An affluent of the Thames in Windsor Forest. Pope, in ‘^Windsor Forest,” says it was a nymph, fond of the chase like Diana. It chanced one day that Pan saw her, and tried to catch her ; but Lodona fled, and implored Cyn'- thia to save her from her persecutor. No ■ sooner had she spoken than she became ‘^a silver stream which ever keeps its- virgin coolness.” Loegria or Lo'gres. England is so- called by Geoffrey of Monmouth, from Logris, eldest son of the mythical king Brute. Lofna. The goddess whose office it is to reconcile lovers after a quarrel. — Scandinavian mythology. Log. An instrument for measuring the velocity of a ship. It is a flat piece of wood, some six inches in radius, and in the shape of a quadrant. A piece of lead is nailed to the rim to make the log float perpendicularly. To this log a line is fastened, called tho- log-line {q.v.). 522 LOG-BOARD. LOMBARD. Log-board. A couple of boards shut- ting like a book, in which the ‘•'logs” ;are entered. It may be termed the waste-book, and the log-look the journal. Log-book. The journal in which the “logs” are entered by the chief mate. Besides the logs, this book con- stains all general transactions pertaining to the ship and its crew, such as the «trength and course of the winds, the conduct and misconduct of the men, and, in short, everything w^orthy of note. Log-line. The line fastened to the log wound round a reel in the ship’s gallery. The whole line (except some five fathoms next the log, • called stray line) is divided into equal lengths called knots, each of which is marked with a piece of coloured tape or bunting. Suppose the captain wishes to know the rate of his ship : one of the eailors throws the log into the sea, and the reel begins to unwind. The length of line run off in half a minute shows the rate of the ship’s motion per hour. Logan or Rocking Stones, for which ‘ Cornwall is famous. Pliny tells us of a rock near Harpasa which might be moved with a finger. Ptolemy says the Gygpnian rock might be stirred with a stalk of asphodel. Half a mile from St. David’s is a Logan r stone, mounted on divers other stones, which may be shaken with one finger. At Golcar Hill (Yorkshire) is a rocking stone, which has lost its power from being hacked by workmen who wanted to find out the secret of its rocking mys- tery. In Pembrokeshire is a rocking stone, rendered immovable by the soldiers of Cromwell, who held it to be an encourage- ment to superstition. The stone called Menamber in Sithney • (Cornwall) was also rendered immovable by the same soldiers, under the same notion. There are very many others. Loggerlieads. Fall to loggerheads; to squabbling and handy-cuffs, especially lugging at each other’s head. Logistilla (in “Orlando Furioso”). The good fairy, and sister of Alci'na the -sorceress. She teaches Ruggie'ro to manage the hippogriff, and gives Astol- ^pho a magic book and horn. The imper- sonate on of reason. Logres. {See Loegria.) Lo'gria. England, so called by the old romancers and fabulous historians, Logris, Locris. Same as Locrine {q.v.). Loki. The god of strife and spirit of evil. He artfully contrived the death of Balder, when Odin had forbidden everything that springs “ from fire, air, earth, and water” to injure him. The mistletoe not being included, was made into an arrow, given to the blind Hdder, and shot at random ; but it struck the beautiful Balder and killed him. This evil being was subsequently chained with ten chains, and will so continue till the twilight of the gods appears, when he will break his bonds; then will the heavens disappear, the earth be swal- lowed up by the sea, fire shall consume the elements, and even Odin, with all his kindred deities, shall perish. Lokman. A fabulous personage, the supposed author of a collection of Arabic fables. Like .^sop he is said to have been a slave, noted for his ugliness. Lollards. So called from their prac- tice of singing dirges at funerals. (Low- German, lollen, to sing slowly.) The early German reformers and the followers of Wickliffe were so called. An ingenious derivation is given by Bailey, who s>ig- gests the Latin word lolium (darnel), becaused these reformers were deemed “ tares in God’s wheat-field.” Lollypops. Sweets made of treacle,' butter, and fiour ; any sweets which are sucked. They are the lollie’s pupets. A loll is a pet or spoilt child, from loll, to fondle, and lollie is its diminutive. Pupet means a doll or plaything. Lombard (A ). A banker or money- lender ; so called because the first bank- ers were from Lombardy, and set up in Lombard Street (London) in the middle ages. The business of lending money on pawns was carried on in England by Italian merchants or bankers as early at least as the reign of Richard I. By the 12 Edward I. a messuage was confirmed to these traders where Lombard Street now stands ; but the trade was first re- cognised in Jaw by James I. The name Lombard (according to Stow) is a con- traction of Longobards. Among the LOMBARD FEVER. LONG TAIL. 523 richest of these Longobard merchants was the celebrated Medici family, from whose armorial bearings the insignia of three golden balls has been derived. The Lombard bankers exercised a mo- nopoly in pawn-broking till the reign of qneen Elizabeth. Lombard Fever. Laziness. Pawn- brokers are called Lombard brokers, be- cause they retain the three golden balls of the Lombard money-changers ; and lazy folk will pawn anything rather than settle down to steady work. Lombardic. The debased Roman style of architecture adopted in Lom- bardy after the fall of Rome. London, says Francis Crosslej^, is Luan-dun (Celtic), City of the Moon, and tradition says there was once a tem- ple of Diana (the Moon) where St. Paul’s now stands. Greenwich he derives from Grian-^vich (City of the Sun), also Celtic. It would fill a page to give a list of guesses made at the derivation of the word Lon- don. The one given above is about the best for fable and mythology. (^See Augusta, Babylon, and Lud’s Town.) London-stone. The central milia- rium {milestone) of Roman London, simi- lar to that in the Forum of Rome. The British high-roads radiated from this stone, and it was from this point they were measured. Near London-stone lived Fitz Alwyne, first mayor of London. Long-boat. Formerly the largest boat belonging to a ship, built full, fiat, and high, so as to carry a great weight. Long-bow. To draw the long-how. To exaggerate. The force of an arrow in the long-bow depends on the strength of the arm that draws it, so the force of a statement depends on the force of the speaker’s imagination. The long-bow was the favourite weapon of the English from the reign of Edward II. till it was superseded by fire-arms. Longchamps. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Passion Week, the Parisians go in procession to Long- champs, near the Bois de Boulogne. This procession is made by private car- riages and hired cabs, and is formed by all the smartly-dressed men and women who wish to display the spring fashions. The origin of the custom is this : There ivas once a famous nunnery at Long- champs, noted for its singing. In Passion Week all who could went to hear these religious women sing the Tenfebres ; the custom grew into a fashion, and though the house no longer exists, the procession continues, and is as fashionable as ever. Long-crown. A deep fellow ; long- headed. That caps Long-crown^ and he capped the Devil , That is a greater falsehood than even ‘Hhe father of lies” would tell. Iiong Meg of Westminster. A noted virago of the reign of Henry VIII. Her name has been given to several articles of unusual size. Thus, the large blue-black marble in the south cloister of Westminster Abbey, over the grave of Gervasius de Blois, is called Long Meg of Westminster.” Fuller says the term is applied to things of hop -pole height, wanting breadth proportionable there- unto,” and refers to a great gun in the Tower so called, taken to Westminster in troublous times. The large gun in Edinburgh Castle is called Long Meg, and the bomb forged for the siege of Oudenarde, in 1832, now in the city of Ghent, is called Mad Meg. In the Edinburgh Antiquarian Maga- zine,” September, 1769, we read of “ Peter Branan, aged 104, who was six feet six inches high, and was commonly called Long Meg of Westminster. {See Meg.) Long Meg and her Daughters. At Little Salkeld (Cornwall) is a circle of seventy-seven stones, each ten feet high ; before these, at the entrance, is a single stone, fifteen feet high. The tall stone is called Long Meg, and the seventy-seven shorter ones her daughters. There is a similar family of stones, called by the same name, near Penrith, in Cumberland. (Greek, meg-as, great.) Long Parliament; The parliament which assembled November 3rd, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20th, 1653. Long Peter. Peter Aartsen, the Flemish painter ; so called on account of his extraordinary height. (1507-1573.) Long-sword {Longue-epie). Wil- liam II. duke of Normandy. (Died 943.) Long Tail. Cut and long tail. One and another, all of every description. The phrase had its origin in the practice of cutting the tails of certain dogs and 524 LONG-TAILED, LOOKING-GLASS. horses, and leaving others in their natural state, so that cut and long tail horses or dogs included all the species. Master Slender says he will maintain Anne Page like a gentlewoman. ‘‘ Ah ! ” says he — That I will, come cut and long tail under the degree of a squire (i.e.,a8 well as any man can who is not a —Shakespearet Merry Wives of Windsor t* iiL 4. Iiong-tailed. How about the long- tailed beggar A reproof given to one who is drawing the long-bow too freely. The tale is that a boy who had been a short voyage pretended on his return to have forgotten everything be- longing to his native home, and asked his mother what she called that ‘‘long- tailed beggar/’ meaning the cat. Long Tom Co£0.n. A sailor of noble daring, in “ The Pilot,” by Cooper. Long Words. Alcomiroziropoulopilousitounitapignac The giantess. — “ Croquemitaine,’* iii. 2. Amoronthologosphorus. {See Hair — The Three Hairs,') Anantachaturdasivratakatha. (Sans- krit work. See Triibner’s “ Literary Record.”) Antipericatametanaparbeugedamphic - ribrationes Toordicantium. One of the books in the library of St. Victor. — Rabelais, Pantagruel,^' ii. 7. Batrachomyomachia (battle of the frogs and mice). A Greek mock heroic. Cluninstaridysarchides. — Plautus. Don Juan Nepomuceno de Burionago- natotorecagageazcoecha. An employ^ in the finance department of Madrid. (1867.) Drimtaidhvrickhillichattan, in the Isle of Mull, Argyleshire. Honorihcabilitudinitatibus, called the longest word in the (?) English language. It frequently occurs in old plays. {See “ Bailey’s Dictionary.”) Thou art not so long by the head as honorificabili- tudinitatibus.— 5AaA:espeare, “ Love’s Labour 's LosU ' ’ V. 1. J ungef rauenzimra erdurchschwindsuch- ttoedtungs-gegenverein {German). — See “Notes and Queries,” vol. v., p. 124 (First Series). Kagwadawwacomegishearg. An Indian chief, who died in Wisconsin in 1866. EJeinkinderbe wharanstalten ( German), L e padotemachoselachogaleokrani olei - phanodrimupotrimmatokichlepikossuph- ophattoperisteralektruonoptegkephalo k - igklopeleiolagoosiraiobaphetraganopteru- gon. The longest word extant (169 Greek letters and 77 syl.). — Aristo- phanes, EJchlesiazousai,^ v. 1169. Llanvairpwllgwgngyll, in the dioceso of Bangor. Nitrophenylenediamine. A dye of an intense red colour. Dinitroaniline, chloroxynaphthalic acid, which may be used for colouring wool in intense red ; and nitrophenylenediamine of chromatic brilliancy. — William Crookes, “ The Times,’’ October 5th, 1S6S. Polyphrasticontinomimegalondulaton. Why not wind up the famous ministerial declara- tion with *• Konx Ompax,” or the mystic “ Om,” or that difficult expression “ Polyphrasticontinomime- galondulaton?”— 27ie Star. M. N. Rostocostojambedanesse, author of “After Beef Mustard.”— Pantagruel” ii. 7. Sankashtachaturthivratodyapana. ( San- skrit work. See Trlibner’s “Literary Record.”) Swapanchaksharimahamantrastotra. — (Sanskrit work. See Trlibner’s “ Literary Record.”) Trigunatmikakalikastotra. (Sanskrit work. NeeTriibuer’s “Literary Record.”) Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani. lanumerabilibus sollicitudinibus. Lon'gius. The Roman soldier who smote our Lord with his spear. In the romance of king Arthur, this spear was brought by Joseph of Arimathea to Lis- tenise, when he visited king Pellam,“ who was nigh of Joseph’s kin.” The bed and spear were thus endowed with miracu- lous powers. Sir Balim the Shvage being in want of a weapon, seized this spear, with which he wounded king Pellam, and “ three whole countries were destroyed” by that one stroke, and Sir Balim saw “the people thereof lying dead on all sides.” — History of Prince Arthur,'* vol i., chaps. 40, 41. Lookers-on. The man on the dyhe always hurls well. The man standing on the mound, and looking at those who are playing at the game of hurling, can see the faults and criticise them. To look as big as bull beef. To look stout and hearty, as if fed on bull beef. Bull beef was formerly recommended for making men strong and muscular. Looking back (unlucky). This arose from Lot’s wife, who looked back towards Sodom and was turned to a pillar of salt (Gen. xix. 26). Looking-glass. It is unlucky to hi'eak a looking-glass. The nature of the ill-luck varies : thus, if a maiden, she LOOM. LORD OF MISRULE. 525 will never marry ; if a married woman, it betokens a death; &c. This super- stition arose from the use made of mirrors in former times by magicians. If in their operations the mirror used was broken, the magician was obliged to give over his operation, and the unlucky inquirer eould receive no answer. Loohing-gldss of Lfio reflected the mind as well as the outward form . — ** Citizen of the World/* xlv. XiOOm; so called from Sir Thomas Loom, who erected the first machine for weaving raw silk at Derby in 1725. The invention came from Flanders. Iioophole. A way of escape, an evasion ; a corruption of louvre holes.” (See Louvre.) Lorbrul'grud. The capital of Brob- dingnag. The word is humourously said to mean '' Pride of the Universe.” — Sivift, Gulliver* s Travels.** Lord. A nobleman. The word lord is a contraction of lilaf- ord (Saxon for loaf -author” or “bread- earner”); lady is hlaf-dig, or “bread- dispenser.” The man earns the food and the woman dispenses it, or doles it •out. Retainers were called hlaf-oetas, or “bread-eaters.” Verstegan suggests ^^< 7 /- fordt “bread-givers.” Lord Burleigh.. As significant as tlie^shake of Lord Burleigh* s head. In The Critic,” by Sheridan, is introduced a tragedy called the “Spanish Armada.” Lord Burleigh is introduced, but is too full of state affairs to utter a word ; he shakes his head, and Puff explains what Ihe shake means. Lord Fanny. A nickname given to Lord Hervey for his effeminate and fop- pish manners. He painted his face, and was as pretty in his ways as a boarding- school miss. (In the reign of George II. ) Lord Foppington. A coxcomb who considers dress and fashion the end •and aim of nobility . — Vanhrughy The Relapse.** Lord Lovel. The bridegroom who lost his bride on the wedding-day. She was playing at hide-and-seek, and se- lected an old oak chest for her hiding- place. The chest closed with a spring lock, and many years after her skeleton told the sad story of “ The Mistletoe Bough.” Samuel Rogers introduces this story in his “Italy” (part i. 18). He says the bride was Ginevra, only child of Orsini, “an indulgent father.” The bridegroom was Francesco Doria, '^her playmate from her birth, and her first love.” The chest in which she was buried alive in her bridal dress was an heir-loom, “ richly carved by Antony of Trent, with Scripture stories from the life of Christ.” It came from Venice, and had “held the ducal robes of some old ancestor.” Francesco, weary of his life, flew to Venice and “ flung his life away in battle with the Turk.” Orsini went deranged, and spent the live-long day “ wandering as in quest of something, something he could not find.” Fifty years after the chest was removed by strangers and the skeleton discovered. Lord Peter. The pope is so called in “The History of John Bull,” by Ar- buthnot. Lord Strutt. Charles II. is so called in “The History of John Bull,” by Arbuthnot. Lord Thomas and the Fair An- net or Elinor j had a lovers’ quarrel, when lord Thomas resolved to forsake Annet for a nut-brown maid who had houses and lands. On the wedding-day Annet, in bridal bravery, went to the church, when lord Thomas repented of his folly, and gave Annet a rose. Where- upon the nut-brown maid killed her with a “ long bodkin from out her gay head- gear.” Lord Thomas, seeing Annet fall dead, plunged his dagger into the heart of the murderess, and then stabbed him- self. Over the graves of lord Thomas and fair Annet grew a “bonny briar, and by this ye may ken right well that they were lovers dear.” In some ballads the fair Annet is called the fair Elinor. — Pefixyf ReligueSy* series iii., bk. 3. Lord of Misrule, called in Scot- land Abbot of Unreason, prohibited in 1555. Stow says — “ At the feast of Christmas, in the king’s court, there was always appointed, on All-Hallow’s eve, a master of mirth and fun,” who remained in oflice till the feast of Purification. A similar “ lord” was appointed by the lord mayor of London, the sheriffs, and the chief nobility. Stubbs teUs us that these mock dignitaries had from twenty t^ 526 LORD OF THE ISLES, LOVE, sixty officers under them, and were fur- nished with hobby-horses, dragons, and musicians. They first went to church with such a confused noise that no one could hear his own voice. Lord of the Isles. Donald of Islay, who in 1346 reduced the Hebrides under his sway. The title had been borne by others for centuries before, and was also borne by his successors. One of Sir Walter Scott’s metrical romances is so called. Loreda'no (James). A Venetian patrician, and one of the ^'Council of Ten.” He was the personal enemy of the Fos'cari.— 15yro?i, “ The Tieo FoscariJ Lorenzo (in Young’s Night Thoughts”). An atheist, whose remorse ends in despair. Lorenzo. The suitor of the fair J essica, daughter of Shylock the Jew. — Shake- speare^ Merchant of Venice'* Lorrequer (Harry). The hero of a novel so called, by Charles Lever. Lose. ’ Tis not I who lose the A thenians, hut the Athenians who lose me, said Anaxag'oras, when he was driven out of Athens. Lost Island. Cephalo'nia, so called because it was only by chance that even those who had visited it could find it again. It is sometimes called The Hidden Island.” Lotha'rio. A gay Lothario. A gay libertine, a seducer of female modesty, a debauchee. The character is from The Fair Penitent,” by Rowe. Lotus. The Egyptians pictured God sitting on a lote-tree, above the watery mud. Jamblichus says, the leaves and fruit of the lote-tree being round, repre- sent the motion of intellect ; ” its towering up through mud symbolises the eminency of divine intellect over matter ; and the deity sitting on the lote-tree implies his intellectual sovereignty. — ** My ster. Egypt.,'* sec. 7, cap. ii., p. 151. Lotus. Mahomet says that a lote-tree stands in the seventh heaven, on the right hand of the throne of God. Dry' ope of CEcha'lia was one day carrying her infant son, when she plucked a lotus-flower for his amuse- ment, and was instantaneously trans- formed into a lotus. Lotis, daughter of Neptune, fleeing from Pria'pus, was metamorphosed into a lotus. Lotus-eaters or Lotoph'agi, in Ho* meric legend, are a people who ate of the- lotus-tree, the effect of which was to make them forget their friends and homes, and to lose all desire of returning to their native land, their only wish be- ing to live in idleness in Lotus-land.— Odyssey** xi. A lotus-eater. One living in ease and luxury. Loud Patterns. Flashy, showy ones. The analogy between sound and colour is very striking. Loud as Tom of Lincoln. Tho great church-bell. Louis (St^ is usually represented as- holding the Saviour’s crown of thorns and the cross ; sometimes, however, he^ is represented with a pilgrim’s staff, and sometimes with the standard of the cross, the allusion in all cases being to his crusades. Louse-wort (Pedicularis palustris). A corruption of Loose-wort ; so called because the seeds are very loosely held in a spacious inflated capsule, and may when dry be shaken like a rattle. Louvre (Paris), a corruption of Lupara, as it is called in old title- deeds. Dagobert is said to have built here a hunting- seat, the nucleus of the present magnificent pile of buildings. He’ll make your Paris Louvre shake for it Shakespeare. “ Htnry V.” act iL 4. Louvre. The tower or turret of a building like a belfry, originally designed for a sort of chimney to let out the smoke. (French, Vouvert, the opening.) Louvre Boards in churches. Before chimneys were used, holes were left in the roof, called loovers or leuver holes. From the French Vouvert (the opea boards). Love (god of). Cam'deo, in Hindu mythology. Camade'va, in Persian mythology. Cupid, in Roman mythology. Eros, in Greek mythology. Frey a, in Celtic mythology. Kama or Cama, in Indian mythology.. Bowyer, &c. &c.) The family of love, A sect of fanatic® LOVE’S GIRDLE. LOWER EMPIRE. 527 in the sixteenth century, holding tenets not unlike those of the Anabaptists. Love and lordship never like fellowship. French, Amour et seigneurie ne veulent point de compagne; German, Liebe und herschaft leiden keine geselschaft ; Italian, Amor e seignoHa non vogliono compagnia (Neither lovers nor princes can brook a rival). Love me, love my dog, St. Bernard quotes this proverb in Latin, Qui me amat, amat et canem raeam ; French, Qui aime Bertrand, aime son chien ; Spanish, Quien hien gwiers a heliram, hien quiere a su can (If you love any one you will like all that belongs to him). Love’s Girdle. {See Cestus.) Love’s Labour’s Lost {Shake- speare). Ferdinand, king of Navarre, with the three lords, Biron', Longaville, and Dumain, make a vow to spend three years in study, during which time they bind themselves to look upon no woman. Scarce is the vow made w'hen the princess of France, with Rosaline, Maria, and Catherine are announced, bringing a petition from the king of France. The four gentlemen fall in love with the four ladies, and send them verses ; they also visit them masked as Muscovites. The ladies treat the whole matter as a jest, and when the gentlemen declare their intentions to be honourable, impose upon them a delay of twelve months, to be spent in works of charity. If at the ex- piration of that time they still wish to marry, the ladies promise to lend a favourable ear to their respective suits. Love-lock. A small curl gummed to the temples, sometimes called a heau or how catcher. When men indulge in a curl in front of their ears, the love-lock is called a hell-rope — i.e., a rope to pull the belles after them. At the latter end of the sixteenth century, the love-lock was decorated with bows and ribbons. Love Powders or Potions were drugs to excite lust. Once these love- charms were generally believed in ; thus Brabantio accuses Othello of having be- witched Desdemo'na with '‘drugs to waken motion and lady Grey was ac- cused of having bewitched Edward IV. " by strange potions and amorous charms.” — Fabian,'" p. 495. Lovelace. The hero of Richardson’s novel called "Clarissa Harlowe.” He is a selfish voluptuary, a man of fashion whose sole ambition is to ensnare female modesty and virtue. Crabbe calls him " Rich, proud, and crafty ; handsome^ brave, and gay.” Lover’s Leap. The promontory from which Sappho threw herself into the sea ; now called Santa Maura. {See Leucadia.) Loving or Grace Cup. A largo cup passed round from guest to guest at state banquets and city feasts. Miss Strickland says that Margaret Atheling, wife of Malcolm Kenmore, in order to induce the Scotch to remain for grace, devised the grace cup, which was filled' with the choicest wine, and of which, each guest was allowed to drink ad libitum after grace had been said. — ^^Historic Sketches." Loving Cup. On the introduction of Christianity, the custom of wassailing was not abolished, but it assumed a. religious aspect. The monks called the wassail bowl ihepoc'ulum charita'tis{ioVmg, cup), a term still retained in the London companies, but in the universities the term Grace Cup is more general. In drinking the loving cup, two adjacent persons always stand up together, one to- drink and the other to pledge his safety while so occupied. Low-bell. Night-fowling, in which birds are first roused from their slumber by the tinkling of a bell, and then daz- zled by a light so as to be easily caught. {Low, Scotch loioe, a flame, as a "low©; of fyre and hell.) The sound of the low-bell makes the birds lie close, so that they dare not stir whilst you are pitching the net, for the sound thereof is dreadful to them ; but the sight of the fire, much more terrible, makes them fly up, so that they become instantly entangled in tlie net.— “G'eaf. Recreation." Low Church. Those who hold the church as a church, and all the ministers and ordinances thereof, in low estimation. They do not believe in baptismal regene- ration, apostolic succession, and so on. The Times wittily defines a low-church- man as one "who loves a Jew and hates the Pope.” Low Sunday. The Sunday next after Easter, so called because it is at the bottom of the Easter which it closes. Lower Empire. The Roman or Western, from the removal of the seat of 528 LOWLANDERS, LUCIFER. f empire to Constantinople to the extinc- tion of that empire by the Turks in 1453. Lowlanders of Attica were the gentry, so called because they lived on the plains. {PedieU or wealthy Eupa- trids.) Lownde'an Professor (Cambridge University). A professor of astronomy ■ (and geometry) ; so called from Thomas Lowndes, Esq., who founded the pro- tessorship in 1749. Lreux. King Arthur’s seneschal. A braggart and a coward. liUath. (2 syl.). Cuchullin’s dog in Ossian’s Fingal also the name of the poor man’s dog representing the pea- «antry in “ The Twa Dogs,” by Robert Burns. The gentleman’s dog is called Cjcsar. Lubber’s Hole. A lazy cowardly way of doing what is appointed, or of evading duty. A seaman’s expression. Sailors call the vacant space between the head of a lower-mast and the edge ■of the top, the lubber's holey because timid boys get through this space to the top, to avoid the danger and difficulties of the ^^futtock shrouds.” Lubberkin or LvJbrican (Irish, Jjobaircin or Lep'reclia^in). A fairy re- sembling an old man, by profession a maker of brogues, who resorts to out-of- the-way places, where he is discovered by the noise of his hammer. He is rich, .and while any one keeps his eye fixed upon him cannot escape, but the moment the eye is withdrawn he vanishes. (Latin, lu'bricus, slippery.) Lubins. A species of gobelins in Normandy that take the form of wolves, and frequent churchyards. They are very timorous, and take flight at the slightest noise. II a peur de Lubins (Timid as aLubin). Said of a chicken-hearted person. Lucasian Professor. A professor of mathematics in the University of Cambridge. This professorship was founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, Esq., M.P. for the University. Lueasta, to whom Richard Lovelace sang, was Lucy Sacheverel, called by Malmsey Wine is tLe wine of Mal- va'sia, in Candia. Thane spyces unaparyly thay spendyde thereaftyre, Malvesye and muskadelle, thase mervelyous drynkea. “ Morte d’Arthure.** Malt, Sermon on, was by J obn Dod, the decalogist, so called from his famous exposition of the Ten Commandments. He was born at Shocklach in Cheshire, in 1555, and died in 1645. Maltese Cross, made thus : HM Malth-U'sian. A disciple of Malthus, whose political doctrines are laid down in his Essay on the Principles of Popu- lation.” Malthu'sian Doctrine. That popu- lation increases more than the means of increasing subsistence does, so that in time, if no check is put upon the increase of population, many must starve or all be ill-fed. Applied to individual nations, like Britain, it intimated that something must be done to check the increase of population, as all the land would not suffice to feed its inhabitants. Malum, in Latin, means an apple ; and ‘^malus, mala, malum,” means evil. Southey, in his “ Commonplace Book,” quotes a wutty etymon given by Nicolson and Burn, making the noun derived from the adjective, in allusion, I suppose, to the (?) apple eaten by Eve. Malum in Se {LatiTi). What is of itself wrong, and would be so even if no law existed against its commission, as lying, murder, theft. Malum Prohibitum {Latin). What is wrong merely because it is for- bidden, as eating a particular fruit was wrong in Adam and Eve, because they were commanded not to do so. Malvolio. Steward to Olivia, in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.” Mamamouchi. A mock honour. Better be a country gentleman in Eng- land than a foreign Mamamouchi.” The honour is conferred on M. Jourdain. — Moliere, '‘^Bourgeois Gentilhomme.^^ Mambri'no’s Helmet was of pure gold, and rendered the wearer invulner- able. It was taken possession of by Rinaldo Orlando Furioso”). Cervantes tells us of a barber who was caught in a shower, and to protect his hat clapped his brazen basin on his head. Don Quixote insisted that this shaving basin- was the enchanted helmet of the Moorish king. Mam'elon (2 syl., French). A mound in the shape of a woman’s breast. These artificial mounds were common in the' siege of Sebastopol. (Latin, mammaf a: breast. ) Mamelukes (2 syl.) or Mcmalulen (Arabic, mamluc, a slave). A name given in Egypt to the slaves of the beys brought from the Caucasus, and formed into a standing army. In 1254, these military slaves” raised one of their body to the supreme power ; and Noureddin Ali, the founder of the Baharites, gave twenty - three sultans; in 1832 the dynasty of the Borjites, also mamlucs, succeeded, and was followed by twenty-one succes- sors. Selim I., sultan of Turkey, overthrew the mamluc kingdom in 1517, but allowed the twenty-four beys to be elected from their body. In 1811, Mohammed Ali by a wholesale massacre annihilated the Ma- melukes, and became viceroy of Egypt. Mamma, Mother. The former is Norman-French, and the latter Saxon. ^ {See Papa.) Mammet. A puppet, a favourite, dnw idol. A corruption of Mahomet. Ma- hometanism being the most prominent, form of false religion with which Chris- tendom was acquainted before the Reformation, it became a generic word ta designate any false faith, even idolatry,, called mammetry. Mammon. The god of this world. - The word in Syriac means riches. {See Milton, Paradise Lost,” bk. i.) Mammon. In Spenser’s “Faery Queen,” Mammon says if Sir Cuyon -^l serve him he shall be the richest man in the world; but the knight says money has no charm for him. Mammon then takes him to his smithy, and tells him he may make what orders he likes, but Guyon declines to make any. The god then offers to give him Phil'otine to wife, but Guyon will not accept the honour. Lastly he takes him to Proserpine’s bower, and tells him to pluck the golden fruit, and rest on the silver stool ; Sir Guyon again refuses, and after three days’ sojourn in the infernal regions is led back to earth, where he swoons.— ii. 7. MammoiHs Cave. The abode of the Money-god. Sir Guyon visited this cave,. J J 546 MAMMOTH CAVE. MAN OF WAX. and Spenser gives a very full description of it in the Faery Queen,” bk. ii., c. 7. Sir Epicure Mammon, A worldly sen- sualist. — Ben Jonson, The AlchymisC' The Mammon of Unrighteousness. Mo- ney. A Scripture phrase (Luke xvi. 9). Mammon was the Syrian god who pre- sided over wealth, similar to Plutus of Greek and Roman mythology. Mammoth. Cave. In Edmonson county, Kentucky— the largest in the world. Mamour {A 1). The House of Adora- tion, in the seventh heaven. Man. Emblematic of St. Matthew, one of the four Evangelists, in allusion to the man which was one of the four elements of Ezekiel’s cherub (i. 10). Man. Average weight, 150 lbs. ; height, 69 inches ; strength, 420 lbs. Man Threefold. According to Diog'enes Laertius, the body was composed of (1) a mortal part ; (2) a divine and ethereal part, called the phren ; (3) an aerial and vaporous part, called the thumos. According to the Romans man has a three-fold soul, which at the dissolution of the body resolves itself into (1) the Manes ; (2) the An'ima or Spirit ; (3) the Umhra. The Manes went either to Elysium orTar'tarus ; the Anima returned to the gods ; but the Umbra hovered about tho body as unwilling to quit it. According to the Jews, man consists of body, soul, and spirit. Isle of Man, called by the ancient Britons main-au (little island). Latinised into Menav-io^ Caesar calls it Mona (i.e., Mon-ah), the Scotch pronunciation of Manau. Mona and Pliny’s Monahia are varieties of “Menavia.” Man in Black. Supposed to be Goldsmith’s father. — Citizen of the World. Man in the Iron Mask. {See Iron Mask.) Man in the Moon. Some say it is a man leaning on a fork, on which he is carrying a bundle of sticks picked up on a Sunday. The origin of this fable is from Num. xv., 32-36. Some add a dog also, thus the Prologue in ‘‘Midsummer Night’s Dream” says, “ This man with lantern, dog, and bush of thorns, pre- sen teth moonshine;” Chaucer says “he stole the bush” {Test, of Cresseide). Another tradition says that the man is Cain, with his dog and thorn-bush ; the thorn-bush being emblematical of the thorns and briars of the fall, and the dog being the “foul fiend.’’ Some poets make out the “ man ” to be the youth Endym'ion, taken thither by Diana. Man in the Moon, The nameless person employed in elections to negotiate bribes. Thus the rumour is set flying among the electors that “ The Man in the Moon has arrived.” Man of Belial. Any wicked man. Shimei so called David (2 Sam. xvi. 7). The ungodly are called “Children of Belial,” or “ Sons of Belial.” The word Belial means tvorthiessness. Man of Blood. David is so called (2 Sam. xvi. 7). The Puritans applied the term to Charles I., because he made war against his Parliament. Any man of violence. Man of Feeling. The title of a novel by Henry Mackenzie. His “ man of feeling ” is named Harley — a sensitive, bashful, kind-hearted, sentimental hero. Man of Boss. John Kyrle, of Ross, in Herefordshire, immortalised by Pope in his Epistle “ On the Use of Riches.” Man of Salt. A man like ^Eneas, always “melting into salt tears,” called “ drops of salt. ” This would make a man, a man of salt To use his eyes for garden waterpots. Shakespeare, King Lear,** ir. 6. Man of Sin (2 Thess. ii. 3). The Roman Catholics say the Man of Sin is Antichrist. The Puritans applied the term to the pope of Rome ; the Fifth- Monarchy men, to Cromwell ; many modern theologians apply it to that “wicked one” (identical with the “last Korn” of Dan. vii.) who is to appear immediately before the second advent of Christ, and whom he will destroy with the “breath of his mouth,” and the “ brightness of his appearing.” Man of Straw. A person without capital. It used to be customary for a number of worthless fellows to loiter about our law-courts, to become false- witness or surety for any one who would buy their services ; their ba’(Jge was a straw in their shoes. Being utterly penniless and without principle, a man of straw became proverbial. Man of Wax. A model man ; like one fashioned in wax. Horace speaks of MAN OF THE HILL. MANDRAKE. 547 •the waxen arms of Telephus/’ meaning model arms, or of perfect shape and colour ; and the Nurse says of Romeo, Why, he’s a man of wax ” (i. 3), which she explains by saying, ^'Nay, he’s a flower, i’ faith, a very flower.” Man of the Hill. A tedious her- mit of the vale,” which incumbers the main story of Tom J ones,” by Fielding. Man of the Sea. {See Old, &c. ) Man’s. A fashionable coffee-house in the reign of Charles II. The Count of Mans. Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne ; also called Knight of Blaives. Mana of St. Hicolas of Bari. So Toffania called her poisonous liquid, best known as the Acqua Tofa'na or Acqua di Perugia. {See Toffania.) MancLe (French). Aimer mieux la manche qne le bras. Manche is a slang word, equivalent to the Indian “back- shish” {q.v.}, a gratuity given to a cicerone, cabman, or porter. It is the Italian buona ruancia. Manchester. The first syllable is the Friesic man (a common) ; and the word means the Roman encampment on the common. Manchester Poet. Charles Swain. (1803- .) Manda'mns (Latin'). A writ of King’s Bench, commanding the person named to do what the writ directs. The first word is ‘^Mandamus” (We com- mand . . .). Manda'na. A stock name in heroic romance, which generally represents the fate of the world turning on the caprice of some beautiful Mandana or Stattra. Mandarin' is not a Chinese word, but one given by the Portuguese colonists at Maca'o to the officials called by the natives Khiem'ping (3 syl.). It is from the verb mandar (to command). The nine Mandarins are distinguished hy the button in their cap; — 1, ruby; 2, coral ; 3, sapphire ; 4, an opaque blue s'fcone ; 5, crystal ; 6, an opaque white shell ; 7, wrought gold ; 8, plain gold ; and 9, silver. MandeviUe {Bernard). A licentious deistical writer, author of “The Virgin Unmasked,” and “Free Thoughts on Religion,” in the reign of George II. Mandiccar'do. A knight whose adventures are recorded by Barahona (c. i. 70-1). Mandou'sians. V ery short swords. So called from a certain Spanish noble- man of the house of Mendo'sa, who brought them into use. Man'drabul. From gold to nothing, like Man' drabuV s offering. Mandrabul having found a gold mine in Samos, offered to Juno a golden ram for the discovery ; next year he gave a silver one, then a brazen one, and in the fourth year nothing. The proverb “ to bring a noble to ninepence, and ninepence to nothing,” carries the same meaning. Mandrake (Greek, hurtful to cat- tle. ) The root of the mandrag'ora often divides itself in two, and presents a rude appearance of a man. In ancient times human figures were often cut out of the root, and wonderful virtues ascribed to them. It was used to pro- duce fecundity in women (Gen. xxx. 14-16). Some mandrakes cannot be pulled from the earth without producing fatal effects, so a cord used to be fixed to the root, and round a dog’s neck, and the dog being chased drew out the man- drake, and died. Another superstition is that when the mandrake is uprooted it utters a scream, in explanation of which Thomas Newton, in his “ Herball to the Bible,” says, “ It is supposed to be a creature having life, engendered under the earth of the seed of some dead person put to death for murder.” Shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth. Shakespeare, ''■Romeo and Juliet” iv. 3. Mandrakes called love-apples. From the old notion that they excited amorous inclinations ; hence Venus is called Man- dragori'tis, and the emperor Julian, in his epistles, tells Calix'enes that he drank its juice nightly as a love-potion. He has eaten mandrake. Said of a very indolent and sleepy man, from the nar- cotic and stupefying properties of the plant, well-known to the ancients. Give me to drink mandragora . . . That I might Sleep out this great gap of time My Antony is away. Shakespeare^ “ Antony and Cleopaira,'* i. 6. Mandrake. Another superstition con- nected with this plant is that a small dose makes a person vain of his beauty, and conceited ; but that a large dose makes him an idiot. 3 J 2 548 MANDRICARDO. MANNINGTREE. Mandricar'do. King of Tartary, or Scythia, son of Ag'rican. He wore Hector’s cuirass, married Dor'alis, and was slain in single combat by Roge'ro.— Orlando InnamoratOy' and Orlando Furioso” Manduce (2 syl.). The idol Glut- tony, venerated by the Gastrol'aters, people whose god was their belly. It is a monstrous . . . figure, fit to frighten little children; its eyes are bigger tlian its beUy, and its head larger than all the rest of its body . . . having a goodly pair of wide jaws, lined with two rows of teeth which, hy the magic of a small twine . . . are made to clash, chatter, and rattle one against the other, as the jaws of St. Clement’s dragon (called graulli) $n St. Mark’s procession at Metz.— “Pawfap- meV* iv. 59. Manxes. To appease his manes. To do when a person is dead what would have pleased him or was due to him when alive. The spirit or ghost of the dead was by the Romans called his manes, which never slept quietly in the grave so long as survivors left its wishes unful- filled. The 19th February was the day when all the living sacrificed to the shades of their dead relations and friends. Manfred. Count Manfred, son of count SigTsmund, sold himself to the prince of darkness, and had seven spirits bound to do his bidding, viz., the spirits of earth, ocean, air, night, mountains, winds,” and the star of his own destiny. He was wholly without human sympa- thies, and lived in splendid solitude among the Alpine mountains. He once loved the lady As'tarte (2 syl.) who died, but Manfred went to the hall of Arim'anes to see and speak to her phantom, and was told that he would die the following day. The next day the Spirit of his Destiny came to summon him ; the proud count scornfully dismissed it, and died. — Byron, Manfred.** Manger or Manger le morcean. To betray, to impeach, to turn king’s evi- dence. The allusion is to the words of Jesus to the beloved disciple— He will be the traitor to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it,” &c. (John xiii. 26). Ma'ni. The son of Mundilfori ; taken to heaven by the gods to drive the moon-car. He is followed by a wolf, which, when time shad be no more, will devour both Mani and his sister Sol. Mani, Manes, or Manicliaeus. The greatest Persian painter, who lived in the reign of Shah-pour (Sapor' J.). It is said his productions rivalled nature. (226-274.) Manichae'ans or Manichees. A religious sect founded by Mani or Mani- chseus, the Persian painter. It was an amalgamation of the Magian and Chris- tian religions, interlarded with a little Buddhism. In order to enforce his re- ligious system, Mani declared himself to be the Paraclete or Comforter promised by Jesus Christ. Man'itou. The American- Indian fetish, Manlian Orders. Overstrained severity. Manlius Torqua'tus/ the Rom an consul, gave orders in the Latin war that no Roman, on pain of death, should en- gage in single combat ; but one of the Latins provoked young Manlius by re- peated insults, and Manlius slew him. When the young man took the spoils to his father, Torqua'tus ordered him to be put to death for violating the commands of his superior ofiicer. Manly in the Plain Dealer,” by Wycherly. He is violent and uncouth, but presents an excellent contrast to the hypocritical Olivia {q.r.). Mr. Manly in “The Provoked Hus- band,” by Vanbrugh and Cibber. Man -Mountain or Qninlns Fles- trin. So Gulliver was called by the Lilliputians. Manna. Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari. The name given to a colourless and tasteless poison, sold in phials by a woman of Italy named Tofani, who confessed to having poisoned 600 persons by this liquid. Man'nering. Colonel or Guy Man- nering ; Mrs. Mannering, nee Sophia Wellwood, his wife ; Julia Mannering, their daughter, who married Captain Bertram ; Sir Paul Mannering, the colonel’s uncle. In Sir Walter Scott’s novel of “Guy Mannering.” Manningtree {Essex). Noted for its Whitsun fair, where an ox was roasted whole. Shakespeare makes prince Henry call Falstaff “a roasted Manningtree MANOA. MARABOUT. 549 ox, with, the pudding in his belly.” — 1 Henry /T.,” ii. 4. You shall have a slave eat more at a meale than ten of the guard ; and drink more in two days than all Manningtree does at a Witsun-ale. Mano'a. The fabulous capital of El Dora'do, the houses of which city were said to be roofed with gold. Manon Lescaut. A novel by the abbe Prevot. It is the history of a young man possessed of many brilliant and some estimable qualities, but being in- toxicated by a fatal attachment he is hurried into the violation of every rule of conduct, and finally prefers the life of a wretched wanderer, with the worthless object of his affection, to all the advan- tages presented by nature and fortune. Mansard Roof, also called the curb roof. A roof in which the rafters instead of forming a A are broken on each side into an elbow. It was devised by Man- sard, the French architect, to give height to attics. (1598-1666.) Mansfield. The Miller of Mansfield. Henry II. was one day hunting, and lost his way. He met a miller who took him home to his cottage, and gave him a bed with his son Richard. Next morning the courtiers tracked the king to the cottage, and the miller discovered the rank of his guest. The king, in merry mood, knighted his host, who thus became Sir John Cockle. On St. George’s day Henry II. invited the three to a royal banquet, and after being amused with their rustic ways, made Sir John '^Overseer of Sher- wood Forest, with a salary of £300 a year.” — Percy, Reliques'* Mansion. This word has con- siderably changed its original meaning, which was simply a tent pitched for soldiers on their march, and hence a day’s journey” (Pliny, xii. 14). Sub- sequently the word was applied to a roadside house for the accommodation of strangers (Suet. Tit. 10). Mantacci'ni. A charlatan who professed to restore the dead to life. Mantali'ni ( Madame). A fashionable milliner near Cavendish square. Her husband, noted for his white teeth, minced oaths, and gorgeous morning gown, is an exquisite man-milliner, who lives on his wife’s earnings. — Dickens, ^^Nicholas Nickleby.^* Mantible {Bridge of) consisted of thirty arches of black marble, and was guarded by ^^a fearful huge giant,” slain by Sir Fierabras. Man'tiger. An heraldic monster, having a tiger’s body, and the head of an old man with long spiral horns. Mantle. The mantle of fidelity. A little boy one day presented himself before king Arthur, and showed him a curious mantle, which would become no wife that was not leal.” Queen Guinever tried it, but it changed from green to red, and red to black, and seemed rent into shreds. Sir Kay’s lady tried it, but fared no better ; others fol- lowed, but only Sir Cradock’s wife could wear it. — Percy, ReliquesJ' Mantra or Mintra (Persian mytho- logy). A spell, a talisman, by which a person holds sway over the elements and spirits of all denominations. — Wilford. Man'tuan Swain, sioan, or bard. Virgil, a native of Mantua, in Italy. Be- sides his great Latin epic, he wrote on pastoral and rural subjects. Man'umit. To set free ; properly to send from one’s hand ” {e manu mittere). One of the Roman ways of freeing a slave was to take him before the chief magistrate and say, I wish this man to be free.” The lictor or master then turned the slave round in a circle, struck him with a rod across the cheek, and let him go. Manure (2 syl.) means hand-work (French, man- oeuvre), tillage by manual labour. It now means the dressing ap- plied to lands. Milton uses it in its original sense in “ Paradise Lost,” iv. — Yon flowery arbours . . . with branches overgrown That mock our scant manuring. Ma'ra, in old Runic, a goblin that seized upon men asleep in their beds, and took from them all speech and motion. Mar'abou Feathers. Feathers of the bird so called, used by ladies for head-gear. There are two species of Marabou stork, which have white feathers beneath their wings and tail especially prized. Mar'about. A sort of plume worn by ladies ; so called from the Marabou stork, whose tail furnishes them. The Marabout hat is a hat adorned with the Marabou feather. 550 MARABUTS. MARCLEY HILL. Mar'abuts (Arabic, frontier inhabit tants). An Arab tribe which in 1075 founded a dynasty, put an end to by the Almohads. They form a priestly order greatly venerated by the common people. The Great Marabut ranks next to the king. Marana'tha (Syriac, the Lord will come — i.e., to execute judgment). A form of anathematising among the Jews. The Romans called a curse or imprecation a devotion — i.e., given up to some one of the gods. Marbles. The ArimdeHian Marbles. Some thirty-seven statues and 128 busts with inscriptions, collected by W. Petty, in the reign of James I., in the island of Paros, and purchased of him by lord Arundel, who gave them to the Univer- sity of Oxford in 1627. The Elgin Marbles. Fragments of the Parthenon of Athens, built by Phid'ias, collected by Thomas lord Elgin during his mission to the Ottoman Porte in 1802, and purchased of him by the British Museum, in 1816, for .£35,000. Money and Marbles. Cash and furni- ture. Marbles is a corruption of the French meubles (furniture). Mareassin {the prince). From the Italian fairy-tales by Straparola, called ^^Nights,” translated into French in 1585. Marcella. A fair shepherdess whose story forms an episode in Don Quix- ote,” by Cervantes. Marcelli'na. The daughter of Rocco, jailor of the state prison of Seville. She falls in love with Fidelio, her father’s servant, who turns out to be Leonora, the wife of the state prisoner Fernando ’Florestsm. — Beethoven, Fidelio'* {an opera). March. Ee may be a rogue, but he's no fool on the march. On the march is the French phrase sur la marche (likewise). March borrows three days from April, The first it shall be wind and weet ; The next it shall be snaw and sleet ; The third it shall be sio. a freeze hhuU gar the birds stick to the trees. *• The Complaynt of Scotland.** , March Dust. A bushel of March dust is loorth a Icing's ransom. According to the Anglo-Saxon laws, the fine of murder was a sliding scale proportioned to the rank of the person killed. The lowest was £10 and the highest £60 ; the former was the ransom of a churl, and the latter of a king. March Hare. Mad as a March hare. Hares in March are very wild. Marches, boundaries, is the Saxon mearc\ but marsh, a meadow, is the Saxon mersc, anciently written marash, the French marais, and our men'ass. The other march is the origin of our marquis,, the lord of the march. The boundaries between England and Wales, and between England and Scotland, were called marches the territory between the Ebro and the Pyrenees was called by Charlemagne ‘'the Spanish march,” &c. Riding the Marches — i.e., beating the bounds of the parish (Scotch). March-pane. A confection of pis- tachio-nuts, almonds, and sugar ; a cor- ruption of the French masse-pain (bread- lumps). Marchaundes Tale, in Chaucer, is substantially the same as the first Latin metrical tale of Adolf us, and is not un- like a Latin prose tale given in the appendix of T. Wright’s edition of iEsop’s Fables. {See January and May. ) Marchington (Staffordshire) fa- mous for a crumbling short cake. Hence the saying that a man or woman of crusty temper is' ‘'as short as Marchington wake-cake.” Marchioness ( TAe). The half-starved girl-of-all-work in “The Old Curiosity Shop,” by Charles Dickens. Mar'cionites (3 syl.). An ascetic Gnostic sect, founded by Marcion in the second century. March ( William de la), or '' The Wild Boar of Ardennes.” A French noble- man, called in French history Sanglier des Ardennes, introduced by Sir Walter Scott in “Quentin Durward.’^ (1446- 1485.) Marcley Hill, Herefordshire, on February 7th, 1571, at six o’clock in the evening, “roused itself with a roar, and by seven next morning had moved forty paces. It kept on the move for three days, carrying with it sheep in their cotes, hedge-rows, and trees ; overthrew Kinnaston chapel, and diverted two high roads at least 200 yards from their former route. The entire mass thus moved consisted of twenty-six acres of land, and the entire distance moved was 400 yards.” — Speed, ‘^Herefordshire,'' MARCOS DE OBREGON, MARGARET. 551 Marcos de Obregon. The model of Gil Bias, in the Spanish romance en- titled ‘‘Relaciones de la Vida del Escu- dero Marcos de Obregon.” Marco'sians. A branch of the Gnostics, so called from the Egyptian Marcus. They are noted for their apocry- phal books and religious fables. Mardle. To waste time in gossip. (Anglo-Saxon, matlieliarij to talk ; meihel, a discourse.) Mardonius {Captain), in ‘'A King or No King,” by Beaumont and Flet«her. Mare. The Cromlech at Gorwell, Dorsetshire,, is called the White Mare ; the barrows near Hambleton, the Grey Mare. Away the mare — i.e., Off with the blue devils, good-bye to care. This mare is the incubus called the night-mare. To cry the mare (Herefordshire and Shropshire). In harvesting, when the in-gathering is complete, a few blades of corn left for the purpose have their tops tied together. The reapers then place themselves at a certain distance, and fling their sickles at the mare.” He who succeeds in cutting the knot cries out '' I have her !” What have you ? ” ^‘A mare.” Whose is she?” The name of some farmer whose field has been reaped is here mentioned. Where will you send her ? ” The name of some farmer whose com is not yet harvested is here given, and then all the reapers give a final shout. To win the mare or lose the halter— i.e., to play double or quits. The grey mare is the letter horse. (^See Grey Mare.) The two-leqged mare. The gallows. Money will make th^ mare to go. “ Will you lend me your mare to go a mile ? “No, she is lame leaping over a stile.” *• But if you will her to me spare, Tou shall have money for your mare.” “ Oh, ho ! say you so ? Money will make the mare to go.” Old Glees and Catches. Whose mare's dead ? What’s the mat- ter ? Thus in 2 Henry IV.” when Sir John Falstaff sees Mistress Quickly with the sheriff’s officers, evidently in a state of great discomposure, he cries out — How now ? Whose mare’s dead ? What’s the matter? (ill.) Mare’s Nest. To find a mare's nest is to make what you suppose to be a great discovery, but which turns out to be all moonshine. What we call a nightmare was by our forefathers sup- posed to be the Saxon demon Mara or Mare, a kind of vampire, sitting on the » sleeper’s chest. These vampires were said to be the guardians of hid treasures, over which they brooded as hens over their eggs, and the place where they sat was termed their nidus or nesto When any one supposes he has made a great discovery, we ask if he has disco- vered a mare’s nest, or the place where the vampire keeps guard over hypothe - tical treasures. Why dost thou laugh ? What mare’s nest hast thou found ? Beaumont and Fletcher^ “ Bonduca,*’ v. 2. Are we to believe that the governor, executive council, the ofiBcers, and merchants have been finding mare’s nests only "I— The Times. N.B. — In some parts of Scotland they use instead a Skate's JSfest. In Glouces- tershire a long-winded tale is called a Horse-nest. In Cornwall they say You have found a wee's nest, and are laughing over the eggs. In Devon, nonsense is called a Hind mare's nest. Holinshed calls a gallows a foul's nest (iii). In French the corresponding phrase is, Nid de lapin; Nid d'une souri dans Voreille d'un chat. {See Chat.) Marfi'sa. An Indian queen in Bojardo’s Orlando Innamorato,” and in Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso.” Marfo'rio. A pasquinade {q*v.). Margan Monastery {Register oj), from 1066 to 1232, published in Gale, 1687. Margaret, queen of Denmark, Nor- way, and Sweden, called the Northern Semiramis.” (1353, 1387-1412.) Margaret. A simple, uncultured girl of wonderful witchery, seduced by Faust. She killed the infant of her shame, was sent to prison where she lost her reason, and was ultimately con- demned to death. — Goethe, Faust.'* Ladye Margaret. The Flower of Teviot,” daughter of the duchess Mar- garet and lord Walter Scott, of Brank- some Hall. She was beloved by baron Henry of Cranstown, whose family had a deadly feud with that of Scott. One day the elfin page of lord Cranstown enveigled the heir of Branksome Hall, then a lad, into the woods, where he fell into the hands of the Southerners; whereupon 552 MARGARET. MARIA. 3000 of the English inarched against the castle of the widowed duchess ; but being told by a spy that Douglas with 10,000 men were coming to the rescue, they • agreed to decide by single combat whether the boy was to become king Edward’s page, or be delivered up to his mother. The champions to decide this question were to be Sir Richard Mus- grave on the side of the English, and Sir William Deloraine on the side of the Scotch. In the combat the English clmmpion was slain, and the boy was delivered to the widow ; but it then ap- peared that the antagonist was not William of Deloraine, but lord Crans- town, who claimed and received the hand of fair Margaret as his reward. — Sir Walter Scott, ‘‘Lay of the Last Minstrtiy Lady Margarets Preacher. A preacher who has to preach a Condo ad cleriim before the University, on the day pre- ceding Easter Term. This preachership was founded in 1503 by lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII. Lady Margaret Professor. A professor of divinity in the University of Cam- bridge. This professorship was founded in 1502 by lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII. These lectures are given for the ‘Voluntary Theological Examina- tion,” and treat upon the Fathers, the Liturgy, and the priestly duties. {See Norrisian.) St. Margaret. The chosen type of female innocence and meekness. In Christian art she is represented as a young woman of great beauty, bearing the martyr’s palm and crown, or with the dragon as an attribute. Sometimes she is delineated as coming from the dragon’s mouth, for the legend says that the monster swallowed her, but on making the sign of the cross he suffered tier to quit his maw. St. Margaret and the dragon. Olyb'ius, governor of Antioch, captivated by the beauty of St. Margaret, wanted to marry her, and as she rejected him with scorn threw her into a dungeon, where the devil came to her in the form of a dragon. Margaret held up the cross, and the dragon fled. Some say it burst asunder. St. Pela'gia, St. Mari'na, and St. Geru- ina, are the sam866 Plain.) Marshal means an ostler or groom, a tservant to look after one’s horse. The original duty of a marshal was to feed, .groom, shoe, and physic his master’s horse. (Saxon, mcerej a horse; scealc^ servant. British, marCj a mare; scalj a boy.) Marshal of the Army of God, and, oj Holy Church. The baron Robert Fitz- walter, appointed by his brother barons to command their forces in 1215 to obtain from king John redress of grievances. Magna Charta was the result. MarsigTio or MarsU'ius. A Saracen king who plotted the attack upon Ro- land, under “the tree on which Judas hanged himself.” With a force of 600,000 men, divided into three armies, he attacked the paladin and overthrew him, but was in turn overthrown by Charlemagne, and hanged on the very tree beneath which he had arranged the attack. — Turpin, “ Chronicles.'' Mar'syas. The Phrygian flute-player who challenged ApolJo to a contest of skill, and being beaten by the god was flayed alive for his presumption. From his blood arose the river so called. The flute on which Marsyas played was one Athe'na had thrown away, and being filled with the breath of the goddess, dis- coursed most excellent music. The interpretation of this fable is as follows : A contest long existed between the lutists and the flautists as to the superiority of their respective instruments. The Dorian mode, employed in the worship of Apollo, was performed on lutes ; and the Phrygian mode, employed in the rites of Cyb'ele, was executed % flutes, the reeds of which grew on the banks of the river Marsyas. As the Dorian mode was pre- ferred by the Greeks, they said that Apollo beat the flute-player. Marta'no (in “Orlando Furioso”) who decoyed Origilla from Gryphon. He was a great coward, and fled from the tournament amidst the jeers of the spec- tators. While Gryphon was asleep he stole his armour, went to king Norandi'no to receive the honours due to Gi*yphon, and then quitted Damascus with Origilla. A'quilant encountered them, and brought them back to Damascus, when Marta'no was committed to the hangman’s mercies (books viii., ix.). Marteau des Heretiques. Pierre d’Ailly, also called I'Aigle de la France. (1350-1420.) Martel. The surname given to Charles, natural son of Pdpin d’H^ristal, for his victory over the Saracens, who had invaded France under Abd-el- Rah- man in 732. It is said that Charles “ knocked down the foe, and crushed them beneath his axe, as a martel or hammer crushes what it strikes.” Judas Asraonaeus for a similar reason was called Maccahcjeus (the Hammerer). M. Collin de Plancy says that Charles, MAETELLO TOWERS. MARTIN. 607 the palace mayor, was not called Martel because he martele (hammered) the Sara- cens, but because his patron saint was Martellus (or Bibliothequedes Legendes.” A voir martel en iSte. To have a bee in one’s bonnet, to be crotchety. Martel is a corruption of Martin, an ass, a hobby- horse. M. Hilaire le Gai says, but gives no authority, Cette expression nous vient des Italiens, car en Italien martello signifie proprement jalousie.” Ils portent des martels^ des capriches.— jBranfdme, “ Des Dames Gallanf.es Telles filles pourroient bien donner de bons martels a leurs oaurres m&ryi.—Bmnt6)ne, Des Dames Galtantes.’* Martello Towers. Round towers about forty feet in height, of great strength, and situated on a beach or river ; so called from the Italian towers built as a protection against pirates. As the warning was given by striking a bell with a martello or hammer, the towers were called Torri da Martello. Some say that these t owners were so called from a tower at the entrance of St. Fiorenzo, in Corsica. Similar towers were common all along the Mediterranean coast as a defence against pirates. They were erected in the low parts of Sussex and Kent in consequence of the powerful defence made (February 8th, 1794) by Le Tellier at the tower of Mortella, with only thirty- eight men, against a simulta- neous sea and land attack — the former led by lord Hood, and the latter by major- general Dundas. MartLa {^t.), patron saint of good housewives, is represented in Christian art as clad in homely costume, bearing at her girdle a bunch of keys, and holding a ladle or pot of water in her hand. Like St. Margaret she is accompanied with a dragon bound, but has not the palm and crown of martyrdom. The dragon is given to St. Martha from her having de- stroyed one that ravaged the neighbour- hood of Marseilles. Martial. Pertaining to Mars, the Roman god of war. Martin. One of the swallow tribe. Dies derives the word from St. Martin. but St. Martin’s bird is the raven. It is most likely murus-teneo, mur’-ten, cor- rupted into marten. Hence in German it is mauer-schwalbe (the wall swallow). Martin. The ape, in the tale of Reynard the Fox.” Martin, in Dryden’s allegory of the ^^Hind and Panther,” means the Lutheran party ; so called by a pun on the name of Martin Luther. Chanter or parler autre martin. To be obstinate or self-opiniated. Martin means a jack-ass. The more modern expression Avoir martel en Ute, to have the obstinacy of a donkey, is a corrup- tion of martin. Another word for a jack-ass is Bernart, and hence the syno- nymous expressions, Chanter de Bernart, and Parler d' autre Bernart. Or VOS metron el col la hart Puis parleron d’autre Bernart. “Z(C Roman du Renai't,'* ii., p. 75. Vous parleres d’autre Martin. '*Le Roman du Renaid,” iii., p. 23. Foo' a hair Martin lost his ass. The* French say that Martin made a bet that his ass was black ; the bet was lost be- cause a white hair was found in its coat. Girt like Martin of Camhray — in a very- ridiculous manner. Martin and Martins- are the two figures that strike with their marteaux the hours on the clock of Cam- bray. Martin is represented as a peasant in a blouse girt very tight about the waist. St. Martin. Patron of drunkards, to save them from falling into danger. This is a mere accident arising thus : The 11th November (St. Martin’s day) is the Vina'lia or feast of Bacchus. When Bacchus was merged by Christians intO’ St. Martin, St. Martin had to bear the- ill-repute of his predecessor. St. Martin’s bird. A cock, whose blood is shed sacrificially ” on the 11th of November, in honour of that saint. St. Martin’s cloak. Martin was a mili- tary tribune before conversion, and, while stationed at Amiens in midwinter, divided his military cloak with a naked beggar, who craved alms of him before the city gate of Amiens. At night, the story says, Christ himself appeared to the sol- dier, arrayed in this very garment. St. Martin’s goose. The 11th of No- vember, St. Martin’s day, was at one;* time the great goose-feast of France. The legend is that St. Martin was annoyed by a goose, which he ordered to be killed and served up for dinner. As he died from the repast, the goose has been ever since sacrificed” to him on the anni- versary. The goose is sometimes called by the French *^St. Martin’s Bird.” Si. Martin’s jewellei'y. Counterfeit gems. Upon the site of the old collegiate* 558 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. MARY. cliurcli of St. Martin’s-le-Grand, which was demolished upon the dissolution of the monasteries, a number of persons established themselves and carried on a considerable trade in artificial stones, beads, and jewellery. These Brumma- gem ornaments were called St. Martin’s beads, St. Martin’s gems, or St. Martin’s jewellery, as the case might be. St. Martin's rings. Imitation gold ones, so called because they were sold chiefly by persons within the collegiate church of St. Martin’s-le-Grand. St. Martin! s tree. St. Martin planted a pilgrim’s staff somewhere near Utopia; the staff grew into a large tree, wMch Gargantua pulled up to serve for a mace or club, with which he dislodged king Picrochole from Clermont Rock.— lais^ Gargantua and Pantag' rueH* Faire la St. Martin or Martiner. To feast ; because the people used to begin St. Martin’s day with feasting and drinking. Martin Chuzzlewit. • Hero of a novel so called, by Charles Dickens. Martin Drunk. Very intoxicated indeed ; a drunken man sobered ” by drinking more. The feast of St. Martin (November 11) used to be held as a day of great debauch. Hence Baxter uses the word Martin as the synonyme of a drunkard : — The language of Martin is there {in liea.ven) o, stranger.” — Saint's Rest." Mar tine (Spanish), Martina {Italian), a sword, and martino, a poig- nard ; a corruption of marteau, a poignard {Italian). Quiconqne aura affaire a moy, il faut qu’il ait affaire a Martine que me voyla au coste (appellant son esp4e“ Brantd me, Rodomontades Espagnoles” toI. ii., p. 16, coL 3. Martinet. A strict disciplinarian ; ■so called from M. de Martinet, a young colonel in the reign of Louis XIV., who re-modelled the infantry, and was slain -at the siege of Doesbourg in 1672 (Vol- taire, Louis XIV.,” c. 10). The French still call a cat-o’-nine-tails a martinet.” Martinmas. His Martinmas will ■come as it does to every hog — i.e., all must •die. November or Martinmas was the great slaughter-time of the Anglo-Saxons, when beeves, sheep, and hogs, whose store of food was exhausted, were killed and malted, Martinmas, therefore, was the slaying time, and the proverb intimates that our slaying-time day of death will come as surely as that of a hog at St. Martin’s-tide. The feast of St. Martin is November 11th. Martyr {Greeh) simply means a wit- ness, but is applied to one who witnesses a good confession with his blood. The mofirtyr Icing. Charles I. of England, beheaded January 30th, 1649. He was buried at Windsor, and was called The White King.” Martyr to Science. Claude Louis, count Berthollet, who determined to test on his own person the effects of carbonic acid on the human frame, and died under the experiment. (1748-1822.) Marut. God of the wind and tem- pest. — Hindu mythology. Marvellous. The marvellous hoy. Thomas Chatterton, the poet, author of a volume of poetry entitled Rowley’s Poems,” professedly written by Rowley, a monk. (1752-1770.) Mary. As the Virgin, she is represented in Christian art with flowing hair, emble- matical of her virginity. As Mater Dolorosa, or Our Lady of Pity, she is represented as somewhat elderly, clad in mourning, head draped, and weeping over the dead body of Christ. As Our Lady of Dolours, she is re- presented as seated, her breast being pierced with seven swords, emblematic of her seven sorrows. As Our Lady of Mercy, she is repre- sented with arms extended, spreading out her mantle, and gathering sinners beneath it. As The glorified Madonna, she is re- presented as bearing a crown and sceptre, or a ball and cross, in rich robes and surrounded by angels. Her seven joys. The Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, Presentation in the Temple, Find- ing Christ amongst the Doctors, and the Assumption. Her seven sorrows. Simeon’s Prophecy, the Flight into Egypt, Christ Missed, the Betrayal, the Crucifixion, the Taking Down from the Cross, and the Ascension when she was left alone. Mary of lord Byron’s poetry is Miss Chaworth, who was older than his lord- ship. Both Miss Chaworth and lord MARY BLANE. MASSACRE. 559 Byron were under the guardianship of !Mr. White. Miss Chaworth married J ohn Musters, generally called J ack Musters ; hut the marriage was not a happy one, xind the parties soon separated. The Dream ’'of lord Byron refers to this love affair of his youth. Mary Blane. A nigger melody in- troduced by the Ethiopian Serenaders at St. James’s Theatre. Mary Magdalene {St). Patron saint of penitents, being herself the model penitent of Gospel history. In Christian art she is represented (1) as a patron saint, young and beautiful, with a profusion of hair, and holding a box of ointment ; (2) as a penitent, in a sequestered place, reading before a cross or skull. Mary-le-bone {London) is not a •corruption of Marie la bonne, but '‘Mary on the bourne ” or river, as Holborn is “Old Bourne.” Marygold or Marigold. A million sterling. A plum is £100,000. {See :Marigold.) Mas; plural. Masse. “Mr.,” Messrs. as. Mas J ohn King, Masse Fleming and Stebbing. {Master.) Masaniello. A corruption of Tom MAS o ANIELLO, a Neapolitan fisherman who led the revolt of July, 1647. The great grievance was a new tax upon fruit, and the immediate cause of ^^lasaniello’s interference was the seizure of his wife (or deaf and dumb sister) for having in her possession some contraband flour. Having surrounded himself with some 150,000 men, women, and boys, he was elected chief of Naples, and for nine days ruled with absolute control. The Spanish viceroy flattered him, and this so turned his head that he acted like a maniac. The people betrayed him, he was shot, and his body flung into a ditch, but next day it was interred with a pomp ^nd ceremony never equalled in Naples (1647). AulDer has an opera on this subject called “ La Muette de Portici.” (18&.) Masche-croute {gnaw-crust). A hideous wooden statue carried about Lyons during Carnival. The nurses of Lyons frighten children by threatening to thro.w them to Masche-croute. Masdeu (Catalan for God's field). The vineyard not far from Perpignan was anciently so called. Masetto. A rustic engaged to Zer- li'na ; but Don Giovanni intercepts them in their wedding festivities, and induces the foolish damsel to believe he meant to make her his wife. — Mozart, “ Don Gio- vanni ” {an opera). Mason and Dixon’s Line. The southern boundary line which separated the free states of Pennsylvania from what were at one time the slave states of Mary- land and Virginia. It lies 39° 43' 26'' north latitude, and was run oy Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two English mathe- maticians and surveyors (between No- vember 15th, 1763, and December 26th, 1767). Mass. There seems to be no suf- ficient reason for supposing, with Dr. Hook, “ that the word first imported the dismissal of the church assembly, then the assemhlvng of it, then the service, and at last the communion." Such a climax would be very unnatural. Neither can the word be derived from the custom of dismissing the catechumens before the communion service began, for the words “ Ite, missa est ” (Go, mass is about to begin) quite refute the notion. Ite is the dismissal word, not missa. Without doubt the true etymon is the Saxon mcesse ; French, German, and Danish, messe ; Low Latin, missa ; meaning a “ holiday” or “feast,” as in Christ-mas, Martin-mas, Candle-mas, Michael-mas. Mass is the feast of the church, when Christians “feed on the body of Christ, their Saviour.” High Mass or “ Grand Mass ” is sung by choristers, and celebrated with the assistance of a deacon and sub-deacon. Low Mass is simply read without sing- ing; there is one between these two called the “ chanted mass,” in which the service is chanted by the priest. Besides these there are a number of special masses, as the mass of the Beatoe, mass of the Holy Ghost, mass of the dead, mass of a saint, mass of scarcity, dry mass, votive mass, holiday mass, Ambro- sian mass, Gallic mass, mass of the pre~ sanctified for Good Friday, missa Mosara*- hum, &c. &c. Massacre of the Innocents. De- voting to destruction the “ innocent” or 560 MASSAMORE. MATRICULATE, useful bills at the end of the sessions, merely for lack of time to pass them. The expression was first used by The Times in 1859. {See Bartholomew.) Mass'amore (3 syl.) or Massy More. The principal dungeon of a feudal castle. A Moorish word. Proximus eat career subterra'neua, sine ut Mauri appallant “ Mazmorra.’*— OZd Latin Itinerari/. Master Humphrey. A miserable old gambler, in “The Old Curiosity Shop,” by Charles Dickens. Master Leonard. Grand-master of the nocturnal orgies of the demons. He is represented as a three-homed goat, with black human face. He marked his novitiates with one of his horns. — Middle- age demonology. Master of Sentences. Pierre Lombard, author of a work called “ Sen- tences,” a compilation from the fathers of the leading arguments fro and con. bearing on the hair-splitting theological questions of the middle ages. (1100- 1164.) Master of the Mint. A punning term for a gardener. Master of the Rolls. A punning term for a baker. Mastic. A tonic, which promotes appetite, and therefore only increases the misery of a hungry man. Like the starved wretch that hungry mastic chews. But cheats himself and fosters his disease. WesU “ Triumphs of the (font ” (Lucian). Mas'todon (Greek, nipple-toothed). An extinct animal of the elephant tribe ; so called because the heads of its teeth are pointed like little nipples. Mat'adore (3 syl., Spanish, a slayer). A name given to a man who is pitted against a bull in the Spanish bull-fights. Mat'amore (3 syl.). A poltroon, a swaggerer, a major Bobadil {(f.v.). A French term composed of two Spanish words, maiar-MoTos{ 2 , slayer of Moors). Matchlock. The lock of an old- fashioned gun ; so called because it was tired with a lighted match. Mate. Paraguay tea is so called from matd, the vessel in which the herb is in Paraguay infused. These vessels are generally gourds hollowed out, and the herb is called Yerha de mate. Mate'rialism. The doctrines of Materialist, who maintains that the soul and spirit are effects of matter. The orthodox doctrine is that the soul is dis- tinct from the body, and is a portion of the Divine essence breathed into the body. A materialist, of course, does not believe in a spiritual deity” distinct from matter. Tertullian contended that the Bible proves the soul to be “ material,’” and he charges the “spiritual” view to- the heretical doctrines of the Platonic school. Math'isen. One of the three ana- baptists who induce John of Leyden to- join theii’ rebellion. No sooner is John, declared “the prophet-king” than the three faithless rebels betray him to- the emperor ; but when they enter the banquet-hall to arrest him, they all perish in the burning palace. — Meyei'heer, “ Le Prophete'' {an opera). Math'urin {St.). Patron saint oi idiots and. fools. A pun on his name. {See below). The malady of St, Mathurin. Folly,, stupidity. A French expression. “Maturins” in French argot means dice, and “ Maturin Plat,” a domino. Ces deux objets doivent leur nom & leur ressera- blanee avec le costume des Trinitaires (vulKairemensr appeles MntuHns), qui, chez nous, portaient uue soutane de serge blanche sur laquelle, quand ils sor’aient, ils jetaient un manteau noir.—Francisqus Michel Matilda. Daughter of lord Robert Fitzwalter. Michael Drayton has a poena- of some 670 lines so called. Matilda. Daughter of Rokeby, and niece of Mortham. She was beloved by Wilfrid, son of Oswald, but loved Red- mond, her father’s page, who turns out to- be Mortham’s son. — Scott, Rokeby.'* Matildxi. Sister of Gessler ; in love with Arnold, a Swiss, who had saved her life' when threatened by the fall of an ava- lanche. After the death of Gessler, who- was shot by William Tell, the marriage of these lovers is consummated. — Rossini,. Gnglielmo Tell** {an opera). Rosa Matilda. {See Gifford’s Baeviad’ and Mseviad.”) Matric'ulate means to enrol oneself in a society. The University is called our alma mater (propitious mother). The students areher (foster-children),, and become so by being enrolled in a register after certain forms and exami- nations. (Latin, matricwla a roil.) MATTHEW. MAUNCIPLES TALE. 561 Matthew (St.) in Christian art is re- f)resented (1) as an evangelist— an old 11 ] an with long beard ; an angel gene- rally stands near him dictating his gospel. (2) As an apostle, in which <*apacity he bears a purse in reference to his calling as a publican ; sometimes lie carries a spear, sometimes a car- penter’s rule or square. In the last of Matthevj. At the last gasp, on one’s last legs. This is a German expression, and arose thus : A Catholic priest said in his sermon that Protest- antism was in the last of Matthew, and being asked what he meant replied, ‘ ‘ The last five words of the Gospel of St. Matthew are these : Hhe end of this ‘dispensation.’ ” Of course he quoted the Latin version ; ours is less correctly translated “the end of the world.’’^ Matthew Bramble^ in Smollett’s “ Hum- phry Clinker,” is Roderick Random grown old, somewhat cynical by expe- rience of the world, but vastly improved in taste. Chambers says, “ Smollett took some of the incidents of the family tour from ‘ Anstey’s New Bath Guide.’ ” — English Literature, vol. ii. Matth-i'as St.) in Christian art is known by the axe or halbert in his iright hand — the symbol of his martyr- dom. Sometimes he is bearing a stone, an allusion to the tradition of his having been stoned before he was beheaded. Maudlin. Stupidly sentimental. Maudlin drunk is the drunkenness which is sentimental and inclined to tears. Maudlin slip-slop is sentimental chit-chat. U’he word is derived from Mary Magda- len, who is drawn by ancient painters with a lackadaisical face, and eyes swollen nvith weeping. Maugis. The Nestor of French romance, like Hildebrand in German legend. He was one of Charlemagne’s paladins, a magician and champion. Maugis d’Aygremont. Son of •duke Be vis of Aygremont, stolen in in- fancy by a female slave. As she rested \mder a white- thorn, a lion and a leopard devoured her, and then killed each other in disputing for the infant. The babe •cried lustily, and Oriande la f^e, who lived at Rosefleur, hearing it, went to the white-thom and exclaimed, “ By the (powers above this child is mal gist (badly japped) and ever after he was called miu-gis’. Oriande took charge of him, and was assisted by her brother Baudris, who taught him magic and necromancy. When grown a man, Maugis achieved the adventure of gaining the enchanted horse Bayard, which understood like a human being all that was said, and took from Anthenor, the Saracen, the sword Flamberge or Floberge. Subsequently he gave both the horse and sword to his cousin Renaud. In the Italian romances,- Maugis is called “Malagi'gi” {q%v.')\ Renaud is called “Renaldo” {q»v.)', Bevis is called “Buo'vo;” the horse is sailed “ Bayardo and the sword, “ Fusberta.”— i?owia.«ce of Maugis d Aygremont et de Vivian son frh'e.'' Maugrabln (Heyraddin), Brother of Zamet Maugrabin the Bohemian. Ho appears disguised as Rouge Sanglier, and pretends to be herald from Liege. — Sir Walter Scott, “ (Quentin Durivard." Mau'gys. Agiant who keeps a bridge leading to a castle by a river-side, in which a beautiful lady is besieged. Sir Lybius, one of Arthur’s knights, does battle with the giant; the contest lasts a whole Bummer’s day, but terminates with the death of the giant and liberation of the lady. — Liheaux'^ (a romance). Maul. To beat roughly, to batter. The maul was a bludgeon with a leaden head, carried by ancient soldiery. It is generally called a “ mall.” Maul. A giant who used to spoil young pilgrims with sophistry. He attacked Mr. Great- heart with a club, and the combat between them lasted for the space of an hour. At length Mr. Great-heart pierced the giant under the fifth rib, and then cut off his head. — Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress," pt. ii. Mauuciples Tale. A mediaeval version of Ovid’s tale about Coro'nis (Met. ii. 543, &c.). Phoebus had a crow which he taught to speak ; it was downy white, and as big as a swan. He haAl also a wife whom he dearly loved, but she was faithless to him. One day when Phoebus came home, his bird ’gan sing Cuckoo ! cuckoo ! cuckoo !” Phoebus asked what he meant, and the crow told him of his wife’s infidelity. Phoebus was very angry, and seizing his bow shot his wife through the heart ; but no sooner did she fall than he repented of his rashness and cursed the bird. “ Never K K 662 MAUNDREL. MAXIMUS. more shaH thou speak,” said he ; ‘^hence- forth thy offspring shall be black.” Moral — “Lordlings, by this ensample, take heed what you say ; be no tale- bearer, but — Wher-so thou comest amongst high or low. Keep wel thy tong, and think upon the crow. Chaucer t “ Canterbury Tales'* Maundrel. A foolish, vapouring gossip. The Scotch say, “Hand your tongue, maundrel.” As a verb it means to babble, to prate. In some parts of Scotlajid the talk of persons in delirium, in sleep, and in intoxication is called maundrel. The term is from Sir John Mandeville, the traveller, who published an account of his travels, full of idle gossip and most improbable events. Maundy Thursday. The day be- fore Good Friday is so called from the Latin dies manda'ti (the day of Christ's great mandate). After he had washed his disciples’ feet, he said, “ A new com- mandment give I unto you, that ye love one another” (St. Johnxiii. 34). Spelman derives it from maund (a basket), because on the day before the great fast all religious houses and good Catholics brought out their broken food in maunds to distribute to the poor. This custom in many places gave birth to a fair, as the Tombland fair of Norwich, held on the plain before the Cathedral close. To maund, accordingly, is a com- mon slang term in present use, meaning to heg. Of course maund (a basket) is derived from “manda'tum,” being em- ployed to hold the “mandate bread.” Mauri-gasima. An island near Formo'sa, said to have been sunk in the sea in consequence of the great crimes of its inhabitants.— iTemy/e?-. Maurita'nia. Morocco and Algiers, the land of the ancient Mauri or Moors. Mausole'uin. One of the seven “wonders of the world so called from Mauso'lus, king of Caria, to whom Arte- mis'ia (his wife) erected at Halicarnassos a splendid sepulchral monument B.C. 353. Parts of this sepulchre are now in the British Museum. The chief mausoleums besides the one referred to above are : the mausoleum of Augustus ; that of Ha'drian, now called the castle of St. An'gelo at Rome ; that erected in France by Catharine de Medicis to Henry II. ; that of St. Peter the Martyr in the church of St. Eustatius> by G. Balduccio in the fourteenth cen- tury ; and that erected to the memory of Louis XVI. Mauthe Dog. A “ spectre hound”" that for many years haunted the ancient castle of Peel-town, in the Isle of Man. This black spaniel used to enter the ^ard-room as soon as candles were lighted, and leave it at day-break. While this spectre-dog was present the soldiers forebore all oaths and profane talk. One day a drunken trooper en- tered the guard -bouse alone out of bravado, but lost his speech and died in three days. Sir Walter Scott refers to it in his “ Lay of the Last Minstrel,” vi. Mauvaise Honte {French, bad or silly shame). Bashfulness, sheepishness. Mauvais Ton {French, bad man- ners). Ill-breeding, vulgar ways. Mawther. {See Morther.) Maw- worm. A hypocrite ; so called from the character of Maw- worm in “ The Hypocrite,” by Isaac Bickerstaff. Max. A huntsman, and the best marksman in Germany. He was be- trothed to Ag'atha, who was to be h>s bride if he obtained the prize in the annual trial-shot. Having been unsuc- cessful in his practice for several days, Caspar induced him to go to the wolfs glen at midnight, and obtain seven charmed balls from Sa'miel the Black Huntsman. On the day of contest, the prince bade him shoot at a dove. Max aimed at the bird, but killed Caspar, who was concealed in a tree. The prince abolished in consequence the annual fete of the trial-shot. — Weher, ‘^Der Freis- chutz** {an opera). Max'imum and Minimum. '^Fhe greatest and least amount ; as, the maxi- mum profits or exports, and the mini- mum profits ctr exports ; the maximum and minimum price of corn during the year. The terms are also employed in mathematics. Max'imus or Maodime (2 syl.). Officer of the prefect Alma'chius, and his comicular. Being ordered to put Valir'ian and TibuFce to death because they would not worship the image of Ju- piter, he took pity on his victims and led them to his own house, where Cecilia was MAY. MAYOK. 563 instrumental in his conversion ; where- upon he and all his’' house were at once baptised. When Valir'ian and Tibur'ce were put to death, Maximus declared that he saw angels come and carry them to heaven, whereupon Alma'- chius caused him to be beaten with whips of lead ‘Hil he his lif gan lete.” — Chaucer, Secounde Nonnes Tale^ May. A lovely girl who married January, an old Lombard baron, sixty years of age. She had a liaison with a young squire named Damyan, and was detected by January; but she persuaded the old fool that his eyes were to blame, and that he was labouring under a great mistake, the effect of senseless jealousy. January believed her words, and ^‘who is glad but he ? ” for what is better than ‘^a fruitful wife, and a confiding spouse?” — Chaucer, The Marchaundes Tale^^ line 9,121, &c. May is not derived from Maia, the mother of Mercury, as the word existed long before either Mercury or Maia had been introduced. It is the Latin Maius, i.e., Magius, from the root mag, same as the Sanskrit mah, to grow ; and means the growing or shooting month. May unlucky for weddings. This is a Eoman superstition. Ovid says, '^The common people profess it is unlucky to marry in the month of May” (Fast., v. 490.). In this month were held the festivals of Bona Dea (the goddess of chastity) and the feasts of the dead. May-day. Polydore Yirgil says that the Roman youths used to go into the fields and spend the Calends of May in dancing and singing, in honour of Flora, goddess of fruits and flowers. The e.arly English consecrated May-day to Robin Hood and the Maid Marian, because the favourite outlaw died on that day. Stow says the villagers used to set up May-poles, and spend the day in archery, morris-dancing, and other amusements. May-duke Cherries. Medoc, a district of France, whence the cherries first came to us. May Meetings. A title applied to the annual gatherings, in May and June, of the religious and charitable societies, to hear the annual reports, and appeals in behalf of continued or increased support. Tho chief are the British Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Females, British and Foreign Bible Society, British and Foreign School, Children’s Refuge, Church Home Mission, Church Missionary Society, Church Pastoral Aid Society, Clergy Orphan Society, Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy, Destitute Sailors* Asylum, Field Lane Refuge, Governesses Benevolent Institution, Home and Colo- nial School Society, Irish Church Mis- sionary Society, London City Mission, Mendicity Society, National Temperance League, Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews, Ragged School Union, Religious Tract Society, Royal Asylum of St. Anne’s, Sailors’ Home, Sunday School Union, Thames Church Mis- sionary Society, United Kingdom Band of Hope, Wesleyan Missionary Society, with many others of similar character. May-pole. The races in the Dun- ciad ” take place where the taU May- pole overlooked the Strand.” On the spot now occupied by St. Mary-le- Strand, anciently stood a cross. In the place of this cross a May-pole was set up by J ohn Clarges, a blacksmith, whose daughter Ann became the wife of Monk, duke of Albemarle. It was taken down in 1713, and replaced by a new one erected opposite Somerset House. This second May-pole had two gilt balls and a vano on its summit. On holidays the pole was decorated with flags and garlands. It was removed in 1718, and sent by Sir Isaac Newton to Wanstead Park, to sup- port the largest telescope in Europe. {See Undershaft.) Captain Baily employed four hackney coaches, with drivers in liveries, to ply at the Maypole in the Strand, fixing his ovm rates, about the year 1634. Baily’s coaches seem to have been the first of what are now called hackney coaches. — iVote I,** The Tatler” iv., p. 415. May-pole. The duchess of Kendal, mistress of George I. ; so called because she was thin and tall as a May-pole. Mayeux. The stock name in French plays for a man deformed, vain and licentious, brave and witty. Maying. To go a-maying is to go a-haymaking. (Saxon, mdwan to mow- grass. Hence, math, a mowing ; as after-math, the crop which comes up after the hay-harvest.) It is also used for making the May-day holiday. {See May-day.) Mayor. The cup and sword of the lord mayor of London were given to Sir K K 2 MAYORS. MEALS. .■SG4 ■William Walworth by Richard II. for killing Wat Tyler. In The Nine Wor- thies of London” (1592) we are told that tbe mayor first arrested and then stabbed the rebel chief, for which deed— A costly hat his Highness likewise gave, That London’s “ maintenance ” might ever be ; A sword also he did ordain to have, T^liat should be carried still before the mayor Whose worth deserved succession to the chair. R. Johnson. (1592.) Mayor of London has the title of ■^^Lord,” and is also termed “ The Right ^Honourable.” These titles were first I allowed him by Edward III. in 1354. Mayors of the Palace {Maire du /Balais). Superintendents of the king’s household, and stewards of the royal leudes or companies of France before the accession ©f the Carlo vingian dynasty. Being chief magistrates they were called Mord-domes (judges of murder), a word (Corrupted by the Romans into Major domuSf and this Latin was subsequently translated into the French Maire du Lpalais. Maz'arinades (4 syl.). Violent ^publications issued against Mazarin, the French minister (1650, &c.). Mazeppa (Jan) historically was hetman of the (lossacks. He was born of a noble Polish family in Podolia, and ‘became a page in the court of Jan dasimir, king of Poland. While in this (capacity he intrigued with There'sia, the young wife of a Podolian count, who discovered the amour, and had the young jpage lashed to a wild horse, and turned ^adrift. The horse rushed in mad fury, mnd dropped down dead in the Ukraine, where Mazeppa was released by a Cos- .«ack family, who nursed him carefully in their own hut. In time he became secretary to the hetman, and at the death of the prince was appointed his suc- cessor. Peter I. much admired his energy of character, and created him prince of the Ukraine, but in the wars with Sweden Mazeppa deserted to Charles XII., and :f ought against Russia at the battle of Ihilto'wa. After the loss of this battle, Mazeppa fled to Valentia, and then to Bender. Some say he died a natural death, and others that he was put to death for treason by the czar. Lord Byron makes Mazeppa tell his tale to i Charles after the battle of Pultowa. ! < 1640 - 1709 ). I Mazer. A cup ; so called from the British mamrn (maple) ; like our copus- cups in Cambridge, and the loving-cup of the London corporation. “ Bring hither,’* he said, ** the mazei'S four My noble fathers loved of yore.” Sir Walter Scott, ** Lord of the Isles." Ma.z'ikeen or Shedeem. A species of beings in Jewish mythology exactly resembling the Arabian Jinn or genii, and said to be the agents of magic and enchantment. When Adam fell, says the Talmud, he was excommunicated for 130 years, during w’hich time he begat demons and spectres, for it is written, “ Adam lived 130 years and (^.e., before he) begat children in his own image ” (Gen. V. 3). — Rabbi Jeremiah b&n Eliezar. And the Mazikeen shall not come nigh thy tents. Fsalm xci 5 [Chaldee version). Sicells out like the Mazikeen ass. The allusion is to a Jewish tradition that a servant, whose duty it was to rouse the neighbourhood to midnight prayer, found one night an ass in the street, which he mounted. As he rode along the ass grew bigger and bigger, till at last it towered as high as the tallest edifice, where it left the man, and where next morning he was found. Mazzi'ni-ism. The political system of Giuseppe Mazzi'ni, the Daniel O’Con- nell of Italy, who filled almost every sovereign and government in Europe with a panic- terror. His plan was to establish secret societies all over Europe, and organise the several governments into federated republics. He was the founder of what is called Young Italy,” whose watchwords were Liberty, Equality, and Humanity whose motto was ** God and the People and whose banner was a tri-colour of white, red, and green. (Born at Genoa, 1808.) Meals. In the fourteenth century hneakfast hour was five ; dinner, nine ; supper, four. — Chaucer's Works. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centu- ries the breakfast hour was seven ; dinner, eleven ; supper, six.— Wright, “ Domestic Manners." Towards the close of the sixteenth centur}^ dinner advanced to noon. In Ireland the gentry dined at between two and three in the early part of the eighteenth century. — ^wlft, Country Life," MEAL-TUB PLOT. MEDIEVAL, 5G5 Meal-tub Plot. A plot by Danger- field against James, duke of York, in 1679 ; so called because the scheme was kept in a meal-tub in the house of Mrs. Cellier. Dangerfield subsequently con- fessed the whole affair was a forgery, and was both whipped and condemned to stand in the pillory. Mealy-mouthed is the Greek meli- muthos (honey-speech). Dr. Johnson says when the mouths of animals are sore they are fed with meal ; if this were the derivation, mealy-mouthed should mean having a sore mouth. Mean'der (3 syl.). To wind; so called from the Meander, a winding river of Phrygia. The “Greek pattern” in embroidery is so called. Measure for Measure {Shake- speare). The story is taken from a tale in G. Whetstone’s “Heptam'eron,” en- titled “Promos and Cassandra” (1578). Promos is called by Shakespeare “lord Angelo and Cassandra is “ Isabella.” Her brother, called by Shakespeare “Claudio,” is named Andru'gio in the story. A similar story is given in Gio- vanni Giraldi Cinthio’s third decade of stories. Meat, Bread. Thes^ words tell a tale ; both mean food in general. The Italians and Asiatics eat little animal food, and with them the word bread stands for food; so also with the poor, whose chief diet it is; but the English consume meat very plentifully, and this word, which simply means food, almost exclusively implies animal food. In the banquet given to Joseph’s brethren, the viceroy commanded the servants “to set on bread” (Gen. xliii. 31). In Ps. civ. 27 it is said of fishes, creeping things, and crocodiles that God giveth “them their meat in due season.” (Greek broo^ to eat ; Welsh food; Saxon, mcete.) To carry off meat from the graves— i.e., to be poor as a church mouse. The Greeks and Homans used to make feasts at cer- tain seasons, when the dead were sup- posed to return to their graves. In these feasts the fragments were left on the tombs for the use of the ghosts, and only the poorest of the poor would venture to rob these ghosts of their scraps. Mec {French). Slang for king, gover- nor, master; miquard, a commander; miquery to command. All these are do' rived from the fourbesque word maggio^ which signifies God, king, pope, doctor, seigneur, and so on, being the Latin major. Mecca’s Three Idols. Lata, Alo’za^ and Menat, all of which Mahomet over- threw. Meche {French). II y a mlche, the' same as “ II y a moyen ;” so the negative- II n'y a pas meche, there is no possibility. The “ Dictionnaire du Bas-langage” says ; “ Dans le langage typographique, lorsque- des ouvriers viennent proposer leurs- services dans quelque imprimerie, ils demandent s'il y a meche — i.e., si Ton pent les occuper. Les compositeurs deman- dent ‘ s’il y a meche pour la casse,’ et: les pressiers demandent ' s’il y a meche- pour la presse.’ ” (Vol. ii., p. 122.) Soit mis dedans ceste caverne Pe nul honneur il n’y a maiche. '*Moralite de In Vendition de Joseph.^^ Medam'othi (Greek, never in any^ place). The island at which the fleet of Pantag'ruel landed on the fourth day of their voyage, and where they bought many choice curiosities, such as the pic- ture of a man’s voice, echo drawn to life^ . Plato’s ideas, the atoms of Epicu'ros, a sample of Philomela’s needlework, and other objects of vertu which could b© obtained in no other portion of the globe,< — Rabelais, “ Pantagruclj* iv. 3. Medard {St). Master of theKaia. St. Medard was the founder of the rose- prize of Salency in reward of merit. Th© legend says, he was one day passing over a large plain, when a sudden shower fell, which wetted every one to the skin except St. MMard ; he remained dry as a toast,, for an eagle had kindly spread his wings for an umbrella over him, and ever after he was termed Maitre de la Pluie. S’il pleut le jour de la S. Medard (S designed to show the folly of aspiring to the height of wisdom. Mem'orable. The Ever Memorable. John Hales, of Eton. (1584-1656.) Mem'ory. Magliabechi, of Florence, the book-lover, was called ^^the universal index and living cyclopsedia.’^ (1633- 1714.) Bard of Memory. Samuel Rogers, author of Pleasures of Memory.’*' (1762-1855.) Men are but Children of a Larger Growth. — Dry deny All for Love^*' iv. 1. Men in Buckram. Hypothetical men existing only in the brain of the imaginer. The allusion is to the vaunt- MEN OF KENT. MERCHANT OF VENICE. 569- ing- tale of Sir John Falstaff to prince H en ry. — Shakespeare, ‘ ‘ 1 Henry I V. act ii., s. 4. Men of Kent. {See Kent.) Me'nah.. A large stone worshipped by certain tribes of Arabia between Mecca and Medi'na. This stone, like most other Arabian idols, was demolished in the eighth year of the flight.” The menah” is simply a rude large stone brought from Mecca, the saered city, by certain colonists, who wished to carry with them some memento of the Holy Land. Menal'cas. Any shepherd or rustic. The name figures in the Eclogues of Vir- gil and the Idyls of Theoc'ritos. Me'flam. A river of Siam, on whose banks swarms of fire-flies are seen. MenamTjer. A rocking- stone in the parish of Sithney (Cornwall) which a little child could move. The soldiers of Cromwell thought it fostered supersti- tion, and rendered it immovable. Mendo'za, the Jew. A prize-fighter who held the belt at the close of the last century, and in 1791 opened the Lyceum in the Strand to teach ^‘the neble art of boxing.” Menela'os (4 syl.). King of Sparta. The elopement of his wife Helen with Paris brought about the Siege of Troy. Mene'via. St. David’s (Wales). A corruption of Henemenew, its old British name. Meng-tse. The fourth of the sacred books of China; so called from its author. Latinised into Mencius. It is by far the best of all, and was written in the fourth century B.c. Confucius or K6ng-foo-tse wrote the other three: viz., Ta-heo {School of A dulls), Qh.ong-yoiig {The Golden Mean), and Lun-yu (or Book of Maxims). Mother of Meng, A Chinese expres- sion, meaning *^an admirable teacher.’* Meng’s father died soon after the birth of the sage, and he was brought up by his mother. {Died B.C. 317.) Me'nie (2 syl.). A contraction of Marianne. And maun I still on Menie doat. And bear the scorn that's in her e’e ? Burns. Menip'pos, the cynic, called by Lii-- cian the greatest snarler and snapper' of all the old dogs ” {cynics). Men'nonites (3 syl.). The followers^ of Simons Menno, a native of Friesland, who modified the fanatical views of the- Anabaptists. (1496-1561.) Men'struum means a monthly dls^- solvent (Latin, mensis), from the notion of the alchemists that it acted only at the full of the moon. All liquors are called menstruums -which are used> as dissolvents, or to extract the virtues of ingredients- by infusion or decoction. — Quincy. Mentor. A guide, a wise and faith- ful counsellor ; so called from Mentor, friend of Ulysses, whose form Minerva assumed when she accompanied Telema- chos in his search for his father. — Fenelon, . Telemaqtie.** Me'nu. Son of Brahma, whose in^ stitutes are the great code of Indian i civil and religious law. Mephib'oshetli, in the satire oB ^'Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden>! and Tate, is meant for Pordage. Mephistoph'eles. A sneering, jeering, leering tempter. The character is that of a devil in Goethe’s Faust.” He is next in rank to Satan. Mepliistopli'iHs. The attendanfe.5 demon in Marlowe’s Faustus.” There is an awful melancholy about Marlowe’s “ Mephistcphelis, perhaps more expressive than the malignant mirth of that fiend in the renowned work of Goethe.— Hallam. Mepliostopll'ilus. The familiar of Dr. Faustus. The legends of Faustus were at one time so popular that Mephos- tophilus was a common jocular term of’ address. How now, Mephostophilus ? Shakespeare, "Merry Wives of Windsor,” i. 1 . Mercador Amante-the basis of * our comedy called ‘^The Curious Imper- tinent” — was by Caspar de Avila, a Spaniard. Merca'tor’s Projection is Merca- tor’s chart or map for nautical purposes^ . The meridian lines are at right angles to • the parallels of latitude. It is so called because it was devised by Gerhard Kauffmann, whose surname Latinised is^ Mercator {Merchant). (1512-1594.) Merchant of Venice {Shakespeare). The story is taken from the Gesta Roma- 570 MERCIA, MERMAIDS. iio'rum.’* The tale of the bond is chapter xlviii., and that of the caskets is chapter xcix. Much of the other part of the story is very like a novelletti of Ser. Giovanni. (14th century.) Mer'cia. The eighth and last kingdom of the heptarchy, between the Thames and the Humber. It was the mere or boundary of the Saxons and free Britons of Wales. Mercu^rial. Light-hearted and gay, Mke those born under the planet Mercury. — Astrological notion, Mercuriale (4 syl., French). An harangue or rebuke ; S(»> called from Mercuriale, as the first W ednesday after the great vacation of the Parliament under the old French r^ime used to be called. On this day the house discussed grievances, and reprimanded members for misconduct. Mer'eury. Images of Mercury, or .rather shapeless posts with a marble head of Mercury on them, used to be erected by the Greeks and Romans where two or more roads met, to point out the way,— Juvenal, viii. 53. You cannot make a Mercury of every log (Non ex quovis ligno Mercurius fit). That is, not every mind will answer equally well to be traiued into a scholar. The proper wood for a statue of Mercury was box-wood— ^^vel quod hominis pulto- rem prse se ferat, vel quod materies sit omnium maxime seterna.” — Erasmus. Mercury in astrology signifieth sub till men, ingenious, inconstant ; rymers, poets, advocates, orators, phylosophers, arithmeticians, and busie fellowss.’* Mercu'tio. A kind-hearted, witty nobleman, kinsman to the prince of Vero'na, in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.” Being mortally wounded by Tybalt, he was asked if he were hurt, and replied A scratch, a scratch ; marry, ’tis enough.” The Mercutio of actors. Lewis, who displayed in acting the combination of the fop and real gentleman. Mercy. A young pilgrim who accom- panied Christiana in her pilgrimage to mount Zion. When she came to the Wicket-gate she swooned from fear of being refused admittance. Mr. Brisk proposed to her, but being told that she was poor, forsook her, and she was after- wards married, in the house of Gains, to Matthew, the eldest son of Christian and Christiana. — Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress," pt. ii. Mereditli (Owen). The pseudonym of Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton, author of Chronicles and Characters,” in verse. (1834.) Meri'no SLeep. Sheep under a meH'no or overseer of pasture lands. Merioneth ( Wales) is maermaeth (a dairy farm). Merlan(i^Venc^). A whiting, orahair- dresser. Perruquiers are so called be- cause at one time they were covered with flour like whiting prepared for the frying- pan. M’adreesantaun merlan qui filait une perruque sur un peiijne de fer.— Chateaubriand, "Memoirea d' Outre- Tov/ibe." Merlin. Prince of Enchanters ; also the name of a romance. He was the son of a damsel seduced by a fiend, but Blaise baptised the infant, and so rescued it from the power of Satan. He died spell-bound by his mistress Vivian, in a hawthom-bush. (See Spenser’s “ Fafery Queen,” Tennyson’s ‘‘ Idyls of the King,” and Ellis’s Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances.”) The English Merlin. Lilly, the astro- loger, who published two tracts under the assumed name of ‘^Merlinus An'- glicus.” Merlo or Melo (Juan de). Born at Castile in the fifteenth century. ’ A dis- pute having arisen at Esalo'na upon the question whether Hector or Achilles was the braver warrior, the marques de Ville'na called out in a voice of thunder. Let us see if the advocates of Achilles can fight as well as prate.” Presently there appeared in the midst of the assem- bly a gigantic fire-breathing monster, which repeated the same challenge. Every one shrank back except Juan de Melo, who drew his sword and placed himself before the king (Juan II.) to protect him, for which exploit he was appointed alcayde of Alcala la Real (Granada). — Chronica de Don Alvaro de Lu'oa." Mermaids. Sir James Emerson Tennent, speaking of the dugong, an herbivorous cetacea, says, Its head has a rude approach to the human outline, MEROPE. MERVEILLEUSE. 571 :and the mother while suckling her youDg holds it to her breast with one flipper, as a woman holds her infant in her arm. If disturbed she suddenly dives under water, and tosses up her fish-ldke tail. It is this creature which has probably given rise to the tales about mermaids.” Mermaid. Mary, queen of Scots; so called because of her beauty and intem- iperate love. Oberon says to Puck — Thou remember’st Since once I sat upon a promontory And heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back [(S/ie married the Dauphin of France."\ Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath That the rude sea grew civil at her song, iThe “ rude sea ” means the Scotch re&eZs.l And certtdn stars sh t madly from their spheres To hear the sea-maid’s music. IThe earl of Northumberland, the earl of Westmoreland, andthe duke of Norfolk forg t their allegiance to Elizabeth out of love to Miry. Shakespeare, '* Midsummer Night’s Dream,” ii. 1. Mermaid’s Glove. The largest of British sponges, so called because its 'branches resemble fingers. Mer'ope. One of the Pleiads ; dimmer than the rest, because she married a mortal. Merovin'pan Dynasty. The dynasty of Mero'vius, a Latin form of Mer-wig (great warrior). Similarly Louis is Clovis, and Clovis is Clot-wig (noted warrior). Merry [BaxotC). The original meaning ’is not mirthful, but active, brisk ; hence gallant soldiers were called “ merry men favourable weather, merry wea- ther brisk wind, a merry gale London was merry London England, merry England Chaucer speaks of the merry organ at the mass Jane Shore is called by Pennant the merry •concubine of Edward IV.” {See Merry- MEN.) Merry Andrew. So called from Andrew Borde, physician to Henry VIII., &c. To vast leanaing he added great •eccentricity, and in order to instruct the people used to address them at fairs and •other crowded places in a very ad cap- tandum way. Those who imitated his wit and drollery, though they possessed not his genius, were called Merry An- drews, a term now signifying a clown or buffoon. Andrew Borde Latinised his name into Andreas Perfora' tus. (1500- 1549.) Prior has a poem on Merry Andrew. ” Merry Dancers. The northern lights, so called from tkeir undulatory motion. The French also call them chevres dai^^antes (dancing goats). Merry Dun of Dover. A large mythical ship, which knocked down Calais steeple in passing through the Straits of Dover, and the pennant, at the same time, swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs into the sea. The masts were so lofty that a boy who ascended them would grow grey before he could reach deck again . — Scandinavian mytho- logy. Merrie England may probably mean illustrious,” from the old Teutonic mer (famous). According to R. Ferguson, the word appears in the names Marry, Merry, Merick ; the French Mera, Me- reau, Merey, Meriq ; and numerous others. — “ Teutonic Name-System,^* p. 368. {See above Merry.) Merry-men. A chief calls his followers his merry-men, either brisk, active ” {see Merry), or ‘‘ illustrious, re- nowned.” (See above.) Mr. Mem'yman, the clown or mounte- bank at fairs, means Mr. Funny-man, or the man whose business it is to create a laugh. Merry Monarch* Charles II. (1630, 1660-1685.) Merse. Berwickshire was so called because it was the mere or frontier of England and Scotland. Mersenne (2 syl.). The English Mersenne. John Collins, mathematician and physicist, so called from Marin Mersenne, the French philosopher (1624- 1683). Merton CJoUege. Founded by Walter de Merton, bishop of Rochester, and lord high chancellor in 1264. Merton (Towimy). One of the chief characters in the tale of “ Sandford and Merton,” by Thomas Day. Meru. A fabulous mountain in the centre of the world, 80,000 leagues high, the abode of Vishnu, and a perfect paradise. It may be termed the Indian Olympos. Merveilleuse (3 syl., French). The sword of Doolin of Mayence. It was so 572 MESMElilSM. METROPOLITAN. sharp that when placed edge downwards it would cut through a slab of wood wdthout the use of force. Mes'merism. So called from Fried- rich Anton Mesmer, of Mersburg, in Suabia, who introduced the science into Paris in 1778. (1734-1815.) Mesopota'mia. The true ‘^Mesopo^ ta'mia"^ ring (‘^London Review”)— something high-sounding and pleasing, but wholly past comprehension. The allusion is to the story of an old woman who told her pastor that she '‘found great support in that comfortable word Mesopotamia, Messali'na. Wife of the emperor Claudius of Rome. Her name has become a byeword for lasciviousness and inconti- nency. Catharine II. of Russia is called The Modern Messali'na (1729-1796). {See Marozia.) Metalo'gicus, by John of Salisbury, the object of which is to expose the absurdity and injurious effects of "wrangling,” or dialectics and meta- physics. He says, “ Prattling and quib- bling the masters call disputing or wrangling, but I am no wiser for such logic.” Metamor'phic Eocks. Those rocks, including gneiss, mica-schist, clay- slate, marble, and the like, which have become more or less crystalline. They were once considered the fundamental strata of the earth’s crust. IVtet'aph-Or (Greek, a transfer). It means that the idea is to be transferred from the visible word to the thing signi- fied. Thus, when our Lord called Herod a foXf we are to carry our thoughts from the animal (fox) to the idea -which that animal suggests, viz., cunning and deceit. Metaphysics (Greek, after physics). The disciples of Aristotle thought that matter or nature should be studied before mind. The Greek for matter or nature is physis, and the science of its causes and ei~ fectsphysics. Meta-physics is the Greek for "after-physics.” Sir James Mackintosh takes a less intentional view of the case, and says the word arose from the mere accident of the compilers who sorted the treatises of Aristotle, and placed that upon mind and intelligence after that upon matter and nature. The science of metaphysics is the consideration of things- in the abstract, that is, divested of their accidents, relations, and matter! Metasta'sio. The real name o£ this Italian poet was Trapassi (death). He was brought up by Gravina, who Grecised the name. (1698-1782.) Methodical. 3Iost M ethodical Doctor'. John Bassol, a disciple of Duns Scotus.. r-1347.) Meth'odists. A name originally given (1729) by a studey.t of Christ Church to the brothers Wesley and their clique, who used to assemble on given evenings for religious conversation. As the physicians of Rome termed method' id reduced the practice of medicine to a system, so these Wesleyans made all their conduct and all their engagements square with their religious duties. Primitive Methodists. Founded by Hugh Bourne. (1772-1852.) Meth'uen Treaty. A commercial treaty between England and Portugal, negotiated by Paul Methuen, in 1703, whereby the Portuguese wines were- received at a lower duty than those of France. This treaty was abandoned in 1836. Meton'ic Cycle. A cycle of nine- teen years, at the end of which period the new moons fall on the same days of the year, and eclipses recur. Discovered by Meton, B.c. 432. Metra. Qu^en dit Metra (Louis XVI. )-? Metra was a noted news-vender of Paris before the Revolution — a notability with a cocked hat, who went about with his hands folded behind his back. Metroporitan. A prelate who has suffragan bishops subject to him. The two metropolitans of England are the two archbishops, and the two of Ire- land the archbishops of Armagh and Dublin. In the Roman Catholic Church of Great Britain, the four archbishops of Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam are metropolitans. The word does not mean the prelate of the metropolis in a secular sense, but the prelate of a " mother city” in an ecclesiastical sense— L 6., a city which is the mother or ruler of other cities. Thus, the bishop of London is the prelate of the metropolis, but not a metropolitan. The archbishop of Can- terbury is metropoUta' nv^ et primus totiu$ METTRE. MICHEL. 573 Anglix, and the archbishop of York primus et irietropolita/ nus Anglix. Mettre de la Faille dans ses Souliers or Mettre du Join dons ses 'hottes. To amass money, to grow rich, especially by illicit gains. The reference is to a practice in the sixteenth century followed by beggars to extort alms. Des qnemands et belistres qui, pour abuser le iQfionde, mettentde la paille en leurs soaliers.— ipiement du Caiholiconp ch. ix. Me'um and Tu'um. That which be- longs to me and tha.t which is another’s. Meum is Latin for what is mine,” and ■tiium is Latin for what is thine.” If a man is said not to know the difference between meum and tuum^ it is a polite way of saying he is a thief. Meum est propos'itum in tabenia moji” A famous drinking song, by Walter Mapes, who died in 1210. Mews. Stables ; but properly a place for hawks on the moult. The muette was an edifice in a park where the officers of venery lodged, and which was fitted up with dog-kennels, stables, and hawkeries. They were called mueties from mue (the slough of anything), especially the horns shed by stags, which were collected and kept in these enclosures. — Lacomhe, ** Dictionnaire Portatifdes Beaux Arts.” MexitTi. Tutelary god of the Aztecs, in honour of whom they named their ompire Mexico. — Southey. Mezen'tius. King of the Tyrrhe'- nians, who put criminals to death by tying them face to face with dead bodies. So says Virgil, ‘'J3neid,” viii. 485. Thisis like Mezentius In Virgil .... such critics are like dead coals, they may blacken, but cannot burn. —Broom, Preface to “ Poems.** Mezzo Relie'vo {med^zo rel-e-a'vo). Moderate relief {Italian). This is applied to figures which project more than those of Basso Relievo {q.v.), but less than those of Alto Relievo {q.v.). Mezzo Tinto (Italian, medium tint). So engravings in imitation of Indian-ink drawings are called. Mezzora'mia. An earthly paradise somewhere in Africa, but accessible by only one narrow road. Gaudentio di Lucca discovered this secret road, and resided in this paradise for twenty-five years . — Simon Berington, ** Gaudentio di Lucca.” Micawber {Mr. Willdns). A great speechifier and letter-writer, projector of bubble schemes sure to lead to fortune, but always ending in grief. Notwith- standing his ill success he never de- spaired, but felt certain that something would ^^turn up” to make his fortune. Having failed in every adventure in the old country, he emigrated to Australia, where he became a magnate . — DichenSf David Copperfield” Micawberism. Conduct similar to that of Mr. Micawber’s. {See above.) Mi'cliael. Prince of the celestial armies, commanded by God to drive the rebel angels out of heaven. Ga'briel was next to him in command. {See Seven Spirits.) Longfellow, in his Golden Legend,” says he is the presiding spirit of the planet Mercury, and brings to man the gift of prudence. The planet Mercury, whose place Is nearest to the sun in space. Is my allotted sphere ; And with celestial ardour swift I bear upon mv hands the gift Of heavenly prudence here. “ The Miracle Play,’* iii. St. Michael., in Christian art, is s(?me- times depicted as a beautiful young man vdth severe countenance, winged, and either clad in white or armour, bearing a lance and shield, with which he combats a dragon. In the final judgment he is represented with scales, in which he weighs the souls of the risen dead. Michael Angelo. The Michael- Angelo of Battle-scenes. Michael- Angelo Cerquozzi, a native of Rome, famous for his battle-scenes and shipwrecks. (1600- 1660.) Michel- Ange des Bamhoches. Peter van Laar, the Dutch painter. (1613-1673.) Michael Angelo of Music. Johann Christoph von Gluck, the German mu- sical composer. (1714-1787.) Michael Angelo of Sculptors. Pierre Puget, the French sculptor (1623-1694). Also Michael Slodtz (1705-1764). Michal in the satire of “Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, is meant for queen Catharine, wife of Charles II. As Charles II. is called David in the satire, and Michal was David’s wife, the name is appropriate. Michel or Cousin Michouel. A Ger- man. Michel means a dolt ; thus the 574 MICHING MALLECHO. MID-LENT. French call a fool who allows himself to be taken in by thimble-rigs and card tricks miJcel. In old French the word mice occurs, meaning a fool. {See Michon.) L’ Anglais aime ^ Strc represents comma un J ohn Bull ; pour nous, notre type est I’Allemand Michel, qui reeoit une tape par derridre et qui deman^e en- core ; *• Qu’y a-t-il pour votre service Dr. TFeder, *‘De VAllemaone/' dbe. Miching Mallecho. A veiled re- buke ; a bad deed probed by disguised means. To mich or meech means to skulk or shrink from sight. MicJiers are poachers or secret pilferers. Malecho is a Spanish word meaning an evil action as a personified name it means a* male- factor. — Hamlet” iii. 2. The ^'quarto” reads munching Mallico; the “ folio ” has miching malicho. Q. -The Spanish mu' cho malh^cho fmuch mischief) ? Michon, according to Cotgrave, is a block, dunce, dolt, jobbernol, dullard, loggerhead.” Probably michon, Mike (an ass), miJcel, and cousin Michel, are all from the Italian miccio, an ass. (See Mike.) Microcosm (Greek, little world). So man is called by Paracelsus and his followers, from the notion that he is the universe in miniature. The ancients considered the world as a living being ; the sun and moon being its two eyes, the earth its lody, the ether its intellect, and the sky its wings. When man was looked on as the world in miniature, it was thought that the movements of the world and of man corresponded, and if one could be ascertained, the other could be easily inferred ; hence arose the S5'’S- tem of astrology, which professed to in- terpret the events of a man’s life by the corresponding movements, &c., of the stars. (See Diapason.) Mic'romeg'as. Voltaire’s imitation of ''Gulliver’s Travels.” Mi'das. Like Midas, all he touches turns to gold. Said of a person always lucky in his speculations. Midas, king of Phrygia, requested of the gods that everything he touched might be turned to gold. His request was granted, but as his food became gold the moment he touched it, he prayed the gods to take their favour back. He was now ordered to bathe in the Pactolus, and the river ever after rolled over golden sands. Midas-eared. Without discrimi- nation or judgment. Midas, king of Phrygia, was appointed to judge a mu- sical contest between Apollo and Pan, and gave judgment in favour of the* satyr; whereupon Apollo in contempt gave the king a pair of ass’s ears. Midas hid them under his Phrygian cap, but his servant who used to cut his hair dis- covered them, and was so tickled at the "joke,” which he durst not mention, that he dug a hole in the earth, and relieved his mind by whispering in it '‘ Midas has ass’s ears.” Budaeus gives a different version. He says that Midas kept spies to tell him everything that transpired throughout his kingdom, and the pro- verb '‘that kings have long arms” wa& changed in his case to " Midas has long ears.” " Ex eo in proverbium venit, quod multos otacustas — i.e., auricularios habe- bat.” — Asse.” (See Pope, "Pro- logue to Satires.”) Midden. The kitchen midden. The- dust-bin. The farmer’s midden is the dunghill^ The word is Scotch, and pro- bably connected with mud ; Danish, mudder ; Welsh, mwydo (to wet). Middle Ages. A term of no defi- nite period, but varying a little with, almost every nation. In France it was from Clovis to Louis XI. (481 to 1461). In England, from the Heptarchy to the accession of Henry VII. (409 to 1485). In universal history it was from the overthrow of the Roman empire to the revival of letters (the 5th to the 15th century). Middlesex. The Middle Saxons — that is, between Essex, Sussex, and Wessex. Midgard. The abode of the first pair, from whom sprang the human race. It was made of the eyebrows of Ymer,^ and was joined to Asgard by the rainbow bridge called Bifrost. — Scandinavian mythology. Asgard is the abode of the celestials. Utgart is the abode of the giants. Midgard is between the two — better than Utgard, but inferior to Asgard. Midgard Sormen (earth’s monster). The great serpent that lay in the abyss at the root of the celestial ash.-^>Sca?if^i- navian mythology, Mid-Lent Sunday is the fourth Sun- day in Lent, It is called domin'ica re- MIDLOTHIAN, MILAN. 575' fectio'nis (refection Sunday), because the first lesson is the banquet given by Joseph to his brethren, and the gospel of the day is the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. In England it used to be called Mothei'ing Sunday ^ from the custom of visiting the mother or cathe- dral church on that day to make the Easter offering. Midlo'tliian. Sir Walter Scott’s “Heart of Mi^Jothian” is a tale of the Porteous mob, 'in which are introduced the interesting incidents of Effie and Jeanie Deans. Effie is seduced while in the service of Mrs. Saddletree, and is imprisoned for child -murder ; but her sister Jeanie obtains her pardon through the intercession of the queen, and mar- ries Reuben Butler. Midrasli'im (sing. MidrasJi). Jewish expositions of the Old Testament. Midsummer. ’ Tis Midsummer moon with you. You are mad. Thus Olivia says to Malvo'lio, “Why, this is very midsummer madness.” — “ Twelfth Night iii. 4. Midsummer - iNTight’s Dream. Some of the most amusing incidents of this comedy are borrowed from the “Diana” of Montemayor, a Spanish writer of pastoral romance in the six- teenth century ; and probably the “Knightes Tale” in Chaucer may have furnished hints to the author. Mids^immer- Night's Dr earn. Egeus of Athens went to Theseus, the reigning duke, to complain that his daughter Her'mia, whom he had commanded to marry Demetrius, refused to obey him, because she loved Lysander. Egeus de- manded that Hermia should be put to death for this disobedience, according to the law. Hermia pleaded that Demetrius loved Hel'ena, and that his affection was reeiprocated. Theseus had no power to alter the law, and gave Hermia four days’ respite to consider the matter, and if then she refused, the law was to take its course. Lysander proposed flight, to which Hermia agreed, and told Helena her intention ; Helena told Demetrius, and Demetrius, of course, followed. The fugitives met in a wood, the favourite haunt of the fairies. Now Oberon and Tita'nia had had a quarrel about a change- ling boy, and Oberon, by way of punish- ment, dropped on Titania’s eyes during sleep some love- juice, the effect of which is to make the sleeper fall in love with the first thing seen when waking. The first thing seen by Titania was Bottom the weaver, wearing an ass’s head. In the meantime king Oberon dispatched Puck to pour some of the juice on the eyes of Demetrius, that he might love Helena, who Oberon thought refused to requite her love. Puck, by mistake, anointed the eyes of Lysander with the juice, and the first thing he saw on wak- ing was not Hermia but Helena. Oberon being told that Puck had done his bid- ding, to make all sure dropped some of the love-juice on the eyes of Demetrius, and the first person he beheld on waking was Hermia looking for Lysander. In due time the eyes of all were disen- chanted, and all went smoothly. Lysan- der married Hermia, Demetrius married Helena, and Titania gave the boy to her lord, king Oberon. Midwife means simply a hired woman.” (AnglJ-Saxon, med-wif hired woman ; Saxon, wif; Dutch, wyf; Ger- man, weiby woman.) Midwife of men's thoughts. So Soc'rates- termed hirnself; and as Mr. Grote ob- serves, “No other man ever struck out of others so many sparks to set light to original thought.” Out of his intellec- tual school sprangPlato and the Dialectic system ; Euclid and the Megaric ; Aris- tippos and the Cyrenaic ; Antisth^nes and the Cynic ; and his influence on the mind was never equalled by any teacher but One, of whom it was said “Never man taught as this man.” Miggs {Miss). Mrs. Varden’s maid,, and the impersonation of an old shrew. — Dickens y Barnaby Rudge." Mignon. The young Italian girl who fell in love with Wilhelm Meister’s apprentice, her protector. Her love not being returned, she became insane and died. — Goethe, “ Wilhelm Meister," Mike. To loiter. A corruption of miche, to skulk ; whence, micher, a thief, and michery, theft. (Old Norse, mak, leisure; Swedish, Saxon, ’7ww^a?i,. to creep.) {See Michon.) Sh&ll the blessed son of heaven prove a micher? {loiterer).— Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry IF.," ii. 4. Mil'an. Armed in Milan steel. Milan was famous in the middle ages for its. armoury. — Froissart, iv., p.597. 676 MILANESE. MILTON. Mil'ane'se (3 syl.). A native of Milan — i.e., mi-lann. (Old Italian for 'middle-land, meaning in the middle of the Lombardian plain.) Milden'do. The metropolis of Lil- liput, the wall of which was two feet -and a-half in height, and at least eleven inches thick. The city was an exact square, and two main streets divided it into four quarters. The emperor’s palace, called Belfabo'rac, was in the centre of the city. — “ Gulliver's Travels*' ( Voyage to Lilliput, iv.). Mildew has nothing to do with -either mills or dew. It is the Gaelic mehl-tltoew (injurious or destructive blight). Mile'sian Fables. The romances •of Antonins Diog'enes, described by Photius, but no longer extant. They were greedily read by the luxurious Sybarites, and appear to have been of a very coarse amatory character. They were compiled by Aristi'des, and trans- lated into Latin by Sisen'na, about the time of the civil wars of Ma'rius and %lla. The tales of Parthe'nius Nice'nus were borrowed from them. The name is from •the Milesians, a Greek colony, the first to catch from the Persians their rage for fiction. Milesian Story or Tale. One very wanton and ludicrous. So called from the '^Milesise Fab'ulse,” the immoral tendency of which was notonous. {See 'above.) Mill. To fight ; not from the Latin miles, a soldier, but from the noun mill. Grinding was anciently performed by pulverising with a stone or pounding with the hand. To mill is to beat with the fist, as persons used to beat com with a stone. Millen'nium means simply a thou- sand years. (Latin, mille, annus. ) In Rev. XX. 2, it is said that an angel bound Satan a thousand years, and in verse 4 we are told of certain martyrs who will come to life again, and reign with Christ a thousand years.” This,” says St. J ohn, ** is the first resurrection ;” and this is what is meant by the millennium. Miller. To give one the miller is to en- gage a person in conversation till a sufiS- eient number of persons have gathered together to set upon the victim with stones, dirt, garbage, and all the arms which haste supplies a mob with. {See Mill.) More water glideth by the mill than wots the miller of (‘‘ Titus Andronicus,” ii. 1). Many things are done in a house which the master and mistress never dream of. A Joe Miller. A stale jest. John Mottley compiled a book of facetiae in the reign of James II., which he entitled Joe Miller’s Jests,” from a witty actor of farce during the time that Congreve’s plays were in vogue. A stale jest is called a Joe Miller,” implying that it is stolen from Mottley’ s compilation. (Joe Miller, 1684-1738.) Miller's eye. Lumps of unleavened flour in bread ; so called because they are little round lumps, like an eye. To put the miller's eye out. To make broth or pudding so thin that the miller’s eye would be put out or puzzled to find the flour. Miller’s Thumb. A small fish, four or five inches long, so called from its resemblance to a miller’s thumb, which was broad and round when it was employed to test the quality of flour. The fish is also called Bullhead, from its large head. Milliner. A corruption of Mil'aner ; so called from Mil'an, in Italy, which at one time gave the law to Europe in all matters of taste, dress, and elegance. Millwood {Sarah). The courtezan who enticed George Barnwell to rob his master and murder his uncle. She spent all his money, then turned him out of doors and impeached him. George Barn- well laid the case at the same time before the lord mayor, and both were hanged. — George Lillo, George Barnwell." Milo. An athlete of Croto'na. It is said that he carried through the stadium at Olympia a heifer four years old, and ate the whole of it afterwards. When old he attempted to tear in two an oak- tree, but the parts closed upon his hands, and while held fast he was devoured by wolves. Milton borrowed from St. Avi'tus his description of Paradise (book i.), of Satan (book ii.), and many other parts of Paradise Lost.” He also borrowed very largely from Du Bartas (1544-1591), MLMIR. MINISTER. f.77 ■who wrote an epic poem entitled The Week of Creation,” which was translated into almost every European language. (15 14-1591. ) St. Avitus wrote in Latin hexameters The Creation,” ‘‘The Fall,” and “The Expulsion from Paradise.” (460-525). Milton, “ Milton,” says Dryden in the preface to his “ Fables,” “ was the poeti- cal son of Spenser Milton has acknowledged to me that Spenser was his original.” Milton of Germany. Friedrich G-. Klopstock, author of “ The Messiah.” (1724-1803.) Coleridge says he is “a very German Milton indeed.” Mimir. The Scandinavian god of wisdom, and most celebrated of the giants. The Vaner, with whom he was left as a hostage, cut off his head. Odin embalmed it by his magic art, pro- nounced over it mystic runes, and ever after consulted it on critical occasions. — Scandinavian mythology. Mimir’s Well. A well in which all wisdom lay concealed. It was at the root of the celestial ash-tree. Mimir drank thereof from the horn Gjallar. Odin gave one of his eyes to be per- mitted to drink of its waters, and the draught made him the wisest of the :godiS.— Scandmavian mythology. Mimo'sa. Niebuhr says the Mimosa droops its branches whenever any one .approaches it, seeming to salute those who retire under its shade.” Mince {French'). A bank note. The •assignats of the first republic were so called, because the paper on which they were printed was exceedingly thin. — ^^Dictionnaire dnBas-Langagef ii., p. 139. Mince Pies at Christmas time are ‘emblematical of the manger in which ‘Our Saviour was laid. The paste over the “ offering” was made in form of a ■cratch or hay-rack. (ASegFLUM-PuDDiNG.) Mincing Lane {London). A cor- ruption of Mynchen Lane ; so called from the tenements held there by the mvnchens or nuns of St. Helen’s, in Bishopsgate Street. {Minicen, Saxon for a nun ; minchery, a nunnery.) Min'cio or Min'tio. The birth-place of Virgil. The Clitumnus, a river of Umbria, was the residence of Propertius ; the Aniois where Horace had a villa ; the river Meles, in Ionia, is the supposed birth- place of Homer. Littleton refers to all these in his “Monody on Miss Fortescue.’" Minden Boys. The 20th Foot, so called from their noted bravery at Mia- den, in Prussia, 1st August, 1759. Minerva. Invita Minerva, without sufficient ability ; against the grain. Thus Charles Kean acted comedy invita Minerva, his forte lying another way. Sir Philip Sidney attempted the Horatian metres in English verse invita Minerva, against the grain or genius of the lan- guage. Minerva Press. A printing esta- blishment in Leadenhall Street, London, famous about a century ago for its trashy, ultra-sentimental novels. These novels were remarkable for their complicated plots, and especially for the labyrinths of difficulties into which the hero and heroine got involved before they could get married to each other. Miniature (3 syl.). Paintings by the Miniato'ri, a set of monks noted for painting with minium or red lead. The first miniatures were the initial letters of rubrics, and as the head of the Virgin or some other saint was usually intro- duced into these illuminated letters, the word came to express a small likeness. The best miniature-painters have been Holbein, Nicholas Hilliard, Isaac Oliver and his son Peter, Thomas Flatman, Samuel Cooper and his brother Alex- ander, &c. Minims. (Latin, Fratres Min'imi, least of the brethren). A term of self- abasement assumed by an order of monks founded by St. Francis of Paula, in 1453. The order of St. Francis of Assisi had already engrossed the “humble” title of Fratres Mino'res (inferior brothers). The superior of the minims is called corrector. Minister means an inferior person, in opposition to magister, a superior. One is connected with the Latin minus, and the other with magis. Our Lord says, “ Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister,” where the anti- thesis is well preserved. The minister of a church is the man who serves the parish or congregation ; and the minister of the crown is the sovereign’s servant. Minister. Florimond de Remond, speaking of Albert Babinot, one of the disciples of Calvin, says, “He was a L L 578 MINNA TROIL. MIRACLES. student of the Institutes, read at the hall of the Equity-School in Poitiers, and was called la MinisUru^ Calvin, in allusion thereto, used to call him Mr. Minister,” whence not only Babinot but all the other clergy of the Calvinistic church were called ministers. Minna Troil. Eldest daughter of Magnus Troil, the old Udaller of Zetland. Captain Clement Cleveland (Vaughan) the pirate loved her, and Minna recipro- cated his affection, but Cleveland was killed by the Spaniards in an encounter on the Spanish main. {See Mertoun.) — Sir Walter Scott, The Pirate.” Minneha'ha {Laughing-water). The lovely daughter of the old arrow-maker of the Daco'tahs, and wife of Hiawath'a. She died of famine. Two guests came uninvited into Hiawatha’s wigwam, and the foremost said, “ Behold me ! I am Famine and the other said, Behold me ! I am Fever and Minnehaha shud- dered to look on them, and hid her face, and lay trembling, freezing, burning, at the looks they cast upon her. ‘^Ah!” cried Laughing- water, ‘'the eyes of Pauguk {death) glare upon me, I can feel his icy fingers clasping mine amidst the darkness,” and she died crying “Hia- watha ! Hiawatha ! ” — Longfellow, Hia- watha.” Min'nesangers. Minstrels. The earliest lyric poets of Germany were so called, because the subject of their lyrics was minne-sCing (love-ditty). These poets lived in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Min'ories {London). The cloister of the Minims or rather Minoresses (nuns of St. Clare). The Minims were certain reformed Franciscans, founded by St. Francis de Paula in the fifteenth century. They went barefooted, and wore a coarse black woollen stuff, fastened with a woollen girdle, which they never put off, day or night. The word is derived from the Latin min'imus (the least), in allusion to the text, “ I am less than the least of all saints” (Eph. iii. 8). Mi'nos. A king and lawgiver of Crete, made at death supreme judge of the lower world, before whom all the dead appeared to give an account of their stewardship, and receive the award vf their deeds. Mi'notaur {Mims-hull). The body of a man and bead of a bull. Theseus slew this monster. Minot'ti. Governor of Corinth,' then under the power of the doge. In 1715 the city was stormed by the Turks, and dur- ing the siege one of the magazines in the Turkish camp blew up, killing 600 men. Byron says it was Minotti himself whe fired the train, and leads us to infer that he was one of those who perished in the explosion .— Siege of Corinth.” Minstrel simply means a servant or minister. Minstrels were kept in the service of kings and princes for the en- tertainment of guests. James Beattie has a poem in Spense'rian verse, called “ The Minstrel,” divided into two books. The last minstrel of the English stage. James Shirley, with whom the school of Shakespeaj:e expired. (1594-1666.) Mint is the Latin minth-a ; so called from the fable of Menthe, daughter of Cocy'tus, who was by Proserpine changed into this plant out of jealousy. Min'mt (2 syl.). Enfants de la messe de minnit, pickpockets. Cotgrave gives “night-walking rakehells, such as haunt these nightly rites only to rob and play the knaves.” Min'ute. Make a minute of that. Take a note of it. A law term ; a rough draft of a proceeding taken down in minute or small writing is so called ; these drafts are afterwards engrossed or written out in large writing. Min'ute G-un. A signal of distress at sea, or a gun fired at the death of a distin- guished individual ; so called because a minute elapses between each discharge. Miol'ner (3 syl., the crusher). 'The magic hammer of Thor. It would never fail to hit a Troll ; would never miss to hit whatever it was thrown at; would always return to the owner of its own accord ; and became so small when not in use that it could be put into Thor’s 'gooket.— Scandinavian mythology. Mir'abel. A travelled, dissipated fellow, who is proof against all the wiles of the fair sex . — Beaumont and Fletcher,. “ Wildgoose Chase.” Miracles. Ves-pasian, the Roman emperor, is said to have cured a blind man and a cripple by his touch during his stay in Alexandria. MIRAMOLIN. MISERS, 579 MahomtHs miracles : He took a scroll of the Koran from the ho-rn of a bull ; a white dove came from heaven to whisper in his ear a message from God ; he opened the earth and found two jars, one of honey and one of milk, as emblems of al) undance ; he brought the moon from heaven, made it pass through his sleeve, and return to its place in heaven. The Abbe PaHs, or more correctly Francois de Paris, the deacon, buried at the cemetery of St. Medard. The num- berless cures performed at his tomb are said by Paley to be the best authenticated of any, except those of the Bible. Edtoard the Confessor is said to have cured scorbutic diseases with his touch. {See Thaumaturgus.) Miram'olin. The title of the em- peror of Morocco. Mir'amont. An ignorant, testy old man, an ultra-admirer of learning. — Fletcher, ‘‘ The Elder Brother.^' Miran'da. Daughter of Prospero. — Shakespeare, TempestP Mirror of Human Salvation, j An extended Bib'lia Pau'perum” {q.v.) \ with the subject of the picture explained in rhymes. Called in Latin Spec'ulum ; huma'nm salvationis.” The mirror of king Ryence. This mir- I ror was made by Merlin, and those who j looked in it saw whatever they wished to i s,QQ.— Spenser, Faery Qiieen,"' bk. iii. j Reynard's wonderful mii'ror. This mirror existed only in the brain of Master Fox ; he told the queen-lion that whoever ; looked in it could see what was done a | mile off. The wood of the frame was not I .subject to decay, being made of the same block as king Crampart’s magic horse. — : Reynard the Fox,'* ch. xii. Mirza. Emir Zadah (prince’s son). It is used in two ways by the Persians : when prefixed to a surname it is simply a title of honour, but means a prince of the blood royal when aninexed to the surname. Mis'creant (3 syl.) ^ means a false ; Ijeliever (French, mis-creance'). A term ! first applied to the Mahometans. The Mahometans in return call Christians infidels, and associate with the word all that we mean by “ miscreants.” Misers. The most renowned are : — (1) Baron Aguilar or Ephraim Lopes Pereira d’ Aguilar, born at Vienna, and died at Islington, worth £200,000. (1740-1802.) (2) Daniel Dancer. His sister lived with him, and was a similar character, but died before him. (1716-1794.) (3) Colonel O' Dogherty, though owner of large estates, lived in a windowless hut, which he entered by a ladder that he pulled up after him. His horse was mere skin and bone. He wore an old night-cap for wig, and an old brimless hat. His clothes were made up of patches, and his general appearance was that of extreme destitution. (4) Sir Harvey Elwes, who died worth £250,000, but never spent more than £110 a-year. His sister-in-law inherited £100,000, but actually starved herself to death. Her son John, M.P., an eminent brewer in Southwark, never bought any clothes, never suffered his shoes to be cleaned, I and grudged every penny spent in food. (1714-1789.) (5) Foscue, farmer-general of Langue- doc, who hoarded his money in a secret cellar, where he was found dead. (6) Thomas G%iy, founder of Guy’s Hos- pital. (1644-1724.) (7) Vulture Hopkins. (8) Dick Jarrett died worth £10,000, but his annual expenses never exceeded £6. The beer brewed at his christening was drunk at his funeral. (9) Messrs. Jardin, of Cambridge. (10) William Jennings, a neighbour and friend of Elwes, died worth £2{)0,000. (1701-1797.) (11) The Rev. — Jonas, of Blewbury. (12) John Little left behind him £40,000, 180 wigs, 173 ^ pairs of breeches, and an endless variety of other articles of clothing. His physician or- dered him to drink a little wine for his health’s sake, but he died in the act of drawing the cork of a bottle. (13) Ostervald, the French banker, who. died of starvation in 1790, possessed of £ 120 , 000 . (14) John Oveo's, a Southwark ferryman. (15) The king of Patter dale, whosevneomo^ was £800 a-year, but his expenses never- exceeded £30. He lived at the head of lake Ulleswater. His last words were,. What a fortune a man might make if he lived to the age of Methuselah !” Hsu died at the age of 89. (16) Guy Wilcochs, a female misePc. (^SeeEucLio, Harpagon, &c.) L L 2 . 580 MISERERE. MISNOMERS, Miserere. (4syl.) Our fifty-first psalm is so called. One of the evening services of Lent is called miserdre, because this penitential psalm is sung, after which a sermon ig delivered. The under- side of a folding seat in churches is called a Tiiisere're ; when turned up it forms a ledge- seat sufficient to rest the aged in a kneeling position. Misfortune will never leave me till I leave it,” was the expression of ^Charles VII., emperor of Germany. '(1742-1745.) Mishna. Instruction. A word ap- ‘plied by the Jews to the oral law. It is divided into six parts : (1) agriculture ; (2) Sabbaths, fasts, and festivals; (3) mar- riage and divorce ; (4) civil and penal laws ; (5) sacrifices ; (6) holy persons and things. The commentary of the Mishna is called the Talmud. (Hebrew, 67ia?ia, to learn.) Misnomers. Absalom means a Father'’ s Peace, a fatal name for David’s rebellious son. Acid (sour) applied in chemistry to a class of bodies to which sourness is only accidental and by no means a universal , character— -thus, rock-crystal, quartz, flint, &c., are chemical acids, though no particle of acidity belongs to them. Go to the ant, thou sluggard. {See Ants, Honeycomb.) Arabic Figures were not invented by -the Arabs, but the Indians. Baffins' Bay is no bay at all. Black Lead is a compound of carbon und iron. Black Ness means the White Head- land,” a corruption of Blanc Nez. Blind-worms are no more blind than moles are ; they have very quick and brilliant eyes, though somewhat small. Brazilian Grass does not come from Srazil, or even grow in Brazil, nor is it a grass at all. It consists of strips of a palm leaf {Chaniserops argente’a), and is chiefly ’imported from Cuba. Burgundy Pitch is not pitch, nor is it manufactured or exported from Bur- gundy. The best is a resinous substance prepared from common frankincense, and brought from Hamburg ; but by far the larger quantity is a mixture of rosin and palm-oil. Catgut is not the gut of cats, but of sheep. ^ China, as a name for porcelain, gives rise to the contradictory expressions British China, Sevres China, Dresden China. Dutch China, Chelsea China, &c. ; like wooden mile-stones, iron mile-stones, brass shoe-horns, iron pens, &c. Cuttle-bone is not bone at all, but a structure of pure chalk once embedded loosely in the substance of certain extinct species of cuttle-fish. It is enclosed in a membranous sac, within the body of the fish,” and drops out when the sac is opened, but it has no connection what- ever with the sac or the cuttle-fish. Cleopatra’ s Needle was not erected by Cleopatra, nor in honour of that queen, but by Rameses the Great. Down for adoion (the preposition) is a strange instance of caprice, in which the omission of the negative (a) utterly perverts the meaning. The Saxon dun is an upland or hill, and a-dun is its opposite— ^.e., a lowland or descent. Going down stairs, really means “ going upstairs ” or ascending ; and for descend- ing we ought to say Going a-down” — i.e., the contrary of “down ” (or up). Dutch Clocks are not of Dutch, but German (Deutsch) manufacture. Fox-glove is not the glove of the fox, but of the fays called folk—t\iQ little folk’s glove ; or else ivomfosco, red. Fusiliers. These foot-soldiers now carry Enfield rifles, and not fusils. Galvanised Iron is not galvanised. It is simply iron coated with zinc, and this is done by dipping it in a zinc bath con- taining muriatic acid. German Silver is not silver at all, nor was the metallic mixture invented by a German, but has been in use in China time out of mind. Gothic Architecture is not the archi- tecture of the Goths, but the ecclesiasti- cal style employed in England and France before the Renaissance. Honey -dew is neither honey nor dew, but an animal substance given off by certain insects, especially when hunted by ants. Honey Soap contains no honey, nor is honey in any way employed in its manu- facture. It is a mixture of palm-oil, soap, and olive-soap, each one part, with three parts of curd soap or yellow soap, scented. Hydrophobia (Greek, dread of water) applied to mad dogs is incorrect, as they will both lap water and even swim in it. Indians {American). A blunder of geography on the part of the early dis- coverers of the New World, who set their faces westward from Europe to find India, MISNOMERS. MISNOMERS. 581 and believed they had done so when they discovered America. Irish Stew, a dish unknown in Ireland. Iron-mask was made of velvet. Japan Lacquer contains no lac at all, but is made from the resin of a kind of nut-tree called Anacardiaceae. Jerusalem Artichoke has no connection with Jerusalem, but with the sunflower, girasole, which it resembles. Kensington Palace is not in Kensing- ton at all, but in the parish of St. Mar- garet, Westminster. Kid Gloves are not kid at all, but are made of lamb skin or sheep-skin. Longitude and Latitude, the great dimension and little or broad dimension of the earth. According to the ancient notion, the world was bounded on the west by the Atlantic, but extended an indefinite length eastward. It was similarly terminated on the south by the tropic of Cancer, whence it extended northwards, but this extent being much less than that east and west, was called the breadth or latitude. Louis de Bourbon, bishop of Liege, is made by Sir Walter Scott, in Quentin Durward,” an old man;” whereas he was only eighteen, and a scholar at Louvain. He made his entry into his see in a scarlet jerkin and cap set jauntily on one side.— M. Dumas, Charles the BoldP Lunar Caustic is not a substance from the moon, but is simply nitrate of silver, and silver is the astrological symbol of the moon. Lunatics are not affected by the changes of the moon more than other invalids. No doubt their disorder has its periodicities, but it is not affected by the moon. Lycopodium (club-moss). H. Fox Tal- bot thinks this should be leycopodium, from its white powder, as Lycus, a river in Asia Minor noted for its whiteness, should be Leycus,” the white river, not Lycus,” the wolf river (Greek Itikos, wolf ; leuhos, white) ; but probably the name is based on some fanciful resem- blance in the leaf to a wolfs paw. Meerschaum is not petrified ‘ ‘ sea-foam,” as the word implies, but a composition of sil'ica, magnesia, and water. Mosaic Gold has no connection with Moses or the metal gold. It is an alloy of copper and zinc, used in the ancient musivum or tesselated work. Mother of Pearl is the inner layer of several sorts of shell. It is not the- mother of pearls, as the name indicates,, but in some cases the matrix of the pearl. Natives; oysters raised in artificial beds. Surely oysters in their own natu- ral beds ought to be called the natives. Oxygen means the generator of acids,, but there are acids of which it is not the- base, as hydrochloric acid. Indeed, chemists now restrict the term acid to compounds into which hydrogen enters, and oxy-acids are termed salts. Pen means a feather. (Latin, penna, a wing. ) A steel pen is not a very choice expression. Philippe VI. of France was called le bien fortune, but never was name more inappropriate. He was defeatt d at Sluys {Slu-iz), and again at Cressy ; be lo.^t Calais ; and a fourth of all his subjects were carried off by the plague called the Black Death.” Pompefs Pillar, in Alexandria, was neither erected by Pompey, nor yet to Pompey, but either to Septimus Seve'rus or one of the caliphs. Pinissian Blue does not come from Prussia, but is the precipitate of the salt of protoxide of iron with red prussiate of potass. Rice Paper is not made from rice, but from the pith of Tung-tsau, or hollow- plant, so called because it is hollow when the pith has been pushed out. Salad Oil is not oil for salads, but, oil for cleaning sallets or salades — i.e., helmets. Salt is no salt at all, and has long been . wholly excluded from the class of bodies-^ denominated salts. Salt of Lemon is in reality a binoxalate,: of potash, with a little of the quadroxa- late. Salts. The substance of which junk ; bottles, French mirrors, window-panes, and opera glasses are made is placed among the salts, but analysts have de- clared the character of this substance to- be wholly misunderstood, if it is supposed to be a salt. Scuttle, to open a hole in a ship, means really to bolt or bar. {See Scuttle.) Sealing Wax is not wax at all, nor does it contain a single particle of wax. It is made of shellac, Venice turpentine, and cinnabar. Cinnabar gives it the deep red colour, and turpentine renders the shellac soft and less brittle. 582 MISNOMERS. MISTLETOE. Slave means noble, illustrious (slavi), but is now applied to the most ignoble and debased. {See Bakon.) Sperm Oil properly means seed oil ” (Latin, sperma)^ from the notion that it was sperma ceti (the spawn or melt of a whale). The ^^sperma-ceti” whale is the whale that gives this ^‘seed oil,” which is taken chiefly but not wholly from the head. Tuhe-rose is no rose, but the tuberous polianth {Polianthes tuhero'sa). Turkeys do not come from Turkey, but North America, through Spain, or India. The French call them ^‘dindon” — i.e.^ dlnde or coq Tlnde^ a term equally in- correct. Turkey Rhuharh neither grows in Tur- key, nor is it exported from Turkey. It grows in the great mountain chain be- tween Tartary and Siberia, and is a Rus- sian monopoly. Turkish Baths are not of Turkish origin, nor are they baths, but hot-air rooms or thermse. Vallamhro' sa. Milton says — Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks In Vallambrosa. Paradise Lost," i. 302. But the trees of Vallambrosa, being pines, do not fall thick in autumn, and the brooks are not strewed with them. Ventriloquism is not voice from the stomach at all, but from the mouth. Well-beloved. Louis XIV. A most inappropriate title for this most detest- able and detested of all kings. Whale-bone is no bone at all, nor does it possess any properties of bone. It is a substance attached to the upper jaw of the whale, and serves to strain the water which the creature takes up in large mouthfuls. Wolf s-bane, A strange corruption. Bane is the Teutonic word for all poisonous herbs. The Greeks, mistaking banes for beans, translated it kniarwos, as they did hen-bane (huos-kuamos). Now wolf’ s-bane is an aconite, with a pale- yellow flower, and therefore called ivhite- hane to distinguish it from the blue aconite. The Greek for white is leukos, hence leukos-kuamos but lukos is the Greek for wolf, and by a blunder leukos-kua'mos (white-bean) got muddled into lukos-kuamos (wolf-bean). Now comes in science to make confusion worse confounded. Botanists, seeing the absurdity of calling aconite a bean, re- stored the original word ‘'bane,” but retained the corrupt word lukos (a wolf), and hence we get the name wolf s-bane for white aconite. — H., Fox Talbot. Several other examples are given under their respective names. Mispris'ion. Concealment, neglect of. (French, mepris.) Misprision of clerks. Mistakes ih accounts arising from neglect. Misprision of felony. Neglecting to reveal a felony when known. Misprision of treason. Neglecting to disclose or purposely concealing a trea- sonable design. Miss, Mistress, Mrs. German, meister-ess (master-ess, lady master). Miss used to be written Mis, and is the first syllable of Mistress ; Mrs. is the contraction of meisteress, called Mis’ess. Even in the reign of George II. un- married ladies used to be styled Mrs., as Mrs. Lepel, Mrs. Bellenden, Mrs. Blount, all unmarried ladies. {See “Pope’s Letters.”) Early in Charles II.’s reign, Evelyn tells us that “ lewd women began to be styled Misse now Mistress is more frequently applied to them. {See Lad. ) Mississip'pi Bubble. The French “ South-Sea Scheme,” and equally dis- astrous. It was projected by John Law, a Scotchman, and had for its object the payment of the National Debt of France, which amounted to 208 millions sterling, on being granted the exclusive trade of Louisia'na, on the banks of the Missis- sippi. (1717-1720.) {See South Sea.) Mis'tletoe. Shakespeare calls it “ the baleful mistletoe” ( “Titus Androni- cus,” ii. 3), in allusion to the Scandinavian story that it was with an arrow made of mistletoe that Balder was slain. '{See below.') The word mistletoe is a corruption of mistel-ta, where mist is the German for “ dung,” or rather the “droppings of a bird,” from the notion that the plant was so propagated, especially by the missel -thrush. Ta is for tan. Old Norse tcin, meaning “ a plant” or “shoot.” Kissing under the mistletoe is a relic of Scandinavian mythology. Loki hated Balder, the Apollo of the North, and as “ everything that springs from fire, air, earth, and water” had .been sworn not to hurt the celestial favourite, the wicked spirit made an arrow of mistletoe. MISTLETOE BOUGH. MIXOX. 583 which he gave to blind Hoder to test. The god of darkness shot the arrow, and killed Balder. Being restored to life, at the urgent request of the gods and god- desses, the mistletoe was given to the goddess of love to keep, and every one who passed under it received a kiss, to show that the branch was the emblem of love, and not of death. Mistletoe Boiigli. The tale re- ferred to in this song, about lord Lovell’s daughter, is related by Rogers in his Italy,” where the lady is called ^^Gi- nevra.” A similar narrative is given by Collet in his Relics of Literature,” and another is among the Causes Celebres.” Harwell Old Hall, once the residence of the Seymour and afterwards of the Dacre family, has a similar tradition attached to it, and (according to the *‘Post Office Directory”) ''the very chest is now the property of the Rev. J. Haygarth, rector of Upham.” Mistress of the World. Ancient Rome was so called, because all the known world gave it allegiance. Mistress Roper. The Marines, or any one of them ; so called by the regular sailors, because they handle the ropes like girls, not being used to them. Mi'ta. Sister of Aude, surnamed " the Little Knight of Pearls,” in love with Sir I\Iiton de Rennes, Roland’s friend. Charlemagne greeted her after a tourna- ment with the Saracens at Fronsac, say- ing, "Rise, countess of Rennes.” Mita and Sir Miton were the parents of Mitaine (q.v .). — " Croquemitaine,’’ xv. Mitaine. Godchild of Charlemagne ; her parents were Mita and Miton, count and countess of Rennes. She went in search of Fear-fortress, and found that it only existed in the minds of the fear- ful, vanishing into thin air as it was approached by a bold heart and clear conscience. Charlemagne made her for this achievement Roland’s squire, and she followed him on her horse Vaillant to Spain, and fell in the attack at Ronces- valles.— " Croquemitaine,' pt. iii. Mite. Sir Matthew Mite. A purse- proud East Indian merchant, who gives his servants the most costly exotics, and overpowers every one witb the profusion of his wealth. Mith'ra or Mitli'ras. The highest of the twenty* eight second-class divinities of the ancient Persians, and the ruler of the universe. Sometimes used as a synonym for the sun. The word means fHend, and this deity is so called because he befriends man in this life, and pro- tects him against evil spirits after death. He is represented as a young man with a Phrygian cap, a tunic, a mantle on his left shoulder, and lunging a sword into the neck of a bull. (Sanskrit, mitram, a friend.) {See " Thebais,” i.) Mith'ridate (3 syl.). A confection said to be invented by Mithrida'tes, king of Pontus and Bithyn'ia, as an antidote to poison. It contains seventy-two in- gredients. What brave Bpirit could be content to sit in hig Bhop.. .. selling Merbridatum and dragon’s water to infected houseB.— * Knight of thi Burning Festle.” ( 1035 .) Mitre. The episcopal mitre sym- bolises the cloven tongues of fire which descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost. Mitten. The Pardoney^s mitten. Whoever put this mitten on would be sure to thrive in all things. He that hie honde put in this metaya. He shal have multiplying of his grayn, Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes. So that ye offre pans {pence) or elles grootes. Chaucer^ Prologue to “ The Pardoneres Tale.'* Mit'timus {Latin). A command in writing to a gaoler, to keep the person named in safe custody. Also a writ for removing a record from one court to another. So called from the first word of the writ, "Mittimus” {i.e., We send . . .). Mitton. The Chapter of Mitton. So the battle of Mitton was called, because so many priests took part therein. Hailes says that "three hundred ecclesiastics fell in this battle, which was fought Sep- tember 20th, So manypricBts took part in the fight that the Scots called it the Chapter of Mitton— a meeting of the clergymen belonging to a cathedral being called a chapter.— (Sir Walter Scotty Tales of a Grandfather^ x. Mixon. Better wed over the Mixon than over the Moor. A Cheshire proverb meaning, it is better to marry a Cheshire woman than a Londoner. The road to London was over the Staffordshire moor, and the Mixon is the homestead dung- heap. In its extended sense it means, it is better to marry one of your own coun- 534 MJOLNIR. MOHOCK. trywomen than to marry a foreigner. — Fuller y ‘ ‘ W orthies Mjdlnir (pron. youl-ner). Thor’s hammer. (See Miolner.) Mnemos'yne. Goddess of memory and mother of the nine kimsqb.— C lassical onyikology. Moakkibat. A class of angels, ac- cording to the Mahometan mythology. Two angels of this class attend every child of Adam from the cradle to the grave. At sunset they hy up with the record of the deeds done since sunrise. Every good deed is entered ten times by the record- ing angel on the credit or right side of his ledger, but when an evil deed is re- ported the angel waits seven hours, “ if haply in that time the evil-doer may re- pent.” — The Koran, Moat, Battle.) Mob. A contraction of the Latin moVile, vulgar (the fickle crowd). The term was first applied to the people by the members of the Green-ribbon Club, in the reign of Charles II. — ^‘Northern Examiner,'' p. 574. As moh is mobility, so nob is nobility. Mob-cap is a plain cap, the same as •mob (to dress like a slattern). Hence in ! ‘‘ Hamlet ” the Player says — But who, ah wo ! had seen the mabled queen Run bare-foot up and down.... That is, the queen dressed like a slattern, a clout upon her head, and for a robe a blanket, in the alarm of fear caught up.” Probably mop is another form of the same word, and all come from the Latin mappa (a clout), whence our word map a drawing on cloth), in contradistinction to a cartoon (a drawing on paper). Mo'bilize. To render soldiers liable to be moved on service out of the town where they live ; to qall into active ser- vice men enrolled but not bona fide on the war establishment. Mockery. It will be a delusion, a mocJcery, and a snare." Thomas lord Denman, in his judgment on the case of O’Connell u. The Queen. ModaTity in scholastic philosophy means the mode in which anything exists. Kant divides our judgment into three modalities : (1) Problematic, touching possible events ; (2) Assertoric^ touching real events; (3) Apodictic, touching ne- cessary evente. Modish [Lady Betty), in The Care- less Husband,” by Cibber. The name' explains the character. This was Mrs. Oldfield’s favourite character, and The Tatler” (No. 10) accordingly calls this- charming actress Lady Betty Modish.” (See Narcissa.) Mo'do. The fiend that urges to mur- der, and one of the five that possessed poor Tom.” (See Shakespeare, King Lear" iv. 1. Mo'dred, in the romance of ^^Tho Round Table,” is represented as the treacherous knight. He revolts from his uncle Arthur, whose wife he seduced, is mortally wounded in the battle of Camlan, in Cornwall, and is buried in the island of Avalon. Sir Modred. The nephew of king" Arthur. He hated Sir Lancelot, sowed discord amongst the knights of the- Round Table, and tampered with the- ‘‘lords of the White Horse,” the brood that Hengist left. When the king went to chastise Sir Lancelot for tampering, with the queen, he left Sir Modred in charge of the kingdom. Modred raised a revolt, and the king was slain in his attempt to quash it. — Tennyson, ^Hdylls of the King ” (Guinever'). Mo'dus Operand! (Latin). The mode of operation ; the way in which a thing is to be done. Mofus'sil (East Indies). The sub- ordinate divisions of a district ; the seat of government being called sudder. Pro- vincial. To tell a man that fatal charges have been laid against him, and refuse him an opportunity for ex- lanation, this is not even Mofussil justice.— T/ig- 'imes. Moha'di (3fohammed). The twelfth Imaun, who is said to be living in con- cealment till Antichrist appears, when he will come again and overthrow the great- enemy. Mohair. A corruption of the Ger- man mohr (a Moor). It is the hair of the Ango'ra goat, introduced into Spain by the Moors, and thence brought into. Germany. Mohak'abad' (Al). Abu-Rihan, the geographer and astronomer in the eleventh century. Mohock. A class of ruffians who at one time infested the streets of London. So called from the Indian Mohawks. MOHUN. MOLY. 585- One of their ''new inventions” was to roll persons down Snow Hill in a tub ; another was to overturn coaches on rub- bish heaps. {See Gay, " Trivia,” iii.) Mohun. Captain Hill and lord Mohun made a dastardly attack on an actor named Mountford, on his way to Mrs. Bracegirdle’s house in Howard Street. Hill was jealous of the actor, and induced the "noble lord” to join him in this "valiant quarrel.” Mount- ford died next day. Hill fled, and was never heard of more ; Mohun was tried for his life, but acquitted. (>8eeIssACHA R.) — Howell, " State Trials” vol. xii., p.947. Mohyronus {Edridus). Said to cure wounds by sympathy. He did not apply his powder to the wounds, but to a cloth dipped in the blood. Moire Antique {French) is silk, &c., moire (watered) in the antique style, or to resemble the materials worn in olden times. The figuring of tin, like frost- work or scales, is called moire metallique, Mokan'na. A name given to Ha- kem ben Haschem, from a veil of silver gauze worn by him. Moore in his "Lalla Kookh ” terms him '‘ The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan.” The history of this im- postor is given by D’Herbelot. It is said that he killed himself by plunging into a bath of aquafortis. Moliere. The Italian Holier e. Carlo Goldoni. (1707-1793.) The Spanish Molih^e. Leandro Fer- nandez Moratin. (1760-1828.) Molinism. The system of grace and election taught by Louis Molina, the Spanish Jesuit. (1535-1600.) The disciples of Molina were called Molinists. Moll Cut-purse. Mary Frith, a woman of masculine vigour, who not unfrequently assumed a man’s attire. She was a notorious thief and cut-purse, who once attacked general Fairfax on Hounslow Heath, for which she was sent to Newgate. She escaped by bribery, and died at last of dropsy in the seventy- fifth year of her age. Moll Flanders. A woman of ex- traordinary beauty, bom in the Old Bailey. She was twelve years a courtezan, five times a wife, twelve years a thief, eight years a transport in Virginia ; but ultimately grew rich, lived honestly, and died a penitent (Charles II. ’s reign).- {See Daniel Defoe’s " Moll Flanders.”) Moll Thomson’s Mark, as " Take away this bottle, it has Moll Thomson’ a- mark on it.” Moll Thomson is M.T. {empty). Moll {Kentish). Mary Carlton, com- monly known as the German Princess. . She was sentenced to transportation, but being found at large, was hanged at Ty- burn in 1672. Molly Maguires. An Irish secret society organised in 1843. The jiidKe who tried the murderer was elected by • the Molly Mai^uires ; the jurors who assisted him were themselves Molly Maguires. A score of Molly Ma- guires came forward to swear that the assassin was sixty miles from the 8i)ot on which he had been seen to tire at William Dunn and the jurors returned a verdict of Not Uuilty,— IT. Htpworth Dixon^ JS'ew America, " ii. 28. Molly Mog. This celebrated beauty was an innkeeper’s daughter, at Oaking- ham, Berks. She was the toast- of all the '• gay sparks in the former half of the eighteenth century, and died in 1766, at an advanced age. Gay has a ballad on this " Fair Maid of the Inn.” Molly Mog died at the age of sixty- seven, a spinster. Mr. Standen, of Ar- borfield, the enamoured swain alluded to < in the ballad, died 1730. It is said that Molly’s sister Sally was the greater • beauty. A portrait of Gay still hangs in the inn. MolmuTius. A mythical king of Britain, who promulgated the laws called the Molmutine, and established the privilege of sanctuary. He is alluded to in " Cj^mbeline,” iii. 1 (Shakespeare). Moloch. Any influence which de- mands from us the sacrifice of what we hold most dear. Thus, war is a Moloch, king mob is a Moloch, the guillotine was the Moloch of the French revolution, &c. The allusion is to the god of the Am- monites, to whom children were " made to pass through the fire” in sacrifice. Milton says he was "worshipped in Kabba, in Argob, and Basan to the stream of utmost Arnon .” — Paradise LostP i. Mo'ly. Wild garlic, called sorcerer’s garlic. There are many sorts, all of which flower in May, except " the sweet moly of Montpelier,” which blossoms in September. The most noted are "the- great moly of Homer,” the Indian moly, the moly of Hungary, serpent’s moly,. 586 M'OME. MONKBARNS. the yellow moly, Spanish purple moly, Spanish silver-capped moly, and Dios- cor'ides’s moly. Pope describes it and its effects in one of his odes, and Milton refers to it in his “ Com us.” (Greek, molu.) Mome {French), says Cotgrave, is a Momus, find-fault, carping fellow. So ealled from Momus, the god of raillery. Or cessent donques les momes, De mordre les escrits miens. J, du Bellay, “ d P. de Ronsard. ** lyCo'miers (French, men of mummery). An Evangelical party of Switzerland, somewhat resembling our Methodists. They arose in 1818, and made way both in Germany and France. Mommur. The realm of O'beron — Middle Age romance, Mo'mus. One who carps at every- thing. Momus, the sleepy god, was always railing and carping. He blamed Jupiter for making man without a win- dow in his breast through which his thoughts could be seen ; hence, says Dr. Grey, every unreasonable carper is called a Momus. Mo'naciello {little monh). A sort •of iifl^ubus in the mythology of Naples. It is described as a thick little man, dressed in a monk’s garment and broad- brimmed hat. Those who will follow when he beckons will be led to a spot where treasure is concealed. Sometimes, however, it is his pleasure to pull the bed-clothes off, and sometimes to sit perched on a sleeper. Monarchi'ans . A theological party of the third century, who maintained that God is one, immutable and pri- mary. Their opponents turned upon them and nick -named ilaemPatri'passians, saying that according to such a doctrine God the Father must have suffered on the cross. Mon'arcliy. Fifth-monarchy men. Those who believed that the second coming of Christ was at hand, and that at his second coming he would establish the fifth universal monarchy. The five are these : the Assyrian, the Persian, the Macedonian, the Roman, and the Millennium. IkCCondo. The spirit that favours the hunt.— Gamma in Africa, Money. Shortly after the Gallic invasion, Lucius Furius built a temple to Juno Mone'ta {i\iQ Monitress) on the spot where the house of Marcus Manlius stood. This spot of the Capitol was selected because Manlius was the first man alarmed by the cackling of the sacred geese. This temple was subse- quently converted into a mint, and the *‘ases” there coined were called moneta. Bov'ed Money, Bent coin, given as a pledge of love, Mon'gia or Mo'gia, A seaport of Galicia. — ‘‘ Orlando Furioso.’* Mon'ica. Mother of Augustine. Monim'ia, in Otway’s tragedy of The Orphan.” Sir Walter Scott says. More tears have been shed for the sorrows of Monimia, than for those of J uliet and Desdemona.” Mon'iplies {Richie). An honest, self-willed Scotchman, servant of Nigel Olifaunt, in Scott’s ^'Fortunes of Nigel.” Monitor, so the Romans called the nursery teacher. The Military Monitor was an officer to tell young soldiers of the faults committed against the service. The House Monitor was a slave to call the family of a morning, to announce meal times, and so on. Monk, in printing, is a black smear or blotch made by leaving too much ink on the part. Caxton set up his printing press in the scripto'riicm of Westminster Abbey ; and the associations of this place gave rise to the slang expressions monh and friar for black and white defects. {See Friak.) Give a man a monh (French, ^‘luy bailler le moyne”), to do one a mischief. Rabelais says that Grangousier, after the battle of Picrocho'li, asked ^^what was become of Friar John;” to which Gargantua replied, ^‘ No doubt the enemy has the monk,” alluding to the pugna- cious feats of this wonderful churchman, who knocked men down like ninepins. — Rabelais, Gargantua and Fantagruel^' bk. i. 45. Monk Lewis. Matthew Gregory Lewis is so called, from his novel en- titled The Monk.” (1773-1818.) Monk of Westminster. Richard of Cirencester, the historian. (14th century.) Monkbarns {Laird of). Mr. Jona- than Oldbuck, the antiquary.— Nir Wal-^ ter Scott, The Antiquary, MONKEY. MONSIEUR. 587 * ]yJonkey(^). £500. (i^e^MARYGOLD.) Yox(j have a monkey or the hlack mon- key on your hach—i.e.y Yow. have a fit of the sulks. Coxne down, Mack dog (Leices- tershire, &c.) — i.e., Get out of the sulks. The monkey means the devil— in ancient paintings drawn like a distorted monkey, and not unfrequently mounted on the back of the person tempted. The black dog is the devil’s imp. Monkey’s Allowance. More kicks than halfpence. The allusion is to the monkeys carried about for show ; they pick up the halfpence, but carry them to the master, who keeps ^'kicking” or ill-treating the poor creatures to urge them to incessant tricks. Monkey Board. The step behind an omnibus ou which the conductor stands, or rather skips about like a monkey. Monkey Beat. A l®ng, narrow boat. Monkey Coat. A coat with no more tail than a monkey, or more- strictly speaking, an ape. Monkey’s Money. I loill 'pay you, in monkey's money (en monnaie de singe) — in goods, in personal work, in mumbling and grimace. The French had a law that when a monkey passed the Petit Pont, of Paris, if it was for sale it was to pay four deniers {t'^vo-thirds of a 'penny) for toll ; but if it belonged to a showman and was not for sale, it should suffice if the monkey went through his tricks. It was an original by Master Charles Ch&rmois, principal painter to king Megistus {of Prancei), paid lor in court fashion with monkey’s money.— jKa6eZais, ** Gargantua and Pantagruel,” iv. 3. Mon'kir and iN’e'kir, according to Mahometan mythology, are two angels who interrogate the dead immediately they are buried. The first two questions they ask are, Who is your Lord?” and Who is your prophet?” Their voices are like thunder, their aspects hideous, and those not approved of they lash in perdition with whips half iron and half -flame. Monmouth. The town at the mouth of the Monnow. Monmouth. The surname of Henry Y. of England, who was born there. Monmouth Cap. A soldier’s cap. The solfiiers that the Monmouth wear. On castles’ tops their ensigns rear. The best caps were formerly made at Monmouth, where the capoers’ chapel doth still remain (lOG.).— Fuller, “ Worthies of Wales” p. 50. Monmouth Street {London) takes its name from the unfortunate son of Charles II., executed for rebellion in 1685. Now Dudley Street. Monnaie de Basoche. Worthless coin, coin not current, counters, “ Brum- magen halfpennies.” Coins were for- merly made and circulated by the lawyers of France, which had n© currency beyond their own community. (See Basoche.) Mono'nia (3 syl.). Munster. Remember the glories of Brien the brave, Though the days of the hero are o’er. Though lost to Mononia, and cold in the grave, Ue returns to Kitiko'ra this palace] no more- T. M<;ore, “ Irish Melodies,” jNo. i. Monoph'agous. The eater of one sort of food only. (Greek, monos phageinf) Monoph'ysites (4 syl.). A religious sect in the Levant, who maintained that Jesus Christ had only one nature, and that divine and human were combined in much the same way as the body and soul in man. (Greek, monos phusis, one nature.) Monotherism consisted in the doc- trine that although Christ has two dis- tinct natures, he never had but one will, his human will being merged in the divine. (Greek, monos-theleina, one single will. ) Monroe Doctrine. The American States are never to entangle themselves in the broils of Europe, nor to suffer the powers of the Old W orld to interfere in the affairs of the New ; and they are to ac- count any attempt on the part of the Old World to plant their systems of govern- ment in any part of North America, dan- gerous to American peace and safety. James Monroe was twice elected presi- dent of the United States (1816 and 1820). Monsieur. Philippe, due d’Orleans, brother to Louis XIV., was called M on- sieur ; other gentlemen were only Mon- sieur Thte or That. Monsieur le Goadjuteur. Paul de Gondi, afterwards Cardinal de Retz (Ress). (1614-1679.) Monsieur le Due. Henri- Jules de Bourbon, eldest son of the Prince de Conde. 5S3 MONSOON. MONTESINOS. Monsieur le Grand. The Great Equerry of France. Monsieur le Prince. Prince de Condd. (16*21-1686.) {S>ee Madame.) Monsoon is a corruption of the Malay word mooseen (year or season). For six months it is a north-east trade wind, and for six months a south-west. Monster (T/te). Eenwick Williams, a wretch who used to prowl about Lon- don, wounding respectable women with a double-edged knife. He was convicted of several offences in July, 1790. The green-eyed monster. Jealousy; so called by Shakespeare in Othello.” Beware of Jealousy ! It is a green-eyed monster that doth mock The meat it feeds on. (iii. 3.) Monsters. See each under its name, as Cockatrice, Chicivache, Chimera, Echidna, Footmonsters, &c. Mont de Piete. A pawn depot. These depots, called ‘^monti di piet^” (charity loans), were first instituted under Leo X., at Rome, by charitable persons who wished to rescue the poor and needy from usurious money-lenders. They advanced small sums of money on the security of pledges, at a rate of interest barely sufficient to cover the working expenses of the institution. Both the name and system were introduced into France and Spain. The model Loan Fund of Ireland is formed on the same system. Public granaries for the sale of corn are called in Italian Monti frumen- tarii. Monte” means a public or State loan ; hence also a ^^bank.” Mont St. Michel, in Normandy, formerly called Belen. Here nine Druidesses sold to sailors the arrows to charm away storms. The arrows had to be discharged by a young man twenty- one years old. Mont-rognon {Baron of), lord of Bourglastic, Tortebesse, and elsewhere. A huge mass of muscle, who existed only to eat and drink. He was a descendant of Esau on his father’s side, and of Gar- gantua on his mother’s. He once per- formed a gigantic feat— he ' killed 600 iSaracens who happened to get in his way as he was going to dinner. He was bandy-legged, could lift immense weights, had an elastic stomach, and four rows of teeth. In Croquemitaine he is made one of the paladins of Charlemagne, and was one of the four knights sent in search of Croquemitaine and Fear-fortress. Montagnards (the mountain party). The extreme democratic politicians in the- French Revolution ; so called because- they occupied the highest tier of benches in the hall of National Convention. The opposite party sat on the level ol the floor, called the plain,” Mon'tague (3 syl.). The head of a faction in Vero'na (Shakespeare, ‘‘ Romeo and Juliet”). The device of the family is a mountain with sharply -peaked crest {moni-agu or agu). Monta'nists. Heretics of the second century ; so called from Monta’nus, a Phrygian, who asserted that he had re- ceived from the Holy Ghost special knowledge not vouchsafed to the apostles. Montan'to. Signien' Montanto. A master of fence rather than a soldier ; a tongue- doughty knight. It is a word ol fence, and hence Ben Jonson says, Your punto, your reverse, your stoccata, your imbrocata, your passada, your montanto.”" — ** Every Man in his Humour.'' Monteer Cap. So called from montei'os d' Espinoza (mountaineers), who once formed the interior guard of the palace of the Spanish king. The way they came to be appointed is thus ac- counted for : — Sanchica, wife of Don Sancho Garcia, count of Castile, entered into a plot to poison her husband, but one of the mountaineers of Espinoza revealed the plot and saved the count’s life. Ever after the sovereigns of Cas- tile recruited their body-guards from men of this estate. Montem. A custom formerly ob- served every three years by the boys of Eton School, who proceeded on Whit- Tuesday ad montem (to a mound called Salt Hill), near the Bath Road, and exacted a gratuity called salt from all who passed by. Sometimes as much as .£1,000 was thus collected. The custom was abolished in 1847. MontesTnos {The Cave of). Close to the castle of Rochafrida, to which a knight of the same name, who had re- ceived some cause of offence at the French court, retired. Tradition ascribes the river Guadia'na to this cave as its source, whence the river is sometimes called Montesinos^ MONTETH. MONTHS. 589 Montetli'. A scolloped basin to cool and wash glasses in ; so called from its inventor. .New thincs produce new names, and thus Monteth Has by one vessel saved his uame irom death. King. Montezu'ni a’s Realm. Mexico. Montezuma, the last emperor, was seized by Cortes, and compelled to acknowledge himself a vassal of Spain (1519). Montezu'ma’s Watch. A curious stone, weighing twenty-four tons, of basaltic porphyry, in Mexico. This im- mense stone is cut into figures denoting the Mexican division of time, and may be termed their calendar. Montgomery, in North Wales ; so ■called from Hoger de Montgomery, earl ■of Shrewsbury, who won the castle of Baldwyn, lieutenant of the marches, to William the Conqueror. Before this time it was called ‘^Tre Faldwyn.” Montgomery' s division, all on one side. This is a French proverb, and refers to the Free Companies of the sixteenth century, of which Montgomery was a noted chief. The booty he took was all given to his banditti, and nothing was left to the victims. {See Lion’s Share.) Months. January.’ So called from Janus,’* the Roman deity that kept the gates of heaven. The image of Janus is repre- sented with tw@ faces looking opposite ways. One face is old, and is emblema- tical of time past ; the other is young, as the emblem of time future. The Dutch used to call this month Lauw-maand (frosty-month) ; the Saxons, Wulf-mo- nathi because wolves were very trouble- some thpn from the great scarcity of food ; after the introduction of Chris- tianity, the name was changed to Se ceftera geola (the after yule), it was also called Forma-monaih (first-month) ; in the French Republican calendar it was called Nivose (snow-month, 20th December to 20th January). February. So called from Februa,” a name of Juno, from the Sabine word Jelruo (to purify). Juno was so called because she presided over the purifica- tion of women, which took place in this month. The Dutch used to term the month>S'/9oMeZ-?7iaa7icZ(vegetation-month); the ancient Saxons, S'prote-cdl (from the sprouting of pot- wort or kele) ; they changed it subsequently to Sol-morath (from the returning sun). In the French Republican calendar it was called PluviOse (rain-month, 20th January to 20th Feb- ruary). March. So called from “Mars,” the Roman war-god and patron deity. The old Dutch name for it was Lent-maand (lengthening-month, because the days sensibly lengthen) ; the old Saxon name was Hreth-niOnath (rough month, from its boisterous winds), it was subsequently changed to Length-monath (lengthening- month), it was also called Hlyd-monaih (boisterous- month) ; in the French Re- publican calendar it was Ventdse (windy- month, 20th of February to 20th of March. ) April. So called from the Latin “aperio” (to open), in allusion to the unfolding of the leaves. The old Dutch name was Gras-maand (grass- mon bh) ; the old Saxon, Easter -monath (orient or paschal-month) ; in the French Repub- lican calendar it was Germinal (time of budding, 21st March to 19th April). May is the old Latin magius, softened to Maius, from the root mag, similar to the Sanskrit mah, to grow, and means the growing-month. The old Dutch name was Blou-maand (blossoming month); the old Saxon, Tr^-m^7c7i^ (three milch), because cows were milked thrice a day in this month. In the French Republican calendar it was called E'loreal (the time of flowers, 20th April to 20th May). June. So called from the “ junio'res” or soldiers of the state, or from Juno, the queen-goddess. The old Dutch name was Zomer-maand (summer-month) ; the old Saxon, Sere-monath (dry-month). In the French Republican calendar it was Prairial (meadow-month, 20th May to 18th June). July. Mark Antony gave this month the name of Julius, from Julius Coesar, who was born in it. It had been pre- viously called Quinti'lis (fifth-month). The old Dutch name for it was Hooy^ maomd (hay-month) ; the old Saxon, Mved-monath (because the cattle were turned into the meadows to feed) ; and in the French Republican calendar it was Messidor (harvest-month, 19th June to 18th July). August. So called in honour of Augus- tus Caesar ; not because it was his birth- month, blit because it was the month in 590 MONTHS. MONUMENTAL FIGUEES. which he took possession of his first consulship, celebrated three triumphs, received the oath of allegiance from the legions which occupied the Janic'ulum, reduced Egypt, and put an end to the civil wars. He was born in September. The old Dutch name for it was Oost~ 'inaand (harvest-month) ; the old Saxon, Weod-monath (weed-month, where -weed signifies vegetation in general). In the French Republican calendar it was Ther^ midor (hot-month, 19th July to 17th August). September. The seventh month from March, where the year used to commence. The old Dutch name was Herst-maand (autumn-month) ; the old Saxon, Gerst- ononath (barley-month), or Hosrfest- monath; and after the introduction of Christianity Halig-monath (holy-month, the nativity of the Virgin Mary being on the 8th, the exaltation of the Cross on the 14th, Holy-Rood day on the 2hth, and St. Michael’s day on the 29 th). In the French Republican calendar it was Fructidor (fruit-month, 18th August to 21st September). October. The eighth month of the Alban calendar. The Old Dutch name was Wyn-maand ; the old Saxon, W%n^ monath (wine-month, or the time of vin- tage) ; it was also called Teotha-monatk (tenth-month), and Winter -fyllethy winter full- moon). In the French Republican calendar, Vendemiaire (time of vintage, 22iid September to 21st October). November. The ninth Alban month. The old Dutch name was Slaght-maand (slaughter-month, the time when the beasts were slain and salted down for winter use); the old Saxon, Wind-monath (wind-month, when the fishermen drew their boats ashore, and gave over fishing till the next spring) ; it was also called Blot-monath — the same as Slaght- maand.” In the French Republican calendar it was Brumaire (fog-month, 22nd October to 21st November). December. The tenth month of the old Alban calendar. The old Dutch name was Winter-maand (winter-month) ; the old Saxon, Mid-wiiiter-monatli (mid- winter-month) ; whereas June was Mid- smuor-monath. Christian Saxons called December Se sera geola (the anti-yule). In the French Republican calendar it was called Frimaire (hoar-frost month, from the 22nd of November to the 20th of December). Montli’s Mind. A desire, a craving. Mr. Croft says the expression is founded on the irrational and wholly unaccount- able cravings of women in pregnancy, which commence after the first month of conception. T see you have a month’s mind to them. Shakespeare, "‘Two Gentlemen o) Verona,'^ i. a Monthawi, Al (the destroyer). One of Mahomet’s lances, confiscated from the Jews when they were exiled from Medi'na. Montjoie St. Denis. The war-cry of the French. Montjoie is a corrup- tion of Mons Jovis, as the little mounds were called which served as direction- posts in ancient times ; hence it was applied to whatever showed or indicated the way, as the banner of St. Denis, called the Orifiamme. The Burgundians had for their war-cry, Montjoie St. Andre the dukes of Bourbon, ‘‘Mont- joie Notre Dame;” and the kings of England used to have “Montjoie St. George.” There seems no sufficient reason to suppose that Montjoie St. Denis is a corruption of “St. Denis mon joie”— i.e., St. Denis is my hope. Montjoie. The cry of the French heralds in the ancient tournaments; and the title of the French king-at-arms. Montserrat'. The Catalonians aver that this mountain was riven and shat- tered at the Crucifixion. Every rift is filled with evergreens. (Latin, mons ser~ ra'tuSy the mountain jagged like a saw.) Monumental City. Baltimore, U.S., is so called, because it abounds in- monuments ; witness the obelisk, the- 104 churches, &c. Monumental Figures. No. 1. (1) Those in stone, with plain sloping- roofs, and without inscriptions, are the oldest. (2) In 1160 these plain prismatic roofs began to be ornamented. (3) In the same- century the sloping roofs gave place to armorial bearings. (4) In the thirteenth century we see flat roofs, and figures carved on the lids. (5) The next stage was an arch built over the monument to protect it. (6) The sixth stage was a chapel an- nexed to- the church. (7) The last stage was the head bound! and feet tied, with children at the base;, or chernbimsat the feet.. MONUMENTAL FIGURES. MOON. 591 Monumental Figures. No. 2. FigTires with their hands on their breasts, and chalices, represent 'priests. Figures with crozier, mitre, and ponti- ficals, represent prelates. Figures with armour represent Figures with legs crossed represent either ci'usaders or 'married men. Female figures with a mantle and large ring represent nuns. Monumental Figures. No. 3. Those in scale armour are the most ancient (time, Henry II.). Those in chain armour or ring mail come next (time, Richard I. to Henry III.). Those with children or cherubims, be- tween the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. Brasses are for the most part subse- quent to the thirteenth century. Monumental Figures. No. 4. Saints lie to the east of the altar, and are elevated above the ground ; the higher the elevation, the greater the sanctity. Martyrs are much elevated. Holy 'men not canonised lie on a level with the pavement. Founder's of chapels, &c., lie with their monument built into the wall. Monumental Effigies. In the I age of chivalry, the woman in monu- mental brasses and effigies is placed on the man’s right hand ; but when chivalry declined she was placed on his left-hand side. Till 1808, all public speakers began. Gentlemen and Ladies,” but since then the order has been Ladies and Gentle- men.” Monumental Inscriptions. Capital letters and Latin inscriptions are of the first twelve centuries. Lombardic capitals and French inscrip- tions, of the thirteenth century. German text, of the fourteenth cen- tury. English and Roman print, subsequent to the fourteenth century. Tablets against the wall came in with the Refoi-mation. Moohel. A Jew whose office it is to circumcise the young Jewish boys. Moon means ''measurer” of time (Anglo-Saxon, mOna, masc. gen.). It is masculine in all the Teutonic languages ; in the Edda the son of Mundilfori is- Mani (moon), and daughter Sol {sun ) ; so it is still with the Lithuanians and Arabians, and so was it with the ancient Mexicans, Slavi, Hindus, &c. ; so that it was a most unlucky dictum of Harris, in his " Hermes,” that all nations ascribe to the sun a masculine, and to the Moon a feminine gender. (Gothic, mena, masc. ; Sanskrit, mds, masc., from md, to measure.) The Sanskrit mdtram is an in- strument for measuring ; hence the Greek metron ; French, metre ; English, mete. Moon, represented in five different phases : (l)new; (2) full; (3) crescent, or with horns towards the east ; (4) decres- cent, or with horns towards the west ; and (5) gibbous, more than half. Moon, in pictures of the Assumption of the Virgin, is represented as a crescent under her feet ; in the Crucifixion it is eclipsed, and placed on one side of the cross, the sun being on the other ; in the Creation and Last Judgment it is also introduced by artists. Hecate. The moon before she has risen and after she has set. Astarte. The crescent moon, "the moon with crescent horns.” Diana. The moon in the open vault of heaven, who " hunts the clouds.” Cynthia. Same as Diana. Selene or Luna. The moon personified, properly the full moon, who loved the sleeping Endymion. Endymion. Moon-light on a bank, field, or garden. How sweet the Moon-light sleeps upon the hank ! Shakespeare, ’* 3Ierchant of Venice.'* Phoebe. The moon as the sister of the sun. {See Astarte, Ashtaroth, Mun, &c.) Moon. Astolpho found treasured in the moon everything wasted on this earth, such as misspent time and wealth, broken vows, unanswered prayers, fruit- less tears, abortive attempts, unfulfilled desires and intentions, &c. All bribes were hung on gold and silver hooks ; princes’ favours were kept in bellows ; wasted talent was kept in vases, each marked with the proper name ; &c. — " Orlando Furioso,*' bk. xviii. (See Rape of the Lochf c. v.) Moon. For the conversion of Hahab the Wise, Mahomet made the moon per- form seven circuits round the Caaba or holy shrine of Mec^a, then enter the right sleeve of his mantle, and go out of '592 MOON-CALF. MOP. 'the left ; at its exit it slit into two pieces, which re-united in the centre of the fir- mament. The moon is called triform'^ because ;it presents itself to us either round, or waxing with horns tov/ards the east, or waning with horns towards the west. Island of the Moon. Madagascar is so named by the natives. Minions of the Moon, Thieves who rob by mght.—See ^‘1 Henry IV.,” i. 2 (Shakespeare). Mou7itains of the Moon means simply White Mountains. The Arabs call a white horse moon-coloured.” — Jackson. He cries for the moon. He craves to have what is wholly beyond his reach. The allusion is to foolish children who want the moon for a plaything. The French say. He wants to take the moon be- tween his teeth (II veut prendre la lime avec les dents), alluding to the old pro- verb about The moon ” and a green cheese.” To cast beyond the moon. To make ex- travagant conjectures ; to cast your thoughts or guesses beyond all reason. To level oi the moon. To be very am- bitious; to aim in shooting at the moon. You have found an elephant in the moon — found a mare’s nest. Sir Paul Neal, a conceited virtuoso of the seventeenth century, gave out that he had discovered ‘‘an elephant in the moon.” It turned out that a mouse had crept into his telescope, which had been mistaken for an elephant in the moon. S. Butler has a satirical poem on the subject called ■“The Elephant in the Moon.” You would have me believey I suppose, that the moon is a g^'een cheese — ^.e., the most absurd thing possible. A green cheese is a cream cheese which is eaten green or fresh, and is not kept to mature like other cheeses. Man in the moon. (>See Man.) Hares sac7^ed to the moon, not because Diana was a great huntress, but because the Hindus affirm that the outline of a liare is distinctly visible on the moon. Moon-calf, according to Pliny, is an inanimate shapeless mass, engendered of woman only (“ Natural History,” x. 64). This abortion was supposed to be pro- duced by the influence of the moon. The primary meaning of calf is not the young of a cow, but the issue arising “ from throwing out,” as a push, a pro- tuberance ; hence the calves of the legs. Moon-maker {Sagende Hah), a sur- name given to the Veiled Prophet (q.v.), who caused the moon to issue from a deep well, so brilliant that the real moon was eclipsed by it. Moon-rakers. The people of Wilt- shire obtained this appellation from an old legend that a farmer’s wife once took a rake to rake the moon from a river, under the delusion that it was a cream cheese. The moon not being a cream cheese may probably arise from the same story. Moonstone. A mineral so called on account of the play of light which it exhibits. The scientiflc name is adula'7'ia, from Ad'ula, the summit of a Swiss mountain. Wilkie Collins has a novel called “ The Moonstone.” Moors. In the middle ages, the Europeans called all Mahometans Moors, in the same manner as the Eastern nations called all inhabitants of Europe Franks. Camoens, m the “ Luciad,” terms the Indians “ Moors.” (Bk. viii.) Moor-sIayer or Mata-moros. A name given to St. James, the patron - saint of Spain, because in almost all encounters with the Moors he came on his white horse to the aid of the Chris- tians. Moore {Thomas), called “Anacreon Moore,” because the character of his poetry resembles that of Anacreon, the Greek poet of love and wine. (1779- 1852.) Moot Point. A doubtful or un- settled question. The Saxon motian is “ to debate,” and a moot point is one sub judice, or under debate. Mop. In many places Statute Fairs are held, where servants seek to be hired. Carters fasten to their hats a piece of whipcord ; shepherds, a lock of wool ; grooms, a piece of sponge, &c. When hired they mount a cockade with stream- ers. Some few days after the statute fair, a second, called a Mop, is held for the benefit of those not already hired. This fair mops or wipes up the refuse of the statute fair, carrying away the dregs of the servants left. Another etymology is the Latin mappa, MORA-STONE. MORGANATIC MARRIAGE. 59® (public games), the derivation of which word is thus explained : In the reign of Nero the people showed, on one occasion, great impatience for the games to begin, and the emperor threw out his dinner- napkin {mappa) as a signal for their commencement. The persons in charge of the games were called mapparii. The first a in these words is like a in strap,’* ‘‘plat,’* &c., which has the sound of o. Mop. One of queen Mab’s attendants. All mops and brooms. Intoxicated. The allusion is to persons who are sick with drink, when mops and brooms are required to clean up after them. Mora-stone, near Upsala, where the Swedes used anciently to elect their kings. Morasteen {great stone). The ancient Danes selected their king from the sacred line of royalty, The man chosen was taken to the Landsthing, or local court, and placed on the morasteen, while the magnates ranged themselves around on stones of inferior size. This was the Danish mode of installation. Moral. The Moral Gower. John Gower, the poet, is so called by Chaucer. (1320-1402.) Father of Moral Philosophy, Thomas Aqui'nas. (1227*1274.) Moralist. The great Moralist of Fleet Street. Dr. Johnson. (1709-1784.) Mora'na. The Bohemian goddess of winter and death. Morat. Morat and Marathon twin names shall stand (“ Childe Harold,” hi. 64). Morat, in Switzerland, is famous for the battle fought in 1476, in which the Swiss defeated Charles le Temeraire of Burgundy. Moravians or Bohemian Brethren. A religious community tracing its origin from John Huss, expelled by persecu- tion from Bohemia and Moravia in the eighteenth century. They are often called The United Brethren. More Last Words. When Richard Baxter lost his wife, he published a broad- sheet, headed “ Last Words of Mrs. Baxter,” which had an immense sale ; the printer, for his own profit, brought out a spurious broad-sheet, headed “More Last Words but Baxter issued a small handbill with this concise sen- tence : “ Mrs. Baxter did not say any- thing else.” More of More-hall. A legendary hero who armed himself with an armour of spikes, and concealing himself in the cave where the dragon of Wantley dwelt, slew the monster by kicking it on the mouth, where alone it was mortal. More the Merrier. The author of this phrase was Henry Parrot. More'no (3 syl.). Don Antonio Mo- reno, a gentleman of Barcelona, who en- tertained Don Quixote with mock-heroic hospitality. Morestone. Would you remove Morestone ? (See Mortstone.) Morgan le Fay. {See below.). W. Morris, in his “Earthly Paradise’* (^August) makes Morgan the bride of Ogier the Dane, after his earthly career/ was ended. Morgan le Fay, Morgaine la Fe^^^ or Morgana the Fairy. Daughter of' queen Igrayne, and half-sister of king: Arthur, who revealed to him the intrigues^ of Sir Lancek>t and Guinever. Shcfgava^ him a cup containing a magic draughty and Arthur had no sooner drunk it tham his eyes were opened to the p^fedy of his wife and friend. Morganatic Marriage. A mar- riage in which the wife does not take the husband’s rank, because legally or ac- cording to court bye-laws the marriage is not recognised. This sort of marriage is effected when a man of high rank marries a woman of inferior position. The children in this case do not inherit the title or entails of the father. The word is based on the Gothic morgjan, “to curtail” or “limit;” and the marriage settlement was called morgen- gdbe or mmgengnade, whence the Low Latin matrimonium ad legem morganaU icaiiy in which the dowry is to be con- sidered all the portion the wife will receive, as the estates cannot pass to her or to her children. Morganatic Marriage^ called “Left- handed,” because the man pledges his troth with his left hand instead of hia right. The “ Hand-fasted ” marriages of Scotland and Ireland were morganatic, and the “hand-fasted” bride could be put away for a fresh union. M M m MORGANE. MOROCCO. Morgane (2 syl.). A fay to whose eharge Zephyr committed young Pas- selyou and his cousin Bennucq. Passelyon fell in love with Morgane’s daughter, and the adventures of these young lovers are related in the romance of Perceforest,” vol. iii. (^See Morgan.) Morgan'te. A ferocious giant, con- verted by Orlando to Christianity. After performing the most wonderful feats, he died at last from the bite of a crab. (See lelow.) Morgante Maggio're. A serio- comic romance in verse, by Pulci, of Florence (1494). He was the inventor of this species of poetry, called by the French bernesque, from Berni, who greatly excelled in it. Morgia'na. The clever, faithful, female slave of Ali Baba, who pries into the forty jars, and discovers that all but one contains a man. She takes oil from the only one containing it, and having made it boiling hot, pours enough into each jar to kill the thief concealed there. At last she kills the captain of the gang, and marries her master's son. — ^*Arab{a7i Nights^^ (Ali Babay or the Forty Thieves ) . Morgue la Faye, who watched over the birth of Ogier the Dane, and after he had finished his earthly career restored him to perpetual youth, and took him to live with her in everlasting love in the isle and castle of Av'alon. (See Morgan.) — Ogier le DanoW (a 7'omance). Moriso'nianism. The religious system of James Morison, the chief peculiarities being the doctrines of uni- versal atonement, and the ability of man unaided to receive or reject the Gospel. Morley (Mrs.). The name under which queen Anne corresponded with Mrs. Freeman (iAe duchessof Marlborough). Morma, in Pepys’ Diary,” is Eliza- beth, daughter of John Dickens, who died October 22nd, 1662. Mormon. The last of a pretended line of Hebrew prophets, and the pre- tended author of “The Book of Mor- mon,” or Golden Bible, written on golden plates. This work was in reality written by the Rev. Solomon Spalding, but was claimed by Joseph Smith as a direct revelation from heaven to himself. Spal- ding died 1816 ; Smith, 1844. Mormon Creed. (1) God is a per- son with the form and flesh of man. (2) Man is a part of the substance of God, and will himself become a god. (3) Man was not created by God, but existed from all eternity, and will never cease to exist. (4) There is no such thing as original or birth sin. (5) The earth is only one of many inhabited spheres. (6) God is president of men made gods, angels, good men, and spirits waiting to receive a tabernacle of flesh. (7) Man’s house- hold of wives is his kingdom not for earth only, but also in his future state. (8) Mormonism is the kingdom of God on earth. — W. He'pim'th Dixon, Neio America,'^ i. 24. Mormonism. The religious and social system of the Latter-day Saints ; so called from their gospel, termed “The Book of Mormon.” Joe Smith, the founder of the system, was born in Sharon, Windsor county, Vermont ; his partner was Rigdon. The manuscript which he declared to be written on gold plates, was a novel written by Spalding. He was cited thirty-nine times into courts of law, and was at last assassi- nated by a gang of ruffians who broke into his prison at Carthage, and shot him like a dog. His wife’s name was Emma ; he lived at Nauvoo, in Illinois ; his successor is Brigham Young, a car- penter hy trade, who led the “saints” (as the Mormons are called), driven from home by force, to the valley of the Salt Lake, 1,500 miles distant, generally called Utah, but by the Mormons them- selves Deseret (Bee-country), the New Jerusalem. Abraham is their model man, and Sarai their model woman, and English the one language which all the saints must speak. Young’s house is called the Bee-hive. Every man, woman, and child capable of work has a work to do in this busy hive. The schism of the Mormon party was led by Emma the prophet’s widow, and her sons of Joe Smith, on account of polygamy. The schismatics call themselves Josephites. Morning Star of the Reforma- tion. John Wycliife. (1324-1384.) Morocco. The name of Banks’s bay horse. (^See Banks and Horse.) Morocco. Strong ale made from burnt MOEOS. MORTE D’ ARTHUR, 595 malt, used in the annual feast at Seven- halls, Westmoreland (the seat of the Hon. Mary Howard), on the opening of Milnthorpe fair. This liquour is put into a large glass of unique form, and the person whose turn it is to drink is called the “ colt.” He is required to stand on one leg, and say ^‘Luck to Sevens as long as Kent flows,” then drain the glass to the bottom, or forfeit one shilling. The act is termed “drinking the con- stable.” The feast consists of radishes, oaten cake and butter. Moros. The fool in the play entitled The longer thou Livest the more Fool thou art,” by William Wager. Morpheus (2 syl., the Shaper). Son of Sleep, and god of dreams ; so called because he gives these airy nothings their form and fashion. Morrel. One of the shepherds in the ‘‘Shepherds’ Calendar,” by Spenser. Morrice {Gil or Child). The natural son of an earl and the wife of lord Bar- nard or John Stewart, “brought forth in her father’s house wi’ mickle sin and shame,” and brought up “in the gude grene wode.” One day he sent Willie to the baron’s hall, requesting his mother to come without delay to Greenwood, and by way of token sent with him a “gay mantel” made by herself. Willie went into the dinner-hall, and blurted out his message before all who were present, adding, “and U^ere is the silken sarke, your ain hand sewd the sleive.” Lord Barnard thinking the child to be a para- mour of his wife, forbade her to leave the hall, and riding himself to Greenwood slew Morrice with a broadsword, and setting his head on a spear gave it to “the meanest man in a’ his train” to carry to the lady. When the baron re- turned lady Barnard said to him, “ Wi’ that same spear, 0 pierce my heart, and put me out o’ pain but the baron re- plied, “Enouch of blood by me’s bin spilt, sair, sair I rew the deid,” adding — I’ll ay lament for Gil Morice As gin he were mine ain ; I’ll neir forget the dreiry day On which the zouth was slain. '*Relique8 of Ancient English Poetry^' ser. iii 1. Dr. Percy says this pathetic tale sug- gested to Home the plot of “ Douglas ” (a tragedy). ^ Morris {Mr.). Frank Osbaldistone’s timid fellow-traveller, who carried a portmanteau. Osbaldistone says of him — “Of all the propensities which teach mankind to torment themselves, that of causeless fear is the most irritating, busy, painful, and pitiable.”— Walter Scott, “ Rob Rop.” Morris Dance, brought to England in the reign of Edward III., when John of Gaunt returned from Spain. In the dance, bells were jingled, and staves or swords clashed. It was a military dance of the Moors or Moriscoes, in which five men and a boy engaged ; the boy wore a morione or head -piece, and was called Mad Morion. The Maid Marian is a corruption of Mad Morion. Morse Alphabet. An alphabet used in telegraphic messages, invented by Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, of Mas- sachusetts. The right-hand deflection of the electric needle corresponds to a dash, and the left-hand to a dot, and by means of dashes and dots every word may be spelt at length. Military signalling is per- formed in England by short and long flashes of a flag or some other instrument ; the short flash corresponds with the dot, and the long with the dash. The follow- ing ten varieties will show how these two symbols are capable of endless combina- tions, • I •• I ... I .... I i - I — I -• I ••-I--* I &c. Mortal. I saw a mortal lot of people — f.e., a vast number. Mortal is the French a mort, as in the sentence, “ II y avait du monde h mort.” Legonidec says, “ Ce mot (mort) ne s’emploie jamais au propre, mais seulement au figure, avec la signification de multitude, grand nombre, foule.” Mortar Board. A college cap. A corruption of the French mortier, the cap worn by the ancient kings of France, and still used officially by the chief justice or president of the court of justice. As a college cap has a square board on the top, the mortier-board was soon trans- formed into mortar-board. Morte d’Artliiir, compiled by Sir Thomas Malony, from French originals ; edited by Southey, the poet laureate. The compilation contains — The Prophecies of Merlin. The Quest of the St. Graal. The Romance of Sir Launcelot of tho Lake. mm2 596 MORTHER. MOTHER BUNCH. The History of Sir Tristam ; &c. &c. Tennyson has a ‘‘Morte d’ Arthur’^ among his poems. Morther. Welly Movy where have you teen this long while 1 (Norfolk). Psy, Morther y come hither! (Norfolk). Mor or Morther means a lass, a wench. It is the Dutch moer (a woman). In Norfolk they call a lad a 6or, from the Dutch hoer (a farmer), English hoor. ‘‘ W ell, bor !” and Well, mor !” are to be heard daily in every part of the county. When once a giggling morther you. And 1 a red-faced, chubby boy. Sly tricks you played me not a few. For miscbief was your greatest joy. Bloomfield^ “ Richard and Kate.** Mor'timer. So called from an an- cestor in crusading times, noted for his exploits on the shores of the Dead Sea (de Mortuo Mari'), Mortstone. He may remove MorU ztone. A Devonshire proverb, said in- credulously of husbands who pretend to be masters of their wives. Mort-bay is stopped up with a huge rock called Mortstone. It also means ‘'If you have done what you say, you can accomplish anything.” Morven. Fingal’s realm ; probably Argyleshire and its neighbourhood. Mo'sa-saur. The lizard of the Mosa or Meuse ; an extinct gigantic saurian first discovered in the chalk on the banks of the Meuse. Mosaic Work is not connected with the proper name Moses, but is the Latin opws muse'um or musivumy through the French mosaiquey Italian mosaico, Pliny says it was so called because these tesselated floors were first used in the grottoes consecrated to the Muses (xxxv. 21, s. 42). The most famous workman in mosaic work was Sosus of Per'gamos, who wrought the rich pavement in the common-hall, called Asaroton cecon. — Pliny, Natural History,* xxxvi. 25. Moscow. So called from the river Moscowa, on which it is built. The Monarch of Moscow. A large bell weighing 193 tons, 21 feet high, and 21 feet in diameter. Mosen (Spanish). A corruption of , Mio Seuoi*, corresponding to the Castilian Don. Moses Primrose. Son of the Dr. Primrose, very green, and with as. good opinion of himself. He is chiefly known for his wonderful bargain with a Jew at the neighbouring fair, when he- gave a good horse in exchange for a gross of worthless green spectacles, with tor- toise-shell rims and shagreen cases. Moses’ Pod. So the divining rod was usually called. The divining rod was employed to discover water or mine- ral treasure. In “Blackwood’s Maga- zine” (May, 1850) we are told that no- body sinks a well in North Somerset- shire without consulting the jowser (a-s the rod diviner is called). The abbd Richard is stated in the “ Monde ” to be an extremely expert diviner of water,, and amongst others discovered the “ Christmas Fountain” on M. de Metter- nich’s estate, in 1863. In the “ Quarterly Review” (No. 44) we have an account of lady Noel’s divining skill. («S>ce “ World of Wonders,” pt. ix., p, 283j Moslem or Moslemin, Plural of Mussulman, sometimes written Mussul- mans. The word is Turkish, and mean& true believer, Mosse. Napping, as Mosse took hw^ mare. Wilbraham says Mosse took his- mare napping, because he could' not- catch her when awake. Mosstrooper. A robber, a bandit.. The marauders who infested the borders of England and Scotland were so called because they encamped on the mosses. Moth. Page to Don Adrian© de Arma'do, all jest and playfulness, cunning: and versatile. — Shakespeare, Love* s La-- bour*s Lost.” Mother. Mother and head Of all Churches. So is St. John Lateran of Rome called. It occupies the site of the splendid palace of Plantius Latera'nus,, which escheated to the crown from trea- son, and was given to the Church by the- emperor Constantine. From the balcony of this church the pope blesses the people of the whole world. Mother Ann. Ann Lee, the “spiritual mother” of the Shakers.. (1735-1784.) I Mother Bunch. (1) Mother Bunch 1 whose fairy tales are notorious*. These MOTHER CAREY’S CHICKENS. MOTH PROPRIO, 597 tales are in ■'^Pasquil’s Jests,” with the Merriments of Mother Bunch. (1653. ) (2) The other Mother Bunch is called Mother Bunch’s Closet Newly Broke •Open,” containing rare secrets of art and nature, tried and experienced by learned philosophers, and recommended to all ingenious young men and maids, teaching them how to get good wives 3i»nd husbands. (1760.) Mother Carey’s Chickens. Stormy petrels. Mother Carey is Maier Cara, The French call these birds oiseaux de Notre Dame, or ams SaQicioe Marice, Chickens are the young of any fowl, or any small bird. Mother Carey's Goose. The great Black Petrel or gigantic Fulmar of the Pacific Ocean. Mother Carey is 'pinching her goose, It is snowing. {See Hulda.) Mother-Country. One’s native eountry, but the term applies specially to England, in relation to America and the colonies. The inhabitants of North America, Australia, &c., are for the most part descendants of English parents, and therefore England may be termed the mother -country. The Germans call their native country Fatherland, Mother Douglas. A noted pro- curess, introduced, in ‘'The Minor,” by Foote. She also figures in Hogarth’s “ March to Finchley.” Mother Douglas resided at the north-east corner of Covent Garden ; her house was superbly fur- nished and decorated. She grew very fat, and with pious up-turned eyes used to pray for the safe return of her “babes” from battle. She died 1761. Mother Goose. A name associated with nursery rhymes. She was born in Boston, and her eldest daughter Eliza- beth married Thomas Fleet, the printer. Mrs. Groose used to sing the rhymes to her grandson, and Thomas Fleet printed the first edition in 1719. Mother Hubbard. The old lady whose whole time seems to have been ■devoted to her dog, who always kept her on the trot, and always made game of her. Her temper was proof against this wilfulness on the part of her dog, and her politeness never forsook her, for when she saw Master Doggie dressed in his fiae clothes— The dame made a curtsey, the dog made a how ; The dame said "Your eervaut,” the dog said “ Bow-wow.” Mother Shipton lived in the reign of Henry VIII., and was famous for her prophecies in which she foretold the death of Wolsey, lord Percy, &c., and many wonderful events of the future times. All her “prophecies” are still extant. Mother-wit. Native wit ; a ready reply ; the wit which “ our mother gave us.” In ancient authors, the term is used to express a ready reply, courteous but not profound. Thus, when Louis XIV. expressed some anxiety lest Polignac should be inconvenienced by a shower of falling rain, the mother-wit of the car- dinal replied “ It is nothing, I assure your Majesty ; the rain of Marly never makes us wet.” Mother of Believers. Ay-€-shah, the second and favourite wife of Maho- met; so called because Mahomet being the “Father of Believers,” his wife of wives was Mother of Believers. Mother of Books. Alexandria was so called from its library, which was the largest ever collected before the inven- tion of printing. Mother of Cities (Arm-al-Bnlud), Balkh is so called. Mother of Pearl. The shells of a bivalve mollusc, which also produces the precious pearls. Mother of the Gracchi. A hard, strong-minded, rigid woman, without one soft point or effeminate weakness. Al- ways in the right, and maintaining her right with the fortitude of a martyr. Mothering Sunday is Mid-Lent, a great holiday, when the Pope blesses the golden rose, and children go home to their mothers to feast on “ mothering- cakes.” It is said that the day received its appellation from the ancient custom of visiting their “mother-church,” and making offerings on the altar on that day. Motley. Men of Motley. Licensed fools ; so called because of their dress-. Motley is the only wear. Shakespeare, *‘A8 You Like It,'* ii. 7, Motu Pro'prio. A law brought in by Consal'vi, to abolish monopolies in the Papal states (1757). 508 MOUCHAKD. MOURNING. Mouchard {French). A spy, ^'qui fait comme les mouches, qui voient si bien sans en avoir I’air.” At the close of the seventeenth century, those petits- maitres who frequented the Tuileries to see and be seen were called mouchards (fly-men). — ^^Dictionnaire Etymologique de Manage'* Mound. The largest artificial mound in Europe is Silbury Hill, near Avebury (Wiltshire). It covers 5 acres 34 perches, measures at the base 2,027 feet; its dia- meter at top is 120 feet ; its slope is 316 feet ; perpendicular height, 107 feet ; and it is altogether the most stupendous monument of human labour in the world. Alyattes, in Asia Minor, described by Herodotus, is somewhat larger than Silbury Hill. Mount Zion. The Celestial City or heaven. — Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress." I am come from the City of Destruction, and am I going to Mount Zion. (Parti.) Mountain {The) or Montagnards. The extreme democratical party in the first French Revolution ; so called because they seated tliemselves on the highest benches of the hall in which the National Convention met. Their leaders were Danton and Robespierre, but under them were Marat, Couthon, Thuriot, St. Andre, Legendre, Camille-Desmoulins, Carnot, St. Just, and Collot d’Herbois, the men who introduced the Reign of Terror.” Extreme radicals are still called in France the ‘‘mountain party” or “montag- nards.” Old Man of the Mountain. Imaum Hassan ben Sabbah el Homairi. The sheik A1 J ebal was so called, because his residence was in the mountain fastnesses of Syria. He was the prince of a Ma- hometan sect called Assassins {q.v.), and founder of a dynasty in Syria, put an end to by the Monguls in the twelfth century. In Rymer’s “ Foedera” (vol. i.) two letters of this sheik are inserted. It is not the province of this “Book of Fables” to dispute their genuineness. If the mountain will not come to Maho- met, Mahomet m\ist go to the mountain. If what I seek will not come to me without my stir, I must exert myself to obtain it ; if we cannot do as we wish, we must do as we can. When Mahomet first an- nounced his system, the Arabs demanded supernatural proofs of his commission. “Moses and Jesus,” said they, “wrought miracles in testimony of their divine authority; and if thou art indeed the prophet of God, do so likewise.” To this Mahomet replied, “ It would be tempting God to do so, and bring down his anger, as in the case of Pharaoh.” Not satisfied with this answer, he commanded mount Safa to come to him, and when it stirred not at his bidding, exclaimed “God is merciful. Had it obeyed my words it would have fallen on us to our destruc- tion. I will therefore go to the moun- tain, and thank God that he has had mercy on a stiff-necked generation.” The mountain in labour. A mighty ef- fort made for a small effect. The allusion is to the celebrated line of Horace, “ Par- turiunt montes, nasce'tur ridiculus mus,” which Creech translates, “The travail- ing mountain yields a silly mouse ;” and Boileau, “La montagne en travail en- fant e une souris.” Mountain-dew. Whisky. Mountain of Terrors. The Schreckhorn, in the Bernese Alps. Mourning. Blade. To express the privation of light and joy, the midnight gloom of sorrow for the loss sustained. The colour of mourning in Europe. It was also the colour of mourning in ancient Greece and in the Roman empire. Blade and lohite stripped. To express sorrow and hope. The mourning of the South-Sea Islanders. Greyish broivn. The colour of the earth, to which the dead return. The colour of mourning in Ethiopia. Pale brown. The colour of withered leaves. The mourning of Persia. Sky-blue. To express the assured hope that the deceased is gone to heaven. The colour of mourning in Syria, Cappadocia, Armenia, and Turkey. Deep blue, in Bokha'ra, is the colour of mourning (Hanway). The Romans in the Republic wore dark blue for mourn^ ing. Purple and violet. To express royalty, “ kings and priests to God.” The colour of mourning for cardinals and the kings of France. Some say the purple signi- fies the “ blue” or aristocratic blood of the deceased. The colour of mourning in Turkey is violet. White. Emblem of “white-handed MOURNIVAL, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. 599 hope.” The colour of mourning in China. Henry VIII. wore ivhite for Anne Boleyn. The ladies of ancient Rome and Sparta wore white for mourning. It was the colour of mourning in Spain till 1498. In England it is still customary, in several of the provinces, to wear white silk hat- bands for the unmarried. Yellow. The sear and yellow leaf. The colour of mourning in Egypt and in Bur- mah, where also it is the colour of the monastic order. In Brittany, widows’ caps among the 'paysannes are yellow. Anne Boleyn wore yellow mourning for Catharine of Aragon. Some say yellow is in token of exaltation. Mournival. Four cards all alike, as four aces, four kings, &c., in a game of cards called Gleek. Gleek is three cards alike. A moumival of aces, gleek of knaves, J use nine a -piece. Albumazar” act iii., 8. 5. Poole in his English Parnassus ” called the four elements Nature' s first mournival. Mouse Tower, on the Rhine, said to be so called because bishop Hatto {q.vi) was there devoured by mice. The tower, however, was built by bishop Sieg- fried, 200 years after the death of bishop Hatto, as a toll-house for collecting the duties upon all goods which passed by. The word mans or ma^^th means toll,” and the toll collected on corn being very unpopular, gave rise to the tradition re- ferred to, and the catastrophe was fixed on bishop Hatto, a noted statesman and councillor of Otho the Great, proverbial for his cunning perfidy. Moussa. Moses. Moussali. A Persian musician. Haroun al Raschid was going to divorce his late favourite Maridah or Marinda, but the poet Moussali sang some verses to him which so touched his heart, that he went in search of the lady and made peace with her. — U Herhelot. Mouth. God of the dead ; the Hades or Pluto of classic story . — Syrian my^ thology. Moutons. Revenons d nos moutons. Return we to our subject. The phrase is taken from an old French play, called ‘‘L’Avocat,” by Patelin, in which a woollen-draper charges a shepherd with stealing sheep. In telling his grievance he kept for ever running away from his subject; and to throw discredit on the defendant’s attorney, accused him of stealing a piece of cloth. The judge had to pull him up every moment with ‘‘Mais, mon ami, revenons h nos moutons ” (what about the sheep, tell me about the sheep, now return to the story of the sheep). Moving the World. Give me where to stand, and I will move the world. So said Archime'des of Syracuse ; and the in- strument he would have used was the lever. Mowis. The bridegroom of snow^ who (according to American-Indian tra- dition) wooed and won a beautiful bride ; but when morning dawned, Mowis left the wigwam, and melted into the sun- shine. The bride hunted for him night and day in the forests, but never saw him more. Mozaide (2 syl.) or Monzaida. The Moor,” settled in Calicut, who be- friended Vasco de Gama when he first landed on the Indian Continent. The Moor attends, Mozaide, whose zealous care To Gama’s eyes revealed each treacherous snare. Camoens, “ Luciad,’* bk. ix. Much. The miller, in Robin Hood dances, whose great feat was to bang with a bladder of peas the heads of the gaping spectators. Much Ado about INothing. The plot is from a novel of Belleforest, copied horn one by Bandello (18th Vol. vi,). There is a story resembling it in Ariosto’s ‘‘Orlando Furioso,” book v. ; another in the “ Geneura ” of Turberville ; and Spenser has a similar one in the “ Faery Queen,” book ii., canto 4. Much Ado about Nothing. After a war in Messina, Claudio, Benedick, and some other soldiers went to visit Leonato the governor, when the former fell in love with Hero the governor’s daughter ; but Benedick and Beatrice, being great rattle- pates, fell to jesting, and each positively disliked the other. By a slight artifice their hatred was converted into love, and Beatrice was betrothed to the Paduan lord. In regard to Hero, the day of her nuptials was fixed; but don John, who hated Claudio and Leonato, induced Mar- garet, the lady’s maid, to dress up like her mistress, and to talk familiarly with one Borachio, a servant of don J ohn’s ; and while this chit-chat was going on, the don led Claudio and Leonato to overhear it. Each thought it to be Hero, and when 600 MUCIANA CAUTIO. MULLA. she appeared as a bride next morning at church, they both denounced her as a light woman. The friar, being persuaded that there was some mistake, induced Hero to retire, and gave out that she was dead, Leonato now challenged Claudio for being the cause of Hero’s death, and Benedick, urged on by Beatrice, did the same. At this crisis Borachio was ar- rested, and confessed the trick ; don John fled, the mystery was duly cleared up, and the two lords married the two ladies. Mucia'na Cau'tio. A law- quirk, so called from Mu'cius Scse'vola, a Homan pontifex, and the most learned of jurists. MucTilebackit. Els'peth MxickU- hacJcit, mother of Saunders. Little Jenny MucklebacJcit, child of Saunders. Maggie MxicTdehaclcit, wife of Saunders.- Saunders MurMehackit, the old fisher- man at Musslecrag. Steenie Mucklebackity eldest son of Saunders (drowned ). — Sir Walter Scott, The Antiguary'" MucJilewrath. Habakkuk Muckle- wrath, A fanatic preacher . — Sir Walter Scotty Old Mortality.^' John Mucklewrath. Smith at Cairn- vreckan village. Dame Mucklewrath, his wife, is a perfect virago . — Sir Walter Scott, ^‘Waverley,” Mudar'ra. Son of a Moorish princess and Gonial o Bustos de Salas de Lara, who murdered his uncle Rodri'go while hunting, to avenge the death of his seven half-brothers. {See Lara — The Seven Infants of.) Muffins and Crumpets. Muffins is 'pain-inovffiet. Du Cange describes the panis mofletus as bread of a more delicate nature than ordinary, for the use of pre- bends, &c., and says it was made fresh every day. Crumpets is crxunple-ettes, cakes with little crumples. Muffci.^ We went in mufti— OMi of uniform, incog. The French say en pekln, and French soldiers call civilians 'pekins. An officer who had kept Talleyrand waiting, said be had been detained by some pekins. ‘‘What are they?” asked Talleyrand. “Oh,” said the officer, “we call every- body who is not military a pekin.” “ And we,” siaid Talleyrand, “ call everybody military that is not civiV' Mufti is an Eastern word signifying a priest. Mug-house. An ale-house was so called in the eighteenth century. Some hundred persons assembled in a large tap-room to drink, sing, and spout. One of the number was made chairman. Ale was served to the guests in their own mugs, and the place where the mug was to stand was chalked on the table. Muggins . A small borough magnate, a village leader. To mug is to drink, and Mr. Muggins is Mr. Drinker. Muggleto'nian. A follower of one Lodovic Muggleton, a journeyman tailor, who, about 1651, set up for a prophet. He was sentenced to stand in the pillory and was fined £500. Muggy means half stupid with beer and tobacco-smoke. Mug-houses were ale-houses {q.v.). (Gaelic, muig, cloudi- ness ; Welsh, mygu, to smoke; British, mougu, to suffocate. Legonidec says, “ Mouguz, etouffant, qui rend la respira- tion difficile.”) Mulat'to {Spanish'), A mule, a mon- grel ; applied to the offspring of a negress by a white man, or of a white woman by a negro. Muleiber— t.tf., Vulcan. It is said that he took the part of Juno against J upiter, and J upiter hurled him out of heaven. He was three days in falling, and at last was picked up half dead and with one leg broken, by the fishermen of the island of Lemnos. {See Milton, “ Paradise Lost,” bk. i.) Mule. Mahomet’s favourite white mule was Daldah. {See Fadda.) Mull. To make a mull of a job is to fail to do it properly. The failure of a peg-top to spin is called a mull, hence also any blunder or failure. (Scotch, midl, dust, or a contraction of muddle.) The people of Madras are called “ Mulls,” because they are in a less advanced state of civilisation than the other two presi- dencies, in consequence of which they are held by them in low estimation. Mulla. Awbeg, a tributary of the Black water, in Ireland, which flowed close by Spenser’s home. Spenser is called by Shenstone “ The bard of Mulla’s silver stream.” MULREADY ENVELOPE. MUNGO. 601 Mulread'y Envelope is an enve- lope resembling a half-sheet of letter- paper, when folded. The space left for the address formed the centre of an ornamental design by Mulready, the artist. When the penny postage en- velopes were first introduced, these were the stamped envelopes of the day. Multipliers. Alchemists, who pre- tended to multiply gold and silver. An act was passed (2 Henry IV., c. iv.) making the ‘'art of multiplication” felony. In the “ Canterbury Tales” the Chanoun Yeman says he was reduced to poverty by alchemy, adding : “ Lo, such advantage is't to multiply.”— Pro io “ Chanouiies Yemaiies TaUy Multitudes. Dame J uliaiia Berners says, in designating companies we must not use the names of multitudes promis- cuously, and examples her remark thus : “ We say a congregacyon of people, a hoost of men, a fel^/shypjyynge of joaien, and a bevy of iadyes; we )?iu8t speak of a herde of dere, swannys, cranys, or wrenys, a sege of herons or bytourys, a muster of j.ecocttes, a watche of nyghtyngales, a Jlyghte of doves, a claterynge of choughes, a pryde of lyons, a sh wthe of beeres, a gagle of geys, a skulke of foxes, a ss'ulle of frerys, a pontifinalitye of prestys, and a super’ fiuyte of nonnes.”— JBooA; of St. Albans (1488). She adds, that a strict regard to these niceties better distinguishes “gentylmen from ungentylmen,” than regard to the rules of grammar, pr even to the moral law. Mum. A strong beer made in Bruns- wick ; so called from Christian Mummer, by whom it was first brewed. Mum (a mask), hence mummer. Mum's the vjord. Keep what is told you a profound secret. (^See Mumchance.) Seal up your lips, and give no words but— mum. Shakespeare, “2 tienry VI.," i. 2. Mumbo Jumbo. An African bogie, hideous and malignant, the terror of negro women. We use the term to signify unmeaning jargon. Mumchance. Silence. Mumchance was a game of chance with dice, in which silence was indispensable. (Mum is con- nected with mumble ; German, mummej a muffle ; Danish, mumle, to mumble.) And for “ mumchance,” howe’er the cehane may fall. You must be viiim for fear of spoiling all. Alachtavell's Dogg." Mummy is the Egyptian word mum, wax ; from the custom of anointing the body with wax and wrapping it in sear- cloth. {See Beaten.) Mump'simus. I am not going to change my old mum'psimns for your new sumpsimus. I am not going to change my old ways and habits for your new fangles. The reference is to an old priest in the reign of Henry VIII., who used to say Mumpsimus, Domine, instead of Sumpsimus \ and when remonstrated with, replied he had used mumpsimus for thirty years, and was not going to change it for the new-fangled sumpsimus.. Munchau'sen {Baron). The hero of a volume of travels, who meets with the most marvellous adventures. The incidents have been compiled from various sources, and the name is said to have pointed to Hieronymus Karl Fried- rich von Mlinchhausen, a German officer in the Russian army, noted for his mar- vellous stories (1720-1797). It is a satire either on Baron de Tott, or on Bruce, whose “Travels in Abyssinia” were looked upon as mythical when they first appeared. The author is Rudolf Erich Raspe, and the sources from which the adventures were compiled are Bebel’s “ Facetise,” Castiglione’s “ Cortegiano,” Bildermann’s “Utopia,” and some of the baron’s own stories. Mundane Egg. In the Phoenician, Egyptian, Hindu, and Japanese systems the Creator is represented as producing an egg, from which the world was hatched. In some mythologies a bird is represented as laying the mundane egg on the prim- ordial waters. Mundilfo'ri. One of the giant race, who had a son and daughter of such sur- passing beauty that their father called them Mani and Sol {moon and sun ). — Scandinavi an myth ology .. Mundun'gus. Bad tobacco. Pro- bably a quibble on the German mundungy the mouth, and the words mun dung. “ Mun” means rotten ; hence “mun fish, and mun meaning “manure” in Corn- wall. Mu'nera. The daughter of Pollente, the Saracen, to whom he gave all the spoils he unjustly took from those who fell into his power. Talus, the iron page of Sir Ar'tegal, chops off her golden j hands and silver feet, and tosses her I over the castle wall into the moat. — ; Spense)\ “ Faery Queenf' bk. v. 2. ! Mango, in British, is it, which [ means “ gently dear.” 602 MUNIN. MUSLIN. Mundn. Memory ; one of the two ravens that sit perched on the shoulders of Odin ; the other is Hugin (mind). — Scandinavian mythology, Munkar and Jilakeer. Two black angels of appalling aspect, the inquisitors of the dead. The Koran says that dur- ing the inquisition the soul is united to the body. If the scrutiny is satisfactory the soul is gently drawn forth from the lips of the deceased, and the body is left to repose in peace ; if not, the body is beaten about the head with iron clubs, and the soul is wrenched forth by racking torments. Muntalbur {Mount Tahm-). The royal residence of the soldan whose daughter married Otnit, king of Lom- bardy. Mu'rad. Son of Hadra'ma and Mar- sillus, king of Portugal, Castile, Aragon, Leon, and Valence, when those countries were held by the Moors. He was called Lord of the Lion,” because he always led about a lion in silken fetters. When he carried defiance to Charlemagne at Fronsac, the lion fell in love with Aude the Fair ; Murad chastised it, and the lion tore him to pieces. — Croquemi- tainCf^ vii. Murat. The Russian Murat. Michael Milorado witch. (1770-1820.) Muscular Christianity. Healthy or strong-minded religion, which braces a man to fight the battle of life bravely and manfully. The expression was first used by Charles Kingsley. Muse. The tenth Muse. Marie de Jars de Gournay, a French writer. (1566- 1645.) Muse'um. The most celebrated are the British Museum in London ; the Louvre at Paris ; the Vatican at Rome ; the Museum of Florence ; that of St. Petersburg ; and those of Dresden, Vienna, Munich, and Berlin. A walHng museum. So Longi'nus, author of a work on ‘^The Sublime,” was called. (A.D. 213-273.) Mushkoda'sa {North- American In- dian) . The grouse. Mushroom, anciently spelt mush- rumg, is Welsh maes (a field), rhum (knob). Similarly the French cham- pignon is champ (field), pignon (nut or cone). The French have also mousseroT^ (a white mushroom). Music. Father of Music. Giambat- tista Pietro Aloisio da Palestrina. Gio- vanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was called ‘‘the prince of musicians.” Father of GreeJc Music. Terpander. {Flo. B.c. 676.) The Prince of Music. G. Pietro A. da. Palestrina. (1529-1594.) Music hath charms, &c. ; from Con- greve’s “Mourning Bride” (i. 1). Music of the Spheres. Pythag'oras was the first who suggested the notion so« beautifully expressed by Shakespeare — There’s not the smallest orh which thou behold’st. But in his motion like an anpel sings. Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubim s. Merchant of Venice v. 1. Plato says that a syren sits on each planet, wko carols a most sweet song, agreeing to the motion of her own par- ticular planet, but harmonising with the other seven. Hence Milton speaks, of the “celestial syrens’ harmony, that sit upon the nine enfolded spheres.” — Arcades'' Maximus Tyrius says that the mere- proper motion of the planets must create sounds, and as the planets move at regu- lar intervals the sounds must harmonise. Musical. The musical small-coal' man. Thomas Britton. (1654-1714.) Musical INotation. {See Do.) Musicians. Father of Musicians. Jubal, “the father of all such as handle the harp and organ” (Gen. iv. 21). Musido'ra. {See Damon.) Mu'sits or Musets. Gaps in a hedge;, places through which a hare makes his way to escape the hounds. The many musits through the which he goes Are like a labyrinth to amaze his foes. Shakespeare, “ Venus and Adonis'* The passing of the hare through these gaps- is termed musing. The word is from the Italian musare (to stand gazing) ; French, muser (to loiter) ; from the want of deci- sion of the hare. Musket is the French mousquet (a. sparrow-hawk) ; other shooting imple- ments were named falcon, falconet, &c. Muslin. So called from Mosul, in Asia, where it was first manufactured. (French, mousseline.) MUSNUD. NAB. 603 Musnud. Cushioned seats, reserved in Persia for persons of distinction. Muspel. A region of fire, whence Surtur will collect dames to set fire to the universe. — Scandinavian mythology. Muspelheim (3 syl.). The abode of fire which at the beginning of time existed in the south. It was light, warm, and radiant ; but was guarded by Surt with a flaming sword. Sparks were col- lected therefrom to make the stars. — Scandinavian mythology. Musulman — that is, MosUmin^ plural of Moslem. A Mahometan ; so called from the Arabic miislim, a believer. Mutantur. Omnia mutantur” (Barbonius). ‘‘Tempora mutantur, nos et muta'mur in illis” is not a quotation from any classic author. Mutes at funerals. This was a Eo- man custom. The undertaker, attended with lictors dressed in black, marched with the corpse ; and the undertaker, as master of the ceremonies, assigned to each follower his proper place in the procession. Mutton (French, mouton). A gold coin impressed with the image of a lamb. The mntton-eating king. Charles II. of England. The witty earl of Eochester wrote this mock epitaph on his patron : — Here lies our mutton-eating king. Whose word no man relies on : He never said a foolish thing. And never did a wise on*. Mylitta. A female deity of the Babylonians, the personification of pro- creation. Mylodon (Greek, grinder- tooth). One of the Meg'ather genus discovered by Charles Darwin at Punta Alta, in Patago'nia. Mynheer Closh. A Dutchman. Closh or Claus is an abbreviation of Ni- cholas, a common name in Holland. Sandy, a contraction of Alexander, is a similar nickname for a Scotchman. My'nian Sails. The ship Argo ; so called because its crew were natives of Mynia. When his black whirlwinds o’er the ocean rolled And rent the Mynian sails. Gumoens, “ Lmiad,” hk. vi. Myr'midons of the Law. Bailiffs, sheriffs’ officers, and other law menials. Any rough fellow employed to annoy another is the employer’s myrmidon. The Myrmidons were a people of Thes- saly who followed Achilles to the siege of Troy, and were distinguished for their savage brutality, rude behaviour, and thirst for rapine. Myrra. An Ionian slave, the beloved concubine of Sardanapaflus, the Assyrian king. She roused him from his indolence to oppose Arba'ces, the Mede who as- pired to his throne, and when she found that his cause was hopeless induced him to place himself on a funeral pile, which she fired with her own hand, and spring- ing into the flames, perished with her beloved lord and master. — Byron, “ Sar- danapalus.” Myrroph'ores (4 syl. ; the myrrh- hearers). The three Maries who went to see the sepulchre, bearing myrrh and spices. In Christian art they are repre- sented as carrying vases of myrrh in their hands. Mysteries of Woods and Hivers. The art of hunting and fishing. My'thras or Mihir'. That sacred being enthroned in the sun whom the- Ghebers worship. IN 3Sr. This letter represents a wriggling eel, and is called in Hebrew nun (a fish). IN, in Spanish, has sometimes a mark over it, thus — fi. This mark is called a tilde, and often alters the sense of a word. Thus, ^‘pena” means punishment, but pena,” a rock. 'N, added to words for euphony or whim, is termed nunnation, from nun,” the Greek n. Examples: Nelly, Neddy, for Elly (little Ellen), Eddy (little Ed- ward), &c. N added to Greek words ending in a short vowel to lengthen it by position,” and ^^1” added to French words begin- ning with a vowel, when they follow a. word ending with a vowel (as si Von for si on), is called N or L ephelcys'tic” (tagged- on ; Greek, epi helko). INth, or Nth plus one, in University slang, means to the utmost degree. Thus Cut to the Nth means wholly unnoticed by a friend. The expression is taken from the index of a mathematical formula, where n stands for any number, and one more than any number. Nab. The fairy that addresses Or- pheus in the infernal regions, and offers NABOB. NAIL. €C4 Iiim for food a roasted ant, a flea’s thigh, Liitterflies’ brains, some sucking mites, a rainbow-tart, and other delicacies of like nature, to be washed down with dew- drops, beer made from seven barley- •Gorns, and the supernaculum -of earth- d')orn topers. — King, Orpheus and Eu- ry dicey ISTa'bob. Corruption of the Hindu word nawab, the plural of naih. An adminis- trator of a province and commander of rthe Indian army under the Mogul empire. These men acquired great wealth and lived dh Eastern splendour, -so -that they gave srise to the phrase, Rich as the naw^b,” corrupted into ^'‘Kich as a nabob.*' In England we apply the phrase to a mer- chant who has attained great wealth in the Indies, and has returned to live in this native country. ISTabonassar or Kebo-adon-Assur famous Sanskrit poem* called “ Nalo- daya.” Na'ma. A daughter of the race of man who was beloved by the angeli Zaraph. Her one wish was to love purely, intensely, and holily ; but she fixed her love on a seraph, a creature, more than on her Creator ; therefore, in punishment, she was condemned to abide on earth. “ unchanged in heart and frame ” so long as the earth endureth ; but when time iS' no more, both she and her angel lover will be admitted into those courts “where love never dies.”— J/oor ' man. Die noht machet ein ait weih trahen j : in Italian, Bisagna fd trotter la vecchici in French, Besoin fait trotter la vieille the Scotch say, Need gars naked men riitt-^ Needfire. Fire obtained by friction'. It has been supposed to defeat sorcery, and cure diseases assigned to witchcrafts (Danish, guide, to rub.) Needham. You are on the high-road to Needham— tQ ruin or poverty. The- pun is on the word need. Needham is in Suffolk. , Needle. To hit the needle— hit the ! right nail on the head, to make a perfect I hit. A term in archery, equal to hitting ! the bull’s-eye. j Ne'gro. Fuller says a negro is ^^God^s 1 image cat in ebony. Negro'ni. A princess, the friend of' Lucrezia Bor'gia, duchess of Ferra'ra. She invited to a banquet the nobles who had insulted her friend, and killed them with poisoned wine. — Donizetti, Lucrezia Borgia" {an opera). Ne'guSi So called from colonel Negus, who first concocted it. Nehalle'nia. The Flemish deity who presided over commerce and navi- gation. N N 610 NEITHE. NEREIDS. TTe'itlie (3 syl.). The Minerva of Egyptian mythology. Nelthe. The presiding spirit of rivers and lakes in Celtic mythology. The primitive of the word means to purify with water, TJeken. The evil spirit of the North that plays his melancholy strains in Swedish waters. — Grhnm, “ Deutsche Mythelogie.^* Neksheb. The city of Transoxia'na. INelTs Point, in Barry Island. Fa- mous for a well to which women resort on Holy Thursday, and having washed their eyes with the water of the well, each woman drops into it a pin. iNTem. Con. Unanimously. A con- traction of the Latin nem'ine contra- dicen'te (no one opposing). Nem. Diss. Without a dissentient voice. (Latin, newUne dissent' iente.) ISTem'ean Games. One of the four great national festivals of Greece, cele- brated at Nem'ea, in Ar'golis, every al- ternate year, the first and third of each Olympiad. The victor’s reward was at first a crown of olive-leaves, but subse- quently a garland of ivy. Pindar has eleven odes in honour of victors at these games. UNem'ean Lion. The first of the laboui;^ of Hercules was to kill the Nemean lion (of Ar'golis), which infested the country and kept the people in con- stant alarm. Its skin was so tough that his club made no impression on the beast, so Hercules caught it in his arms and squeezed it to death. He ever after wore the skin as a mantle. ISTern'esis. E-etribution, or rather the righteous anger of God. A female Greek deity, whose mother was Night. JNeol'ogy. The rationalistic inter- pretation of Scripture. The word is Greek, and means new-(theo)-logy. Those who accept this system are called Neolo'gians. UNe'optol'emos or Pyrrhos. Son of Achilles ; called Pyrrhos from his yellow hair, and NeoptoVemos because he was a new soldier, or one that came late to the siege of Troy. According to Virgil it was this young man that slew the aged Priam. On his return home he was mur- dered by Orestes, at Delphi, Wepen'tbe. A drug to assuage pain and grief ; a magic potion. Homer speaks of a magic potion so called, which made persons forget their sorrows and misfortunes. INeper’s Bones. (See Napier.) TTepli'elo-coccyg'ia. A town in the clouds built by the cuckoos. It was built to cut off from the gods the incense offered by man, so as to compel them to come to Aristoph' anes, The Birds.” INepo'mnk. St. John Nepomuk, a native of Bohemia, was the almoner of Wenceslas IV., and refused to reveal to the emperor the confession of the em- press. After having heroically endured torture, he was taken from the rack and cast into the Moldau. Nepomuk is the French ni, born, and Pomuk, the vil- lage of his birth. A stone image of this saint stands on the banks of the Moldau, in Prague. (1330-1383.) INep'otism. An unjust elevation of our own kinsmen to places of wealth and trust at our disposal. (Latin, nepos, a nephew or kinsman. ) INep'tune (2 syl.). The sea. In Roman mythology, the divine monarch of the ocean. (See Ben.) Neptune opposes Apollo, in Homer’s epic, which means that moisture and dryness are always antagonistic. — Eustathius. Neptune’s Horse. Hippocampes ; it had but two le'gs, the hinder part of the body being that of a fish. Neptu'nian or Nep'tunist. One who follows the opinion of Werner, in the belief that all the great rocks of the earth were once held in solution in water, and have been deposited as sediment. The Vulcanists or Plutonians ascribe them to the agency of fire. ]Sre'reids(2 syl.). Sea-nymphs, daugh- ters of Nereus, fifty in number. Nereids or Nere'ides (4 syl.). Sea- nymphs. Camoens, in his ^'Lusiad,” gives the names of three — Doto, Nyse, and Neri'ne ; but he has spiritualised their office, and makes them the sea-guardians of the virtuous. They went before the fleet of Ga'ma, and when the treacherous pilot supplied by Zacoc'ia, king of Mo- zam'bique, steered the ship of Vascc de NEREUS. NEW STYLE. 611 Gama towards a sunken rock, these guar- dian nymphs pressed against the prow, lifting it from the water and turning it round. The pilot looking to see the cause of ^his strange occurrence, beheld the rock which had nearly proved the ruin of the whole fleet (bk. ii.). Tfe'reus. A sea-god, represented as .a very old man, whose special dominion was the iEge'an Sea. INeri'ne (3 syl.). One of the Nereids. iSee Nyse.) iKTeris'sa. Portia’s waiting-maid ; -clever, self-confident, and coquettish. — ■Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice^ T3*e'ro. Emperor of Rome. Some •say he set fire to Rome to see ‘‘ how 'Troy would look when it was in flames others say he forbade the flames to be put out, and went to a high tower, where he sang verses to his lute ‘^Upon the Burning of old Troy.” A Nero. Any bloody-minded man, relentless tyrant, or evil-doer of extra- ordinary savagery. Nero of the North. Christian II. of Denmark. (1480, 1534-1558, 1559.) !N'esr. An idol of the ancient Arabs. It was in the form of a vulture, and was worshipped by the tribe of Hemyer. iN'^srein. A statue some fifty cubits high, in the form of an old woman. It was hollow within for the sake of giving secret oracles. — A^'dbian mytholog^^. Tlessus. Shirt of Nessus. A source of misfortune from which there is no es- cape ; a fatal present ; anything that wounds the susceptibilities. Thus Renan has the Nessus-shirt of ridicule.” Her- cules ordered Nessus (the centaur) to carry his wife Dejani'ra across a river. The centaur ill-treated the woman, and Hercules shot him with a poisone4 arrow. Nessus, in revenge, gave Dejani'ra his tunie, saying to whomsoever she gave it would love her exclusively. Dejani'ra gave it to her husband, who was devoured by poison as soon as he put it on ; but, after enduring agony, the hero threw himself on a funeral pile, and was con- sumed. (^See Harmonia.) While to my limbs th’ envenomqfi mantle clings. Drenched in the centaur’s black malignant gore. West,'’* Triumphs of the Gout” (Lucian). INTestor. IGng of Pylos, in Greece ; Ibe oldest and most experienced of the chieftains who went to the siege of Troy. On his return home his kingdom was abolished and all his subjects reduced to slavery.— Corner, ^Mliad** Nestor of the chemical Revolution. A term applied by Lavoisier to Dr. Black. (1728-1799.) Nestor of Europe. Leopold, king of Belgium. (1790, 1831-1865.) INesto'rians. Followers of Nesto'- rius, patriarch of Constantinople in the fifth century. He maintained that Christ had two distinct natures, and that Mary was the mother of his human nature, which was the mere shell or hut of the divine. {See Prester John.) iN'etli'inims. The hewers 'of wood and drawers of water for the house of God, an office which the Gibeonites w^ere eondemned to by Joshua (Josh. ix. 27). (The word means given to God.) Mettle. Camden says the Romans brought over the seed of this plant, that they might have nettles to chafe theii^ limbs with when they encountered the cold of Britain. Mettoyer (French). Nettoyer un® personne, c’est k dire luy gagner tout son argent. ” — Oudin, ‘^Citriositez Frangoises.^"* Ou-r English phrase, I cleaned him out,” is precisely tantamount to it. Me vers. II conte di Nevers, the hus- band of Valentina. Being asked by the governor of the Louvre to join in the mas- sacre of the Protestants, he replied that his family contained a long list of war- riors, but not one assassin. He was one of the Catholics who fell in the dreadful slaughter. — Meyerheer^ Qli TJgonottV* {an opera). Mew Christians. Certain Jews of Portugal, who yielded to compulsion and suffered themselves to be baptised, but in secret observed the Mosaic ceremonies. (Fifteenth century.) Mew Jerusalem. The paradise of Christians, in allusion to Rev. xxi. Mew Man. The regenerated man. In Scripture phrase the unregenerated state is called the old man {q.v.). Mew Style. The reformed or Gre- gorian calendar, adopted in England ia 1753. K N 2 612 NEW TESTAMENT, NIBELUNG. Tfew Testament. The oldest MSS. extant are : — (1) The Codex Sinait'icus (S), published at the expense of Alex- ander II. of Kussia since the Crimean war. This codex contains nearly the whole of the Old and New Testaments, and was discovered in the convent of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, by Constan- tins Tischendorf. It is ascribed to the fourth century. (2) The Codex Vatica'- nus (B), in the Vatican Library. Written on vellum in Egypt about the fourth century. (3) The Codex Alexandri'nus (A), belonging to the fifth century. It was presented to Charles I. in 1628 by Cyrillus Lucaris, patriarch of Alexandria, and is preserved in the British Museum. It consists of four folio volumes on parch- ment, and contains the Old and New Testaments, except the first twenty-four chapters of St. Matthew, and the Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. Wew World. America ; the Eastern Hemisphere is called the Old World. New-year’s Gifts. The Greeks transmitted the custom to the Romans, and the Romans to the early Britons. The Roman presents were called strenx, whence the French term Urenne (a New- year’s gift). Our forefathers used to bribe the magistrates with gifts on New- year’s day— a custom abolished by law in 1290, but even down to the reign of James II. the monarchs received their tokens. N.B.— Nonius Marcellus says that Tatius, king of the Sabines, was pre- sented with some branches of trees cut from the forest sacred to the goddess Strenia on New-year’s day, and from this happy omen established the custom. News. The letters w e used to be s prefixed to newspapers to show that they obtained information from the four quarters of the world, and the sup- position that our word news is thence derived is at least ingenious; but the old-fashioned way of spelling the word, tieweSy is fatal to the conceit. The French rtouvelles seems to be the real scion. {See Notarica.) News is conveyed by letter, word, or mouth. And comes to us from North, East, West, aud South. Witt's “ Recreations.” Newcastle (Northtimherland) was cnce called Moncaster, from the monks ' who settled there in the Saxon times ; it was called Newcastle from the castlo built there by Robert, son of the Con- queror, in 1080, to defend the neigh- bourhood from the Scots. Newcastle (Staffordshire) is so called from the new castle built to supply the place of an older one which stood at Chesterton-under-Line, about two miles- distant. Carry coals to Newcastle. A work of supererogation, Newcastle being the great seat of coals. The Latins have Aqiiam mari infunder e (to pour water into the sea) ; Sidera coelo addere (to add stars to the sky) ; Noctuas Athe'nce (to- carry owls to Athens, which abounded in them). Newcome {Colonel). A character in- Thackeray’s novel called The New- comes.” Newcomes. Strangers newly arrived. Newgate. Before this was set up^,. London had but three gates : Aldgate, Aldersgate, and Ludgate. The new one was added in the reign of Henry I. Newgate. Nash, in his Pierce Peni- lesse,” says that Newgate is common? name for all prisons, as homo is a common name for a man or woman.” Newgate fashion. Two by two. Pri- soners used to be conveyed to Newgate coupled together in twos. {See 1 Henry IV.,”iii. S.—Bai'dolph.) Newgate Fringe. The hair worn, under the chin, or between the chin and the neck ; so called because it occupies the position of the rope when men are about to be hanged. Newton {Sir Isaac) discovered the- prismatic colours of light. (1642-1727.) Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in ni^ht. God said, “Lee Newton be,” and all was light. Pope. The Newton of harmony. J ean Philipp© Rameau was so called from his work en- titled a Dissertation on the Principles- of Harmony.” (1683-1764.) Newto'nian Philosophy. The astronomical system at present received, together with that of universal gravita- tion. So called after Sir Isaac Newton, who established the former and dis- covered the latter. {See Apple.) Ni'belung. A mythical king of Nor- way, whose subjects are called the Nibe- lungers, and territory the Nibelungon- NIBELUNGEN HOARD. NICHOLAS, 613 land. There were two contemporary Icings in this realm, against whom Sieg- fried, prince of the Netherlands, fought. He slew the twelve giants who formed their paladins with 700 of their chiefs, and made their country tributary (Lay iii). The word is from nebel (darkness), and means the children of mist or darkness, {See Nibelungen-Lied.) INibelungen Hoard. A mythical mass of gold and precious stones, which ■Siegfried obtained from the Nibelungs, and gave to his wife Kriemhild as her marriage portion. It was guarded by Albric the dwarf. After the murder of Siegfried, his widow removed the hoard to Worms; here Hagan seized it, and buried it secretly beneath '‘the Rhine at Lochham,” intending at a future time to -enjoy it, "but that was ne’er to be.” Xriemhild married Etzel with the view of avenging her wrongs. In time Glin- ther, with Hagan and a host of Burgun- dians, went to visit king Etzel, and Kriemhild stirred up a great broil, in which a most terrible slaughter ensued. {See Kriemhild.) ’Twas BiTich as twelve huge waggons in four whole nights and daj'S Could carry from the mountain down to the salt- sea bay. Though to and fro each waggon thrice journeyed every day. It was made up of nothing but precious stones and gold : Were all the world bought from it, and down the value told, 2iot a mark the less would there be left than erst there was, 1 ween. ''"Nibelungen-Lied," xix. Hibelungen-Lied. A famous Ger- man epic of the thirteenth century, pro- bably a compilation of different lays. It .is divided into two parts, one ending with the death of Siegfried, and the other with the death of Kriemhild, his widow. The first part contains the marriage of Gunther, king of Burgundy, with queen Bmnhild ; the marriage of Siegfried with Kriemhild, his death by Hagan, the removal of the "Nibelung hoard” to Burgundy, and its seizure by Hagan, who buried it somewhere under the Rhine. This part contains nineteen lays, divided into 1,188 four-line stanzas. The second part contains the marriage of the widow Kriemhild with king Etzel, the visit of the Burgundians to the court of the Hunnish king, and the death of all the principal characters, including Hagan and Kriemhild. This part, some- times called "The Nibelungen-N6t” from the last three words, contains twenty lays, divided into 1,271 four-line stanzas. The two parts contain thirty-nine lays, 2,459 stanzas, or 9, 836 lines. The subject is based on a legend in the Sagas. ISTibolungen-H ot. The second part of the famous German epic called the Nibelungen-Lied {q,v.). Hibelungers. Whoever possessed the " Nibelung Hoard” {q.v.). Thus at one time certain people of Norway were so called, but when Siegfried possessed himself of the hoard he was called king of the Nibelungers ; and at the death of Siegfried, when the hoard was removed to Burgundy, the Burgundians were so called. {See Nibeldng.) Hie Frog. {See Frog.) Hice. The Council of Nice. The first oecumenical council of the Christian church, held under Constantine the Great at Nice or Nicsea, in Asia Minor, to condemn the Arian heresy (325). The seventh oecumenical council was also held at Nice (787). Hicene Creed {Ni-seen) drawn up chiefly by Hosius of Cor'duba. Down to the words " I believe in the Holy Ghost,” formed part of the Nicene formulary; the rest was added in 391 to guard against the heresy of Macedonius. Hiche. A niche in the temple of Fame. The temple of Fame was the Panthe'on, built as a receptacle for illustrious Frenchmen. A niche in the temple is a place for a monument recording your name and deeds. Hicliolas {St^. The patron saint of boys, as St. Catherine is of girls. In Germany, a person assembles the chil- dren of a family or school on the 6th December (the eve of St. Nicholas), and distributes gilt nuts and sweetmeats; but if any naughty child is present, he receives the redoubtable punishment of the Jclaulauf. The same as Santa Claus and the Dutch Kriss Kringle {q.v.). St. Nicholas. Patron saint of parish clerks. This is because he was the patron of scholars, who used to be called clerks. St. Nicholas. Patron saint of sailors, because he allayed a storm on a voyage to the Holy Land. St. Nicholas, The patron saint of Russia. 614 NICK. NICKNAME. St. Nicholas, The patron saint of Aberdeen. St. Nicholas, in Christian art, is re- presented in episcopal robes, and has either three purses or golden balls, or three children, as his distinctive sym- bols. The three purses are in allusion to the three purses given by him to three sisters to enable them to marry. The three children allude to the legend that an Asiatic gentleman sent his three boys to school at Athens, but told them to call on St. Nicholas for his benediction ; they stopped at Myra for the night, and the innkeeper, to secure their baggage, murdered them in bed, and put their mangled bodies into a pickling tub with some pork, intending to sell the whole as such. St. Nicholas had a vision of the whole affair, and went to the inn, when the man confessed the crime, and St. Nicholas raised the murdered boys to life again. {See Hone’s Everyday Book,” vol. i., col. 1556 ; Maitre Wace, Metrical Life of St. Nicholas.”) Clerks or Knights of St. Nicholas. Thieves, so called because St. Nicholas was their patron saint ; not that he aided them in their wrong-doing, but because on one occasion he induced some thieves to restore their plunder. Probably St. Nicholas is simply a pun for Nick, and thieves may be called the devil’s clerks or knights with much propriety. I think yonder come prancing down the hills om Kingston a couple of St. Nicholas’s Clerks. — oxvley, “ Match at Midnight ” (1633). INick, in Scandinavian mythology, is a water- wraith or kelpie. There are nicks in sea, lake, river, and waterfall. Both Catholic and Protestant clergy have laboured to stir up an aversion to these beings. They are sometimes represented as half child, half horse, the hoofs being- reversed, and sometimes as old men sit- ting on rock s w ringing the water from thei r hair. In Denmark, when one is drowned, they say Nihken tog ham bort (Nick took him away) ; and when a drowned body is recovered, if the nose is red, they say, Niklcen liar suet ham (Nick has sucked him). This kelpie must not be con- founded with the nix {q.v.). Old Nick is the Scandinavian wraith under the form and fashion of an old man. Butler says the word is derived from Nicholas Machiavel, but this can be only a poetical satire, as the term existed many years before the birth of that Florentine. ^^’ck Machiavel had ne’er a trick ( i. hough he aives name to our Old Nick) But was below the least of these. “ Idudibras” hi. 1. Old Nick. Grimm says the word Nick is Neken or Nikken, the evil spirit of the- North. In Scandinavia there is scarcely a river without its Nikr or wraith. {See Nicka-nan. Nickar.*) He nicked it. Won, hit, accomplished it, A nick is a winning throw of dice. Hence Florio (p. 28U) says : To tye or nicke a cast of dice.” To nick the nick. To hit the exact moment. Tallies used to be called ‘^nick- sticks.” Hence to make a record of any- thing is “ to nick it down,” as publicans nick a score on a tally. In the nick of time. Just at the right moment. The allusion is to tallies marked with nicks or notches. Shakespeare has ‘‘ ’Tis now the prick of noon ” (‘‘ Borneo and Juliet,” ii. 4), in allusion to the cus- tom of pricking tallies with a pin, as they do at Cambridge University still. If a man enters chapel just before the doors close, he would be just in time to get nicked or pricked, and would be at the nick or prick of time. INicka-INaii NTiglit. The night preceding Shrove Tuesday is so called in Cornwall, because boys play impish tricks and practical jokes on the unwary. INickar or Hnickar. The name as- sumed by Odin when he impersonates the destroying principle. — Grimm, ^‘Deutsche Mythologie.'* Nieker. One who nicks or hits a mark exactly. Certain night-larkers, whose game was to break windows with halfpence, assumed this name in the early part of the eighteenth century. His scattered pence the flying Nicker flings. And with the copper shower the cas^ement rings. (day, Tt-ivia," iiL INickTelby( An endless talker, always introducing something quite foreign to the matter in hand, and plum- ing herself on her penetration. — Dickens, Nicholas Nicklehy.'* INickname. An eke name,” writ- ten A neke name. An additional name, an ag-nomen. The eke” of a bee-hive is the piece added to the bottom to en- large the hive. {See Now-a-days.) NICKNAMES. NIGHTSHADE. 615 Nicknames. National NicTcnames : For an American of the United States, ‘^Brother Jonathan” For a Dutchman, '^Nic Frog” fe-'r.), and Mynheer Closh” {q.v.). For an Englishman, “John Bull.” {See Bull.) For a Frenchman, “Crapaud” {q.v.), Johnny or Jean, Robert Macaire. For French Canadians, “Jean Bap- tiste.” For French Reformers, “Brissotins” (q.v.)', French Peasantry, “ Jaci^ues Bon- homme.” For a German, Cousin Michael ” {q.r.). For 2 in Irishman, “Paddy.” For a Londoner, “A Cockney” (g.v.). For a Russian, “A Bear.” For a Scot, “ Sawney” {q.v.). For a Swins, “ Colin Tampon ” {q.v.). Fora Turh, “Infidel.” Niek'nev'en. A gigantic malignant hag of Scotch superstition. Dunbar has well described this spirit in his “ Fly ting of Dunbar and Kennedy.” Nicola'itans. The followers of Ni- colads, in the second century. They were Gnostics in doctrine and Epicureans in practice. Nicolas. (See Nicholas.) Nic'otine (3 syl.) is so named from Jean Nicot, lord of Villemain, who pur- chased some tobacco at Lisbon in 1560, introduced it into France, and had the honour of fixing his name on the plant. Our word tobacco is from the Indian tahaco (the tube used by the Indians for inhaling the smoke, which by them is called petuni or cohiba). Nidh-Ogg. The monster serpent, hid in the pit Hvergelmer, which for ever gnaws at the roots of the mundane ash- tree Y ggdrasil. — Scandinavian mythology. Nie'mi. A lake and mountain in Lapland, where guardian spirits, called Haitios, are said to dwell. Nifl-lieim (2 syl., vapour -home). The region of endless cold and everlasting night, ruled over by Hela. It consists of nine worlds, to which are consigned those who die of disease or old age. This region existed “ from the beginning ” in the North, and in the middle thereof was the well Hvergelmeer, from which flowed twelve rivers. (Old Norse, nijl, mist; and heimr, home.) In the South was the world called Muspelheim {q.v). — Scan- dinavian mythology. {See Hvergelmer.) Nigger Songs are chiefly composed by Stephen C. Foster, of Pittsburgh, who died 1864. Among others the follow- ing are from his pen : — Uncle Ned, published I The Old Folks at Home. 1846. My Old Kentucky Home. Oh Susannah. 1 Old Dog Tray. Nightingale. Tereus, king of Thrace, fetched Philome'la to visit his wife; but when he reached the “soli- tudes of Helas ” he dishonoured her, and cut out her tongue that she might not reveal his conduct. Tereus told his wife that Philomela was dead, but Philomela made her story known by weaving it into a peplus, which she sent to her sister, the wife of Tereus, whose name was Procne. Procne, out of revenge, cut up her own son and served it to Tereus ; but as soon as the king discovered it he pursued his wife, who fled to Philomela, her sister. To put an end to the sad tale, the gods changed all three into birds: Tereus became the hawh, his wife the siv allow, and Philomela the nightingale. Arccidian nightingales. Asses. Niglitmare. A sensation in sleep as if something heavy were sitting on our breast. (From the Saxon mar a, an in- cubus ; Hebrew, maria, a demon or evil spirit.) This sensation used to be called in French, Cochemar (the sow-devil), because it resembles the dull lifeless weight of a fat sow ; and anciently it was not unfrequently called the Night- hag, or the riding of the witch. Fu'seli used to eat raw beef and pork chops for supper to produce nightmare, that ho might draw the horrible creations. {See Mare’s Nest.) I do believe that the witch we call Mara has been dealiug With you.— iS’ir Walter Scott, “ The Betrothed** ch. XV. Nightmare of Europe. Napoleon Bona- parte. (1769, 1804-1814, 1821.) Nightsliade is called deadly, not so much Because it is poisonous as because it was used to blacken the eyes in mourn' ing. It was the plant of mourning for the dead. 616 NIIIILO. NINE. Ex 7iihilo nihil fit. From nothing comes nothing — i.e.^ every effect must have a cause. It is an Epicure'ah axiom to prove the eternity of matter. We now apply the phrase as equivalent to You cannot get blood from a stone.” Y ou cannot expect clever work from one who has no brains; you cannot expect fruits of the earth without ploughing and sowing. ISTile. The Egyptians say that the swelling of the Nile is caused by the tears of Isis. The feast of Isis is celebrated at the anniversary of the death of Osi'ris, •when Isis is supposed to mourn for her husband. Hero of the Nile. Horatio lord Nelson. (1758-1805.) !Nirica or Sephal'ica. A plant in the hlossoms ,of which the bees sleep. INimbus characterises author ity and power, not sanctity. The colour indi- 'cates the character of the person so invested the nimbus of the Trinity is gold ; of angels, apostles, and the Virgin Mary, either red or white; of ordinary saints, violet ; of Judas, hlacJc; of Satan, some very dark colour. The form is generally a circle or half-circle, but that ^ of Deity is often triangular. Wim'ini-Piin'ini. Affected firm- ness. Lady Emily, in the ^‘Heiress,” tells Miss Alscrip the way to become a Paphian Mimp is to stand before a glass and keep pronouncing nimini pimini. The lips cannot fail to take the right plie.” — General Burgoyne,"' in. 2. This conceit has been borrowed by Charles Dickens in his Little Dorrit,” where Mrs. General tells Amy Dorrit — Papa gives a pretty form to the lips Papa., f)Otatoes,povltry, prunes, and jorism. You will find It serviceable if you say to youiself on entering a room, Papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes, and prism, . prunes and prism. IN imrod. A mighty hunter before the Lord” (Gen. x. 9), which the Targum says means a sinful hunting of the sons of men.” Pope says of him, he was ** a, mighty hunter, and his prey was man ; ” so also Milton interprets the phrase. — Paradise Lost,'* xii. Nimrod. Any tyrant or devastating warrior. Nimrod, in the Quarterly Review, is the nom-de-plume of Charles James Apperley, -of Denbighshire, who was passionately fond of hunting. Mr. Pittman, the pro- prietor, kept for him a stud of hunters. His best productions are The Chase, the Turf, and the Load.” (1777-1843.) Nincompoop. A poor thing of a man. A corruption of the Latin no 7 i, comyos \mentis\. Nine. Nine, five, and three are mystical numbers — the diapa'son, dia- pente,and diatri'on of the Greeks. Nine consists of a trinity of trinities. Accord- ing to the Pythagorean numbers, man is a full chord, or eight notes, and deity comes next. Three, being the trinity, represents a perfect xinity ; twice three is the perfect dual; and thrice three is the perfect 'plural. This explains the use of nine as a mystical number, and also as an exhaustive plural, and conse- quently no definite number, but a simple representative of plural perfection. {See Diapason.) (1) Nine indicating perfection or com- pletion : — Daucalion* s ark, made by the advice of Prome'theus, was tossed about for nine days, when it stranded on the top of Mount Parnassus. Rig geo to the nines or Dressed up to the nines. To perfection, from head to foot. There are nine earths. Hela is goddess of the ninth. Milton speaks of ‘^nine- en f old ed spheres . ” — A r cades . ” There are nine worlds in Nifiheim. There are nine heavens. {See Heavens.) Gods. Macaulay makes Porsenna swear by the nine gods. There are nine orders of angels. {See Angels.) There are the nine korrigan or fays of Armorica. There were nine muses. There were oiine Gallicence or virgin priestesses of the ancient Gallic oracle. The serpents or Nagas of Southern Indian worship are nine in number. There are nine worthies {q.v.) ; and nine worthies of London. There were nine rivers of hell, accord- ing to classic mythology. Milton says the gates of hell are ^Hhrice three-fold: three folds are brass, three iron, three of adamantine rock. They had nine folds, nine plates, and nine linings.” — “ Paradise Lost,'* ii. 645. Fallen angels. Milton says, when they were cast out of heaven, ^‘Nine days they fell.” — '‘^Paradise Lost,** vi. 871. Vulcan, when kicked out of heaven, NINE. NINE DAYS’ WONDER. b*i: v/as nine days falling, and then lighted on the island Lemnos. Nice or nimble as ninepence (q.v.'). (2) Examples of the use of nine as an exhaustive plural : — Nine tailors mahe a man, does not mean the number nine in the ordinary ac- ceptation, but simply the plural of tailor Avithout relation to number. As a tailor is not so robust and powerful as the or- dinary run of men, it requires more than one to match a man. A nine days wonder is a wonder that lasts more than a day ; here nine equals ** several.” A cat has nine lives— i.e., a cat is more tenacious of life than animals in general. Possession is nine points of the law— i.e., several points, or every advantage a per- son can have short of right. There are nine croivns recognised in heraldry. (Nee Heraldry.) A fee asked a Norman peasant to change babes with her, but the peasant replied, ^'No, not if your child were nine times fairer than my own .” — “Fairy Mythology,'' p. 473. (^3) Nine as a mystic number. Exam- ples of its superstitious use : — The Abracadabra was worn nine days, and then flung into a river. Cadency. There are nine marks of cadency. Cat. The whip for punishing evil- doers is a cat o' nine tails, from the super- stitious notion that a flogging by a ‘^trinity of trinities” would be both more sacred and more efficacious. Diamonds. [See Diamond Jousts,” under the word Diamond.) Fairies. In order to see the fairies, a person is directed to put '^nine grains of wheat on a. four-leaved clover.” Jlel has dominion over nine worlds. Hydra. The hydra had nine heads. '{See Hydra.) Leases used to be granted for 999 years, that is three-three times three-three. Even now they run for ninety- nine years, the dual of a trinity of trini ties. At the Lemu'ria, held by the Romans on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May, per- sons haunted threw black beans over their heads, pronouncing nine times the words : “ Avaunt, ye spectres from this house !” and the exorcism was complete. {See Ovid’s Fasti.”) Magpies. To see nine magpies is most unlucky. [See Magpie.) Odin's ring dropped eight other rings every ninth night. Ordeals. In the ordeal by fire, nine hot ploughshares were laid lengthwise at unequal distances. Peas. If a servant finds nine green peas in a peascod, she lays it on the lintel of the kitchen-door, and the first man that enters in is to be her cavalier. Seal. The people of Feroes say that the seal casts off its skin every ninth month, and assumes a human form to sport about the land.— Thiele," iii. 51. Styx encompassed the infernal regions in nine circles. Toast. We drink a Three-times-threeio those most highly honoured. Witches. The weird sisters in ‘'^Mac- beth” sang, as they danced round the cauldron: ^‘Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, and thrice again to make up nine;” and then declared ‘Hhe charm wound up.” Wresting Thread. Nine knots are made on black wool as a charm for a sprained ankle. (4) Promiscuous examples : — Niobe’s children lay nine days in their blood before they were buried. Nine buttons of official rank in China. Nine of Diamonds (g.v.). The curse of Scotland. There are nine Mandarins [q.v.). Planets. — [1) Mercury, (2) Venus, (3) Earth, (4) Mars, (5) the Planetoids, (6) Ju- piter, (7) Saturn, (8) Uranus, (9) Neptune. The followers of Jai'na, a heterodox sect of the Hindus, believe all objects are classed under nine categories, [See Jainas.) INine Crosses. Altar crosses, pro- cessional crosses, roods on lofts, reliquary crosses, consecration crosses, marking crosses, pectoral crosses, spire crosses, and crosses pendant over altars. — Pugin, “ Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornaments." INine Crowns. [See Crowns.) INine Days’ Wonder. Something that causes a great sensation for a few days, and then passes into the limbo of things forgotten. In Bohn’s ‘^Handbook of Proverbs” we have, A wonder lasts nine days, and then the puppy’s eyes are open,” alluding to cats and dogs, which are born blind. As much as to say the eyes of the public are blind in astonish- ment for nine days, but then their eyes 618 NINE POINTS. NITOUCHE. are open, and they see too much to won- der any longer, INine Points of the Law. Success in a law-suit requires (1) a good deal of money ; (2) a good deal of patience ; (3) ^ a good cause; (4) a good lawyer; (5) a good counsel ; (6) good witnesses; (7) a good jury; (8) a good judge; and (9) good luck. ilNine Worthies. Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabseus ; Hector, Alexan- der, and J ulius Ciesar ; Arthur, Charle- magne, and Godfrey of Bouillon, l^ine worthies were they called, of different rites— Tiiree Jews, three pagans, and three Christian knights. Di'yden, “ Thi Flower and the Leaf.” Nine Worthies (privy councillors to William III.) Whigs: Devonshire, Dorset, Monmouth, and Edward Bussell. Tories : Caermarthen, Pembroke, Not- tingham, Marlborough, and Lowther. Nine Worthies of London. {See Wor- thies.) TQ'inepence. As nice as ninepeiice. Silver ninepences were common till the year 1696, when all unmilled coin was called in. These ninepences were often bent and given as love-tokens, the usual formula of presentation being To my love, from my love. {See Nimble.) INinTaii {St). The apostle of the Piets (fourth and fifth centuries). INinon de Lenelos, noted for her beauty, wit, and gaiety. She had two natural sons, one of whom fell in love with her, and blew out his brains when he discovered the relationship. (1615-1706.) INi'nus. Son of Belus, husband of Semir'arais, and the reputed builder of Nineveh. INiobe (3 syl.). The personification of female sorrow. According to Grecian fable, Niobe was the mother of twelve children, and taunted Lato'na because she had only two, namely Apollo and Diana, Lato'na commanded her children to avenge the insult, and they caused all the sons and daughters of Niobe to die. Niobe was inconsolable, wept herself to death, and was changed into a stone, from which ran water. Like Niob6, all tears” (‘^Hamlet”). The group of Niobe and her children, in Florence, was discovered at Borne in 1583, and was the work either of Scopas or Praxit'eles. The Niche of Nations. So lord Byrort styles Borne, the ‘Mone mother of dead empires,” with broken thrones and temples ;” a chaos of ruins ;” a ^^desert where we steer stumbling o’er recollec- tions.” — Childe Harold f iv., stanza 79. ITip-cheese or Nip-farthing. A mi- ser, who nips or pinches closely his cheese and farthings. INipper {S^isan), The attendant on, Florence Dombey. She is affectionate and faithful, but teasing and caustic. TTlrva'na. Annihilation, or rather the final deliverance of the soul from transmigration (in Buddhism). Sanskrit, nir, out; vdna, blown. {See Gautama.) Hishapoor and Tous. Mountains in Khorassan where turquoises are found. ISTisi Prius. A Nisi Case j a cause to be tried in the assize courts. Sittings at Nisi Prius ; sessions of Nisi Prius courts, which never try criminal cases. Trial at Nisi\ a trial before judges of assize. An action at one time could be tried only in the court where it was brought, but Magna Charta provided that certain cases, instead of being tried at Westminster in the superior courts, should be tried in their proper counties before judges of assize. The words Nisi Prius” are two words on which the following clause attached to the writs entirely hinges : We command you to come before our justices at Westminster on the morrow of All Souls’, NISI PBIUS justiciarii domini regis ad assisas capiendas venerint— Le., unless previously the justices of the lord our king come to hold their assizes at (the court of your own assize town). -ISris'roch. An idol of the Ninevites, represented in their sculptures with a hawk’s head. The word means Great Eagle. ]Nit. One of the attendants of queen Mab. Uitouche {St.) or Mie Touche. (Touch-me-not). A hypocrite, a demure- looking pharisee. The French say Faire la Sainte Nitouche, to pretend to great sanctity, or look as if butter would not melt in your mouth. We use the word Maw-worm in the same signification — a name taken from The Hypocrite,” by Isaac Bickerstaff. NIX. NOGGS. 619 !Nix (mas.), INixe (fern.). Kind busy- body. Little creatures not unlike the Scotch 'brownie and German hohold. They wear a red cap, and are ever ready to lend a helping hand to the industrious and thrifty. {^8ee Nick.) Og Trolde, Hexer, Nisser i hver Vraae. Finn 3Iagnusen, And Trolls, hags, nixes in each nook. Isri25ani'. A title of sovereignty in India, derived from Nizam-nl-nmlk (regu- lator of the state), who obtained posses- sion of the Deccan at the beginning of the last century. The name Caesar was by the Komans used precisely in the same manner, and has descended to the present hour in the form of Kaiser (of Austria), INjambai or Njemhai, The good spirit of the Bakalai tribes of Africa. Njord. God of the winds and waves. — Edda. iWo-Popery Riots. Those of Edin- burgh and Glasgow, February 5, 1779. Those of London, occasioned by lord George Gordon, in 1780. iN’oah.’s Ark. A white band spanning the sky like a rainbow : if east and west expect dry weather, if north and south expect wet. TsToali’s Wife, according to a me- diaeval legend, was unwilling to go into the ark, and the quarrel between the patriarch and his wife forms a very prominent feature of Noah’s Flood,” in the Chester and Towneley Mysteries. Hastow nought herd, quod Nicholas, also The sorwe of Noe with his felaschippe That be had or he gat his wyf to schipe? Chaucer, '’’Canterbury Tale3,”d534* R'oakes (John) or John o’ Noalces. A fictitious name, formerly made use of by lawyers in actions of ejectment. His name was generally coupled with that of Tom Styles. Similarly, John Doe and Richard Roe were used. The Roman names were Titius and Seiiis (“Juv. Sat. ” iv. 13). All these worthies are the hopeful sons of Mrs. Harris. Nobs and Snobs. Nobles and pseudo-nobles. Noble. An ancient coin, so called on account of the superior excellency of its gold. Nobles were originally disposed of as a reward for good news, or im- portant service done. Edward III. was the first who coined rose nobles (q.v.),, and gave 100 of them to Gobin Agace of Picardy, for showing him a ford across- the river Somme, when he wanted to join, his army. The Noble. Charles III. of Navarre (1361-1425). Soliman Tchelihi, Turkish^ prince at Adrianople (died 1410). Noble-Soul. The surname given to Khosrfi I., the greatest monarch of the Sassanian dynasty. ( * , 531-579.) Noblesse Oblige (French). Noble- birth imposes the obligation of high- minded principles and noble actions. Nocc-a. The Neptune of the Goths. Noctes Ambrosia'nae. While- Lockhart was writing ‘Wale'rius,” he was in the habit of taking walks with Pro- fessor Wilson every morning, and of supping with Blackwood at Ambrose’s, a. small tavern in Edinburgh. One night Lockhart said, What a pity there has not been a short-hand writer here to take, down all the good things that have been said ! ” and next day he produced a paper from memory, and called it ^'NocteS'- Ambi'osianse.” That was the first of the- series. The part ascribed to Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, is purely supposi- titious. Noddy. A Tom Noddy is a very foolish or half-witted person, a noodle. The marine birds called Noddies are so silly, that any one'Can go up to them and knock them down with a stick. A donkey is called a Neddy Noddy. Nodel. The lion in the beast- epic- called Reynard the Fox.” Nodel re- presents the regal element of Germany ; Isengrin, the wolf, represents the baro- nial element, and Reynard represents the- church element. Noel. Christmas day, or a Christmas- carol. A contraction of (tidings), written in old English nowelLs. Noe'tians. The followers of Noe'tus- of Ephesus. They acknowledged only one person in the divinity. NoggS (^Newman). Ralph Nickleby’a clerk. A tall man of middle age, with two goggle eyes^ one of which was a fixture, a rubicund nose, a cadaverous face, and a suit of clothes much the worse for wear. This kind, dilapidated fellow ^20 NOKOMrS. NON SEQUITUR. ^^kept his horses and hounds once,” — Dickens, Nicholas Nicklehy^ UNoko'niis, Daughter of the Moon. Sporting one day with her maidens on a swing made of vine-canes, a rival cut the ■swing, and Noko'mis fell to earth, where •she gave birth to a daughter named Weno'nah. ]Nolens Volens. Whether willing or not. Two Latin participles meaning being unwilling (or) willing.” iN’oll. Old Noll. Oliver Cromwell was so called by the Royalists. Noll is a familiar contraction of Oliver — i.e., 01’ W'ith an initial liquid. I^oli me Tan'gere, A plant of the genus ini'patiens. The seed-vessels consist of one cell in five divisions, and when the seed is ripe each of these, on being touched, suddenly folds itself into a spiral form and leaps from the stalk. — {See Darwin, Loves of the Plants,” ii. 3.) ISTolle Pros'equi {DonH 'prosecute), A petition from a plaintiff to scay a suit. {See Non Pros.) iN’olo Episcopa'ri (/ a'm wmilling - to accept the office of Bishop). A very general notion prevails that every bishop •at consecration uses these words. Mr. Christian, in his notes to Blackstone, says, The origin of these words and of this vulgar notion I have not been able to discover: the bishops certainly give .no such refusal at present, and I am in- clined to think they never did at any Lime in this country.” When the see of Bath and Wells was offered to Beveridge, he certainly exclaimed, *^Nolo episcopari but it was the private expression of his • own heart, and not a form of words, in his case. Chamberlayne says in former times the person about to be elected bishop modestly refused the office twice, and if he did so a third time his refusal was accepted. — Present State of Eng- land.” ]Nom. Nom de Guerre is French for a “ war name,” but really means an as- sumed name. It was customary at one time for every one who entered the French army to assume a name; this was espe- cially the case in the times of chivalry, when knights went by the device of their shields or some other distinctive cha- .racter in their armour, as the Red- cross Knight,” &c. Nom de Plume. French for the '^pen name,” and meaning the name assumed by a writer who does not choose to give his own name to the public ; as Peter Pindar, the nom de plume of Dr. John Wolcot ; Peter Parley, of Mr. Goodrich ; Currer Bell, of Charlotte Bronte ; Cuthhert Bede, of the Rev. Edward Bradley, &c. Nom'ads. Wanderers who live in tents. The Indians call their tents numda, made of a woollen stuff very thick. The Greeks called the people of Scythia, Libya, and Numidia Nomads, and probably de- rived the word from numda (a tent) and not from nemo (to feed). ITom'inalists. A sect founded by Roscelin, canon of Compi^gne (1040- 1 120). He maintained that if the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, they cannot be three distinct persons, but must be simply three names of the same being ; just as father, son, and husband are three distinct names of one and the same man under different conditions. Abelard, William Occam, Buridan, Hobbes, Locke, bishop Berkeley, Con- dillac, and Dugald Stewart are the most celebrated disciples of Roscelin. {See Realists.) iNTon Bis in Idem (Latin, Not twice for the same thing) — i.e., no man can be tried a second time on the same charge. INon Compos Mentis ©r Non Com. Not of sound mind ; a lunatic, idiot, drunkard, or one who has lost memory and understanding by accident or disease. Hon Con. {See Nonconformist.) Hon Est. A contraction of Non est inventus (not to be found). They are the words which the sheriff writes on a writ when the defendant is not to be found in his bailiwick. Hon Plus (^^no more” can be said on the subject). When a man is come to a non-plus in an argument, it means that he is unable to deny or controvert what is advanced against him. To non-plus ” a person is to put him into such a fix. Hon Pros, for Non pros' equi (not to prosecute). The judgment of Non pros. is one for costs, when the plaintiff stays a suit, Hon Sequitur (A). A conclusion which does not follow from the premises NONCONFORMISTS. NORRISIAN PROFESSOR. 621 stated. The words are Latin for It does not folloio or It is not consequent, 13'onconformists. The 2,000 cler- gymen who, in 1662, left the Church of England, rather than conform or submit to the conditions of the Act of Uniformity — ^.e., ‘^unfeigned assent to all and every- thing contained in the Book of Common Prayer.” The word is loosely used for Dissenters generally. Wonjurors. Those clergymen who refused to take the oath of allegiance to the new government afterthe Revolution. They were archbishop San croft with eight other bishops, and 400 clergymen, all of whom were ejected from their livings (1691). iN’onne Prestes Tale. A thrifty widow had a cock, *'hight Chaunt'e- clere,” who had his harem ; but 'Mamysel Pertilote ” was his favourite, who perched beside him at night. Chaunteclere once dreamt that he saw a fox who “tried to make arrest on his body,” but Per'tilote chided him for placing faith in dreams. Next day a fox came into the poultry- yard, but told Chaunteclere he merely came to hear him sing, for his voice was so ravishing he could not deny himself that pleasure. The cock, pleased with this flattery, shut his eyes and began to crow most lustily, when Dan Russell seized him by the throat and ran off with him. When they got to the wood, the cock said to the fox, “ T should ad- vise you to eat me, and that anon.” “ It shall be done,” said the fox, but as he loosed the cock’s neck to speak the word, Chaunticlere flew from his back into a tree. Presently came a hue and cry after the fox, who escaped with difficulty, and Chaunticlere returned to the poul- try-yard wiser and discreeter for his adventure. — Chaucer /^Canterhury Tales'' This tale is taken from the old French Roman de Reiiart.” The same story forms also one of the fables of Marie of France, called “Don Coc etDon Werpil.” iN’or. The giant, father of Night. He dwelt in Utgard. — Scandinavian iny- tki>logy. Norfolk. The folk north of Kent, Essex, and Suffolk. Norfolk-Ho wards. Bugs. A per- son named Bugg, in 1863, changed his name into Norfolk-Howard. Norfolk Street {Strand), with Arundel, Surrey, and Howard Streets, were the site of the house and grounds of the bishop of Bath and Wells, ithen of the lord high admiral Seymour, and afterwards of the Howards earls of Arundel and Surrey, from whom it came into the possession of the earl of Norfolk. Norma. A vestal priestess who has been seduced. She discovers her para- mour in an attempt to seduce her friend, also a vestal priestess, and in despair contemplates the murder of her base- born children. The libretto is a melo- drama by Romani, music by Belli nit (1831). Norma," an Opera, Normandy. The Poles are the Vin- tagers in Normandy. The Norman vintage consists of apples, beaten down by poles.. The French say En Normandie Von ven- dange avec la gaule, where gaule is a play on the word Gaul, but really means a> pole. The Gem of Normandy. Emma, daughter of Richard I. (*-1052.) Norna. The well of Urda, where the gods sit in judgment, and near which is; that “fair building’'* whence proceed, the three maidens called Urda, Verdandi, and Skulda {Past, Present, and Future),. — Scandinavian mythology. Norna “ of the Fitful-head.” A character in Sir Walter Scott’s “Pirate,” to illustrate that singular kind of in- sanity which is ingenious in self-impo- sition, as those who fancy a lunatic- asylum their own palace, the employes- thereof their retinue, and the porridge provided a banquet fit for the gods, Norna’s real name was Ulla Troil, but after her amour with Basil Mertoun (Vaughan), and the birth of a son, named Clement Cleveland, she changed her name out of shame. Towards the end of the novel she gradually recovered her right I mind. I Nornir or Norns, The three fates ; of Scandinavian mythology, Past, Present, I and Future. They spin the events of i human life sitting under the ash tree Yggdrasil {Ig'-dra-silV). Norris'ian Professor. A Pro- i fessor of Divinity in the University of I Cambridge. This professorship was ! founded in 1760 by John Norris, Esq., of . Whitton, in Norfolk. These lectures 622 NOEROY. NOSE. ?must be attended by candidates for holy orders. “ Pearson on the Creed ” is the text-book. (>Sce Margaret.) INorroy. North-roy or king. The third king-at-arms is so called, because his office is on the north side of the river Trent ; that of the south side is called Clarencieux (jl-v.). ISTorte. Violent northern gales, which visit the Gulf of Mexico from September 'to March. In March they attain their maximum force, and then immediately 'Cease. (Spanish, norte^ the north.) INorte de Los Esta'dos. By Don Francisco de Ossuna. Published 1550. ITorth (Christopher) . A nom de plume ■of Professor Wilson, of Gloucester Place, Edinburgh, one of the chief contributors to BlachooodCs Magazine. TTorth Side of a Cliurcliyard. The poor have a great objection to be buried on the north side of a churchyard. They seem to think only evil-doers should be there interred. Probably the chief -‘reason is the want of sun. The sun shines on the south, east, and west sides ; but the north side is cold, dark, damp, and gloomy. There is, however, an ecclesiastical reason: — The east is GodJs side, where his throne is set ; the west, moM’s side, the Galilee of the Gentiles ; the south, the side of the spirits made jiisV and ■SeeBELL.) Passing fair. Admirably fair. The Dutch passen, to admire. A man he was to all the country dear. And passing rich with forty pounds a year. Goldsmith^ Deserted Village.’* Passion Plower. So named from a fanciful resemblance in different parts of the flower to various articles connected with the “passion ” or crucifixion of our Lord. The five anthers symbolise the | five wounds ; the three styles, the three nails ; the column on which the ovary is elevated, the pillar of the cross ; the fleshy threads within the flower, the crown of thorns ; and the calyx, the nimbus. Passionists. Certain priests of the Roman Catholic Church, who mutually agreed to preach “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” The founder of this “ con- gregation ” was Paul Francis, surnamed Paul of the Cross. (1694-1775.) Pass'over . A J ewish festival to com- memorate the deliverance of the Israel- ites, when the angel of death (that slew the first-born of the Egyptians) passed over their houses, and spared all who did as Moses commanded them. Passy-measure or Passing-mea^ sure. A slow stately dance ; a corrup- tion of the Italian passamezzo (a middle pace or step). It is called a cinque- measure, because it consists of five measures — “two singles and a double for- ward, with two singles side.”— Collier, Passy-measure Pavin. A pavin is a stately dance {see Pa van) ; a passy- measure pavin is a reeling dance or motion like that of a drunken man from side to side. Sir Toby Belch says of “ Dick Surgeon ” — He's a rogue and a passy-measure pavin. I hate a drunken xogxxQ.—Shakespeare^ “ Twelfth Night,” v. i. Pasteboard. A visiting card; so called from the material of which it is made. Paston Letters. The first two volumes appeared in 1787, entitled “ Original Letters written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard HI., by various persons of rank;” edited by Mr., afterwards Sir J ohn Fenn. They are called Paston be- cause chiefly written by or to members of the Paston family in Norfolk. They passed from the earl of Yarmouth to Peter le Neve, antiquary ; then to Mr. Martin, of Palgrave, Suffolk ; were then bought by Mr. W orth, of Diss ; then passed to the editor. Charles Knight calls them “ an invaluable record of the social customs of the fifteenth century ” (the time of the War of the Roses), but of late some doubt has been raised respecting their authenticity. Three extra volumes were subsequently added. Pastorale of Pope Gregory, by Alfred the Great. Patavin'ity. A provincial idiom in speech or writing ; so called from Pata- vium {Padua), th^e birth-place of Livy. {See Patois.) 6C2 PATCH. PATRI-PASSIANS. Patcll. A fool ; so called from the motley or patched dress worn by licensed fools. "What a pied ninny’s this ! thou scurvy patch ! S/utkespearey “ The Tempest,'’ iiL 2. Cross-patch. An ill-tempered person, (^See above.) Patches. The Whig belles wore patches of court plaister on the right, and the Tories on the left side of their faces or foreheads. {See Court Plaister.) Pat'elin. The artful dodger. The French say Savoir son Patelin (to know how to bamboozle you). Patelin is the name of an artful cheat in a farce of the fifteenth century so called. On one occa- sion he wanted William Josseaume to sell him cloth on credit, and artfully fell on praising the father of the merchant, winding up his laudation with this ne plus ultra'. ‘^He did sell on credit, or even lend to those who wished to borrow.” This farce was reproduced in 1706 by Brueys, under the name of ‘^L’Avocat Patelin.” Consider, sir, I pray you. how the noble Patelin, having a mind to extol to tbe third heaven the father of William Josseaume, said no more than this: “And he did lend to those who were desirous to bor- row of him.'’— Rabelais, Pantagruel,” iii. 4. Patelinage. Foolery, buffoonery ; acting like Patelin in the French farce. I never in my life laughed so much as at the acting of that Pateliuage.— 22a6eZais, “PanfayrMfcl,”iii 34. Patent Polls. Letters patent col- lected together on parchment rolls. Each roll is a year, though in some cases the roll is subdivided into two or more parts. Each sheet of parchment is numbered, and called a membrane : for example, the 8th or any other sheet, say of the 10th year of Henry III., is cited thus : ‘^Pat. 10, Hen. HI., m. 8. If the document is on the back of the roll it is called dorso, and d” is added to the citation. Pat'er Wos'ter. The Lord’s Prayer ; so called from the first two words in the Latin version. Every tenth bead of a rosary is so called, because at that bead the Lord’s Prayer is repeated. Loosely, the rosary itself is so called. Paternoster Pow (London) was so named from the rosary or paternoster makers. We read of one Robert Nikke, a paternoster maker and citizen, in the reign of Henry IV.” Some say it was so called because funeral processions on their way to St. Paul’s began their pater noster at the beginning of the Row, and went on repeating it till they reached the church-gate. Pater Patrum. St. Gregory of Nyssa was so entitled by the Nicfean Council. (332-395.) Pathfinder. Major-General John Charles Fremont, who conducted four ex- peditions across the Rocky Mountains. {Circa, 1815.) ^ Pathfinder, in Fenimore Cooper’s five novels, is Natty Bumppo, called tbe Pathfinder, the Deer-slayer, the Hawk- eye, and the Trapper. (See Natty Bumppo.) Patient (The). Albert IV., dujie of Austria. (1377-1404.) (/S'ee Helena.) Patient Gris'el, Oisil'des, Grisild, Grisilde, or Grisildis, according to Chau- cer, was the wife of Wautier, marquis of Sal'uces (‘^Clerkes Tale”). According to Boccaccio, Griselda, a poor country lass, became the wife of Gualtie're, mar- quis of Saluzzo (‘‘Tenth Day,” novel x.). She is put upon by her husband in the most wanton and gratuitous manner, but bears it all not only without a murmur, but even without loss of temper. She is the model of patience under injuries. The allegory means that God takes away our children and goods, afflicts us in sundry ways, and tries us “so as with fire;” but we should always say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Patin. Brother of the emperor of Rome, who fights with Am'adis of Gaul, and has his horse killed under him. Pat'ina. A beautiful surface deposit or fine rust with which, in time, buried coins and bronzes become covered. It is at once preservative and ornamental, and may be seen to advantage in the ancient bronzes of Pompeii, (Greek, pa- tane, a patin.) Patois (2 syl.). Dialectic peculiarity, provincialism. Quintilian noticed some- thing of the kind in Livy, which he called patavinitas, from Patavium, Livy^s birth- town. Patri-Passians. One of the most ancient sectaries of the Christian Church, who maintained the oneness of the God- head. The founder was Praxeas, of Phrygia, in the second century. The PATRICIAN. PATTEN. 6G3 appellation was given to them by their opponents, who affirmed that according to their theory the Father must have suffered on the cross. Patrician, properly speaking, is one of the patres or fathers of Rome. These patres were the senators, and their de- scendants were the patricians. As they held for many years all the honours of the state, the word came to signify the snagnates or nobility of a nation. N.B. — In Rome the patrician class was twice augmented : first by Tatius, after the Sabine war, who added a whole cen- tury and again by Tarquinius Priscus, who added another. The Sabine century went by the name of patricians of the senior races {majo'rum gentium), and the Tarquinian patricians were termed of the junior creation {mino'rum gentium). Pat'rick. Chambers says, We can trace the footsteps of St. Patrick almost from his cradle to his grave, by the names <»f places called after him. Thus, assuming the Scottish origin, he was born at Kit- patrich (the cell of Patrick), in Dumbar- tonshire ; he resided for some time at Dal-patrich (the district of Patrick), in Lanarkshire ; and visited Crag-phadrig (the rock of Patrick), near Inverness. He founded two churches, Kirk-pairick in Kircudbright, and Kirk-patrick in Dumfries ; and ultimately sailed from Port-patrick, leaving behind him such an odour of sanctity, that among the most distinguished families of the Scottish aristocracy Patrick has been a favourite name down to the present day. Arriving in England he preached at Patter-dale (Patrick’s valley), in West- moreland ; and founded the church of Kirk-patrick, in Durham. Visiting Wales he walked over Sarn-hadrig (causeway of Patrick), which now forms a dan- gerous shoal in Carnarvon Bay ; and departing for the Continent sailed from Llan-hadrig (church of Patrick), in the isle of Anglesea. Undertaking his mis- sion to convert the Irish, he first landed a,t Innis-patrick (island of Patrick), and next at Holm-patrick, on the opposite shore of the mainland, in the county of Dublin. Sailing northwards he^ touched at the Isle of Man, called Innis-patrick, where he founded another church of Kirk-patrick, near the town of Peel. Again landing on the coast of Ireland, in the county of Down, he converted and baptised the chieftain Dichu on his own threshing-floor, an event perpetuated in the word Saul — i.e., Sahhal-patrick {hsivn of Patrick). He then proceeded to Temple-patrick, in Antrim ; and from thence to a lofty mountain in Mayo, ever since called Croagh-pairick. In East Meath he founded the abbey of Domnack- Padraig (house of Patrick), and built a church in Dublin on the spot where St. Patrick's Cathedral now stands. In an island of Lough Derg, in Donegal, there is St. Patrick's Purgatory ; in Lein- ster, St. Patrick's Wood ; at Cashel, St. Patrick's Rock. There are scores of St. Patrick's Wells from which he drank ; and he died at Saul, March 17th, 493. — ‘‘Book of Days." St. Patrick's Cave, through which was a descent to purgatory, for the behoof of the living who wished to expiate their evil deeds before death. St. Patrick's Cross. The same shape as St. Andrew’s cross (X)> only different in colour, viz., red on a white field. {See Andrew.) St. Patrick's Purgatory, Ireland, de- scribed in the Italian romance called “ Guerino Meschino.” Here gourmands are tantalised with delicious banquets which elude their grasp, and are at the same time troubled with colic. St. Patrick and the Serpent. According to tradition, St. Patrick cleared Ireland of its vermin ; one old serpent resisted, but St. Patrick overcame it by cunndng. He made a box, and invited the serpent to enter it. The serpent objected, saying it was too small ; but St. Patrick in- sisted it was quite large enough to be comfortable. After a long contention, the serpent got in to prove its case, when St. Patrick slammed down the lid, and threw the box into the sea. To com- plete this wonderful tale, the legend says the waves of the sea are made by the writhings of this serpent, and the noise of the sea is that of the serpent imploring the saint to release it. Pat'rico. An Abram-man {q.v.'). Patroclos. The gentle and amiable friend of Achilles in Homer’s “Iliad.’* When Achilles refused to fight in order to annoy Agamem'non, he sent Patroclos to battle, and he was slain by Euphorbos. Patten. Martha or Patty, says Gay, was the daughter of a Lincolnshire 664 PATTENS-MONEY. PAUL’S WALKEPvS. farmer, with whom the village black- smith fell in love. To save her from wet feet when she went to milk the cows, the village Mulciber invented a clog, mounted on iron, which he called yyatty^ after his mistress. This pretty fable is of no literary value, as the word is the French 'patin (a high-heeled shoe), from the Greek patein (to walk). The patten now supports each frugal dame, "Which from the blue-eyed Patty takes its name. Qay^ “ Trivia,” i. Pattens-Money {Chapins de la Reina). A subsidy levied in Spain on all crown-tenants at the time of a royal marriage. Patter. To chatter, to clack. Dr. Pusey thinks it is derived from PoAer- noster (the Lord’s Prayer). The priest abbled it in a low, mumbling voice till e came to the words, and lead us not into temptation,” which he spoke aloud, and the choir responded, “ but deliver us from evil.” In our reformed Prayer- Book, the priest is directed to say the whole prayer with a loud voice.” Prob- ably the ‘Spattering of rain” — i.e., the rain coming with its pat-pat, is after all the better derivation. ( W elsh, ffatj a blow.) Pattern. A corruption of patron. As a patron is a guide, and ought to be an example, so the word has come to sig- nify an artistic model. Pattieson {Mr. Peter). Introduced by Sir Walter Scott in the Introductions of the “Heart of Midlothian ” and “ Bride of Lammermoor.” He is represented as s‘ assistant” at Gandercleugh, and author of the “ Tales of My Landlord,” pub- lished posthumously by Jedidiah Cleish- botham. Paul {St.). Patron saint of preachers and tentmakers, being himself the most eloquent of the sacred penmen, and a maker of tents. His symbols are a sword and open book, the former the instrument of his martyrdom, and the latter indicative of the new law propagated by him as the apostle of the Gentiles. He is repre- sented of short stature, with bald head and grey, bushy beard. St. Paul the Hermit is represented as an old man, clothed with palm-leaves, and seated under a palm-tree, near which are a fountain, river, and loaf of bread. Paul of the Cross. Paul Francis, founder of the Passionists. (1694-1775.) Paul and Virginia. A tale by Ber- nardin de St. Pierre. At one time this little romance was as popular as “ Uncl& Tom’s Cabin.” Paul Pry. An idle, meddlesome fellow, who has no occupation of his owrip. and is always interfering with other folk’s business. — John Poole, Paul Pry'' (a comedy). The original was Thomas Hill. Paul'ianists. A sect of heretics so called from Paulia'nus Samosa'tanus (Paul of Samosa'ta), elected bishop of Antioch in 262. He may be considered the father of the Socinians. Paulicians. A religious sect of the Eastern empire, an offshoot of the Mani- chse'ans. It originated in an Armenian named Paul, who lived under Justinian II. Neander says they were the fol- lowers of Constantine of Mananalis, and were called Paulicians because the apostle Paul was their guide. He says they re- jected the worship of the Virgin and of saints, denied the doctrine of transub- stantiation, and maintained the right of every one to read the Scriptures freely. Pauli'na, wife of Antig'onus, a Si- cilian nobleman, takes charge of queen Hermi'one, when unjustly sent to prison by her jealous husband, and after a timOv presents her again to Leontes as a statue “by that rare Italian master, Julio 'Rom 2 iTiO."— Shakespeare Winter's TaleP Paulo. The cardinal, brother of count Guido Franceschi'ni, who advised his scape grace bankrupt brother to marry an heiress, in order to repair his fortune. — Robert Browning, ‘ ‘ The Ring and the Booh." Paul’s Walkers. Loungers who frequented the middle of St. Paul’s, which was the Bond Street of London up to the time of the Commonwealth. {See Ben Jonson’s “Every Man out of his Humour,” where are a variety of scenes given in the interior of St. Paul’s. Harrison Ainsworth describes these “walkers” in his novel entitled “Old SaintPaul’s.”) The young gallants. . . .used to meet at the centra! point, St. Paul’s ; and from this circumstance ob- tained the appellation of Paul s H'alkera, as ue i^omt say Bond Street Loungers —Moser, “ European Ita- gazine,” J uly, 1807. PAVAN. PEAK. 6G5 PaVan or Pavin. Every ])avan has its galliard (Spanish). Every sage has his moments of folly. Every white must have its black, and every sweet its sour. The pavan was a stately Spanish dance, in which the ladies and gentlemen stalked like peacocks (Latin, pavdnes), the gen- tlemen with their long robes of office, and the ladies with trains like peacocks’ tails. The pavan, like the minuet, ended with a quick movement called the galliard, a sort of gavot'. Pawnbroker. The three golden halls. The Lombards were the first money- lenders in England, and those who bor- rowed money of them deposited some se- curity or pawn. The Medici family, whose arms were three gilded pills, in allusion to their profession of medicine, were the richest merchants of Florence, and greatest money-lenders. {See Balls.) Pawnee. Brandy pawnee. Brandy grog. (Hindu, pa' ni, water.) Pax. The ^^Kiss of Peace.” Also a sacred utensil used when mass is cele* brated by a high dignitary. It is some- times a crucifix, sometimes a tablet, and sometimes a reliquary. In the mass of Maundy Thursday the pax is omitted, to express horror at the treacherous kiss of Judas. Pay. ril pay him out. ITl be a match for him. I’ll punish him. (French, peiner, peine, punishment ; Latin, They with a foxe tale him soundly did paye. “TAe King and Northerne Man" (1640). Who's to pay the piper t Who is to stand Sam ? who is to pay the score ? The phrase comes from the tradition about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who agreed to cure the town of rats and mice ; when he had done so the people of Hammel refused to pay him, whereupon he piped again, and led all the children to Koppel- berg Hill, which opened on them. Payn'ising. A process of preserving and hardening wood invented by Mr. Payne. {See Kyanise.) Peace. The Perpetual Peace. The peace concluded January 24th, 1502, be- tween England and Scotland. A few years after, the battle of Flodden Field was fought between the contracting par- ties. Peace of AntaPcidas, between A.rtaxerxes and the states of Greece. It was brought about by AntaPcidas, the^ Spartan (b.c. 387). Peace of G-od. In 1035 the clergy interfered to prevent the constant feuds between baron and baron ; they com- manded all men to lay down their arms on pain of excommunication. The com- mand and malediction were read daily from the pulpits by the officiating priests after the proper gospel: — ^^May they who refuse to obey be accursed, and have their portion with Cain, the first mur- derer; with Judas, the arch traitor; and with Dathan and Abi'ram, who went down alive into the pit. May they be accursed in the life that now is ; and in that which is to come may their light b© put out as a candle.” So saying, all the candles were instantly extinguished, and the congregation had to make its way out of church as it best could. Peaceful {The). Kang-wang, third of the Thow dynasty of China, in whose reign no or>e was either put to death or imprisoned. (1098-1152.) ^ Peach. Inform, ‘'split a contrac- tion of impeach. Peach'um. A receiver of stolen goods, whose house is the resort of pick- pockets and thieves. — Gay, Beggars' Opefi'a." Mrs. Peachum. His wife. Peacock. Let him leep peticoch to- himself. Let him keep to himself his eccentricities. When George III. had partly recovered from one of his attacks, his ministers got him to read the King’s Speech, but he ended every sentence with the word peacock.” The minister who drilled him said that peacock was an ex- cellent word for ending a sentence, only kings should not let subjects hear it, but should whisper it softly. The result was a perfect success : the pause at the close of each sentence had an excelleut effect. By the Peacoch! A common oath which at one time was thought sacred. I'he fabled incorruptibility of the peacock’s flesh, caused the bird to be adopted as a . type of the resurrection. Peak (Derby shire"). "The Queen of Scots’ Pillar” is a column in the cave of the peak as clear as alabaster, and sO' called because Mary Queen of Scots pro- ceeded thus far, and then returned. PEAL. PEDLAR Peal. To ring a peal is to ring 5,040 €hanges ; any number of changes less than that is technically called a touch or jlourish. Bells are first raised, and then pealed^i.e., knocked with their hammers. \The Latin pello, to knock.) This society rum? a true and complete peal of S,040 grandsire triples in three hours and fourteen minutes.— iuscripiioH in Windsor Curfeio Tower. Pearls. Dioscor'ides and Pliny men- tion the belief that pearls are formed by -drops of rain falling into the oyster-shells while open, and the rain-drops thus received are hardened into pearls by «ome secretions of the animal. According to Richardson, the Persians say when drops of spring-rain fall into the pearl-oyster they produce pearls. Precious the tear as that rain from the sky Which turns into pearls as it falls on the sea. Thomas Moore. N.B. — Dr. Darwin thinks that pearls are formed like those calcareous pro- ductions of crabs known by the name ©f ■€rahs^ -eyes, which are always near the stomach of the creature ; and adds that in both cases the substance is probably a natural provision either for the repara- tion or enlargement of the sheik — ‘‘Econoyny of Vegetation^ i. 3. Pearls. Cardan says that pearls are polished by being pecked and played with by doves . — Rerum Varietate," vii. 34. Peasant Bard. Robert Burns, the lyric poet of Scotland. (1759-17%.) ^Peasant "War, between 1500 and 1525. It was a frequent rising of the peasantry of Swabia, Franconia, Saxony, and other German states, in consequence of the tyranny and oppression of the •nobles. In 1502 was the rebellion called the Laced Shoe, from its cognisance ; in 1514, the League of Poor Conrad; in 1523, the Latin War. The insurgents were put down, and whereas they had ‘been whipped before with scourges, they were now chastised with scorpions. Peascod. Father of Peas-blossom, if Bottom’s pedigree ma}^ be accepted. I pray you commend me to Mistress Squash your mother, and to Master Peascod your' father, jiood Master Peasblossom.— ^/la/ce^eare, ‘'Midsum- mer Night's Dreamy” iii. 1. Winter for shoeing, peascod for wooinq. The allusion in the latter clause is to the custom of placing a peascod with nine peas in it on the door-lintel, under the notion that the first man who entered through the door would be the husband of the person who did so. Another custom is alluded to by Browne — The peascod greene oft with no little toyle Hee’d sceke for in the fattest, fertil’st soile. And rend it from the stalke to bring it to her. And in her bosome for acceptance woo her. "British Pastorals.'* Pec. Eton slang for money. A con- traction of the Latin pecu'nia. Pecca'vi. To cry pecca'vi. To ac- knowledge oneself in the wrong. It is said that Sir Charles Napier, after the battle of Haidarabad, in 1843, used this word as a pun upon his victory — *'1 have Sinde ” (sinned). ( Pecca'vi is the Latin for ^^I have done wrong.”) Peckham. All holiday at Peolham —i.e., no appetite, not peckish ; a pun on the word peck, as going to Bedfordshire is a pun on the word bed. Going to PecJcham. Going to dinner. Peck'snifF. A canting hypocrite, who speaks homilies of morality, does the most heartless things ‘^as a duty to society,” and forgives wrong-doing in nobody but himself .— ‘‘‘Martin ChuzzleiviV Peculium. My oivn peculiiini. Private and individual property or pos- session. The Roman slaves were allowed to acquire property, over which their masters had no right or control ; this was called their peculium. Pecuniary. From pecus, cattle, especially sheep. Varo says that sheep were the ancient medium of barter and standard of value. Ancient coin was marked with the image of an ox or sheep. We have the Gold Shee^) (niouton dior) and Gold Lamb (agnel d'oi') of ancient France, so called from the figure struck on them, and worth about a shilling. Ped'agOgue (3 syl.) means a boy- leader. It was a slave whose duty it was to attend the boy whenever he left home. As these slaves influenced the education of the child, the word came to be applied to schoolmasters. (Greek, pais ago'go.) Pedlar is not a tramp who goes on his feet, as if from the Latin pedes (feet), but a man who carries a ped, or hamper without a lid, in which are stored fish or other articles to hawk about the streets. In Norwich there is a place called the Ped-market, where women expose eggs, butter, cheese, &c., in open hampers. PEDLARS ACRE. PEG. 667 Pedlars Acre {Lamheth). Accord- iDg to tradition a pedlar of this parish left a sum of money, on condition that his picture, with a dog, should be pre- served for ever in glass in one of the church-windows. In the south window of the middle aisle, sure enough, such a pic- ture exists ; but probably it is a rebus on Chapman, the name of some benefactor. In Swaffham church there is a portrait of one J ohn Chapman, a great benefactor, who is represented as a pedlar with his pack ; and in that town a similar tradition exists. Peebles. Poor Peter Peebles. The pauper litigant in Redgauntlet,” by vSir Walter Scott. Peel. A Peel District. A clerical district (not a parish) devised by Sir Robert Peel. Peeler (A). Slang for a policeman. So called from Sir Robert Peel, who ■established the Irish constabulary. Bobby being the nickname of Robert is applied to the same force. (>See Bobby.) Peeler. It is an extraordinary circum- stance that this word, now applied to a policeman or thief-catcher, was in the sixteenth century applied to robbers. Hollinshed, in his Scottish Chronicle {1570), refers to Patrick Dunbar, who ‘^delivered the countrie of these peelers.” Thomas Mortimer, in his British Plutarch;” Milton, in his ^‘Paradise Regained” (book iv.); and Dry den, all use the word ^‘peeler” as a plunderer or robber. The old Border ■powers were called peels.” Peep. As a specimen of the inge- nuity of certain etymologists in tracing -our language to Latin and Greek sources, may be mentioned Mr. Casaubon’s deri- vation of peep from the Greek opipteuo (to stare at). Playing peep-bo. Hiding or sculking from creditors ; in allusion to the infant nursery game. Peep-o’-Day Boys. The Irish in- surgents of 1784 ; so called because they used to visit the houses of their oppo- nents (called defenders) at peep of day, searching for arms or plunder. Peeping Tom of Coventry. Leo- fric, earl of Mercia and lord of Coventry, imposed some very severe imposts on the people of Coventry, which his countess, Godi'va, tried to get mitigated. The earl, thinking to silence her importunity, said he would comply when she had ridden naked from one end of the town to the other. Godi'va took him at his word, actually rode through the town naked, and Leofric remitted the imposts. Before Godi'va started, all the inhabi- tants voluntarily confined themselves to their houses, and resolved that any one who stirred abroad should be put to death. A tailor thought to have a peep, but was rewarded by the loss of his eyes, and has ever since been called Peeping Tom of Coventry. Peers of the Realm. The five orders of duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. The word peer is the Latin pares (equals), and in feudal times all great vassals were held equal in rank. At the accession of Hugues Capet there were six lay peers, and six ecclesiastical. Of the lay peers, three were dukes, and three counts ; of the ecclesiastics, two were archbishops, and four bishops. In modern usage these noblemen are only equal in public actions, as in votes of parliament, and trial of peers. Peg or Peggy, for Margaret, corrupted into Meg or Meggy. Thus, Pat or Patty for Martha ; Pol or Polly, for Mary, corrupted into Mol or Molly; &c. A peg too loic. Low-spirited, moody. Our (Saxon ancestors were accustomed to use peg- tankards, or tankards with a peg inserted at equal intervals, that when two or more drank from the same bowl no one might exceed his fair proportion. W e are told that St. Dunstan introduced the fashion to prevent brawling. I am a peg too loin means, I want another draught to cheer me up. Come, old fellow, drink down to your peg ! But do not driuk any further, 1 beg. Longfellow^ Golden Legend” iv. To tahe one doion a peg. To take the conceit out of a braggart or pretentious person. The allusion here is not to peg- tankards, but to a ship’s colours, which used to be raised and lowered by pegs ; the higher the colours are raised the greater the honour, and to take them down a peg would be to award less honour. Trepanned your party with intrigue, And took your grandees down a peg. Butler^ "Hudibrasp ii. 2. There are always more round pegs than round holes. Always more candidates for office than places to dispose of. The 668 PEGASOS. PELIDES. allusion is to Military Tactics and other similar games. Peg'asos {Greek; Pegasus, Latin). The inspiration of poetry, or, according to Boiardo (‘^Orlando Inamorato’’), the horse of the Muses. A poet speaks of his Peg'asus, as ‘^My Pegasus will not go this morning,” meaning his brain will not work. I am mounting Pegasus”— ^.g., going to write poetry. ‘‘I am on my Pegasus,” engaged in writing verses. Peg'asus or Peg'asos, according to classic mythology, was the winged horse on which Beller'ophon rode against the Ohimaera. When the Muses contended with the daughters of Pi'eros, Hel'icon rose heavenward with delight ; but Peg'asos gave it a kick, stopped its ascent, and brought out of the mountain the soul-inspiring waters of Hippocrene {Hip'-po-creen), Pegg {Katharine). One of the mis- tresses of Charles II., daughter of Thomas Pegg, of Yeldersey, in Derby- shire, Esquire. Peine Porte et Dure. A species of torture applied to contumacious felons. In the reign of Henry IV. the accused was pressed to death by weights ; in later reigns the practice prevailed of tying the thumbs tightly together with whip- cord, to induce the accused to plead. The following persons were pressed to death by weights : Juliana Quick, in 1442 ; Anthony Arrowsmith, in 1598 ; Walter Calverly, in 1605 ; Major Strang- ways, in 1657; and even in 1741 a person was pressed to death at the Cambridge assizes. Abolished 1772. Pela'gianism. The system or doc- trines taught by Pela'gius {q.v.'). He denied what is termed birth-sin or the taint of Adam, and he maintained that we have power of ourselves to receive or reject the Gospel. Pela'gius. A Latinised Greek form of the name Morgan — the Welsh mor, like the Greek pelagos, meaning the sea. Pel'agO-saur {Greek, sea-lizard). An extinct saurian of the Upper Jurassic formation. Pelf. Filthy pelf. Money. The word was anciently used for refuse or rubbish. “ Who steals my purse steals trash.’* Filthy means ungodly ; the Scripture expression is ‘‘ unrighteous mammon.” (Latin pelvis, or Greek pellis, the basin used by priests for the intestines and refuse of animals sacrificed ; our pail ; jpeel, meaning refuse ; andpe^, refuse hair, as in pell-ivool, &c.) It is certainly not connected with pilfer, as it is usually given. Pel'ias. The huge spear of Achilles,, which none but the hero could wield ; so called because it was cut from an ash growing on mount Pel'ion, in Thessaly. Pel'ican, in Christian art, is a symbol of charity. It is also an emblem of J esus Christ, by whose blood we are healed” (Eucherius and Jerome). {See helow.) Pelican. A mystic emblem of Christ, called by Dante nostro Pelicano. St. Hieronymus gives the story of the pelican restoring its young ones destroyed by serpents, and his salvation by the blood of Christ. The ‘^Bestia'rium” says that Physiol'ogus tells us that the pelican ia very fond of its brood, but when the young ones begin to grow they rebel against the male bird and provoke his- anger, so that he kills them ; the mother returns to the nest in three days; sits on the dead birds, pours her blood over them, revives them, and they feed on. the blood. — Bihl. Nat. Belg., No. 10,074. Than sayd the Pellycane, "When my hyrdts he slajne “With my blonde I them leuyue [revive]. Scrypture doth record. The same dyd onr Lord, And rose from deth to b ue. Skelton, “ Armoury of Bird tsj" Pelicans. The notion that pelicans feed their young with their blood arose- from the following habit They have a large bag attached to their under bill. When the parent bird is about to feed its brood, it macerates small fish in this bag or pouch, then pressing the bag against its breast, transfers the macerated food to the mouths of the young ones. A pelican in her piety is the represen- tation of a pelican feeding her young with her blood. The Komans called filial love piety, hence Virgil’s hero is called piusMnGa?,, because he rescued his father from the flames of Troy. Peli'des. Son of Pel eus— that is, Achilles, the hero of Homer’s “ Iliad,” and chief of the Greek warriors that be- sieged Troy. When, like Peli'deg, bold beyond control, Homer raised high to heaven the loud impetuous song. Beattie, “ Minstrel.*' PELION. PENDRAGON. 669 Pel'ion. Heading Ossa upon Pelion. Adding difficulty to difficulty, embarrass- ment to embarrassment, &c. When the giants tried to scale heaven, they placed mount Ossa upon mount Pelion for a scaling ladder. Pell-mell. Headlong ; in reckless •confusion. From the players of pall- mall, who rush heedlessly to strike the ball. The ‘^pall” is the ball (Italian, imlla), and the “ mall” is the mallet or bat (Italian, maglia ; French, mail). The bat is sometimes called the pall-mall ; sometimes the game is so called, and sometimes the ground set apart for the game, as Pall-Mall, London. Pelle'an Conqueror. Alexander -the Great, born at Pella, in Macedo'nia. Bemember that Pelican conqueror. Milton t “ Paradise Regained.'* Pelleas {Sir). One of the knights of the Round Table. In the Faery 'Queen,” he goes after the blatant beast,” when it breaks the chain with which it had been bound by Sir Calidore. Pellenore (^King"). A noted cha- racter in the ‘‘Morte d’ Arthur.” Pells. Clerk of ike Pells. An officer of the Exchequer, whose duty it was to make entries on the pells or parchment Tolls. Abolished in 1834. Pel'ops. Son of Tan'talos, cut to pieces and served as food to the gods. The More'a was called Peloponne'sos or i;he “island of Pelops,” from this my- thical king. The ivory shoulder of the sons of Pelops. The distinguishing or distinctive mark •of any one. The tale is that Deme'ter ate the shoulder of Pelops when it was served up by Tan'talos, and when the gods put the body back into the cauldron to restore it to life, he came forth lacking a shoulder. Demeter supplied an ivory shoulder, and all his descendants carried this mark in their bodies. (See Pytha- «GORAS.) Pelo rus. Cape di Faro, a promon- tory of Sicily. — Virgil y '‘^^neidf iii. 6, 7. A 8 when the force Of subterranean wind transports a hill Tom from Pelorus. Milton. *’Paradm Lost.** bk. i. Pelos (mud). Father of Physigna'thos, king of the Battle of the Frogs and Mice.'* Pelt, in printing. Untanned sheep- skins used for printing-balls. (French, pelte; Latin, a skin). Pen and Feather are varieties of the same word, the root being the San- skrit pat, to fly. (We have the Sanskrit pattra, a wing or instrument for flying ; Latin, petna or penna, pen ; Greek, peteron ; Teutonic, pkathra ; Saxon, f ether ; our “feather.”) Pena'tes. The household gods of the Romans. According to tradition, Dardan brought from Samothrace the penates which old Anchi'ses carried off from Troy, and at the death of his father, .^ne'as carried them to Italy. Pencil of Rays. All the rays that issue from one point, or that can be focussed at one point (French, penicillus, little tail, whence penicillum, a painter’s brush made of the hair of a cow’s tail) ; so called because they are like the hairs of a paint-brush, except at the point where they aggregate. Pendennis {ArtJmr). The hero of Thackeray’s novel, entitled “ The History of Pendennis,” &c. Major Pendennis. A tuft-hunter, similar in character to Macklin’s cele- brated Sir Pertinax M ^Sycophant. Penden'te Li'te (Latin). Pending the suit ; while the suit is going on. Pendrag'on. A title conferred on several British chiefs in times of great danger, when they were invested with dictatorial power : thus Uter and Ar- thur were each appointed to the office to repel the Saxon invaders. Cassibelaun was pendragon when Julius Caesar invaded the island ; and so on. The word pen is British for head, and dragon for leader, ruler, or chief. The word therefore means sumimus rex (chief of the kings). So much for fact, and now for the fable ; Geoffrey of Monmouth says, when Aure'lius, the British king, was poisoned by Ambron, during the invasion of Pas- centius, son of Vortigem, there “ap- peared a star at Winchester of wonderful magnitude and brightness, darting forth a ray, at the end of which was a globe of fire in form of a dragon, out of whose mouth issued forth two rays, one of which extended to Gaul and the other to Ireland.” Uter ordered two golden dragons to be made, one of which he 670 PENELOPE. PENNY-A-LINER. presented to WincLester, and the other he carried with him as his royal stan- dard, whence he received the name of Uter Pendragon. — (Bks. viii., xiv., xvii.) PenePope (4 syl.). The Wd> or Shroud of Penelope, A work never ending, still beginning never done but ever in hand. Penelope, according to Homer, was pestered by suitors while her husband, Ulysses, was absent at the siege of Troy. To relieve herself of their importunities, she promised to make her choice of one as soon as she had finished weaving a shroud for her father-in-law. Every night she unravelled what she had done in the day, and so deferred making any choice till Ulysses returned, when the suitors were sent to the right-about without ceremony. PeneToplion. The beggar loved by king Cophetua Penel'va. A knight whose adven- tures and exploits form a supplemental I>art of the Spanish romance entitled Am'adis of Gaul.” The first four books .of the romance and the part above re- ferred to were by|Portuguese authors — the former by Vasco de Lobeira, of Oporto, who died 1403, the latter by an unknown author. Penetralia. The private rooms of a house ; the secrets of a family. That part of a Roman temple into which the j3riest alone had access ; here were the sacred images, here the responses of the oracles were made, and here the sacred mysteries were performed. The Jewish Holy of Holies w’as the penetralia of their Temple. Penfeather [Lady Penelope). The lady patroness of the Spa. — Sir Walter Scott, ^‘St. RonarHs WellT Peninsular War. The war carried on, under the duke of Wellington, against the French in Portugal and Spain, be- tween 1808 and 1812. Penitential Psalms are seven psalms expressive of contrition. They are-— vi., xxxii., xxxviii., li., cii., exxx., cxliii., of the ‘‘Authorised Version,” or vi,, xxxi., xxxvii., 1., ci., cxxix., clxii. of the Vulgate. Penmanship. The “Good King R^nd,” titular king of Naples in the middle of the fifteenth century, was noted for his initial letters. St. Theda of Isauria wrote the entire Scriptures out without a blot or mistake. St. Theodosius wrote the Gospels in. letters of gold without a single mistake or blur. {See Longfellow’s “ Golden Legend,” iv.) {See Angel.) Pennals {pen-cases). So the fresh- men of the Protestant universities of Germany were called. Pen'naliam. The same as “fag- ging.” The pennals or freshmen of the Protestant universities were the fags of the elder students, ealled schorists. Abolished at the close of the seventeenth century. (See above.) Pennant. The common legend is, that when Tromp, the Dutch admiral, appeared on our coast, he hoisted a broom on his ship, to signify his intention of sweeping the ships of England from the- sea ; and that the English admiral hoisted a horse-whip, to indicate his intention of drubbing the Dutch. According to this legend, the pennant symbolises a horsewhip, and it is not unfrequently* called “The Whip.” Penniless (7%e). The Italians called Maximilian I. of Germany PocAi Danari,. (1459-1519.) Penny, in the sense of pound. Six- penny, eightpenny, and tenpenny nails are nails of three sizes. A thousand of the first will weigh six pounds ; of tho- second,' eight pounds ; of the third, ten pounds. Penny sometimes expresses the duo- decimal part, as tenpenny and eleven- penny silver — meaning silver 10-12ths* and ll-12ths fine. One was to be tenpenny, another eleven, another sterling silver. — WtidenfeLU, '^Secrets of the Adepts.'^ My penny of observation (“ Love’s La- bour’s Lost,” iii. 1). My pennyworth of wit ; my natural observation or mother- wit. Probably there is some pun or con- fusion between penetration and “ penny of observation” or “ penn’orth of wit;” similar blunders among tbe ill-educated are plentiful as blackberries. {See Penny- worth.) Penny-a-liner. A contributor to the local newspapers, but not on the staff. At one time these collectors of ne\vs used to be paid a penny a line, and it was to their interest to spin out their report as much, as possible. The word remains, but is now a misnomer. PENNY-FATHER. PENTHESILEA. 671 Penny-father. A miser, a penu- rious person, who ‘‘husbands” his pencjB. Good old penny-father was glad of his liquor, ^ Fasqicil, '■Wests” (1629). Penny Gaff. A theatre, the ad- mission to which is one penny. Properly a gaff is a ring for cock-fighting, a sen- sational amusement which has been made to yield to the scarcely less sensational drama of the Richardson type. The gaff is the iron spur attached to fighting cocks. (Irish, gaf, a hook ; Spanish and Portuguese, gafa.) Penny Weddings. Wedding ban- quets in Scotland, to which a num- ber of persons were invited, each of whom paid a small sum of money not exceeding a shilling. After defraying the expenses of the feast, the residue went to the newly- married pair, to aid in furnishing their house. Abolished in 16f5. Vera true, vera true. AVe’ll have a’ to pay ... a sort of penny-wedding it will prove, where all men > ‘>ntribute to the young folk’s maintenance.— iraiter Scott, Fortunes of Nigel*’ cli. xxvii. Penny-we:^ht. So called from being the weight of a silver penny in the reign of Edward I. Penny Wise. Unwise thrift. The whole proverb is fenny wise and found foolish, like the man who lost his horse from his penny wisdom in saving the expense of shoeing it afresh when one of its shoes was loose. Pennyworth., or Pen'oth. A small (quantity, as much as can be bought for a per.ny. Butler says, “This was the pen’oth of his thought” (“Hudibras,” ii. 3), meaning that its scope or amount was extremely small. {See p. 670, col. 2). He has got his pennyworth. He has got value for his money. Pen'sion is something weighed out. Originally money was weighed, hence our found. When the Gauls were bribed to leave Rome the ransom money was weighed in scales, and then Brennus threw his sword into the weight-pan. (Latin, fendo, to weigh money.) Pen'sioners at the Universities and Inns of Court ; so called from the French pension (board), pensionnaire (a boarder, one who pays a sum of money to dine and lodge with some one else). Pen'tacle. A five-sided head-dress of fine linen, meant to represent the five aonses, and worn as a defence against demons in the act of conjuration. It i& also called Solomon’s Seal {signum Sala- mo'nis). A pentacle consisting of three- triangles was extended by the magician towards the spirits when they proved contumacious. And on her head, lest spirits should invade, A pentacle, for more assurance, laid. Hose, “ Orlando Furiosof iii. 21. Pentap'olin. An imaginary chief- tain, but in reality the drover of a flock of sheep. Don Quixote conceived him to be the Christian king of the Gara- mantians, surnamed the Nahed Arm, be- cause he always entered the field with his right arm bare. The driver of a. flock from the opposite direction vra& dubbed by the worthy Don the emperor Alifanfaron of the isle of Taproba'na, a Cervantes, "^Don Quixote.” Pentap'olis. (1) The five cities of the plain ; Sodom,. Gomorrah, Admah, Zebofim, and Zoah *. four of which were consumed with fire,, and their site covered with the lake As- phaFtites, or the Dead Sea. (2) The five cities of Cyrena'ica, in Egypt : Berenice, Arsin'oe, Ptolema'is, Cyre'ne, and Apollo'nia. (3) The five cities of the Philistines : Gaza, Gath, As'calon, AzoTus, and*-* Ekron. (4) The five cities of Italy in the- exarchate of Ravenna ; Rim'ini, Pesaro, Fano, Sinigaglia, and Anco'na. These were given by Pepin to the pope. (5) The Dorian pentapolis ; Cni'dos, Cos, Lindos, lal'ysos, and CamFros. Pentateucli. The first five book& of the Old Testament, supposed to be written by Moses. (Greek, pentCj five teuchos, a book. ) The Chinese Pentateuch. The five books of Confucius (1) The “Shoo-King,” or Book of History ; (2) The “ Lee-King,” or Book of Rites ; (3) The Book of Odes, or Chinese Homer; (4) The “ Yih-King,’"’ or Book of Changes ; and (5) The “ Chun- Ts’eu,” or Spring and Autumn Annals. Pen'tecost. (Greek, fiftieth.) The festival held by the Jews on the fiftieth day after the Passover ; our Whitsunday. Penth.esile-'a. Queen of the Ama- zons, slain by Achilles. Sir Toby Belch, says to Maria> in the service of Olivia — Good night, Bfenthesilea fnay fine woman].:— Shakespeare,** Twelfth Night,” ii. 3. '^72 PENTHOUSE. PEREGRINE. Pent'house (2 syl.). A hat with a broad brim. The allusion is to the hood of a door, or coping of a roof. (Welsh, /pmUj ; Spanish, pentice ; French, ap- pentis, also pentCf a slope. ) Pentreatli {Dolbj). The last person who spoke Cornish. She was visited by Sir Joseph Banks. Pe'olphan. The great hunter of 'the North. People. The Peoples Friend, Dr. William Gordon, the philanthropist. .(1801-1849.) Pepe. AliPe'pd. Mine host of the ‘Crocodile Inn. He was hanged for mur- der. — *^Croqiiemitainef’ iii. 6. Pepper Gate. When your daughter is stolen close Pepper Gate. Pepper Gate used to be on the east side of the city of Chester. It is said that the daughter of the mayor eloped, and the mayor ordered the gate to be closed up. A similar proverb is ^^To lock the stable-door when the steed is stolen.” Peppy Bap. A large erratic boulder, .east of Leith. Bap or Bap'hometwas an imaginary idol which the Templars were said to employ in their mysterious rites. Peppy is a contraction of Pepe~nuth, a Saxon idol. Per Saltum. (Latin, hy a leap. ) A promotion or degree given without going over the ground usually prescribed. Thus, a clergyman on being made a bishop has the degree of D.D. given him per saltum — i.e., without taking the B.D. degree, and waiting the usual five years. Perce'forest {King). A prose ro- mance, printed at Paris in 1528, and said to have been discovered in a cabinet hid in the massive wall of an ancient tower on the banks of the Humber, named Burtimer from a king of that name who built it. The MS. was said to be in Greek, and was translated through the Latin into French. It is also used for Perceval^ an Ar- thurian knight, in many of the ancient romances. Perceval of Wales. Knight of the Round Table, son of Sir Pellinore, and brother of Sir Lame'rock. He went in quest of the St. Graal {q.v.). Chretien de Troyes wrote the Roman de Perce- val.” (154M5C6.) Per'cinet. A fairy prince, who thwarts the malicious designs of Grog- non. the cruel step-mothei of Gracio'sa. — Fairy tales. Percy (pierce-eye). When Malcolm HI. of Scotland invaded England, and reduced the castle of Alnwick, Robert de Mowbray brought to him the keys of the castle suspended on his lance ; and, handing them from the wall, thrust his lance into the king’s eye ; from which circumstance, the tradition says, he re- ceived the name of ‘‘ Pierce-eye,” which has ever since been borne by the dukes of Northumberland. This is all a fable. The Percies are descended from a great Norman baron, who came over with William, and who took his name from his castle and estate in Normandy.— (Sir Walter Scott Tales of a Grand- father^ iv. Per'dita. Daughter of Leontes and Hermi'one of Sicily. She was born when her mother was imprisoned by Leontes out of causeless jealousy. Paulina, a noble lady, hoping to soften the king’s heart, took the infant and laid it at its father’s feet ; but Leontes ordered it to be put to sea, under the expectation that it would drift to some desert island. The vessel drifted to Bohemia, where the in- fant was discovered by a shepherd, who brought it up as his own daughter. In time Florizel, the son and heir of the Bohemian king Polixenes, fell in love with the supposed shepherdess. The match was forbidden by Polixenes, and the young lovers fled, under the charge of Camillo, to Sicily. Here the story is cleared up, Polixines and Leontes be- come reconciled, and the young lovers are maxviedi.— Shakespeare j “ Winter's Tale." P^re Duchene. Jacques Ren^ Hebert, one of the most profligate cha- racters of the French Revolution. He was editor of a vile newspaper so called, containing the grossest insinuations against Marie Antoinette. (1755-1794.) Peregrine (3 syl.) ran away from home and obtained a loan of £10 from Job Thornbury, with which he went abroad and traded ; he returned a weal! hy man, and arrived in London on the very day Job Thornbury was made a bank- rupt. Having paid the creditors out of the proceeds made from the hardware- man’s loan, he married his daughter.— George Colman the younger ^ ^^John Bull." PEREGRINE. PERK. 67S Peregrine Falcon. The female is larger than the male. • The female is the falcon of falconers, and the male the iercel. It is called peregrine from its wandering habits. Per'egrine PicTde. The hero of Smollett’s novel so called. A savage, ungrateful spendthrift ; fond of practical jokes to the annoyance of others, and suffering with evil temper the misfor- tunes brought on by his own wilful- ness. Perfec'tionists. A society founded by Father Noyes in Oneida Creek. They take St. Paul for their law-giver, but read his epistles in a new light. They reject all law, saying the guidance of the Spirit is superior to all human codes. If they would know how to act in mat- ters affecting others, they consult pub- lic opinion,” expressed by a committee ; and the ‘riawof sympathy” so expressed is their law of action. In material pros- perity this society is unmatched by all the societies of North America. — W. Hepworth Dixon, New America,** vii. 20 , 21 . Perfide Albion ! (French), The words of Napoleon I. PerTume (2 syl.) means simply '^from smoke” (Latin, per fumum), the first perfumes having been obtained by the combustion of aromatic woods and gums. Their original use was in sacri- fices, to counteract the offensive odours of the burning flesh. Pe'ri (pi. peans). Peris are delicate, gentle, fairy-like beings of Eastern my- thology, begotten by fallen spirits. They direct with a wand the pure in mind the way to heaven. These lovely creatures, according to the Koran, are under the sovereignty of Eblis, and Mahomet was sent for their conversion, as well as for that of man. Like peris’ wands, when pointing out the road For some pure spirit to tbe blest abode. TIiomas Moore, **Lalla Rookh," pti Pericles, Prince of Tyre {Shake- speare). The story is from the “ Gesta Romanolum,” where Pericles is called Apollo'nius, king of Tyre.” The story is also related by Gower in his Confessio Amantis,” bk. viii. Perillo Swords. Perillo is a lit- tle stone,” a mark by which Julian del Roy, a famous armourer of Tole'do an^^ Zaragoza, authenticated the swords of his manufacture. All perillo swords were made of the steel produced from the mines of Mondragon. The swords given, by Catharine of Aragon to Henry VIIL on his wedding-day were all PerUl& blades. The most common inscription was. Draw me not without reason, sheathe me not without honour. Perilous Castle. The castle of lord Douglas was so called in the reign of Edward I., because good lord Douglas destroyed several English garrisons sta- tioned there, and vowed to bo revenged on any one who should dare to take pos- session of it. Sir Walter Scott calls iis Castle Dangerous.” {See Introduction of Castle Dangerous.”) Per'ion. A fabulous king of Gaul^ father of ‘^Am'adis of Gaul.” His en-' counter with the lion is one of his best exploits. It is said that he was hunting, when his horse reared and snorted at seeing a lion in the path. Perion leaped to the ground and attacked the lion, but the lion overthrew him ; whereupon the king drove his sword into the belly of the beast and killed him. — Amadis de Gaul,** ch. i. Peripatetics. Founder of the Peri- patetics. — Aristotle, who used to teach his disciples in the covered walk of the Lyceum. This colonnade was called the perip'atos, because it went all round the place (peri pateo). Peris. Persia. (See Peri.) Peris'sa {excess or prodigality ; Greek, Perissos). Step-sister of Elissa and Me- di'na. These ladies could never agree upon any subject. — Spenser, Faery Queen,** bk. ii. Periwig. (See Peruke . ) Periwink'le. The bind-around plant. (Saxon, peruince ; French, per- 'oenche ; connected with vincio, the Latin verb 'Ho bind.”) In Italy it used to be wreathed round dead infants, and hence its Italian name for di morto. Perk. To perk oneself. To plume oneself on anything. (Welsh, percu, to smarten or plume feathers.) You begin to p&i'h up a hit — i.e., to get a little fatter and more plump after an illness. (See above,) R R 674 PERKUNOS. PERUSE. Perku'nos. God of the elements. The Sclavonic Trinity was Perku'nos, Rikollos, and Potrimpos. — 6rrimm, Deutsche Mythologies* Permian Strata. So called from Perm, in Russia, where they are most distinctly developed. Pernelle {Madame'). A scolding old woman in Moli^re’s Tartuffe.” Perpet'ual Motion. Restlessness ; fidgetty or nervous disquiet ; also a chimerical scheme wholly impracticable. Many have tried to invent a machine that shall move of itself, and never stop ; but as all materials must suffer from wear and tear, it is evident that such an in- vention is practically impossible. It were better to be eaten to death with rust, than to be scoured to nothinsr with perpetual motion.— Shakespeare, “2 Henry ig,” act i. 2. Perruke or Periwig. Menage inge- niously derives these words from the Latin pilus, hair.” Thus, pilus, peluSf pelu- Uts, peluticuSfpelu'tica, peru'a, perruque. Pers. Persia ; called Fars. (French, Perse.) Person. (Latin, persona, a mask ; pessona'tns, one who wears a mask, an actor.) A person” is one who imper- sonates a character. Shakespeare says, *‘A11 the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” or per- sons. When we speak of the '^person of the Deity ” we mean the same thing, the character represented, as that of the Father, or that of the Son, or that of the Holy Ghost. There is no more notion of corporeality connected with the word, than there is any assumption of the body of Hamlet when an actor impersonates that character. Persecutions {The Ten Great). (1) Under Nero, A.D. 64 ; (2) Domitian, 95 ; (3) Trajan, 98 ; (4) Hadrian, 118 ; (5) Pertinax, 202, chiefly in Egypt ; (6) Maxi- min, 236; (7) Decius, 249 ; (8) Valerian, 257 ; (9) Aurelian, 272 ; (10) Diocletian, 302. Persep'olis, called by the Persians The Throne of Jam-sheid,” by whom it was founded. Jam-sheid removed the seat of government from Balk to Is- takhar. Per'seus (2 syl.). A bronze statue in the Loggia dei Lanzi, at Florence. The best work of Benvenuto Cellini. (1500-1562.) Perseus* flying horse. A ship. ^‘Per- seus conquered the head of Medu'sa, and did make Peg'ase, the most swift ship, which he always calls Perseus’ flying horse.” — ^‘Destruction of Troy.** The strong-ribbed bark through liquid mountaini cut.... Like Perseus’ horse. Shakespeare^ ‘‘ Troihu and Cressidat* i. 3. Perseve're (3 syl. ). This word comes from an obsolete Latin verb, severo, to stick rigidly ; hence severus, severe or rigid. Asseverate is to stick rigidly to what you say ; persevere is to stick rigidly to what you undertake till you have accomplished it. Persian Alexander. Sandjar. (1117-1158.) {See Alexander.) Persian Buceph'alos. Shebdiz, the charger of Chosroes Parviz. {See Bucephalos.) Perth, is Celtic for a bush. The county of Perth is the county of bushes. Fair Maid of Perth. Catharine Glover, daughter of Simon Glover, glover, of Perth. Her lover is Henry Gow, alias Henry Smith, alias Gow Chrom, alias Hal of the Wynd the armourer, foster- son of Dame Shoolbred. — Sir Walter Scott, “Fair Maid of Perth** The Five Articles of Perth were those passed in 1618 by order of James VI., enjoining the attitude of kneeling to receive the elements; the observance of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost; the rite of confirmation, &;c. They were ratified August 4, 1621, called Black Saturday, and condemned in the General Assembly of Glasgow in 1638. Peru. That's not Peru. Said of something utterly worthless. A French expression, founded on the notion that Peru is the El Dorado of the world. Peruvian. A native of Peru, per- taining to Peru, &c. Peruvian Bark, called also Jesuits Bark, because it was introduced into Spain by the Jesuits, who had it sent to them by their brethren in Peru. {See Cinchona.) Peruse (2 syl.). A contraction of the Greek peri mo, ruo being a dialectic form of reo, a verb allied to our read; pe’-ruse is to “ run over.” PESCECOLA. PETER. 675 Peseee'ola. The famous swimmer -drowned in the pool of Charibdis. The tale says he dived once into the pool, and was quite satisfied with its horrors and wonders ; but the king Frederick then tossed in a golden cup, which Pescecola •dived for, and was never seen again. {See Sheller’s '' Diver.”) Pessimist. One who fancies every thing is as bad as possible. (Latin, fpess'imtis, the worst. ) Petard'. Hoist on his oivn petard. Caught in his own trap, involved in the -clanger he meant for others. The petard was an instrument of war in the form of a high-crowned hat, chiefly employed for blowing open gates with gunpowder. The engineers used to carry the petard to the place they intended to blow up, and having nicely adjusted the plank of the petard to the gate, fire it by a fusee. Shakespeare spells the word petar : ’Tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petar.” — Harrdet,'’ iii. 4. Turning the muzzles of the guns Magdala-wards, ^xnd getting a piece of lighted rope, [the party] blazed away as vigorously as possible and tried to hoist Theodore on his own petard.— Dotty fjoper. Petaud. ^Tis the court ofkingPetaud^ ‘^chere every one is master. There is no order or discipline at all. This is a French proverb. Petaud is a corruption of peto (I beg), and king Petaud means king of the beggars, in whose court all .are masters, for no one acknowledges his authority or fears his laws. {See Al- 6ATIA.) Peter. {See Blue Peter.) Great Peter. A bell in York Minster, weighing 10 J tons, and hung in 1845. Lord Peter. The pope in Swift’s Tale of a Tub.” Pi.6b Peter to pay Paul, {See Robbing.) St. Peter. Patron saint of fishers and fishmongers, being himself a fisher- man. St. Peter, in Christian art, is repre- -sented as an old man, bald, but with a flowing beard ; he is usually dressed in a white mantle and blue tunic, and holds in his hand a book or scroll. His pecu- liar symbols are the keys, and a sword the instrument of his martyrdom. He has got St. Peter's fingers — i.e., the fingers of a thief. The allusion is to the fish caught by St. Peter with a piece of money in its mouth. They say that a Tthief has a fish-hook on every finger. Peter the Great of Russia built St. Petersburg, and gave Russia a place among the nations of Europe. He laid aside his crown and sceptre, came to England, and worked as a common la- bourer in our dockyards, that he might teach his subjects how to build ships. Peter the Hermit (in Tasso), ^Hhe holy author of the crusade” (bk. i.). It is said that six millions of persons assumed the cross at his preaching. Peter the "Wild Boy, found 1725 in a wood near Hameln, in Hanover, at the supposed age of 13. (Died 1785.) Peter-boat. A boat made to go either way, the stem and stern being both alike. A corruption of pethur, to run, to hurry. (Latin, peto, to go straight to a place, as Cyzicum petebdmus — Cicero.) Peter Botte Mountain, in the island of Mauritius; so called from a Dutchman who scaled its summit, but lost his life in coming down. It is a rugged cone, more than 2,800 feet in height. Peter Parley. The nom de plume of Samuel G. Goodrich, an American. (1793- 1800.) Peter Peebles. Peter Peebles' Law- suit. In Sir Walter Scott’s novel of Redgauntlet.” Peter is a litigious hard-hearted drunkard, poor as a church - mouse, and a liar to the backbone. His “ganging plea” is Hogarthian comic, as Carlyle says. Peter-pence. An annual tribute of one penny paid at the feast of St. Peter to the see of Rome. At one time it was collected from every family, but after- wards it was restricted to those “who had the value of thirty pence in quick or live stock.” This tax was collected in England from 740 till it was abolished by Henry VIII. Peter Pindar. The nom de plume of Dr. John Yloloot {Wool- cut), of Dod- brooke, Devonshire. (1738-1819.) Peter Por'eupine. William Cob- bett, when he was a Tory. We have “Peter Porcupine’s Gazette,” and the “Porcupine Papers,” in twelve volumes (1762-1835.) Peter Wilkins was written by Robert Pultock, of Clifford’s Inn, and sold to Dodsley the publisher for £20. R R 2 676 PETER. PETTO. Peter of Provence came into pos- session of Merlin’s wooden horse. There is a French romance called “ Peter of Provence and the Fair Magalo'na,” the chief incidents of which are connected with this flying charger. Pe'terborougll {Northamptonshire). So called, from the monastery of St. Peter, founded in 655. Tracts relating to this monastery are published in Sparke’s collection. Pe'terloo. The dispersal of a large meeting in St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, by an armed force, July 16th, 1819. The assemblage consisted of operatives, and the question was parliamentary reform. The word is a parody upon Waterloo. Petit-Maitre. A fop ; a lad who assumes the manners, dress, and affecta- tions of a man. The term arose before the Revolution, when a great dignitary was styled a grand-mattre, and a preten- tious one a petit-maitre. Petitio Princip'ii. A begging of tile question, or assuming in the pre- mises the question you undertake to prove. Thus, if a person undertook to prove the infallibility of the pope, and were to take for his premises— (1) Jesus Christ promised to keep the apostles and their successors in all the truth ; (2) the popes are the regular successors of the apostles, and therefore the popes are infalli ble— it would be a vicious syllo- gism from a petitio principii. Petitioners and Abhorrers. Two ? olitical parties in the reign of Charles I. When that monarch was first re- stored he used to grant everything he was asked for ; but after a time this be- came a great evil, and Charles enjoined his loving subjects to discontinue their practice of petitioning.” Those who agreed with the king, and disapproved of petitioning, were Abhorrers : those who were favourable to the objectionable practice were nicknamed Petitioners. Petrarcb. The English Petrarch. Sir Philip Sidney ; so called by Sir Wal- ter Raleigh. Cowper styles him ^Hhe warbler of poetic prose.” (1554-1586.) Pet'rel. The Stormy Petrel. So named, according to tradition, from the Italian Petrello (little Peter), in allusion to St. Peter, who walked on the sea. Our sailors call them ‘‘Mother Carey’s Chickens.” They are called stormy be- cause in a gale they surround a ship to catch small animals which rise to the surface of the rough sea ; when the gale ceases they are no longer seen. Tbomson thinks the bird is called “ Pewetrel from its cry.” Pet'rified (3 syl.). The Petrified City., Ishmonie, in Upper Egypt, is so called from the number of petrified bodies of men, women, and children to be seen there. Petrobrus'sians or Petrobrus'ians. A religious sect, founded in 1110, and so called from Peter Bruys, a Provencal. He declaimed against churches, asserting that a stable was as good as a cathedral for worship, and a manger equal to an altar. He also declaimed against the use Of crucifixes. Pet'ronel. Sir Petronel Flash. A braggadocio, a tongue- doughty warrior. Give your scholler degrees, and your lawyer hisf^es. And some dice for Sir Petronell Flash. Brit. Bill. Petru'cbio. A gentleman of Vero'na, who undertakes to tame the haughty Katharine, called the Shrew. He marries her, and without the least personal chastisement brings her to lamb-like submission. — Shakespeare, “ Taming of the Shrew. Petticoat and Gown. The dress. When the gown was looped up, the petti- coat formed an important item in dress. The poppy is said to have a red petti- coat and a green gown ; the daffodil, a yellow petticoat and green gown ; a candle, a white petticoat ; and so on in. our common nursery rhymes — 1 The king’s daughter is coming to town, With a red petticoat and a green gown. J 2 DafFadown-dilly is now come to town, / In a yellow petticoat and a green gown. ^ Pettifogger. A pettifogging lawyer is not one who mystifies his client, or keeps him always in a little fog, but a corruption of the French petit voguer, “ voguer ” being the Norman-French for an ad-vocate (Latin, voco) ; so that petit voguer is an inferior advocate. Petto. In petto. In secrecy, in re- serve (Italian, in the breast). The popo> creates cardinals in petto— i.e., in his own mind— and keeps the appointment to himself till he thinks proper to an- nounce it. Belgium, a department of Prance in petto-lj.e^ in the iufcenlion of the people).— TAe Herald, iSV. PETTY. PHAHAMOND. 677 Petty Cu'ry (Cambridge) means The Street of Cooks.” It is called Par m Coke'ria in a deed dated 13 Edward III. Probably at one time it was part of the Market Hall. It is a mistake to derive Cury from Ecurie. Dr. Pegge derives it from the verb cwra'ref to cure or dress food. Peutinge'rian Map. A map of the roads of the ancient Koman world, constructed in the time of xllexander Seve'rus (a.d. 226), and made known to moderns by Conrad Peutinger of Augs- berg. Pev'eril of the Peak. Sir Geoffrey the Cavalier, and lady Margaret his wife ; J ulian Peveril, their son, in love with Alice Bridgenorth, daughter of Major Bridgenorth, a Roundhead ; and William Peveril, natural son of W illiam the Con- queror, ancestor of Sir Geoffrey. — Sir Walter Scott, Peveril of the Peak^ Pewter. To scour the pewter. To do one’s work, the allusion being to the slavie whose office it is in beer-houses to keep the pots clean. But if she neatly scour her pewter. Give her the money that is due t’ her. King, “ Orpheus and EurydkS*’ Pexe Tficliolas. A corruption of Pescecola {q.v.). Phsedria {wantonness). Handmaid of Acrasia the enchantress. She sails about Idle Lake in a gondola. Seeing Sir Guyon she ferries him across the lake to the ffoating island, where Cymoch'les attacks him. Phsedria interposes, the combatants desist, and the little wanton ferries the knight Temperance over the lake again. — Spenser, Eaery Queen,’' ii. Pha'eton. The son of Phoebus, who undertook to drive the chariot of the sun, was upset, and caused great mis- chief : Libya was parched into barren sands, and all Africa was more or less injured, the inhabitants blackened, and vegetation nearly destroyed. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds. Towards Phoebus’ mansiou ; such a waggoner As Phaeton would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately. Shakespeare, "Romeo and JulietP iii. 2. Phaeton. A sort of carriage ; so called from the sun-car driven by Phaeton. {See above.') Phal'aris. The brazen hull of PhaV- avis. Perillos, a brass-founder of Athens, proposed to Phakaris, tyrant of Agri- gentum, to Invent for him a new species of punishment; accordingly, he cast a brazen bull, with a door in the side. The victim was shut up in the bull and roasted to death, but the throat of the engine was so contrived that the groans of the sufferer resembled the bellowings of a mad bull. Phal'aris commended the in- vention, and ordered its merits to be tested by Perillos himself. The epistles of Phal'aris. Certain let- ters said to have been written by Phal'- aris, tyrant of Agrigen'tum, in Sicily. Boyle maintained them to be genuine, and Bentley affirmed that they were forgeries. No doubt Bentley is right. Phaleg, in the satire of ‘^Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, is Mr. Forbes, a Scotchman. Phallas. The horse of Heraclius. (Greek, phaVios, a grey horse.) On the memorable day which decided the fate of Perhia, Heraclius, on his horse Phallas, surpassed the bravest of his warriors. His lip was pierced with a spear, the steed was wounded in the thigh, but he carried his master safe and victorious through the triple phalanx of the barbarians.— Gi66on. Phallos. Emblem of the generative principle in Grecian mythology. {See Grove.) Phantom Ship. (Nee Carmilhan.) Or of that phantom ship, whose form Shoots like a meteor through the storm ; When the dark scud comes driving hard. And lowered is every topsail yard.... And well the doomed spectators know 'Tis harbinger of wreck and woe. Sir Walter Scott, “ ito&e&y,” iL 11. Pha'on. A young man greatly ill- treated by Furor, and rescued by Sir Guyon. He loved Claribel, but Phil'e- mon, his friend, persuaded him that Claribel was unfaithful, and to prove his words, told him to watch in a given place. He saw what he thought was Claribel holding an assignation with what seemed to be a groom, and rushing forth, met the true Claribel, whom he slew on the spot. Being tried for the murder, it came out that the groom was Phil'emon, and the supposed Claribel only her lady’s maid. He poisoned Phil'emon, and would have murdered the handmaid, but she escaped, and while he pursued her he was attacked by Furor. This tale is to expose the intemperance of revenge. — Spenser, Faery Queen,” ii. 4. Phar'amond. King of the Franks and a knight of the Round Table. He is said to have been the first king of 678 PHARAOH. PHENOMENON. France. This reputed son of Marcomir and father of Clo'dion, is the hero of one of Calprenbde’s novels. Pha'raoh (2 syh). The-king. It is the Coptic article P and the word ouro (king) . There are ten of this title men- tioned in Holy Scripture : — (1) The Pharaoh contemporary with Abraham (Gen. xii. 25). (2) The good Pharaoh who advanced Joseph (Gen. xli.). (3) The Pharaoh who ‘^knew not Jo- seph” (Exod. i. 8). (4) The Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea (Exod. xiv. 28) ; said to be Menephthes, son of Ram'eses II. (5) The Pharaoh that protected Hadad (1 Kings xi. 19). (6) The Pharaoh whose daughter Solo- mon married (1 Kings hi. 1 ; ix. 16). (7) Pharaoh Shishak, who warred against Rehobo'am (1 Kings xiv. 25). (8) The Pharaoh that made a league with Hezeki'ah against Sennacherib. (9) Pharaoh N echo, who warred against Josi'ah (2 Kings xxiii. 29, &c.). (10) Pharaoh Hophra, the ally of Zede- ki'ah (Jer. xliv. 30) ; said to be Apries, who was strangled B.c. 570. King.) The Arabs say that the title was first assumed by the kings of the eighteenth dynasty. Pharaoh^ in Dryden’s satire of Absa- lom and Achitophel,” means Louis XIV. of France. If Pharaoh’B doubtful succour he [Charles IT,] should use, A. foreign aid would more incense the J ews [English PHarisees means ^‘separatists” (Heb. 'pharishy to separate), men who looked upon themselves as holier than other men, and therefore refused to hold social intercourse with them. The Tal- mud mentions the following classes : — (1) The “Dashers,” or “Bandy-legged” {NiTcJi), who scarcely lifted their feet from the ground in walking, but “dashed them against the stones,” that people might think them absorbed in holy thought (Matt. xxi. 44). (2) The “ Mortars,” who wore a “ mor- tier” or cap which would not allow them to see the passers-by, that their medita- tions might not be disturbed. “ Having eyes they saw not ” (Mark viii. 18). (3) The “Bleeders,” who inserted thorns in the borders of thoir gaberdines to prick their legs in walking. To this St. Paul alludes when he says, “ A thorn, was given him in the flesh to buffet hini withal ” (2 Cor. xii. 7). (4) The “Cryers” or “Inquirers,” who- went about crying out, “Let me know my duty, and I will do it” (Matt, xix, 16-22). (5) The “ Almsgivers,” who had a trumpet sounded before them to summon the poor together (Matt. vi. 2). (6) The “Stumblers” or “Bloody- browed” (Kizai), who shut their eyes when they went abroad that they might see no women, being “blind leaders of the blind” (Matt. xv. 14). Our Lord calls them “blind Pharisees,” “Fools and blind.” (7) The “ Immovables,” who stood like statues for hours together, “praying in the market places” (Matt. vi. 5). (8) The “Pestle Pharisees” (ATecfm^iG), who kept themselves bent double like the handle of a pestle. (9) The “Strong-shouldered” {8hikm%). who walked with their back bent as if carrying on their shoulders the whole burden of the law. (10) The “Dyed Pharisees,” called by our Lord “Whited Sepulchres,” whose externals of devotion cloaked hypocrisy and moral uncleanness. — Talmud ofJeru^ Salem, Berakoili^' ix. : Sota,^' v. 7. Talmud of Babylon, “ Sola,"' 22 b. Pha'ros. A lighthouse ; so called from the lighthouse built by Sostratus Cnidius in the island of Pharos, near the port of Alexandria, in Egypt. It was 450 feet high, and could be seen at the distance of 100 miles. Part was blown down in 793. This Pharos was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Pharsalia. An epic in Latin hex- ameters by Lucan. The battle of Phar- salia was between Pompey and Caesar. Pompey had 45,000 legionaries, 7,000 cavalry, and a large number of auxili- aries ; Caesar had 22,000 legionaries and 1,000 cavalry. Pompey’s battle-cry was Hercules invictus ; that of Caesar was Venus victrix. Caesar won the battle. Phe'be (2 syl.). A shepherdess. — Shakespeare, “Ms You Like ItP Phelis, called the Fair, The wife of Sir Guy, earl of Warwick. {See Guy.) Phenoin'enon (plural, phenom'ena) means simply what has appeared (Greek, phcenomai, to appear). It in used in PHIDIAS. PHILISTINES. 67 ^ science to express the visible result of an experiment, the manifestations of nature, &c. In popular language it means a sight or prodigy. Ph-id'ias. The French Phidias. Jean Goujon (1510-1572) ; also called the Cm'reggio of Sculptors^ (2) J. B. PigaUe (1714-1785). Phigalian Marbles. A series of twenty-three sculptures in alto-relievo, discovered in 1812 at Phiga'lia, in Ar- ca'dia, and in 1814 purchased for the British Museum. They represent the combat of the Centaurs and Lapithae, and that of the Greeks and Am'azons. They are part of the ‘‘Elgin Marbles” q,v.). Philadelphia Stones called Chris- tian Bones. It is said that the walls of Philadelphia, in Turkey, were built of the bones of Christians killed in the Holy Wars. This idle tale has gained credit from the nature of the stones, full of pores and very light, not unlike petri- fied bones. Similar incrustations are found at Knaresborough and elsewhere. Philan'der (in “ Orlando Furioso ”). A sort of Joseph; the brother of Her- mon'ides, and a native of Holland. He was entertained at the house of Arge'o, a baron of Servia, when Argeo’s wife Gabri'na tempted his virtue. He fled the house, but Gabrina accused him to her husband of adultery, and he was overtaken by Arge'o and cast into a dun- geon. One day Gabrina went and im- plored him to defend her virtue against a wicked knight. He undertook to do so, but the “wicked knight” was Argeo, whom Philander in his ignorance slew. Gabrina now threatened to give him to the hands of justice unless he married her ; and the youth, to save his life, com- plied. In a short time Gabrina tired of him, and murdered him by poison. Philan'dering. Coquetting with a woman ; paying court, and leading her to think you love her, but never declaring your preference. The word is coined from Philander, the Dutch knight who coquetted with Gabri'na {q.v.). Philanthropist {The). John How- ard, who spent much of his life in visiting the prisons and hospitals of Europe. (1726-1790.) Phile'mon and Baucis entertained Jupiter and Mercury when every one else refused them hospitality. Being asked to make a request, they begged that they might both die at the same time. When they were very old, Philemon was changed into an oak, and Baucis into a linden tree. — Ovid, Metamorphoses,^’ iii. 631, &c. Philip. Philip, remember thou art mortal. A sentence repeated to the Macedonian king every time he gave an audience. Philip Sober. When a woman who asked Philip of MaCedon to do her jus- tice was snubbed by the petulant mon- arch, she exclaimed, “ Philip, I shall appeal against this judgment.” “Ap- peal ! ” thundered the enraged king, “ and to whom will you appeal ? ” “To Philip sober,” was her reply. St. Philip is usually represented bear- ing a large cross, or a basket containing loaves, in allusion to St. John vi. 5-7. Philip UNye (in “ Hudibras”). One of the assembly of dissenting ministers, noted for his ugly beard. Philip Quarl, by Defoe. A casta- way sailor, solaced on a desert island by a monkey. Philippe Egalite. Louis Philippe Joseph due d’OrMans. (1747-1793.) Philip'pic. A severe scolding; an invective. So called from the orations of Demos'thenes against Philip of Mace- don, to rouse the Athenians to resist his encroachments. The orations of Cicero against Anthony are called “Philippics.” Philip'pins. A Kussian sect; so called from the founder Philip Pusto- swiat. They are called Old Faith Men, because they cling with tenacity to the old service books, old version of the Bible, old hymn-book, old prayer-book, and all customs previous to the reforms of Nekon, in the seventeenth century. Philips (John), author of “The Spended Shilling,” wrote a georgic on “ Cider,” in blank verse— a serious poem modelled upon Milton’s epics. Philips, Pomona’s bard, the second thou Who nobly durst, in rhyme-unfettered verse. With British freedom sing the British song, Thomson, Autumn.^* Philis'tines (3 syl.). Ear-wigs and other insect tormentors are so called in Norfolk. Bailiffs, constables, &c. “ The Philistines are upon thee, Samson ” (Judges xvi.). m PHILISTINISM. PHIL030PHEE, Philistines, A term applied by Mat- thew Arnold to the middle-class of Eng- land, which he says is ignorant, narrow- minded, and deficient in great ideas, insomuch that England has become con- temptible in the eyes of foreigners. — Cornhill Magazine. Philis'tinism. A cynical indiffer- ence and supercilious sneering at religion. The allusion is to the Philistines of Palestine. Phillis. A play written in Spanish by Lupercio Leonardo of Argensola. {See ^‘Don Quixote,” vol. iii., p. 70.) Philoc'Iea, in Sidney’s Arcadia,” is lady Penelope Devereux, with whom he was in love ; but the lady married another, and Sir Philip transferred his affections to Frances, eldest daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham. Philoete'tes, treacherously deserted t^y the Greeks on the island of Lemnos, because he had been bitten by serpents, was afterwards entreated in humble suit to pardon this baseness and come to their aid; for an oracle had said that Troy could not be taken without the arrows of Hercules, and Hercules had given these to his Argonautic friend. PhiTomel or Philome'la. The story gays that Pandi'on, king of Attica, had two daughters, Philomel and Procne, both of whom fell in love with Tereus, iking of Phocis. Tereus married the latter, but in a few’ weeks concealed her, and told Philomel that she was dead, whereupon Philomel became his bride. When she ascertained the truth she told her sister, and Tereus resolved to slay both. He chased them with an axe and overtook them, but at that moment Philomel was changed into a nightingale, and Procne to a swallow. By this, lamenting Philomel had ended The well-tuned warble of her nightly sorrow. Shakespeare, '•'•Rape of Lucrece.'* Pllilomelus. The Druid bard that accompanied Sir Industry to the Castle of Indolence . — Thomson (canto ii. 34). Philopoe'men, general of the Achaean league, made Epaminondas his model. He slew Mechan'idas, tyrant of Sparta, and was himself killed by poison. Philos'opher. The sages of Greece wsed to be called sophs (wise men), but Pythag'oras thought the word too arro- gant, and adopted the compound pJiilo- sojpKia (I love wisdom), whence “ philo- sopher,” one who courts or loves wisdom. Philosopher, ** There was never yet philosopher who could endure the tooth- ache patiently, however they have writ the style of gods, and made a push at chance and sufferance.” — Shahespeare, **Much Ado About Nothing f v. 1. The Philosopher. Marcus Aure'lius Antoni'nus is so called by Justin Martyr. (121, 161-180.) Leo VI., emperor of the East (866, 886-911.) Porphyry, the Antichristian. (233-305. ) The Philosopher of China. Confucius. His mother called him Little HillocJcy from a knob on the top of his head. (B.c. 551-479.) The Philosopher of Ferney. Voltaire ; so called from his chateau of Ferney, near Gene'va. (1694-1778.) The Philosopher o} Malmesbury. Thomas Hobbes, author of Leviathan.” (1588- 1679.) The Philosopher of Persia. Abou Ebn Sina, of Shiraz. (Died 1037.) The Philosopher of Sans- Souci' . Frede- rick the Great. (1712, 1740-1786.) The Philosopher of Wimbledon. John Horne Took, author of ‘‘Diversions of Purley.” (1736-1812.) The Seven Sages or Wise Men of Greece, Thales, Solon, Chi Ion, Pit'tacos, Bias, Cleobufios, Periander ; to which add Sosi'ades, Anacharsis the Scythian, My- son the Spartan, Epemen'ides the Cretan, and Pherecy'des of Scyros. Philosophers of the A cade'mic sect, Plato, Speusippos, Xenoc'rates, Pol'e- mon. Crates, Crantor, Arcesila'os, Care'- ades, Clitom'achos, Philo, and Anti'- ochos. Philosophers of the Cynic sect. Antis'- thenes, Diog'enes of Sino'pe, Mon'imos, Onesic'ritos, Crates, Metrocfies, Hippar'- chia, Menippos, and Menede'mos of Lamps'acos. Philosophers of the Cyrena'ic sect. Aristippos, Hege'sias, Annic'eris, Theo- do'ros, and Bion. Philosophers of the Eleac or EretWiac sect. Phsedo, Plis'thenes, and Menede- mos of Eret'ria. Philosophers of the Eleat'ic sect. Xen- oph'anes, Parmenides, Melissos, Zeno of Tarsos, Leucippos, Democ'ritos, Pro- tag'oras, and Anaxarchos. Philosophers of the Epicurean sect. PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. PHCEBUS, 631 Epicu'ros, and a host of disciples too numerous for insertion here. Philosophers of the Heracli'iian sect. Heracli'tos ; the names of his disclipes ftre unknown. Philosophers of the Ionic sect. Anaxi- mander, Anaximenes, Anaxag'oras, and Arcliela'os. Philosophers of the Italic sect. Py thag'- oras, Emped'ocles, Epicharmos, Archy'- tas, Alemseon, Hip'pasos, Philola'os, and Eudoxos. Philosopher's of the MegaiHc sect. Euclid, Eubulides, Alex'inos, Euphantos, Apol- lo'nios, Chron'os, Diodo'ros, Ich'thyas, Clinom'achos, and Stilpo. Philosophers of the Peripatetic secU Aristotle, Theophrastos, Straton, Lyco, Aristo, Critola'os, and Diodo'ros. Philosophers of the Sceptic sect. Pyrrho and Timon. Philosophers of the Socratic sect. Soc'- rates, Xen'ophon, JEs'chines, Crito, Simon, Glauco, Simmias, and Ce'bes. Philosophers of the Stoic sect. Zeno, Oleanthes, Chrysippos, Zeno the Less, Diog'enes of Babylon, Antip'ater, Panae- tios, and Posido'nios. Philosopher’s Stone. The way to wealth. The ancient alchemists thought there was a substance which would con- vert all baser metals to gold. This sub- stance they called the philosopher’s stone. The word stone in this case is about equal to the word substratum, which is compounded of the Latin suh and stratus (spread-under), the latter being related to the verb stand, stood, and meaning something on which the experiment stands. It was in fact a red powder or oTiialgam to drive off the impurities of baser metals. (‘^ Stone,” Saxon, stdn). Philosopher'' s Stone. According to legend Noah was commanded to hang \ip the true and genuine philosopher’s stone in the ark, to give light to every living creature therein. [nventions discovered in searching for the Philoiophe'd s Stone. It was in search- ing for this treasure that Botticher stumbled on the invention of Dresden porcelain manufacture ; Roger Bacon on the composition of gunpowder ; Geber on the properties of acids ; Van Helmont on the nature of gas ; and Dr. Glauber on the salts ” which bear his name. Philosophy. Father of Philosophy. Albrect von Haller, of Bern. (1708-1777.) Roger Bacon. (1214-1292.) Father of Inductive Philosophy. Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam. (1561-1626.) Father of Roman Philosophy. Cicero. (B.c. 106-43.) Philot'ime {lover of honour). The presiding queen of Hell, and daughter of Mammon. — Spenser, Faery Queen f bk. ii. Philt'er. A draught or charm to incite in another the passion of love. The Thessalian philters were the most renowned, but both the Greeks and Romans used these dangerous potions, which sometimes produced insanity. Lucre'tius is said to have been driven mad by a love-potion, and Calig'ula’s death is attributed to philters adminis- tered to him by his wife, Cseso'nia. Brabantio says to Othello— Thou hast practised on her {Desdemona) with fouJ charms. Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals That weaken motion. Shakespeare, “ OtheUoP i. 1. Plli'neus (2 syl.). A blind king of Thrace, who had the gift of prophecy. Whenever he wanted to eat the Harpies came and took away or defiled his food. Blind Tham'yris, and blind Moeon'ides. And T’re'aias, and Phi'neus. prophets old. Milton, “ Paradise Lost*' iii. 34. Phiz. Hablot K. Browne, who illus- trated the Pickwick Papers,” &c. Phleg'ethon. A river of liquid fire in Hades. (Greek, phlego, to burn.) Fierce Phlegethon, Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. Milton, “ Paradise Lost,'* ii. Phleg'ra, in Macedonia, was where the giants attacked the gods. Encel'ados was the chief of the giants. Pho'ca (pi. phocce). A sea-calf, or any other monster of the deep. Pho'cion, surnamed The Good, who resisted all the bribes of Alexander and his successor. It was this real patriot who told Alexander to turn his arms against Persia, their common enemy, rather than against the states of Greece, his natural allies. Phocion the Good, in public life severe, To virtue still inexorably firm. Thomson, “ Winter.** Phoebe. The moon, sister of Phoebus. Phoebus. The sun or sun-god. In Greek mythology Apollo is called 682 PHCENIX. PHYLACTERY. Phoebus (the sun-god), because he drove the chariot of the sun. The rays divine of vernal Phoebus shine. Thovison, * Spring.” Phoenix ; said to live 500 years, when it makes in Arabia a nest of spices, burns itself to ashes, and comes forth with renewed life for another 500 years. Phoenix ; said to have fifty orifices in his bill, continued to his tail. After living 1000 years he builds for himself a funeral pile, sings a melodious air through his fifty organ-pipes, flaps his wings with a velocity which sets fire to the pile, and consumes himself.— ardson. The enchanted pile of that lonely bird. Who sings at the last his own death-lay. And in music and perfume dies away. Thomas Moore, “ Paradise and the Peri." Phoenix., as a sign over chemists* shops, was adopted from the association of this fabulous bird with alchemy. Paracelsus wrote about it, and several of the al- chemists employed it to symbolise their vocation. A phoenix among women. A phoenix of his hind. A paragon, unique ; because there never was but one phoenix. If she be furnished with a mind so rare. She is alone the Arabian bird. Shakespeare, “ Gymbeline," i. 7. Phoenix Alley {London). The alley leading to the Phoenix theatre, now called Drury Lane. Phoenix Park {DuUin). A cor- ruption of the Gaelic Fion-uisc (fair water) ; so called from a spring at one time resorted to as a chalybeate spa. Phoenix Period or Cycle, accord- ing to Tacitus, consisted of 250 years ; but R. Stuart Poole asserts that it was a period of 1,460 Julian years, like the Sothic Cycle. Now, the phoenix is said to have appeared in Egypt five times : (1) in the reign of Sesostris ; (2) in the reign of Am-asis ; (3) in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphos ; (4) a year or two prior to the death of Tiberius ; and (5) in A.D. 334, during the reign of Constantine. These dates being accepted, a Phoenix Cycle consisted of 300 years : thus, Sesostris, B.C. 866; Am-asis, B.c. 566; Ptolemy, B.c. 266 ; Tiberius, A.D. 34 ; Constantine, A.D. 334. In corroboration of this suggestion it must be borne in mind that Jesus Christ, who died A.D. 34, is termed the Phoenix by monastic writers. Tacitus mentions the first three of these appearances. — Annales,** vi. 28, Phoenix Theatre. {See P. Alley. ) Phoenix Tree. The palm. In Greek, phoinix means both phoenix and I)alm-tree. Now I will believe . . . that in Arabia There is one tree, the phoenix’ throne,— one phoenix At this hour reigneth there. Shakespeare, “ The Tempest^ iiL 3. Phoo'ka or Pooha. A spirit of most malignant disposition, who hurries people to their destruction. He sometimes comes in the form of an eagle, and some- times in that of a horse, like the Scotch kelpy iq.v.). — Irish superstition. Phor'cos. ^^The old man of the sea.” He was the father of the three Graiae, who were grey from their birth, and had but one eye and one tooth common to the three. — Greelc mythology. Phor'mio. A parasite, who accom- modates himself to the humour of every one. — Terence, Phormio* * Phrygians. An early Christian sect, so called from Phrygia, where they abounded. They regarded Monta'nus as their prophet, and laid claim to the spirit of prophecy. Phry'ne (2 syl.). A courtesan or Athenian hetaera. She acquired so much wealth by her beauty, that she offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes if she might put on them this inscription : ‘‘Alexander destroyed them, but Phryne the hetaera rebuilt them.” Apelles’ most celebrated picture of “ Venus” was a representation of Phryne, who entered the sea with dis- hevelled air as a model. The Cnidian Venus of Praxit'eles was also taken from this courtesan. Phthali or Opas. The Vulcan of Egyptian mythology. Phylac'tery. A charm or amulet. The Jews wore on their wrist or forehead a slip of parchment bearing a text of Scripture. Strictly speaking, a phylac- tery consisted of four pieces of parch- ment rolled together in the form of a pyramid of boxes, enclosed in a black leather case, and fastened to the fore- head or wrist of the left hand. On the slips of parchment were written four passages of Scripture — Ex. xiii. 1-10, 11-16 ; Deut. vi. 4-9, xi. 13-21. The idea arose from the command of Moses, Therefore shall ye lay up these my tvords PHYLLIS, PICCADILLY. 683 in your heart . . . and hind them for a sign upon your hand as frontlets hetwecn your eyesT — Deut. xi. 18. Phyllis. A country girl. — Fir^^7, Eclogues f hi. and v. Country messes, "Which the neat-handed Phyllis dresses. Milton, “ L' Allegro. '* Phyllis and Brunetta. Eiyal beauties, who for a long time vied with each other on equal terms. Eor a certain festival Phyllis procured some marvellous fabric of gold brocade to outshine her rival ; but Brunetta dressed the slave who bore her train in the same material, clothing herself in simple black. Upon this crushing mortification Phyllis went home and died. — Spectator. Phyllising the Pair. Philandering —making soft speeches and winning faces at them. Garth says of Dr. Atter- bury — He passed his easy hours, instead of prayer. In madrigals and phyllising the fair. “ The Dispensary^ i, Phynnod'deree {the Hairy -one). A Manx spirit, similar to the Scotch ‘^brownie,” and German ^^kobold.” He is said to be an outlawed fairy, and the offence was this: He absented himself without leave from Fairy-court on the great levee-day of the Harvest-moon, be- ing in the glen of Kushen, dancing with a pretty Manx maid whom he was courting. Physician. The Beloved Physician. St. Luke, the evangelist. The Prince of Physicians. Avicenna, the Arabian. (980-1037.) Physigna'thos {One who swells the cheeks). King of the Frogs, and son of Pelus [mud], slain by Troxartas the Mouse-king. Great Physignathos I, from Peleus’ race, JBegot in fair Hydromede’s embrace, Where, by the nuptial bank that paints his side. The swift Erid'anus delights to glide. Farnell^ “ Battle of the Frogs bk. i. Pi'arists, or Brethren of the Pious School. A religious congregation founded in the sixteenth century by Joseph of Calasanza, for the better instruction and education of the middle and higher classes. Pic-nic. Originally the subscribers of a pic-nic had a bill of fare numbered ; each member picked out a certain dish which he was willing to furnish, and the number was nicked or ticked off. So the entertainment was called a pick and nick. The custom dates from 1802. Dr. John Anthony derives it from the lidMan piccolanicchia (a small task), each person being set a small task towards jP the general entertainment. Neither satisfactory. (French, piciue-nique.) Pic'ador {Spanish). A horseman ; one who in bull-fights is armed with a gilt spear {pica- dor ada). Picards. An immoral sect of fanatics in the fifteenth century ; so called from Picard of Flanders, their founder, who called himself the New Adam, and tried to introduce the custom of living nude like Adam in Paradise. You are as hot-headed as a picard. This is a French expression, and is tantamount to our ‘^Peppery as a Welshman.” PicaToon'. A pirate, one who plun- ders wrecks. (French, picoreur, picorer, to plunder ; Scotch, pilcary, rapine ;; Spanish, picar'oUf a villain.) Pic'atrix. The pseudonyme of a Spanish monk, author of a book on de- monology, collected from the writings of 224 Arabic magicians. It was dedicated to king Alfonso. At tbe time when I was a student in the Univer- sity of Toulouse, that same reverend Pica trix, rector of the Diabolical Faculty, was wont to tell us that devils did naturally fear the bright glaneing of swords as much as the splendour and light of the sun.— jRafieZats, ** Faniagruel,” iii. 23- Piccadilly {London) ; so called fromi Piccadilla Hall, the chief depot of a cer- tain sort of lace, much in vogue during the reign of queen Elizabeth. The lace was called piccadilly lace from its little spear-points (a diminutive of pica, a pike or spear). In the reign of James I. the high ruff was called a piccadilly, though divested of its lace edging. Barnaby Rice, speaking of the piccadillies, says — He that some forty years sithen should have asked after a piccadilly, I wonder who would have understood him, and would have told him whether it was fish or flesh” (1614). We are told in the Glossographia” (1681) that Piccadilly was named from Higgins’ famous ordi- nary near St. James’s, called Higgins’ Pickadilly, “ because he made his money 'by selling piccadillies, which in the last age were much in fashion ” (p. 495). Where Sackville Street now stands was Piccadilla. Hall, where picc^dilla8or turnovers were sold, which gave name to Piccadilly.— Pen7jr<7»<. <584 PICK. PIE CORNER, Pick. To throw ; same as pitch. The instrument that throws the shuttle is called the picher. I’ll pick you o’er the pales. Shakespeare, Henry VHLp V. 3. Pickanin'ny. A young child. A W est-Indian negro word. Pick'ellier'ringe (5 syl.). A buffoon is so called by the Dutch ; a corruption «of Pickle-harin (hairy sprite). Ben Jon- son has Puck-hairy. Pickle. A rod in picTcle. One ready to chastise with at any moment. Pickled means preserved for use. I'm in a pretty pickle— vo a quandary ^ or state of disorder. How cam’st thou in this pi "kle ? Shakespeare, ‘‘ Tempest P v. 1. Pickwick {Mr. Samuel). The hero of the Pickwick Papers,” by Charles Dickens. He is a simple-minded, bene- volent old gentleman, who wears spec- tacles, breeches, and short black gaiters, has a bald head, and good round belly.” He founds a club, and travels with its ■ members over England, each member being under his guardianship. Pic'roch-ole {Pik!-ro-coal). King of Lerne. A Greek compound, meaning '^^bitter-bile” or choleric. The rustics of Utopia one day asked the cake-bakers of i Lerne, who happened to be passing by, to sell them some cakes, but received only abuse for their answer ; whereupon a -quarrel ensued. When Picrochole was in- formed thereof, he marched with all his men against Utopia. King Grangousier tried to appease the choleric king, but .all his efforts were in vain. At length ' Gargantua arrived, defeated Picrochole, and put his army to the rout. — Rahelais^ Gargantua and PantagrueV' King Picrocholds statesman. One who without his host reckons of mighty achievements to be accomplished. The ■ duke of Smalltrash, earl of Swashbuck- ler, and captain Durtaille advised king Picrochole to divide his army into two parts ; one was to be left to carry on the war in hand, and the other to be sent forth to make conquests. They were to take England, France and Spain, Asia Minor, the Greek Islands, and Tur- key, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Russia, •&c., and to divide the lands thus taken among the conquerors. Echeph'ron, | '£,n old soldier, replied — ‘‘A shoemaker bought a ha’poth of milk ; with this he was going to make butter, the butter was to buy a cow, the cow was to have a calf, the calf was to be changed for a colt, and the man was to become a nabob ; only he cracked his jug, spilt his milk, and went supperless to bed.” — Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel,^' bk. i. 33. Piet is not from the Latin picti (painted people). As Piets and Scots are always mentioned together, there is no reason why one should be Gaelic and the other Latin. Scot is the Gaelic 'sgod (a dweller in woods and forests), and Piet is the Gaelic pict-ish (freebooters) ; the two being equivalent to foresters and freebooters. Piets’ Houses. Those underground buildings more accurately termed Earth Houses,” as the Piet’s House at Kettle- burn, in Caithness. Picture. A model or beau-ideal, as He is the picture of health ; A perfect pic- ture of a house. The Picture. Massinger has borrowed the plot of this play from Bandello of Piedmont, who wrote novelles or tales in the fifteenth century. Pictures. {See Cabinet, Cartoons, &c. Picture Bible. {See Biblia.) Pie. Looking for a pies nest (French). Looking for something you are not likely to find. {See below.) He is in the pie's nest (French). In a fix, in great doubt, in a quandary. The pie places her nest out of reach, and for- tifies it with thorny sticks, leaving only a small aperture just large enough to ad- mit her body. She generally sits with her head towards the hole, watching against intruders. Je in’en vay chercher un grand peut-estre. II est au nid de la pie. —Rabelais. Pie-Bald. A corruption of pie- balled, speckled like a pie. The words Ball, Dun, and Favel are frequently given as names to cows. ^^Ball” means the cow with a mark on its face ; “ Dun ” means the cow of a dun or brownish- yellow colour ; and “ Favel ” means the bay cow. {Ball, in Gaelic, means a mark ; ” ballach, speckled.) Pie Corner {London)^ So named from an eating-house— the [Mag]-pie.” PIE POUDRE. PIG, 685 - Pie Poudre. A court formerly held at a fair on St. Giles's Hill, near Win- chester. It was originally authorised by the bishop of Winton from a grant of Edward IV. Similar courts were held elsewhere at wakes and fairs for the rough-and-ready treatment of pedlars and hawkers, to compel them and those with whom they dealt to fulfil their con- tracts, (French, pied poiidreux, dusty foot. A vagabond is called in French pied-poudreux.) Have its proceedinars disallowed or Allowed, at fancy of pie-powder. BtUler, “ Hudibt ait * pt ii. 2. Pied Piper of Ham'elin. The Pyed Piper was promised a reward if he would drive the rats and mice out of Hameln (Westphalia). This he did, for he gathered them together by his pipe, and then drowned them in the river. As the people refused to pay him, he next led the children to Koppelberg Hill, which opened upon them (July 22nd, 1376). To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled. And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled... And ere three notes his pipe had uttered... Out of the houses rats came tumbling— Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats. Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats— An dstep by step they followed him dancing. Till they came to the river Weser... Robert Browning. Pierre (pron. Peer). A conspirator in Otway’s ‘’Venice Preserved.” He is described as a patriot, of the bluntest manners, and a stoical heart. Uglier than Pierre du Coignet {French). Coign^res was an advocate-general in the reign of Philippe de Valois, who stoutly opposed the encroachments of the church. The monks in revenge called, by way of pun, those grotesque monkey-like figures carved in stone, used in church archi- tecture, pierres du Coignet or Pierres du Coigneres. At Notre Dame de Paris they used to extinguish their torches in the mouths and nostrils of these figures, which thus acquired a superadd ed ugli- ness. You may associate them with master Peter du Coignet.. ..in the middle of the porch.. , .to perform the (office of extinguishers, and with their noses put out the lighted candles, torches, lapers, and flam- beaux. —JSa6eZaw. Pierrot ipe'er-ro). A character in French pantomime representing a man in growth and a child in mind and manners. He is generally the tallest and thinnest man that can be got, has his face and hair covered with white powder or flour, and wears a white gown with very long sleeves, and a row of big buttons down the front. The word means Little Peter, Piers. The shepherd who relates th© fable of the “ Kid and her Dam,” t© show the danger of bad company. — Spenser^, Shepherd's Calendar.'' Piers Plowman. The hero of a satirical poem of the fourteenth cen- tury. He falls asleep, like John Bunyan,. on the Malvern Hills, and has different visions which he describes, and in which he exposes the corruptions of society, the dissoluteness of the clergy, and the. allurements to sin, with considerable bitterness. The author is supposed te be Robert or William Langland. Pieta'. A representation of the Virgin Mary embracing the dead body of her Son. Filial or parental love was called piety by the Romans. {See Pious.) Pi'etists. A sect of Lutherans in the- seventeenth century, who sought to- introduce a more moral life and a more “evangelical” spirit of doctrine into the reformed church. In Germany the word Pietist is about equal to our- vulgar use of Methodist. Pie'tro (2 syl. ). The putative father of Pompiria, criminally assumed as hrs child to prevent certain property fronx passing to an heir not his own. — Robert Browning f ^^The Ring and the Boole." {See Ring.) Pig. In the forefeet of pigs is a very small hole, which may be seen when the- hair has been carefully removed. The? tradition is that the legion of devils entered by these apertures. There are also round it some six rings, the whole- together not larger than a small spangle ; they look as if burnt or branded into the skin, and the tradition is that they are- the marks of the devil’s claws when h© entered the swine (Mark v. 11-15). Pig in a pohe. A blind bargain. The French say Acheter chat en poche. The reference is to a common trick in days gone by of substituting a cat for a suck- ing-pig, and trying to palm it off on greenhorns. If any one heedlessly bought the article without examination he bought a “ cat” for a “pig ; ” but if he opened the sack he “ let the cat out of the hag,” and the trick was disclosed. The French “chat en poche” refers to* the fact, while our proverb regards the trick. PIGS. PIGEON. He has brought his pigs to a pretty marhet. He has made a very bad bar- g:ain ; he has managed his business in a very bad way. Pigs were the chief articles of sale with our Saxon herdsmen, and till recently the village cottager looked to pay his rent by the sale of his pigs. He follows me about like an Anthony pig ; or such and such a one is a Tantony pig; meaning a beggar, a hanger-on. Stow says that the officers of the market used to slit the ears of pigs unfit for food. One day one of the proctors of St. Anthony’s Hospital tied a bell about a pig whose ear was slit, and no one would ever hurt it. The pig would follow like a dog any one who fed it. Please the pigs. If the Virgin permits. Saxon, piga (a virgin), whence Peggy, a common name of females in Scotland. In the Danish New Testament maiden” is generally rendered pigen. ‘^Pig Gross,” dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is Virgin Cross, or the Lady Cross. So also Pig’s Hill,” Pig’s Ditch,” in some instances at least, are the field and diggin’ attached to the Lady’s Chapel, though in others they are simply the hill and ditch where pigs were offered for sale. Another etymology is Please the pixies '-(fairies), a saying still common in Devon- shire. It is somewhat remarkable that pige should be Norse for maiden, and hog or og Gaelic for young generally. Thus. ogan (a young man), and oige (a young woman). The common notion that please the pigs” is a corruption of please the pix,” is wholly unworthy of credit. Some men there are lore not a gaping pig ('^Merchant of Venice,” iv. 1). Marshal d’ Albert always fainted at the sight of a pig. {See Antipathy, Cat.) Pigs. {See Bartholomew Pigs.) Pig and Tinderbox. The Elephant and Castle. Pig and Wliistle. The bowl and wassail, or the wassail- cup and wassail. A piggen is a pail, especially a milk-pail ; and a pig is a small bowl, cup, or mug. Thus a crockery dealer is called a pig- %e)ife. Another explanation is that it is a corruption of the pix and housel ; the ■^^pix” being the box in which the sacred wafers were kept, and the housel” the •eucharist or wafers themselves. Pig-back, Pick-back, or a-Pigger- back, does not mean as a is carried by a butcher, but as a>piga or child is carried. It should be written apigga-back. A butcher carries a pig head doimxcards, with its legs over his shoulders ; but a child is carried with its arms round your neck, and legs under your arms. She carries the other a pickapack upon her shoul- ders.— Pig Iron. This is a mere play upon the word sow. When iron is melted it runs off into a channel called a sow, the lat'eral branches of which are called the pigs ; here the iron cools, and is callecL pig-iron. Now sow has nothing whatever to do with swine, but is from the Saxon sawan, to scatter; German, sausen, to rush ; and ought to be written 5aw5(sows), a word in use still in the expression ‘‘He soused upon him” — i.e., swooped or rushed. Having sows or sow for the parent channel, it required no great effort of wit to make the lateral grooves the little pigs. Pig-tails {The). The Chinese ; so called because the Tartar tonsure and braided queue are very general. We laid away telling one another of the pig-tails till we both dropped off to sleep.— “ Tales about the Chinese.'^ Pig-wiggen. A dwarf ; so called from the fairy in Drayton’s “ Nymph- idia.” A corruption of Pig-widden. {See Piggy-Wiggy.) Pigeon. Pitt says in Mecca no one will kill the blue pigeons, because they are held sacred. Pigeons. Two black pigeons, we are told, took their flight from Thebes, in Egypt : one flew to Libya, and the other to Dodo'na, in Greece. On the spot where the former alighted, the tem- ple of Jupiter Ammon was erected ; in the place where the other settled, the oracle of Jupiter was established, and there the responses were made by the black pigeons that inhabited the sur- rounding groves. This fable is probably based on a pun upon the word peleiai, which usually means “old women,” but in the dialect of the Epi'rots signifies pigeons or doves. Pigeon lays only two eggs. Hence the Queen says of Hamlet, after his fit he will be — As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed hatched]. "Hamlet” t. 1. PIGEON-ENGLISa PILGRIMAGE. 687 MahomeCs Pigeon. This pigeon was taught to pick seeds from Mahomet’s oar, so that it might be thought to be the messenger of inspired communications. He who is sprinkled with pigeorCs blood will never die a natural death. A sculptor carrying home a bust of Charles I. stop- ped to rest on the way ; at the moment a pigeon overhead was struck by a hawk, and the blood of the bird fell on the neck of the bust. The sculptor thought it ominous, and after the king was be- headed the saying became current. Flocks of wild pigeons presage the pesti- lence, at least in Louisia'na. Longfellow says they come with ‘‘naught in their craws but an acorn.” — Evangeline.’’^ To pigeon. To cheat, to gull one of his money by almost self-evident hoaxes. Pigeons are very easily gulled, caught by snares, or scared by malkins. One easily gulled is called a pigeon. The French pigeon means a dupe. Je me defiBeroy tantost que tu serois un de ceux qui ne se laissent si facilement pigeouaer ^ telles geos.— “ies Dialogues de Jacques Tahureau” (1585). Pigeon -English, or Pigeon-talk. A corruption of business-talk. Thus : business, bidginess, bidgin, pidgin, pigeon. A mixture of English, Portu- guese, and Chinese, used in business transactions in “The Flowery Empire.” The traders care nothing for the Chinese language, and are content to carry on their business transac- tions in a hideous jargon called “pigeon English.”— The Times. Pigeon-livered. Timid, easily frightened, like a pigeon. The bile rules the temper, and the liver the bile. Pigeon Pair. A boy and girl, twins. It was once supposed that pigeons always sit on two eggs, which produce a male and a female, and these twin birds live together in love the rest of their lives. Pigg. (See under the ^oord'PB.WN^^B..) Piggy-wiggy or Piggy-whidden. A word of endearment ; a pet pi^, which being the smallest of the litter is called by the diminutive Piggy, and being very white from weakness is called ^oiggy, a corruption of whiddy, meaning white. Pigh'tle. A small parcel of larid enclosed with a hedge. In the Eastern counties called a pi'kle. (Scotch, pight, fixed or determinate.) Pigmy. A dwarf. In fabulous his- tory the pigmies were a nation of dwarfs devoured by cranes. (See Pygmies.) Pigsnie, A word of endearment to a girl. (Saxon, piga, a girl.) Pigwiggin. An elf in love with queen Mab. He combats the jealous O^beron with great fury. — Drayton, **NymphidiaP Pike-staff. Plain as a pike-staff. A corruption of “Plain as a pack -staff,” the staff on which pedlars carried their pack. The pike-staff would be the shaft of the pike or halbert. Pilate Voice. A loud ranting voice. In the old mysteries all tyrants were made to speak in a rough ranting manner. Thus Bottom the Weaver, after a rant “ to show his quality,” exclaims, “That’s ’Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein and Ham- let describes a ranting actor as “out- heroding Herod.” In Pilate voys he gan to cry. And swor by armes, and by blood and bones. Chaucer, Canterbury Talesl’ 3120. Pilch.. The flannel napkin of an in- fant; a buff or leather jerkin. (See below . ) Pilcher. A scabbard. (Saxon, pylce, a skin coat.) Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher ? Shakespeare, “ Romeo and Juliet," iii. 1. Pil-garlic (A). One whose hair has fallen off from disease ; one avoided and forsaken by his fellows. The editor of Notes and Queries says that garlic was a prime specific for leprosy, so that garlic and leprosy became inseparably associated. As leper-s had to pil or peel their own garlic, they were nick-named pil-garlics, and any one who was shunned like a leper was called so likewise. Stow refers the expression to one get- ting old, observing “ He will soon be a peeled garlic like myself.” Pil'grimage (3 syl.). The chief places in the West were (1) Walsingham and Canterbury (England) ; (2) Four- vi^res, Puy, and St. Denis (France) ; (3) Rome, Loretto, Genetsano, and Assisi (Italy') ; (4) Compostella, Guadalupe, and Montserrat (Spain) ; (5) Getting, Zell, Cologne, Trier, and Pim&iedelxi (Germany). Chaucer has an admirable photograph, chiefly in verse, of a pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb, in Canterbury cathedral. The pilgrims beguile the weariness of the way by telling tales. These “ Canterbury Tales ” were never completed. 6S8 PILLAR. PIN. Pillar. Running from 'pillar to post — from oDe thing to another without any fixed purpose. This is an allusion to the manege. The pillar is the centre of the manege ground, and the posts are the columns at equal distances, placed two and two round the circumference of the ring. Pillar Saints or StyU’tes. A class of ascetics, chiefly of Syria, who took up their abode on the top of a pillar, from which they never descended. {See Stylites.) Pillars of Heaven. The Atlas mountains are so called by the natives. Pillars of Hercules. The opposite rocks at the entrance of the Mediterra- nean Sea, one in Spain and the other on the African continent. The tale is that they were bound together till Hercules tore them asunder in order to get to Gades (Cadiz). The ancients called them Calpe and Ab'yla ; we call them Gibraltar Rock and Mount Hacho, on which stands the fortress of Ceu'ta. PiPlory. The following eminent men have been put in the pillory for literary offences : — Leighton, for tracts against Charles I. ; Lilburn, for circulating the tracts of Dr. Bastwick ; Bastwick, for at- tacking the Church of England ; Warton the publisher; Prynne, for a satire on the wife of Charles I. ; Daniel Defoe, for a pamphlet entitled ‘^The Shortest Day with Dissenters,” &c. Pilot, according to Scaliger, is from an old French word, pile (a ship). Pilot Pish.. So called because it is supposed to pilot the shark to its prey. The shark will no more injure it than a crocodile would harm a trochilus or humming-bird. Pilpay or Bidpay, The Indian .Esop. His compilation was in San- skrit, and entitled Pantcha-Tantra.” Khosru (Chosroes) the Great of Persia ordered them to be translated into Pehivi, an idiom of Medish, at that time the language of Persia. This was in the middle of the sixth century. Pimlico {London), according to tra- dition, receives its name from Ben Pim- lico, famous for his nut-brown ale. His tea-gardens were near Hoxton, and the road to them was called Pimlico Path. Pin. Not worth a pin. "Wholly worth- less. I don't care a pin, or a pirCs point. In- the least. The pin. The centre, as 'Hhe pin of the heart ” (^Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet," ii. 4). The allusion is to the pin which fastened the clout or white mark on a target in archery. Weak on his pins. Weak in his legs,, the legs being a man’s pegs or sup porters. In meri'y pin. In merry mood, in. good spirits. Pegge, in his ‘‘Anony- miana,” says that the old tankards were divided into eight equal parts, and each, part was marked with a silver pin. The cups held two quarts, consequently the quantity from pin to pin was half a Win- chester pint. By the rules of good fellowship” a drinker was to stop drink- ing only at a pin, and if he drank beyond it was to drink to the next one. As it was very hard to stop exactly at the pin, the vain efforts gave rise to much mirth, and the drinker had generally to drain' the tankard. {See Peo.) No song', no laugh, no jovial din Of drinking wassail to the pin. LongfelloTV, “ Golden Legend " • A nm'ry pin. A roisterer. We are told that St. Dunstan intro- duced the plan of pegging tankards, to- check the intemperate habits of the Eng- lish in his time. I do not pin my faith upon your sleeve. I am not going to take your ifjse dixit' for gospel. In feudal times badges were worn, and the partisans of a leader used to wear his badge, which was pinned on the sleeve. Sometimes these badges were changed for specific purposes, and persons learned to doubt. Hence the phrase, You wear the badge, but I do not intend to pin my faith on your sleeve.” He tirled at the pin. Rattled at the- latch to give notice that he was about to- enter. The pin was not only the latch of chamber-doors and cottages, but the ‘^rasp” of castles used instead of the modem knocker. It was attached to a ring, which produced a grating sound t®* give notice to the warder. Sae licht he jumped up the stair. And tirled at the pin ; And wha sae ready as hersel’ To let the laddie in ? '‘'"Charlie is my Darlino.'"* PIN MONEY. PIOUS. 6S9 Pin Money. A lady’s allowance of money for her own personal expenditure. I^ong after the invention of pins, in the fourteenth century, the maker was al- lowed to sell them in open shop only on the 1st and 2nd of January. It was then that the court ladies and city dames flocked to the depots to buy them, having been first provided with money by their husbands. When pins became cheap and common, the ladies spent their al- lowances on other fancies, but the term pin-money remained in vogue. It is quite an error to suppose that pins were invented in the reign of Francois I., and introduced into England by Catharine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. In 1347, just two hundred years before the death of Francois, 12,000 pins were delivered from the royal wardrobe for the use of the princess Joan, and in 1400 (more than a century before Fran 9 ois ascended the throne) the duchess of Orleans purchased of Jehan le Breconnier, espinglierj of Paris, several thousand long and short pins, besides five hundred de lafa^on d' Angleterre. So that pins were not only manufactured in England, but were of high re'pute even in the reign of Henry IV. Pinabello or Piidahel (in ‘‘ Orlando Furioso”). Son of Anselmo, king of Maganza. Marphi'sa having overthrown .him, and taken the steed of his dame, Pinabello, at her instigation, de- creed that nothing would wipe out the disgrace except a thousand dames and a thousand warriors unhorsed, and spoiled of their arms, steed, and vest. He was slain by Brad'amant. Pinch ( Dr. ). A schoolmaster and con- jurer. — ShaJce^oearej Comedy of En'orsP Tom Pinch, in Martin Chuzzlewit,” by Charles Dickens. Ruth Pinch. Sister of the above. PinchlDeck. So called from Chris- topher Pinchbeck, a musical-clock maker. The word is used for Brummagem, infe- rior, make-believe. Where, in these pinchbeck days, can we hope to find the old agricultural virtue in all its purity ?— Anthony Trollope, Framley Paraonage.'' Pinch wife {Mr. and Mrs.), in Wycherly’s Country Wife.” Pindar. The French Pindar, Jean Dorat (1507-1588). Also Ponce Denis Lebrun (1729-1807). The Italian Pindar. Gabriello Chia- brera ; whence Chiahreresco is in Italian tantamount to Pindaric.” (1552-1637.) Peter Pindar. Dr. John Wolcot. (1738-1819.) Pindar of England. George, duke of Buckingham, declared Cowley to be the Pindar, Horace, and Virgil of England. In Westminster Abbey, the last line of Gra 3 ’'’s tablet claims the honour of British Pindar for the author of ^^The Bard.” She [Britain] felt a Homer’s fire in Milton’s strains, A Pindar’s rapture in the lyre of Gray. Pindar of Wakefield {George-a- Green) has given his name to a celebrated house on the west side of the Gray’s-inn Road ; and a house with that name still exists in St. Chad’s Row, on the other side of the street. — The Times. {See PlNDER. ) Pinda'ric Verse. Irregular verse ; a poem of various metres, but of lofty style, in imitation of the odes of Pindar. ‘^Alexander’s Feast,” by Dryden, is the best specimen in English. Pinder. One who takes care of cattle in a pound or pen ; thus George- a-Green was the “ Pinder of Wakefield,” and his encounter with Robin Hood, Scarlet, and Little John forms the sub- ject of one of the Robin Hood ballads. Pindo'rus (in “Jerusalem Deli- vered”). One of the two heralds ; the other is Arideus. Pine-bender. Sinis, the Corinthian robber; so called because he used to fasten his victims to two pine-trees bent towards the earth, and then leave them to be rent asunder by the rebound. Pink. The flower is so called because the edges of the petals are pinked or notched. {See below.) Pink of Perfection. The acme ; the beau-ideal. Shakespeare has “the pink of courtesy ” (“ Romeo and J uliet,” ii. 4). Welsh, pwnc, a point, an acme ; our pinJc, to stab ; •jinking, cutting into points. Pi'ony. A flower; so called from the chieftain Paion, who discovered it. — “ Saxon Leechdomsf i. PPous (2 syl.). The Romans called a man who revered his father pius ; hence Antoni'nus was called piris, because he re(iuested that his adopted father (Ha- S S 690 PIP, PITCHERS, drian) might be ranked among the gods. -dSne'as was called 'pins because he res- cued his father from the burning city of Troy. The Italian word ‘^pieta” ( 9 '.r.) has a similar meaning. The Pious. Ernst I., founder of the House of Gotha. (1601-1674. ) Robert, son of Hugues Capet. (971, 996-1031.) Eric IX. of Sweden. ( ^,1155-1161.) Pip. The hero of Dickens’s Great Expectations.” He is first a poor boy, and then a man of wealth. Pip 'chins {Mrs."). A wan, false- toothed, 3 ^ ellow- skinned scrag — Dickens^ ^'‘Little Dorrit.^' Pipe. To pips your eye. To snivel; to cry. ( W elsh, pipiany to pule. ) 'Put your pipe out. Spoil your piping or singing ; make you sing another tune, or in another key. “ Take your shine out ” has a similar force. Put that into your pipe and smoke it. Digest that if you can. An ex- pression used by one who has given an adversary a severe rebuke. The allusion is to the pipes of peace and war smoked by the American Indians. Office of the Clerk of the Pipe. A very ancient office in the Court of Exchequer, where leases of crown lands, sheriffs’ accounts, &c., were made out. It existed in the reign of Henry II., and was abolished in the reign of William IV. Lord Bacon says, “The office is so called because the whole receipt of the court is finally conveyed into it by means of divers small pipes or quills, as water into a cistern.” Pipe Polls or Great Rolls of the Pipe. The series of Great Rolls of the Ex- chequer, beginning 2 Henry II., and continued to 1834, when the Pipe-ofiice was abolished. These rolls are now in the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane. Pipe of Peace. The North-Ame- rican Indians present a pipe to any one they wish to be on good terms with. To receive the pipe and smoke together is to promote friendship and good-will, but to refuse the offer is virtual!}’’ a decla- ration of hostility. Pipeclay. Routine ; fossilised mili- tary dogmas of no real worth. In govern- ment offices the term red-tape is used to express the same idea. Pipeclay was at one time largely used by soldiers for making their gloves, accoutrements, and clothes look clean and smart. Pipelet. A concierge or French door-porter; so called from a character of that ilk in Eugene Sue’s “ Mysteries of Paris.” Piper. {See Pied, Pat the Piper.) Tom Piper. So the piper is called in the morris dance. Pipes {Tom). Noted for his tacitur- nity. — Smollett, “ Peregrine Pickled Pirac'us. N ow called the port Leo'n-e. Pirith'oos. King of the Lapithae, proverbial for his love of Theseus, king of Athens. Pisa'nio. A servant noted for his attachment to Im'ogen. — Shakespeare^ Cymheline.^* Piskey. Psyche, the impersonation of the soul. Hence white moths are called souls, fairies, and piskey s. Pistol. Falstaff’s lieutenant or an- cient ; a bully but a coward, a rogue, and always poor. — Shakespeare, “ 1 and 2 Henry TV.,*" Merry Wives of Windseyrl* Pis'tols. So called from Pistoja, in Florence, where they were invented in 1545. Pistris, Pistnx, Pristis, or Pristrix. The sea-monster sent to devour Androm- eda. In ancient art it is represented with a dragon’s head, the neck and head of a beast, fins for the fore-legs, and the body and tail of a fish. In Christian art the pistris was usually employed to represent the whale which swallovtred Jonah. — Aratus. Pit-a-pat. My heart goes pit-a-pat. Pit is a corruption of heat, and pat is a gentle blow. Pit-a-pat is “ beating and panting.” (Hindu, pata; Burmese, po- tai; Welsh, Pronoh., panteler ; our pant, &c.) Pitch.. Pitch into him. Thrust or dart your fists into him. (Welsh, picio, to dart; Italian, piccare.) Pitch'ers. Little pitchers have long ears. Little folk or children hear what is said when you little think it. The ear of a pitcher is the handle, made in the shape of a man’s ear. The handle of a cream-ewer and of other small jugs is quite out of proportion to the size of the vessel, compared with the handles of large jars. PITHOS. PLANETS. 691 Pith-OS. A large jar to keep wine or oil in. Winckelraann has engraved a copy of a curious bas-relief representing Diogenes occupying a pithos and holding conversation with Alexander the Great. Pi'tri (pi. Pitaras). An order of di- vine beings in Hindu mythology inhabit- ing celestial regions of their own, and receiving into their society the spirits of those mortals whose funeral rites have been duly performed. Pitt Diamond or the Regent. Called Pitt diamond because it once belonged to Mr. Pitt, grandfather of the famous earl of Chatham. Called the Regent diamond from the duke of Orleans, re- gent of France, who purchased it. This famous diamond was worn in the sword- hilt of Napoleon, and now belongs to the king of Prussia. Pitt’s Mark. The printer’s name and place of business affixed to printed books, according to William Pitt’s Act, 39 Geo. III., c. 79. Pitt’s Pictures or Billy Pitt's Pic- lures. Blind windows ; so called because many windows were blocked up when William Pitt augmented the Window Tax in 1784, and again in 1797. Pit'tacus (Greek, PittaJcos). One of the Seven Sages ” of Greece. His great sayings were : (1) Know the right time (^^Gno'thi kairon”); and (2) a sore thing to he eminent (‘^Chalepon esthlon emmenai ”). Pit'tance. An allowance of victuals over and above bread and wine. Anthony dn Pinet, in his translation of Pliny, applies the term over and over again to figs and beans. The word originally comes from the people’s piety in giving to poor mendicants food for their sub- sistence. (Monkish Latin, 'pietancea ; Spanish, pitar^ to distribute a dole of food ; pitancero., one who distributes the dole, or a begging friar who subsists by charity.) Pix'ies (2 syl.). The Devonshire Bobin-Good-Fellows ; said to be the spirits of infants who have died before baptism. The Pixy-monarch holds his court like Titania, and sends his subjects on their several tasks. The word is a diminutive of Fix. probably the same as Puck. Swedish, pylce ; old English, pouhy hug^ hogie ; Danish, pog QXidi pohker. Ne let the pouke nor other evil sprites.... Fray us with things that be not. Spenser, *' Epithalamion." Placelbo. One of the brothers of January, an old baron of Lombardy. When January held a family council to know whether he should marry, Placebo very wisely told him to do as he liked, for says he — A ful g?et fool is eny counsel our/ That servith any lord of high honour/ That dar presume, or oones (once) thenken it. That his counseil' schuld pass his lordeg wit. Chaucer, “ The Marchaundcs Tale,” line 9121, &c. Pla'giarist means strictly one who kidnaps a slave. Martial applies the word to the kidnappers of other men’s brains. Literary theft unacknow- ledged is called plagiarism. (Latin, pla- giairius. ) Pla'giary {Sir Fretful), in Sheridan’s Critic ; ” designed for Richard Cum- berland. Plain {The). The Girondists were so called in the National Convention, be- cause they sat on the level floor or plain of the hall. After the overthrow of the Girondists this part of the House was called the marsh or swamp (marais), and included such members as were under the control of the Mountain {g.v.'). Plain Dealer. Wycherly was so called, from his celebrated comedy of the same title. The countess of Drogheda... inquired for the Flnin Dealer. “ Madam/’ says Mr. Fairbeard, “ since you are for the ‘ Plain Dealer,’ there he is for you, pushing Mr. Wycherly towards her. — Cibber, “ Lives oi *tte Poets"' iii., p. 252. Plan'ets. In heraldry the arms of royal personages are blazoned by the names of planets, and those of noblemen by precious stones instead of the cor- responding colours. Sol— topaz — or (.gold) — bezants. Luna — pearl — argent {silver) — plates. Saturn — diamond — sable (hlach) — pel- lets. Mars — ruby — gules {red) — torteaux. Jupiter — sapphire — azure( 6 ^ 2 ^ 6 ) — hurts. Venus — emerald — vert (green) — pomeis. Mercury— amethyst— purpure {violet) — golpes. Inferior planets. Mercury and Venus ; so called because their orbits are within the orbit of the earth. s s 2 ^692 PLANK. PLEBEIANS. Superior planets. Mars, the Planetoids, Jupiter, Saturn, U'ranus, and Neptune ; so called because their orbits are outside the earth’s orbit — i.e., further from the sun. Plank. Any one principle of a po- litical platform. (Nee Platform.) Plantagenet, from planta genista (broom-plant), the family cognisance first assumed by the earl of Anjou, the first of his race, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as a symbol of humility. — BucJCf Richard 111” Plaster or Chapel Plaster. A cor- /ruption of play-stow (play -ground). Saxon, pleg stoic . Plat'en, among printers, is the power weight which presses on the tym- pan {g.v.), to cause the impression of the letters to be given off and trans- ferred to the sheet. (French, plat, flat.) Platform, in the New England •states, is a scheme of church govern- ment, as the Cambridge or Saybrook platform. In other parts of America it is applied to the political and other principles on which a leader builds up his party. Each separate principle is a planh of the platform. Their declaration of principles— their “platform,” to use the appropriate term— ■was settled and pub- lished to the world. Its distinctive elements or planks ’* are financial — T/w Times. Pla'to. His original name was Aris'- tocles, but he was called Platon from the great breadth of his shoulders. The Gei'man Plato. Friedrich Hein- rich Jacobi. (1743-1819.) The Jewish Plato. Philo Judaeus, an Alexandrine philosopher. (Flourished 20-40.) The Puritan Plato. John Howe, the Nonconformist. (1630-1706.) Plato’s Year. A revolution of 25,000 years, in which period the stars and constellations return to their former places in respect to the equinoxes. Cut out more work than can be done In Plato’s year, but finish none. ButleVt “ Hudibraf^*’ pt. iiL 1. Platonic Bodies. The five regular geometric solids described by Plato — viz., the tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dedecahedron, and icosahedron, all of which are bounded by like, equal, and regular planes. Platonic Love. Spiritual love be- tween persons of opposite sexes. It is the friendship of man and woman, without mixture of what is usually called love. Plato strongly advocated this pure affec- tion, and hence its distinctive name. Platonic Puritan. John Howe, the Nonconformist divine. (1630-1706.) Platonism. ^ The^ philosophical sys- tem of Plato ; dialectics. Locke main- tains that the mind is by nature a sheet of white paper, the five senses being the doors of knowledge. Plato maintained the opposite theory, drawing a strong line of demarcation between the province of thought and that of sensations in the production of ideas. {See Dialectics. ) In theology, he taught that there are two eternal, primary, independent, and incorruptible causes of material things — Godihe maker, and matter the substance. In psychology, he maintained the ulti- mate unity and mutual dependence of all knowledge. In physics, he said that God is the measure of all things, and that from God, in whom reason and being are one, proceed human reason and those ideas’” or laws which constitute all that can be called real in nature. Platter with Three Eyes. Em- blematical of St. Lucy, in allusion to her sending her two eyes to a nobleman who wanted to marry her for the exceeding beauty of her eyes. Take them,” she said, ^‘and let me now live to God.” The tale says that God accepted the sa- crifice and restored her eyes. Play. '‘This may be play to you, ’tis death to us.” The allusion is to the fable of the boys throwing stones at some frogs . — Roger IJ Estrange. As good a.s a play. So said king Charles when he attended the discussion of lord Boss’s "Divorce Bill.” Play the Deuce. The Irish say. Play the Pooka. Pooka or Pouke is an evil spirit in the form of a wild colt, who does great hurt to benighted travellers. Pleasant {Mrs . ), in Tom Killigrew’s "Parson’s Wedding.” Pleasure. It was Xerxes who offered a reward to any one who would invent a new pleasure. Plebeians. Common people; pro- perly it means the free citizens of Rome, PLEBISCITE, PLINY’S EOV^ES- 693 who were neither patricians nor clients. They were, however, free landowners, and had their own gentes.” (Latin, 'pleo, to fill.) Plebiscite (3 syl.). A decree of the people. In Koman history, a law enacted by the comitia ” or assembly of tribes. In France, the resolutions adopted in the Revolution by the voice of the people, and the general votes given during the second empire — such as the general vote to elect Napoleon III. emperor of the French. Pledge. I pledge yon in this wine» This custom arose in the tenth century, when it was thought necessary for one person to watch over the safety of a com- panion while in the act of drinking. It was by no means unusual with the fierce Danes to stab a person under such cir- cumstances. If I Were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals. Lest they should spy my windpipe’s dangerous notes. Great men should arink with harness on their throats, “ Timon of Athens ” i. 2. Plei'ades (3 syl. ) means the sailing stars ” (Greek, pZeo, to sail), because the Greeks considered navigation safe at the return of the Pleiades, and never at- tempted it after those stars disappeared. The Pleiad of Alexandria. A group of seven contemporary poets in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphos, so called in refer- ence to the cluster of stars in the back of Taurus. Their names are — Callim'- achos, Apollo'nios of Rhodes, Ara'tos, Philiscos (called Homer the Younger), Ly'cophron, Nicander, and Theoc'ritos. The literary Pleiad of Charlemagne. Alcuin {Alhi'nus), Angilbert {Homer), Adelard {Augustine), Riculfe {Damcetas), Charlemagne {David), Varnefrid, and Eginhard. The first French Pleiad. Seven con- temporary poets in the sixteenth cen- tury, in the reign of Henri III., who wrote French poetry in the metres, style, and verbiage of the ancient Greek and Latin poetry. Of these Ronsard was by far the most talented ; but much that would be otherwise excellent is spoilt by pedantry and Frenchified Latin. The seven names are Ronsard, Dorat, Du Eellay, Remi-Belleau, Jodelle, Baif, and Thiard. The second French Pleiad. Seven con- temporary poets in the reign of Louis XIII., very inferior to the^‘first Pleiad.’^ Their names are Rapin, Commire, Larue, Santeuil, Menage, Duperier, and Petit. Plein'damour {Sir), An ancient English romance, of which no FrencR version is extant. Plei'o-saur. (Greek, more of a lizard than the Plesio-saur, g,v.) A sea-reptile with short neck, largo head, and strong teeth, found in the Oxford and Kimme- ridge clays of the Upper Oolite period. Ple'sio-saur. (Greek, alin to a lizard.) An extinct saurian common in the lias and Kimmeridge clay. Piet is a lash like a knout, but not knotted, made of raw hides. Pley'dell {Mr. Paulus). An advocate- in Edinburgh, formerly sheriff of Elian - go wan. Mr. Counsellor Pleydell was a lively, sharp-looking- gentleman, with a professional shrewdness in his eye, and, generally speaking, a professional formality- in his manner ; but this he could slip off on a Satur- day evening, when.... he joined in the ancient pas- time of High Jinks.— iSir Walter Scott, “ Guy Man^ nering*' xxxix. Pli'able. A neighbour of Christian’®, who went with him as far as the Slough- of Despond, and then turned back againo. — Bunyan, Pilgrim! s Progress/' pt. i. Pli'ant {Sir Pa^d). A foolish, uxo- rious old knight in Congreve’s Double Dealer.” Pliny. The German Pliny. Konrad' von Gesner, of Zurich. (1516-1606.) Pliny’s Doves. In one of the room® on the upper floor of the museum of tho- Capitol at Rome are the celebrated Dove® of Pliny, one of the finest and most perfectly preserved specimens of ancienk mosaic. It represents four doves drink- ing, with a beautiful border surrounding the composition. The mosaic is formed of natural stones, so small that 160 pieces cover only a square inch. It is supposed to be the work of Sosus, and is described by Pliny as a proof of the perfection to which that art had arrived. He says, “ At Pergamos is a wonderful specimen of a dove drinking, and darkening the water with the shadow of her head ; on the lip of the vessel are other doves pluming themselves.” This exquisite specimen of art was found in Villai Adria'na, in 1737, by cardinal Furietti, from whom it was purchased by Clement xiri. m PLITH. PLUMPER. Plith.. A piece of iron made hot and put into an iron box, to be held for punishment by a criminal. {See Plet.) Plon-plon. Prince Napoleon, called Craint-plomb (Fear-bullet) in the Crimean war. Plon-plon is a euphonic corruption of Craint-plomb. Plotcock. The old Scotch form of the Roman Pluto, by which Satan is meant. Chaucer calls Pluto the ‘^king of Faerie and Dunbar names him Pluto, that elrich incubus.” PloughL Monday. The first Mon- day after Twelfth-day is so called because it is the end of the Christmas holidays, and the day when men return to their plough or daily work. It was customary on this day for farm-labourers to draw a plough from door to door of the parish, and solicit plough-money” to spend in a frolic. The queen of the* banquet was called Bessy. (See Distaff.) Ploughman. The Vision of Piers Ploughman is a satirical poem by W. or R. Langland, completed in 1362. The poet supposes himself falling asleep on the Malvern Hills, and in his dream sees various visions of an allegorical charac- ter, bearing on the vices of the times. In one of the allegories, the lady An'ima {the soul) is placed in a castle Caro {flesh) under the charge of Sir Constable In- wit, and his sons See-well, Hear-well, Work- well, and Go-well. The whole poem con- sists of nearly 15,000 verses, and is divi- ded into twenty parts, each part being called a passus or separate vision. Plover. To live like a plover. That is, on the wind ; on nothing or next to nothing ; at a very cheap rate. You live then upon faith and hope, as the plover does upon wind.— “Ucpfetweron,” Nov. 23rd. Plowden. The case is altered,'* quoth Ploioden. Plowden was a priest very unpopular, and in order to bring him into trouble some men inveigled him into attending mass performed by a layman, and then impeached him for so doing. Being brought before the tribunal, the cunning priest asked the layman if it was he who ofiiciated. Yes,” said the man. ^^And are you a priest?” said Plowden. No,” said the man. Then” said Plowden, turning to the tribunal, ‘‘that alters the case, for it is an axiom with the church, ‘No priest, no mass.’ ” Pluck. To reject a candidate for literary honours because he is not up to the required mark. The rejected candi- date is said to be plucked. When degrees are conferred, the name of each person is read out before he is presented to the Vice-Chancellor. The proctor then walks once up and down the room, and any one who objects to the degree being conferred on any individual may signify his dissent by plucking or twitching the proctor’s gown. This is occaidonally done by tradesmen to whom the candidate is in debt, but generally all persons likely to be objected to either by tradesmen or examiners know it before- hand, and keep away. They are virtually plucked, but not really so. A case of 'pluck. An instance of one who has been plucked ; as “ Tom Jones is a case of pluck” — ^.e., is a plucked man. A man of pluck. Of courage or spirit. The pluck is the heart, liver, and what- ever else is “plucked” away from the chest of a sheep or hog. We also use the expressions bold heart, IWj-livered, a man of another kidney, bowels of mercy, a vein of fun, it raised his bile, &c. {See Liver.) Plum. A plum bed (Devonshire). A soft bed, in which the down lies light. The dough plums well (Devonshire). Rises well, and will not be heavy. The cake is nice and plum (Devonshire). Light. {Plump, swelled out.) He is worth a plum. The Spanish pluma means both plumage and wealth. Hence tiene pluma (he has feathered his nest). We arbitrarily place this deside- ratum at £100,000, and the man who has realised only £50,000 has got only “ half- a-plum.” Plum Puddings on Christmas Day. Emblematical of the offerings of the wise men to the infant Jesus. Plume. The Algazel or sacred pen, made (according to Mahometan my- thology) by deity itself, has eighty nibs, and writes of itself an account of every- thing that is to transpire in the world ; but only the angel Seraphael can de- cipher the writing. Plumper. Every elector repre- sented in Parliament by two members has the power of voting for both can- didates at an election. To give a plumper is to vote for only one of the PLUNDER. POETS. 695 candidates, and not to use the second vote. , If the two candidates are of op- posite politics, and an elector votes for both, his vote is termed a split vote. {Plump means full, allied to clump and lump.) Plunder, says Mr. Douce, is pure Dutch, 'plun^'en in that language being the word to express property of any kind. The term was imported into England by those who returned from the wars of the Netherlands. Plu'ralist. A clergyman who holds a plurality of livings, or more than one benefice. Plus ultra. The motto in the royal arms of Spain. It was oncQ Ne plus ultra y in allusion to the pillars of Hercules, the ne plus ultra of the world ; but after the discovery of America, and when Charles V. inherited the crown of Aragon and Castile, with all the vast American pos- sessions, he struck out ne, and assumed the words plus ultra for the national motto, as much as to say Spain and the plus ultra country. Plush (John). A gorgeous footman, conspicuou'S for his plush breeches. Plu'to. The grave, or the god of that region where the dead go to before they are admitted into Elysium or sent to Tar' taros. Brothers, be of good cheer, this night we shall sup with Pluto.— ieontdas to the, three hundred Spartans te/ore the batUe of Thermopylce. Give the untasted portion you have won To those who mock you gone to Pluto’s reigii. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence'' canto i. The horses of Pluto, Abas'ter, Ab'atos, Amethe'a, Meth'eos, No'nios, Nycte'a, &c. Pluton'ic Pocks. Granites, and certain porphyres, supposed to be of igneous, but not of volcanic origin. So called by Lyell from Pluto, the principle of .elemental fire. Plutus. Pdch as Plutus. In Greek mythology Plutos is the god of riches. Plymouth Brethren. A sect that protests against all sectarianism, and advocates the unity of the church ; some even go so far as to advocate a commu- nity of goods. So called from Plymouth, where they sprang into existence in 1880. Plymouth Cloak. A good stout cudgel. In the Ume of the Crusades many men of good family used to land at Plymouth utterly destitute. They went to the neighbouring wood, cut themselves a good stout club, and stopping the first passenger that passed by, provided themselves with money and clothing. — Fuller, ^^Worihies.^^ Poav'ola. A child’s doll. Florio says it is a childes babie to play with- all.”— Worlde of Wordes. (The French poupte, Latin pupa, English puppet, and even habe are of the same family. ) Pocahontas. Daughter of Pow- hatan, an Indian chief of Virginia, who rescued Captain John Smith when her father’s hand was on the point of killing him. She subsequently married John Rolfe, and was baptised under the name of Rebecca. ( 1595 - 1617 .) Pocket-Pistol. A dram-flask for the pocket. The pun is on ‘^self-defence.’* We take the flask in self-defence, be- cause we cannot get a dram on the road. Po'co, in music, means “ rather,” as poco forte, rather loud ; poco animato, rather animated. Poco a poco. Little by little, gradually, as poco a poco crescendo (louder and louder), poco a poco rallentando (slower and slower). Podg'ers. Toadies, venerators (real or pretended) of every thing and every one with a name. — John Hollingshead, The Birthplace of Podgers^’ (a farce), Podsnap. A type of the heavy gentry, lumbering and straight-backed as Elizabethan furniture. — Dichens, *^Our Mutual Friend.” Podsnap'pery. The etiquette of the fossil gentry, stiff- starched and ex- tremely proper. It may not be so in the Gospel according to Pod- Bnappery....but it has been the truth since the foundations of the universe were laid.— “ Our Mutual Friend." Poets [poieo, to make, Greek). Skalds of Scandinavia (etym., scalla, to sing, Swedish, &c.). Minnesangers of the Holy Empire (Germany), love-singers. Troubadours of Provence in Prance {troubar, to invent, in the Provencal dialect). Trouv^res of Normandy {trouver, to in- vent, in the Walloon dialect). Bards of Wales {bardgan, a song, Celtic). 696 POETS LAUREATE. POINT. Prince of Poets. Edmund Spenser is so called on his monument in Westmin- ster Abbey. (1553-1598.) Prince of Spanish Poets. Garcila'so de la Vega, frequently so called by Cer- vantes. (1503-1536.) Poet of the Poor. Rev. George Crabbe. (1754-1832.) The Quaker Poet. Bernard Barton. (1784-1849.) Poets are called ‘'genus irrita'bile vatum ” (the tetchy race), because they are so easily offended with trifles. PoeU Corner. A part of the south transept of Westminster Abbey which contains tablets, busts, and monuments to British poets. Here Chaucer and Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton, Dry- den and Goldsmith, are duly recognised. The corner where they put the poets. Poor things ! "What have they done that they should always be put in a corner ?--DoMi 7 Zas Jerrold, “ The Heart of Gold.” Poets Laureate. Chaucer, Scogan, Kaj^e, Barnard, John Skelton, Edmund Spenser, Daniel, Ben Jonson, Sir William Davenant, Dryden, Shadwell, Nahum Tate, Nicholas Rowe, Eusden, Colly Cib- ber, William Whitehead, Thomas War- ton, Henry J. Pye, Southey, Wordsworth, Tennyson. Poet Squab. So Rochester calls Dryden, who was very corpulent. (1631- 1701 .) Poetical. (See Aonian.) Poetical Justice. That ideal jus- tice which poets exercise in making the good happy, and the bad unsuccessful in their evil schemes. Poetry on the Greek model. (See Chiabreresco.) Father of English Poetry. Geoffrey Chaucer (1328-1400) ; so called by Dry- den. Spenser calls him "the pure well of English undefiled.” He was not the first English poet, but was so superior to his predecessors that he laid the foun- dation of a new era. He is sometimes termed "the day-starre,” and Spenser the " sun-rise ” of English poetry. Po'gram. A " creak-shoes,” a Puri- tanical starch maw worm. Poille. An Apulian horse. The horses of Apulia were very greatly valued at one time. Richard, archbishop of Armagh in the fourteenth century, says of St. Thomas, " Neither the mule of Spain, the courser of Apulia, the re- pe'do of Ethiopia, the elephant of Asia, the camel of Syria, nor the English ass, is bolder or more combative than he.” Therto so horsly, and so quyk of ye. As if a gentil Poyleys courser were : For certes, fro his tayl unto his eere Nature ne art ne couthe him nought amend, Chaucer f “ Canterbury Talta*' line 10,508. Poins. One of the companions of Sir John Falstaff. — Shakespeare, "1, 2 Henry /F.” Point. Defined by Euclid as " that which hath no parts.” Playfair defines it as "that which has position but not magnitude,” and Legendre says it " is a limit terminating a line;” but none of these definitions can be called either phi- losophical or exact. A point is not neces- sarily a " limit terminating a line,” for if so a point could not exist even in imagina- tion without a line, and the expression, "a limit terminating,” is apt to suggest Dr. Johnson’s definition of a cabbage-net. Besides Legendre’s definition presupposes that we know what a line is ; but as- suredly a "point” precedes a "line,” as a line precedes a " superficies.” To arrive at Legendre’s idea we must begin with a solid, and say a superficies is the "limit terminating each face of a solid,” lines are the " limits terminating a superfices,” and points are the "limits terminating a line.” In good point. In good condition * every point in exact order. (See Stretch a Point.') To dine on potatoes and point. To havei potatoes without salt, a very meagre din- ner indeed. When salt was very dear, and the cellar was empty, parents used to tell their children to point their potato to the salt cellar, and eat it. This was potato and point. In the tale of "Ralph Richards the Miser,” we are told that he gave his boy dry bread, and whipped him for pointing it towards the cupboani where a bit of cheese was kept in a bottle. To stretch a point. To exceed what is strictly right. Points were the tagged laces used in ancient dress ; hence to "truss a point,” to truss or tie the laces which held the breeches; to "stretch a point” is to stretch these laces, so as to adjust the dress to extra growth, or the temporary fulness of good-feeding. At POINTS OF THE ESCUTCHEON. POKERS. Whitsuntide these points or tags were given away by the churchwardens. Their points being broken, down fell their hose, Shakespeare,** I Henry IV.*' ii. 4. To stand on points. On punctilios ; de- licacy of behaviour. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Shakespeare, “ Midsummer Ji^ight's Dream," v. 1. Points of the Eseutclieon. There are nine points distinguished in heraldry by the first nine letters of the alphabet — three at top, A, B, C ; three down the middle, D, E, F : and three at the bot- tom, G, H, I. The first three are chiefs; the middle three are the collar point, Jess point, and nomhril or navel point; the bottom three are the base points. Point-blank. Direct. A term in gunnery ; when a cannon is so placed that the line of sight is parallel to the axis and horizontal, the discharge is point- blank, and is supposed to go direct to the object without a curve. In French ^oint hlanc is the white mark or bulFs- eye of a target, to hit which the ball or arrow must not deviate in the least from the exact path. Now art thou within point blank of our jurisdiction regal. Shakespeare, ** 2 Henry VI.," iv. 7. Point d’Appui {French). A stand- point ; a fulcrum ; a position from which you can operate ; a pretext to conceal the real intention. Literally the point of support. The material which gives name to the dish is but thepoint d’appui forthe literary cayenne and curry- powder, by which it is recommended to the palate of the reader.— The Athenaeum. Point de Judas (French). The number 13. The twelve apostles and our Lord made thirteen at the Last Supper. Point-devise. Punctilious; mi- nutely exact. Hoi of ernes says, ^^I ab- hor such insociable and point-devise com- panions, such rackers of orthography.” (French, point de vise.) You are rather point-devise in your accoutrements. Shakesparc, “ As You Like It;' iii. 2. Poison. It is said that poisons had no effect on Mithryda'tes, king of Pontus. This was Mithridates YI., called the Great, who succeeded his father at the age of eleven, and fortified his consti- tution by drinking antidotes to poisons which might at any moment be adminis- tered to him by persons about the court. {See Aqua Tofana.) Poison of Khaibar refers to the poisoned leg of mutton of which Mahomet partook while in the citadel of Khaibar. It was poisoned by Za'inab, a Jewess, andi Mahomet felt the effects of the morsel' he tasted to the end of his life. Poisoners {Secret). (1) Locusta, a woman of ancient Rome, who was employed by the empress Agrip- pi'na to poison her husband Claudius. Nero employed the same woman to poison > Britannicus and others. (2) The Borgias (Pope Alexander VI. and his children, Caesar and Lucrezia) were noted poisoners. (3) Hieronyma Spara and Toffania, of' Italy. Aqua Tofana.) (4) Marquise de Brinvilliers, a young profligate Frenchwoman, taught the art by an officer named Sainte Croix, wko' learnt it in Italy. {See “World of Won- ders,” part vii., p. 203.) (5) Lavoisin and Lavigoreux, French^ mid wives and fortune-tellers. In English history we have a few in- stances : g.e. — Sir Thomas Overbury was- so murdered by the countess of Somerset. King James, it has been said, was a victim to similar poisoning, by Villiers, duke of Buckingham. Pois'son d’Avril. An April fool. The poisson d’Avril is the mackerel, and' we have the expression “ You silly mackerel,” and silly indeed are those who allow themselves to be caught by the palpable jokes engendered on the' , 1st of April. Both the French and English employ the word gudgeon as a synonym for dupe ” or simpleton. Another suggestion may be made : Iii ', ^'Halliwell’s Archaic Dictionary” we have the word possone, to drive about,, whence the old wordpossed, pushed about, from the French poiisser (to push) ; a poussin is a chicken that pushes itself through its shell. An “ April poisson ” would be one driven from pillar to post, or pushed about from one person to^ another. Poke. {See Pig.) To poke fun at one is to make one a., laughing-stock. The allusion is to poking wild beasts for the amusement of spec- tators. At table he was hospitable and jocose, ahvays poking good-natured fun at Luke.— J5. Lynn Linton, "Lizzie Lorton of Greyrigg" ch. xii. Pokers. The ’squire Bedels who carry a silver mace or poker before the Vice-Chancellor are so called at Cam- bridge. 698 POKER-PICTURES. POLONIUS. Poker-Pictures. Drawings exe- cuted by the point of a hot poker or ‘‘heater” of an Italian iron. By char- ring different parts more or less, various tints are obtained. Poker ship. The office of a por- carins^ or keeper of hogs in a forest. Polack. An inhabitant of Poland. {French, Polaque.') So frowned he once, when, in an?ry parle. He smote the sledded Polacks on tlie ice. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet,'’ i. 1. Polarisation of Light is the ab- sorption of those rays which are at right angles to the rays preserved : Thus A B A G is one ray in which A is re- f rough cider, 13gailoug of Bone Carlo wine, 3 gallons of brandy. To make a hogshead of port. Porte {The) or The Sublime Porte. The Ottoman empire. In the Byzantine empire, the gates of the palace were the place of assembly for judicial and legal administration. The word sublime is French for “lofty,” and the term was adopted naturally, as French has long been the language of diplomacy. The Scripture frequently speaks of the judi- cial office of the gate. The government is to blame for not having done all in its power, like the Porte.— Z'Ae Times, Porteus Piot. This notorious tu- mult took place at Edinburgh, in Sep- tember, 1736. Porteus was captain of the city guard. At the examination of a criminal named Wilson, Captain Porteus, fearing a rescue, ordered the guards to fire on the mob, which had become tu- multuous ; in this discharge six per- sons were killed, and eleven wounded., Porteus was tried for this attack and condemned to death, but reprieved. The- mob, at his reprieve, burst into the jail where he was confined, and dragging him to the Grass market (the usual place of execution), hanged him by torchlight on a dyer’s pole. Por'tia. A rich heiress in “The Mer- chant of Venice,” in love with Bassa'nio. Her father had ordained that three caskets should be offered to all who sought her hand — one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead — with this proviso : he only who selected the casket which contained the portrait of the lady should possess hj 0 r hand and fortune.— speare. Portland Stone. So called from the island of Portland, where it is' quar- ried. It hardens by exposure to the at- mosphere. Saint Paul’s cathedral and Somerset House (London) are built of this stone. Portland Vase. A cinerary urn of transparent dark-blue glass, long in pos- session of the Barberi'ni family. In 1770 it was purchased by Sir William Hamil- ton, for 1,000 guineas, and came after- wards into the possession of the duchess of Portland. In 1810, the duke of Port- land, one of the trustees of the British Museum, allowed it to be placed in that institution for exhibition. William Lloyd, in 1845, dashed it to pieces ; it has since^ been carefully repaired, but is not now shown to the public. It is ten inches high, and six in diameter at the broadest part. PORTO-BELLO ARMS. POSTERIORI. 703' Porto-bello Arms. A public- house sign. Tfoe Mirror says: “In 1739, after the capture of Portobello, admiral Vernon’s portrait dangled from every sign-post, and he may figuratively be said to have sold the ale, beer, porter, and purl of England for six years.” The Portobello Arms is a mere substitution for the admiral. Portsmouth., according to the fa- mous Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was so called from a man named Port. Her c6ra Port on Bretene, and his ii suTia..mid ii scipum [ships] [at a place called] P6rtes-mutha..&c. Portso'ken Ward {Londoii). The sohen or franchise at the 'port or gate. It was formerly a guild called the ‘ ^ English Knighten Guild,” because it was given by king Edgar to thirteen knights for services done by them. {See Knighten- Guild. ) Portugal is Portus Calle, a corrup- tion of Portus Galliee. Portugue'se (3 syl.). A native of Portugal, the language of Portugal, per- taining to Portugal, &c. ; as Camoens w'as a Portuguese, and wrote in Portu- guese. Po 'ser. The bishop’s examining chaplain ; the examiner at Eton for the King’s College fellowship. (Welsh, 2 )osiaiv, to examine; French, poser; Latin, pono,) Hence, a puzzling ques- tion. Posse. A v)\ole posse of 'men. A large number ; a crowd. {See 'below.') Posse Comita'tus. (Latin, power of the county .) The whole force of the county — that is, all the male members of a county over fifteen, who may be sum- moned by a sheriff to assist in preventing a riot, the rescue of prisoners, or other unlawful disorders. Clergymen, peers, and the infirm are exempt. Posset properly means a drink taken before going to bed ; it was milk curdled with wine. (Latin, posca, a drink made with vinegar and water.) In his morning’s draught his concerves or cates and when he goeth to bedde his posset smoaking hot.— “i/au in the Jifoone” (1609). Post means placed (Latin, positus). Post. A piece of timber placed in the ground. A •military post. A station where a man is placed, with instructions not to quit it without orders. A')i official post is where a man is placed in office. To post accounts is to place them under certain heads in methodical order.— Trench. Post haste. Travelling by relays of horses, or where horses are placed on the road to expedite the journey. Post office. An office where letters are placed. Post paper. So called from its watermark, a post-horn, em- ployed as early as 1730. To run your head against a post. To go to work heedlessly and stupidly, or as if you had no eyes. Post Pacto {Latin). After the act has been committed. A post facto law is a retrospective one. Post Meridian (Latin). After noon. ’Twas post-meridian half-past four, Bj signal I from hlancy parted. Dibden, Sea Songs." Post Mortem {Latin). After death as a post mortem examination for the pur- pose of ascertaining the cause of death. Post Obit. An agreement to pay for a loan a larger sum of money, to- gether with interest; at death*. (Latin, post ob'itumj after death. ) Poste Pestante {French). To re- main at the post till called for. In the British post-office letters so addressed are kept one month,, and then returned to the writer. Posted. Well posted up in the sub- ^ ject (American). Thoroughly informed. The metaphor is to posting up accounts, whereby the eye can see at a glance the pros and cons-. Posterio'ri. An argument a pos- terio'ri is one from effects to cause. Thus, to prove the existence of God a posteriori, we take the works of creation and show how they manifest power, wisdom, goodness, and so on, and then we claim the inference that the maker of these things is powerful, wise, and good. Robinson Crusoe found the foot- prints of a man on the sand, and inferred that there must be a man on the island besides himself. (/See PRIORI.) 704 POSTHUMUS. POTTER. Post'humus (Le'ona’tus). Husband of Imo'gen. Under the erroneous per- suasion of his wife’s infidelity he plots her death, but his plot miscarries. — Shakespeare f Cymbeliney Posting-Bills. Before the Great Fire the space for foot-passengers in London was defended by rails and posts ; ‘the latter served for theatrical placards and general announcements, which were therefore called posters or posting-bills. Posy properly means a copy of verses presented with a bouquet. It now means the verses without the flowers, as the ‘‘ posy of a ring,” or the flowers without the verses, as a pretty posy.” Pot. This word, like father,” ‘^mother,” ‘^daughter,” &c., is common to the whole A'ryan family. Greek, potei\ a drinking- vessel ; Latin, poc-utum — i.e.f potaculum ; Irish and Swedish, pota; Spanish, pole; German, pott ; Danish, potte ; French, Welsh, English, &c. Gone to pot. Ruined, gone to the bad. The allusion is to the pot into which refuse metal is cast to be remelted, or to be discarded as waste. There is a current story about a tailor of Samarcand, who lived near the gate of the city on the 1 ‘oad leading to the cemetery. It is said that this knight of the shears had outside his cottage an earthen pot, into which he dropped a pebble for every corpse that passed by, and at the end of each moon counted the number. At length the tailor himself died, and when a stranger asked the neighbours of the eccentric registrar, they replied, ‘^Poor fellow, he now is gone to pot also.” Now and then a farm went to pot.— Dr. Ar- (jhthnot. The pol calls the kettle Hack. This is said of a person who accuses another of faults committed by himself. The French say The shovel mocks the pokei' (La pelle se moque du fourgon). To betray the pot to the roses. To unravel and blab a mystery, to find out some- thing supposed to be unknown and talk of it. French, decouvrir le pot aux roses, Jtrazen and earthen pots. Gentlemen and artisans, rich and poor, men of mark and those unstamped. From the fable of the ** Brazen and Earthen Pots.” Brazen and earthen pots float together in juxta- pot . ion down the stream of \iU.~P(Ul MaU Gazette. Pot-TiUCk. Come and take pot-luck with me. Come and take a family dinner at my house. The French pot an feu is the ordinary dinner of those who dine at home. Pot Paper. A Dutch paper ; so called from the water-mark, a pot. Pot-Pourri {French). A mixture of flowers and perfumes preserved in a vase. Also a hotch-potch or olla podri'da. In music, a medley of favourite tunes strung together. (/See Pasticcio.) Pot Valiant. Made courageous by liquor. Pot-de-Biere. French slang for an Englishman. Potage {Jean). The Jack Pudding of the French stage ; very like the Ger- man Hanswurst,” the Dutch ‘^Pickel- herringe,” and the Italian Macaro'ni.” Pota'to-Talk (German, Rartoffel gesprach). That chit-chat common in Germany at the flve o’clock tea-drinkings, when neighbours of the ^‘gentler sex” take their work to the house of muster, and talk chiefly of the dainties of the table, their ingredients, admixture, and the methods of cooking them. Poteen (pron. po-cheen). Whiskey that has not paid duty (Irish). Come and taste gome good poteen That has not paid a rap to the Queen. Pother or Bother. Mr. Garnett states this to be a Celtic word, and says it often occurs in the Irish translations of the Bible, in the sense of to he grieved or troubled in mind. Pothooks. The 77th Foot ; so called because the two sevens resemble two pothooks. Pot'iphar’s Wife. According to the Koran her name was Zuleika, but some Arabian writers call her Rail. Potter. To go poking about, med- dling and making, in a listless, purposeless manner. Pvdder, podder, pother^ bother, and puddle are varieties of the same word. To pudder is to stir with a pud- dering pole ; hence, to confuse, Lear says of the tempest, “ May the great gods that keep this dreadful pudder o’er our heads,” meaning confusion. To puddle iron is to stir it about with a puddering-pole. POTWALLOPERS. PRAGMATIC SANCTION. 705 Pot wallopers, before the passing of the Reform Bill, were those who claimed a vote because they had boiled their own pot in the parish for six months. (Saxon, ^cealloM to boil ; Dutch, opivallen] owe wallop.) Poult, a young turkey. Pullet, a young chicken. (Latin, pullus, the young of any animal ; whence poultnj^ young domestic fowls; filly, a young horse ; foal ; French, poule ; Italian, polio ko.) Pounce {Peter), in Fielding’s novel of '^Joseph Andrews.” Pound. The unit of weight (Latin, pondusy weight) ; also cash to the value of twenty shillings sterling, because in the Carlovingian period, the Roman pound (twelve ounces) of pure silver was coined into 240 silver pennies. The sym- bols £ and lb. are for libra, the Latin for a pound. {See Penny for Pound.) Pound of Flesh. The whole bar- gain, the exact terms of the agreement, the bond literatim et verbatim. The allusion is to Shylock, in '^The Merchant of Venice,” who bargained with Antonio for a pound of flesh,” but was foiled in his suit by Portia, who said the bond was expressly a pound of flesh, and therefore (1) the Jew must cut the exact quantity, neither more nor less than a just pound ; and (2) in so doing he must not shed a drop of blood. Poundtext (Pe^er). An ‘indulged pastor” with the Covenanters’ army. — Sir Walter Scott, “ Old Mortality.*' Poura'ni. Meat cooked in a peculiar manner; so called from Pouran Dokht, the daughter of Khosru Parviz, king of Persia. Pourceaugnae, Monsieur de (pron. Poor-sone-yak). A pompous country gentleman who comes to Paris to marry Julie ; but the lady has a lover of her own choice, and Monsieur is so mystified and played upon by Julie and her ami du coeur that he relinquishes his suit in despair. — Moliere, Pour- ceaugnac." ■ Poussin. The BHtish Poussin. Richard Cooper, painter and engraver- well known for his Views of Wind- sor.” ( ♦ -1806.) Gaspar Poussin, So Caspar Dughet, the French painter, is called. (1613-1675.) Pouting. The pouting place of princes. Leicester Square is so called by Pennant, because George II., when prince of Wales, having quarrelled with his father, retired to Leicester House ; and his son Frederick, prince of Wales, did the same, for the very same reason. Powder. P ll powder your jacket for you. A corruption of poudrer, to dust. (See Dust.) Lo! in powdur [dust] ye schall slepe, For out of powdur fyrst ye came. Quoted by JSalUwell under “ Poudre.** Poyning’s Law or Statute of Drog'- heda. An Act of Parliament made in Ireland in 1495 (10 Henry VII., c. 22), declaring all general statutes hitherto made in England to be in force in Ireland also. It received its name from Sir Edward Poyning, Lieutenant of Ireland at the time. P.P. Clerk of this Parish. The name given to a volume of memoirs, written by Dr. Arbuthnot, as a satire on Bishop Burnet’s Own Times.” Praemonstraten'sian Monks. (See Premonstratensian.) Praemuni're. A barbarous word from the Latin prxmone'ri (to be fore- warned). The words of the writ begin praemunire facias A. B.” — i.e., Cause A.B. to be forwarned, to before us to answer the contempt wherewith he stands charged. If A. B. refuses to do so he loses all civil rights, and before the reign of Elizabeth might have been slain by any one with impunity. Pragmatic Sanction. Sanctiom Latin means a ^ ^decree or ordinance with a penalty attached,” or, in other words, a penal statute.” Pragmat'icus means relating to state affairs,” so that Prag- matic Sanction is a penal statute bearing on some important question of state. The term was first applied by the Romans to those statutes which related to their provinces. The French appro- priated the phrase to certain statutes which limited the jurisdiction of the pope ; but generally it is applied to an ordinance fixing the succession in a cer- tain line. Pragmatic Sanction of Charles VII. (of France), 1438, defining and limiting the power of the pope in France. By this ordinance the authority of a general T T 706 PEASILDO. PEECIOUS STONES. council was declared superior to the dictum of the pope ; the clergy were forbidden to appeal to Eome on any point affecting the secular condition of the nation ; and the Koman pontiff was forbidden to appropriate a vacant bene- fice, or to appoint either bishop or parish priest. Pragmatic Sanction of St. Louis (1268) forbade the court of Rome to levy taxes or collect subscriptions in France with- out the express sanction of the king. It also gave plaintiffs in the ecclesiastical courts the right to appeal to the civil courts. The Constitutions of Claren- don” were to England what the Prag- matic Sanction ” was to France. Pragmatic Sanction of Germany y 1439, whereby the succession of the empire was made hereditary in the house of Austria. In 1713 the emperor Charles YI. published another to settle the suc- cession upon the daughter of Maria There'sa. * Pragmatic Sanction of Naplesj 1759, whereby Carlos II. of Spain ceded the succession to his third son in per- petuity. Prasil'do. A nobleman of Babylon, who fell in love with Iroldo’s wife. The husband quitted Babylon for ever, and resigned his wife to his friend . — Bojardoy Orlando Inamorato. Prating Sophists. The doctors of the Sorbonne were so called by Budseus of Paris. (1467-1540.) Praying-wheels. It is said that the Buddhists pray by machinery ; that they put prayers into a wheel, and unroll them by the length. This notion arises from a misconception. Saky'a-muni, the Buddha, is said to have turned the wheel of the law ” — z.e., to have preached Buddhism incessantly— we should say as a horse in a mill. Pre-Ad'amites. Before Adam was created. Isaac de la Peyreri maintained that only the Jews are descended from Adam, and that the Gentiles are de- scended from a race of men existing before Adam ; as, however, the book of Genesis is the history of the Jews only, it does cot concern itself with the Gentile race. (1655.) Pre-Paphaelites. A term intro- duced by Hunt and his friends, who wished to intimate that they preferred the simplicity and truthfulness of the painters who preceded Raphael. The term now signifies a very minute imita- tion of nature, brilliant colouring, and not much shadow. Preacher {The). Solomon, being the author of Ecclesiastes (the Preacher). The Glorious Preacher. Saint John Chrysostom. (347-407.) The King of Preachers. Louis Bour- daloue. (1632-1704.) The Little Preacher. Samuel de Marets, Protestant controversialist, (1599-1663.) Prebend, meaning a clergyman attached to a prebendal stall,” is a vulgarism. The prebend is the stipend given out of the revenues of the college or cathedral ; he who enjoys the prebend is the prebendary. (Latin, prceleOy to give.) Preca'rious is what depends on our prayers or requests. A precarious tenure is one that depends solely on the will of the owner to concede to our prayer ; hence uncertain, not to be depended on. (Latin, precor.) Precep'tor. The superior of a pre- cep'tory was called by the Templars a Knight Preceptor ; a Grand Preceptor” was the head of all the preceptories, or houses of the Knights Templars, in an entire province, the three of highest rank being the Grand Preceptor^ of Je- rusalem, Tripolis, and Antioch. Houses of these knights which were not pre- ceptories were called commanderies. Preeieuses Kidicules (in Mo- li^re’s comedy so called). Aminte and Polixene, who assume the airs of the Hotel de Rambouillet, a coterie of sav- ants of both sexes in the seventeenth century. The members of this society were termed pricieuses — i.e., ‘^persons of distinguished merit” — and the ^^pre- cieuses ridicules” means a ridiculous apeing of their ways and manners. Precio'sa. The heroine of Long- fellow’s “ Spanish Student,” threatened with the vengeance of the Inquisition. Precious Stones. Each month, according to the Poles, is under the in- fluence of a precious stone : — January .. Garnet .. Constancy/. February .. Amethyst .. Sincerity. March .. Bloodstone .. Courage. April .. Diamond .. Innocent PEECOCIOUS. PRESTER JOHN. 707 May .. Emerald •• Success in love. June .. Agate .. Health and long life. July .. Cornelian .. Content. August .. Sardonyx .. Conjugal felicity. September.. Chrysolite .. Antidote to madness. October ..Opal .. Hope. Kovemher.. Topaz .. Fidelity. December.. Turquoise .. Prosperity. Presbyterian. {See Blue.) Pres'ents. Know all men ly these presents— i.e..f by the writings or docu- ments now present. (Latin, per presenter, by the [writings] present. ) (2) In relation Zodiac : — Aries .. Kuby. Taurus .. Topaz. Gemini .. Carbuncle. Cancer .. Emerald. L'^o .. Sapphire. Virgo .. Diamond. to the signs of the Libra .. Jacinth. Scorpio . . Agate. Sagittarius .. Amethyst. Capricornus.. Berjd. Aquarius .. Onyx. Pisces . . J asper. (3) In relation to the planets : — Saturn .. Turquoise .. Lead. Jupiter .. Cornelian .. Tin. Mars .. Emerald .. Iron. Sun .. Diamond .. Gold. Venus .. Amethyst .. Copper. Mercury .. lioadstone .. Quicksilver. Moon .. Crystal ..i Silver. Preco'cious means ripened by the Bun before it has attained its full growth; premature ; a development of mind or body beyond one’s age. (Latin, prce coquo. ) Many precocious trees, and such as have their spring in winter, may be found.— .Brown. PreLate means simply a man pre- ferred, a man promoted to an ecclesias- tical office which gives him jurisdiction over other clergymen. Cardinals, bishops, abbots, and archdeacons were at one time so called, but the term is restricted in the Protestant church to bishops. (Latin, prceferro prcelatus . ) Premonstraten'sian or Norlertine Order. Founded in the twelfth century by St. Norbert, who obtained permission, in 1120, to found a cloister in the diocese of Laon, in France. A spot was pointed out to him in a vision, and he termed the spot Pre Montre or Fraturn Monstra'tum (the meadow pointed out). The order might be called the reformed Augustine, or the White canons of the rule of St. Augustine. Prendre. Prendre un rat par la queue. To pick a pocket. This proverb is very old— it was popular in the reign of Louis XIII. Rata is an old German word for a purse or pocket, similar to the Italian retino, our reticule. Prepense (2 syl.). Malice prepense is malice designed or before deliberated. (Latin, prse pensus.') Prepos'terous means ^Hhe cart be- fore the horse.” (Latin, prx podteruSy the first last, and the last first,) Preserver {Soldi'). Ptolemy I. of Egypt was called Soter by the Rhodians, because he compelled Deme'triosto raise the siege of Rhodes, (b.o. 367, 323-285.) Press-money and Press-men do not mean money given to impress men into the service, and men so impressed ; but ready money, and men ready for service. When a recruit has received the money, he biuds himself to be ready for service whenever his attendance is required. Similarly a press-gang is a gang to get ready men. (Old French presty nowpre^ ; Italian, presto.) Pressi'na. The French fee married to El'inas, king of Alba'nia, and mother of Melusi'na {q^v.). Pr ester John, according to Mande- ville, a lineal descendant of Ogier the Dane. This Ogier penetrated into the north of India, with fifteen barons of his own country, among whom he divided the land. John was made sovereign of Teneduc, and was called Prester because he converted the natives. Another tra- dition says he had seventy kings for his vassals, and was seen by his subjects only three times in a year. In “ Much Ado About Nothing,” Beatrice says— I will fetch you a tooth-picker from the far- thest inch of Asia ; bring you the length of Prester John’s foot; fetch you a hair of the great Cham’s beard rather than hold three words’ conference with this h.diXgy.— Shakespeare. Prester John (in “ Orlando Fu- rioso,” bk. xvii.), called by his subjects Sena'pus, king of Ethiopia. He was blind. Though the richest monarch of the world, he pined ^4n plenty’s lap with endless famine,” for whenever his table was spread hell-born harpies flew away with the food. This was in punishment of his great pride and impiety in wishing to add Paradise to his dominion. The plague was to cease '‘when a stranger came to his kingdom on a winged horse.” Astolpho comes on his flying griffin, and with his magic horn chases the harpies into Cocy'tus. The king sends 100,000 Nubians to the aid of Charlemagne ; they are provided with horses by Astolpho, who throws stones into the air which T T 2 708 PKESTIGE. PRIDE. become steeds fully equipped (bk. xviii. ), and are transported to France by Astol- pho, who tills his hands with leaves which he casts into the sea, and they in- stantly become ships (bk. xix.). When Agramant is dead, the Nubians are sent back to their country, and the ships turn to leaves, and the horses to stones again. Prestige. This word has a strangely metamorposed meaning. The Latin prcestig'm means juggling tricks, hence the French for a juggler is 'prestidig'ita- Um^. We use the word for that favour- able impression which results from good antecedents. The history of the change is this : Juggling tricks were once con- sidered a sort of enchantment ; to en- chant is to charm, and to charm is to win the heart. Presto. Quick. A name given by Swift to the duchess of Shrewsbury, a foreigner, who either wilfully or playfully called the dean Presto [SwiXt). Pretender. The Old Pretender. James F. E. Stuart, son of James II. (1688-1765.) The Young Pretender. Charles Edward Stuart, son of the ^^Old Pretender.’’ ( 1720 - 1788 .) God bless the king, I mean the “ faith’s defender ; ” God bless— no harm in blessing— the Pretender. Who that Pretender is, and who is king— God bless us all I— that’s quite another thing. John Byrom. Pretenders. Tanyoxarkes, in the time of Camby'ses, king of Persia, pretended to be Srnerdis ; but one of his wives felt his head while he was asleep, and dis- covered that he had no ears. Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, in the reign of Henry VIII. Otrefief, a monk, pretended to be Demetrius, younger son of czar Ivan Basilowitz II., murdered by Boris in 1598. In 1605, Demetrius The False” became czar, but was killed at Moscow the year following, in an insurrection. Pre'text. A pretence. From the Latin 'preetexta, a dress embroidered in the front {proe-texo)., worn by the Roman magistrates, priests, and children of the aristocracy between the age of thirteen and seventeen. The prcetexta'toe were dramas in which actors personated those who wore the praetexta ; kence persons who pretend to be what they are not. Pretty man {Prince) ^ who figures sometimes as a fisherman’s son, and some- times as a prince, to gain the heart of Cloris. — Buckingham^ The Rehearsal.^' Prevarica'tion. The Latin word mrico is to straddle, and proevaricor, to go zig-zag or crooked. The verb, says Pliny, was first applied to men who ploughed crooked ridges, and afterwards to men who gave crooked answers in the law courts, or deviated from the straight line of truth. Delirium.) Previous Question, {^ee Ques- tion.) Pri'am. King of Troy when that city was sacked by the allied Greeks. His wife’s name was Hec'uba ; she was the mother of nineteen children, the eldest of whom was Hector. When the gates of Troy were thrown open by the Greeks concealed in the Wooden Horse, Pyrrhos, the son of Achilles, slew the aged Priam. {See Homer’s Iliad ” and Virgil’s ^^iEne'id.”) Pri'amond. Son of Ag'ape, a fairy. He was very daring, and fought on foot with battle-axe and spear. He was slain by Cam'balo. — Spenser^ Fa^ry Queen,’* bk. iv. {See Diamond.) Pria'pus, in classical mythology, is a hideous, sensual, disgusting deity, the impersonation of the principle of fertility. {See Baal, Peor, &c.) Prick the Garter. (See Fast and Loose.) Pride, meaning ostentation, finery, or that which persons are proud of. Spenser talks of lofty trees yclad in summer’s pride ” (verdure). Pope, of a sword whose ivory sheath [was] in- wrought with envious pride” (ornamenta- tion) ; and in this sense the word is used by Jacques in that celebrated pas- sage — Why, who cries out on pride [dress] That can therein tax any private party. Wliat woman in the city do I name When tiiat 1 s ty “ ’J'he (!ity Woman bears The cost of princes on unworthy shoulders?”. ..What is he of baser function That says his bravery [finery^ is not of my cost ? Shakespeare, “ As Tou Like It," ii. 7. Fly pride, says the peacock, proverbial for pride. — Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors,” iv. 3. Sir Pride, First a drayman, then a PEIDE OF THE MOKNING. PEIMUM MOBILE. 709 colonel in the Parliamentary army. — Butler f Hudibras” Pride of the Morning. That early mist or shower which promises a fine day. The Morning is too proud to come out in her glory all at once — or the proud beauty being thwarted weeps and pouts awhile. Keble uses the phrase in a different sense when he says : Pride of the dewy Morning, The swain’s experienced eye Prom thee takes timely warning, Kor trusts the gorgeous sky. Keble (iUh Sunday after Trinity)^ Pride’s Purge. The Long Parlia- ment, not proving itself willing to con- demn Charles I., was purged of its unruly members by colonel Pride, who entered the house with two regiments of soldiers, imprisoned sixty, drove one hundred and sixty out into the streets, and left only sixty of the most complaisant to remain. Prid’wen. The name of prince Arthur’s shield. He henge an his sweore [necTc] aene sceld deore, His nome on Brutisc Li” British] Pridwen ihaten icalled]. Laycbmon, '' Brut ” {I2th cent.). P rid' win. Same as pridwen. This shield had represented on it a picture of the Virgin. The temper of his sword, the tried “ Excrliher,”— The bigness and the length of “ Kone,” his noble spear,— "With “Pridwin/’’ his great shield, and what the proof could bear. Drayton. Priest, Knight. I would rather walk with Sir Priest than Sir Knight. I prefer peace to strife. Prig. A knavish beggar in the Beggar's Bush,” by Beaumont and Fletcher. Prig. To filch or steal. Also a pick- pocket or thief. The clown calls Antol'- ycus a “ prig that haunts wakes, fairs, and bear-baitings.” — Shakespeare, ‘‘ Win- ter's Tale," iv. 3. Prig. A coxcomb, a conceited per- son. (German, /7'ecA, a saucy person.) Prima Donna {Italian). A first- class lady ; applied to public singers. Prima Pacie (Latin, at first sight). A prima facie case is a case or statement which, without minute examination into its merits, seems plausible and correct. It would be easy to make out a strong prima, facie case, but I should advise the more cautious policy of audi alteram partem. Prime (1 syl.). The first of the “lesser hours” of the Roman breviary. It is practically the public morning ser- vice of the Roman Catholic church. Milton terms sunrise “that sweet hour of prime .” — Paradise Lost," bk. v. 170. Primed. Full and ready to deliver a speech. We say of a man whose head is full of his subject, “ He is primed to the muzzle.” We also call a man primed ” when he is in a state of in- cipient drunkenness, and ready to “ go off.” Of course the allusion is to fire- arms. Prime'ro. A game at cards. I left him at primero with the duke of Suffolk.— Shakesmare, '‘‘‘ILenry VI II i. 2. Primrose {George). Son of the wor- thy Vicar of Wakefield. He went to Amsterdam to teach the people English, but forgot that he could not do so till he knew something of Dutch himself. — Goldsmith, Vicar of Wakefield." Aloses Primrose. Brother of the above, noted for giving in barter a good horso for a gross of worthless green spectacles, with tortoise-shell rims and shagreen cases. — Goldsmith, ‘‘Vicar of Wakefield." Mrs. Deborah Primrose. Mother of the above ; noted for her motherly vanity, her skill in housewifery, and her desire to be genteel. Her wedding gown is a standing simile for things that “wear well.” Her daughter’s names are Olivia and Sophia. — Goldsmith, “ Vicar of Wakefield." The Rev. Dr. Primrose. Husband of Mrs. Deborah, and Vicar of Wakefield. As simple-minded and unskilled in the world as Goldsmith himself ; unaffectedly pious, and beloved by all who knew him. — Goldsmith, “ Vicar of Wakefield." Pri'mum Mo'bile, in the Ptolema'io system of astronomy, was the tenth (not ninth) sphere, supposed to revolve from east to west in twenty-four hours, carry- ing with it all the other spheres. The eleven spheres are : (1) Diana or the Moon, (2) Mercury, (3) Venus, (4) Apollo or the Sun, (5) Mars, (6) Jupiter, (7) Saturn, (8) the starry sphere or that of the fixed stars, (9) the crystalline, (10) the primum mo'bile, and (11) the em- pyre'an. Ptolemy himself acknowledge 1 only the first nine ; the two latter were devised by his disciples. The motion of the crystalline, according to this system, causes the precession of the equinoxes, its axis being that of the ecliptic. The motion of the primum mobile produces 710 PKIMUS. PRTNTINa the alternation of day and night ; its axis is that of the equator, and its ex- tremities the poles of the heavens. They pass the planets seven, and pass the “ fixed” iitarry sphere}. And that crystalline sphere.. ..and that “ First- Moved.” Milton, Paradise Lost," Hi. Primum Mobile is figuratively applied to that machine which communicates mo- tion to several others ; and also to per- sons and ideas suggestive of complicated systems. Socrates was the primum mo- bile of the Dialectic, Megaric, Cyrena'ic, and Cynic systems of philosophy. Pri'mus. The archbishop, or rather presiding bishop,” of the Episcopal church of Scotland. He is elected by the other six bishops, and presides in Convocation, or meetings relative to church matters. Prince. The Latin prin'cipes formed one of the great divisions of the Roman infantry ; so called because they were originally the first to begin the fight. After the Hasta'ti were instituted, this privilege was transferred to the new division. Prince. (>S^ee Black.) Prince of Alchemy. Rudolph II., em- peror of Germany, also called The German Hermes Trismegistus. Prince of Gossips. Samuel Pepys, noted for his gossiping Diary, commenc- ing January 1st, 1659, and continued for nine years. (1632-1703.) Prince of Grammarians. (iSee p. 359.) Prince of Peace. The Messiah (Isaiah ix. 6). Prince of the Poxcer of the Air. Satan (Eph. ii. 2). Prince of the Vegetable Kingdom, So Linnaeus calls the palm-tree. Prince of Wales Dragoons. The 3rd Dragoon Guards. Prince Pnpert’s Drops. Drops of molten glass, consolidated by falling into water. Their form is that of a tad- pole. The thick end may be hammered pretty smartly without its breaking, but if the smallest portion of the thin end nipped off, the whole flies into fine dust with explosive violence. These toys, if not invented by prince Rupert, were introduced by him into England. Princox or Princoclcs. (Italian, pin- chinOy a cockered or spoilt child. ) Capu- let calls Tybalt eijprincox, or wilful spoilt Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet'* Prink. She was prinked in all her finery. Adorned. Prink and prank, Dutch pronken, to make a show ; Ger- man prangen, Danish 'grange, Swedish prunka. Printer’s Devil. The newest ap- prentice lad in the press-room, whose duty it is to run errands, and to help the pressmen. As the sheets are given off by the men, he runs his eye over them to see if the ink has failed, or a dirty smudge has been made ; for the former he calls out monk (q.v.), and for the latter friar {q.v.)\ in either case he casts the defective sheet aside. This boy is now called the/y or the fly-boy. Printing used to be called the Black Arty and the boys who assisted the press- men were called the imps. According to legend, Aldus Manutius, a printer of Venice, took a little negro boy, left behind by a merchant vessel, to assist him in his business. It soon got wind that Aldus was assisted by a little black imp, and to dispel the rumour he showed the boy to the assembled crowd, and said, ^^Be it known in Venice that I, Aldus Manutius, printer to the Holy Church and the doge, have this day made a public exposure of the ^ printer’s devil.’ All who think he is not flesh and blood may come and pinch him.” The people were satisfied, and no longer mo- lested the little negro lad. Printers’ Marks. ? is 2— that is, the first and last letters of quoestio (question). ! is 1. lo in Latin is the interjection of joy. § is a Greek p (tt), the initial letter of paragraph. * is used by the Greek grammarians to arrest attention to something striking {asterisk or star). f is used by the Greek grammarians to indicate something objectionable {obelisk or dagger). The asterisk shows that the line in- dicated shines like a star ; the obelisk shows that it should be cut out with a dagger. Printing. {See Em.) Father of English printing. William Caxton. (1412-1491.) Printing. It is a mistake to suppose that Caxton was the first printer in England. A book has been accidentally PRIORI, PROBOLE. 711 discovered witli the date 1468 (Oxford). The Rev. T. Wilson says, The press at Oxford existed ten years before there was any press in Europe, except those at Haarlem and Mentz. The person who set up the Oxford press was Corsellis.” Prio'ri. An argument a priori is one from cause to effect. To prove the exist- ence of God a 'priori, you must show that every other hypoth'esis is more un- likely, and therefore this hypothesis is the most likely. All mathematical proofs are of this kind. Posteriori.) Pris'cian’s Head. To Ireah Pris- dan's head (in Latin ^^diminuSre Pris- cia'ni cap'ut”). To violate the rules of grammar. Priscian was a great gram- marian of the fifth century, whose name is almost synonymous with grammar. Priscian’s head is often bruised without remorse. P. Thompson. And held no sin so deeply red As that of breaking Priscian’s head. Butler^ Hudihras” pt. ii. 2. PriscilPianists. Followers of Pris- cillian, a Spaniard ; an heretical sect which sprang up in Spain in the fourth century. They were a branch of the Manichaeans. Prisoner at the Bar. The pri- soner in the dock, who is on his trial ; so called because anciently he stood at the bar which separated the barristers from the common pleaders. Prisoner of Cliillon'. Fran 9 ois de Bonnivard, a Frenchman confined for six years in the dungeon of the Chateau de Chillon, by Charles III. of Savoy. Lord Byron, in his poem so called, has welded together this incident with Dante’s ^'Coimt Ugoli'no.” Pri'thu. The favourite hero of the Indian Pur^nas. Vena having been slain for his wickedness, and leaving no off- spring, the Saints rubbed his right arm, and the friction brought forth Prithu. Being told that the Earth had suspended for a time its fertility, Prithu went forth to punish it, and the Earth, under the form of a cow, fled at his approach ; but being unable to escape, promised that in future ‘^seed-time and harvest should never fail.” Priu'Ii. Senator of Venice, noted for his unbending pride, and his unna- tural harshness to his daughter Belvi- de'ra, — Otway, Venice Preserved^ Privolvans'. The antagonists of the Subvolvans, in S. Butler’s satirical poem called ^‘The Elephant in the Moon.” These silly ranting Privolvans Have every summer their campaigns, And muster like the warlike sons Of Rawhead and of Bloodybones, V. 85, asc. Privy Council. The council chosen by the sovereign to administer public affairs. It consists of the Royal Family, the two Primates, the Bishop of London, the great officers of State, the Lord Chancellor and Judges of the courts of Equity, the Chief Justices of the courts of Common Law, the Judge Advocate, some of the Puisne Jiigdes, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Ambassadors, Governors of Colonies, Commander- in-Chief, Master- General of the Ordnance, First Lord of the Admi- ralty, Vice-President of the Board of Trade, Paymaster of the Forces, Presi- dent of the Poor-law Board, &c. &c. ; a committee of which forms the Cabinet or Ministry. The number of neither the Privy Council nor Cabinet is fixed, but the latter generally includes about fifteen or sixteen gentlemen, specially qualified to advise on different departments of state business. Much of the business of the Privy Council is performed by Boards or sub-divisions, as the Board of Trade, the Board of Quarantine, the Committee of Council on Education, &c. Privy Seal. The seal which the sovereign uses in proof of assent to a document. In matters of minor impor- tance it is sufficient to pass the privy seal, but instruments of greater moment must have the great seal also. Pro and Con. {Batin'). For and against. ^^Con.” is a contraction of contra. Probe. I 'must prole that matter to the bottom — must narrowly examine into it. The allusion is to a surgeon probing a wound, or searching for some extraneous substance in the body. Prob'ole (3 syl.) as applied to Jesus Christ is this : that he was divine only because he was divinely begotten ; in fact he was a shoot of the divine stem. This heterodox notion was combated by Irenseus, but was subsequently revived by Monta'nus and Tertullian. The word is properly applied to the process of a 712 PEOCES-VERBAL. PEOJECTIOir. bone — that is, a bone growing out of a normal bone. (Greek, 'pro-hallo.) Proees-Verbal. A minute and official statement of some fact. We (says the proces-verbal) ashed him what use he had made of the pistol [i.e.. We, says the official report, &o.].—The Times {Law Report). Proclaim on the Housetop. To proclaim or make known to every one ; to blab in public. Dr. Jahn says that the ancient Jews ascended their roofs to announce anything to the multitude, to pray to God, and to perform sacrifices ” (Matt. X. 27). No secret can escape being proclaimed from the housetop. — Lond'/n Review. Proclivity. His proclivities are all evil. His tendencies or propensities have a wrong bias. The word means down-hill tendency {LoXiriy proclivis'). Procris. Unerring as the dart of Procris. When Procris fled from Ceph'a- lus out of shame, Diana gave her a dog that never failed to secure its prey, and a dart which not only never missed aim, but which always returned of its own accord to the shooter. Procrustes’ Bed. Procrustes was a robber of Attica, who placed all who fell into his hands upon an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed, he cut off the redundant part ; if shorter, he stretched them till they fitted it. Any attempt to reduce men to one standard, one way of thinking, or one way of acting, is called placing them on Pro- crustes’ bed, and the person who makes the attempt is called Procrustes. {See Girdle.) Tyrant more cruel than Procrustes old, Who to his iron-bed by torture fits Their nobler parts, the souls of suffering wits. Mallet, “ Verbal Criticism.’* Procrus'tean. Pertaining to Pro- crustes, and his mode of procedure. (^See above.) Prodigal. Festus says the Romans called victims wholly consumed by fire prod'igce hostioe (victims prodigalised), and adds that those who waste their substance are therefore called prodigals. This derivation can hardly be considered correct. Prodigal is pro-ago or prod-igo (to drive forth), and persons who had spent all their patrimony were ‘'driven forth ” to be sold as slaves to their creditors. Prodigal ( The). Albert VI., duke of Austria. (1418-1463.) Prodigy. The Prodigy of France, Guillaume Bud6 j so called by Erasmus. (1467-1540.) ^ The Prodigy of Learning. Samuel Hahnemann, the German, was so called by J. Paul Richter. (1755-1855.) Profane means literally before the temple (Latin, pro fanum). Those per- sons who came to the temple and were not initiated were called profane by the Romans. Pro'file (2 syl.) means shown by a thread (Latin, prodoj to show ; filnm, a thread). An outline. In sculpture or painting it means to give the contour or side-face. Profound {The). Richard Middle- ton, theologian. ( * -1304.) The Profound Doctor. Thomas Brad- warden, a schoolman. (14th century.) Most Profound Doctor, ^gidius de Columna, a Sicilian schoolman. (Died 1316.) Prog. Food. Probably the Dutch prachgen, to beg food. Burke says, “You are the lion, and I have been endea- vouring to prog (procure food) for you.” Or it may be a corruption and contraction of provender. Lastly, it may be a mere pun upon the word Progne, a swallow. So saying, with a smile she left the rogue To weave more lines of d ath, and plan for prog. Dr. Wolcoty "'Spider and Fly.” Progn'e or Proh'ne. The swallow. According to Grecian fable, Prokne was sister of Philome'la, and wife of Tereus. Tereus having offered violence to Philo- mela, cut out her tongue that she might not expose him, and then told his wife that she was dead. The truth being dis- covered, Tereus would have slain both the sisters ; but Philomela was changed into a nightingale, and Prokne to a swallow. As Progne or as Philome'la mourns,.. That finds the nest by cruel hands dispoiled ;.. So Bradamant laments her absent knight. “ Orlando Furioso,’' bk. zxiii. Progress. To report progress, in par- liamentary language, is to conclude for the night the business of a bill, and defer the consideration of all subsequent items thereof till the day nominated by the chief minister of the crown. Projee'tion. Powder of projection, or the “ Philosophers’ Stone.” A powder PROLETAIRE* PROPHETESS. 713 supposed to have the virtue of changing baser metals into gold or silver. A little of this powder, being cast into molten metal of the baser sort, was to project from it pure gold or silver. Education may be called the true powder of pro- jection.’* Proletaire (3 syl.). One of the rabble. Proletaires in French means the lowest and poorest class in the commu- nity. Proletarian, mean or vulgar. The sixth class of Servius Tullius consisted of proletarii and the capite censi — i.e., breeders and human heads. The prole- taries could not enter the army, but were useful as breeders of the race {proles). The cap'ite censi were not en- rolled in the census by the value of their estates, but simply by their polls. Proleta'riat. Commonalty, {See Proletaire.) Italy has a clerical aristocracy, rich, idle, and cor- rupt ; and a clerical proletariat, needy and grossly ignorant.— Times. Prome'theus (3 syl.) made men of clay, and stole fire from heaven to ani- mate them. For this he was chained by Zeus to mount Cau'casus, where an eagle preyed on his liver daily. The word means Foreifchought, and one of his brothers was Epime'theus or After- thought. Faster bound to Aaron’s charming eyes Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus. Shakespeare, “ Titus Andronicus,’' ii. 1. Prome'thean. Capable of producing fire; pertaining to Prome'theus (q.v.). Prome'thean Fire. The vital principle ; the fire with which Prome- theus quickened into life his clay images. {See Prometheus.) I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy life relume. Shakespeare, “ Othello^' v. 3. Promised Land or Land of Pro- mise. Canaan ; so called because God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their offspring should possess it. Prone'sia (in Orlando Furioso”), One of Logistilla’s handmaids, famous for her wisdom. Proof. A printed sheet to be ex- amined and approved before it is finally taken off. The first proof is that which contains all the workman’s errors as well as those of the author ; when these are corrected the impression next taken is called a clean proof ; a third impression is then taken and submitted to the reader, who corrects it ad unguem, and this is termed thQ press proof. Proof Prints.. The first impressions of an engraving. India-proofs are those taken off on Indian paper. Proofs lefore lettering are those taken off before the plate is sent to the writing engraver. After the proofs the orders of merit are — (I) the prints which have the letters only in outline ; (2) those in which the letters are shaded with a black line ; (3) those in which some slight ornament is introduced into the letters ; and (4) those in which the letters are filled up quite black. Proof Spirit. A mixture of equal parts (by weight) of alcohol and water. The proof oi spirit consists in little bub- bles or beads which appear on the top of the liquor after agitation. When any mixture has more alcohol than water it is called over proof, and when less it is termed under proof. Propagan'da. The name given to the ‘^congregation” de propaganda fide, established at Rome by Gregory XV., in 1622, for propagating throughout the world the Roman Catholic religion. Any institution for making religious or poli- tical proselytes. Prophet ( The), Mahomet is so called. (570-632.) The Koran says there have been 200,000 prophets, only six of whom have brought new laws or dispensations : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mahomet. The Prophet. Jo'achim, abbot of Fio're. (1130-1202.) Prophet of the Syrians. Ephraem Syrus. (4th century.) The Great Prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel ; so called because their writings are more extensive than the prophecies of the other twelve. The Minor or Lesser Prophets. Hose'a, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Jonah, Nahum, Habak'kuk, Zephani'ah, Haggai, Zechari'ah, and Mal'achi ; so called be- cause their writings are less extensive than those of the four Great Prophets. Prophetess {Tils'). Ay-e'shah, the second wife of Mahomet ; so called, not because she had any gift of prophecy, but simply because she was the favourite wife of the prophet she was therefore emphatically Mrs. Prophet.” 7U PROPOSITIONS. PROTEUS. Propositions in logic are of four kiods, called A, E, I, 0. is a uni- versal affirmative, and a universal negative ; “ I ” a particular affirmative, and ^^0” a particular negative. Asserit A, negat E, verum generaliter ambo; I asserit, O negat, sed particulariter ambo. A asserts and E denies some universal proposition; I asserts and O denies, but y^iVa. particular precision. Proro'gue (2 syl.). The 'parliament was prorogued. Dismissed for the holi- days, or suspended for a time. (Latin, pro-rogo, to prolong.) Prosee'niuni. The front part of the stage, between the drop-curtain and orchestra. Proscrip 'tion. A sort of hue and cry; so called because among the Romans the names of the persons proscribed were written out, and the tablets bearing their names were fixed up in the public forum, sometimes with the offer of a reward for those who should aid in bringing them before the court. If the proscribed did not answer the summons, their goods were confiscated and their persons out- lawed. In this case the name was en- graved' on brass or marble, the offence stated, and the tablet placed conspicu- ously in the market-place. Prose means straightforward speak- ing or writing (Latin, ora'tio prdsa — proversa), in opposition to foot-bound speaking or writing, oratio vincta (fet- tered speech — i.e., poetry). Father of Greek Prose. Herod'otos. (B.c. 484-405.) Father of English Prose, Roger Ascham. (1515-1568.) Father of French Prose. Villehardouin (pron. Veal-hard-win.) (1167-1213.) Proser'pina or Proser'pine (3 syl.). One day, as she was amusing herself in the meadows of Sicily, Pluto seized her and carried her off in his chariot to the infernal regions for his bride. In her terror she dropped some of the lilies she had been gathering, and they turned to daffodils. 0 Proserpina, For the flowers now that, frighted, thou letted’st fall From Dis’s waggon ! daffodils, That come before the swallow dares, and take The winds of March with beauty. Shakespeare, “ Winter’s Tale’’ iv. 8. Prosperity Robinson. Viscount Goderich earl of Ripon, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1823. In 1825 he boasted in the House of the prosperity of the nation, and his boast was not yet cold when the great financial crisis oc- curred. It was Cobbett who gave him the name of Prosperity Robinson.” Pros'pero. Rightful duke of Milan, deposed by his brother. Drifted on a desert island, he practised magic, and raised a tempest in which his brother was shipwrecked. Ultimately Prospero broke his wand, and his daughter married the son of the king of Shakespeare, Tempest. Protag'oras of Abde'ra was the first who took the name of Sophist.” (b.c. 480-411.) Prote'an. Having the aptitude to change its form ; ready to assume dif- ferent shapes. (See Proteus.) Protec'tionist. One who advocates the imposition of import duties, to pro- tect” home produce or manufactures. Protector. The earl of Pembroke. (1216.) Humphrey duke of Gloucestor. (1422- 1447.) Richard duke of Gloucester. (1483.) The duke of Somerset. (1548.) The Lord Protector of the Common- wealth. Oliver Cromwell. (1653-1658.) Protesila'os, in Fenelon’s '‘Tele- maque,” is meant to represent Louvois, the French minister of state. Prot'estant. One of the party who adhered to Luther at the Reformation. These Lutherans in 1529 protested” against the decree of Charles V. of Ger- many, and appealed from the diet of Spires to a general council. A Protestant now means one of the Reformed Church. Protestant Pope. Clement XIY. Proteus (pron. Pro'-tuce). As many shapes as Proteus — i.e., full of shifts, aliases, disguises, &c. Proteus was Nep- tune’s herdsman, an old man and a prophet. He lived in a vast cave, and his custom was to tell over his herds of sea-calves at noon, and then to sleep. There was no way of catching him but by stealing upon him during sleep and bind- ing him; if not so captured he would elude any one who came to consult him by changing his shape, for he had the power of changing it in an instant into any form he chose. The changeful Proteus, whose prophetic mind • The secret cause of Bacchus’ rage divined. Attending, left the flocks, his scaly charge. To graze the bitter weedy foam at large. Camoens, “ Luaiad, vi PKOTHALAMIOK PSYCHE. 715 Prothala'mion. Marriage-song by Edmund Spenser, peculiarly exquisite — probably the noblest ever sung. Pro'theus. One of the two Gen- tlemen of Verona; his serving-mah is Launce. Valentine is the other gentle- man, whose serving- man is Speed. — Shakespeare, Tivo Gentlemen of Verona.'* Pro'tocol. The first rough draught or original copy of a despatch, which is to form the basis of a treaty. (Greek, proto-kolon, first food — kolon meaning chopped or minced food ; or proto-holla, first glue — the leaves of the draught being glued or pasted together. ) Proud (7%e). Otho IV., emperor of Germany. (1175, 1209-1218.) Tarquin II. of Rome. Snperbus. (Reigned B.c. 535-510, died 496.) The Proud Duke. Charles Seymour, duke of Somerset. He would never suffer his ichildren to sit in his presence, and would never speak to his servants except by signs. (Died 1748.) Proud'fate {Oliver). A boasting bonnet-maker of Perth. His widow is Magdalen or Maudie. — Sir Walter Scott, Fair Maid of Perth." Prout. {See Father.) Prov'inee means a country pre- viously conquered. (Latin, pro vinco.') Provin'cial. Like or in the manner of those who live in the provinces. Provincial of an Order. The superior of all the monastic houses of a province. Prud’h-omine. A Mons.Prud'homme, A man of experience and great prudence, of estimable character and practical good sense. Your Mons. Prud'homme is never a man of genius and originality, but what we in England should term a Quaker of the old school.” The council of prud'hommes. A council of arbiters to settle disputes between masters and workmen. Prunello. Stuff. Prunello really means that woollen stuff of which com- mon ecclesiastical gowns used to be made ; it was also employed for the uppers of women’s boots and shoes. A corruption of Brignoles. ; Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; The rest is all but leather and prunello. , Pope, "Essay on Man,” iv. I Pru'sio (in ‘‘Orlando Furioso”). I King of Alvarecchia, slain by Zerbi'no. 1 Prus'sia means near Russia, the country bordering on Russia. In Neo- Latin, Borussia ; in Slavonic, Porussia ; po in Slavonic signifying “ near.” Prussian Blue. So called because it was discovered by a Prussian, viz., Diesbach, a colourman of Berlin, in 1710. It is sometimes called Berlin blue. Prus'sic Acid means the acid of Prussian blue. It is now termed in science hydrocyanic acid, because it is a cyanide of iron. Psalms. Seventy-three Psalms are inscribed with David’s name ; twelve with that of Asaph the singer; eleven go under the name of the Sons of Korah, a family of singers ; one {i.e. Ps. xc.) is attributed to Moses. The whole compilation is divided into five books : bk. 1, from i. to xli. ; bk. 2, from xlii. to Ixxii. ; bk. 3, from Ixxiii. to Ixxxix. ; bk. 4, from xc. to cvi. ; bk. 5, from cvii. to cl. Psalmist. The% sweet Psalmist of Israel. King David, who composed many of the Bible Psalms. {See Psalm Ixxii. 20.) Psaplion’s Birds {PsapKonis aves). Puffers, flatterers. Psaphon, in order to attract the attention of the world, reared a multitude of birds, and having taught them to pronounce his name, let them fly. To what far region have his songs not flown, Like P&apnon’s birds, speaking their master’s name ? Moots, '’'Rhymes on the Road,” iii. Psycar'pax (granary-thief). Son of Troxartas, king of the Mice. The Frog- king offered to carry the young prince over a lake, but scarcely had he got mid- way when a water-hydra appeared, and King-frog to save himself dived under water. The mouse being thus left at the surface was drowned, and this catas- trophe brought about the Battle of the Frogs and Mice. The soul of great Psycarpos lives in me. Of great Troxartas’ line, whofe sleeky down In love compressed Lychom'ile the brown. Parnell, “Battle of the Frogs and Mice” i. Psy'clie {Sy-ke). A beautiful maiden beloved by Cupid, who visited her every night, but left her at sunrise. Cupid bade her never seek to know who he was, but one night curiosity overcame her prudence, and she went to look at him. A drop of hot oil fell on his shoulder, awoke him, and he fled. Psyche next became the slave of Venus, who treated 716 PTERICHTHYS. PUBLiC-HOtrSE SIGNS. her most cruelly ; but ultimately she was married to Cupid, and became immortal. Mrs. Henry Tighe has embodied in six cantos this exquisite allegory from Ap- puMios. Fair Psyche, kneeling at the ethereal throne, W armed the fond bosom of unconquered love. Darwin^ *' Economy of Vegetation,'’ iv. Pteric'h-thys {te-rih'-this). A fossil ganoid, peculiar to the old red sand- stone. (Greek, wing-fish.”) Pterodae'tyl (Greek, wing-finger), A fossil lizard with a bat-wing, found in the Oolite. Ptolemaic System. The system of Claudius PtolemaDus, a celebrated as- tronomer of Palu'sium, in Egypt, of the eleventh century. He taught that the earth is fixed in the centre of the uni- verse, and the heavens revolve round it from east to west, carrying with them the sun, planets, and fixed stars, in their respective spheres. He said that the Moon was next above the earth, then Mercury, then Venus ; the Sun he placed between Venus and Mars, and after Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, beyond which came the two crystalline spheres. Public-house Signs. Much of a nation’s history, and more of its manners and feelings, may be gleaned from its public-house signs. A very large number of them are selected out of compliment to the lord of the manor, either because he is the great man” of the neighbour- hood, or because the proprietor is some servant whom 'It delighted the lord to honour ; ” thus we have the Earl of March, in compliment to the duke of Richmond ; the Green Man or gamekeeper, married and promoted "to a public.” When the name and titles of the lord have been exhausted, we get his cognizance or his favourite pursuit, as the Bear and Ragged staff, the Fox and Hounds. As the object of the sign is to speak to the feelings and attract, another fruitful source is either some national hero or great battle ; thus we get the Marquis of Granhy and the DuJce of Wellington, the Waterloo and the Alma. The prover- bial loyalty of our nation has naturally shown itself in our tavern signs, giving us the Victoria, the Prince of Wales, the A Ibert, the Crown, and so on. Some signs indicate a speciality of the house, as the Bowling Green, the Skittles ; some a po- litical bias, as the Royal Oak ; some are an attempt at wit, as the Five A Us ; and some are purely fanciful. The following list will serve to exemplify the subject : — The Angel. In allusion to the angel that saluted the Virgin Mary. The Bag d Nails. A corruption of the Bacchanals.” The Bear. From the popular sport of bear-baiting. The Bear and Bacchus, in High Street, Warwick. A corruption of Bear and Bacculus — i.e., Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of the earl of Warwick. The Bear and Ragged Staff. The cog- nizance of the earl of Warwick, the earl of Leicester, &c. The Bell. In allusion to races, a silver bell having been the winner’s prize up to the reign of Charles II. La Belle Sauvage. {See Bell Savage.) The Blue Boar. The cognizance of Richard HI. The Blue Pig (Bevis Marks). A cor- ruption of the "Blue Boar” {See above.) The Boar’s Head. The cognizance of the Gordons, &c. The Bolt-in-Ton. The punning he- raldic badge of prior Bolton, last of the clerical rulers of Bartholomew’s, pre- vious to the Reformation. Bosom’s Inn. A public-house sign in St. Lawrence Lane, London; a corruption of "Blossom’s Inn,” as it is now called, in allusion to the hawthorn blossoms surrounding the effigy of St. Lawrence on the sign. The Bowling Green. Signifying that there are arrangements on the premises for playing bowls. The Bull. The cognizance of Richard duke of York, and adopted by his par- tisans. The Bull’s Head. The cognizance of Henry VIII. The Bully Ruffian. A corruption of the " Bellerophon” (a ship). The Castle. This being the arms of Spain, symbolises that Spanish wines are to be obtained within. In some cases, without doubt, it is a compli- mental sign of the manor castle. The Cat and Fiddle. A corruption of Caton FidUe — i.e., Caton, the faithful governor of Calais. In Farringdon (Devon) is the sign of La Chatte FidUe, in commemoration of a faithful cat. With- out scanning the phrase so nicely, H may simply indicate that the game cf PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS. PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS. 717 cat (trap-ball) and a fiddle for dancing are provided for customers. The Cat and Mutton y Hackney, which gives name to the Cat and Mutton Fields. The Cat and Wheel. A corruption of St. Catherine’s Wheel or an announce- ment that cat and he^eenoe-ioheels are pro- vided for the amusement of customers. i^See Strutt.) The Chequers. (1) In honour of the Stuarts, whose shield was cheeky,” like a Scotch plaid. (2) In commemoration of the licence granted by the earls of Arundel or lords Warrenne. (3) An in- timation that a room is set apart for merchants and accountants, where they can be private and make up their ac- counts, or use their ^‘chequers” undis- turbed. (^See Lattice.) The Coach and Horses. This sign sig- nifies that it is a posting house, a stage- coach house, or both. The Goch and Bottle, A corruption of the “ Cork and Bottle,” meaning that wine is sold there in bottles. Probably in some cases it may indicate that the house provides poultry, eggs, and wine. The Cov) and Skittles. The cow is the real sign, and alludes to the dairy of the hostess, or some noted dairy in the neighbourhood. Skittles is added to in- dicate that there is a skittle ground on the premises. The Cross Keys. Common in the me- diaeval ages, and in allusion to St. Peter, or one of the bishops whose cognizance it is — probably the lord of the manor or the patron saint of the parish church. The cross keys are emblems of the papacy, St. Peter, the bishop of Glouces- ter, St. Servatius, St. Hippol'ytus, St. Genevieve, St. Petronilla, St. Osyth, St. Martha, and St. Germa'nus. The Devil. A public-house sign two doors from Temple Bar, Fleet Street. The sign represents St. Dunstan seizing the devil by the nose. (See Gone to the Demil,) The Dog and Duck. Tea gardens at Lambeth (suppressed) ; to signify that the sport so called could be seen the^^e. A duck was put into water, and a dog set to hunt it ; the fun was to see the duck diving, and the dog following it under water. The Red Dragon. The cognizance of Henry VII. or the principality of Wales. The Spread Eagle. The arms of Ger- many ; to indicate that German wines may be obtained within, The Fox and Goose. To signify that there are arrangements within for play- ing the royal game of Fox and Goose. St. George and the Dragon. In com- pliment to the patron saint of England, and his combat with the dragon. The legend is still stamped upon our gold coin. The George and Cannon. A corruption of George Canning.” The Globe. The cognizance of Al- fonso, king of Portugal; and intimating that Portuguese wines may be obtained within. The Goat in Golden Boots. A corruption of the Dutch Goed in der Gouden Boote (the god Mercury in his golden sandals). The Goat and Compasses. A Puritan sign, a corrupt hieroglyphic reading of ‘‘ God encompasses us.” The Black Goats. A public-house sign. High Bridge, Lincoln, formerly The Three Goats” — i.e., three gowts (gutters or drains), by which the water from the Swan Pool (a large lake that formerly existed to the west of the city) was con- ducted into the bed of the Witham. The Golden Gross. This refers to the ensigns carried by the crusaders. The Grecian Stairs. A corruption of ‘'The Greesen or Stairs” (Greesen is gree, a step, our de-gree). The allusion is to a flight of steps from the New Road to the Minster Yard. In Wickliffe’s I Bible, Acts xxi. 40 is rendered — “Poul stood on the greezen.” Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence Which, like a grize or step, may help these lovers Into your favour. Shakespeare^ “ Othello^” i. 3. The Green Man. The late gamekeeper of the lord of the manor turned publican. At one time these servants were dressed in green. The Green Man and Still — i.e.y the herbalist bringing his herbs to be distilled. The Hare and Hounds. In compliment to the sporting squire or lord of the manor. The Hole-in-the-Wall {London). So called because it was approached by a passage or “hole” in the wall of the house standing in front of the tavern. The Iron Devil. A corruption of “Hirondelle” (the swallow). There are numerous public-house signs referring to birds; as — the ‘ Blackbird,” the “Thrush,” the “Peacock,”the “Martin,” the “ Bird-in-the-Hand,” &c. &c. The Three Kings. A public-house sign 718 PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS, PUDDING. of tlie mediaeval ages, in allusion to the three kings of Cologne, the Magi who presented offerings to the infant Jesus. Very many public-house signs of the mediaeval period had a reference to ec- clesiastical matters, either because their landlords were ecclesiastics, or else from a superstitious reverence for ‘^saints” and ^^holy things.” The Man Laden with Mischief, A public-house sign, Oxford Street, nearly opposite to Hanway Yard. The sign is said to have been painted by Hogarth, and represents a man carrying a woman on his back. The Marquis of Granhy {London, dec.). In compliment to John Manners, eldest son of John, third duke of Eutland— a bluff, brave soldier, generous, and greatly beloved by his men. What conquest now will Britain boast, Or where display her banners? Alas ! in Granby she has lost True courage and good Manners. The Paclc-horse, To signify that pack- horses could be hired there. The Palgravds Head. A public-house sign near Temple Bar, in honour of Frederick, palgrave of the Rhine. The Pig and Tinder Box. A corrupt rendering of The Blcphant and Castle; the “ pig” is really an elephant, and the ‘‘tinder-box” the castle on its back. The Pig and Whistle. {See Pig.) The Plum and Feathers. A public- house sign near Stoken Church Hill, Oxford. A corruption of the “ Plume of Feathers,” meaning that of the Prince of Wales. The Queen of Bohemia. In honour of lady Elizabeth Stuart. {See Bohemia.) The Queer Door. A corruption of Coeur Dore (Golden Heart.) The Pi,ose. A symbol of England, as the Thistle is of Scotland, and the Sham- rock of Ireland. The Red Rose. The badge of the Lancastrians in the civil war of the Roses. The White Rose. The badge of the Yorkists in the civil war of the Roses. The Rose of the Quarter Sessions. A corruption of La Rose des Quatre Saisons. The Salutation and Cat. The “ Salu- tation” (which refers to the angel sa- luting the Virgin Mary) is the sign of the house, and the “Cat” is added to signify that arrangements are made for playing cat or tipcat. The Saracen^ s Head. In allusion to what are preposterously termed “The Holy Wars ; ” adopted probably by some crusader after his return home, or at any rate to flatter the natural sympathy for these Quixotic expeditions. The Ship, near Temple Bar, and oppo- site The Palgravds Head; in honour of Sir Francis Drake, the circumnavi- gator. The Ship and Shovel. Referring to Sir Cloudesley Shovel, a favourite admiral in Queen Anne’s reign. The Seven Stars. An astrological sign of the mediaeval ages. The Three Suns. The cognizance of Edward IV. The Sun and the Rose. The cognizance of the House of York. The S^van with Three Necks. A public- house sign in Lad Lane, &c. ; a corrup- tion of “three nicks ” (on the bill). The Swan and Antelope. The cog- nizance of Henry V. The Talbot {a hound). The arms of the Talbot family. The Turk's Head. Alluding to the Holy Wars, when the Crusaders fought against the Turks. The Unicorn. The Scottish supporter in the royal arms of Great Britain. The White Hart. The cognizance of Richard II. The White Swan. The cognizance of Henry IV. and of Edward H^I. Publicans of the New Testament were the provincial underlings of the Magister or master collector who resided at Rome. The taxes were farmed by a contractor called the Manceps ; this Manceps divided his contract into dif- ferent societies; each society had a Magister, under whom were a number of underlings called Publica'ni or servants of the state. Pucelle {La). The Maid of Orle'ans, Jeanne d’Arc. (1410-1431.)— Shake- speare’s “1 Henry VI.,” v. 4. Puck or Robin Goodfellow. A fairy and merry wanderer of the night, “rough, knurly-limbed, faun-faced, and shock- pated, a very Shetlander among the gos- samer-winged” fairies around him. {^See Shakespeare’s “ Midsummer Night’s Dream,” ii. 1 ; hi. 1.) Pudding. ( J ACK . ) PUDDING-TIME. FUMBLE CHOOK. 719 Pudding-time properly means just as dinner is about to begin, for our fore- fathers took their pudding before their meat. It also means in the nick of time. But Mars . . . In pudding-time came to his aid. Butler, “ Hudibras,” i. 2. Pudens. A soldier in the Roman army, mentioned in 2 Tim. iv. 21, in con- nection with Linus and Claudia. Ac- cording to tradition, Claudia, the wife of Pudens, was a British lady ; Linus, otherwise called Cyllen, was her brother ; and Lucius, ^Hhe British king,” the grandson of Linus. Tradition further adds that Lucius wrote to Eleutherus, bishop of Rome, to send missionaries to Britain to convert the people. Puff. Exaggerated praise. The most i^opular etymology of this word is pouff, a coiffure employed by the ladies of France in the reign of the Grand Monarqueto announce events of interest, or render persons patronised by them popular. Thus Madame d’Egmont, duke of Richelieu’s daughter, wore on her head a little diamond fortress, with moving sentinels, after her father had taken port Mahon ; and the duchess of Orleans wore a little nursery, with cradle, baby, and toys complete, after the birth of her son and heir. These no doubt were pouffs and puffs, but lord Bacon uses the word puff a century before the head-gear was brought into fashion. Two other etymons present themselves : the old pictures of Fame puffing forth the praises of some hero with her trum- pet ; and the puffing out of slain beasts and birds in order to make them look plumper and better for food — a plan universally adopted in the abattoirs of Paris. The French pouf is our puff. Puffy in The Critic,” by Sheridan. An impudent literary quack. . Puff-ball. A sort of fungus. The word is a corruption of Puck or Pouk ball, anciently called Puck- fist. The Irish name is Pooka-foot. (Saxon, Pulker- fist, a toad-stool.) Shakespeare alludes to this superstition when Pros'pero sum- mons amongst his elves — You whose pastime Is to make midnight mushrooms. Shakespear e, “ Tempest” v. 1. Puffed Up. Conceited; elated with conceit or praise; filled with wind. A puff is a tartlet with a very light or puffy crust. That no one of you be puffed up one against an« other.— 1 Cor. iv. 6. Pug is the Saxon piga, a “ little girl,” and is used to a child, monkey, dog, &c., as a pet term. You mischievous little pug. A playful reproof to a favourite. Pug. A mischievous little goblin in Ben Jonson’s drama of The Devil is an Ass.” Shakespeare has changed the name to Puck,” and with it has created the character anew. Pugna Poreo'rum (Battle of the Pigs). The most celebrated poem of alliterative verse, extending to several hundred lines, in which every word be- gins with p. Puisne J udges means the younger- born judges. They are the four inferior judges of the court of Queen’s Bench, and the four inferior judges of the court of Common Pleas. (French, puis ne, sub- sequently born.) Pukwa'na {North- American Indian). The curling smoke of the Peace-pipe ; a signal or beacon. PuPian or P ulia'no (in Orlando Furioso”). Leader of the Nasamo'ni, slain by Rinaldo. Pull. A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether — i.e.y a steady, energetic, and systematic co-operation. The re- ference may be either to a boat, where all the oarsmen must pull together with a long and strong pull at the oars ; or it may be to the act of hauling with a rope, when a simultaneous strong pull is in- dispensable. Pulling. A jockey trick, which used to be called playing booty ap- pearing to use every effort to come in first, but really determined to lose the race. Mr. Kemble [in the Iron Chestli gave a slight touch of the jockey, and “played booty.” He seemed to do justice to tHb play, but really ruined its success.— George Colman the Younger. Pum'ble Chook ( Uncle). He bullied Pip when only a poor boy, but when the boy became wealthy was his lick-spittle, fawning on him most servilely with his ‘^May I, Mr. Pip” [have the honour of shaking hands with you]; ‘‘Might I, 720 PUMMEL. PUNIC FAITH, Mr. Pip” [take the liberty of saluting you]. — DickenSy Great Expectations'^ Pummel or Pommel. To beat black and blue. (French, pommeleVy to dapple.) Pump. To sift, to extract informa- tion by indirect questions. In allusion to pumping up water. But pump not me for politics.— Pumpernickel. His Transparency of Pumpernickel. So the Times satirises the minor German princes, whose ninety men and ten drummers consti- tuted their whole embattled host on the parade-ground before their palace, and whose revenue is supplied by a per- centage on the tax levied on strangers at the Pumpernickel Kursaal.”— 18^4 /w/y, 1866 . Pun is the Welsh pun^ equivalent ; it means a word equally applicable to two things. The application should be re- mote and odd in order to give piquancy to the play. ^&ee Calembourg.) Punch., from the Indian word punj (five) ; so called from its five ingredients — viz., spirit, water, lemon, sugar, and spice. It was introduced into England from Spain, where it is called ponche. It is called Contradiction,” because it is composed of spirits to make it strong, and water to make it weak ; of lemon- juice to make it sour, and sugar to make it sweet. Mr. Punch. A Eoman mime called Maccus was the original of Punch. A statuette of this buffoon was discovered in 1727 , containing all the well-known features of our friend — the long nose and goggle eyes, the hunch back and protruding breast. The most popular derivation of Punch and Judy is Pqyiius cum Judxis (Matt, xxvii. 19), an 6Td:^ mysterjTpI^ of Pontius Pilate and the Jews;” but the Italian policinello seems to be from poUice, a thumb (Tom-thumb figures), and our Punch from paunch. The drama or story of our Punch and Judy is attributed to Silvio Fiorillo, an Italian comedian of the seventeenth cen- tury. The tale is this : Punch, in a fit of jealousy, strangles his infant child, when Judy flies to her revenge. She fetches a bludgeon, with which she be- labours her husband, till Punch, exaspe- rated, seizes another bludgeon and beats her to death, then flings into the street the two dead bodies. The bodies attract the notice of a police-officer, who enters the house. Punch flees for his life : being arrested by an officer of the In- quisition, he is shut up in prison, from which he escapes by means of a golden key. The rest is an allegory, showing how Punch triumphs over all the ills that flesh is heir to. (1) En'nui, in the shape of a dog, is overcome; (2) Disease, in the disguise of a doctor, is kicked out ; (3) Death is beaten to death ; and (4) the Devil himself is outwitted. Punc'tual. No bigger than a point, exact to a point or moment. (Latin, ad punctum.) Hence the angel describing this earth to Adam calls it '^This opa- cious earth, this punctual spot” — i.e.y a spot no bigger than a point. — Milton^ Paradise Lost” viii. 23. Punctuation. The following advice of bishop Orleton to Gourney and Mal- travers in 1327 is an excellent example of the importance of punctuation : — Edwardum occidere nolite timere honum est — Spare not to kill king Edward is right.” If the point is placed after the first word, the sentence reads Not to kill the king is right ; ” but if after the second word, the direction becomes, Spare not ; to kill the king is right.” {See Oracle.) Pundit. An East Indian scholar, skilled in Sanskrit, and learned in law, divinity, and science. We use the word for a porcus literalrumy one more stocked with book lore than deep erudition. Pu'nic Apple. A pomegranate ; so called because it is thepomum or ^^apple” belonging to the genus Pidnica. Pu'nic Faith. Treachery, violation of faith. ‘‘Punic faith ” is about equal to “Spanish honesty.” The Puni (a cor- ruption of Poeni) were accused by the Eoman s of breaking faith with them, a most extraordinary instance of the “pot calling the kettle black ; ” for whatever infidelity the Carthaginians were guilty of, it could scarcely equal that of their accusers. The Eoman Poeni is the word Phoeni (Phoenicians), the Carthaginians being of Phoenician descent. Our Punic faith Is infamous, ancl branded to a proverb. A-ddmn, “ Cato, U. PUNJAB. PYGMALION. 721 Punjab {jive rivers). They are the i Jelum, Chenab, Kavee, Be'as, and Sutlej ; I called by the Greeks penta-potamia. i Pup properly means a little boy or : girl. A little dog is so called because it is a pet. An insect in the third stage of existence. (Latin, pupus, fern, piipa ; French, poupee^ a doll ; German, puppe.) Purbeck {Dorsetshire) . Noted for a marble used in ecclesiastical ornaments. Chichester cathedral has a row of columns of this limestone. The columns of the Temple church, London ; the tomb of Queen Eleanor, in Westminster Abbey ; and the throne of the Archbishop in Can- terbury cathedral, are other specimens. Purita'ni (/). The Puritans.” Elvi'ra, daughter of lord Walton, a Puri- ' tan, is affianced to lord Arthur Talbot, a Cavalier. On the day of espousals, lord Arthur aids Henrietta, the widow of Charles I., to escape ; and Elvira, thinking him faithless, loses her reason. On his return to England, lord Arthur explains the circumstances, and the two lovers vow that nothing on earth shall part them more. The vow is scarcely uttered, when Cromwell’s soldiers enter and arrest lord Talbot for treason ; but as they lead him forth to execution, a herald announces the defeat of the Stuarts, and free pardon to all political prisoners. Whereupon lord Arthur is * liberated, and marries Elvira.— “7 Pui'itani” {libretto by C. Pepoli). Pu'ritans. Seceders from the Re- formed Church ; so called because they rejected all human traditions and inter- ference in religion, acknowledging the sole authority of the ^^pure Word of God,” without ‘'note or comment.” Their motto was : “The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible.” The English Puritans were sometimes by the Reformers called Precisionists, from their preciseness in matters called “ in- different.” Andrew Fuller gave them the name of Non-conformists, because they refused to subscribe to the Act of Uniformity. Purlieu (2 syl.). French, pouralle lieu (a place free from the forest laws). _ Henry II. , Richard I., and John made certain lands forest lands; Henry III. ' allowed certain portions all round to be severed. These “rues” or forest borders were freed from that servitude which was laid on the royal forests. The “per- ambulation ” by which this was effected was technically called pourallee. In the purlieus of this forest stands A sheep-cote fenced about with olive trees. IShakespeare, “As You Like It'’ iv. 3. Purple (blue and red) indicates the love of truth even unto martyrdom. Pursy, Pursiness. Broken-winded, or in a bloated state in which the wind is short and difficult. (French, poussif, same meaning.) A fat and pursy man. Shakespeare has “pursy Insolence,” the insolence of Jesurun, “who waxed fat and kicked.” In “Hamlet” we have “the fatness of these pursy times” — i.e., wanton or self- indulgent times, Purura'vas and Urva'si. An Indian myth similar to that of “ Apollo and Daphne.” Pururavas is a legendary king who fell in love with Urva'si, a heavenly nymph, who consented to be- come his wife on certain conditions. These conditions being violated, Urvasi disappeared, and Pururavas, inconsol- able, wandered everywhere to find her. Ultimately he succeeded, and they were indissolubly united. Pu'seyite (3 syl.). A High Church- man ; so called from Dr. Pusey of Ox- ford, a chief contributor to the Tracts for the Times. {See Tractaeians.) Puss in Boots {Le Chat BotU), from the “Eleventh Night” of Straparola’s Italian fairy tales, where Constantine’s cat procures his master a fine castle and the king’s heiress; first translated into French in 1585. Our version is taken from that of Charles Perrault. There is a similar one in the Scandinavian nursery tales. This clever cat secures a fortune and a royal partner for his master, who passes off as the marquis of Car'abas, but is in reality a young miller without a penny in the world. Put. A clown, a silly shallow-pate, a butt, one easily “ put upon.” Queer couatry puts extol queen Bess’s rei^n B ramson. Putney and Mortlake Race. The annual eight-oared boat-race be- tween the two universities of Cambridge and Oxford. Pygmalion. A statuary of Cyprus, who hated women and resolved never tr U U 722 PYGMIES. PYTHAGORAS. marry, but fell, in love with his own mar- ble statue of the goddess Venus. At his earnest prayer the statue was vivified, and he married it. Pew, like Pygmalion, doat on lifeless charms. Or care to clasp a statue in their arms. S. Jenyns, Art of Dancing” canto i. Pyg'mies (2 syl.). A nation of dwarfs on the banks of the Upper Nile. Every spring the cranes made war upon them and devoured them. They cut down every corn-ear with an axe. When Hercules went to the country they climbed up his goblet by ladders to drink from it; and while he was asleep two whole armies of them fell upon his right hand, and two upon his left ; but Her- cules rolled them all in his lion’s skin. It is easy to see how Swift has availed him- self of this Grecian legend in his ‘^Gulli- ver’s Travels.” Pyl'ades and Orestes. Two model friends, whose names have become pro- verbial for friendship, like those of Da- mon and Pythias, David and Jonathan. Pyr'amus. The lover of Thisbe. Supposing Thisbe to be torn to pieces by a lion, he stabbed himself, and Thisbe finding the dead body stabbed herself also. Both fell dead under a mulberry- tree, which has ever since borne blood- red fruit. Shakespeare has a travestie of this tale in his “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” — Ovid, ‘^Metamorphoses/^ iv. Pyrocles and Musido'rus. He- roes whose exploits, previous to their arrival in Arcadia, are detailed in the “Arca'dia” of Sir Philip Sidney. Py'rodes (3 syl.). Cliaswasso called, according to Pliny, because he was the the first to strike fire from flint. Pyr'rliic Dance, the most famous war-dance of antiquity, received its name from Pyrrichos, a Dorian. It was danced to the flute, and its time was very quick. Julius Csesar introduced it into Rome. The Romaika, still danced in Greece, is a relic of the ancient Pyrrhic dance. Pyrrho. A sceptic. Pyrrho was the founder of the Sceptical school of phi- losophy. He was a native of Elis, in Peloponne'sos. Blessed be the day I ’scaped the wraneling crew From Pyrrho’s maze and Epicurus* sty. Beattie, **Minstrel” Pythag'oras, son of Mnesarchos, was called son of Apollo or Pythios, from the first two syllables of his name ; but he was called Pytha-goras because the Pythian oracle predicted his birth. Pythagoras, generally called The Long- haired Sa'mian. A native of Sa'mos, noted for his manly beauty and long hair. The Greeks applied the phrase to any venerable man or philosopher. Pythagoras maintained that he dis- tinctly recollected having occupied other human forms before his birth at Samos : (1) He was .^thaPides, son of Mercury; (2) Euphorbos the Phrygian, son of Pan'- thoos, in which form he ran Patroclos through with a lance, leaving Hector to dispatch the hateful friend of Achilles ; (3) Hermoti'mos, the prophet of Clazo- me'nse ; (4) a fisherman ; and (5) Pytha- goras, son of Mnesarchos. To prove his Phrygian existence he was taken to th© temple of Hera, in Argos, and asked to point out the shield of the son of Pan- thoos, which he did without hesitation, {See Rat.) The golden thigh of Pythagoras. This thigh he showed to Ab'aris, the Hyper- borean priest, and exhibited in the Olympic games. Abaris, priest of the Hyperbo'reans, gave him a dart, by which he was carried through the air, over inaccessible rivers, lakes, and mountains ; expelled pesti- lence ; lulled storms ; and performed other wonderful exploits. Pythagoras maintained that the soul has three vehicles : (1) t\iQ ethereal, which is luminous and celestial, in which the soul resides in a state of bliss in the stars ; (2) the luminous, which suffers the punishment of sin after death ; and (3) the terrestrial, which is the vehicle it occupies on this earth. Pythagoh'as asserted he could write on the moon, blis plan of operation was to write on a looking-glass in blood, and place it opposite the moon, when the in- scription would appear photographed or reflected on its disc. Pythagoras. Mesmerism was prac- tised by Pythagoras, if we may credit lamblichus, who tells us that he tamed a savage Daunian bear by “stroking it gently with his hand,” subdued an eagle by the same means, and held absolute dominion over beasts and birds by “the power of his voice,” or “ influence of his touch.” PYTHAGOREAN SYSTEM. QUADRILLE. 723 Pythagore'an System. Pytha'- goras taught that the sun is a movable sphere in the centre of the universe, and that all the planets revolve around it. This is substantially the same as the Copernican and Newtonian systems. Pyth'ian Games. The games held by the Greeks at Pytho, in Phocis, sub- sequently called Delphi. They took place every fourth year, the second of each Olympiad. Pythias. {See Damon.) Py'thon. The monster serpent hatched from the mud of Deuca'lion’s deluge, and slain near Delphi by Apollo. Q Q means the ^Hail letter” (French, queue, a tail). This letter, which is 0 with a tail, was borrowed from the French. Q in a corner. Something not seen at first, but subsequently brought to notice. The thong to which seals are attached iiT legal documents is in French called the qume ; thus we have lettres scellees sur simple queue or sur double queue, accord- ing to whether they bear one or two seals. In documents where the seal is attached to the deed itself, the corner where the seal is placed is called the queue, and when the document is sworn to the finger is laid on the queue. In a merry Q (cue). Humour, temper; thus Shakespeare says, ‘ ^ My cue is vil- lanous melancholy (^^ King Lear,” i. 2.). Old Q. The fifth earl of March, afterwards duke of Queensberry. Q.T3.D. Quod erat demonstrandum. Three letters appended to the theorems of Euclid, meaning: Thus have we proved the proposition stated above, as we were required to do. Q.E.P. Quod erat facien'dum. Three letters appended to the problems of Euclid, meaning : Thus have we done or drawn the figure required by the pro- position. Q.P. Quantum placet. Two letters used in prescriptions, meaning the quan- tity may be as little or much as you like. Thus in a cup of tea we might say Milk and sugar q.p.'' Q.S. Quantum sufjicit. Two letters appended to prescriptions, and meaning as much as is required to make the pills up. Thus, after giving the drugs in minute proportions, the apothecary is told to mix these articles in liquorice q.s:^ Q.V. (Latin, quantum vis). As much as you like. q.v. {hatm, quod vide). Which see. Quack or Quack Doctor; once called _ quacksalver. A puffer of salves. (Swedish, qvak-salfvare ; Norwegian, qvaksalver ; German, quachsalher.) Saltimbancoes, quacksalvers, and charlatans de- ceive the vulgar.— Azy Thomas Browne. Quacks. William Read (tailor), queen Anne’s quack oculist, was knighted, Quadrages'ima Sunday. The Sunday immediately preceding Lent ; so called because it is, in round numbers, the fortieth day before Easter. Quadrageslmals. The farthings or payments made in commutation of a personal visit to the mother-church on Mid-Lent Sunday ; called also Whitsun farthings. Quadrilat'eral. The four for- tresses of Peschie'ra and Mantua on the Mincio, and Vero'na and Legna'go on the Ad'ige. The Prussian Quadrilateral. The for- tresses of Luxemburg, Coblentz, Sarre- louis, and Mayence. Quadrille (2 syl., French) means a small square ; a dance in which the persons place themselves in a square. (Latin, quad' rula.) Le Pantalon. So called from the tune to which it used to be danced. LPite. From a country-dance called Pas d'JEte, very fashionable in 1800, which it resembles. La Poule. Derived from a country- dance produced by Julien in 1802, the second part of which began with the imitation of a cock-crow. Trenise. The name of a dancing- master who, in 1800, invented the figure. La Pastourelle. So named from its melody and accompaniment, which are similar to the Vilanelles or peasants* dances. tr u 2 724 QUADRILOGE. QUARREL. Quad'riloge (3 syl.). Anything written in four parts or books, as ^'Childe Harold.” Anything compiled from four authors, as the “Life of Thomas h Becket.” Any history resting on the testimony of four independent authorities, as “The Gospel History.” The very p uthours of the Quadriloge itselfe or song of fo'.ire parts.. doe all with one pen and mouth ac- knowledge the same— Lambarde, Perambulation,’* p. 5.5. QuadrivTum. The four higher subjects of scholastic philosophy up to the twelfth ceutury. It embraced music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. The quadrivium was the “ fourfold way” to knowledge; the tri'vium (q.v.) the “three-fold way” to eloquence; both together comprehended the seven arts or sciences. The seven arts are enu- merated in the following hexameter : — Lingua, Tropus, Ratio, Numerus, Tonus, Angulus* Astra. And in the two following : — Gram, loquitur, Dia. vera docet, Rhet. verba colorat. Mus. Crtdit, Ar. numerat. Geo. ponderat, Ast. colit astra. Quadroon'. A person with one- fourth of black blood ; the offspring of a mulatto woman by a white man. The mulatto is half-blooded, one parent being white and the other black. (Latin, qua- tuoTy four.) Quad'ruple Alliance of 1674. Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Holland formed an alliance against France to resist the encroachments of Louis XIV. , who had declared war against Holland. It terminated with the Treaty of Nime- guen in 1678. Quadruple Alliance of 1718-1719. An alliance between England, France, Ger- many, and Holland, to guarantee the succession in England to the House of Hanover ; to secure the succession in France to the House of Bourbon ; and to prohibit Spain and France from uniting under one crown. Signed at Paris. Quadruple Alliance of 1834. The al- liance of England, France, Spain, and Portugal for the purpose of restoring peace to the Peninsula, by putting down the Carlists or partisans of Don Carlos. Quaint means trim, i^recise. A quaint phrase is a phrase dressed or trimmed, and not expressed in the ordi- nary way. (Latin, compius, combed and dressed.) Quaker. It appears from the “Jour- nal” of George Fox, who was imprisoned for nearly twelve months in Derby, that the Quakers first obtained the appellation by which they are now generally known in 1650, from the following circumstance : — “Justice Bennet, of Derby,” says Fox, “ was the first to call us Quakers, because I bade him quake and tremble at the word of the Lord.” The system of the Quakers is laid down by Robert Barclay in fifteen theses, called “Barclay’s Apology, ’’.addressed to Charles 11. Quakers (that, like lanterns, bear Their light within them) will not swear. Butler, “ Hudibras,” ii. 2. Quanda'ry.^ A perplexity ; a doubt. (French, Qu'en dirai-je. What shall I say ?) Quanquam or Cancan, A slang manner of dancing quadrilles permitted in the public gardens of Paris, &c. The word cancan is a corruption of the Latin quaraquam, a term applied to the exer- cises delivered by young theological stu- dents before the divinity professors. Hence it came to signify “ babble,” “jar- gon,” anything crude, jeujeune, &c. Quantum Suf. {suffidt). As much as is required. Latin for “as-much-as suffices.” Often written q,s. Quaranti'ne (3 syl.). The forty days that a ship suspected of being in- fected with some contagious disorder is obliged to lie off port. (Italian, quaran- tinay forty ; French, quarantaine.') To perform quarantine is to ride ofi port during the time of quarantine. {See' Forty.) Quarll {Philip), A sort of Robinson' Crusoe, who had a chimpanzee for his “man Friday.” The story relates the^ adventures and sufferings of an English: hermit named Philip Quarll. Quarrel. A short, stout arrow used- in the cross- bo W.N (A corruption of car- rial; Welsh, chwarel ; Yrench., carreau. So called because the head was 'originally carre or four-sided. Hence also a quarrel or quarry of glass, meaning a square or diamond- shaped pane ; quarier, a square wax candle, &c.) Quarelles qwayntly gwappez thorowe knyghtez with iryne so wekyrly, that wy riche they never. “ dlorte d’Arihure.** Quarrel. To quarrel over the bishop’ i cope — over something which cannot pos- sibly do you any good ; over goats’ wool.- QUARRY. QUEEN. 726 This is a French expression. The newly- appointed bishop of Bruges entered the town in his cope, which he gave to the people ; and the people, to part it among themselves, tore it to shreds, each taking a piece. QTtarry. Prey. This is a term in falconry. When a hawk stYuch the object of pursuit and clung to it, she was said to ‘^bind but when she Jiew off it, she was said to carry.” The carry” or “ quarry,” therefore, means the prey carried off by the hawk. It is an error to derive this word from the Latin gioaero. to seek. To tell the manner of it, Were on the quarry of these murdered deer To add the death of you. Shakespeare, “ 3Iacbeth” iv. 3. Quarter. To grant quarter. To spare the life of an enemy in your power. Dr. Tusler says: — It originated from an agreement anciently made between the Dutch and the Spaniards, that the ran- som of a soldier should be the quarter of his pay.” Probably it means simply to ‘‘grant conditions.” In this sense quar- ter was commonly used at one time ; hence its meanings of kindness, friend- ship, good-will — allied to coe^(,r. Quarters. Residence or place of abode ; as winter quarters^ the place where an army lodges during the winter months. We say “ this quarter of the town,” meaning this district or part ; the French speak of the Latin quar- tier — -i.e., the district or part of Paris where the medical schools, &c., are lo- cated ; the Belgians speak of quartiers d loner, lodgings to let : and bachelors in England often say, “Come to my quarters” — i.e., apartments. All these are from the French verb ecarteler, to locate soldiers d Heart, in private houses. There shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen ... in all thy quar- ters [any of thy houses].— Exod. xiii. 7. Quarter-Days in England and Ire- land (1) New Style: Lady day (25th March), Midsummer day (24th June), Michaelmas day (29th September), and Christmas day (25th December). (2) Old Style : Old Lady day (6th April), Old Midsummer day (6th July), Old Michaelmas day (11th October), and Old Christmas day (6th January), Quarter-days in Scotland : — Candlemas day (2nd February), Whit- Sunday (15th May), Lammas day (1st August), and Martinmas day (11th No- vember). Quarter-Master. The officer whose duty it is to attend to the quarters of the soldiers. {See Quarters.) Quarter Waggoner. A book of sea-charts. Waggoner, or rather “Baron von Waggenaer,” is a folio volume of sea- charts, pointing out the coasts, rocks, routes, &c. Dalrymple’s Charts are called The English Waggoner, “Quarter” is a corruption of quarto. Quarto. A book half the size of io\\o—i.e., where each sheet is folded into quarters or four leaves. (The con- traction is 4to. (The Italian lihro in quarto, French in quarto, from the Latin quartus.) Quarto-De'eimans, who, after the decision of the Nicene Council, main- tained that Easter ought to be held on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month near the vernal equinox, whether that day fell on a Sunday or not. Quasliee. A cant generic name of a negro ; so called from Quassi of Su- rinam', who made known to Rolander the virtues of the quassia plant. Quasi [Latin). Something which is not the real thing, but may be accepted in its place : thus a — Quasi contract is not a real contract, but something which may be accepted as a contract, and which has the force of one. Quasi tenant. The tenant of a house sub-let. Quasimo'do. A foundling, hideously deformed but of amazing strength, in Victor Hugo’s “Notre Dame de Paris.” Quasimodo Sunday. The first Sunday after Easter; so called because the “Introit” of the day begins with these words : — “ Quasi modo gen'iti in- fantes*^ (I Pet. ii. 2). Also called “Low Sunday,” being the first Sunday after the grand ceremonies of Easter. Quas'sia. An American plant, or rather genus of plants, named after Quassy, a negro who brought them into notice. Queen. Greek, gurus (a woman) ; Sanskrit, goni ; Swedish, qvenna j Gothic, 726 QUEEN ANNE’S BOUNTY. QUERN-BITER. queins ; Saxon, cwen, {See SiB, from anax, a king. ) Queen f “ woman,” is equivalent to ^'mother.” In the translation of the Bible by Ulfilas (fourth century), we meet with gens and gino wife ” and woman”); and in the Scandinavian languages harl and leone still mean ''man” and " wife.” (See King.) He [Jesusl saith unto his mother, Woman, be- hold thy son ! (St. John xix. 26.) Queen Anne’s Bounty. A fund created out of the first-fruits and tenths, which were part of the papal exactions before the Reformation. The first-fruits are the whole first year’s profit of a cleri- cal living, and the tenths are the tenth part annually of the profits of a living. Henry VIII. annexed both these to the crown, but queen Anne formed them into a perpetual fund for the augmentation of poor livings. The sum equals about £14,000 a year, and is now extended to the erection of parsonages. Queen Dick. Richard Cromwell is sometimes so called ; but when we say, " So-and-so happened in the reign of Queen Dick,” we mean never, because there never was such a queen. (See Greek Calends.) Queen Quintessence. Sovereign of Etelechie (q.v.) in the romance of " Gargantua and Pantag'rueT,” by Rabe- lais. Queen-Square Hermit. J eremy Bentham, who lived at No. 1, Queen Square, London. He was the father of the political economists called Utilitarians, whose maxim is, "The greatest happi- ness of the greatest number.” (1748- 1832.) Queen of Hearts. Elizabeth, daughter of James I., the unfortunate queen of Bohemia, was so called in the Low Countries, in consequence of her amiable character and engaging manners, even in her lowest estate. Queen of Heaven, with the ancient Phoenicians, was Astarte ; Greeks, Hera ; Romans, J uno ; but with the Roman Catholics it is the Virgin Mary. Queen of the Eastern ArchipeT- ago. The island of Java. Queen of the Horth. Edinburgh. (See the proper name for other queens.) | Queen’s Bench or King's Bench. One of the courts of law, in which the monarch used to preside in person. Queen’s College, Oxford, founded in 1340 by Robert de Eglesfield, and so called in compliment to queen Philippa, whose confessor he was. Queen's College, Cambridge, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, consort of Henry VI. Queen’s Day. November 17th, the day of the accession of queen Elizabeth ; first publicly celebrated in 1570, and still kept as a holiday at the Exchequer, and at the Westminster and Merchant Taylor’s schools. A rumor is spread in the court, and hath come to the eares of some of the most honourable counsel), how that I on the Queen’s day last past did forbidd in our college an oration to bee made In praise of her Majestie’s government, ka.—Dr. Whitaker to Lord Buryhlty (May 14th, 1590). Queen’s Weather. A fine day for a fete ; so called because Queen Vic- toria is, for the most part, happy in having fine weather when she appears in public. (/See Volunteers’ Weather.) Queenhithe {London). The hithe or strand for lading and unlading barges and lighters in the City. Called " queen” from being part of the dowry of Eleanor, queen of Henry II. Queenstown (Ireland.), formerly called the Cove of Cork. The name was changed in 1850, out of compliment to Queen Victoria, when she visited Ireland with her husband, and created her eldest son earl of Dublin. Queer. Odd, singular. (German, quer, cross, oblique.) Queer Chap is the German quer- kopf a cross-grained fellow. Quency. A corruption of quintejeuil (five-leaved), the armorial device of the family. Querelle d’Alleman. A conten- tion about trifles, soon provoked and soon appeased. The Alleman family occupied nearly the whole of the Dau- phine in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. They had frequent quarrels, but always settled their disputes amoijgst themselves. (See Queue.) Quern-Biter. The sword of Haco I. of Norway. Quern-biter of Hacon the Good, Wherewith a) a stroke he hewed The millstone through and thi ough. Longfellow. QUERNO. QUICKSET. 727 Qtier'no. Camillo Querno, of Apulia, hearing that Leo X. was a great patron of poets, went to Rome with a harp in his hand, and sang his Alexias, a poem containing 20,000 verses. He was intro- duced to the pope as a buffoon, but was promoted to the laurel. Rome in her Capitol saw (Querno sit, Throned on seven hills, the Antichrist of wit. “ Dunciad,’* ii. Querpo (2 syl.). Shrill Querpo, in Garth’s ‘‘Dispensary,” is Dr. Howe. In Querpo, In one’s shirt-sleeves ; in undress. (Spanish, en cuerpo, without a cloak. ) Boy, my cloak and rapier; it fits not a gentleman of my rank to walk the streets in querpo.— Beaw- mont and Fletcher, “ Love's Cure," ii. 1. Question i To move the previous question, in parliamentary debate, means this : that some question put by an opponent of a measure brought forward should be put to the vote before the question itself ; for example, A moves that the rate of postage should be re- duced, B moves that the post-office be allowed time to consider the matter ; A presses his motion, and C moves the pre- vious question — that is, that the post- office be consulted first. This is often done to burk a troublesome motion. Question. When members of the House of Commons or other debaters call out Question, thej^ mean that the person speaking is wandering away from the subject under consideration. Queulbus. The equinoctial of Queu- hus. This line has Utopia on one side and Medam'othi on the other. It was discovered on the Greek Kalends by Outis after his escape from the giant’s cave, and is ninety-one degrees from the poles. Thou wast in very gracious fooling last night, when thou spokest of Pigrogrom'itus, of the V apians pass- ing the equinoctial of Queu'bus. ’Twas very good i’ iaith.—i:ihakespeare, “ Twelfth Night," ii. 3. Queue. Gare la queue des Alleman. Before you quarrel count the conse- quences. A troublesome neighbour en- tered into a quarrel with the Alleman family, but the whole clan combined in a “queue,” made war upon him, and cut him to pieces. {See Qderelle.) Queux. The seneschal of king Arthur. Qui. To give a man the qui. When a man in the printing business has had notice to quit, his fellow-workmen say they “have given him the qui.” Here qui is the contraction of quie'tus (dis- charge). {See Quietus.) Qui-Tam. A lawyer ; so called from the first two words in an action on a penal statute. Qui tarn pro dom'ind Regi'nd, quam pro se-ipso, sequitur (Who sues on the Queen’s account as much as on his own). Qui Vive ? {French). Who goes there ? The challenge of a French sen- tinel. To he on the qui vive. On the alert ; to be quick and sharp ; to be on the tip-toe of expectation, like a sentinel on guard. {See above. ) Quibble is the Welsh chwihiol, a trill, and not the Latin quid lihei (what you please), as is generally given. Quick. Living ; hence animated, lively ; hence fast, active, brisk (Saxon, cwic, living, alive). Our expression, “Look alive,” means Be brisk. Whence He shall come to judge both the quick and the dead.— Common. Prayer Book (Creed). Quick at meat, quick at work. In French, “ Bonne bete s’echauffe en man- geant,” or “Hardi gagneur, hardi mangeur.” The opposite would certainly be true : A dawdle in one thing is a dawdle in all. Quickly {Dame). Hostess of a tavern in East cheap. — Shakespeare, Henry IV. parts i. and ii. Mistress Quickly. Servant of all-work to Dr. Caius. She says : “ I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour, dress meat and drink, make the beds, and do all myself.” She is the go-between of three suitors to Anne Page, and to prove her disin- terestedness she says : “ I would my mas- ter had Mistress Anne, or I would Master Slender had her, or in sooth I would Master Fenton had her. I will do what I can for them all three, for so I have promised ; and I’ll be as good as my word ; but speciously for Master Fenton.” ^Shakespeare, Merry Wives oj Windsor. Quicksand is sand which shifts its place as if it were alive. {See Quick.) A quicksand of deceit. Shakespeare, “ 3 Henry VI.," v. 4. Quickset is living blackthorn set in a hedge, instead of dead wood, hurdles, and palings. {See Quick.) 728 QUICKSILVER. QUINBUS FLESTRIN. Quicksilver is argen'tnm vivtim (living silver), silver that moves about like a living thing. {See Quick. ) Swift as quic1< silver It courses through the natural gates And alleys of the body. Shakespeare, “ffamicf i. 5. Quid of Tobacco. A corruption of C'ud, a morsel. We still say chew the cud.” Quid pro Quo or A quid for a quod. Tit for tat ; a turn given as good as that received ; a Rowland for an Oliver ; an equivalent. Quid Libet. Quid-libeU and quod- libets. Nice and knotty points, very subtile, but of no value. Quips and quirks. {Latin. ) Quiddity. The essence of a thing. Schoolmen say Quid est, what is it ? and the reply is the Quid is so and so, the What or the nature of the thing is as follows. The latter quid being formed into a barbarous Latin noun becomes Quidditas. Hence Quid e^^t, what is it? Answer : Talk est quiddAtas, its essence is as follows. He knew Where entity and quiddity (The ghosts of defunct bodies) fly. Butler. "■Hudibras," i. 1. Quiddity. A crotchet ; a trifling dis- tinction. {See above.) Quidnunc. Apolitical Paul Pry ; a pragmatical village politician ; a political botcher or jobber. Quidnunc is the chief character in Murphy’s farce of The Upholsterer, or What News.” The words are Latin, and mean What now?” “What has turned up?” The original of this political busybody was the father of Dr. Arne and his sister, Mrs. Cibber, who lived in King Street, Covent Garden. (See The Tatler^ 155, &c.) Familiar to a few Quidnuncs.— Times. The Florentine Quidnuncs seem to lose sight of the fact that none of these gentlemen now hold office. — The Times. Quidnunkis. Monkey politicians. Gay has a fable called “The Quidnunkis,” to show that the death not even of the duke regent will cause any real gap in na- ture. A monkey who had ventured higher than his neighbours fell from his estate into the river below. For a few seconds the whole tribe stood panic -struck, but as soon as the stream carried off Mastef Pug, the monkeys went on with their gambols as if nothing had occurred. Ah, sir ! you never saw the Ganges : There dwell the nation of Quidnunkis (So Monomotapa calls monkeys'. Gay, Tales.’* Qui'etist. One who believes that the most perfect state of man is when the spirit ceases to exercise any of its functions, and is wholly passive. This sect has cropped up at sundry times ; but the last who revived it was Michael Moli'nos, a Spanish priest, in the seven- teenth century^ Quie'tus. The writ of discharge for- merly granted to those barons and knights who personally attended the king on a foreign expedition. At their dis- charge they were exempt from the claim of scutage or knight’s fee. Subsequently the term was applied to the acquittance which a sheriff receives on settling his account at the Exchequer ; and later still to any discharge of an account : thus W ebster says — You had the trick in audit-time to be sick Till I had signed your quietus. “ Dutchess of Malfy ” (16^3). Quietus. A severe blow ; a settler ; death, or discharge from life. Who would fardels bear When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin ? ahakespeare, *' Hamlet,'* i\i. 1. Quillet. An evasion. In French “pleadings” each separate allegation in the plaintiff’s charge, and every distinct plea in the defendant’s answer, used to begin with qvJil est ; whence our quillet, to signify a false charge, or an evasive answer. 0, some authority how to proceed ; Some tricks, some quillets, how to cheat the devil 1 Shakespeare, “ Love's Labour’s Lost,'* iv. 3. Quilp. A hideous dwarf, both fierce and cunning, in “ The Old Curiosity Shop,” by Dickens. Quinap'alus. The Mrs. Harris of “authorities in citations.” If any one wishes to clench an argument by some quotation, let him cite this ponderous collection. What says Quinapalus : “ Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit. "Shakespeare, “ Twelfth Night," i. 5. Quinbus Flestrin. The man-moun- tain— so the Lilliputians called Gulliver (chap. ii.). Gay has an ode to this giant. Bards of old Of him told, When they said Atlas’ head Propped the skies. Gay, "Lilliputian Ode." QUINCE. QUIXOTE. 729 Quince {Peter). A carpenter, and manager of the play in Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He is noted for some strange compounds, such as laughable tragedy, lamentable comedy, tragical mirth, &c. Quino'nes (Suero de), in the reign of Juan II., with nine other cavaliers, held the bridge of Orbigo against all comers for thirty-six days, overthrowing in that time seventy-eight knights of Spain and France. Quinones had challenged the world, and such was the result. Quinquages'ima Sunday (Latin, fiftieth). Shrove-Sunday, or the first day* of the week which contains Ash- Wednesday. It is so called because in round numbers it is the fiftieth day be- fore Easter. Quintessence. The fifth essence. The ancient Greeks, like modern che- mists, said there are four elements or forms in which matter can exist: - Fire, or the imponderable form ; air, or the gaseous form ; water, or the liquid form ; and earth, or the solid form. The Py- thagore'ans added a fifth, which they called ether, more subtile and pure than fire, and possessed of an orbicular mo- tion. This element, which flew upwards at creation, and out of which the stars were made, was called the fifth essence ; quintessence therefore means the most subtile extract of a body that can be procured. It is quite an error to su23- pose that the word means an essence five times distilled, and that the term came from the alchemists. Horace speaks of ‘^kisses which Venus has imbued with the quintessence of her own nectar.” Swift to their several quarters hasted then 'J he cumbrous elements— earth, flood, air, fire ; But this ethereal quint'essence of heaven Flew upward... and turned to stars Numberless as thou seest. Milton, “ Paradise Lost,** iii. Quintilians. Disciples of Qiiin- tilia, held to be a prophetess. These heretical Christians made the Eucharist of bread and cheese, and allowed women to become priests and bishops. Quiri'tes. Romans. The word means spear-bearers ” (Latin, quiris, a spear). Varro’s etymology is quite unworthy of credit; he derives the word from Cures, and says that the Quirinal Hill, being occupied by these Sabines, received its pame from them. This is about as cor- rect as the derivation of Rome from Romulus, or Britain from Brutus. QuisquiTiae. Light, dry fragments of things ; the small twigs and leaves which fall from trees ; hence rubbish, refuse. {Couscouliou, means husks of beans or peas ; Gaelic, qusgul, orts, idle words.) — Trench, Quit. Discharged from an obligation, acquitted.” To John I owed great oblliration ; But John unhappily Thought fit To publish it to all i he nation— Now I and John are fairly quit.— Prior. Cry quits. When two boys quarrel and one has had enough, he says, ^^Cry quits,” meaning ‘^Let us leave off, and call it a drawn game.” So in an unequal distribution he who has the larger share restores a portion and “cries quits,” meaning that he has made 'the distribu- tion equal. Here quit means “acquittal” or discharge. Double or quits. In gambling, espe- cially in a small way, one of the players says to the other, “ Double or quits ?” — — that is, the next stake shall be double the present winnings, or the winnings shall be returned to the loser, in which case both players would leave off as they began. Here quit means “requital” or repayment. Quit Rent. A corruption of the Saxon Ilivit rent (white rent) as it is called in old records, because it was paid in white or silver money, and not in coin like ordinary rents. It is an error to suppose that the name is derived from the fact that a tenant, having paid it, is quit of all further rent. Quixa'da (6r^ti^^en'e). Lord of Villa- garcia. He discharged a javelin at Sire de Haburdin with such force as to pierce the left shoulder, overthrow the knight, and pin him to the ground. Don Quixote calls himself a descendant of this brave knight. Quixote (^Doii) is intended for the duke of Lerma, Rawdon Brown. Don Quixote. The romance so called is a merciless satire by Cervantes on the chivalric romances of the Middle Ages, and had the excellent effect of putting an end to this sort of literature. Don Quixote's horse. Ros'inante (Span- ish, rocin-arrte, a, jade previously). The wooden-pin wing-horse on which 730 QUIXOTE OF THE NORTH. K he and Sancho Panza mounted to achieve the liberation of Dolori'da and her com- panions was called Algie'ro Clavile'no {wooden-pin wing-hearer), Quixote of the ISTortli. Charles XII. of Sweden, sometimes called the Madman, (1682, 1697-1718.) QuixoUie. Dreamy, foolishly ro- mantic, like Don Quixote, a half- crazy reformer or knight of the supposed dis- tressed. Quiz. One who banters or chaffs another. Daly, manager of the Dublin theatre, laid a wager that he would intro- duce into the language within twenty- four hours a new word of no meaning. Accordingly on every wall, or all places accessible, were chalked up the four mystic letters, and all Dublin was in- quiring what they meant. The wager was won, and the word remains current in our language. It is a corruption of Quid est 1 (What is this ?) Quo Warranto. A writ against a defendant (whether an individual or a corporation) who lays claim to some- thing he has no right to ; so named because the offender is called upon to show quo warranto [rem] usurpa'vit (by what right or authority he lays claim to the matter of dispute). Quod. To he in quod — in prison. A corruption of quad^ which is a contraction of quadrangle. The quadrangle is the prison enclosure in which the prisoners are allowed to walk, and where whippings used to be indicted. Flogged and whipped in quod. hughes^*'" Tom Brown's Schooldays.** Quodling {The Rev. Mr.). Chaplain to the duke of Buckingham . — Sir Walter Scott, ^‘Peveril of the Peak.*' “Why,’* said the duke, “I had caused my little Quodling to go through his oration thus:— ‘That whatever evil reports had passed current during the life-time of the worthy matron whom they had re- stored to dust that day. Malice herself could not d'^ny that she v/as horn well, married well,Ziyed well, and died well ; since she was born in Shadwell, married to Cresswell, lived in Camberwell, and died in Bridewell.’”— “Pcyeril of the Peak,*’ ch. xliv. Quondam {Latin), Formerly. We say. He is a quondam schoolfellow — my former schoolfellow ; My quondam friend, The quondam candidate, &c. ; also The quondam chancellor, &c. My quondam barber, but “bis worship’’ now. Dry den. Quo'rum. Those persons essential to make up a committee or board. Com- missions of the peace are addressed to several persons by name — say five or seven — of which {quo'rum) some two or three are named as essential to form the board, and without whose presence no business can be done. Thus, suppose the commission to be named A, B, C, D, E, &c., it would run— Of these I wish A to be one” {quorum aliquem vestrum unum esse volumus). These honoured names are called Justices of the Quo- rum.” Slender calls Justice Shallow justice of the peace and quorum. — Shake- speare, Merry Wives of Windsor f i. 1. Quota {Latin), The allotted portion or share ; the rate assigned to each. Thus we say, “ Every man is to pay his quota towards the feast.” Quotem (Caleb), A parish clerk and Jack -of -all -trades, in ‘^The Wags of Windsor,” by Colman. R R in prescriptions. The ornamental part of this letter is the symbol of Jupiter { 2 l), under whose special protection all medicines were placed. The letter itself {Recipe, take) and its flourish may be thus paraphrased: “Under the good auspices of Jove, the patron of medi- cines, take the following drugs in the proportions set down.” It has been suggested that the symbol is for Respon- sum Raphae'lis, from the assertion of Dr. Napier, and other physicians of the seventeenth century, that the angel Ra- phael imparted them. R is called the dog- letter, because a dog in snarling utters the letter r-r-r-r, r-r, r-r-r-r-r, &c. — sometimes preceded by a g. Irritata canis quod RR quam plurima dicat. Lucillius. £R] that’s the dog’s name. R is for the dog.’ Shakespeare, “ Romeo and Juliet,'* ii. 4 - The three R's. Sir William Curtis being asked to give a toast said, “I will give you the three R’s— writing, reading, and arithmetic.” The House is aware that no payment is made except on the “three R’s.” — Mr.Corry, M.P., Address to the House 0/ Commons, Feb. 28th, 1867, R.I.P, Reqwiescat in paS'^afcesj9eare, “ t Henry /F.,” ii. 1. Ramsay the Rich. Ramsay used to be called the Croesus of our English abbeys. It had only sixty monks of the Benedictine order to maintain, and its revenues allowed XI, 000 a year to the abbot, and £100 a year for each of its monks. David Ramsay. The old watchmaker near Temple Bar. Margaret Ramsay. His daughter, who becomes the bride of lord Nigel. — Sir Walter Scotty ** Fortunes of Nigel.^* Ramsbottom {Mrs.). A vile speller of the Queen’s English. It was the sig- nature of Theodore Hook in his letters published in the John Bull newspaper, 1829. Ra'na. Goddess of the sea, and wife of the sea-god Aeger. — Scandinavian mythology. “ May Rana keep them in the deep. As is her wont. And no one sa,\ e them from the grave,” Cried Helgehont. Frithiof-Saga, “ The Banishment.'* Randem-Tandem. A tandem of three horses. — University term. Random {Rod.erich). A young Scotch scapegrace in quest of fortune ; at one time basking in prosperity, at another in utter destitution. He is led into dif- ferent countries, whose peculiarities are described ; and into all sorts of society, as that of wits, sharpers, courtiers, courtezans, and so on. Though occa- sionally lavish, he is inherently mean; and though possessing a dash of humour, is contemptibly revengeful. His treat- ment of Strap is revolting to a generous mind. Strap lends him money in his necessity, but the heartless Roderick wastes the loan, treats Strap as a mere servant, fleeces him at dice, and cuffs him when the game is adverse. — Smolletty Roderick Random Ranks. Risen from the ranks. From mean origin ; a self-made man, A mili- tary term applied to an officer who once served as a private soldier. Rank and Pile. Altogether, every one. The rank is the depth, and the file the length of marching soldiers. The ‘^rank men” stand shoulder by shoulder, the file men” stand behind each other. Thus 100 men four deep would be twenty-five files ranged four in a row (in four ranks). Ran'tipole (3 syl. ). A harum-scarum fellow, a mad-cap (Dutch, randten, to be in a state of idiocy or insanity, and pole, a head or person). The late emperor (Napoleon HI.) was called Rantipote, for his escapades at Strasbourg and Bou- logne. In 1852, I myself saw a man commanded by the police to leave Paris within twenty -four hours for calling his dog Rantipole. Ranz des Vaches. Simple melo- dies played by the Swiss mountaineers on their Alphorn when they drive their herds to pasture, or call them home {pour ranger des vacheSy to bring the cows to their place). The Tyrolese airs” are a polished sort of Ranz des vaches. Rap. Not worth a rap. The rap was a base halfpenny, intrinsically worth about half a farthing, issued for the nonce in Ireland in 1721, because small coin was so very scarce. There was also a coin in Switzerland called a rappe, worth the seventh of a penny. 736 RAPE. RASHLEIGH OSBALDISTONE. Hape (Isyl.). The division of a county. Sussex is divided into six rapes, each of which has its river, forest, and castle. is Norwegian for a parish district, and rape in Doomsday -book is used for a district under military jurisdiction. The Saxon like the Greek schoinos, signifies not only a rope, but also a measure of land. {See Riding.) Rapll'ael. The sociable archangel who travelled with Tobi'as into Me'dea and back again, instructing him on the way how to marry Sara and to drive away the wicked spirit. Milton intro- duces him as sent by God to advertise Adam of his danger. {See Seven Spirits.) Raphael, the sociable spirit, that deigned To travel with Tobias, and secured His marriage with the seven-times-wedded wife. Paradise Lost,'' v. Raphaelf according to Longfellow, is the angel of the Sun, who brings to man the ‘‘ gift of faith.” I am the angel of the Sun, Whose flaming wheels began to run When God Almighty’s breath Said to the darkness and the night “Let there be light.” and there was light.— I bring \ he gift of faith. “ Golden Legend ” (The Miracle Play, iii.). St. Raphael^ the archangel, is usually distinguished in Christian art by a pil- grim’s staff, or carrying a fish, in allusion to his aiding Tobias to capture the fish which performed the miraculous cure of his father’s eye-sight. The French Raphael. Eustace Lesueur. (1617-1655.) The Raphael of Cats. Godefroi Mind, a Swiss painter, noted for his cats. (1768- 1814.) Rapparee'. A wild Irish plunderer, so called from his being armed with a rapary or half -pike. Rappee. A coarse species of snuff, manufactured from dried tobacco by an instrument called in French a rdpe^ ** instrument en metal perce de plusieurs trous, dont on se sert pour rMuire les corps en pulpe ou en fragments. On se sert surtout de la rape dans les manages, pour le sucre, le chocolat, le poivre ; et dans les usines, pour le tabac, les bette- raves, les pommes de terre qu’on reduit en jpecule, &c. — Bouillet, Dictionnaire des Sciences.^' Ra'ra A'vis (Latin, a rare hird). A phenomenon ; a prodigy ; a something quite out of the common course. This bird is now familiar to us ; it is a native of Australia, and has given name to the ^^Swan River.” It is not uncommon in our own island. Bara avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno. J uvenal. Rare Ben. So Shakespeare called Ben Jonson, the dramatist. (1574-1637.) Aubrey says that this inscription on his tablet in the Poets’ Corner,” West- minster Abbey, ‘^was done at the charge of Jack Young (afterwards knighted), who, walking there when the grave was covering, gave the fellow eighteenpenco to cut it.” At the late relaying of the pavement, this stone was unhappily re- moved. When Sir William Davenant was interred in Westminster Abbey, the inscription on his covering-stone was, '^0 rare Sir William Davenant” — showing how nearly the sublime and the ridiculous often meet. Rascal {Saxon). A lean, worthless deer ; metaphorically, a base fellow. Hence Shakespeare says— Horns ! the noblest deer hath them as huge as the rascal.” Hollyband gives it in his Dic- tionarie ” as the translation of commune (1593). Palsgrave calls a starveling ani- mal like the lean kine of Pharaoh, ‘^a rascall refus beest” (1530). Applied to men it means base, sorry jade. The French have racaille (riff-raff). Come, you thin thing ; come, you rascal. Shakespeare, “ 2 Henry IV," v. 4. Rascal Counters. Pitiful or paltry £ s. d. Brutus calls money paltry com- pared with friendship, &c. When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous To lock Fuch rascal countt-rs from his frieudB, Be ready, gods, with all your ihuuder-bolts Dash him to pieces. Shakespeare,'* Julius Ccesar,”iy. 3. Rasher. A slice, as a rasher of bacon, (Italian, raschiare; French, raser; Welsh, rhasg^ a slice or shave ; Latin, rasura lardi ; our ‘^razor,” “erasure,” &c.) Rashleigh Osbaldistone. An accomplished but deceitful villain, called ‘Hhe Scholar.” He is the youngest of the six hopeful sons of Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone. His worthy brothers were nicknamed “the Sot,” “the Bully,” “the Gamekeeper,” “the Horse- jockey,” “the Fool,” and the crafty “Scholar.” —Sir Walter Scotty Rob Roy'* RASIEL, RAVEN. Ra'siel. The angel who was the tutor of Adam. — Talmud, Kaskol'nik {separatists). So dis- senters from the Greek church are called in Russia. Ras'selas. Prince of Abyssinia, in Dr. Johnson’s romance so called, “Rasselaa” is a mass of sense, and its moral pre- cepts are certainly conveyed in striking and happy language. The mad astronomer wh > imagined that he possessed til e regulation of the weather and the dis- tribution of the seasons, is an original character in romance; and the happy valley in which Rasselas resides is sketched with poetical feeling.— rowni;. Rat. The Egyptians and Phrygians deified rats. The people of Basso'ra and Cambay to the present time forbid their destruction. In Egypt the rat symbolised utter destruction it also symbolised “ judgment,” because rats always choose the best bread for their repast. 'Rat. Pliny tells us (bk. viii., ch. 57) that the Romans drew presages from these animals, and to see a white rat foreboded good-fortune. The bucklers at Lanu'vium being gnawed by rats presaged ill -fortune, and the battle of the Marses, fought soon after, confirmed this superstition. Pro- serpine’s veil was embroidered with rats. Irish rats rhymed to death. It was once a prevalent opinion that rats in pastur- ages could be extirpated by anathema- tising them in rhyming verse or by me- trical charms. This notion is frequently alluded to by ancient authors : thus Ben Jonson says — Rhyme them to death, as they do Irish rats” Poetaster”) ; Sir Philip Sidney says — Though I will not wish unto you .... to be rimed to death, as is said to be done in Ireland ” Defence of Poesie”) ; and Shakespeare makes Rosalind say — ** I was never so be- rhymed since .... I was an Irish rat” — alluding to the Pythagore'an doctrine of the transmigration of souls (^^As You Like It,” iii. 2). {See Charm.) I smell a rat. I perceive there is some- thing concealed which is mischievous. The allusion is to a cat smelling a rat. To rat. To forsake a losing side for the stronger party. It is said that rats forsake ships not weather-proof. A rat is one who rats or deserts his party. Averting .... The cup of sorrow from their lips. And fly like rats from sinking ships. Swift, ** Episttc to Mr. Nugent.** Rat-killer. Apollo received this aris- tocratic sobriquet from the following in- cident :--Criuis, one of his priests, having nOglected his official duties, he sent against him a swarm of rats and mice ; but the priest, seeing the invaders com- ing, repented and obtained forgiveness of the god, who annihilated the swarms which he had sent with his far-darting arrows. For this redoubtable exploit the sun-god received the appellation of Apollo the Rat-killer. — Classic mythology. Rat'atosk. The squirrel that runs up and down the mythological tree Ygg- drasil', first listening to the eagle that sits in all the heat of the sun at the top, and then collecting news from the frost- giant in the old land of Hela. — Scandi- navian mythology. Ratja'sias. Evil spirits are so called by the Indians. Ratten. To destroy or take away a workman’s tools, or otherwise incapaci- tate him from doing work, for not paying his natty to a ‘‘benefit” fund, or for having offended a trades union. Ratten- ing is the act of doing this ill turn (pro- bably connected with “to find fault Swedish, rata; Icelandic, reita, to chide. In the North, the word rattle means to “punish,” “thrash,” “revile”). Rattlin {Jack). A fdmous naval character in Smollett’s “ Roderick Ran* dom.” Tom Bowling is another naval character in the same novel. Raul. Sir Raul di NangiSy the Hu- guenot, in love with Valenti na, daughter of the comte de St. Bris, governor of the Louvre. Being sent for by Marguerite, he is offered the hand of Valentina in marriage, but rejects it, because he fan- cies she is betrothed to the comte do Nevers. Nevers is slain in the Bartholo- mew massacre, and Valentina confesses her love for Raul. The two are united by Marcello, an old Puritan servant ; but scarcely is the brief ceremony ended, when both are shot by the musketeers under the command of St. Bris. — Meyer- heery ^‘Gli UgonottV^ {an opera). Rava'na, according to Indian my- thology, was fastened down between heaven and earth for 10,000 years by Siva’s leg, for attempting to move the hill of heaven to Ceylon. He is described as a demon-giant with ten faces.— mythology. Raven. A bird of ill omen. They are said to forebode death and bring m- fection. The former notion arises from V, V 738 EAVEl^, EAVENSWOOD, their following an army under the expec- tation of finding dead bodies to raven on ; the latter notion is a mere offshoot of the former, seeing pestilence kills as fast as the sword. The boding raven on her cottage sat. And with hoarse croakings warned us of our fate. Gn!/, “ Paitorals ” (the Dirge). Like the sad-presaging raven that tolls The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, And, in the shadow of the silent night, Does shake contagion from her sable wing. Marlowe^ “ Jew of Malta ” (1633). Raven. Jovianus Ponta'nus relates two skirmishes between ravens and kites near Beneventum, which prognosticated a great battle. Nice'tas speaks of a skir- mish between crows and ravens as pre- saging the irruption of the Scythians into Thrace. He also tells us that his friend Mr. Draper, in the flower of his age and robust health, knew he was at the point of death, because two ravens flew into his chamber. Cicero was fore- warned of his death by the fluttering of ravens, and Macaulay relates the legend that a raven entered the chamber of the great orator the very day of his murder, and pulled the clothes off his bed. Like many other birds, ravens indicate by their cries the approach of foul weather, but ” it is ful unleful to beleve that God sheweth his prevy counsayle to crowes, as Isidore sayth.” Be has the foresight of a raven. A raven was accounted at one time a prophetic bird. {See above. ) Of inspired birds ravens were accounted the most prophetical. Accordingly, in the language of that district, “to have the foresight of a raven” is to this day a proverbial expression.— iHfacauZay, History of St, Kildaf’ p, 174. Ravens bode famine. When a flock of ravens forsake the woods we may look for famine and mortality, because “ ravens bear the characters of Saturn, the author of these calamities, and have a very early perception of the bad disposition of that planet.” See Athenian Oracle” (Supplement, p. 476). As if the great god J upiter had nothing else to doe but to dryve about jacke dawes and ravens.— Car- neades. The ravens were once as white as the swans, and not inferior in size ; but one day a raven told Apollo that Coro'nis, a Thessalian nymph whom he passionately loved, was faithless, and the god shot the nymph with his dart ; but, hating the tell-tale bird— He blacked the raven o’er, And bid him prate in his white plumes no raorA Addison, “ Translation of Ovid” bk. ii. Ravens in Christian Art. Emblems of God’s providence, in allusion to the ravens which fed Elijah. St. Oswald holds in his hand a raven with a ring in its mouth ; St. Benedict has a raven at his feet ; St. Paul the Hermit is drawn with a raven bringing him a loaf of bread ; &c. The fatal Raven, consecrated to Odin, the Danish war-god, was the em- blem on the Danish standard. This raven was said to be possessed of ne- cromantic power. The standard was termed Landeyda (the desolation of the country), and miraculous powers were attributed to it. The ■ fatal raven was the device of Odin, god of war, and was said to have been woven and em- broidered in one noontide by the daugh- ters of Eegner Lodbrok, son of Sigurd, that dauntless warrior who chanted his death-song (the Krakamal) while being stung to death in a horrible pit filled with deadly serpents. If the Danish arms were destined to defeat, the raven hung his head and drooped his wings ; if victory was to attend them, he stood erect and soaring, as if inviting the war- riors to follow. The Danish “ Raven,” lured by annual prey, Hung o’er the land incessant. Thomson, “ Liberty,’* pt. iv. The two ravens that sit on the shoulders of Odin are called Hugin and Munnin {Mind and Memory). One raven will not 'pluch another’s eyes out (German, Eine rabe hacket sein andern kein auge ans”). Friends will not peach” friends; you are not to take for granted all that a friend says of a friend. Ravenglass {Cumberland). A cor- ruption of A f on-glass (Blue river). Ra'venstone. The stone gibbet of Germany ; so called from the ravens which are wont to perch on it. (German, rahenstein. ) Do you think I’ll honour you so much as save your throat Trom the ravenstone, by choking you myself ? Byron, “ Werner” ii. 2. Ra'venswood {Allan, lord of). A decayed Scotch nobleman of the Eoyalist party. Master Edgar Ravenswood. His son, who falls in love with Lucy Ashton, daughter of Sir William Ashton, lord- keeper of Scotland. The lovers plight their troth at the Mermaid’s Fountain, but Lucy is compelled to marry Frank RAWHEAD. REBECCA. 739 Hayston, laird of Bucklaw. The bride, in a fit of insanity, attempts to murder the bridegroom, and dies in convulsions. Bucklaw recovers, and goes abroad. Colonel Ashton, seeing Edgar at the funeral of Lucy, appoints a hostile meet- ing ; and Edgar, on his way to the place appointed, is lost in the quicksands of Kelpies-flow.— aSi?' Walter Scott, Bride 0 f Lammermoor. ’ ’ In Donizetti’s opera of “ Lucia di Lam- mermoor,” Bucklaw dies of the wound inflicted by the bride, and Edgar, heart- broken, comes on the stage and kills himself, that ‘^his marriage with Lucy, forbidden on earth, may be consummated in heaven.” Rawhead and Bloody-Bones. A bogie at one time the terror of children. Servants awe children and keep them in sub- jection by telling them of Jiawhead and Blojdy- bones. — Locke. Bay 'mond (in ‘ ‘ J erusa lem Delivered’ ’ ) . Master of 4,000 infantry, count of Tou- louse, equal to Godfrey in the wisdom of cool debate ”(bk. hi.). This Nestor of the crusaders slays Aladine, the. king of Jerusalem, and plants the Christian standard upon the tower of David (bk. XX.). Bayne or Raine {Essex). Go and say your prayers at Raine. The old church of Raine, built in the time of Henry II., famous for its altar to the Virgin, and much frequented at one time by preg- nant women, who went to implore the Virgin to give them safe deliverance. Baw. To touch one on the raiv. To mention something that makes a person wince, like touching a horse on a raw place in cleaning him. Bazee {raz-za). A ship of war cut down to a smaller size, as a seventy-four reduced to a frigate. {French.) Baz'ikah.'. An idol worshipped by the tribe of Ad, in order that food might | be abundant. | Bazor. Hetoing blocks vjith a razor. Livy relates how Tarquinius PriscuSj de- I fying the power of Attus Navius the augur, said to him, Tell me, if you are i so wise, whether I can do what I am now j thinking about.” ^‘Yes,” said Navius. I Ha ! ha ! ” cried the king ; I was | thinking whether I could cut in twain ; that whetstone with a razor.” Cut boldly!” answered the augur, and the king cleft it in twain with a blow. In short, ’twas his fate unemployed or in place, sir. To eat mutton cold, or cut blocks with a razor. Goldsmith, ''Retaliation” Baz'zia. An incursion made by the military into an enemy’s country, for the purpose of carrying off cattle and de- stroying the standing crops. It is an Arabic word much employed in connec- tion with Algerine affairs. War is a razzia rather than an art to the merci- less Pelissier.— 27ie standard. Beach, of a river. The part which lies between two points or bends ; so called because it reaches from point to point. When he drew near them he would turn from each. And loudly whistle till he passed the “ Reach.” Crabbe, “ Borough.” Beady {The). An elliptical expression for ready-money. Goldsmith says dEs in presenti perfectuin format (ready-money makes a man perfect). — Eton Latin Grammar. Lord Strut was not very flush in the "ready.”— Dr. Arbuthnot. Beady-to-Halt. A pilgrim that journeyed to the Celestial city on crutches. He joined the party under the charge of Mr. Greatheart, but ‘'when he was sent for” he threw away his crutches, and lo ! a chariot bore him into Paradise. — Bunyan, Pilgrim's Pro- gress," pt. ii. . Beal Presence. The doctrine that Christ himself is really and substantially present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist after consecration. Beason. The Goddess of Reason. The wife of Momoro, the printer, was set up by the Commune of Paris to repre- sent this goddess in 1793. Dressed in a thin white veil, and wearing on her head the cap of liberty, she was carried in a chair by four men to Notre Dame de Paris, and placed on the altar. Hymns were then sung to her, and processions formed. Bebec'ca. Daughter of Isaac the Jew, in love with Ivanhoe. Rebecca, with her father and Ivanhoe, being taken prisoners, are confined in Front de Boeuf’s castle. Rebecca is taken to the turret chamber and left with the old sibyl there, but when Brian de Bois Guilbert comes and offers her insult she spurns him with heroic disdain, and rushing to the verge of the battlements, threatens to throw V y 2 740 REBECCAITES. RED-CROSS KNIGHT, herself over if he touches her. Ivanhoe, who was suffering from wounds received in a tournament, is nursed by Rebecca. Being again taken prisoner, the Grand Master commands the J ewish maiden to be tried for sorcery, and she demands a trial by combat. The demand is granted, when Brian de Bois Guilbert is appointed as the champion against her ; and Ivan- hoe undertakes her defence, slays Brian, and Rebecca is set free. To the general disappointment of novel-readers, after all this excitement Ivanhoe tamely marries the lady Rowen'a, a “vapid piece of still life.” Rebecca pays the newly-married pair a wedding visit, and then goes abroad with her father to get out of the way. — Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe,^^ Rebee'caites (4 syl.). Certain Welsh rioters in 1843, whose object was to de- molish turnpike gates. The name was taken from Rebekah, the bride of Isaac. When she left her father’s house, Laban and his family “blessed her,” and said, “Let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate thee” (Gen. xxiv. 60). Rebellion (T'/^e). The revolts in be- half of the House of Stuart in 1715 and 1745 : the former in behalf of the che- valier de St. George, son of James II., called the Old Pretender, and the latter in favour of Charles Edward, usually termed the Young Pretender. The Great Rebellion. The revolt of the Long Parliament against Charles I. (1642-1646). Rebus (Latin, with thmgs). A hiero- glyphic riddle, “ non verbis sed rebus.” The origin of the word and custom is this : The basochiens of Paris, during the Carnival, used to satirise the current follies of the day in squibs called De rebus quce geruntur (on the current events). That these squibs might not be accounted libellous, they employed hiero- glyphics either wholly or in part. The following is an example of a rebus : — Rose Hill I adore. Re'cliabites (3 syl.). A religious sect founded by Rechab, distinguished for their retired habits, and their custom of lodging in tents. — Jewish history. Reela'im (2 syl.). To turn from evil ways. This is a term in falconry, and | means to call bach the hawk to the wrist This was done when it was unruly, that it might be smoothed and tamed. (Latin, re-clamo . ) Recorded. Death recorded means that the sentence of death is recorded or written by the recorder against the criminal, but not verbally pronounced by the judge. This is done when capital punishment is likely to be remitted. It is the verbal sentence of the judge that is the only sufficient warrant of an exe- cution. The sovereign is not now con- sulted about any capital punishment. Rec'reant is one who cries out (French, recrier'); alluding to the judicial combats, when the person who wished to give in cried for mercy, and was held a coward, and infamous. {See Craven.) Rector. (iSee Clerical Titles.) Recul'ver. The antiquities of this place are fully described in “ Antiquitates Rutupinse,” by Dr. Battely (1711). It was a Roman fort in the time of Claudius. Red Basque Cap. The cognizance of Don Carlos, pretender to the Spanish throne. Red Book. The book which gave account of the court expenditure in France before the Revolution was so called because its covers were red. We have also a “ Red Book” in manuscript, containing the names of all those who held lands per baro'niam in the reign of Henry II., with other matters pertain- ing to the nation before the Conquest. — Ryley, 667. Red Cap {Mother). An old nurse “at the Hungerford Stairs.” Dame Ursley or Ursula, another nurse, says of her rival — She may do very well for skippers' wives, chan- dlers’ daughters, and such like, but nobody sh dl wait on pretty Mistrcs-^ Margaret excepting and saving myself.— Sge Black.) Resolute (^The). John Florio, the philologist, tutor to prince Henry ; the Holofernes of Shakespeare. (1545-1625.) The Resolute Doctor. John Bacon- thorp. (*-1346.) The Most Resolute Doctor, Guillaume Durandus de St. Pour^aiu. (*-1332.) Res'tive (2 syl.) means inclined to resist, resist ive, obstinate or self-willed. It has nothing to do with rest (quiet). Restora'tionists. The followers of Origen’s opinion that all persons, after a purgation proportioned to their demerits, will be restored to Divine favour and taken to paradise. . Mr. Ballow, of America, has introduced an extension of the term, and maintains that all retribu- tion is limited to this life, and at the resurrection all will be restored to life, joy, and immortality. Resurrection Pie is pie made of broken cooked meat. Meat rechauffe is sometimes called '' resurrection meat.” Retia'rius. A gladiator who made use of a net, which ho threw over his adversary. As in thronged amphitheatre of old The wary lletiarius irapn d his foe. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence,'^ canto ii. Reuben Dixon. A village school- master “of ragged lads.” Mi4 noise, and dirt, and stench, and play, and prate, He calmly outs the pen or views the slate, Crabbe, ^'Borough,'* letter xxiv. Reveille (re-vay'-ya). The beat of drum at daybreak to warn the sentries that they may forbear from challenging, as the troops are awake. (French, r^- veiller, to awake.) Rev'el. Mr. Lye derives this word from the Dutch raveelen, to wander loosely about, and refers in proof to the old term a revel-rout ; but it is far more likely to be the French r^veillon, a feast given in the middle of the night, from the verb reveiller, to rouse out of sleep. Master of the Revels. {See Lord of Misrule.) Revenons h nos Moutons {Return we to our sheep). Let us come back to the matter in hand ; let us resume our discourse. The phrase is from an old comedy of the fiheenth century, called “L’Avocat Patella/’ by De Brueys, in REVEREND, RHAPSODY. 745 which a clothier giving evidence against a shepherd who had stolen some sheep, is ever running from the subject to talk about some cloth which Patelin his lawyer had swindled him of. The judge perpetually stops him by saying, ** But about the sheep," Tell us about the sheep.” Reverend. An archbishop is the Most [Father in God] ; a bishop, the Right Reverend; a dean, the Very Reverend; an archdeacon, the Venerable; all the rest of the clergy, the Reverend. Review. The British Review was nicknamed ’^My Grandmother.” In Don Juan,” lord Byron says, “ I bribed My Grandniama’s Reviev^, the British.” The editor took this in dudgeon and gave Byron the lie, but the poet turned the laugh against the reviewer. Am I flat. I tip “ My Graudmother ” a bit of prose. — ^JVoctes Am'jrusiance” Revi'se (2 syl.). The second proof- sheet submitted to an author or ‘^reader.” I at length reached a vanlted room... and beheH, seated by a amp a id empioyed iu readiui? a blu'ted revise . ..the an her of \Vsi.verley—ijcott,'"ForiuniS of Nigel ” {Intro iuction). Revival of Letters in Englandf dates from the commencement of the 11th century. The Arabs first became acquainted with the literature of Greece in the eighth century, but the subjects most appreciated by them were metaphysics, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, bo- tany, and other physical sciences. Revival of Painting and Sculpture began with Niccola Pisano, Giunta, Cima- bue, and Giotto (2 syl.). Reviver of Religion {Mohi-eddin). A title given to Aurungzebe, the Great Mogul. (1618-1707.) Revo'ke (2 syl.). When a player at cards can follow suit, but plays some other card, he makes a revoke, and by the laws of whist the adversaries are entitled to score three points. Gooi Heaven! Revoke? Remember, if the set Be lost, in honour you should pay the debt. Crabbe, '"Borough.** Revulsion {in philosophy). Part of a substance set off and formed into a dis- tinct existence, as when a slip is cut from a tree and planted to form a distinct plant of itself. Tertullian the Montanist taught that the second person of the Trinity was a revulsion of the Father. (Batin, revulsiOf re-vello, to pull back.) Reyn'ard the Pox. The hero in the beast-epic of the fourteenth century. This prose poem is a satire on the state of Germany in the middle ages. Reynard typifies the church ; his uncle, Isengrin the wolf, typifies the baronial element ; and Nodel the lion, the regal. The word means deep counsel or wit. (Gothic, raginoharty cunning in counsel ; Old Norse, hreinn and ard ; German, reinehe.) Reynard is commonly used as a synonym of fox. Wbere prowling Reynard trod his nighUy round. Bloomfield. ' Farmer's^ Boy.** Reynard the Fox. Professedly by Hinreck van Alckmer, tutor of the duke of Lorraine. This name is generally supposed to be a pseudonym of Hermann Barkhusen, town-clerk and book-printer in Rostock. (1498 ) False Reynard. So Dryden describes the Unitarians in his Hin(l and Pan- ther.” With greater guile False Reynard fed ou couit-crated spoil ; The graceless beas’ by Athaua'sius first Was chased from Nice, then by aocinMS nursed. Part i. Reynar'dine (3 syl.). The eldest son of Reynard the Fox, who assumed the names of Dr. Pedanto and Crabron. — Reynard the Fox." Reynold of Montalbon. One of Charlemagne’s knights and paladins. Rhadaman'thos. One of the three judges of hell ; Minos and .^acos being the other two. — Greeh mythology. RhampsinPtos. The Greek form of Ram'eses III., the richest of the Egyp- tian kings, who amassed seventy-seven millions sterling, which ho secured in a treasury of stone, but by an artifice of the builder he was robbed every night. Rhapsody means songs sewed to- gether. Tne term was originally applied to the books of the Iliad and Odyssey, which at one time were in fragments. Certain bards collected together a num- ber of the fragments, enough to make a connected ballad,” and sang them as our minstrels sang the deeds of famous heroes. Those bards who sang the Iliad wore a red robe, and those who sang the Odyssey a blue one. Pisis'tratos of Athens had all these fragments care- fully compiled into their present form. (Greek, raptOy to sew or string together j odey a song. ) 740 EHENE, RICHARD, Rhene (1 syl.). The Rhine. (Latin, Rhenus.) To pass Khene or the Danaw IDanu^e]. Milton, ‘^Paradise Lost,'* bk i. Rhine or Rhineland. The country of Gunther, king of Burgundy, is so called in the Nibelungen-Lied.” Not a lord of Rhineland could follow where he flew. Lettsom's ^'‘JVibelungen-Lied” st. 210. Rhi'no. Ready-money. {See Nose.) Rhod'alind. A princess famous for her '^knightly” deeds; she would have been the wife of Gon'dibert, but he wisely preferred Birtha, a country girl, the .daughter of the sage As'tragon. Rho'dian Law. The earliest system of marine law known to history ; com- piled by the Rhodians about 900 B.C. Rhone. The Rho^ie of Christian eloquence. St. Hil'ary ; so called from the vehemence of his style. (300-368.) Rhopal'ic Verse {wedge-verse). A line in which each successive word has more syllables than the one preceding it. (Greek, rhopalon, a club, which from the handle to the top grows bigger and bigger.) Spes deus aeterna est stationis conciliator. Hope ever solaced miserable individuals. 1 2 3 4 5 Rhyme. Neither rhyme nor reason. Fit neither for amusement nor instruc- tion. An author took his book to Sir Thomas More, chancellor in the reign of Henry VIII,, and asked his opinion. Sir Thomas told the author to turn it into rhyme. He did so, and submitted it again to the lord chancellor. ^^Ay! ay ! ” said the witty satirist, that will do, that will do. ’Tis rhyme now, but before it was neither rhyme nor reason.” Rhyming to death. The Irish at one time believed that their children and cattle could be “ eybitten,” that is be- witched by an evil eye, and that the '^eybitter” or witch could ^‘rime” them to death.— i^. ScoH, Discovery of Witch- craft.” (AS'eeRATS.) Rhymer. Thomas the Rhymer. Thomas Learmount, of Ercildoune, who lived in the thirteenth century. This was quite a different person to Thomas Rymer, the historiographer royal to William III. (Flourished 1283.) {See True Thomas.) Rib'aldry is the language of a ribald. (French, riband ; Old French, ribaudie ; Italian, ribalderia^ the language of a vagabond or rogue.) Ribbonism. A Catholic association organised in Ireland about 1808. Its two main objects are (1) to secure ‘^fixity of tenure,” called the tenant-right ; and (2) to deter any one from taking land from which a tenant has been ejected. The name arises from a ribbon worn as a badge in the button-hole of the mem- bers. Ribs ton Pippin. So called from Ribston, in Yorkshire, where Sir Henry Goodricke planted three pips sent to him from Rouen, in Normandy. Two of the pips died, but the third became the parent of the Ribston apple-trees in England. Riccardo, in the opera of I Puri- ta'ni,” is Sir Richard Forth, a Puritan, commander of Plymouth fortress. Lord Walton promised to give him his daugh- ter Elvi'ra in marriage, but Elvira had engaged her affections to lord Arthur Talbot, a Cavalier, to whom ultimately she was married. Riceiardet'to. Son of Agmon and brother of Bradamante. — Ariosto , Or- lando Furioso.” Rice thrown after a bride. A relic of the panis farreus,” in the most honour- able form of Roman marriage, called Confarrea'tio.” Rich as a Jew. This expression arose in the middle ages, when Jews were almost the only merchants, and were certainly the most wealthy of the people. There are still the Rothschilds among them, and others of great wealth. Richard CcBur de Lion. {See Bogie.) His tremendous name was employed by the Syrian mothers to silence their iufants ; and if a horse sud- denly started from the way, his rider was wont to exclaim, “ Dost thou think king Richard is in the bush ? "—Gibbon, Decline and Fall," ko., xi. 146. Richard II.’s Horse. Roan Barbary. O, how it yearned my heart, when I beheld In London streets that coronation day When Bolingbroke rode on Roan Barbary— That horse that thou so often hast bestrid— That horse that I so carefully have dressed. Shakespeare, ‘'Richard v- 5? RICHARD. RIDOLPHUS. 747 Richard III.’s Horse. White Surrey. Saddle White Surrey for the field to-morrovr. Shakespeare, '■'Richard III," v. 3. Richard’s Himself Again. These words are not in Shakespeare’s Richard III.,” but were interpolated from Colley Cibber by John Kemble. Richard of Cirencester. Some- times called The monk of W estminster,” an early English chronicler. His chronic] e On the Ancient State of Britain” was first brought to light by Dr. Charles Julius Bertram, professor of English at Copenhagen in 1747, but the original (like the original of Macpherson’s ^^Ossian” and of Joe Smith's ^^Book of Mormon”) does not exist, and grave suspicion pre- vails that all three are alike forgeries. Richard Roe. A mere nominal defendant in actions of ejectment. The name used to be coupled with John Doe^ but these airy nothings are no longer the lawyer’s tools. Richar'da, wife of Nicholas d’Este. A widow who, with her son Hercules, was dispossessed of her inheritance by Lio- nello and Borso. Both were obliged to go into exile, but finally Hercules reco- vered his lordship. Richborough, Richeboro\ or Rates- burgh (a Roman fort in the time of Claudius), called by Alfred of Beverley, Richberge ; by the Saxons (according to Bede) Reptacester, and by others Rupti- muth ; by Orosius, the port and city of Rhutubus ; by Ammianus, Rhutupise Statio ; by Antoninus, Rhitupis Portus ; by Tacitus, Portus Trutulensis for Rhutu- pensis ; by Ptolemy, Rhutupise. — Camden. Ricochet irilcho-shay)-. Anything repeated over and over again. The fabulous bird that had only one note was called the Ricochet ; and the rebound on water termed ducks and drakes has the same name. Marshal Vauban (1633-1707) invented a battery of rebound called the Ricochet baiWy, the application of which was Ricochet firing.' The well-known song beginning '^Oh dear, what can the matter be ?” may be termed une chanson du ricochet, from its repetition of the same words line after line. Riddle. Josephus relates how Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon had once a contest in riddles, when Solomon won a large sum of money ; but he subsequently lost it to Abde'mon, one of Hiram’s subjects. Riddle. Plutarch states that Homer died of chagrin, because he could not solve a certain riddle. {See Sphinx. ) Father oj Riddles. So the abbe Cotin dubbed himself, but posterity has not confirmed his right to the title. (1604- 1682.) Ride. To ride abroad with St. George, hut at home with St. Michael; said of a hen- pecked braggart. St. George is repre- sented as riding on a war charger whither he listed ; St. Michael, on a dragon. Abroad a man rides like St. George on a horse which he can control and govern ; but at home he has a dragon” to manage like St. Michael. (French.) _ Rider. An addition to a manuscript, like a codicil to a will ; an additional clause tacked to a bill in parliament ; so called because it over-rides the preceding matter when the two come into collision. A question added to another question in an examination paper. Perhapa Mr, Kenneth ^rill allow me to add the following as a rider to his suggestion.— iVofes and Queries, "M.N.** Riderliood {Rogue). The villain in Dickens’s novel entitled Our Mutual Friend.” Ridicule {Father of). Francois Rabelais. (1495-1553.) Riding of Yorkshire. Same as trithing in Lincolnshire ; the jurisdiction of a third part of a county, under the government of a reeve {sheriff). The word ding or thing is Scandinavian, and means a legislative assembly ; hence the great national diet of Norway is still called a stor-thing (great legislative assembly), and its two chambers are the lag-thing (law assembly) and the odcls- thing (freeholders’ assembly). Kent was divided into laths, Sussex into rapes, Lincoln into parts. The person who pre- sided over a trithing was called the trithing-man ; he who presided in the lath was called a lath-grieve. Ridol'plius (in Jerusalem Deli- vered”). One of the band of adventurers that joined the Crusaders, He was slain by Argantes (bk. vii.). 748 31ID0TT0 RIGLET. Ridot'to (^Italian). An assembly where the company is first entertained with music, and then joins in dancing. Rien'zi {Nicotd Gahri'ni). The Re- former at Rome. (1313-1354.) Bulwer Lytton (Lord Lytton) has a novel called ‘^Rienzi.’» Rif or Rijie (French). Avoir rifle et raUe, To have everything. Also, the negative n' avoir ni rif ni raf ; to have nothing. H61as ! j’ai goute miseraigne, J’ai rifle rafle, et roigne et taigne. “ Lea Miracles de Ste. (xenevicve.** Riff-raff. The offscouring of society, or rather refuse and sweepings.” Rief is Anglo-Saxon, and means a rag ; Raff is also Anglo-Saxon, and means sweep- ings. (Danish, rips-raps.) The French have the expression avoir rifle et rafle, meaning to have everything ; whence radoux, one who has everything, and the phrase il oi^a hiisse m rif ni raf, he has left nothing behind him. I have neither ryff nor ruflF [raff to cover me nor roof over my head]. — Sharj)^ "Coventi'y Myst.^* p. 22i. Ilka man agayne his gud he gaffe 'Jhat he had tine with ryfe and raffe. Quoted by Halliwell in his “ Archaic Dictionary Rifle is from the German reifeln, to hollow into tubes. In 1851, the Frepch minie rifle was partially supplied to the British army. In 1853 it was superseded by the Enfield rifle, which has three grooves. Sir William Armstrong’s gun, which has numerous small sharp grooves, was adopted by the government in 1859. The Whitworth gun, which has a poly- gonal bore, with a twist towards the muzzle, will probably supersede the Armstrong. Eig. A piece of frolic or fun. The Scotch say of a man who indulges in intoxication, He goes the rigd' The same word is applied in Scotland to a certain portion or division of a field. Thus, such expressions as the ‘Mea-rig” and the ‘‘rigs o’ barley” occur in the songs of Burns. A wanton used to be called a rig. (French, se rigoler, to make merry.) He little thought when he set out Of running such a rig. Coivper, **John Gilpin*' Rig. To dress ; whence rigged out, to rig oneself, to rig a ship, well-rigged, &c. (Saxon, wrigan, to dress ; hrcegl, a gar- ment. Jack was rigged out in his gold and silver lace, with a feather in h^s cs^p.—L'Dstranffe. Rig- Marie. Base coin. The word originated from one of the billon coins struck in the reign of queen Mary, which bore the words Reg. Maria as part of the legend. Rigadoon. A French figure-dance invented by Isaac Rig'adon. And Isaac’s Rgiadoon shall live as long As Raphael’s painting, or as V irgil’s song. Jenyna, ‘‘Art of Danciny." canto ii. Rig'dum Pun'nidos, in Carey’s burlesque of “ Chrononhotonthologos.” Rigdiim Funnidos. A sobriquet given by Sir Walter Scott to J ohn Ballantyne, his publisher. So called because he was full of fun. (1776-1821.) A quick, act've, intrep’d little fellow.... full of fun and merriment.. ..all over quaintne^s and hu- morous mimicry. ... a keen and skilful utvotee of all manner of field-sports, from fox-hunting to badger-i.aitmg inclusive. — Lockhart. Right. Right as the trivet. The trivet is a metallic piate-stand with three legs. Some fasten to the fender, and are de- signed to hold the plate of hot toast. (Saxon, ihryfot three-foot, tripod.) Declaration of Rights, An instrument submitted to William and Mary on their being called to the throne, setting forth the fundamental principles of the con- stitution. The chief items are these : The crown cannot levy taxes, nor keep a standing army in times of peace ; the members of parliament are free to utter their thoughts, and a parliament is to be convened every year ; elections are to be free, trial by jury is to be inviolate, and the right of petition is not to be inter- fered with. Right Foot Foremost. In Rome a boy was always stationed at the door of a mansion to caution the visitors not to cross the threshold with their left foot, which would have been an ill-omen. Right Hand. The right-hand side of the Speaker, meaning the ministerial benches. In the French Legislative Assembly, the right meant the Monarchy- men. In the National Convention, the Girondists were called the right hand, because they occupied the Ministerial benches. Riglet. A thin piece of wood used for stretching the canvas of pictures ; and in printing, to regulate the margin, EIGOL. BING. 749 &c. (French, reglet^ a rule or regulator ; Latin, reg'idaj a rule. ) Big'ol. A circle or diadem. The word seems to be a corruption of ringle (a little ring). [Sleep] That from this golden rigol hath divorced Bo many English kings. Shakespeare^ “2 Henry IV” iv. 4. Bigolette (3 syl.). A grisette, a courtezan; so called from Bigolette in Eugene Sue’s “ Mysteries of Paris.” Bigoletto. An opera describing the agony of a father obliged to witness the prostitution of his own child. The li- bretto is borrowed from the drama called Le Roi s’ Amuse,” by Victor Hugo ; the music is by Giuseppe Verdi. Bile. Don't rile the water. Do not stir up the water and make it muddy* The water is riled — muddy and unfit to drink. Common Norfolk expressions; also, a boy is riled (out of temper). 7’ s y, together, Joe Smith was regularly Hied, is quite Norfolk. The American roil has the same meaning. (French, hrouiller; our broil.) Bime of Sir Thopas. A trayestie of the ancient rhyming romances intro- duced by Chaucer into his “ Canterbury Tales.” Harry Bailly interrupts mine host with the most energetic expressions of contempt. Bi'mer. Chief god of Damascus ; so called from the word rime, a pome- granate,” because he held a pomegranate in his right hand. The people bore a pomegranate in their coat armour. The Romans called this god Jupiter Cassius, from mount Cassius, near Damascus. Bimfaxi {Frost mane). The horse of Night, the foam of whose bit causes dew. — Scandinavian mythology. Bimmon. A Syrian god, whose seat was Damascus, Him followed Rimmon, whose deliglitful seat Was fair Uam^iscus. on the fertile bank Of Al'bana and Pharpbar, lucid streams. Milton,** Paradise Lost’* bk. i. Bimthur'sar. Brother of Y'mer. They were called the ^^Evil Ones.” — Scandinavian mythology Binal'do (in 'Jerusalem Delivered”). The Achilles of the Christian army. ^*He despises gold and power, but craves re- nown” (bk. i.). He was the son of Ber- toldo and Sophia, and nephew of Guelpho, but was brought up by Matilda. At the age of fifteen he ran away and joined the Crusaders, where he was enrolled in the adventurers’ squadron. Having slain Gernando, he was summoned by Godfrey to public trial, but went into voluntary exile. The pedigree of Rinaldo, of the noble house of Este, is traced from Actius on the male side, and Augustus on the female to Actius VI. (Bk. xvii.) Rinaldo (in Orlando Furioso ”). Son of the fourth marquis d’Este, cousin of Orlando, lord of Mount Auban or Albano, eldest son of Amon or Aymon, nephew of Charlemagne, and Bradamant’s brother {see Alba'no). He was the rival of his cousin Orlando, but Angelica detested him. He was called Clarmont’s leader,” and brought an auxiliary force of English and Scotch to Charlemagne, which Si- lence” conducted safely into Paris. Rioialdo or Renaud, one of the paladins of Charlemagne, is always painted with the characteristics of a borderer— valiant, alert, ingenious, rapacious, and unscru- pulous. Bing. The Ring and the Booh. An idyllic epic by Robert Browning, founded on a cause celehre of Italian history (1(598). Guido Franceschi'ni, a Florentine noble- man of shattered fortune, by the advice of his brother, cardinal Paulo, marries Pompilia, an heiress, to repair his state. Now Pompilia was only a supposititious child of Pietro, supplied by Violante for the sake of preventing certain property from going to an heir not his own. When the bride discovered the motive of the bridegroom, she revealed to him this fact, and the first trial occurs to settle the said property. The count treats his bride so brutally that she quits his roof under the protection of Caponsacchi, a young priest, and takes refuge in Rome. Guido follows the fugitives and arrests them at an inn ; a trial ensues, and a separation is permitted. Pompilia pleads ^r a divorce, but, pending the suit, gives Dirth to a son at the house of her puta- tive parents. The count, hearing there of, murders Pietro, Violante, and Pom- pilia , but, being taken red-handed, is executed. Ring. If a lady or gentleman is willing to marry, but not engaged, a ring should be worn on the index finger of the left hand ; if engaged, on the second finger ; if married, on the third finger ; but if 750 KING. KING DOWN. either has no desire to marry, on the little finger. — Madame O. De la Tour. A ring worn on the forefinger indicates a haughty, bold, and overbearing spirit ; on the long finger, prudence, dignity, and discretion ; on the marriage finger, love and affection ; on the little finger, a masterful spirit. Ring. It is said that Edward the Con- fessor was once asked for alms by an old man, and gave him his ring. In time some English pilgrims went to the Holy Land, and happened to meet the same old man, who told them he was John the Evangelist) and gave them the identical ring to take to ‘‘Saint” Edward. This ring was preserved in Westminster Abbey. Ring given in marriage, because it was anciently used as a seal, by which orders were signed (Gen. xxxviii. 18; Esther hi. 10-12) ; and the delivery of a ring was a sign that the giver endowed the person who received it with all the power he himself possessed (Gen. xli. 42). The woman who had the ring could issue commands as her husband, and was in every respect his representative. In the Roman espousals, the man gave the vroman a ring by way of pledge, and the woman put it ou the third finger of her left hand, because it was be- lieved that a nerve ran from that finger tothe heart. —Macrobius, Sat. viL 15. Ring posy or motto : (1) A E I (Greek for Always”). (2) For ever and for aye. (3) In thee, my choice, I do rejoice. (t) Let love increase. (5) May God above Increase our love. (6) Not two but one, Till life is gone. (7) My heart and I, Until I die. (8) When this you see. Then think of me, (9) Love is heaven, and heaven is lore. 10) Wedlock, ’tis said, In heaven is made. Right to wear a gold ring. Amongst the Romans, only senators, chief magis- trates, and in later times knights, en- joyed the “jus annuli aurei.” The emperors conferred the right upon whom they pleased, and Justinian extended the privilege to all Roman citizens. Ring. The doge of Venice, on Ascen- sion day, used to throw a ring into the sea from the ship Bucentaur, to denote that the Adriatic was subject to the re- public of Venice as a wife is subject to her husband. Polyc'raies' ring was flung into the sea to propitiate Nem'esis, and was found again by the owner inside a fish. {See Glasgow Arms). Pope Innocent's Rings. On May 29th, 1205, pope Innocent III. sent John, king of England, four gold rings set with pre- cious stones, and in his letter says the gift is emblematical. He thus explains the matter : — The rotundity signifies eter- nity, remember we are passing through time into eternity. The number signifies the four virtues which make up constancy of mind — viz., “justice, fortitude, pru- dence, and temperance.” The . material signifies “wisdom from on high,” which is as gold purified in the fire. The green emerald is emblem of “faith,” the blue sapphire of “hope,” the red garnet of “ charity,” and the bright topaz of “good works.” — Rymer, ^^Foedera," vol. i. 139. The Enchanted Ring (in “ Orlando rurioso”)was given by king Agramant to the dwarf Brunello, from whom it was stolen by Brad'amant and given to Me- lissa. It passed successively into the hands of Roge'ro and Angelica (who car- ried it in her mouth). — Bk. v. Solomon's ring, among other wonderful things, sealed up the refractory Jins in jars, and cast them into the Red Sea. Reynard's wonderful ring. This ring, which existed only in the brain of Rey- nard, had a stone of three colours — red, white, and green. The red made the night as clear as the day ; the white cured all manner of diseases ; and the green rendered the wearer of the ring invin- cible.— the Fox," ch. xii. Ring of Invisibility which belonged to Otnit, king of Lombardy, given to him by the queen-mother when he went to gain in marriage the soldan’s daughter. The stone of the ring had the virtue of directing the wearer the right road to take in travelling. — The Heldenhuch. Gyges' ring {q.v.) rendered the wearer invisible when its stone was turned in- wards. It has the true rmg — has intrinsic merit ; bears the mark of real talent. A meta- phor taken from the custom of judging genuine money by its “ring” or sound. The ring. The space set apart for prize-fighters, horse-racing, &c. ; so called because the spectators stand round in a ring. [Ring Down. Conclude, end at -once. A theatrical phrase, alluding to the cus- tom of ringing a bell to give notice for the fall of the curtain. Charles Dickens RING FINGER. RIQUET. 751 says, It is time to ring down on these remarks .” — Speech at the D^'amatic FUe. Ring Finger. Priests used to wear their ring on the fore-finger (which re- presents the Holy Ghost) in token of their spiritual office. {See Wedding Finger. ) The ring finger represents the humanity of Christ, and is used in matrimony, which has only to do with humanity. {See Finger Benediction.) Ring Finger. Aulus Gellius tells us that Appia'nus asserts in his Egyptian hooks that a very delicate nerve runs from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart, on which account this finger is used for the marriage ring. — ^^Noctes,' X. 10. The fact has nothing to do with the question ; that the ancients helieved it is all we require to know. In the Roman Ca- tholic church, the thumb and first two fin- gers represent the Trinity : thus the bride- groom says, '^in the name of the Father,” and touches the thumb ; '^in the name of the Son,” and touches the first finger; and “ in the name of the Holy Ghost” he touches the long or second finger. The next finger is the husband’s, to whom the woman owes allegiance next to God. The left hand is chosen to show that the woman is to be subject to the man. In the Hereford, York, and Salis- bury missals, the ring is directed to be put first on the thumb, then on the first finger, then on the long finger, and lastly on the ring-finger, quia in illo dig ito est qucedam vena proce'dens usque ad cor. Ringing Changes. Bantering each other ; turning the tables on a jester. The allusion is to bells. {See Peal.) Ringing Island. The church of Rome. It is an island because it is isolated or cut off from the world. It is a ringing island because bells are inces- santly ringing : at matin and vespers, at mass and at sermon-time, at noon, vigils, eves, and so on. It is entered only after four days’ fasting, without which none in the Romish church enter holy orders. Ringlet of Grass. Whoever lives in a house built over a fairy ring” shall wondrously prosper . — Athenian Oracle, i. 397. Ringleader. The person who opens ^ a ball or leads off a dance {see Holly- band’s Dictionary,” 1593). The dance referred to was commenced by the party taking hands round in a ring, instead of in two lines as in the country dance. The leader in both cases has to set the figures. Riot. To run riot. To act in a very disorderly way. Riot means debauchery or wild merriment. See, Riot her luxurious howl prepares. ** Tableau of Cebes." Rip. To rip up old grievances or sores To bring them again to recollection, to recall them. The allusion is to breaking up a place in search of something hidden and out of sight. {Saxon.) They ripped up all that had beeu done from the beginning of the rebellion.— GZarencion. Ripp van Winkle, slept 20 years in the Katskill mountains. — N. Amer. Ripaille. I am living at Ripaille —in idleness and pleasure. (French, faire Ripaille.) Amedeus VII., duke of Savoy, retired to Ripaille, near Geneva, where he threw off all the cares of state, and lived among boon companions in the indulgence of unrestrained pleasure. {See Sybarite.) Riph'ean or Rhiphae'an Rocks. Any cold mountains in a north country. The fabled Rhiphsean mountains were in Scythia. Cold Riphean rocks, which the wild Russ Believes the stony girdle of the world. Thomson, “ Autumn. ” The poet here speaks of the Weliki Camenypoys {great stone girdle) supposed by the early Russians to have girded the whole earth. Rip'on. True as Ripon steel. Ripon used to be famous for its steel spurs, which were the best in the world. The spikes of a Ripon spur would strike through a shilling-piece without turning the point. Riquet with a Tuft, from the French ^'Riquet ^ la Houppe,” by Charles Per- rault ; borrowed from ^^The Nights of Straparola,” and imitated by Madame Villeneuve in her Beauty and the Beast.” Riquet is the beau-ideal of ugliness, but had the power of endowing the person he loved best with wit and intelligence. He falls in love with a beautiful woman as stupid as Riquet is ugly, but possessing the power of en- dowing the person she loves best with beauty. The two marry and exchange gifts. 752 RISE. ROB ROY. Rise. To take a rise out of one. Hot- ten says this is a metaphor from fly- fishing ; the fish rise to the fly, and are caught. Rising in the Air. In the middle ages, persons believed that saints were sometimes elevated from the ground by religious ecstacy. St. Philip of Neri was sometimes raised to the height of several yards, occasionally to the ceiling of the room. Ignatius Loyola was some- times raised up two or three feet, and his body became luminous. St. Robert de Palentin was elevated in his ecstacies eighteen or twenty inches. St. Dunstan, a little before his death, was observed to rise from the ground. And Girolamo Savonarola, just prior to execution, knelt in prayer, and was lifted from the floor of his cell into mid-air, where he re- mained suspended for a considerable time . — **Acta Sanctorum.^* Rivals (*' Persons dwelling on oppo- site sides of a river”). Forsyth derives these words from the Latin nr a' Lis, a riverman. Cselius says there was no more fruitful source of contention than river-right, both with beasts and men, not only for the benefit of its waters, but also because rivers are natural boun- daries. Hence Ariosto compares Orlando and Ag'rican to two hinds quarrelling for the river right” (xxiii. 83). River of Paradise. St. Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, 'Hhe Last of the Fathers,” was so called. (1091-1153.) River Demon or River Horse was the Kelpie of the Lowlands of Scotland. It was a malicious spirit, which delighted in foreboding calamity, and frequented the fords of rivers. Road or Roadstead^ as ‘^Yarmouth Roads,” a place where ships can ride at anchor. (French, rader, to anchor in a rade ; Saxon, rad, a road or place for riding.) King of Roads [Rhodes]. John Loudon Macadam, the improver of roads. (1756- 1836.) The laio of the road — The law of the road’s an anomaly quite. If you Ko to the r ght you are sure to go wrong, if you go to the left you go right. Road- agent. A highwayman in the mountain districts of North America. Road-agent is the name applied in the mount -i ins to a ruffian who has given up honest work in the store, in the mine, in the ranch, for the perils and profits of the highway.— IF. Hepworth Dixon, America,’' i. 14. Roan. A reddish-brown. This is the Greek eruthron or eruthrceon ; whence the Latin rufum. (The W elsh have rhudd; German, roih; Saxon, rud; our ruddy.) Roan Barb ary. The famous charger of Richard II., that ate from his royal hand. {See Richard II.) Roarer. A broken-winded horse is so called from the noise it makes in breathing. Roaring. He drives a roaring trade. He does a great business ; his employes are driven till all their wind is gone ; hence fast, quick. {See above.) Roaring-boys or Roarers. The riotous blades of Ben Jonson’s time, whose delight it was to annoy quiet folk. At one time their pranks in London were carried to an alarming extent. And bid them think on Jones amidst this glee, In hope to ger. such roari' g boys as he. ** Legend of Captain Jones” (16)9). Roast. To rule the roast. To have the chief direction; to •be paramount. It is a corruption of raadst, meaning “ the council.” (German, m^A.) Jhon, duke of Burgoyn, ruled the rost, and governed both kyng Cnarles .... and his whole realine.— flail, “ Union” (1648). To roast one or give him a roasting. To banter him, to expose him to the purga- tory of sharp words. Shakespeare, in Hamlet,” speaks of roasting *4n wrath and fire.” The allusion is to fire of purgatory, not to the culinary art. Rob. A sort of jam. It is a Spanish word, taken from the Arabic roob (the juice of fruit). Faire un rob (in whist). To win the rubber; that is, either two successive games, or two out of three. Borrowed from the game of bowls. Rob Roy {Robert the Red). A nick- name given to Robert McGregor, who assumed the name of Campbell when the clan McGregor was outlawed by the Scotch parliament in 1662. He may be termed the Robin Hood of Scotland. Bather beneath the middle size than above it, his limbs were formed upon tlie very strongest model ihatis consistent with agility .. Two pomts in h'8 person interfered with the rules of sym- metry : his shoulders were so brood as to give him the air of being too square in respect to his stature ; and his arms, though round, sinewy, and strong, were so very long as to be rather a deformity. 1 —Sir Walter Scott, Hob Roy UPGregor,” xxiii. ROBBER. ROBIN AND MAKYNE. 753 Robber. The robber who told Alex- ander that he was the greater robber of \ the two was named Dion'ides. The tale is given in ‘^Evenings at Home,” under f the title of ‘^Alexander and the Robber.” Rolher. Edward IV. of England was called by the Scotch Edward the Robber. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. On the 17th of December, 1540, the abbey church of St. Peter, Westminster, was advanced to the dignity of a cathedral by letters patent ; but ten years later it was joined to the diocese of London again, and many of its estates appro- priated to the repairs of St. Paul’s cathedral. — WinMe, Cathedrals.*^ Robert (in Jerusalem Delivered”), duke of Normandy, sold his dominions to king Rufus for 10,000 marks. He com- manded 1,000 heavy-armed horse and 1,000 light-armed Normans in the allied Christian army. Robert of Brunne — that is, of Bourne, in Lincolnshire. His name was Robert Manning, author of an old English Chronicle,” written in the reign of Edward III. It consists of two parts, the first of which is in octo-syllabic rhymes, and is a translation of Wace’s ‘^Brut;” the second part is in Alexan- drine verse, and is a translation of the French chronicle of Piers de Langtoft of Yorkshire. Of Brunne I am, if any me tlame, Robert Mannyng is my name In the thrid Rawardes tyme was I When I wrote alle this story. Freface to'* Chronicle.” King Robert of Sicily. A metrical ^ romance of the Trouveur, taken from the Story of the Emperor Jovinian” in the ^^Gesta Romano'rum,” and borrowed from the Talmud. It finds a place in the ‘^Arabian Nights,” the Turkish ^‘Tutinameh,” the Sanskrit ^‘Pantscha- tantra,” and has been recently rechauffe by Longfellow under the same name. Robert f Robin. A highwayman. Pro- bably the word is simply robber. Ro- berdes knaves,” robber knaves ; Robert’s or Roberdes men, banditti ; Robin Good- fellow, the fairy or elfin robber. The wild geranium is called herb Robert by a figure of speech, robbers being ^^wild wanderers,” and not household plants. (Persian, robodan\ Spanish, robar, con- nected with the Latin rapio, and French ravir. Whence Robin Hood — i.e.j the 1 Robber 0 ’ the Wood.) Robert the Devil. Robert, first duke of Normandy ; so called for his daring and cruelty. The Norman tradi- tion is that his wandering ghost will not be allowed to rest till the Day of J udg- ment. He is also called Robert the Mag- nificent. (1028-1035.) Robert Francois Damiens, who at- tempted to assassinate Louis XV. (1714- 1757.) Robert le Diable. The son of Bertha and Bertram. The former was daughter of Robert, duke of Normandy, and the latter was a fiend in the guise of a knight. The opera shows the struggle in Robert between the virtue inherited from his mother, and the vice imparted by his father. He is introduced as a libertine; but Alice, his foster-sister, places in his hand the will of his mother, which he is not to read till he is wor- thy.” Bertram induces him to gamble till he loses everything, and finally claims his soul; but Alice counterplots the fiend, and finally triumphs by read- ing to Robert the will of his mother. — Meyerbeer^ Roberto il Diavolo** {an opera). Robert Maeaire. Rds a Robert Macaire — a bluff, free-living, unblush- ing libertine, who commits the most horrible crimes without stint or com- punction. It is a character in M. Dau- mier’s drama of ‘^L’Auberge des Adrets.” His accomplice is Bertrand, a simpleton and villain, (i^ee Maoaire.) Robert Street {Adelphi, London). So called from Robert Adams, the builder. Robespierre’s Weavers. The fishwomen and other female rowdies who joined the Parisian Guard, and helped to line the avenues to the National Assem- bly in 1793, and clamour ^‘Down ivith the Girondists ! ” Robin and Ma'kyne (2syl.). An ancient Scottish pastoral. Robin is a shepherd for whom Makyne sighs. She goes to him and tells her love, but Robin turns a deaf ear, and the damsel goes home to weep. After a time the tables are turned, and Robin goes to Makyne to plead for her heart and hand ; but the damsel replies— The man that will not when he may ball have nocht when he walci. Percy, *' Eeliquet,’’ &c. (series il.). W W 754 ROBIN GOODFELLOW. ROBIN REDBREAST. Robin Goodfellow. A ^Mrudging fiend/’ and merry domestic fairy, famous for mischievous pranks and practical jokes. At night-time he will sometimes do little services for the family over which ho presides. The Scotch call this domestic spirit a brownie ; the Germans, Tcdbold or Kneclit Rupreclit. The Scandi- navians called it Niss'e God-dreng. Puck, the jester of Fairy-court, is the same. Either I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite Called Robin Goodfellow Those that Hob-goblin call you, and sweet Pnck, Tou do their work, and they shall have good luck. Shakespeare^ ** Miisummer Night’s Dreamt* iLl. Robin Gray (,Auld). Words by lady Anne Lindsay, daughter of the earl of Balcarras, and afterwards lady Barnard, in 1772, written to an old Scotch tune called ‘‘The bridegroom grat when the sun gaed down.” Auld Robin Gray was the herdsman of her father. When lady Anne had written a part, she called her younger sister for advice. ^ She said, “ I am writing a ballad of virtuous distress in humble life. I have oppressed my heroine with sundry troubles : for ex- ample, I have sent her Jamie to sea, broken her father’s arm, made her mother sick, given her Auld Robin Gray for a lover, and want a fifth sorrow ; can you help me to one?” “Steal the cow, sister Anne,” said the little Elizabeth ; so the cow was stolen awa’, and the song completed. Robin Hood is first mentioned by the Scottish historian Fordun, who died in 1386. According to Stow he was an outlaw in the reign of Richard I. (12th century). He entertained one hundred tall men, all good archers, with the spoil he took, but “ he suffered no woman to be oppressed, violated, or otherwise molested ; poore men’s goods he spared, abundantlie relieving them with that which by theft he got from abbeys and houses of rich carles.” He was an im- mense favourite with the common people, who have dubbed him an earl. Stukeley says he was Robert Fitz-ooth, earl of Huntingdon. {See Robert.) Hear, underneath this latil stean, Laiz Robert earl of Huntington ; Nea ardr ver az hie sa geud, An pipl kauld him Robin Heud. Sich utlaz az he an iz men Vil England nivr si agen. Ejfitaph of Robin Hood {obit 24, Kalends Dikembris 1247). According to one tradition, Robin Hood and Little John were two heroes defeated with Simon de Montfort at the battle of Evesham, in 1265. Fuller, in his “Worthies,” considers him an his- torical character, but Thierry says he simply represents a class, viz., the rem- nant of the old Saxon race, which lived in perpetual defiance of the Norman oppressors from the time of Here ward. Robin Hood is introduced in two of Sir Walter Scott’s novels — “Ivanhoe,” and “ The Talisman.” Other examples of similar combina- tions are the Cumberland bandits, headed by Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesley. Mr. Knights considers that there were several persons who bore the name of Robin Hood. Robin Hood. In the accounts of king Edward II. ’s household is an item which states that “Robin Hood received his wages as king’s valet, and a gratuity on leaving the service,” One of the bal- lads relates how Robin Hood took service under this king. Many talk of Robin Hood who never shot in his boio. Many brag of deeds in which they took no part. Many talk of Robin Hood, and wish their hearers to suppose they took part in his adventures, but they never put a shaft to one of his bows ; nor could they have bent it even if they had tried. To sell Robin Hood's pennyioorth is to sell things at half their value. As Robin Hood stole his wares, he sold them under their intrinsic value, for just what he could get on the nonce. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne. Robin Hood and Little John, having had a little tiff, part company, when Little John falls into the hands of the sheriff of Nottingham, who binds him to a tree. Meanwhile Robin Hood meets with Guy of Gisborne, sworn to slay the “bold forrester.” The two bowmen struggle together, but Guy is slain, and Robin Hood rides till he comes to the tree where Little John is bound. The sheriff mistakes him for Guy of Gisborne, ana gives him charge of the prisoner. Robin cuts the cord,' hands Guy’s bow to Little J ohn, and the two soon put to flight the sheriff and his men. — Fercy, ^^Rdiques,'^ &c. (series!.). Robin Redbreast. The tradition is that while our Lord was on his way to ROBINSON CRUSOE. ROCOCO JEWELLERY. 755 Calvary, a robin pecked a thorn out of his crown, and the blood which issued from the wound falling* on the bird dyed its breast with red. Robinson Crusoe. Alexander Selkirk was found in the desert island of Juan Fernandez, where he had been left by Woodes Rogers and Edward Cooke, who in 1712 published their voyages, and told the extraordinary particulars which Selkirk had communicated to them. The embryo of De Foe’s novel may be seen in captain Burney’s interesting narrative. Roc. A fabulous white bird of enor- mous size, and such strength that it can ‘Hruss elephants in its talons,” and carry them to its mountain nest, where it devours them . — Arabian Nights” {The Third Calender y and Sinhad the Sailor). The Rukh of Madagascar ” lays an egg equal to 14^ hens’ eggs . — Comptes RenduSy” dec., xxxii., p. IW. (1851.) Roche {St.). Patron of those af- flicted with the plague, because he devoted his life to their service, and is said to intercede for them in his exalta- tion. He is depicted in a pilgrim’s habit, lifting his dress to display a plague-spot on his thigh, which an angel is touching that he may cure it. Some- times he is accompanied by a dog bring- ing bread in his mouth, in allusion t^o the legend that a hound brought him bread daily while he was perishing in a forest of pestilence. St. Roche's Day (August 16th), for- merly celebrated in England as a general harvest-home, and styled ‘^the great August festival.” The Saxon name of it was harfest { herb-feast), the word herb meaning autumn (German herhst)y and having no relation to what we call herbs. Sir Boyle Rochds bird. Sir Boyle Roche, quoting from Jevon’s play (TAe Devil of a Wife) y said on one occasion in the House, “Mr. Speaker, it is im- possible I could have been in two places at once, unless I were a bird.” rresuming that the dupl cate card is the hnave of hearts, you may make a remark on the ubifiuitons nature of cerfa n cards, which, like Sir Boyle Roche’s bird, are in two places at 9nce.—** DruwmQ-rpom Magic.” Men of la vieille roche. Old-fashioned men; men of fossilised ideas; non -pro- gressive men. A geological expression. Perhaps it may be justly attributed to a class of roducers, men of la vieille roche, that they have een so slow to apprehend the changes whi: h are daily presenting themselves in the requirements of trade.— r^e Times. Rocbelle Salt. So called because it was discovered by an apothecary of Rochelle, named Seignette, in 1672. Roches {Catharine des) had a collec- tion of poems written on her, termed “La Puce de Grands-jours de Poitiers.” Rochester, according to Bede, de- rives its name from “Hrof,” a Saxon chieftain. {Hrofs-ceasteVy Hrof’s castle.) Rock. A quack ; so called from one Rock, who was the “ Holloway” of queen Anne’s reign. Oh, when his nerves had once received a shock, Sir Isaac Newt< n might have gone to Rock. Crabbe, ^'"Borough.” The Ladies' Rock. A crag in Scotland under the castle-rock of Stirling, where ladies used to witness tournaments. In the castle-hill is a hollow caUed The Valley, about a square acre in extent, used for justings and tournainems. On the south side of the valley is a soiall rocky pyramidical mount called The Laiies' Hill or BoeJe, where the ladies sat to witness the 8i ecacle,— iVimmo, Hittory of Stirlingshire” p. -282. People of the Rock. The inhabitants of Hejaz or Arabia Petraea. Captain Rock. A fictitious name as- sumed by the leader of the Irish insur- gents in 1822. Rock-cork. A variety of Asbestos, resembling cork. It is soft, easily cut, and very light. Rock-crystal. The specimens which enclose hair-like substances are called Thetis's Hair-stoney Venns's Hair-stone y Venus's Pencils y Cupid's Net. Cupid's ArroivSy &c. Rock-leather. A variety of As- bestos. Rock-wood. A variety of Asbestos. Rococo. C'est du rococo. It is mere twaddle ; Brummagen finery ; make- believe. (Italian, roco, uncouth. ) Roco'co Architecture. A debased style, which succeeded the revival of Italian architecture, and very prevalent in Germany. The ornamention is with- out principle or taste, and may be desig- nated ornamental design run mad. Roco'co Jewellery, strictly speak- ing, means showy jewellery made up of several different stones. Moorish dec5ra- tion and Watteau’s paintings are rococo. The term is now generally used depro- w w 3 756 ROB. RODOMONTADE. ciatingly for flashy, gaudy. Louis XIV. furniture, with gilding and ormolu, is sometimes termed rococo. Rod. A rod in picMe. A scolding in store. The rod is laid in pickle to keep it ready for use. Rod'erick, the thirty-fourth and last of the Visi gothic kings, was the son of Theod'ofred, and grandson of king Chindasuin'tho. Witi'za, the usurper, put out the eyes of Theod'ofred, and mur- dered Favil'a, a younger brother of Roderick ; but Roderick, having reco- vered his father’s throne, put out the eyes of the usurper. The sons of Witi'za joining with count Julian, invited the aid of Muza ibn Nozeir, the Arab chief, who sent Tarik into Spain with a large army. Roderick was routed at the battle of Guadale'te, near Xeres de la Fronte'ra (July 17th, 711). Southey has taken this story for an epic poem in twenty-five books — blank verse. (See Rodrigo.) Rod'erick Random. A child of impulse, with an occasional dash of gene- rosity and good-humour ; but for the most part a selfish libertine, more prone to revenge than gratitude. His treat- ment of Strap is revolting for its heart- lessness and injustice. — Smollett^ ^^Rode- rich Random,' Roderigo. A Venetian gentleman in Shakespeare’s Othello.” He was in love with Desdemona, and when the lady eloped with Othello, hated the noble Moor.” lago took advantage of this temper for his own ends, told , his dupe the Moor will change, therefore ^^put money in thy purse Desdemo'na will also change her present mood, therefore ^^put money in thy purse.” The burden of his advice was always the same— ^^Put money in thy purse.” This word is sometimes pronounced Rod'ri-go : g.e. It is as sure as you are Roderigo;” and sometimes Rode-ri'go : g.e. On, good Roderigo ; I’ll deserve your pains.” — Act i., s. 1. Rodhaver. The lady-love of Zal, a Persian hero. Zal wanted to scale her bower, and Rodhaver let down her long tresses to assist him ; but the lover man- aged to climb to his mistress by fixing his crook into a projecting beam. — Cham- pion, ^‘Ferdosi," Rpdilar'dus. A huge cat which scared Panurge, and which he declared to be a puny devil. — Rabelais, Gar- gantua and Pantagruel," iv. 67. RodoPpllO {Count). The count, re- turning from his travels, puts up for the night at an inn near his castle. While in bed, a lady enters his chamber, and speaks to him of her devoted love. It is Ami'na, the somnambulist, who has wan- dered thither in her sleep. Rodolpho perceives the state of the case, and quits the apartment. The villagers, next morning, come to congratulate their lord on his return, and find his bed occupied by a lady. The tongue of scandal is loud against her, but the count explains to them the mystery, and his tale is con- firmed by their own eyes, which see Ami'na at the moment getting out of the window of a mill, and walking in her sleep along the edge of a roof under which the wheel of the mill is rolling with velocity. She crosses the crazy bridge securely, and every one is convinced of her innocence.— ^‘La Sonnam- bida” (his best opera). Rod'omont (in Orlando Inamora- to” and ‘‘Orlando Furioso ”) king of Sarza or Algiers, Ulien’s son, and called the “Mars of Africa.” He was commander both of horse and foot in the Saracen army sent against Charlemagne, and may be termed the Achilles of the host. His lady-love was Dor'alis, princess of Gra- na'da, who ran off with Mandricardo, king of Tartary. At Roge'ro’s wedding- feast Rodomont rode up to the king of France in full armour, and accused Ro- ge'ro, who had turned Christian, of being a traitor to king Agramaiit, his master, and a renegade ; whereupon Roge'ro met him in single combat, and slew him. (See RoGEiio.) Who trore brave than Rodomont “ Bon Quiscote.'^ Rodomont, The surname of Luigi Gonza'ga, son of Ludovi'co Gonzaga, and called Gazalo, from a castle which he held. Rod'omonta'de (4 syl.). From Rc- domont, a brave but braggart knight in Bojardo’s “ Orlando Inamorato.” He is introduced into the continuation of the story by Ariosto (“Orlando Furioso”), but the braggart part of his character is greatly toned down. Neither Rodomont nor Hector deserves the opprobrium ilODRIGO. ROLAND. 757 which has been attached to their names. {See Rodomont.) Rodrigo {Rod-ree' -go) or Roderick, king of Spain, conquered by the Arabs. He saved his life by flight, and wandered to Guadalet'e, where he saw a shepherd, and asked food. In return he gave the shepherd his royal chain and ring. He passed the night in the cell of a hermit, who told him that by way of penance he must pass certain days in a tomb full of snakes, toads, and lizards. After three days the hermit went to see him, and he was unhurt, because the Lord kept his anger against him.” The hermit went home, passed the night in prayer, and went again to the tomb, when Rodrigo said, They eat me now, they eat me now, I feel the adders’ bite.” So his sin was atoned for, and he died. Rogation Days. The Monday, Tuesday, and W ednesday before Ascen- sion-day. Rogation is the Latin equiva- lent of the Greek word ^‘Litany,” and on the three Rogation days “ the Litany of the Saints” is appointed to be sung by the clergy and people in public pro- cession. Litany,” Greek litaneia, sup- plication. Rogation,” Latin rogatioy same meaning.) Rogation Week used to be called Gang Weelc^ from the custom of ganging round the country parishes to mark their bounds. Similarly, the weed Milk- wort is still called Rogation or Gang- flower, from the custom of decorating the pole (carried on such occasions by the charity children) with these flowers. Rogel of Greece. A knight, whose exploits and adventures form a supple- mental part of the Spanish romance en- titled ^‘Am'adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Feliciano de Silva. Roger. The cook in Chaucer’s Can- terbury Tales.” “ He cowde roste, sethe, broille, and frie. Make mortreux, and wel bake a pye ;” but Herfy Bailif, the host, said to him — Now telle on, Roger, and loke it be good ; For many a Jakk of Dover hastow sold, That hath be twyes hoot and twyes cold. Verse 4313. Roger Bontemps, Bontemps.) The Jolly Roger. The black flag, the favourite ensign of pirates. Set all sail, clear the deck, stand to quarters, up vith the Jolly Roger !— Sir Walter Scotty ** The !• irate*’ ch. xxxi. Roger of Bruges. Roger van der Weyde, painter. (1455-1529.) Roger de Coverley. A dance invented by the great-grandfather of Roger de Coverley, or Roger of Cowley, near Oxford. Roger of Hoveden or Howden, in York- shire, continued Bede’s History from 732 to 1202. The reigns of Henry II. and Richard I. are very fully given. The most matter-of-fact of all our old chroniclers; he indulges in no epithets or reflections. Roge'ro, Ruggiero, or Rizieri of Risa (in ^‘Orlando Furioso”), was brother of Marphi'sa, son of Rogero and Galacella. He married Brad'amant, Charlemagne’s niece, but had no children. Galacella being slain by Ag'olant and his sons, Rogero was nursed by a lioness. Rogero deserted from the Moorish army to the Christian Charles, and was baptised. His marriage with Bradamant and elec- tion to the crown of Bulgaria conclude the poem. Rogero was brought up by Atlantes, a magician, who gave him a shield of such dazzling splendour that every one quailed who set eyes on it. Rogero, thinking it unknightly to carry a charmed shield, threw it into a well. Who more courteous than ^ogetol— Cervantes, Don Quixote.’* Rogero (in ‘^Jerusalem Delivered”), brother of Boemond, and son of Roberto Guiscardo of the Norman race, was one of the band of adventurers in the cru- sading army. Slain by Tisaphernes. — Bk. XX. Roi Panade {King of Slops). Louis XVIII. was so nicknamed (1755, 1814—1824). Roland, count of Mans and knight of Blaives, was son of duke Milo of Aig- lant, his mother being Bertha, the sister of Charlemagne. His sword was called Durandal, and his horse Veillantif. He was eight feet high, and had an open countenance, which invited confidence, but inspired respect. In Italian romance he is called Orlando, his sword Duran- da'na, and his horse Veglianti'no. (See Song of Roland. ) I know of no one to compare him to but the Arch- angel Michael. — “ Croquemitainep iii. Roland or Rolando {Orlando in 758 ROLAND. ROLANDSEOK TOWER. Italian). One of Charlemagne’s paladins and nephews. He is represented as brave, loyal, and simple-minded. On the return of Charlemagne from Spain, Roland, who commanded the rear-guard, fell into an ambuscade at Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees, and perished with all the flower of French chivalry (778). He is the hero of Theroulde’s Chanson de Roland;” the romance called ^'Chroniq de Turpin ; ” Boiardo’s epic, Orlando in Love ” {Italian) ; and Ariosto’s epic of Orlando Mad” (Italian). Roland., after slaying Angoulaffre, the Saracen giant, in single combat at Fronsac, asked for his reward the hand of Aude, daughter of Sir Gerard and lady Guibourg ; but the marriage never took place, as Roland fell at Roncesvalles, and Aude died of a broken heart. — Croque- mitaine,’' xi. A Roland for an Oliver. A blow for a blow, tit for tat. Roland and Oliver were two of the paladins of Charlemagne, whose exploits are so similar that it is very difficult to keep them distinct. What Roland did Oliver did, and what Oliver did Roland did. At length the two met in single combat, and fought for five consecutive days on an island in the Rhine, but neither gained the least advantage. (See in '^La Legende des Slides,” by Victor Hugo, the poem en- titled ‘‘ Le Mariage de Roland.”) The etymologies connecting the pro- verb with Charles II., General Monk, and Oliver Cromwell are wholly un- worthy of credit, for even Shakespeare alludes to it : England all Olivers and Rolands bred” (“1 Henry VI.,” i. 2); and Edward Hall, the historian, almost a century before Shakespeare, writes — But to have a Roland to resist an Oliver, he sent solempne ambassadors to the kyng of Englaride, offervng hym hys doughter in mariage.— “IfcJiry FI.” Roland. (See Breche.) To die like Roland. To die of starvation or thirst. It is said that Roland the great paladin, set upon in the defile of Ronces- valles, escaped the general slaughter, and died of hunger and thirst in seeking to cross the Pyrenees. Post ingentem Hispano'rum caedemprope Pyrenrei saltus j uga. . . . siti miserrime extinctum. Inde nostri intolera'bili siti et immi'ti volentes significa're se torqueri, face're aiuat, Rolandi morte se perire.— John de la Bruiere Champie^ “ lie Cibar'ia^' xvi. 5. Like the Hast of RolandUs horn. When Roland was set upon by the Gascons at Roncesvalles, he sounded his horn to give Charlemagne notice of his danger. At the third blast it cijacked in two, but so loud was the blast that birds fell dead and the whole Saracen army was panic- struck. Charlemagne heard the sound at St. Jean Pied de Port, and rushed to the rescue, but arrived too late. Oh for one blast of that dread horn On Pontarabian echoes borne. That to king Charles did come. Sir Walter Scott, 33 Song of Roland. Part of the Chan- sons de Geste,” which treat of the achievements of Charlemagne and his paladins. William of Normandy had it sung at the head of his troops, when he came to invade England. Song of Roland. When Charlemagne had been six years in Spain, by the advice of Roland,^ his nephew, he sent Ganelon on an embassy to Marsillus, the pagan king of Saragossa. Ganelon, out of jealousy, betrayed to Marsillus the route which the Christian army de- signed to take on its way home, and the pagan king arrived at Roncesvalles just as Roland was conducting through the pass a rear-guard of 20,000 men. Roland fought till 100,000 Saracens lay slain, and only fifty of his own men survived. At this juncture another army, consisting of 50,000 men, poured from the mountains. Roland now blew his enchanted horn, and blew so loudly that the veins of his neck started. Charlemagne heard the blast, but Ganelon persuaded him that it was only his nephew hunting the deer. Roland died of his wounds, but in dying threw his trusty sword Durandal into a poisoned stream, where it still remains. Roland de Vaux (Sir). Baron of Triermain, who wakes Gyneth from her long sleep of 500 years and marries her. — Sir Walter Scott, Bridal of Trier- mainJ’ Rolandseck Tower, opposite the Drachenfels. The legend is that when Roland went to the wars, a false report of his death was brought to his betrothed, who retired to a convent in the isle of Nonnewerth. When Roland returned home flushed with glory and found that his lady-love had taken the veil, he built the castle which bears his name, and overlooks the nunnery, that he might at least see his heart- treasure, lost to him for ever. ROLLS. ROMANESQUE. 759 Rolls (Chancery Lane, London). So called from the records kept there in rolls of parchment. The house was ori- g-inally built by Henry III. for converted Jews, and was called ^'Domus Conver- so'rum.” It was Edward III. who appro- priated the place to the conservation of records. Glover's Roll. A copy of the lost Roll of Arms” made by Glover, Somerset herald. It is a roll of the arms borne by Henry III., his princes of the blood, barons, and knights, between 1216 and 1272. The Roll of CaerlaverocJc. An heraldic poem in Norman-French, reciting the names and arms of the knights present at the siege of Caerlaverock, in 1300. Rollrich or Rowldrieh Stones, near Chipping Norton {Oxfordshire). A number of large stones in a circle, which tradition says are men turned to stone. The highest of them is called the King, who would have been king of England, if he could have caught sight of Long Compton, which may b^e seen a few steps further on; five other large stones are called the knights, and the rest common soldiers. Rolly-polly (pron. roul-y poid-y). A crust with jam rolled un into a pud- ding ; a little fat child. Roily is a thing rolled with the diminutive added. Polly is fine flour, or flour bolted, whence our pollen (Latin, pollis, dust). The whole word means “a little fine flour rolled into a little pudding.” In some parts of Scotland the game of nine-pins is called rouly-jpoidy . Roma'ic. Modern or Romanised Greek. Roman {The). Jean Dumont, the French painter, le Romain. (1700-1781.) Stephen Picart, the French engraver, le Romain. (1631-1721.) Giulio Pippi, Giulio Romano. (1492- 1546.) Adrian van Roomen, the mathema- tician, Adrialnus R.oma!nns. (1561-1615.) Most learned of the Romans. Marcus Terentius Varro. (b.c. 116-28.) Last of the Romans. Rienzi. fl310- 1354.) Last of the Romans. Charles James Fox. (1749-1806.) {See Sidney.) Ultimus Romanornm. Horace Wal- pole. (1717-1797.) (A^eeLAST.) Roman Birds. Eagles; so called because the ensign of the Roman legion was an eagle. Roma'nas aves propria legio'num nu'mina. Tacitus. Roman Remains in England. The most remarkable are the following : — The pharos, church, and trenches in Dover. Chilham Castle, Richborough, and Re- culver Forts. Silchester (Berkshire), Dorchester, and Caerleon, amphitheatres. Hadrian’s wall, from Tyne to Boulness. The wall, baths, and Newport Gate of Lincoln. Verulam, near St. Albans. York (Eboracum), where Severus and Constantins Chlorus died, and Constan- tine the Great was born. Bath, &c. Roman des Romans. A French version of '^Am'adis of Gaul,” greatly extended, by Gilbert Saunier and Sieur de Duverdier. Roman de Chevalier de Lyon, by Maitre Wace, canon of Caen in Nor- mandy, and author of ‘^Le Brut.” The romance referred to is the same as that entitled Ywain and Gawain.” Roman de la Rose. (See Iliad, the French.) Romance. A tale in prose or verse the incidents of which are hung upon what is marvellous and fictitious. These tales were originally written in the Romance language {q.v.), and the expression, In Romance we read,” came in time to refer to the tale, and not to the language in which it was told. Romance of Chivalry may be divided into three groups : — (1) That relating to Ar,thur and his Round Table ; (2) that relating to Charlemagne and his paladins ; (3) that relating to Am'adis and PaP- merin. In the first are but few fairies ; in the second they are shown in all their glory; in the third (which belongs to Spanish literature) we have no fairies, but the enchantress Urganda la Des- coneci'da. Romanes'que (3 syl.). In painting. Fanciful and romantic, rather than true to nature. In architecture. Byzantine, Lombard, I Saxon, and indeed all the debased Roman 760 KOMANIC LANGUAGES. EOMEO AND JULIET. styles, between the time of Constantine (350) and Charlemagne (800). In literature. The dialect of Langue- doc, which smacks of the Eomance. Koman'ic or Romance Languages. Those modern languages which are the immediate offspring of Latin, as the Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Early French is emphatically so called ; hence Bouillet says: ^^Le roman etait universellement parld en Gaule au dix- ihme si^cle.’* Fraiikis speech is called Romance, So says clerks and men of France. Robert de Brunn. Ro'manism. Popery, or what re- sembles popery, the religion of modern Rome. Romantic means like Rome, in the Roman style, because European fiction was first written in the Romance lan- guages, or the languages based on the Latin. {See Romance.) Roman'tic School. The name assumed, at the beginning of the present century, by a number of young poets and critics in Germany, who wished to redeem poetry and art from the tram- mels of French pedantry. Romantic School of France. A similar movement made in France about thirty years later. Lamartine and Victor Hugo are its best exponents. Roma'nus {St.), a Norman bishop of the seventh century, is depicted fighting with a dragon, in allusion to the tale that he miraculously conquered a dragon which infested Normandy. Roma'ny. Gipsy language, the speech of the Roma or Zincadi. Rome. The etymology of this word from Roma, the mother of Romulus and Remus, or from Rom'ulus the legendary founder, or from ruma (a dug) in allusion to the fable of the wolf suckling the out- cast infants, is wholly worthless. Nie- buhr derives it from the Greek word rhoma (strength), a suggestion confirmed by its other name Valentia, from valens (strong). Michelet prefers Rumo, the ancient name of the river Tiber. Rome was not built in a day. Achieve- ments of great pith and moment are not accomplished without patient perseve- rance and a considerable interval of time. The French say Grand hien ne vient pas en peu d'heures, but the English I proverb is to be found in the French also : Rome iCa pas He faite en un jour, (1615.) Founder of Rome, (1) Romulus, the legendary founder, B.C. 752 ; (2) Camil- lus was termed the Second Roniidus, for saving Rome from the Gauls, B.c. 365 ; (3) Caius Ma'rius was called the Third Romulus, for saving Rome from the Teu- to'nes and Cimbri, B.C. 101. From Rome to May. A bantering ex- pression equivalent to the following : — From April to the foot of Westminster bridge;” ‘‘Inter pascha remisque feror (“ Reinardus,” ii. 690) ; “ Inter Clunia- cum et Sancti festa Johannis obit” (“ Reinardus,” iv. 972); “Cela s’est passe entre Maubeuge et la PentecOte.” Oh that all Rome had but one head, that I might strike it off at a bloio ! Caligula,, the Roman emperor, is said to have uttered this amiable sentiment. When you go to Rome, do as Rome does— i.e. , Conform to the manners and customs of those among whom you live, and don’t wear a brown hat in Friesland. St. Mon'ica and her son St. Augustine bishop of Hippo, being at Milan, asked St. Ambrose his advice on the following point : At Rome they fast on Saturday, but not so at Milan ; which practice ought to be observed ? To this the Milan saint replied, “When 1 am at Milan, I dine, as they do at Milan ; but when I go to Rome, I do as Rome does.”— Epistle xxxvi. Rounds best wealth is patriotism. So said Met'ius Curtins, when he jumped into the chasm which the soothsayers gave out would never close till Rome threw therein “ its best wealth.” Book of Rome. Books of romance. {See Romance.) Yt ys in the Boke of Rome, Ther was no knyght of Kyrstendome That joraey durst crave. '^Torrent of Portugal^ p. 6. Romeo and Juliet {Shakespeare). The story is taken from a poetical version by Arthur Brooke of Bolsteau’s novel called “Rhomeo and Julietta.” Bolsteau borrowed the main incidents from a story by Luigi da Porto, of Vicenza (1535), entitled “La Giulietta.” In many re- spects it resembles the “ Ephesi’aca” (in ten books) of Ephe'sius Xenophon, whose novel recounts the loves of Habroc'omas and Anthia. Romeo. A devoted lover ; a lady’s ROMULUS. ROPE-DANCERS. 761 man ; from Romeo in Shakespeare’s tragedy, RoMEO AND Juliet.) J ames in an evil hour went forth to woo Young Juliet Hart, and was her Romeo. Crabbe^ “ Borough*' Rom'ulus. We need no Romulus to account for Rome. We require no hypo- thetical person to account for a plain fact. This is said of characters invented to make out an etymology, as Hurleigh Burleigh, to account for our word “ Hur- ly-burly” {q.v.). Ron. The name of prince Arthur’s spear, made of ebony. His spere he nom [iooA;] an honde, tha Ron wes ihaten [crt?/edj. Layomon, (I2th cent.). Ronald. Lord Ronald gave lady Clare a lily-white doe as a love-token, and the cousins were to be married on the following day. Lady Clare opened her heart to Alice the nurse, and was then informed that she was not lady Clare at all, but the nurse’s child, and that lord Ronald was rightful heir to the estate. ‘^Lady” Clare dressed herself as a peasant, and went to reveal the mystery to her Iqrd. Ronald replied. If you are not the heiress born, we will be married to-morrow, and you shall still be lady Clare. — Tennyson. Roncesval'les (4 syl.). A defile in the Pyrenees, famous for the disaster which here befell the rear of Charle- magne’s army, in the return march from Saragossa. Ganelon betrayed Roland, out of jealousy, to Marsillus, king of the Saracens, and an ambuscade attacking the Franks killed every man of them. Amongst the slain were Roland, Oliver, Turpin, and Mitaine the emperor’s god- child. An account of this attack is given in the Epilogue of Croquemitaine ; ” but the historical narrative is derived from Eginhard. Rondibllis. The physician con- sulted by Panurge in Gargantua and Pantag'ruel,” by Rabelais. Rondo. Father of the Rondo. Jean Baptiste Davaux ; but Gluck was the first to introduce the musical rondo into France, in the opera of Orpheus.” Ron'yon or Ronion. A term of contempt to a woman. It is the French rogneux, scabby, mangy. You rag! you baggage I you poulcat! you ronyoni out 1 out ! Shakespeare,*’ Merry Wives of Windsor," iv, 3. “ Aroint thee, witch 1” the rump-fed ronyon cries. Shakespeare, “ Macbeth" i. 3. Rood Lane {London). So called from a rood or Jesus on the cross” placed there, and in Roman Catholic Hmes held in great veneration. Rook’s Hill, Lavant, Chichester, celebrated for the local tradition that the golden calf of Aaron is buried there. Rook'ery (3 syl.). Any low neigh- bourhood frequented by thieves and vagabonds. A person fleeced or liable to be fleeced is a pigeon, but those who prey upon these ^‘gulls’’ are called rooks. Rooky W ood. Not the wood where rooks do congregate, but the misty or dark wood. The verb reeh (to emit va- pour) had the preterite roJce, rook, or roak ; hence Hamilton, in his Wallace,” speaks of the rooky mist.” Light thichens, and the crow Makes wing to the roaky wood. Shakespeare, “ Macbeth ” iii. 2. Roost. Gone to roost— gone to bed. At roost— in. bed, asleep, in a state of rest. A roost is the perch on which fowls rest at night. The chough and crow to roost are gone. ! Glee (words by Joanna Baillie, music by Bishop). Rope. You carry a rope in your pocket {French'). Said of a person very lucky at cards, from the superstition that a bit of rope with which a man has been hanged, carried in the pocket, se- cures luck at cards. “You have no occupation?” said the Bench, in- quiringly, to a vagabond at the bar. “ Beg your worship’s pardon,’* was ihe rejoinder; “I deal in bits of halter for the use of gentlemen as plays.”— The Times (French correspondent). She is on her high ropes. In a distant and haughty temper. The allusion is to a rope-dancer, who looks down on the spectators. The French say, Rtre monti sur ses grands chevaux; and we have the analogous phrase, To be on your high horse.” Rope-dance. Terence complains that the attention of the public was diverted from his play by the exhibitions of a rope-dancer. — Hecyra. Rope-dancers. Jacob Hall, in the reign of Charles II., greatly admired by the Duchess of Cleveland. Richer, the celebrated rope-dancer at Sadler’s Wells (1658). Signor Violante, in the reign of queen Anne. The Turk who astonished every one that saw him, in the reign of George IT. 762 HOPEk EOSALINDE, Froissart (vol. iv., ch. 38, fol. 47) tells ns of ‘‘a mayster from Geane,” who either slid or walked down a rope sus- pended to the highest house on St. Michael’s Bridge and the tower of Our Lady’s Church, when Isabel of Bavaria made her public entry into Paris. Some say he descended dancing, placed a crown on Isabel’s head, and then re-ascended. A similar performance was exhibited in London, February 19th, 1546, before Edward VI. The rope was slung from the battlements of St. Paul’s steeple. The performer of this feat was a man from Aragon. The same trick was repeated when Felipe of Spain came to marry queen Mary. {See Holinshed, Chronicle,” iii., p. Ii21.) Rope-walk {barristers* slang). Old Bailey practice. Thus ‘^gone into the rope-walk” means, he has taken up practice in the Old Bailey. Roper. Margaret Roper was buried with the head of her father. Sir Thomas More, in her arms. Her, who clasped in her last trance Her murdered faiher’s head.— Mistress Roper. A cant name given to the Marines by British sailors. The wit, of course, lies in the awkward way that marines handle the ship’s ropes. To marry Mistress Roper is to enlist in the Marines. Roque (1 syl.). A blunt, feeling old man in the service of Donna Florantlie. — George Colman the Younger, ^^Octavian.** Saint Roque. Patron saint of those who suffer from plague or pestilence ; this is because he worked miracles on the plague-stricken, while he was himself smitten with the same judgment.” Roque Guinart. A famous robber, whose true name was Pedro Rocha Guinarda, leader of los Nicerros, which, with the los Cadelfes, levied heavy con- tributions on all the mountain districts of Catalo'nia in the seventeenth century. He was a Spanish Rob Roy, and was ex- ecuted in 1616. — Pellicer. Roquelaure. A cloak ; so called from the duke de Roquelaure (George II.). “ Your honour’s roquelaure,” replied the corporal, ‘'has not once been had on since the night, before your honour received your Wound. ahandy ” (Story of Le Fevre). Ros-erana. Daughter of Cormac king of Moi-lena, wife of Fingal. — Ossian, ** Temora,** iv. Ro'sa (Salva'tor), An Italian painter, noted for his scenes of savage nature, gloomy grandeur, and awe-creating mag- nificence. (1615-1673.) Whate’er Lorrain light touched with softened hue, Or savage Uosa dashed, or learned Poussin drew. Thomson^ “ Castle of Indolence p canto i. Rosalia or St. Rosalie. A native of Palermo, who was carried by angels to an inaccessible mountain, where she lived for many years in the cleft of a rock, a part of which she wore away with her knees in her devotions. If any one doubts it, let him know that a rock with a hole in it may still be seen, and folks less sceptical have built a chapel there, with a marble statue, to commemorate the event. That grot where olives nod. Where, darling of each heart and eye, Prom all the youths of Sicily St. Kosalie retired to God. Sir Walter Scott, ** Marmionp i. 21. St. Rosalia, in Christian art, is depicted in a cave with a cross and skull, or else in the act of receiving a rosary or chap- let of roses from the Virgin. Ros'alind. Daughter of the banished duke, but brought up with Celia in the court of Frederick, the duke’s brother, and usurper of his dominions. When Rosalind fell in love with Orlando, duke Frederick said she must leave his house and join her father in the forest of Arden. Celia resolved to go with her, and the two ladies started on their journey. For better security they changed their names and assumed disguises : Celia dressed herself as a peasant-girl, and took for the nonce the name of Aliena ; Rosalind dressed as her brother, and called herself Gan'imed. They took up their quarters in a peasant’s cottage, where they soon encountered Orlando, and (to make a long tale short) Celia fell in love with Oliver, and Rosalind obtained her father’s consent to marry Orlando. — Shakespeare, '‘As You Like It.** Ros'alind, in the " Shepherds’ Calen- dar,” is the maiden vainly beloved by Colin Clout, as her choice was fixed on a shepherd named Menalcas. {See below. ) Ros'alinde (3 syl.). The anagram of "Rose Danil” or "Rose Daniel,” with whom Spenser was in love, but the young lady married John Florio the Resolute. In the " Shepherds’ Calendar” Rose is called " Rosalinde,” and Spenser calls ROSALINE. ROSE. 763 himself ''Colin Clout.” Shakespeare introduces John Florio in "Love’s La- bour’s Lost” under the imperfect ana- gram of Holof ernes Hues Floreo\ Ros'aline (3 syl.). A negress of sparkling wit and great beauty, attend- ing on the princess of France, and loved by Lord Biron', a nobleman in the suite of Ferdinand king of Navarre. — Shake- speare, Lov^s Labour's Lost." Ros'amond {Fair). Higden, monk of Chester, says — " She was the fayre daughter of Walter lord Clifford, concu- bine of Henry IL, and poisoned by queen Elianor a.d. 1177. Henry made for her a house of wonderfull working, so that no man or woman might come to her. This house was named Labyrinthus, and was wrought like unto a knot in a garden called a maze. But the queen came to her by a clue of thredde, and so dealt with her that she lived not long after. She was buried at Godstow, in an house of nunnes, with these verses upon her I tombe : — “ Hie jacetin tumba Rosa raundi, non Roaa munda : Non redolet, sed olet, quae redole're solet.” Here Rose the graced, not Rose the chaste, reposes : The smell that rises is no smell of roses. *** Rosamond Clifford is introduced by Sir Walter Scott in two of his novels — " The Talisman” and "Woodstock.” .Tane Clifford was her name, as books aver; Fair Rosamond was but her no»i de gtif-rre, Drydeiif Epilogue to '•' Henry //.” Rosa'na. Daughter of the queen of Armenia. She aided the three sons of St. George to quench the seven lamps of the Knight of the Black Castle. Seven Champions of Christendom" ii. 8-9. Lamps.) Ro'sary {the rose article). A name given to the bead-roll employed by Roman Catholics for keeping count of their repetitions of certain prayers. It consists of three parts, each of which contains five mysteries connected with Christ or his virgin mother. The entire roll consists of 150 Ave Marias, 15 Pater Fosters, and 15 doxologies. The word is said by some to be derived from the chaplet of beads, perfumed with roses, given by the Virgin to St. Dominic ; Others say the first chaplet of the kind was made of rosewood ; others, again, maintain that it takes its name from St. ' Ro'salie ; and some think it is named from the "Mystical Rose,” one of the titles of the Virgin. The set is some- times called "fifteens,” from its con- taining fifteen " doxologies,” fifteen '* Our Fathers,” and 10 times 15 or 150 Hail Maries.” Ros'eiad. A satire published by Charles Churchill in 1761 ; it canvasses the faults and merits of the metropolitan actors. Ros'eius. A first-rate actor ; so called from the Roman Roscius, un- rivalled for his grace of action, melody of voice, conception of character, and delivery. He was paid thirty pounds a day for acting ; Pliny says four thousand a year, and Cicero says five thousand. What scene of death hath Roscius now to act? . Shakespeare,'* 6 Henry VI.,” v. 6. Another Roscius, So Camden terms Richard Burbage. (^-1629.) The British Roscius. Thomas Better- ton, of whom Cibber says, "He alone was born to speak what only Shakespeare knew to write.” (1635-1710.) - ^ David Garrick. (1716-1779.) The Roscius of France. Michel Boyron, generally called Baron. (1653-1729.) The Young Roscius. William Henry West Betty, who made his debut in 1803, and in fifty-six nights realised ^34,000. Rose. Sir John Maundeville says — A Jewish maid of Bethlehem (whom Southey names Zillah) was beloved by one Ham'uel, a brutish sot. Zillah re- jected his suit, and Hamuel vowed ven- geance. He gave out that Zillah was a demoniac, and she was condemned to be burnt ; but God averted the flames, the stake budded, and the maid stood un- harmed under a rose-tree full of white and red roses, then " first seen on earth since Paradise was lost.” Rose. An emblem of England. It is also the cognizance of the Richmonds, hence the rose in the mouth of one of the foxes which support the shield in the public-house called the " Holland Arms, ” Kensington. The daughter of the duke of Richmond (lady Caroline Lennox) ran away with Mr. Henry Fox, afterwards baron Holland of Foxley. So the Fox stole the Rose and ran off with it. ico.5e, for Rose-noble. A coin struck in 1344, under Edward III. ; so called be- cause it had a rose, the badge of the Lancastrians and Yorkists. De la pistole, De laguinee, et de I’obole, Du loiiis d’oc, du dueaton, De la rose, et du patagon. Jacques Moreau, in “ Virglle Trnvesti. * ?64 KOSE. EOSEMARY. The Rose Alley amhuscade. The attack on Dry den by hired ruffians in the em- ploy of Rochester and the duchess of Portsmouth, December 18, 1679. This scandalous outrage was in revenge of a satire by Mulgrave, erroneously attri- buted to Dryden. Attacks of this kind were not uncom- mon in “the age of chivalry;” witness the case of Sir John Coventry, who was waylaid and had his nose slit by some young men of rank for a reflection on the king’s theatrical amours. This attack gave rise to the “ Coventry Act” against maiming and wounding. Of a similar nature was the cowardly assassination of Mr. Mountford, in Norfolk Street, Strand, by lord Mohun and captain Hill, for the hypothetical offence of his admiration for Mrs. Bracegirdle. The Rose Coffee-housey formerly called The Red Cow,” and subsequently “Will’s,” at the western corner of Bow- Street, where John Dryden presided over the literature of the town. “ Here,” says Malcolm, “appeal was made to him upon every literary dispute.” — Spence y Anecdotes y' p. 263. This coffee-house is referred to as “Russell Street Coffee-house,” and “The Wits’ Coffee-house.” Will’s continued to be the resort of the wits at least till 1710. Probably Addison established his servant [Buttonl in a new house about 17-2 — Spence^ ^'Anecdotes,' p. 263. This Button had been a servant of the countess of Warwick, whom Addison married ; and Button’s became the head- quarters of the Whig literatiy as Will’s had been of the Tory. The Red Rose, says Sir John Mande- ville, sprang from the extinguished brands heaped around a virgin martyr at Bethlehem. The Red Rosey as a public-house sign. Camden says the red rose was the ac- cepted badge of Edmund, first earl of Lancaster. It was also the cognizance of Edmund Crouchbacke, second son of Henry III. ; and of John of Gaunt, fifth duke of Lancaster, in virtue of his wife, who was godchild of Edmund Crouch- backe, and his sole heir. {See above. ) ^ The White RosCy says Sir John Mande- ville, sprang from the unkindled brands heaped around the virgin martyr at Bethlehem. (/S^eeRosE.) The White RosCy as a public-house sign, was not first adopted by the Yorkists during the contest for the crown, as Shakespeare says; it was an hereditary cognizance of the House of York, and had been borne by them ever since the title was first created. It was adopted by the Jacobins as an emblem of the Pretender, because his adherents were obliged to abet him sub rosa (in secret). Rose in Christian art. The attribute of St. Dorothe'a, who carries roses in a basket ; of St. Casilda, St. Elizabeth of Portugal, and St. Rose of Viterbo, who carry roses either in their hands or caps. St. Rosalia, St. An'gelus, St. Rose of Lima, St. Ascylus, St. Victoria, &c., wear crowns of roses. St. Rose of Lima. A martyr of the seventeenth century, usually drawn with roses on her head, or contemplating the infant Jesus in the midst of roses. The Wars of the Roses. A civil con- test that lasted thirty years, in which eighty princes of the blood, a larger portion of the English nobility, and some 100,000 common soldiers were slain. It was a contest between the Lancastrians and Yorkists, whose supporters wore in their caps as badges a red or white rose ; the cognizance of the House of Lancaster being The rose gnUy and of the House of York The rose argent. (1455-1485.) Under the rose (“sub rosa”). In strict confidence. Cupid gave Harpoc'rates (the god of silence) a rose, to bribe him not to betray the amours of Venus. Hence the flower became the emblem of silence. It was for this reason sculptured on the ceilings of banquet-rooms, to remind the guests that what was spoken sub vino was not to be uttered sub divo. In 1526 it was placed over confessionals. Rose of Jericho. Also called Rosa Marice or Rose of the Virgin. It is of the natural order Crucif^'ce. Rose-noble. An ancient gold coin, worth 6s. 8d., struck in the reign of Edward III. , and stamped with the figure of a rose (1334). Rose-wood is so called because it yields a perfume like that of roses when it is cut or sawn. Ro'semary is Ros-mari’nus (sea-dew), and is said to be “ useful in love-making.” The reason is this : Both Venus the love- goddess, and Rosemary or sea-dew, were offspring of the Sea ; and as Love is EOSEMARY LANE. ROTA. 765 Beauty’s son, Rosemary is his nearest lelative. The sea his mother Venus came on ; And hence some reverend men approve Of rosemary in making love. ButUr, '■"Hudihras'' pt. ii. c. 1. Rosemary, an emliem of remembrance. Thus Ophelia says, ‘‘ There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” According to ancient tradition this herb strengthens the memory. As Hungary water it was once very extensively taken to quiet the nerves. It was much used in weddings, and to wear rosemary in ancient times was as significant of a wedding as to wear a white favour. When the Nurse in '‘Romeo and Juliet” asks, "Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a [i.e., one'] letter?” she refers to these emblematical characteristics of the herb. In the present language of flowers it means " Thy presence revives my hope.” Rosemary Lane (London), now called Royal Mint Street. Ro'seneran'tz & Guild'enstern. Time-serving courtiers, willing to betray any one, and do any "genteel” dirty work to please a king. — Shahespeare, Hamlet'' Roset'ta (^Africa). The orchards of Rosetta are filled with turtle-doves. Now hangs listening to the doves In warm Kosetta. T. Moore. “ Paradise and the Pefi.** The Rosetta Stone. A stone found in 1799 by M. Boussard, a French officer of Engineers, in an excavation made at Fort St. J ulien, near Rosetta. It has an inscription in three different languages— the hieroglyphic, the demotic, and the Greek. It was erected b.c. 195, in honour of Ptolemy Epiph'anes, because he remitted the dues of the sacerdotal body. The great value of this stone is that it furnished the key whereby the Egyptian hieroglyphics have been de- ciphered. Rosicru'cians not rosa crux, rose cross ; but ros crux, dew cross. Dew was considered by the ancient chemists as the most powerful solvent of gold ; and cross in alchemy is the synonym of light, be- cause any figure of a cross contains the three letters L V X (light). " Lux” is the menstruum of the red dragon (i.e., corporeal light), and this gross light pro- perly digested produces gold, and dew is the digester. Hence the Rosi crucians are those who use dew for digesting lux or light, for the purpose of coming at the philosophers’ stone. As for the Rosycross philosophers, Whom you will have to be but sorcerers, What they pretend to is no more Than Trismegistus did before, Pythagoras, old Zoroaster, And Apollonius their master. Butler, Hudibras” pt. ii. 3. Ross (C^^^ 2 c). A headland; asRoslin, Culross, Rossberg, Montrose, Roxburgh, Ardrossan, &c. Ross, from the Welsh rhos, " a moor;” found in Welsh and Cornish names, as Rossall, Rusholme, &c. The Man of Ross. A name given to John Kyrle, a native of Whitehouse, in Gloucestershire. He resided the greater part of his life in the village of Ross, Herefordshire, and died 1724. Who taught that heaven-directed spire to rise ? “ The Man of Ross,” each lisping babe replies. Pope, “ Moral Essays.^' Rosse (2 syl.). A famous sword which the dwarf Elberich gave to Otwit, king of Lombardy. It struck so fine a cut that it left no " gap.” It shone like glass, and was adorned with gold. (See Balmung. ) This sword to thee I give : it is all bright of hue ; Whatever it may cleave, no gap will there ensue. From Al'mari I brought it, and Eosse is its name ; Wherever swords are drawn, ’twill put them all to shame. “ The Heldenbuch.*’ Ross'el. One of Reynard’s sons. The word means reddish.”— ^‘Reynard the Fox.'* Rossignol (French). Rossignol d'Ar- cadie. A donkey ; so called because its bray is quite as remarkable as the nightingale’s song, and Arcadia is called the land of asses and fools. (See Fen- Nightingale.) Ros'tram. A pulpit ; properly the beak of a ship. In Rome, the pulpit from which orators addressed the public was ornamented with the rostra or ship- prows taken from the Carthaginians. Ro'ta or Rota-men. A political club that met at the "Turk’s Head,” in New Palace Yard, Westminster, where they discussed and drew up a popular form of commonwealth, the elements of which will be found in Harrington’s "Oce'ana.” It was called Rota because a third part of the members were roted out by ballot -every year, and were not eligible for re-election-for three years. 766 ROTE. ROUGE DRAGON. Rota Aristote'Uca (Aristotle’s Wheel). A problem in mechanics founded on the motion of a wheel about its axis. It was first noticed by Aristotle. Hote. To learn hy rote is to learn by turning words round and round in the memory as a wheel. To learn by heart” is to learn thoroughly (French, apprendre par coeur). Shakespeare speaks of the heart of loss,” meaning entire lossj and to love with all our heart” is to love thoroughly. (Latin, rota, a wheel.) Rothschild (Red Shield), Mayer Anselm, in 1763, made his appearance in Hanover barefoot, with a sack on his shoulders and a bundle of rags on his back. Successful in trade, he returned to Frankfort and set up a small shop, over which hung the signboard of a red shield. As a dealer in old coins he made the acquaintance of the elector of Hesse- Cassel, who appointed him confidential agent. The serene elector being com- pelled to fly his country, Mayer Anselm took charge of his cash, amounting to several millions of florins. When Napo- leon was banished to Elba, and the elector returned, Anselm restored the money — an act of noble honesty which the elector mentioned at the Congress of Vienna. Hence arose the greatness of the house, which assumed the name of the Red Shield. In 1863 Charles re- ceived six millions sterling as his per- sonal share and retiring pension from the firm of the five brothers. Rotten Row. Muster row. Cam- den derives the word from rotteran (to muster) ; hence rot, a file of six soldiers. Another derivation is the Norman Rat- ten Row (roundabout way), being the way corpses were carried to avoid the public thoroughfares. Some suppose that the name is derived from the soft material with which the road is covered. Roue. The profligate duke of Or- leans, regent of France, first used this word in its modern sense. It was his ambition to collect round him companions as worthless as himself, and he used face- tiously to boast that there was not one of them who did not deserve to be broken on the that being the most ordi- nary punishment for malefactors at the time ; hence these profligates went by the name of Orleans’ roues or wheels. The most notorious roues were the dukes of Richelieu, Broglie, Biron, and Brancas, together with Canillac and Noc^. In Englanrl, the dukes of Rochester and Buckingham. A notorious roui. A libertine. (See Rouk) Rouen. Alter d Rouen. To go to ruin. The French are full of these puns, and our merry forefathers indulged in them also. (1 ) II a fait son cours d A snQres. He knows nothing; he graduated at Dunse college. (2) Alter d Cachan, To give leg-bail, or se cacher ” [de ses creanciers] ; to go to Hyde Park. (3) Alter d Dourdan. To go to be whipped (douder, etre battu) ; to be on the road to Flogny. (4) Vous etes de Lagny, votes n'avez pa\ hdte. I see you are a man of Lagny— don’t hurry yourself. (5) 11 est de Lunel, II a une chamhre d Lunel, II est des Luniers d'OrUans, or II est Log^ d la Lime. He is a lunatic. (6) Envoyer d Mortaigne. To be slain, or sent to Deadham. (7) Aliev d tatras. To die; to be gathered to one’s fathers (ad patres). (8) Alter d Versailles. To be going to the bad. Here the pun is between Ver- S(2-illes and renverser. This wretched pun is about equal to such a phrase as Going to Downham. The Bloody Feast of Rouen (1356). Charles the Dauphin gave a banquet to his private friends at Rouen, to which his brother-in-law Charles the Bad was invited. While the guests were at table king Jean entered the room with a nume- rous escort, exclaiming, “ Traitor, thou art not worthy to sit at table with my son!” Then turning to his guards, he added, Take him hence I By holy Paul I will neither eat nor drink till his head be brought me 1 ” Then seizing an iron mace from one of the men-at-arms, he struck another of the guests between the shoulders, exclaiming, ^^Out, proud traitor! by the soul of my father thou shalt not live 1 ” Four of the guests were beheaded on the spot. Rouge Croix. One of the pursui- vants of the heraldic establishment ; sp called from the red cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. Rouge Dragon. The pursuivant founded by Heriry VII. ; it was the ROUGE ET NOIR. ROUND TABLE. 767 ensign of Cadwaladyr, the last king of the Britons, an ancestor of Henry Tudor. Rouge et iN'oir (French, red and black). A game of chance ; so called because of the red and black diamond marked on the board. The dealer deals out to noir first till the sum of the pips exceeds thirty, then to rouge in the same manner. That packet which comes nearest to thirty-one is the winner of the stakes. Rough. To rough at cards is to trump a suit. Ruff means a trump or court card (Dutch, troef). The Roughs. The coarse, ill-behaved rabble, without any of the polish of good-breeding. Rough and Ready. So General Zachary Taylor, twelfth president of the United States, was called. (1786-1850.) Rough-hewn. Shaped in the rough, not finished, unpolished, ill-mannered, raw; as a ‘^rough-hewn seaman” (Ba- con); a “rough-hewn discourse” (Ho wel). There is a divinity that shapes our ends, Kough-hew them how we will. Shakespeare, “ Hamlet," v. 2. Rough-shod. Riding roitgh-shod over one. Treating one without the least consideration. The allusion is to riding a horse rough-shod. Rou'mans (2 syl.). The people of Rouma'nia. Round. A watchman’s beat. He starts from one point, and comes round again to the place from whence he started. Round. To whisper. (Saxon, German, raunen^ to whisper.) {See Rounded.) That lesson which I will round you in the ear— which I will whisper in your ear. — Runyan^ Pilgrim's Progress." France.... rounded in the ear with [by].... com- modity [self-interest] hath resolved to [onj a most base.... peace.— /SAafeespeare, ** King John" ii. i. And ner the feend he drough as nought ne were, Ful privbly, and rounecl in his eere, “ Ueriie.my brother, herke, by thi faith Chaucer ^ ‘ ‘ Canterbury Tales, ’ ' 71 32. Round men in the square holes, and square men in the round holes. The wrong men in the wrong place ; especially applied to government officials. The ex- pression was first used in 1855, by Mr. Layard, speaking of the “Administra- tion Reform Association.” The allusion is to such games as cribbage, German tactics, &c, A good round sum. A large sum of money. Shakespeare says the Justice has a “ big round belly, with good capon lined ; ” and the notion of puffed out or bloated is evidently the idea of Shylock when he says to Bassa'nio, “’Tis a good round sum.” In round numbers. In whole numbers, without regarding the fractions. Thus we say the population of the British Isles is thirty millions in round numbers, and that of London three millions. The idea is that what is round is whole or per- fect, and of course fractions, being broken numbers, cannot belong thereto. To walk the Round. The lawyers used frequently to give interviews to their clients in the Round Church ; and “ walk- ing the Round” meant loitering about the Round Church, under the hope of being hired for a witness. Round Dealing. Honest straight- forward dealing, without branching off into underhand tricks, or deviating from the straight path into the bye-ways of finesse. Round dealing is the honour of man’s nature.— Bacon. Round Robin. A petition or pro- test signed in such a way that no name heads the list. Of course, the signatures are placed in a circular form. The de- vice is French, and the term is a corrup- tion of rond (round) ruban (a ribbon). It was first adopted b}' the officers of government as a means of making known their grievances. Round Table. Made by Merlin for Uter Pendragon. Uter gave it to king Leodegraunce, of Camelyard, and king Leodegraunce gave it to Arthur when the latter married Guinever, his daughter. It was made at Carduel, and a place was left in it for the San Graal. What is usually meant by Arthur’s Round Table is a smaller one for the ac- commodation of twelve favourite knights. Henry VIII. showed Francois I. the table at Winchester, which he said was the one used by the British king. The Round Table, says Dr. Percy, was not peculiar to the reign of king Arthur, but was common in all the ages of chi- valry. Thus the king of Ireland, father of the fair Christabelle, says in the ballad— Is there never a knigbte of my round table This matter will undergo? “Sir Vaulins.** 768 ROUND TABLE. ROUSING. Round Table. In the eighth year of Edward I., Roger de Mortimer estab- lished a Round Table at Kenilworth for ‘Hhe encouragement of military pas- times.” At this foundation 100 knights and as many ladies were entertained at the founder’s expense. About seventy years later, Edward III. erected a splen- did table at Windsor. It was 200 feet in diameter, and the expense of enter- taining the knights thereof amounted to £100 a week. A Round Table. A tournament. So called by reason that the place wherein they practised those feats was environed with a strong wall made in a round form” (Dugdale). We still talk of table-land. Holding a Round Table. Proclaiming or holding a grand tournament. Matthew of Paris frequently calls justs and tour- naments Hastilu'dia Mensce Rotundce (lance-games of the Round Table). | Knights of the Round Table. There were 150 knights who had sieges ” at the table. King Leodegraunce brought over 100 when, at the wedding of his daughter Guinever, he gave the table to king Arthur; Merlin filled up twenty- eight of the vacant seats, and the king elected Gawaine and Tor ; the remaining twenty were left for those who might prove worthy . — History of Prince Ar- ^urf 45, 46; Knights of the Round Table. The most celebrated are Sirs Acolon,"*^ Ag'- ravain, Am'oral of Wales, Ball'amore,* Banier, Beaumans,*Beleo'bus,* Bevidero, Belvour,* Bersuut,* Bliom'beris, Borre or Bors"^ (Arthur’s natural son), Brandiles, Brunor, Caradoc the Chaste (the only knight who could quaff the golden cup), Corgrevance, Din'adam, Driam, Dodynas the Savage, Eric, Floll,* Gala- had or Galaad the Modest,* Gareth,* Gaheris,* Galohalt,* Gawain or Gauwin the Gentle* (Arthur’s nephew), Grislet,* Hector of Mares (1 syl.) or Ector of Marys,* Iwein or Ewain* (also written Yvain), Kay,* Ladynas, Lamareck or Lamerock*, Lancelot or Launcelot du Lac* (the seducer of Arthur’s wife), Lanval of the Fairy Lance, Lavain, Lionell,* Lucan, Marhaus,* Melia'dus, Mordred the Traitor (Arthur’s nephew), Morolt or Morhault of the Iron Mace, Pag'inet,* Palamede or Palame'des,* Phar'amond, Pell'eas,* Pell'inore, Per- saunt of Inde (meaning of the indigo or blue armour), PePoivall,* Peredur, Ryence, Sag'ramour le Desirus, Sa'gris,* Super'bilis,* Tor or Torres* (reputed son of Aries the cowherd), Tristram or Tristran the Love-lorn,* Tur'quine,* Wig'alois, Wig'amor, Ywain {see Iwein). *^* The thirty marked with a star (*) are seated with prince Arthur at the Round Table, in the frontispiece of the * * Famous History of the Renowned Prince Arthur.” There Galaad sat with manly grace, Yet maiden meekness in his face^ There Morolt of the iron mace, And love-lorn Tristrem there; And Dinadam with lively glance, And Lanval with the fairy lance. And Mordred with his looks askance, Brunor and Bevidere. Why should I tell of numbers more ? Sir Cay, Sir Banier, and Sir Bore, Sir Caradoc the keen, The gentle Gawain’s courteous lore, Hector de Mares, and Pellinore, And Lancelot, that evermore Looked stol’n-wise on the queen. Sir Walter Scotty “ Bridal of Triermain” ii. 13. Knights of the Round Table. Their chief exploits occurred in quest of the San Graal or Holy Cup, brought to Britain by J oseph of Arimathe'a. Rounded in the Ear. Whispered in the ear. The old word rown, rowned (to whisper, to talk in private). Polonius says to the King in '‘Hamlet”—^ ‘Let his queen-mother all alone entreat him to show his grief,— let her be rowned with him;” not blunt and loud, but in private converse. {See Round.) Roundheads. Puritans; so called because they wore their hair short, while the Royalists wore long hair covering their shoulders. And ere their butter ’gan to coddle, A bullet churnd i’ th’ Boundhead’s noddle. “ Jfm MiracleSt' 43 (1656). Roundle, in heraldry, is a charge of a round or circular form. They are of eight sorts, distinguished by their tinc- tures : (1) a Bezantf tincture “or;” (2) a Platey tincture “argent;” (8) a Tor- teauXj tincture “ gules ; ” (4) a Hurt, tincture “azure ;” (5) an Ogness or Pellet, tincture “sable;” (6) a Golpe, tincture “purpure;” (7) a Guze, tincture “san- guine ; ” (8) an Orange, tincture “ tenney.” Rounfl. So the Brijkons called ogres, and the servants or attendants of the ogres they called Grewnds. Rou'sing. A rousing good fire. Rousing means large, great; henoe a rousing falsehood (mendacium magnif’- icum) ; rous^ boasting ; to rouse^ to drink ROUTIERS. EOYAL TITLES, 769 deep. ^^The king’s rouse the heaven shall bruit” (^‘Hamlet,” i. 2). (Dutch, roes, a bumper ; German, rauschy drunken- ness. ) Rou'tiers. Adventurers who made war a trade, and let themselves out to any one who would pay them. So called because they were always on the routCf or moving from place to place. (Twelfth century.) Rove (1 syl.). To shoot with roving arrows— Le., arrows shot out of the hori- zontal. To shoot at rovers. To shoot at certain marks of the target so called ; to shoot at random without any distinct aim. Unbelievers are said by Clobery to “shoot at rovers.” — ''Divine Glimpses," p. 4 (1059). Riinnhig at rovers. Eunning wild; being without restraint. Row (rhyme with now), A tumult. It used to be written roue, and referred to the night encounters of the rouds or profligate bon-vivants whose glory it was to attack the “Charleys” and disturb the peace. {See Eoue.) Row (rhyme with fow). The Row means Paternoster Eow,” famous for publish- ing firms and wholesale booksellers. Row'dy (rhyme with cloudy). A ruffian brawler, a “rough,” a riotous or turbulent fellow, whose delight is to make a row or disturbance. — American. Rowe'na. A Saxon princess, and bride of Ivanhoe. — Sir Walter Scotty Ivanhoe.^' Rowland. (^^^Eoland.) Childe Rowland. Youngest brother of the “fair burd Helen.” Guided by Merlin he undertook to bring back his sister from Elf-land, whither the fairies had carried her, and succeeded in his perilous exploit. — An ancient Scotch hallad. Childe Rowland to the dark tower cam3 ; Ilis word was still “ Fie. foh, and fum, 1 smell the blood of a Briti‘n a smooth allie, with- out anie XMh.—atanihurst, p. 10. Rub. Difficulty, cause of uneasiness. [See above. ^ To bleep ? perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub. Shakespeare, " Hamlet," in. 1. Eti'bezahl (3 syl.). The German Puch. He aids the poor, guides the benighted, and succours the oppressed, but has no mercy on the proud and wicked. Ru'bi. One of the Cherubim or Spirits of Knowledge,” who was pre- sent when Eve walked in Paradise. He felt the most intense interest in her, and longed, as the race increased, to find one of her daughters whom he could love. He fixed upon Lir'is, young and proud, who thirsted for knowledge, and cared not what price she paid to obtain it. After some months had elapsed, Liris asked her angel-lover to let her see him in his full glory ; so Rubi showed himself to her in all his splendour, and she embraced him. Instantly Liris was burnt to ashes by the radiant light, and the kiss she gave on the angel’s forehead became a brand, which shot agony into his brain. That brand was ^Heft for ever on his brow,” and that agony knew no abatement. — Thomas Moore, Loves of the Angels, story ii. Ru'bicon. To 'pass the Rubicon. To adopt some measure from which it is not possible to recede. Thus, when the Austrians in 1859 passed the Tici'no, the act was a declaration of war against Sardinia ; and, in 1866, when the Italians passed the Adige, it was a declaration of war against Austria. The Rubicon was a small river separating ancient Italy from Cisalpine Gaul (the province allotted to Julius Caesar). When Caesar crossed this stream he passed beyond the limits of his own province, and became an in- vader of Italy. Rubo'nax. Sir Philip Sidney says, ‘^He was driven by a poet’s verses to hang himself.” — Defence of Poesie.'^ Ru'bric (Latin, rubrica, red ochre). So called because the directions were originally printed in red ochre. The same in sheops milke with rubricke and soft pitch drunke every day, or eaten to your meate. he’peth the ptisicke.— Topseii, "Beasts,” p. ia2 (16j7). Ru'by. The king of Ceylon has the finest ruby ever seen. It is a span long, as thick as a man’s arm, and with- out a flaw.” Kublai-Khan offered the value of a city for it, but the king answered that he would not part with it if all the treasures of the world were laid at his feet. — Marco Polo, Rucli'iel. God of the air. (Hebrew, ruch, air ; el, godi.)— Jewish mythology. Rudder. Who wo’rCt be ruled b'y the rudder must be ruled by the rock. Who won’t listen to reason must bear the consequences, like a ship that runs upon a rock if it will not answer to the helm. Ruddoek. The J edbreast, sacred to the household gods.” The legend says RUDDY-MANE. RULE. 771 if a redbreast finds a dead body in the woods it will “cover it with moss.” Dray- ton alludes to this tradition — Covering with moss the deal’s unclosed eye. The little redbreast teachest charitie. ''■The Oivl.” Shakespeare makes Arvir'a^us say over Imogen — Thou shalt not lack The flower that’s like tky face, pale primrose ; nor The azured hare- bell.. ..the ruddock would With charitable bill bring thee all these. “ Cymbeline.*’ So also in the tale of “ The Babes in the Wood”— - The Robins so red Fresh strawberry-leaves did over them spread. Ruddy-mane (hloody-hand). The infant son of Sir Mordant ; so called be- cause his hand was red with his mother’s blood. She had stabbed herself because her husband had been paralysed by a draught from an enchanted stream. — Spenser, Queen,'’ bk. xi. Rudge {Barnaby). A half-witted lad, who had for his companion a raven. — Dickens, ^^Barndby Rudge." Ru'diger (3 syl.). Margrave of Bechelar'en, a wealthy Hun, liegeman of king Etzel. In the “ Nibelungen-Lied” he is represented as a most noble charac- ter. He was sent to Burgundy by king Etzel, to conduct Kriemhild to Hungary if she would consent to marry the Hunnish king. When Gunther and his suite went to pay a visit to Kriemhild, he enter- tained them all most hospitably, and gave his daughter in marriage to Kriem- hild’s youngest brother, Gis'elher ; and when the broil broke out in the dining- hall of king Etzel, and Rudiger was compelled to take part against the Bur- gundians, he fought with Kriemhild’s second brother, Gernot. Rudiger struck Gemot “through his helmet,” and the prince struck the margrave “ through shield and morion,” and “down dead dropped both together, each by the other slain .” — Nibelungen-Lied. ” Rudolstadt {La Comiesse de), or Coiisuelo,” who marries the count of Rudolstadt. — P^omances by George Sand (^Madame Dudevant). {See Consuelo.) Rudra. Father of the tempest-gods. The word means “run about crying,” and the legend says that the boy ran about weeping because he had no name, whereupon Brahma said, “ Let thyjname beRud-dra.” (Sanskrit, O'ud, weep ; dru, run.) — Vedic '/nythology. Rue, to grieve for something done, to repent, is the Saxon reotv, contrition ; German, reue. jRwe, called “herb of grace,” because it was employed for sprinkling holy water. Without doubt it was so used symbolically, because to rue means to be sorry, and penitence brings the water of grace with it. {See Difference.) Ophelia says — There's rue for you, and here’s some for me ; we may call it “ herb of grace” o’ Sundays.— speare, "Hamlet,'" iv. 5. Rue. A slip of land (free of all mano- rial charges and claims) encompassing or bounding manorial land. It certainly is not derived from the French rue, a street, nor is it a corruption of roio. Rewe’' is a roll or slip, hence Rag- man’s rewe or roll (q.v.). There is a whole world of curious history contained in the phrase Ragman’s rewe, meaning a roll. In “Piers Plowman’s Vision ” the poke’s bull is called a rewe . — " Edinburgh Review," July, 1870. Ruffe. A game at cards, now called slartim. A swaggerer is one that plays at ruffe, from whence he took the denomination of ruffyn. — y. H. (Geni.), “ Satyrical Epigrams p 1619. Ruffian Hall. That part of West Smithfield which is now the horse- market, where “tryals of skill were plaid by ordinary ruffianly people with sword and buckler.” — Blount, p. 562. Rufus {The Red). William II. of Eng- land. (1056, 1067-1100.) Otho II. of Germany ; also 'called The Bloody. (955, 973-983.) Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, son-in-law of Edward I. (Slain 1313.) Ruggie'ro. {See Rogero.) Rukenaw (J)ame). The ape’s wife in the tale of “ Reynard the Fox.” The word means noisy insolence. Rule {Si.) or St. Reg' ulus, a monk of Patrao in Achaia, is the real saint of Scotland. He was the first to colonise its metropolitan see, and to convert the inhabitants (370). The name Killrule {Celia Reg'vU) perpetuates this fact. St. Andrew superseded the Achaean. But I have solemn vows to pay.... To far St. An rew s baund, With'.n the oceau-cave to pray W'lere good -^t. Rule bit holy lay Sung to the bdlo^vs’ hound. Sir 'Walter Scott, "Marmion" i. 29. X X 2 772 RULE, BRITANNIA. RUNES, Rule, Britannia. Words by Thom- son, author of The Seasons;” music by Dr. Arne. It first appeared in a masque entitled '^Alfred,” in which the name of David Mallett is associated with that of James Thomson, and some think he was the real author of this political hymn.” (August 1, 1740.) Rule Nisi. The claimant requests the court to issue an order that the opponent of his suit shall do what is asked within three or six days (nisi ) — i.e.f unless good cause can be shown for further delay. Rum. Queer, qaaint, old-fashioned. This word was first applied to Roman Catholic priests, and subsequently to other clergymen. Thus Swift speaks of ‘^a rubble of tenants and rusty dull rums” (country parsons). As these rusty dull rums” were old-fashioned and quaint, a *^rum fellow” came to signify one as odd as a rusty dull rum.” (Saxon, a catholic priest.) Ru'minate (3 syl.). To think, to meditate upon some subject; properly, *^to chew the cud” (Latin, ru'mino). To chew the cud of sweet and bitter f&ncy.— Milton. On a flowery bank he chews the cud.— Drj/dcn. Rumolt. Gunther’s chief cook. Sore toiled the chief cook, Kumolt ; ah ! how his orders ran Among his understrappers t how many a pot and pan, How many a mighty cauldron rattled and rang again ! They dressed a world of dishes for the expected train. Lettsom's**Nibelungen-Lied,'’* stanza 800. Rump Parliament. Oliver Crom- well (1648) sent two regiments to the House of Commons to coerce the mem- bers to condemn Charles I. Forty-one were seized and imprisoned in a lower room of the House, 160 were ordered to go home, and the sixty favourable to Cromwell were allowed to remain. These sixty were merely the fag-end or rump of the whole House. (See Pride’s Purge.) The name was revived again in the protectorate of Richard Cromwell. Sub- sequently the former was called The Bloody Rump, and the latter The Rump of a Rump. The few, Because they’re wasted to the stumps. Are represented best bv i umps. Butler, "Ilxidibras,’* pt- iii- 2. Rumpelstilzchen (Rumple^stilts- skin), A passionate little de dwarf. A miller’s daughter was enjoined by a king to spin straw into gold, and the dwarf did it for her, on condition that she would give him her first child. The maiden married the king, and grieved so bitterly when her first child was born, that the dwarf promised to relent if within three days she could find out his name. Two days were spent in vain guesses, but the third day one of the queen’s servants heard a strange voice singing — Little dreams my dainty dame Rumpelstilzchen is my name. The queen being told thereof, saved her child, and the dwarf killed himself from rage. — German Popular Stories. Rumping Dozen. A corruption of Rump and Dozen, meaning a rump of beef and a dozen of claret. Rumtun'shid. A Corsican deity. Run. The tub runs — leaks, or lets out water. In this and all similar phrases the verb run means to be in a running state.” Thus we have 'Hhe ulcer runs,” ^Hhe cup runs over,” ^Hhe rivers run blood,” the field runs with blood ” — the ulcer is in a running state, the cup is in a running-over state, the rivers are in a blood-running state, the field is in a running state with blood. To run a man down. To abuse, de- preciate. A hunting term. To run thin. To start from a bargain. When liquor runs thin it indicates that the cask is nearly empty. To run riot. To run wild. A hunting term, meaning to run at a whole herd. In the long run. In the final result. This allusion is to race-running : one may get the start for a time, but in the long run, or entire race, the result may be different. The hare got the start, but in the long run the patient perse- verance of the tortoise won the race. Run Amuck. (See Amuck.) It was like a Malay running amuck, only with a more deadly weapon.— T/ie rimes. Frontless and satire-proof he scours the streets, And runs an Indian-muck at all he meets. JDryden, “ 2'he Hind and the Panther.'* Runes. The earliest alphabet in use among the Gothic tribes of Northern Europe. The characters were employed either for purposes of secrecy or for divination. Pevusn is Teutonic for mys- tery^” and helrOtn for divination.” RUNIC RHYMES. RUSKINESE. 778 Runic Rhymes. Rhymes in imita- tion of the Edda or book of Runic my tho- logy ; rude, old-fashioned poetry of a Runic stamp. Runic Wands. Willow wands with mystic characters inscribed on them, used by the Scandinavians for magic ceremonies. Running Footman. The last of these menials died out with the infamous duke of Queensberry. In the early part of the eighteenth century no great house was complete without some half-dozen of them. Their duty was to run before and alongside the fat Flemish mares of the period, and advise the innkeeper of the coming guests. The pole which they carried was to help the cumbrous coach of their master out of the nu- merous sloughs on the northern and western high-roads. Running Leather. His shoes are made of running leather. He is given to roving. Probably the pun is between roan and run. Running Thursday. In the be- ginning of the reign of William III. a rumour ran that the French and Irish Papists had landed ; a terrible panic ensued, and the people betook them- selves to the country, running for their lives, Joseph Perry says, I was dis- mally affrighted the day called Running Thursday. It was that day the report reached our town, and I expected to be killed” (his Life”). The day in ques- tion was Thursday, December 13, 1688. Running Water. No enchant- ment can subsist in a living stream ; if, therefore, a person can interpose a brook betwixt himself and the witches, sprites, or goblins chasing him, he is in perfect safety. Burns’s tale of Tam o’ Shanter’* turns upon this superstition. Running the Hood. It is said that an old lady was passing over Haxey Hill, when the wind blew away her hood. Some boys began tossing it from one to the other, and the old lady so enjoyed the fun that she bequeathed thirteen acres of land, that thirteen candidates might be induced to renew the sport on the 6tb of every January. Runnymede. The nom de -plume of Disraeli in the Times. Rupee. An Indian coin of the value of 2s. English. A corruption of the Sanskrit rupya, from rOi^pa, a shape, meaning the shape of a man — t.e., a coin with a human figure impressed on it. — Pdnini, Rupert of Debate. Edward Geof- frey, fourteenth earl of Derby. It was when he was Mr. Stanley, and the oppo- nent of the great O {i.e.^ O’Connell), that lord Lytton so describes him. (1799- 1869.) The brilliant chieftain, regularly great, Trank, haughty, hold— the iiupert of Debate. “iVew Timon," Rupert’s Balls, or Prince Rupert's Drops. Glass bubbles first brought to England by prince Rupert. Each bubble has a tail, and if the smallest part of the tail is broken off, the bubble ex- plodes. The French term is larrne Bata- nixjue, because these toys were invented in Holland. The first production of an author.... is usually esteemed as a sort of prince Rupert’s drop, which is destroyed entirely if a person make on it but a single scratch.— IfouseAoZd Words. Rush. Not worth a rush. Worthless. The allusion is to the practice of strewing floors with rushes before carpets were invented. Distinguished guests had clean fresh rushes, but those of inferior grade had either the rushes which had been already used by their superiors, or none at all. The more modern expres- sion is ‘‘Not worth a straw.” Stransers have green rushes, when daily guests are not worth a rush.— iii/y, '"Hapho and Fhao.** Friar Rush. Will-o’-the-Wisp ; a strolling demon, who once on a time got admittance into a monastery as a scullion, and played the monks divers pranks, {See Friar’s Lanthern.) Rush Bearing. The day of a church’s dedication ; so called from tho ancient custom of carrying rushes on the day to adorn the church. — Yorkshire, Rush'van. The angel who opens and shuts the gates of Paradise or A1 Janat. — The Koran, Ruskine'se (3 syl.). Words and phrases introduced by Ruskin, or coined a la Ruskin. The word is used in the Times:— Such writers as Ruskin and Carlyle have mad? for themselres technical terms, words, and phrases ; some of which will be incorporated into ihe language • ..while others may i emain emblems of Ruskinese and Carlylism.— (June 11, 18^9.) m EUSS. s.s. Huss; The Eussian language ; a Russian. Rus'sel. A common name given to a fox, from its russet colour. Daun Russel, the fox, stert up at oones. And by the garget hente Chaunteclere, And on his bak toward ihe wood him here. Chaticcr^ “ The Nonne Prestes TnleJ** Rus'sian. The nickname of a Rus- sian is A Bear,” or the “ Northern Bear.” Hykell {John), A celebrated treee- tour in the reign of Henry V. {See Tregetour.) Maister John Rykell sometime tregitour Of noble Henry, kinge of Englande, And of France the mighty conquerour. John Lidgate, '^Daunce of Macabre ** Rykelot. A magpie (?) ; a little rook. The German rocke, Anglo-Saxon Aroc, seem to be cognate words. The ot is a diminutive. Rus'tam. The Deev-bend and Persian Her'cules, famous for his victory over the white dragon named Asdeev'. He was the son of Zal, prince of Sedjistan. The exploits attributed to him must have been the aggregate of exploits performed by numerous persons of the same name. His combat for two days with prince Isfendiar is a favourite subject with the Persian poets. The name of his horse was Reksh. Matthew Arnold’s poem, Sohrab and Rustam,” gives an account of Rustam fighting with and killing his son Sohrab. Rus'ty. He turns rust Like a rusty bolt, he sticks and will not move. Rusty -Fusty. That odour and filth which accumulates on things and in places not used. Then from the butchers we bought lamb and sheepe, Beer from the alehouse, and a broome to sweepe Our cottage, that for want of use was musty, And most extremely rusty-fusty dusty. Taylor, “ Workes," ii. 24 (1630). Ruyde'ra. The duenna of Belerma. She had seven daughters, who wept so bitterly at the death of Durandarte, that Merlin, out of pity, turned them into lakes or estuaries . — ^^Don Quixote,*' pt. ii. bk. ii. ch. 6. Ry. A Stock-Exchange expression for any sharp or dishonest practice. It originated in an old stock-jobber, who had practised upon a young man, and being compelled to refund, wrote on the cheque, Please to pay to R. Y.,” &c., in order to avoid direct evidence of the transaction. Rye-house Plot. A conspiracy to assassinate Charles II. and his brother James on their way from Newmarket. As the house in which the king was lodging accidentally caught fire, the royal party left eight days sooner than they had intended, and the plot mis- carried. It was called the Rye-House Plot because the conspirators met at the Rye- House Farm, in Hertfordshire (1683). Rymar {Mr. Robert). Poet at the Spa. — Sir Walter Scott, St. Ronan's Well." Ry'mer. A giant, the enemy of the celestials. At the end of the world this giant is to be the pilot of the ship ^‘Nagle- fare .” — Scandinavian mythology. Ryot. A tenant in India who pays a usufruct for his occupation. The Scrip- ture parable of the husbandmen refers to such a tenure ; the lord sent for his rent, which was not money but fruits, and the husbandmen stoned those who were sent, refusing to pay their “lord.” Ryots have an hereditary and perpetual right of occupancy so long as they pay the usufruct, but, if they refuse or neglect payment, may be turned away, Ryparog'raplier(G^m^). So Pliny calls Pyre'icus the painter, because he confined himself to the drawing of ridi- culous and grotesque pictures, in which he greatly excelled. Rabelais was the ryparographer of wits. The writers and illustrators of Punch and Fun are rypa- rographers. Rython. A giant of Bretagne, slain by king Arthur. Rython, the mighty giant, slain By his good brand, relieved Bretagne. Sir Walter Scott, ^'Bridal of T riermain,*’ ii, 11. s S. You have crossed your s (French*. You have cheated me in your account j you have charged me pounds where you ought to have charged shillings, or shil- lings where you ought to have charged pence. In the old French accounts, / ( =s) stood for sous or pence, and /for francs. To cross your / meant therefore to turn it fraudulently into /. S.S. collar ; worn by the lords chief justices, the lord chief baron of the ex- chequer, the lord mayor of London, the heralds, and the serjeants-at-arms. The s.s.s. SABLONNIERE, 775 collar consists of a series of the letter S in gold, either linked together or set in close order, on a blue and white ribbon. Sir Samuel Meyrick says it is the initial letter of Henry IV. when earl of Derby {Souveraigne) ; but as many other con- jectures have been started as would fill a volume— e.^., the word seneschal has been sugg'ested ; the word simn, the badge of the De Bohuns (1402) ; sonvenance ; and St. Sulpicius, whose day is Jan. 29th, &c. S.S.S. (Latin, stra'tum super stra'tum). Layer over layer. S.T.P. stands for Sanctce. Theologice Professor, Professor is the Latin for Doctor. D.D. — ^^e., Divinity Doctor or Doctor of Divinity— is the English equiva- lent of the Latin S.T.P. Saadia {Al). A cuirass of silver which belonged to king Saul, and was lent to David when he was armed for the encounter with Goliath. This cuirass fell into the hands of Mahomet, being part of the property confiscated from the Jews on their expulsion from Medina. Sabbath-Day’s Journey (Exodus xvi. 29 ; Acts i. 12), with the Jews, was not to exceed the distance between the ark and the extreme end of the camp. This was 2,000 cubits or 3,648 feet be- yond the city wall— in round numbers equal to an English mile. Up to the hill by Hehron, seat of giants old, Ko journey of a Sahbath-day, and loade d so. Milton^ “ oamson Agonisiesy Sabbathlans. The disciples of Sabbathais Zwi, the most remarkable Messiah” of modern times. At the age of fifteen he had mastered the Talmud,, and at eighteen the Cabbala. (1641- 1677.) Sabbat'ical Year. One year in seven, when all lands with the ancient Jews was to lie fallow for twelve months. This law was founded on Exodus xxiii. 10, &c. ; Leviticus xxv. 2-7 ; Deutero- nomy XV. 1-11. Sabe'ans. An ancient religious sect ; so called from Sabi, son of Seth, who, with his father and brother Enoch, lies buried in the Pyramids. The Sabeans worshipped one God, but approached him indirectly through some created representative, such as the sun, moon, stars, &c. Their S3^stem is called Sa- heanism, or the Sabean faith. The Arabs were chiefly Sabeans before their con- version. Sabe'anism. The worship of the sun, moon, and host of heaven. (Chaldee, tzaba^ a host.) Salbeism means baptism— ih. 2 it is, the religion of many baptisms;” founded by Boudasp or Bodhisattva, a wise Chal- dean. This sect was the root of the party called “Christians of St. John,” and by the Arabs El Mogtasila. SabeTlians. A religious sect; so called from Sabellius, a Libyan priest of the third century. They believed in the unity of God, and said that the Trinity merely expressed three relations or states of one and the same God. Sa'biens is the Aramean equivalent of the word “Baptists.” {See below.) The sects of Hemero>^aptists, Baptists, aruj Sabiens (the Mogtasila of the Arat ian writers) in the second cemury filhd Syria, Palestine, and Babylonia.— RSnan, “ Life of Jesus^" ch. xii. Sable denotes — of the ages of man, the last ; of attributes, wisdom, prudence, integrity, singleness of mind ; of birds, the raven or crow ; of elements, the earth ; of metals, iron or lead ; of planets, Saturn ; of precious stones, the diamond ; of trees, the olive. A suit of sables. A rich courtly dress. By the statute of apparel, 24 Henry V III., c. 13, it is ordained that none under the degree of an earl shall use sables. Bishop tells us that a thousand ducats were sometimes given for a “face of sables” (“Blossoms,” 1577). Ben Jon- son says, “ Would you not laugh to meet a great counsellor of state in a flat cap, with trunk-hose . . . and yond haber- dasher in a velvet gown trimmed with sables?” (“Discoveries”). So long ? Nay, then, let the devil wear black, for I’ll have a suit of sables.— >S/iaA:espeare, Hamlet,'’ iii. 2. Sablonniere {La). The sand-pits. So the Tuileries were called to the four- teenth century. Towards the end of that century tiles were made there, but the sand-pits were first called the Tile- works or Tuileries in 1416. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Nicolas de Neuville built a house in the vicinity, which he called the “ Hotel des Tuileries.” This property was purchased in 1518 by Francois I. for his mother. 77t3 BABRA. SACRAMENT. Sabra. Daughter of Ptolemy, king of Egypt, rescued by St. George from the fangs of the giant, and ultimately mar- ried to her deliverer. She is represented as pure in mind, saintly in character, a perfect citizen, daughter, and wife. Her three sons, born at a birth, were named Guy, Alexander, and David. She died from the pricks of a thorny brake.” Sabreur. Le heau Sabreur (the hand- some or famous swordsman), Joachim Murat (1767-1815). Sabri'na {Latin). The Severn. In Milton’s ‘‘ Comas” we are told she is the daughter of Locrine '‘that had the sceptre from his father Brute,” and was living in concubinage with Estrildis. His queen, Guendolen, vowed vengeance against Estrildis and her daughter, ga- thered an army together, and overthrew Locrine by the river Sture. Sabrina fled and jumped into the river. Nereus took pity on her, and made her " Goddess of the Severn,” which is poetically called Sabri'na. Saecharissa. {See Sacharissa.) Sacco Benedetto or Saco Bendi'to {the blessed sack or cloak). A yellow gar- ment with two crosses on it, and painted over with flames and devils. In this linen robe persons condemned by the Spanish inquisition were arrayed when they went to the stake. The word sack was used for any loose upper garment hanging down the back from the shoul- ders ; hence “ sac-friars ” or fratres saccati. Sacharis'sa {Miss Sugar). A name bestowed by Waller on lady Dorothea Sidney, eldest daughter of the earl of Leicester, for whose hand he was an un- successful suitor, for she married the earl of Sunderland. The earl of Leicester, father of Algernon Sydney the patriot, ami of Waller’s “ Sacharissa,” built for himself a stately house ai the north corner of a square plot of “Lammas land” belonging to the parish of Pit. Martin’s, which plot henceforth became known to Londoners as “Leicester Fielda”— Casseii’s Maga^ tine, London Legends," ii. Sacharissa turns to Joan (Fenton, "The Platonic Spell”). The gloss of novelty being gone, that which was once thought unparalleled proves only ordinary. Fen- ton says before marriage many a woman seems a Sacharissa, faultless in make and wit, but scarcely is “ half Hymen’s taper wasted” when the "spell is dissolved,” ^nd "Sacharissa turns to Joan.” Sachentege (3 syl.). An instru- ment of torture used in Stephen’s reign, and thus described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : " It was fastened to a beam, having a sharp iron to go round the throat and neck, so that the person tor- tured could in no wise sit, lie, nor sleep, but that ho must at all times bear all the iron.” Sack. Any dry wine, as sherry sack, Madeira sack, Canary sack, and Palm sack. (A corruption of the French sec, dry.) Sack. A bag. According to tradition it was the last word uttered before the tongues were confounded at Babel. (Saxon, sxc; German, sack; Welsh, sach; Irish, sac; French, sac; Latin, saccus ; Italian, sacco ; Spanish, sdco ; Greek, sakkos ; Hebrew, sak ; Swedish, sdck ; &c. &c.) To get the sack, or give one the sack. To get discharged by one’s employer. The allusion is not to the bag in which the person’s chattels are to be packed, as when we say "pack off with you,” but to the tradition mentioned above. There are many cognate phrases, as to give one the bag, and get the bag, which is merely substitutional. To receive the canvas is a very old expression, referring to the substance of which the sack or bag was made. The French trousser vos quilles (pack up your ninepins or toys) is another idea, similar to "pack up your tatters and follow the drum.” {See Cashier.) Sackbut. A corruption of sambuca. (Spanish, sacabuche ; Portuguese, saque- buxo ; French, saquebute ; Latin, sacra bu'cina, sacred trumpet.) Sack'erson. The famous bear kept at Paris Garden” in Shakespeare’s time. {See Paris Garden.) Sacrament. Literally "a military ^ oath ” taken by the Roman soldiers not I to desert their standard, turn their back on the enemy, or abandon their general. We also, in the sacrament of baptism, take a military oath "to fight manfully under the banner of Christ.” The early Christians used the word to signify "a sacred mystery,” and hence its application to the eucharist, and in the Roman Catholic Church to marriage, confirmation, &c. SACRAMENTARIANS. SADI. 777 Sacramenta'rians. Those who | believe that no change takes place in the eucharistic elements after consecra- tion, but that the bread and wine are simply emblems of the body and blood of Christ. They were a party among the Reformers who separated from Luther. Sacred Anchors, in Greek vessels, were never let go till the ship was in the extremity of danger. Sacred City. (See Holy City.) Sacred Heart. The ‘'Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” owes its origin to a French nun, named Mary Margaret Alacoque,* of Burgundy, who practised devotion to the Saviour’s heart in con- sequence of a vision. The devotion was sanctioned by pope Clement XII. in 1732. Sacred Isle, or Holy Island. Ireland was so called because of its many saints, and Guernsey for its many monks. The island referred to by Thomas Moore in his “Irish Melodies,” No. II., is Scattery, i to which St. Sena'tus retired, and vowed | that no woman should set foot thereon. Oh, haste and leave this sacred isle, Unholy bark, ere morning smile. ^"St. Senatus and the Lady." Enhallow (from the Norse Hyinhalga, Holy Isle) is the name of a small island in the Orkney group, where cells of the Irish anchorite fathers are said still to exist. Sacred War. (1) A war undertaken by the Am- phictyon'ic league against the Cirrhseans, in defence of Delphi, (b.c. 594-587.) (2) A war waged by the Athenians for the restoration of Delphi to the Pho'cians, from whom it had been taken, (b.c. 448- 447.) (3) A war in which the Phocians, who had seized Delphi, were conquered by Philip of Macedon. (b.c. 346.) Sacrifice. Never sacrifice a white coch, was one of the doctrines of Pythagoras, because it was sacred to the moon. The Greeks went further, and said, “ Nourish a cock, but sacrifice it not,” for all cock- rels were sacred either to the sun or moon, as they announced the hours. The cock was sacred also to the goddess of wisdom, and to Escula'pios the god ^ of health ; it therefore represented ^ time, wisdom, and health, none of which j are ever to be sacrificed. (See lam- | blichus, “ Protreptics,” Symbol xviii.) 1 Sacrifice to the Graces is to render oneself agreeable by courteous conduct, suavity of manners, and fastidiousness oi dress. The allusion is to the three Graces of classic mythology. Sa'cring Bell. The little bell rung to give notice that the “ Host ” is ap- proaching. N ow called sanctus-bell, from the words “Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, DeusSabaoth,” pronounced by the priest. (French, sacrer, Old English verb sacre, to consecrate.) He heard a little sacring bell rine to the eleva- tion of a o-morruw Reginald Scott, "Dis- covery of Wiichcr. ft" (i584). The eacring of the Kings of France.— Temple. Sa'cripant. A braggart, a noisy hectorer. He is introduced by Alexander Passoni in a mock-heroic poem called “ The Rape of the Bucket.” Sa'cripant (in “Orlando Furioso”). King of Circassia, and a Saracen. Sad Bread (Latin, panis gravis). Heavy bread, ill-made bread. Shake- speare calls it “distressful bread”— not the bread of distress, but the “ panis gravis ” or ill-made bread eaten by the poor. Sadah. The sixteenth night of the month Bayaman. {Pers. Myth.) Sadaroubay. The eve of Indian mythology. Sadder. One of the sacred books of the Guebres or Parsis. Saddle. Set the saddle on the right horse. Lay the blame on those who de- serve it. Saddletree (J/r. Bartoline). The learned saddler.— /Sw* Walter Scott, “ The Heart of Mid-Lothiand' Sad'ducees. A Jewish party which denied the existence of spirits and angels, and, of course, disbelieved in the resur- rection of the dead ; so called from Sadoc (righteous man), thought to be the name of a priest or rabbi some three centuries before the birth of Christ. Sadi or Saadi. A Persian poet styled the “ nightingale of thousand songs,” and “one of the four monarchs of elo- quence.” His poems are the “ Gulistan” or Garden of Roses, the “Bostdn” or Garden of Fruits, and the “ Pend- Nameh,” a moral poem. He is admired for his sententious march. (1184-1263.) 778 SADLER’S WELLS. SAINT, Sadler’s Wells (London). There was a well at this place called Holy- Wellf once noted for ‘‘its extraordinary cures.” The priests of Clerkenwell priory used to boast of its virtues. At the Reformation ft was stopped up, and was wholly for- gotten till 1683, when a Mr. Sadler, in digging gravel for his garden, acciden- tally discovered it again. Hence the name. In 1765, Mr. Rosoman converted Sadler’s garden into a theatre. Sadle'rian Lectures. Lectures on Algebra delivered in the University of Cambridge, and founded in 1710 by lady Sadler. SaBlirimnir (Sza-rim'-ner). The boar which is served to the gods of Valhalla daily, and every day the part eaten is miraculously restored. — Scandinavian mythology. Safa, in Arabia, according to Arabian legend, is the hill on which Adam and Eve came together, after having been parted for two hundred years, during which time they wandered homeless over the face of the earth. Sa'ga. Goddess of history. — Scandi- navian mythology. Sagas. The Northern mythological and historical traditions, chiefly com- piled in the twelfth and three following centuries. The most remarkable are those of Lodbroh^ Hervara, Vilkina, Volsunga, Blomsturvalla, Ynglinga, Olaf Try ggva- Sonar., with those of Jomsvi- Jcingia oxidi oi Knyilinga (which contain the legendary history of Norway and Denmark), those of Sturlinga and Eryr- higgia (which contain the legendary history of Iceland), the Heims-Kringla and New Edda^ due to Snorri Sturluson. All these legends are short, abrupt, concise, full of bold metaphor and graphic descriptions. Sa'gan of Jerusalem, in Dryden’s “ Absalom and Achitophel,” is designed for Dr. Compton, bishop of London ; ho was son of the earl of Northampton, who fell in the royal cause at the battle of Hopton Heath. The Jewish sagan was the vicar of the sovereign pontiff. According to tradition, Moses was Aaron’s sagan. Sagitta'rius, the archer, represents the Centaur Chiron, who at death was converted into the censtellation so called, (See next article.) Saglttary. A terrible archer, half beast and half man, whose eyes sparkled like fire, and struck dead like lightning. He is introduced into the Trojan armies by Guido da Colonna. The dreadful Sagittary Appals our numbers. ShaJcespeare, ^'Troilua and Cressida^ r. 6. Sag’ramour le De'sirus. A knight of the Round Table, introduced in the “Morte d’ Arthur,” “Lancelot du Lac,” &c. Sahib (in Bengalee, Sahel). Equal to our Mr., or rather to such gentlemen as we term “ Esquires.” SaJiiba is the lady. (Arabic for lord, master.) Sail. You may hoist sail. Cut your stick, be off. Maria saucily says to Viola, dressed in man’s apparel — Will you hoist sail, sir ? Here lies your way. Shakespeare. Twelfth Night'' i. 6. Strike sail. (See Strike.) Sailing under false colours. Pretending to be what you are not. The allusion is to pirate vessels, which hoist any colours to elude detection. Sailing within the wind. Going to the very verge of propriety, or acting so as just to escape the letter of the law. The phrase, of course, is nautical. Sailor King. William IV. of Eng- land, who entered the navy as midship- man in 1779, and was made Lord High Admiral in 1827. (1765, 1830-1837.) Saint. Kings and princes so called — Edward the Martyr. (961, 975-978.) Edward the Confessor. (1004, 1042- 1066.) Eric IX. of Sweden. ( *, 1155-1161.) Ethelred I., king of Wessex. ( 866.. 871.) Eugenius I., pope. ( *, 654-657.) Felix I., pope. (*,269-274.) Ferdinand III. of Castile and Leon. (1200, 1217-1252.) Julius I., pope. ( *, 337-352.) Kang-he, second of the Manchoo dynasty of China, who assumed the name of Chin-tsou-jin. (1661-1722.) Lawrence Justinia'ni, patriarch of Venice. (1380, 1451-1465.) Leo IX., pope. (1002, 1049-1054.) Louis IX. of France. (1215, 1226- 1270.) Glaus II. of Norway, brother of Harald III., called “ St. Olaf the Double Beard.” (984, 1026-1030.) ST. BEES\ SAIVAS. 77i^ Stephen I. of Hungary. (979, 997- 1033.) ! Dom Fernando, son of king John of Portugal, was, with his brother Henry, I taken prisoner by the Moors at the siege i of Tangier. The Portuguese general , promised to give Ceuta for their ransom, and left Fernando in prison as their surety. The Portuguese government refused to ratify the condition, and Fer- nando was left in the hands of the Moors till he died. For this patriotic act he is regarded as a saint, and his day is June 5th. His brother Edward was king at the time. (1402-1443.) St.Bees' College. So called because its site is in the village of Cumberland, situated on the bay formed by St. Bees* Head, founded by Dr. Law, bishop of Chester in 1816. St. Bees’ was so called from a nunnery founded here in 650, and dedicated to the Irish saint named Bega. St. CeciTia, born of noble Roman parents, and fostered from her cradle in the Christian faith, married Valir'ian. One day she told him that an angel, whether she was awake or asleep, was ever beside her.” Valirian requested to see this angel, and she said he must be ba*^tised first. Valirian was baptised and sutiered martyrdom. When Cecilia was brought before the prefect Alma'chius, and refused to worship the Roman deities, she was shut fast in a bath kept hot both night and day with great fires ” but felt of it no woe.” Alma- chius then sent an executioner to cut off her head, but for no manner of chance could he smite her fair neck in two.” Three days she li 'gered with her neck bleeding, preaching Christ and him crucified all the while; then she died, and pope Urban buried the body. ‘‘ Her house, the church of St. Cecily is hight ” unto this day. — Chaucer, Secounde Nonnes Tale” St. Cuthbert’s Duck. The Eider duck. St. Elmo, called by the French St. Elme. The electric light seen playing about the masts of ships in stormy weather. {See Castor and Pollux.) And sudden breaking on their raptured sight Appeared the splendour of St. Llir.o's HooU'i **Furio80*' bli. ix. St. John Long. An illiterate quack, who professed to have discovered a liniment which had the power of dis- tinguishing between disease and health. The body was rubbed with it, and if irritation appeared it announced seci'et disease, which the quack undertook tc Cure. He was twice tried for man- slaughter : once in 1830, when he was fined for his treatment of Miss Cashan, who died ; and next in 1831, for the death of Mrs. Lloyd ; being acquitted, he was driven in triumph from the Old Bailey in a nobleman’s carriage, amid the congratulations of the aristocracy. St. John is pronounced Sin' jin, as in that verse of Pope’s — Awake, my St. John ! leave all meaner things To low ambition and the pride of kings. “'■Essay on Man.,’* i. St. Leger Sweepstakes. The St. Leger race was instituted in 1776 by Colonel St. Leger, of Park Hill, near Doncaster, but was not called the “St. Leger ” till two years afterwards, when the marquis of Rockingham’s horse “ Allabaculia ” won the race. St. Leon became possessed of the elixir of life, and the power of trans- muting the baser metals into gold, but these acquisitions only brought him in- creased misery. — William Goodwin, St. Leon.” St. MiehaePs Chair. The project- ing stone lantern of a tower erected on St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall. It is said that the rock received its name from a religious house built to commemorate the apparition of St. Michael on one of its craggy heights. St. Monday. A holiday observed by idle workmen and many merchants. St. Si'monism. The social and po- litical system of St. Simon. He proposed the institution of a European parliament, to arbitrate in all matters affecting Europe, and the establishment of a social hierarchy based on capacity and labour. He was led to his “social system” by the apparition of Charlemagne, which appeared to him one night in the Luxem- bourg, where he was suffering a tem- porary imprisonment. (1760-1825.) *** For other saints, see the proper names. Sa'ivas. Worshippers of Siva, one of the three great Indian sects; they are at present divided into— (1) Dandins or staff- bearers, the Hindu 780 SAKER. SALAMANDER mendicants ; so called because they carry a danda or small staff, with a piece of red cloth fixed on it. In this piece of cloth the Brahmanical cord is enshrined. (2) Yogms. Followers of Yoga, who practise the most difficult austerities. (3) LingavatSy who wear the Linga emblem on some part of their dress. (4) Paramahansasy ascetics who go naked, and never express any want or wish. (5) AghorinSy who eat and drink what- ever is given them, even ordure and carrion. (6) Urdhaba'kuSy who extend one or both arms over their head till they be- come rigidly fixed in this position. (7) Akas'miilchinSy who hold up their faces to the sky till the muscles of the neck become contracted. Sa'ker. A piece of light artillery. The word is borrowed from the saker hawk. Falcon.) The cannon, blunderbuss, and saker. He was the inventor of and maker. Buthi\ “ KudibraSy* i. a. Sak'hrat. A sacred stone, one grain of which endows the possessor with miraculous powers. It is of an emerald colour, and its reflection gives the sky its blue imi.— Mahometan mythology. Sak'tas. One of the great divisions of Hindu sects. It is divided into two branches, the Dak shin 'acha'rins and the Vam'acha'rins (the followers of the right- hand and left-hand ritual). The latter practise the grossest impurities. (San- skrit, sahtiy power, energy.) Sak'untala. Daughter of saint Vis'wa'mita, and Menaka a water-nymph. Abandoned by her parents, she was brought up by a hermit. One day king Dushyanta came to the hermitage dur- ing a hunt, and persuaded Sakuntala to marry him, and in due time a son was born. When the boy was six years old, she took it to its father, and the king recognised his wife by a ring which he had given her. She was now publicly proclaimed his queen, and Bharata, his son and heir, became the founder of the glorious race of the Bharatas. This story forms the plot of the celebrated drama of KMida'sa, called ‘^Sakuntala,” made known to us by Sir W. Jones. Sak'ya-Mu'ni. Sakya, the hermit, founder of Buddhism. Salacaca'bia or Salacadahy of Apr cius. An uneatable soup of great pro tensions. King, in his ** Art of Cookery,’ gives the recipe of this soup : Bruise in a mortar parsley-seed, dried peneryal, dried mint, ginger, green coriander, stoned raisins, honey, vinegar, oil, and wine. Put them into a cacah'ulum, three crusts of Pycentine bread, the flesh of a pullet, vestine cheese, pine- kernels, cucumbers, dried onions, minced small ; pour soup over the whole, gar- nish with snow, and serve up in the cacab'ulum.” At each end there are dishes of the salacacabia of the Romaus : one is made of par«ley. pennyroyal, cheese, pineLops, honey, vinegar, brine, eggs, cucum- bers, onions, and heu-livers ; the ot‘'er is much tire same as soup maigre.-- Peregrine Pickle” SaTace (3 syl.). The sea, or rather the salt or briny deep ; the wife of Nep- tune. Triton, who boasts his high Neptunian race, Sprung from the god by Salace’s embrace. Camoens^ “ Lusiad” bk. vi. Salad Days. Days of inexperience, when persons are very green. Mv salJad days. When I was green in judgment. Shakespeare^ '*Antho7ig and Cleopatra” i. 5. A pen* orth of salad oil. A strapping ; a castigation. It is a joke on All Fools’ Day to send one to the saddler’s for a “ pen’orth of salad oil.” The pun is be- tween salad oil,” as above, and the French avoir de la saladey “to be flogged.” The French salader and salade are derived from the salle or saddle on which schoolboys were at one time birched. A block for the purpose is still kept in some of our public schools. Oudin translates the phrase, Bonner la salle d un escolier by “ scopar un scolari innanzi a tutti gli Recherches Italiennes et Francoises** pt. ii. 508. Salamander, in Egyptian hierogly- phics, is a human form pinched to death with the cold. {See Undines.) Salamander of Middle-Age superstition was a creature in the shape of a man which lived in fire. (Greek, salambe anery chimney man, meaning a man that lives in a chimney or fire.) Salamander. A sort of lizard, which, according to a superstition once very pr-evalent, sought the hottest fire to breed in, but quenched it with the ex- treme frigidity of its body. Pliny tells us he tried the experiment once, but the creature was soon burnt to a powder. SALAMANDER’S WOOL. SALMONEtTS. 781 Salamander. Francois I. of France adopted as his badge a lizard in the midst of flames,” with the legend Nntrisco et extinguo — “I nourish and extinguish.” The Italian motto from which this legend was borrowed was, Nudrisco il huono e spengo il reo — I nourish the good and extinguish the bad.” Fire purifies good metal, but consumes rubbish. (See ante.) Salamander. Anything of a fiery-red colour. Falstaff calls Bardolph’s nose “a burning lamp,” ‘ 'a salamander,” and the drink that made such ‘^a fiery meteor” he calls ‘^fire.” I have maintained that salamander of yours with tire any time this two-and-thiriy ye xn.—Shakt- spcare, “1 lltnry IV.,” iv. 3. Salamander’s Wool. Asbestos^ a fibrous mineral, aflirnied by the Tartars to be made of the root of a tree.” It is sometimes called ^'mountain flax,” and is not combustible. Sal'ary. The salt rations. The Romans served out rations of salt and other neces- saries to their soldiers and civil servants. The rations altogether were called by the general name of salt, and when money was substituted for the rations the stipend went by the same name. (Latin, sala'rum, from sal, salt.) Sale by the Candle. A species of auction. An inch of candle being lighted, he who made the bid as the candle gave its expiring wink was declared the buyer. Salem peace”), afterwards called Jerusalem, a corruption of Jireh-Salem. Abraham called it Jehovah-ji'reh (Gen. xxii.14). The word is sometimes used for the church either militant or triumphant (Isa. Ixii. 1 ; Rev. iii. 12). Melchisedec, king of Salem being by interpre- tation.... Kmg of peace.— vii. l, 2. Salic Law. The law so called is one chapter of the Salian code regarding succession to salic lands, which was limited to heirs male, to the exclusion of females, chiefly because certain military duties were connected with the holding of those lands. In the fourteenth cen- tury females were excluded from the throne of France by the application of the Salic law to the succession of the crown. Which Salique, as I eaid, ’twlxt Elbe and Sala, Is at this day in Germany called Meisen. Shakespeare, “ Henry V.,* i. 2 Salisbury Cathedral. Begun in 1220, and finished in 1258 ; noted for having the loftiest spire in the United Kingdom. It is 400 feet high, or thirty feet higher than the dome of St. Paul’s. Salisbury Court (London) ori^- nated in a palace of the bishop of Salis- bury, which he parted with to the Sack- villes. Salisbury Craigs. Rocks near Edinburgh; so called from the earl of Salisbury, who accompanied Edward III. on an expedition against the Scots. Sallust of France. Cesar Vichard, abbe de St. Real; so called by Voltaire. (1639-1692.) Sally. Saddle. (Latin, sella ; French, selle.) The horse,,.. stopped his course by degrees, and went with bis rider ... .into a pond to drink; and there sat his lordship upon the etxWy.— ^Lives of the Norths,” Vaiilting ambition.... o’erleaps its sell. And falls d’ the other.... Shakespeare,'* Macbeth,” i. 7. Sally Lunn. A tea-cake ; so called from Sally Lunn, the pastrycook of Bath, who used to cry them about in a basket at the close of the eighteenth century. Dalmer, the baker, bought her receipt, and made a song about the buns. Sally-port. The postern in fortifi- cations. It is a small door or port whence troops may issue unseen to make sallies, &c. (Latin, salio, to leap.) SaTmagun'di. A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herrings, and onions, all chopped together, and served with lemon-juice and oil ; so called from Salmagondi, one of the ladies attached to the suite of Mary de Medicis, wife of Henri IV. of France. She either invented the dish or was so fond of it that it went by her name. More probably the word is a corruption of the Latin salgamum (meat and salad powdered together). Sal'macis, softness, effeminacy. It was a fountain of Caria, near Halicar- nassos, which rendered soft and effemi- nate all who bathed therein. Thy moist limbs melted into Salmacis. Swinbnrn, “ Hermaphroditus.” Salmon is the Latin sahno (the leap- ing fish). Some of them will leap to a height of fifteen or even twenty feet. Salmo'neus (4 syl.). A king of Elis, noted for his arrogance and impiety. He not only ordered sacrifice to be offered 782 SALSABIL. SALT PEUNELLA. to himself, but he attempted to imitate the thunder and lightning of Jove, for which impiety the king of gods and men hurled a thunderbolt at him and sent him to the infernal regions. Sal'sabil. A fountain in Paradise. — Mahometan mythology. Mahomet was taking his afternoon nap in his Paradise. A houri had rolled a cloud under his head, and he was snoring serenely near the fountain of Salsabil.— iff. L’Epine^ “ Croquemitaine” ii. 8. Balt. Flavour ; smack. The salt of youth is that vigour and strong passion which then predominates. Shakespeare uses the term on several occasions for strong amorous passion. Thus lago re- fers to it as ‘‘hot as monkeys, salt as wolves in pride” (“Othello,” hi. 3). The Duke calls Angelo’s base passion his “ salt imagination,” because he supposed his victim to be Isabella, and not his be- trothed wife whom he was forced by the Duke to marry. — Measure for Measure^' V. 1. Though we are justices, and doctors, and church- men, Master Page, we have some salt of our youth in \xs.— * Merry Wives of Windsor,*' ii. 3. Salt in a coffin. It is still not uncom- mon to put salt into a coffin, and Moresin tells us the reason : Satan hates salt, because it is the symbol of incorruption and immortality.— “Papafw.5,” p. 154. Spilling salt was held to be an unlucky omen by the Romans, and the superstition has descended to ourselves. In Leonardo da Vinci’s famous picture of the Lord’s Supper, Judas Iscariot is known by the salt cellar knocked over accidentally by his arm. Salt was used in sacrifice by the J ews, as well as by the Greeks and Romans ; and it is still used in baptism by the Roman Catholic clergy. It was an emblem of purity and the sanctifying in- fluence of a holy life on others. Hence our Lord tells his disciples they are ‘ ‘ the salt of the earth.” Spilling the salt after it w'as placed on the head of the victim was a bad omen, and hence the super- stition. Cum grano sa'lis. With great limita- tion. As salt is sparingly used for a con- diment, so truth is sparingly scattered in aa exaggerated report. To sit above the salt—m a place of dis- tinction. Formerly the familj^ saler (salt- cellar) was of massive silver, and placed in the middle of the table. Persons of distinction sat above the “safer” — between it and the head of the table. Dependents and other inferior guests sat below it. He wonH earn salt for his porridge. He will never earn a penny. To salt an invoice is to put the extreme value upon each article, and even some- thing more, to give it piquancy and raise its market value, according to the maxim, sal sapit omnia. The French have the same expression ; as Vendre bien sale, “ To sell very dear II me V a bien sale, “ He charged me an exorbitant price and generally saler is to pigeon one. Salt in Beer. In Scotland it was customary to throw a handful of salt on the top of the mash to keep the witches from it. Salt really has the effect of moderating the fermentation and fining the liquor. Salt-hill {Eton). At the Eton J/owto the captain of the school used to collect money from the visitors on Montem day. Standing on a mound at Slough, he waved a flag, and persons appointed for the purpose collected the donations. The mound is still called Salt-hilly and the money given was called salt. The word salt is similar to the Latin sola! rum (salary), the pay given to Roman soldiers and civil officers. {See Salary.) Salt Junk. Salt beef on board ship. Junk is the bulrush of which ropes used to be made, and salt junk means beef that is hard, ropy, and salt. Salt Lake. It has been stated that three buckets of this water will yield one of solid salt. This cannot be true, as water will not hold in solution more than twenty-five per cent, of saline matter. The Mormons engaged in procuring it state that they obtain one bucket of salt for every five buckets of water. — Quebec Morning Chronicle. Salt Prunella. A mixture of re- fined nitre and soda for sore throats. Prunella is a corruption of Brunelle, in French sel de brunelle, from the Ger- man breune (a sore throat), brdane (the quinsy). Prunella is the name of a genus of plants very astringent, and used in medi- cine for sore throats. This word also is a corruption of Brunelle. (See above. ) PrvnellOy a species of plum, is quite another word, being from the French prunelle (a little plum). SALT RIVER. SAMARITAN. 783 PrunellOy tlie stuff of which clerical gowns are made, is a corruption of Brig- noles, where it was originally manufac- tured. Salt River. To roiv up Salt River, A defeated political party is said to be rowed up Salt River, and those who attempt to uphold the party have the task of rowing up this ungracious stream. J. Inman says the allusion is to a small stream in Kentucky, the passage of which is rendered both difficult and dangerous by shallows, bars, and an extremely tor- tuous channel. Saltpetre is the salt formed in stones or walls. It is the sel de pierre of the French. Salu'te (2 syl.). According to tradi- tion, on the triumphant return of Maxi- milian to Germany, after his second cam- paign, the town of Augsburg ordered 100 rounds of cannon to be discharged. The officer on service, fearing to have fallen short of the number, caused an extra round to be added. The town of Nuremburg ordered a like salute, and the custom became established. Salute in the British navy, between two ships of equal rank, is made by firing an equal number of guns. If the vessels are of unequal rank, the superior fires the fewer rounds. Royal Salute in the British navy con- sists (1) in firing twenty-one great guns, (2) in the officers lowering their sword- points, and (3) in dipping the colours. Salutations. Shaking hands. A relic of the ancient custom of adversaries, in treating of a truce, taking hold of the weapon-hand to ensure against treachery. Lady's curtsey. A relic of the ancient custom of women going on the knee to men of rank and power, originally to beg mercy, afterwards to acknowledge su- periority. Taking off the hat. A relic of the ancient custom of taking off the helmet when no danger is nigh. A man takes off his hat to show that he dares stand unarmed in your presence. Discharging guns as a salute. To show that no fear exists, and therefore no guns will be required. This is like ** burying the hatchet” (q.v.). Presenting arms— i.e.f offering to give them up, from a full persuasion of the peaceful and friendly disposition of the person so honoured. Lowering swords. To express a willing- ness to put yourself unarmed in the power of the person saluted, from a full persuasion of his friendly feeling. Salve (1 syl.) is the Latin saVvia (sage), one of the most efficient of me- diaeval remedies. To other woundes, and to broken armes. Some hadd€ salve, and some haddS charmcs. Chaucer t “ Canterbury Tales " line 2,714. Salve. To flatter, to wheedle. The allusion is to salving a wound. Sam. Uncle Sam. The United States government. Mr. Frost tells us that the inspectors of Elbert Anderson’s store on the Hudson were Ebenezer Wilson and his uncle Samuel Wilson, the latter of whom superintended in person the work- men, and went by the name of Uncle Sam.” The stores were marked E.A.— U.S. {Elbert Andersoiiy United States), and one of the employers being asked the meaning, said U.S. stood for Uncle Sam.” The joke took, and in the War of Independence the men carried it with them, and it became stereotyped. To stand Sam. To be made to pay the reckoning. This is an Americanism, and arose from the letters U.S. on the knap- sacks of the soldiers. The government of Uncle Sam has to pay or stand Sam ” for all. {See above.) Sam Weller. Servant of Mr. Pick- wick, famous for his metaphors. Tie is meant to impersonate the wit, shrewd- ness, quaint humour, and best qualities of London low life. — Charles Dickens, Pickwick. '' Sa^mael. The prince of demons, who, in the guise of a serpent, tempted Eve; also called the angel of death. — Jewish demonology. Sam'anides (3 syl.). A dynasty of ten kings in Western Persia (902-1004), founded by Ismail al Sam'ani. Sama'ria, according to 1 Kings xvi. 24, means the hill of Shemer. Omri bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of [hisj city .... after the name of Shemer .... Sama- ria." (b.c. 925.) Samaritan. A good Samaritan. A philanthropist, one who attends upon 784 SAMBO. SANCHO PANZA, the poor to aid them and give them relief. (Luke x, 30-37. ) Sambo. A pet name given to any one of the negro race. The term is pro- perly applied to one born of a negro and a mulatto, called a zambo. Sam'edi (2syl.), French for Sunday, is a contraction of Sabbati-di ( Sabbath-- day ), as Mardi is Marti-di, Vendredi is Veneri-di, &c. (the day dedicated to Mars, Venus, &c.). Sa'mian. The Samian 'poet. Simon'- ides the satirist, born at Samos. The Samian sage. Pythag'oras, born at Samos; sometimes called ‘Hhe Sa- mian.’* (6th century B.c.) ’Tis enoueh, In this late age, adventurous to have touched Light on the numbers of the Samian sage. Thomson. The Samian letter. The letter Y, used by Pythag'oras as an emblem of the straight narrow path of virtue which is one, but if once deviated from, the fur- ther the lines are extended the wider becomes the breach. When reason doubtful, like the Samian letter, Points him two ways, the narrower tlie better. Dunciad,” iv. Samia'sa. A seraph, who fell in love with Aholiba'mah, a grand -daughter of Cain, and when the flood came, carried her under his wing to some other planet. —Byron, Heaven and Earth.'* Sa'miel, the Black Huntsman of the Wolf’s Glen. Asatanic spirit, who gave to a marksman who entered into com- pact with him seven balls, six of which were to hit infallibly whatever was aimed at, but the seventh was to deceive. The person who made this compact was termed Der Frei'schutz. — Weber, T)er Freischutz*’ (an opera). Sa'miel-wind, or Simoom^ A hot suffocating wind, that blows occasionally in Africa and Arabia. (Arabic, samma, suffocatingly hot. ) Burning and headlong as the Sami el wind. Thomas IJoore, “ Lulla Mookh," pt. i. Samoor. The south wind of Persia., which so softens the strings of lutes, that they can never be tuned while it lasts.— Stephen, Persia.** hike the wind of the south o’er a summer lute blowing. Hushed all its music, and withered its frame. Thomas Moore. “ The Fire Worshippers,” Samp'son. A dominie Sampson. A humble pedantic scholar, awkward, irascible, and very old-fashioned. The character occurs in Sir Walter Scott’s Guy Mannering.” Samosa'tian Philosopher. Lucian of Samos'ata. (Properly, Samos' a- tian.) Samson. Any man of unusual strength; so called from the judge of Israel. The British Samson. Thomas Topham, son of a London carpenter. He lifted three hogsheads of water, weighing 1,836 pounds, in the presence of thousands of spectators assembled in Bath Street, Cold Bath Fields, May 28th, 1741. Being plagued by a faithless woman, he put an end to his life in the flower of his age. (1710-1753?) Samson Carrasco . — Don Quixote,** pt. ii. bk. i. ch. 4. San Chris'tobal. A mountain in Grana'da, seen by ships arriving from the African coast ; so called because colossal images of St. Christopher were erected in places of danger, from the superstitious notion that whoever cast his eye on the gigantic saint would be free from peril for the whole day. San Suen'a. Zaragoza. Sance-bell. Same as Sanctus- bell.” (See Sacring-bell.) San'cha. Daughter of Garcias, king of Navarre, and wife of Fernan Gonsa'lez of Castile. She twice saved the life of the count her husband— once on his road to Navarre, being waylaid by per- sonal enemies and cast into a dungeon, she liberated him by bribing the gaoler. The next time was when Fenian was waylaid and held prisoner at Leon. On this occasion she effected his escape by changing clothes with him. The tale resembles that of the countess of Nithsdale, who effected the escape of her husband from the Tower on the 23rd of February, 1715 ; and that of the countess de Lavalette, who, in 1815, liberated the count her husband from prison by changing clothes with him. Sancho Panza, the squire of Don Quixote, was governor of Barata'ria, ac- cording to Cervantes. He is described as a short, pot-bellied rustic, full of com- mon sense, but without a grain of ‘'spi- rituality.” He rode upon an ass, and was especially famous for his proverbs. SANCHONIATHO. SAND-BLIND. 785 A Sancho Panza. A justice of the peace. In French a “juge de paix.” In allusion to the wise judgments of the squire in the isle of Barata'ria. Sanclio Panza' s ass. Dapple. Sancho's Panza' s wife. Teresa {q.v.). Sancho. The model painting of this squire is Leslie’s Sancho and the Duchess.” Sanchonia'tlio. A forgery of the nine books of this author” was printed at Bremen in 1837. The original ” was said to have been discovered in the con- vent of St. Maria de Merinhao by colonel Pereira, a Portuguese ; but it was soon discovered (Ij that no such convent ex- isted, (2) that there was no colonel in the Portuguese service of the name, and (3) that the paper of the MS. displayed the water-mark of an Osnabriick paper- mill. {See Kichard of Cirencester.) Sanctum Sancto'rum. A private room into which no one uninvited enters. The reference is to the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple, a small chamber into which none but the high priest might enter, and that only on the great day of atonement. A man’s private house is his sanctuary ; his own special private room in that house is the sanctuary of the sanctuary, or the sanctum sancto'rum. Sancy' Diamond. So called from Nicholas de Harlay, sieur de Sancy, who bought it for 70,000 francs (£2,800) of don Antonio, prince of Crato and king of Portugal in partihus. It belonged at one time to Charles the Bold of Burgundy, who wore it with other diamonds at the battle of Granson, in 1476; and after his defeat it was picked up by a Swiss sol- dier, who sold it for a gulden to a clergy- man. The clergyman sold it sixteen years afterwards (1492) to a merchant of Lucerne for 5,000 ducats (£1,125). It was next purchased (1495) by Em- manuel the Fortunate of Portugal, and remained in the house of Aviz till the kingdom was annexed to Spain (1580), when don Antonio sold it to sieur de Sancy, in whose family it remained more than a century. On one occasion the sieur, being desirous of aiding Henri IV. in his struggle for the crown, pledged the diamond to the Jews at Metz. The servant entrusted with it, being attacked by robbers, swallowed the diamond, and was murdered, but Nicholas de Harlay subsequently recovered the diamond out of the dead body of his unfortunate mes- senger. We next find it in the posses- sion of James II., who purchased it for the crown of England. James carried it with him in his flight to France in 1688, when it was sold to Louis XIV. for £25,000. Louis XV. wore it at his coronation, but during the Kevo- lution it was again sold. Napoleon in his high and palmy days bought it, but it was sold in 1835 to prince Paul Demidoff for £80,000. The prince sold it in 1830 to M. Levrat, administrator of the Mining Society, who was to pay for it in four instalments ; but his failing to fulfil his engagement became, in 1831^ the subject of a lawsuit, which was given in favour of the prince. We next hear of it in Bombay ; and in 1867 it was trans- mitted to England by the firm of Forbes and Co. Sand. My sand of life is almost run The allusion is to the hour-glass. Alas ! dread lord, you see the case -wherein I stand, and how litt'e sand is left to run in my poor glass.— Meynard the Foxp iv. To number sands. To undertake an endless or impossible task. Alas! poor duke, the task he undertakes Is numbering sands and drinking oceans dry. Shakespeare, ^'‘Richard II.,” ii. 2. Footprints in the sands of Time (Long- fellow, Psalm of Life”). This beau- tiful expression was probably suggested by a letter of the First Napoleon to his Minister of the Interior respecting the poor laws : — ^^It is melancholy [he says] to see time passing away without being put to its full value. Surely in a matter of this kind we should endeavour to do something, that we may say that we have lived, that we have not lived in vain, that we may leave some impress of our lives on the sands of Time.” Sand (George). The nom-de-plume of Madame Dudevant, a French authoress. This name was assumed out of attach- ment to Jules Sand or Sandeau, a young student, in conjunction with whom she published her first novel under the name of Jules Sand.” (1804-*.) Sand-banks. Wynants, a Dutch artist, is famous for his homely pictures, where sand-banks form a most striking feature. Sand-blind. Virtually blind, but not wholly so ; what the French call her- lue ; our purblind. (Saxon, sinblvid, y Y 7S6 SANDABAE. SANGREAL. very blind ; or Old High German, sandy virtually. ) It is only fit for a Laiincelot Gobbo to derive it from sand, a sort of earth. This is my true-hegotten father, who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not. —Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice,* ii. 2. San'dabar. An Arabian writer, cele- brated for his Parables.” He lived about a century before the Christian era. Sandal. A man without sandals. A prodigal ; so called by the ancient Jews, because the seller gave his sandals to the buyer as a ratification of his bargain. (Ruth iv. 7.) Sandal-wood. A corruption of Santal-wood, a plant of the genus San'- tatum and natural order Santala'cece. SandaPplion. One of the three angels who receive the prayers of the Israelites, and weave crowns for them. — Longfellow. Sand'en {sandy-den). The great palace of king Lion, in the tale of ‘^Reynard the Fox.” Sandford and Merton. Thomas Day’s tale so called. Sandjar. One of the Seljuke Sultans of Persia ; so called from the place of his birth, and generally considered the Per- sian Alexander. (1117-1158.) Sands eh. aki or Sandschaki-sherif (the standard of green silk). The sacred banner of the Mussulmans. It is now enveloped in four coverings of green taffeta, enclosed in a ease of green cloth. The standard is twelve feet high, and the golden ornament (a closed hand) which surmounts it holds a copy of the Koran written by the calif Osman III. In times of peace this banner is guarded in the hall of the noble vestment,” as the dress worn by ^Hhe prophet” is styled. In the same hall are preserved the sacred teeth, the holy beard, the sacred stirrup, the sabre, and the bow of Mahomet. Sandwicb. A piece of meat be- tween two slices of bread ; so called from the earl of Sandwich (the noted “Jemmy Twitcher”)? who passed whole days in gambling, bidding the waiter bring him for refreshment a piece of meat between two pieces of bread, which he ate without stopping from play. This contrivance was not first hit upon by the earl in the reign of George III., as the Romans were very fond of “ sandwiches,” called by them offula. A Sandivich. A perambulating ad- vertisement displayer ; so called be- cause he has a placarded board before and behind, between which he is en- closed like meat in a sandwich. The earl of Shaftesbury desired to say a -word on behalf of a very respectable body of men, ordinarily called “sandwiches.”— 2'/ie Times, March 16th. 1867. Sang Bleu. Of high aristocratic descent. The words are French, and mean blue blood, but the notion is Spanish. The old families of Spain who trace their pedigree beyond the time of the Moorish conquest say that their venous blood is blue, but that of com- mon people is black. Sangaree.' A West Indian drink consisting of Madeira wine, syrup, water, and nutmeg. San'glamore (3 syl.). Braggado- chio’s sword. — Spenser, ^‘Faery Queen.'" San'glier {Sir'). Meant for Shan O’Neil, leader of the Irish insurgents in 1567. — Spenser, Faery Queen," v. Sfbnglier des Ardennes. Guillaume de la Marck, driven from Lihge for the murder of the bishop of Liege, and be- headed by the archduke Maximilian. (1446-1485.) Sangra'do (-Or.), in the romance of “Gil Bias,” prescribes depletion and bleeding for every ailment. The charac- ter is a satire on Helvetius. If the Sangra'dos were ignorant, there was at any rate more to spare in the veins then i han there is now.— Daiify Telegraph. Sangreal. The vessel from which our Saviour drank at the Last Supper, and which (as it is said) was afterwards filled by Joseph of Arimathe'a with the blood that flowed from his wounds. This blood was reported to have the power of prolonging life and preserving chastity. The quest of this cup forms the most fertile source of adventures to the knights of the Round Table. The story of the Sangreal or Sangraal was first written in verse by Chrestien de Troyes (end of the tenth century), thence Latinised (thirteenth century), and finally turned into French prose by Gautier Map, by “order of lord Henry” (Henry III.) It commences with the genealogy of our Saviour, and detaik the whole Gospel SANJAR-lSHERTlr. SANSLOY. 787 history; but the prose romance begins with Joseph of Arimathe'a. Its quest is continued in ^‘Percival,” a romance of the fifteenth century, which gives the adventures of a young Welshman, raw and inexperienced, but admitted to knighthood. At his death the san- greal, the sacred lance, and the silver trencher were carried up to heaven in the presence of attendants, and have never since been seen on earth. Greal is either the old French grasal (a cup), or the Latin sanguis redlis. Sanjak-sherif. The flag of the prophet. (Turkish, sanjah^ a standard.) San'hedriin. The great council of seventy elders among the Jews, which heard appeals from the inferior courts. (Greek, sunedrion, a sitting together.) Sanhedrim, in Dryden’s satire of ‘^Ab- salom and Achitophel,” stands for the British Parliament. The Jewish San- hedrim, before the captivity, was a sort of senate convened to assist Moses in the government ; after the captivity it seems to have been a permanent consistory court. The president was called Han- na'see” or prince, and the vice-president ‘^Abba” (Father). The seventy sat in a semi-circle, thirty-five on each side of the president; the ‘^father” being on his right hand, and the ^^hacan,’* or sub-deputy, on his left. The Sanhedrim long time as chief he ruled, Their reason guided, and their passion cooled. Sans Culottes (French, loithout trousers). A name given by the aristo- cratic section during the French Revolu- tion to the popular party, the favourite leader of which was Henriot. (1793.) Sans Culottides. The five com- plementary days added to the twelve months of the Revolutionary Calendar. Each month being made to consist of thirty days, the riff-raff days which would not conform to the law were named in honour of the sans culottes, and made idle days or holidays. Sans Peur et Sans Peproche. Pierre du Terrail, chevalier de Bayard, who was slain in 1524, was called ^ Le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche.” (1476-1524.) Sans Souei {French). Free and easy, void of care. There is a place so called near Potsdam, where the king of Prussia has a palace. Enfans Sans Souci. The Tradesmen’s company of actors, as opposed to the Law- yer’s, called Basochians” {q.v.'). This company was organised in France in the reign of CharlesVIII., for the performance of short comedies, in which public charac- ters and the manners of the day were turned into ridicule. The manager of the Care-for-nothings” [saois souci) was called “ The Prince of Fools.” One of their dramatic pieces, entitled Master Pierre Pathelin,” was an immense fa- vourite with the Parisians. Sansca'ra. The ten essential rites of Hindus of the first three castes : (1) At the conception of a child; (2) at the quickening ; (3) at birth ; (4) at naming ; (5) carrying the child out to see the moon ; (6) giving him food to eat ; (7) the ceremony of tonsure ; (8) investiture with the string ; (9) the close of his studies; (10) the ceremony of ‘^mar- riage,” when he is qualified to perform the sacrifices ordained. ^din^foy(Infidelity'). A Saracen “ who cared for neither God nor man,” en- countered by St. George and slain. — Spenser, Faery Queen,'' bk, i. Sansjoy {Without the peace of God). Brother of Sansfoy {Inhdelity) and Sans- loy {Without the law of God). He is a paynim knight, who fights with St. George in the palace grounds of Pride, and would have been slain if Duessa had not rescued him. He is carried in the car of Night to the Infernal regions, where he is healed of his wounds by Escula'pius.— Spenser, “ Faery Queen," bk. i. Sansloy {Irreligion), brother of Sans- foy {q.v. ). Having torn off the disguise of Archima'go and wounded the lion, he carries off Una into the wilderness. Her shrieks arouse the fauns and satyrs, who come to her rescue, and Sansloy flees. Una is Truth, and being without Holiness (the Red-cross Knight), is de- ceived by Hypocrisy. As soon as Truth joins Hypocrisy, instead of Holiness, Irreligion breaks in and carries her away. The reference is to the reign of queen Mary, when the Reformation was earried captive, and the lion was wounded to the heart by the “ False-law of God.” — Spenser, ^^Fwery Queen f bk. i. In bk. ii., San.sloy appears again as the cavalier of Perissa or Prodigality. Y Y 3 788 SANSONETTO. SARDONYX. Sansonetto (in '^Orlando Furioso”). A Christian regent of Mecca, vicegerent of Charlemagne. SantaCasa (Italian, holy house). The reputed house in which the Virgin Mary lived at Nazareth, miraculously translated to Fiume, in Dalmatia, in 1291, and thence to Recana'ti in 1294, and finally to Macera'ta, in Italy, to a piece of land belonging to the lady Laureta. Santa Klaus (1 syl.). The Dutch name of St. Nicholas. Just before Christmas the children of Flanders, Hol- land, and several parts of Germany, put out their shoe or stocking for Santa Klaus or Knecht Clobes to put a gift therein before morning, as a prize of good conduct. Sappho of Toulouse. Clemence Isaure (2 syL), a wealthy lady of Tou- louse, who instituted in 1490 the Jeux Floraux,” and left funds to defray their annual expenses. She composed a beau- tiful Ode to Spring.” (1463-1513.) Sar'acens. Ducange derives this word from Sarah (Abraham’s wife); Hot- tinger from the Arabic saraca (to steal) ; Forster from sahra (a desert) ; but pro- bably it is the Arabic sharakyoun or sharkeyn(\ihQ eastern people), as opposed to Mag'haribe (the western people — i.e., of Morocco). Sar'acen- wheat (French, BU-Sar- rasin). Buck- wheat ; so called because it was brought by the crusaders from the country of the Saracens. (See Buck- wheat.) Saragoz'a. The Maid of Saragoza. Augustina, who was only twenty- two years of age when, her lover being shot, she mounted the battery in his place. The French, after besieging the town for two months, were obliged to retreat, August 15th, 1808. Sar'aswa'ti. Wife of Brahma, and goddess of the fine arts. — Hinda mytho- logy. Sar^casm. A flaying or plucking off of the skin; a cutting taunt. (Greek, sarkazo, to flay, &c.) Sarce'net (2 syl.). A corruption of- Saracennet, from its Saracenic or Oriental origin, Sarcoph'agus. A stone, according to Pliny, which consumed the flesh, and was therefore chosen by the ancients for coffins. It is called sometimes lapis Assius, because it was found at Assos of Lycia. Sardanapalus. King of Nineveh and Assyria, noted for his luxury and voluptuousness. His effeminacy induced Arba'ces, the Mede, to conspire against him. Myrra, an Ionian slave and his favourite concubine, roused him from his lethargy, and induced him to appear at the head of his armies. He won three successive battles, but being then de- feated, he was induced by Myrra to place himself on a funeral pile, which she herself set fire to, and then jumping into the flames, perished with her be- loved master. (Died B.o. ^11.)— Byron, Sardanapalus A Sardanapalus. Any luxurious, ex- travagant, self-willed tyrant. (See above.) Sardanapalus of China. Cheo-tsin, who shut himself and his queen in his palace, and set fire to the building, that be might not fall into the hands of Woo- wong, who founded the dynasty of Tchow (b.c. 1154-1122). It was*^ Cheo-tsin who invented the chopsticks. Sardinian Laugh. Laughing on the wrong side of one’s mouth. The Edin- burgh Review says : The ancient Sar- dinians used to get rid of their old rela- tions by throwing them into deep pits, and the sufferers were expected to feel delighted at this attention to their well- being.” — July, 1849. Sardon'ic Smile, Grin or Laugh- ter. A smile of contempt ; so used by Homer. The Herha Sardon'ia (so called from Sardis, in Asia Minor) is so acrid that it produces a convulsive movement of the nerves of the face, resembling a painful grin. Byron says of the Corsair, There ivas a laughing devil in his sneer, ’Tis Envy’s safest, surest rule To hide her rage in ridicule; The vulgar eye the best beguiles When all her snakes are decked with smiles, Sardonic smiles by rancour raised. Swift, “ Pheasant and Lark.*' Sar'donyx. An orange-brown cor- nelian. Pliny says it is called sard from Sardis, in Asia Minor, where it is found, and onyx, the nail, because its colour re- sembles that of the skin under the nail (xxxvii. 6), SABPEDON. SATURNINE. 789 Sarpe'don. A favourite of the gods, who assisted Priam when Troy was besieged by the allied Greeks. When Achilles refused to fight, Sarpe'don made great havoc in battle, but was slain by Patroclos. — Homer, Iliad'^ Sars'en Stones. The ^^Druidical” sandstones of Wiltshire and Berkshire are so called. The early Christian Saxons used the word Saresyn as a syno- nym of pagan or heathen, and as these stones were popularly associated with Druid worship, they were called Saresyn or heathen stones. Robert Ricart says of duke Rollo, He was a Sarasyn come out of Denmark into France.” Another derivation is the. Phoenician sarsen (a rock), applied to any huge mass drawn from the quarry in its rude state. *** These boulders are no more con- nected with the Druids than Stonehenge is {q.v,). Sash is tied on the right side by the British cavalry, and on the left by the infantry. Sash Window is sluice window ; a window that moves up and down like a sluice. (Dutch, sas, a sasse or sluice.) Sassan'ides (4 syl.). The first Per- sian dynasty of the historic period, or seventh including the mythic period ; so named because Ard'eshir, the founder, was son of Sassan, a lineal descendant of Xerxes. Sa'tan in Hebrew means enemy. To whom the Arch-enemy, And hence in heaven called Satan. Milton, "Paradisi Lost*’ bk. i. Satanic. The Satanic School. So Southey called lord Byron and his imitators, who set at defiance the gene- rally received notions of religion. Of English writers, Byron, Shelley, Moore, and Bulwer are the most prominent ; of French writers, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Paul de Kock, and George Sand. Sat'ire (2 syl.). Scaliger’s derivation j of this word from satyr is untenable. It | is from sat'nra (full of variety), satura lanx, a hotchpotch or olla podrida. As I max'umus, op'tumus, &c., became maxi- \ mus, optimus, so ‘^satura” became sat'ira. I {See Dryden’s Dedication prefixed to his “Satires.”) Father of Satire. Archil'ochos of Paros. Father of French Satire. Mathurin Regnier. (1573-1613.) Father of Roman Satire. Lucilius. (B.c. 148-103.) Lucilius was the man who, bravely bold, To Roman vices did the mirror hold ; Protected humble goodness from reproach ; Showed worth on foot, and rascals in a coach. Dryden. "‘Art of Poetry " c. ii. Saturday. (*8ee B lack.) Saturn or Kronos {Time) devoured all his children except Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. Jupiter means air, Neptune boater, and Pluto the grave. These Time cannot consume. Saturn is a very evil planet to he horn under. “The children of the sayd Saturne shall be great jangeleres and chyders . . . and they will never forgyve tyll they be revenged of theyr quarell.” — “ Compost of Ptholomeus.'' Saturna'lia. A time of licensed disorder and misrule. With the Romans it was the festival of Saturn, and was celebrated the 17th, 18th, and 19th of December. During its continuance no public business could be transacted, the law-courts were closed, the schools kept holiday, no war could be commenced, and no malefactor punished. Under the empire, the festival was extended to seven days. Satur'nian Days. Days of dulness, when everything is venal. They are lead to indicate dulness, and gold to indicate venality. Then rose the seed of Chaos and of Night To blot out order and extinguish light, Of dull and venal a new world to mould. And bring Saturnian days of lead and gold, "Dunciad.” iv. Satur'nian Verses. Old-fashioned. A rude composition employed in satire among the ancient Romans. Also a peculiar metre, consisting of three iam- bics and a syllable over, joined to three trochees, according to the following nur- sery metre : — The queen was in the par-lour. Eating bread and hon-ey. The Fescennine and Saturnian were the same ; for as they were called Saturnian from their ancient- ness, when Saturn reigned in Italy, they were called Fescennine from Fescennina [sicj, where they were first practised.— Drydm, Dedication of "Juvenal.” Sat'urnine (3 syl.). A grave, phleg- matic disposition, dull and heavy. As- trologers affirm that such is the dispo- sition of those who are born under the influence of the planet Saturn. 790 SATYR SAVOY, Sat'yr. The most famous represen- tation of these goat-men is that of Prax- it'eles, a sculptor of Athens in the fourth century B.C. Sat'yrane (3 syl.). A blunt but noble knight who delivered Una from the fauns and satyrs. The meaning is this : Truth being driven from the towns and cities took refuge in caves and dens, where for a time it lay concealed. At length Sir Satyrane (Luther) rescues Una from bondage, but no sooner is this the case than she falls in with Archima'go, to show how very difficult it was at the Reformation to separate Truth from Error. — Spenser , Faery Qiteen,” bk. i. Sauce means salted food,” for giving a relish to meat, as pickled roots, herbs, and so on. (Latin, salsus.) The sauce was better than the fish. The accessories were better than the main part. This may be said of a book in which the plates and getting up are better than the matter it contains. To serve the same sauce. To retaliate ; to give as good as you take ; to serve in the same manner. After him another came unto her, and served her with the same sauce ; then a tldxd... ..—"’The Manin the Moon,” &c. (16a9). To sauce. To intermix. Then she fell to sauce her desires with threatenings, Sidney. Folly sauced with discretion. Shakespeare,*'TroUus &nd Cressida" i. 2. What's sauce to the goose is sauce to the gander. {See Gander.) Saucy. Rakish ; irresistible ; or ra- ther that care-for-nobody, jaunty, daring behaviour which has won for many of our regiments the term as a compliment. It is also applied metaphorically to some inanimate things, as saucy waves” which dare attack the very moon ; the saucy world” which dares defy the very gods;” the ‘'saucy mountains,” “winds,” and so on. Saul, in Dryden’s satire of “Absalom and Achitophel,” is meant for Oliver Cromwell. As Saul persecuted David and drove ' him from Jerusalem, so Cromwell persecuted Charles II. and drove him from England. They who, when Saul was dead, without a blow Made foolish Ishbosheth [Richard CromweW] the crown forego. Saul among the prophets ^ The Jews said of our Lord — “ How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (John vii. 15.) Similarly at the conver- sion of Saul, afterwards called- Paul, the Jews said in substance, “Is it possible that Saul can be a convert?” (Acts ix. 21.) The proverb applies to a person who unexpectedly shines in a department not his own. Thus it might be said of Richardson, the quiet bookseller, never known to be a man of genius till he was fifty, “ Is he also among the prophets— has he also become noted as a man of letters ? (1 Sam. x. 12.) Saunter. A corruption of the Latin words Sancta Terra (the Holy Land). When pilgrimages and crusades were in vogue, idle persons used to loiter about, and wander lazily from place to place, under pretence that they were going to take the cross or start for the Holy Land. Hence sancta-terra-ing or sancte-terre-ing. Sav'age (2 syl.). One who lives in a wood (Greek, hule, a forest; Latin, silva; French, sylvage; Spanish, salvage; Italian, selvaggio; French, sauvage). Save the Mark. In archery, when an archer shot well it was customary to cry out “ God save the mark! "—i.e,, pre- vent any one coming after to hit the same mark and displace my arrow. Ironically it is said to a novice whose arrow is nowhere. • , God save the maricl (“1 Henry IV.,” ‘ i. 3). Hotspur, apologising to the king for not sending the prisoners according to command, says the messenger was a “popinjay,” who made him mad with his unmanly ways, and who talked “ like a waiting gentlewoman of guns, drums, and wounds (God save the mark !)” — meaning that he himself had been in the brunt of battle, and it would be sad indeed if “his mark” was displaced by this court butterfly. The whole scope of the speech is lost sight of by the or- dinary interpretation — “ May the scars of my wounds never be effaced ” (God save my scars). Savoy {The). A precinct of the Strand, London, noted for the palace of Savoy, originally the seat of Peter, earl of Savoy, who came to England to visit his niece Eleanor, wife of Henry III. At the death of the earl, the house became the property of the queen, who gave it to her second son, Edmund (earl of Lan- caster), and from this period it was at- tached to the duchy of Lancaster. When the Black Prince brought Jean le Bon, SAW SAXON SHOES. 791 king of France, captive to London (1356), he lodged him in the Savoy Palace, where he remained till 1359, when he was re- moved to Somerton Castle, in Lincoln- shire. In 1360 he was lodged in the Tower; but, two months afterwards, was allowed to return to France on certain conditions. These conditions being vio- lated by the royal hostages, Jean volun- tarily returned to London, and had his old quarters again assigned to him, and died in 1364. The rebels under Wat Tyler burnt down the old palace in 1381 ; but it was rebuilt in 1505 by Henry VII., and converted into a hospital for the poor, under the name of St. John’s Hospital, Charles II. used it for wounded soldiers and sailors. St. Maryle Savoy or the Chapel of St. John still stands in the precinct, and has recently been restored. N.B. — Here, in 1552, was established the first flint-glass manufactory. Saw. In Christian art an attribute of St. Simon and St. James the Less, in allusion to the tradition of their being sawn to death in martyrdom. Sawny or Sandy. A Scotchman ; a contraction of Alexander,” a very favourite Scotch name. Brother Jona- than, John Bull, Taffy or David, Pat, &c., are similar examples of national nick- names. Saxon Castles. Alnwick castle, given to Ivo de Vescy by the Conqueror. Bamborough castle (Northumberland), the palace of the kings of Northumber- land, and built by king Ida, who began to reign 559 ; now converted into charity- schools and .signal-stations. Carisbrook castle, enlarged by Fitz- Osborne, five centuries later. Conisborough castle (York). Goodrich castle (Herefordshire). Kenilworth castle, built by Kenelm, king of Mercia. Kenil-worth means Kenhelm’s dwelling. Eichmond castle (York), belonging to the Saxon earl Edwin, given by the Con- queror to his nephew Alan, earl of Bre- tagne ; a ruin for three centuries. The keep remains. Eochester castle, given to Odo, natural brother of the Conqueror. Saxon Characteristics (architec- tural). (1) The quoining consists of a long stone set at the corner, and a short one lying on it and bounding into the wall. (2) The use of large heavy blocks of stone in some parts, while the rest is built of Eoman bricks. (3) An arch with straight sides to the upper part instead of curves. (4) The absence of buttresses. (5) The use in windows of rude ba- lusters. (6) A rude round staircase west of the tower, for the purpose of access to the upper floors. (7) Eude carvings in imitation of Eoman ^ovk.— Rickman. Saxon Duke (m^^Hudibras”). John Frederick, duke of Saxony, a very cor- pulent man. When taken prisoner, Charles V. said, ‘^I have gone hunting many a time, but never saw I such a swine before.” Saxon Kelics. The church of Earl’s Barton (North- amptonshire). The tower and west doorway. The church of St. Michael’s (St. Albans), erected by the abbot of St. Albans in 948. The tower of Bosham church (Sussex). The east side of the dark and principal cloisters of Westminster Abbey, from the college dormitory on the south to the chapter-house on the north. Edward the confessor’s chapel in Westminster Abbey, now used as the Pix office. The church of Parent (Kent) con- tains some windows of manifest Saxon architecture. With many others, some of which are rather doubtful. Saxon Shore. The coast of Nor- folk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire, where were castles and garrisons, under the charge of a count or military officer, called Comes Littoris Saxonici 'per Britanniam. On the Norfolk coast was „ Suffolk „ Essex M „ Kent c „ Sussex „ Hampshire fort Branodunum (Bran- caster). Gari anno num (Burgh). Othona (Ithanches* ter). Regulbium (Recul- ver), Ritupos (Richborough), Bubrce (Dover), Ijemanse (li.vmue) Anderida (Hastings or Pevensey). Portus Adurnus (Portsmouth). 792 SAY. SCAPE-GOAl'. Say. To take the say. To taste meat or wine before it is presented, in order to prove that it is not poisoned. The phrase was common in the reign of queen Eliza- beth. Nor deem it meet that you to him convey The proflFered bowl, unless you taste the say. Rose, “ Orlando Furioso*’ xxi. 61. Sbirri {Italian). A police-force which existed in the Pope’s dominions. They were domiciled in private houses. He points them out to his shirri and armed ruf- fians. — The Daily Telegraph. {left-handed). So Caius Mu- cins was called, because, when he en- tered the camp of Porsenna as a spy, and was taken before the king, he deli- berately held his hand over a lamp till it was burnt off, to show the Etruscan that he would not shrink from torture. Seagliola. Imitation marble, like the pillars of the Pantheon, London. The word is from the Italian scdglia, the dust and chips of marble ; it is so called because the substance (which is gypsum and Flanders glue) is studded with chips and dust of marble. Scales. The Koran says, at the judg- ment day every one will be weighed in the scales of the archangel Gabriel. His good deeds will be put in the scale called ‘-Light,” and his evil ones in the scale called “Darkness;” after which they will have to cross the bridge A1 Ser^t, not wider than the edge of a scimetar. The faithful will pass over in safety, but the rest will fall into the dreary realms of Jehennam. Scallop Shell. Emblem of St. James of Compostella, adopted, says Erasmus, because the shore of the ad- jacent sea abounds in them. Pilgrims used them for cup, spoon, and dish, hence the punning crest of the Disington family is a scallop shell. On returning home, the pilgrim placed his scallop shell in his hat to command admiration, and adopted it in his coat-armour. I will give thee a palmer’s statF of ivory and a scallop shell of beaten gold.— “ The Old Wives Tale.*' (1596.) Scalloped {scollopt). Having an edge like that of a scallop shell. Scammoz'zPs Rule. The jointed two-foot rule used by builders, and in- vented by Vincent Scammozzi, the fa- mous Italian architect. (1540-1609.) Scamp {qui exit ex campo'). A de- serter from the field ; one who decamps without paying his debts. S privative and camp, {See Snob.) Scandal means properly a pitfall or snare laid for an enemy ; hence a stum- bling-block, and morally an aspersion. (Greek, skan'dalon.) We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a [scandalj.— 1 Cor. i. 23. The Hill of Scandal. So Milton calls the Mount of Olives, because Solomon built thereon “ an high place for Che- mosh, the abomination of Moab ; and for Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon ” (1 Kings xi. 7). Scan'dalum Magna'tum {scandal of the magnates). Words in derogation of peers, judges, and other great officers of the realm. Whao St, Paul calls “talk- ing evil of dignities.’ Scanderbag’s Sword must have Seanderbag’s Arm— 1.6., None but Ulysses can draw Ulysses’ bow. Scan- derbag is a corruption of Iskander-beg (Alexander the Great), not the Macedo- nian, but George Castriota, prince of Al- bania, so called by the Turks. Mahomet wanted to see his scimitar, but when presented no one could draw it ; where- upon the Turkish emperor sent it back as an imposition ; but Iskander-beg re- plied, he had only sent his majesty the sword, without sending the arm that drew it. (iS^ee Kobin Hood. ) Scanderbeg. A name given by the Turks to George Castriota, the patriot chief of Epi'rus. The word is a corrup- tion of Iskander hegt prince Alexander. (1414-1467.) {See above) Scandinavia. Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Pliny speaks of Scandia as an island. Scantling, a small quantity, is the French echantillon, a specimen or pattern. A scantling of viit,.—Dryden. Scape- Goat. The Biajhs or abori- gines of Borneo observe a custom bear- ing a considerable resemblance to that of the Scape-goat. They annually launch a small bark, laden with all the sins and misfortunes of the nation, which, says Dr. Leyden, “they imagine will fall on the unhappy crew that first meets with it.” SCAPHISM. SCENE-PAINTERS. 793 The scapegoat of the family. One made to bear the blame of the rest of the family ; one always chided and found fault with, let who may be in fault. The allusion is to a Jewish custom : Two goats being brought to the altar of the tabernacle on the day of atonement, the high priest cast lots; one was /or the Lordy and the other for The goat on which the first lot fell was sacri- ficed, the other was the scape-goat ; and the high priest having, by confession, transferred his own sins and the sins of the people to it, the goat was taken to the wilderness and suffered to escape. Seaph'ism. Locking up a criminal in the trunk of a tree, bored through so as just to admit the body. Five holes were made— one for the head, and the others for the hands and legs. These parts were anointed with honey to invite the wasps. In this situation the crimi- nal would linger in the burning sun for several days. Scapin. A barber of Seville;” a cunning, knavish rogue ; a valet who makes his master his tool. In the Italian stage he is the servant of Gratia'no, a pedantic prig of a doctor ; but Moliere has introduced him in ‘^Les Fourberies de Scapin.” Scaramouch. A braggart and fool, very valiant in words, but a poltroon. According to Dyche, the word is the name of an Italian posture-master, who came to England in 1673, and astonished J ohn Bull with feats of agility. ( ? Italian, scaramiLCciOy a skirmish.) Scarborough Warning. No warning at all. In Scarborough robbers used to be dealt with in a very summary manner, by a sort of Halifax gibbet-law, Ljmch-law, or an d la lanterne. Another origin is given of this phrase : It is said that Thomas Stafford, in the reign of queen Mary, seized the castle of Scar- borough, not only without warning, but even before the townsfolk knew he was afoot (1557). (.See Gone up.) This term Scarborrow warning grew, some say. By hasty hanging for rank robbery there. Who that was met, but sus'pect in that way. Straight he was trust up, whatever he were. J. Hey wood. Scarlet {Will). One of the com- panions of Robin Hood. Though your sins he as scarlet, they shall he as white as snow (Isa. i. 18). The allusion is to the scarlet fillet tied round the head of the scape-goat. Though your sins be as scarlet as the fillet on the head of the goat to which the high priest has transferred the sins of the whole nation, yet shall they be forgiven and wiped out. Scarlet Woman. Some Protes- tants apply the words to the Church of Rome, and some Romanists, with equal ‘^good taste,” apply them to London. Th^e Book of Revelation says, “It is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth,” and terms the city “Babylon” (ch. xvii.). Scavenger’s Daughter. An in- strument of torture invented by Sir William Skevington, lieutenant of the Tower in the reign of Henry VIII. As Skevington was the father of the instru- ment, the instrument was his daughter. Sceatta. Anglo-Saxon for “money,” or a little silver coin. Scene-Painters, The most cele- brated are — Inigo Jones, who introduced the first appropriate decorations for masques. D’Avenant, who produced perspective scenes in 1656, for “ The Siege of Rhodes.” Betterton was the first to improve the scenic effects in “Dorset Gardens;” his artist was Streater. J ohn Rich may be called the great re- former of stage scenery in “ Co vent Garden.” Richards, secretary of the Royal Aca- demy ; especially successful in “ The Maid of the Mill.” His son was one of the most celebrated of our scene- painters. Philip James de Loutherbourg was the greatest scene-artist up to Garrick’s time. He produced the scenes for “ The Win- ter’s Tale,” at the request of that great actor. John Kemble engaged William Capon, a pupil of Novosielski, to furnish him with scenery for Shakespeare’s historic plays. Patrick Nasmyth, in the North, pro- duced several unrivalled scenes. Stanfield is well known for his scenes of “ Acis and Galate'a.” W illiam Beverley is the greatest scene- painter of modern times. Frank Hay man, Thomas Dali, John 794 SCENT. SCHOOLMEN. Laguerre, William Hogarth, Kobert Dighton, Charles Dibdin, David Roberts, Grieve, and Phillips have all aided in improving scene-painting. Scent. We are not yet on the right s?ent. We have not yet got the right clue. The allusion is to dogs following game by their scent. Sceptic {Greeh) means one who thinks for himself, and does not receive on another’s testimony. Pyrrho founded the philosophic sect called ‘‘Sceptics,” and Epicte'tus combated their dogmas. In theology we apply the word to those who will not accept Revelation. Scheherazade (She-he'-ra-zay'-de). Daughter of the grand vizier of the Indies. The sultan Schahriah, having discovered the infidelity of his sultana, resolved to marry a fresh wife every night and have her strangled at daybreak. Scheherazade entreated to become his wife, and so amused him with tales for a thousand and one nights, that he revoked his cruel decree, bestowed his affec- tion on his amiable and talented wife, and called her “the liberator of the sex.” — ‘‘Arabian Nights’^ ScheTtrum. An army drawn up in a circle instead of in a square. Sclieme is something entertained. Scheme is a Greek word meaning what is had or held {sche'o), and entertain is the Latin teneo, to have or hold, also. Scliiites (2'syl.). Those Mahome- tans who do not consider the Sunna or oral law of any authority, but look upon it as apocryphal. They wear red tur- bans, and are called “ Red Heads.” {^ee Sunnites.) Sclilem'ihl {Peter'). The name of a man who sold his shadow to the devil, in Chamisso’s tale so called. It is a syno- nym for any person who makes a des- perate and silly bargain. ScliolasTic. Anselm of Laon, Doc- tor Scholasticus. (1050-1117.) Epipha'nius the Scholastic. An Italian scholar. (6th century.) Scholastic Divinity. Divinity subjected to the test of reason and ar- gument, or at least “darkened by the counsel of words.” The Athanasian creed is a favourable specimen of this attempt to reduce the mysteries of reli- gion to “right reason;” an cl the attempts to reconcile the Mosaic cosmogony with modern geology smack of the same school. Schoolmaster Abroad (TAe). Lord Brougham said, “ Let the soldier be a- broad, if he will ; he can do nothing in this age. There is another personage abroad . . . the schoolmaster is abroad ; and I trust to him, armed with his primer, against the soldier in full array.” Schoolmen. Certain theologians of the middle ages ; so called because they lectured in the cloisters or cathedral schools founded by Charlemagne and his immediate successors. They followed the fathers, from whom they differed in reducing every subject to a system, and may be grouped under three periods — I. PenocZ.— PLATONiSTS(from ninth to twelfth century). (1) Pierre Abelard. (1079-1142.) (2) Flacius Albinus Alcuin. (735' 804.) (3) Anselm. Doctor Scholasticus. (1050- 1117.) (4) Berengarius of Tours. (1000-1088.) (5) Gerbert of Aurillac, afterwards pope Sylvester II. (930-1003.) (6) John of Salisbury. (1110-1180.) (7) Lan franc, archbishop of Canterbury. (1005-1089.) (8) Pierre Lombard. Master of the Sentences, sometimes called the founder of school divinity. (1100H164.) (9) John Roscelinus. (Eleventh cen- tury. ) (10) John Scotus. Erig'ena. (1265- 1308.) II. Period, or Golden Age of Scholas- ticism.— (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries). (1) Alain de Lille. Universal Doctor. (1114-1203.) (2) Albertus Magmts, of Padua. (1193- 1280.) (3) Thomas Aquinas. The Angelic Doctor. (1224-1274.) (4) Augustin Triumphans, archbishop of Aix. The Eloquent Doctor. (5) John Fidanza Bonaventure. The Serayhic Doctor. (1221-1274.) (6) Alexander of Hales. Irrefrangible Doctor. (Died 1245.) (7) John Duns Scotus. The Subtle Doctor. (1265-1308.) SCHOOLMLSTHESS. SCLA.VONIG. 795 III. Pertoc?.— Nominalism Eevived. (To the seventeenth century.) (1) Thomas de Bradwardine. The Profound Doctor. (1290-1348.) (2) John Buridah. (1295-1360.) (3) William Durandus de Pour^ain. The Most Resolving or Resolute Doctor. (Died 1332.) (4) Giles, archbishop of Bourges. The Doctor loiik Good Foundation. (5) Gregory of Kim'ini. The Authentic Doctor. (Died 1357.) (6) Robert Holkot. An English di- vine. (7) Raymond Lully. The Illuminated Doctor. (12.34-1315.) (8) Francis Mairon, of Digne, in Pro- vence. (9) William Ocham. The' Singular or Invincible Doctor. (Died 1347.) (10) Frangois Suarez, the last of the schoolmen. (1548-1617.) Schoolmistress (T/ie), by Shen- stone, is designed for a portrait of Sarah Lloyd,” the dame who first taught the poet himself. She lived in a thatched house before which grew a birch-tree. Scian. (See Cean.) Science. The Gay Science or ^^Gay Saber.” The poetry of the Troubadours, and in its extended meaning poetry generally. Science Persecuted. (1) Anaxagoras of Clazome'ne held opi- nions in natural science so far in advance of his age that he was accused of impiety, thrown into prison, and condemned to death. Pericles, with great difficulty, got his sentence commuted to fine and banishment. (2) Virgilius, bishop of Saltzburg, de- nounced as a heretic by St. Boniface, for asserting the existence of antipodes. (Died 784.) (.3) Galileo was imprisoned by the In- quisition for maintaining that the earth moved. In order to get his liberty he ‘‘abjured the heresy,” but as he went his way whispered half audibly, E j)ur si muove (but nevertheless it does move). (1564-1642.) (4) Gerbert, who introduced algebra into Christendom, was accused of dealing in the black arts, and shunned as a magi- cian. (5) Friar Bacon was excommunicated and imprisoned for diabolical knowledge, chiefly on account of his chemical re- searches. (1214-1294.) (6) Dr. Faust, the German philosopher, suffered in a similar way in the sixteenth century ; and according to tradition John Faust was imprisoned in Paris for magic, on account of his knowledge of the art of printing. (7) John Dee. (iSfeeDEE.) (8) Robert Grosseteste. (Ne^ Grosted.) (9) Averroi.s, the Arabian philosopher, who flourished in the twelfth century, was denounced as a heretic and degraded solely on account of his great eminence in natural philosophy and medicine. (He died 1226.) (10) Andrew Crosse, electrician, who asserted that he had seen certain ani- mals of the genus Acarus, which had been developed by him out of inorganic elements. Crosse was accused of im- piety, and was shunned as a “profane man,” who wanted to arrogate to him- self the creative power of God. (1784- 1855.) (11) The sciences of geology and theo- logical exegesis are to the present hour under a cloud, and it is only public opinion which holds back the hand of persecution. Scien'ter INes'ciens et sapi enter indoctus, was how Gregory the Great described St. Benedict. Solo’s Blind Old Bard. Homer. Scio is the modern name of Chios, in the .^ge'an Sea. Smyrna, Chios, Colophon', Salamis', Rh3d5s, Argos, Athe'n30, Your just right to call Homer your ron you must settle between-ye. Scipio “dismissed the Iberian maid” (“Paradise Regained,” iij. Referring to the tale that the conqueror of Spain not only refused to see a beautiful prin- cess who had fallen into his power after the capture of New Carthage, but that he restored her to her parents, and ac- tually gave her great presents that she might marry the man to whom she had been betrothed. The Lusian Scipio. Nunio. The Lusian Scipio well may speak his fame, But nobler Nuuio shines a greater name. On earth’s green bosom, ov on ocean grey, A greater never shall the sun survey. Camoens, ^'Lusiadj’ bk. viii. Sclavonic. The language spoken by the Russians, Hungarians, Poles, Bo- hemians, &c. ; anything belonging to the Sclavi. 796 SCOBELLUM. SCOTLANli. Scoberium. Avery fruitful land, but the inhabitants exceeded the cannibals for cruelty, the Persians for pride, the Egyptians for luxury, the Cretans for lying, the Germans for drunkenness, and all nations together for a generality of vices." In vengeance the gods changed all the people into beasts : drunkards into swine, the lecherous into goats, the proud into peacocks, scolds into mag- pies, gamblers into asses, musicians into song-birds, the envious into dogs, idle women into milch-cows, jesters into monkeys, dancers into squirrels, and misers into moles. Four of the Cham- pions of Christendom restored them to their normal forms by quenching the fire of the Golden Cave. — ^‘The Seven Cham- pions of Christendom,” iii. 10. Scogan {John). A favourite fool in the court of Edward IV. Scone fpron. Skooii). Edward III. re- moved to London, and placed in Westmin- ster Abbey, the great stone upon which the kings of Scotland were wont to be crowned. This stone is still preserved, and forms the support of Edward the Confessor’s chair, which the British monarchs occupy at their coronation. It is said to have been brought from Ireland by Fergus, son of Eric, who led the Dalriads to the shores of Argyle- shire. Ni fallat fatum, Scoti, quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem, Lardner, i., p. 67. Unless the fates are faithless found And prophets’ voice be vain, Where’er is placed this stone, e’en there The Scottish race shall reign. Score. Areckoning; to make a reckon- ing ; so called from the custom of mark- ing off ‘^runs" or lengths," in games by the score feet. {See Nurr and Spell. ) Scorn is to dishorn," through the Italian scorna're. In the east the horn was worn as an ornament on the fore- head ; and to lower the horn was emble- matical of sorrow, but to take it away was a disgrace and dishonour. Scor'pion. It is said that scorpions have an oil which is a remedy against their stings. The toad also is said to have an antidote to its venom. ’Tis true, a scorpion’s oil is said To cure the wounds the venom made, And weapons dres'^ed with salves restore, And heal the hurts they gave before. Sutler, “ Mtidibras,* iii. 2. Scot. The same as Scythian in ety- mology ; the root of both is Set. The Greeks had no c, and would change t into th, making the root skth, and by adding a phonetic vowel we get Skuth-ai (Scythians), and SJeoth-ai (Scoths). The Welsh disliked s at the beginning of a word, and would change it to ys; they would also change c or h to g, and th to d; whence the Welsh root would be Ysgd, and Skuth or Skoth would become ysgod. Once more, the Saxons would cut off the Welsh y, and change the g back again to c, and the d to t, con- verting Ysgod to Scot. N.B. — Before the third century Scot- land was called Caledonia or Alban. Scot and Lot. A contribution upon all subjects according to their ability. Scot means tribute or tax, and lot means allotment or portion allotted. To pay scot and lot, therefore, is to pay the ordinary tributes and also the personal tax allotted to you. Scot-free. Tax-free, without pay- ment. {See above.) Scots Greys or Scotch Greys. The 2nd Dragoons, the colour of whose horses is grey. Scots wha hae, words by Eobert Burns, to the music of an old Scotch tune called Hey tuttie taittie." The Land o’ the Leal " is to the same tune. Scotch-Mist. A thick fog with drizzling rain, common in Scotland A Scotch-fog will wet an Englishman through. Common saying. Sco'tia. Now applied poetically to Scotland, but at one time Ireland was so called. Hence Claudian says — When Scots came thundering from the Irish shores, And ocean ti embled. struck with hostile oars. Scotists. Followers of Duns Scotus, who maintained the doctrine of the im- maculate conception in opposition to Thomas Aqui'nas. Scotists and Thomists now in peace remain. Fope, Essay on Criticism.'* Scotland. St. Andrew is the patron saint of this country, and tradition says that the remains of the apostle were brought by Reg'ulus, a Greek monk, to the eastern coast of Fife, in 368. (^See Rule, St.) Scotland a fief of England. Edward I. founded his claim to the lordship of Scotland on these four grounds:— (1) The ancient chroniclers, who state that SCOTLAND YARD. SCRAPE. 797 Scotch kings had occasionally paid ho- mage to the English sovereigns from time immemorial. Extracts are given from St. Alban, Marianiis Scotus, Ralph of Dizeto, Roger of Hovedeu, and Wil- liam of Malmesbury. (2) From charters of Scotch kings : as those of Edgar son of Malcolm, William, and his son Alexander II. (3) From papal rescripts : as those of Honorius III., Gregory IX., and Clement IV. (4) By an extract from '^The Life and Miracles of St. John of Beverley.’* The tenor of this extract is quite suited to this Dictionary of Fa- ble In the reign of Adelstan, the Scots invaded England and committed great devastation. Adelstan went to drive them back, and, on reaching the Tyne, found that the Scotch had retreated. At midnight St. J ohn of Beverley ap- peared to him, and bade him cross the river at daybreak, for he should dis- comfit the foe.” Adelstan obeyed the vision, and reduced the whole kingdom to subjection. On reaching Dunbar on his return march, he prayed that some sign might be vouchsafed to him to satisfy all ages that God, by the intercession of St. J ohn, had given him the kingdom of Scotland.” Then struck he with his sword the basaltic rocks near the coast, and the blade sank into the solid flint as if it had been butter,” cleaving it asunder for an ell or more ;” and the cleft re- mains even to the present hour. Without doubt there is a fissure in the basalt, and how could it have come there except in the way recorded above ? And how could a sword cut three feet deep into a hard rock without miraculous aid ? And what could such a miracle have been vouch- safed for except to show that Adelstan was rightful lord of Scotland? And if Adelstan was lord, of course Edward should be so likewise — Q. E. D. — Rpner, Foedera” vol. i., part 2, p. 771. Scotland Y ard {London). So called from a palace built there for the recep- tion of the kings of Scotland when they visited England. Pennant tells us it was originally, given by king Edgar to Ken- neth of Scotland, when he came to London to pay homage. Scotland Yard. The head-quarters of the police, whence all public orders to the force proceed. Mr. Walpole has only to speak the word in Scot- land Yard, and the parks mil be cleared— Gazette. Scott. The Walter Scott of Belgium. Hendrick Conscience. (Born 1812.) The Southei'n Scott. Lord Byron calls Ariosto the Sir Walter Scott of Italy.— Childe Harold f iv. 40. Scourge of Christians. Noured- din-MahmM of Damascus. (1116-1174.) Scourge of God. (1) Attila, king of the Huns. A. P. Stanley says the term was first applied to Attila in the Hungarian Chronicles. In Isidore’s Chronicle the Huns are called Virga Dei. (Died 453.) (2) Gen'seric, king of the Vandals, who went about like a destroying angel ‘^against all those who had (in his opi- nion) incurred the wrath of God.” Pro- bably the word Godegesal {Goth-gesalf God-given) has been purposely twisted into God-gesil (God’s-scourge), by those who hated him, because he was an Arian. God-gesal {or Deoda'tus) was the common title of the contemporary kings, like our Dei gratid. Scourge of Princes. Pietro Are- ti'no was so called for his satires. (1492- 1556.) Scouring. I * scaped a scouring— a disease. Scouring is a sort of flux in horses and cattle. (Latin, Maleam prsete vehi; French, Hechapper belle.) Scowerers. A set of rakes in the eighteenth century, who, with the Nic'- kers and Mohocks, committed great an- noyances in London and other large towns. Who has not heard the Scowerers’ midnight fame ? Who iias not trembled at the Mohocks’ name ? Was there a watchman took his hourly rounds Safe from their blows and new-invented wounds ? Qay, '^Trivia," iii. Scrag End {of mutton). A corrup- tion of crag, the neck. (Saxon, hracca, the neck; Scotch, craig ; Greek, rachis ; Icelandic, racca, hinges, joints; Old Eng- lish, rack, the neck.) Scrape. Fve got into a sad scrape— b. great difiiculty. We use rub, squeeze, pinch, and scrape to express the same idea. Thus Shakespeare says, Ay, there’s the rub” (difficulty); ‘‘I have got into tribulation” (a squeeze, from the Latin trib'ulo, to squeeze) ; ‘‘ I am come to a pinch ” (a difficulty). Some think the word a corrupt contraction of escapade, but Robert Chambers thinks if 798 SCEAPE-ALL. SCRIPTOEES TEES. is borrowed from a term in golf. A rab- bit’s burrow in Scotland, he says, is called a scrape,” and if the ball gets into such a hole it can hardly be played. The rules of the game allow something to the player who ‘'gets into ascrape .” — ^‘Book of Days.’ ^ He scraped an acquaintance ivith me» We became acquainted by returning civilities. The reference is to scraping j the foot behind in bowing. This was always done in the formal days of Louis XIV. The Gentleman’s Magazine says that Hadrian went one day to the public baths, and saw an old soldier, well known to him, scraping himself with a potsherd for want of a flesh-brush. The emperor sent him a sum of money. Next day Hadrian found the bath crowded with soldiers scraping themselves with pot- sherds, and said — “Scrape on, gentle- men, but you’ll not scrape acquaintance with me.” — N. S. xxxix. 230. Serape-all. A hypocritical, psalm- singing rascal, who joins Cheatly (q.v.), and helps to supply young heirs with money. He is a type of the “godly liiiSiYe.”— Shadwell, Squire of Alsatia.” Scratch. Old Scratch. Scrat, the house-demon of the North. A corre- spondent in Notes and Queries thinks the word relates to the uncleanness of the goat, and that Pan, the satyr— half goat, half man — is the origin of the term. {See Deuce, Nick, &c.) Coming up to the scratch — up to the mark ; about to do what we want him to do. In prize-fighting a line is scratched on the ground, and the toe of the fighter must come up to the scratch. Scratched. A horse is said to be scratched when its name is scratched out of the list of runners. “Tomboy was scratched for the Derby at ten a.m. on Wednesday and no bet on that horse made subsequently would be valid. Scratch Cradle. A game played with a piece of string stretched across the two hands. The art is so to cross the thread as to produce a resemblance to something, and for another so to trans- fer it to his own hands as to change the former figure into some other resem- blance. A corruption of “cratch cradle” (the manger cradle), because the first ’ figure represents a cradle, supposed to be the cradle of the infant Jesus. Screw. An old screiv. One who keeps his money tight, and doles it out in screws or small quantities. {See helow.) A screio of anything is a small quantity, such as maybe put into a screw of paper. A screio loose. Something amiss. The allusion is to joinery kept together by screws. To put on the screw. To press for pay- ment, as a screw presses by gradually- increasing pressure. Screwed. Intoxicated. A playful synonym of tight, which again is a play- ful synonym of Mown out. Scri^bere in Aqua. To forget.— Catullus, 70, 4. Men’s evil manners live in brnss, Their virtues we write in water. Shakespeare. Henry VHI.p iv. 2. Scrible'rus {Marti'nus). A merciless satire on the false taste in literature cur- rent in the time of Pope. Cornelius Scrible'rus, the father of Martin, was a pedant, who entertained all sorts of ab- surdities about the education of his son. Martin grew up a man of capacity ; but though he had read everything, his judg- ment was vile and taste atrocious. Scrim'mage. A tussle ; a slight battle. From the obsolete scrimer, a fencer: French, escrimeur ; same root as escarmouch, our sJcirmish. Prince OuiFur at this skrymage, for all his pryde, Pled full fast, and sought no gyde. MS. Lnnsdowne 200, f. 10 Scripto'res Decern. A collection of ten ancient chronicles on English his- tory, edited by Roger Twysden and John Selden. The ten chroniclers are Simeon of Durham, John of Hexham, Richard of Hexham, Ailred of Eieval, Ralph do Diceto (archdeacon of London), John Brompton of Jorval, Gervase of Canter- bury, Thomas Stubbs, William Thorn of Canterbury, and Henry Knighton of Leicester. Scripto'res Quinque. A-collection of five chronicles on the early history of England, edited by Thomas Gale. Scripto'res Tres {the three writers). Meaning Ricnardus Corinensis, Gildas Badon'icus, and Nennius Banchoren'sis. Julius Bertram, professor of English at Copenhagen, professed to have discovered SCRIPTORIUM. SEA. 799 fhe first of these treatises in 1747, in the royal library of that city. Its subject is ; “ De Situ Britannke,” and in 1757 he published it along with the two other treatises, calling the whole The Three Writers on the Ancient History of the British Nations.” Bertram’s forgery has been completely exposed by J. E. Mayor, in his preface to ‘^Ricardi de Cirences- tria Speculum Historiale.” {See San- CHONIATHO.) Seripto'rium. An apartment in every abbey where writers transcribed service-books for the choir and books for the library. — Warton. Scripture. ''Mrs. Adams answered Mr. Adams, that it was blasphemous to talk Scripture out of church.” — Fielding^ ^‘Joseph Andrews r Scrupulous means literally having a stone in one’s shoe. Those who have a stone in their shoe lialty and those who doubt "halt between two opinions.” (Latin, scrupulus, gravel, a small stone.) Seu'damore {Sir'). The lover of Am'oret, whom he finally marries. — Spen- ser, Faery Qneen,” bk. iii. Scullery-maid is one who washes up sholls or sculls— i.e., plates, cups, and dishes, (fe Skull.) Sculpture. Fathers of French Sculp- ture. Jean Goujon. (1510-1572.) Germain Pilon. (1515-1590.) Scutch. The scrapings of hides. (English, scotch, to cut ; Saxon, sceadan. ) We have the word in the expression, "You have scotched the snake, not killed it.” About half a mile from the southern outfall are two maTiufactories, where the refuse from the Lon- don tanneries known as scutch is operated upon.— The Times. Scuttle. To scuttle a ship is to bore a hole in it in order to make it sink. Rather strangely this word is from the same root as our word shut or bolt (Saxon, scyttel, a lock, bolt, or bar). It was first applied to a hole in a roof with a door or lid, then to a hatchway in the deck of a ship with a lid, then to a hole in the bottom of a ship plugged up ; then comes the verb to pull out the plug, and leave the hole for the admission of water. Scylla. Glaucus, a fisherman, was in love with Scylla; but Circe, out of jealousy, changed her into a hideous monster, and set dogs and wolves to bark round her incessantly. On this Scylla threw herself into the sea and became a rock. It is said that the rock Scylla somewhat resembles a woman at a dis- tance, and the noise of the waves dashing against it is not unlike the barking of dogs and wolves. Glaucus, lost to joy, Curst in his love by vengeful Circe’s hate, Attending wept his Scylla’s hapless fate. Oamoens LusiadP bk. vi. Scylla, daughter of Nisus, promised to deliver Meg'ara into the hands of Minos. To redeem this promise she had to cut off a golden hair on her father’s head, which she effected while he was asleep. Minos, her lover, despised her for this treachery, and Scylla threw her- self from a rock into the sea. At death she was changed into a lark, and Nisus into a hawk. Scylla turned into a rock by Circe, " had no connection” with the daughter of Nisus. Think of Scylla’s fate. Changed to a bird, and sent to fly in air, She dearly pays for Nisus’ injured hair. Pope, “ Rape of the Lock,** iii. Avoiding Scylla he fell into Charyhdis. Trying to avoid one error he fell into another ; or, trying to avoid one danger, he fell into another equally fatal. Scylla and Charybdis are two rocks between Italy and Sicily. In one was a cave where "Scylla dwelt,” and on the other Charybdis dwelt under a fig-tree. Ships which tried to avoid one were often wrecked on the other rock. It was Circe who changed Scylla into a frightful sea- monster, and Jupiter who changed Cha- rybdis into a whirlpool. When I shun Scylla your father, I fall into Cha- rybdis your mother.— AAaAiespeare, “ Merchant of Venice,** iii. 5. Between Scylla and Chary'bdis. Be- tween two difficulties. To fall from Scylla into Charyhdis— out of the frying- pan into the fire. Sea means simply a basin', hence the expression, "molten sea,” meaning the great brazen vessel which stood in Solo- mon’s temple (2 Chron. iv. 5, and 1 Kings vii. 26). The world of water is properly called the ocean. (Saxon, sae, a basin.) " The Sea, the Sea.’^ Words by Proctor (Barry Cornwall), music by Neukomm, The Old Alan of the Sea ("Arabian Nights”). A creature encountered by Sindbad the Sailor in his fifth voyage. This terrible Old Man contrived to get on 800 SEA-BOARD. SEDAN-CHAIRS. the back of Sindbad, and would neither dismount again, nor could he be shaken off. At last Sindbad gave him some wine to drink, which so intoxicated him that he relaxed his grip, and Sindbad made his escape. Out at sea. Wide of the mark ; quite wrong ; like a person in the open ocean without compass or chart. Sea-board. That part of a country which borders on the sea; the coast-line. It should be sea-bord. (French, bord^ the edge.) Sea-girt Isle. England; so called because it is girded round by the ocean, or, as Shakespeare has it, ^‘hedged in with the main, that water-walled bul- wark” King John,” ii. 1). This precious stone set in the silver sea. Which serves it in the office of a wall. Or as a moat defensive to a bouse. Against the envy of less happier lands. Shakespeare, ‘*King Richard iJ.,”ii. 1. Sea-nettles. Gelatinous animal sea-plants, some of which sting like nettles. Sea-serpent. Pontoppidan, in his ‘‘Natural History of Norway,” speaks of sea-serpents 600 feet long. The great sea-serpent was said to have been seen off the coast of Norway in 1819, 1822, 1837. Hans Egede affirms that it was seen on the coast of Greenland in 1734. In 1815, 1817, 1819, 1833, and in 1869, it made its appearance near Boston. In 1848 it was “ seen ” by the crew of her Majesty’s frigate Daedalus , in the South Atlantic Ocean. Its stated length varies from 60 to 750 feet. Sealed Fountain. An exclusive privilege. Solomon says— “My spouse is a fountain sealed” (Cant. iv. 12). In the vicinity of Bethlehem travellers are shown the springs which Solomon shut up and sealed with his signet, to keep them for his own private use. — Maxin- drell, ^^Travels.” Seba'ra'im (4 syl.). Rabbis wh6 lived after the Talmud was finished, and gave their judgments on traditionary difficulties {Al derek sebaroth, “by way of opinion”). — Buxtorf. Sebastian (S^.). Patron saint of archers, because he was bound to a tree and shot at with arrows. As the arrows stuck in his body as thick as pins in a pin-cushion, he was also made patron saint of pin-makers. And as he was a centurion, he is patron saint of soldiers. Sebastianis'tas. Persons who be- lieve that dom Sebastian, who fell in the battle of Alcazarquebir in 1578, will re- turn to earth, when Brazil will become the chief kingdom of the earth. Sebile (2 syl.). La Dame du Lac, in the romance entitled “Perceforest.” Her castle was surrounded by a river, on which rested so thick a fog that no one could see across it. Alexander the Great abode with her a fortnight to be cured of his wounds, and king Arthur was the result of their amour (vol. i. 42). Second. {See Two.) Second Siglit. The power of seeing things invisible to others ; the power of foreseeing future events by means of shadows thrown before them. Many Highlanders claim this power, which the ancient Gaels called shadow-sight (taischitaraugh) . Nor less availed his optic sleight, And Scottish gift of second sight. Trumbull, Second thoughts are best because they arise after due reflection. Hold, sir, for second thoughts are best,” The husband cried ; “ ’tis my request With pleasure to prolong my life.” Tenion^ “ A la Mode.** Sec'ular Games . Those held by the Romans only once in a century. While the kings reigned they were held in the Campus Martins, in honour of Pluto and Proserpine, and were instituted in obe- dience to the Sibyline verses, with the promise that “ the empire should remain in safety so long as this admonition was observed.” Bate, quae preca'mur Temp'ore sacro Quo Sibyllini monue'ie versus. Horace," Carmen Seculare,** A.Y . 738. Sedan-Chairs. Invented at Sedan, in the north of France ; their introduc- tion into England is attributed to the duke of Buckingham, who gave great offence by employing men as beasts of burden. The duke may probably have offended the London roughs by using a Sedan-chair, but he certainly was not the first to introduce it into England, as we find it spoken of as far back as 1581. It was introduced into France (in 1617) by M. de Montbrun, and called chaise d porteurs^ SEDGWICK, SELL. 801 Sedgwick. {See Doomsday Sedg- wick.) Sedley {Amelia). An impersonation of virtue without intellect in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.” (/See Sharp.) Sedrat. The lotus-tree which stands on the right-hand side of the invisible throne of Allah. Its branches extend wider than the distance between heaven and earth. Its leaves resemble the ears of the elephant. Each seed of its fruit encloses a houri ; and two rivers issue from its roots. Numberless birds sing among its branches, and numberless angels rest beneath its shade. See'dy. Weary, worn out, out of sorts. (Saxon, soedre, weary, sated, sick.) A hat or coat is termed seedy when it has become shabby. A man is seedy after a debauch, when he looks and feels out of sorts. Seel. To close the eyelids of a hawk by running a thread through them ; to hoodwink. (French, sceller^ She that so young could give out such a seeming, To seel her fAthers eyes up, close as oak. Shakespeare. “ Othello” iii. 3. See'murgll. The wonderful bird that could speak all the languages of the world, and whose knowledge embraced past, present, and future events. — Fer- sian mythology. Segonti'ari. Inhabitants of parts of Hampshire and Berkshire, referred to by Caesar in his Commentaries.” Seiks (pron. Seeks). A religious sect in Hindustan, founded in 150^0. They profess the purest Deism, and are dis- tinguished from the Hindus by worship- ping one invisible god. The word means lion, and was applied to them on ac- count of their heroic resistance to the Moslem. Ultimately they subdued La- hore, and established themselves in the Punjab, &c. Sela'ma or Sele'meh. The headland of the Persian Gulf commonly called Cape Musseldom. The Indians throw cocoa-nuts, fruits, and flowers into the sea when they pass this cape, to secure a propitious voyage. — Morier. Breezes from the Indian sea Blow round Selama’s sainted cap^. Moore, ” Fire If orshippers.” Sele'ne. The moon-goddess; some- times but improperly called Diana, as Diana is always called the chaste hunt- ress ; but Selene had fifty daughters by Endymion, and several by Zeus, one of whom was called ^^The Dew” {Erse). Diana is represented with bow and arrow running after the stag ; but Selene is represented in a chariot drawn by two white horses ; she has wings on her shoulders and a sceptre in her hands. Selen'cid^. The dynasty of Seleu- cus. Seleucus succeeded to a part of Alexander’s vast empire. The monarchy consisted of Syria, a part of Asia Minor, and all the eastern provinces. Selim. Son of Abdallah and cousin of Zuleika (3 syl.). When Giaffir (2 syl.) murdered Abdallah, he took Selim and brought him up as his own son. The young man fell in love with Zuleika, who thought he was her brother ; but when she discovered he was Abdallah’s son, she promised to be his bride, and eloped with him. As soon as Giaffir discovered this he went after the fugitives, and shot Selim. Zuleika killed herself, and the old pacha was left childless. The character of Selim is bold, enterprising, and truthful. — Byron, ‘ ^ Bride of A hydos. ’* Se'lim (son of Acbar). The name of Jehanguire, before his accession to the throne. He married NourmahaF (the Light of the Haram). A coolness arose between the young married couple, but Nourmahal contrived to enter the sultan’s banquet-room as a lute-player, and so charmed young Selim that he exclaimed If Nourmahal had so sung, I could have forgiven her everything ; ” where- upon Nourmahal threw off her disguise, and became reconciled to her husband. — T. Moore, “ The Light of the Haram.’^ SeFjuks. A Perso-Turkish dynasty which gave eleven kings and lasted 138 years (1056-1194). It was founded by Togrul Beg, a descendant of Seljuk, chief of a small tribe which gained possession of Boka'ra. Sell. A saddle. '^Vaulting ambition . . . o’erleaps its sell” (‘^ Macbeth,” i. 7). sella ; French, Window is the Saxon syl., a basement. He lefte his loftie steed with golden sell. Spenser, “ Faery Queen," ii. 2 . Sell, sold, made a captive, as a pur- chased slave. St. Paul says he was sold under sin” (Rom. vii. 14). A sell. A “ do,” a deception, a 'Hake- in.” Street vendors who take in the Z Z 802 SELTZER WATER. SERAGLIO. unwary with catch-pennies, chuckle like hens when they have laid an egg, Sold again, and got the money !” Selt'zer Water. A corruption of Selters Water', so called from the Lower Selters, near Limburg (Nassau). Selvag'gio. Father of Sir Industry, and hero of Thomson’s Castle of Indo- lence.” In fairy-land there lived a knight of old. Of feature stern, Selvaggio well y-clept. A rough, unpolished man, robust and bold. But wondrous poor. He neither sowed nor reaped, Ne stores in summer for cold winter heaped. In hunting all his days away he wore : Now scorched by June, now in November steeped, Now pinched by biting January sore. He still in woods pursued the Ubbard and the boar. Canto ii. 5. Semir'amis. Semiramis of the North. Margaret of Denmark, Sweden, and Nor- way. (1353-1412.) Catherine II. of Russia. (1729-1796.) Sena'niis (^St.) fled to the island of Scattery, and resolved that no female form should ever step upon it. An angel led St. Can'ara to the island, but the recluse refused to admit her. Tom Moore has a poem on this legend, ‘‘St. Senanus and the Lady.” — *‘Irish Melo- dies f No. 1. {See Kevin.) Sen'dal. A thin silk. (Italian, zen- dado; Spanish, cendal.) Sen'eca. The Christian Seneca. Bishop Hall of Norwich. (1574-1656. ) Senior Op'time. A Cambridge University expression, meaning a second- class man in mathematical honours. The first class consists of Wranglers. Senior Soph, A man of the third year’s standing is so called in our univer- sities. Sennae'herib, whose army was de- stroyed by the Angel of Death, is by the Orientals called King Moussal. — D'Herhelot {notes to the Koran). Se’nnight. A week; seven nights. Fort^ night, fourteen nights. These words are relics of the ancient Celtic custom of beginning the day at sunset, a custom I observed by the ancient Greeks, Baby- lonians, Persians, Syrians, and Jews, and by the modern representatives of these people. In Gen. i. we always find the evening precedes the morning ; as, “ The evening and the morning were the first day,” &c. Sen'tences (3 syl.). The four books of Sentences, by Pierre Lombard, the foundation of scholastic theology of the middle period. (>See Schoolmen. ) Master of the Sentences. Pierre Lom- bard, schoolman. (Died 1164.) Sen'tinel. One placed to watch the hold of a ship, to see that the water does not get in. (Latin, senti'na.) — Arch- deacon Smith. Sentinelle perdue. One placed at a post where he is almost certain to be killed by the enemy. Sepoy. The Indian soldier is so called, says bishop Heber, from sip, a bow, their principal weapon in olden times. Sept. A clan (Latin, septum, a fold) ; all the cattle, or all the voters, in a given enclosure. September Massacres. An in- discriminate slaughter of Loyalists con- fined at the time in the Abbaye and other French prisons. Dantin gave order for this onslaught after the capture of Verdun by the allied Prussian army. It lasted the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of Septem- ber, 1792. As many as 8,000 persons fell in this massacre, among whom was the princess de Lamballe. Septembri'zers or Septemhriseurs (the September men). The men who planned and executed the September Massacres {q.v.), Septuages'ima Sunday. In round numbers, seventy days before Easter. The third Sunday before Lent. Sep'tuagint. A Greek version of the Old Testament, so called because it was made (in round numbers) by seventy Jews ; more correctly speaking, by seventy-two. Dr. Campbell disapproves of this derivation, and says it was so called because it was sanctioned and authorised by the Jewish San'hedrim or great council, which consisted of 70 or 71 members besides the High priest. This derivation falls in better with the modern notion that the version was made at different times by different translators. (Latin, septuaginta, seventy.) Seraglio. The palace of the Turkish sultan, situated in the Golden Horn, and enclosed by walls seven miles and a half in circuit. The chief entrance is the seraphic doctor. SERPENT. m Sublime Gate; and tlie chief of the large edifices is the Harem, or sacred spot/* which contains numerous houses, one for each of the sultan’s wives, and others for his concubines. The black eunuchs form the inner guard, and the white eunuchs the second guard. The Seraglio may be visited by strangers ; not so the Harem. Seraphic Doctor (Doctor Seraph' ~ icus). St. Bonaventu'ra, a schoolman, was so called for his seraphic fervour and eloquence. (1221-1274.) Seraphic Saint. St. Francis d’ Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order. (1182-1226.) Ser'aphim. An order of angels distinguished for fervent zeal and re- ligious ardour. The word means burn.” Isaiah vi. 2.) Thousand celestial ardours (seraphs) where he stood Veiled with his gorgeous wings, up springing light, Flew through the midst of heaven. Milton, “ Paradise Lost” v. Sera'pis. The Ptolemaic form of the Egyptian Osi'ris. The word is a cor- ruption of osor-apis (dead apis, or rather osirified-apis”), a deity which had so many things in common with Osi'ris that it is not at all easy to distinguish them. Serapis. Symbol of the Nile and of fertility. Serat (Al). The ordeal bridge over which every one will have to pass at the resurrection. It is not wider than the edge of a scimetar, and is thrown across the gulf of Hell. The faithful, says the Koran, will pass over in safety, but sinners will fall headlong into the dreary realm beneath. Serbo'nian Bog or Serbo'nis. A mess from which there is no way of ex- tricating oneself. The Serbonian bog was between Egypt and Palestine. Strabo calls it a lake, and says it was 200 stadia long and 50 broad ; Pliny makes it 150 miles in length. Hume says that whole armies have been lost therein. Typhon lay at the bottom of this bog, which was therefore called TyphorCs Breathing Hole. It received its name from Sebaket- Bardoil, a king of Jerusalem, who died there on his return from an expedition into Egypt. Kow, bir, I must say I know of no Serbonian bog deeper than a £5 rating would prove to Dis- raeli (Chanc. of the Exch.), Times, March 19, 1857. A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog Betwixt Damiata and Mount Cassius old, Where armies whole have sunk. Milton, ^'Paradise Lost," ii. Sereme'nes (4 syl.). Brother-in-law of king Sardanapa'lus, to whom he en- trusts his signet ring to put down a rebellion headed by Arba'ces the Mede and Bel'esis the Chaldean soothsayer. He is slain in a battle with the insur- gents. — Byron, Sardanapalus,'* Serena'de (3 syl.). Music performed in the serene — i.e., in the open air at even-tide (Latin, sere'num). Ade is the Greek aido, I sing, which apjiears in such words as Mneid, Lusiat/, Dunciat^, FranciatZ, Philipp?We, Henrictc/e, &c. Or serenade which the starved lover sings To his proud fair. Milton-, “ Paradise Lost." Sere'ne (2 syl.). A title given to certain German princes. Those princes who used to hold under the empire were entitled Serene or Most Serene Highnesses. Hs all serene. All right (Spanish, sere' no, ^^all right” — the sentinel’s countersign). Serif and Sanserif. The former is a letter in typography with the wings” or finishing strokes (as T) ; the latter is a letter without the finishing strokes (as T). French, serre-file (the last man of a file, that which completes a file ; the finishing stroke). Serjeants-at-Law. French, freres- serjens, a corruption of fraires- servientes of the Templars. Sermon Lane, Doctors Commons, London. A corruption of Shere-moniers Lane (the lane of the money shearers or clippers, whose office it was to cut and round the metal to be stamped into money). The Mint was in the street now called Old OihdtngQ.— Maitland, ‘‘Lon- don,^' ii. 880. Serpent. An attribute of St. Cecilia, St. Euphe'mia, and many other saints, either because they trampled on Satan or because they miraculously cleared some country of such reptiles. (#Sce Dagon.) Serpent, in Christian art, figures in Paradise as the tempter. The brazen serpent gave newness of life to those who were bitten by the fiery dragons, and raised their eyes to this symbol (Numb. xxi. 8). It is not unfrequently affixed to the cross. z z 2 804 SERPENT. SERPENTINE VERSES. It is generally placed under the feet of the Virgin, in allusion to the promise made to Eve after the Fall (Gen. iii. 15). Satan is called the great serpent, be- cause under the form of a serpent he tempted Eve (Rev. xii. 9). Serpent metamorphoses. Cadmos and his wife Harmo'nia were by Zeus con- verted into serpents, and removed to Elysium. Escula'pios, god of Epidau'- ros, assumed the form of a serpent when he appeared at Rome during a pesti- lence. Therefore is it that the goddess of Health bears in her hand a serpent. O wave, Hygeia, o’er Britannia’s throne Thy serpent wand, and mark it for thine own. Darwin^ ‘^Economy of Vegetation^ iv. Jupiter Ammon appeared to'Olym'pias in the form of a serpent, and became the father of Alexander the Great. When glides a silver serpent, treacherous guest 1 And fair Olympia folds him to her breast. Darwin^ Economy of Vegetation," i. 2. Jupiter Capitoli'nus in a similar form became the father of Scipio Africanus. The Serpent is emblematical — (1) Of wisdom. — '‘Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves ” (Matt. X. 16). (2) Of subtilty. — " Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field ” (Gen. iii. 1). It is said that the ceras'tes hides in sand that it may bite the horse’s foot, and get the rider thrown. In allusion to this belief, Jacob says, " Dan shall be ... an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” (Gen. xlix. 17). It is said that serpents when attacked swallow their young, and eject them again on reaching a place of safety. Thomas Lodge says that people called Sauveurs have St. Catherine’s wheel in the palate of their mouths, and there- fore can heal the sting of serpents. When a serpent drinks it is said that it §rst vomits up all its venom, for fear of poisoning itself by swallowing it. The Bible also tells us that it stops up its ears that it may not be charmed by the charmer (Ps. Iviii. 4). The serpent is symbolical — (1) Of deity, because, says Plutarch, "it feeds upon its own body ; even so all things spring from God, and will be re- solved into deity again. — "De Iside et Osiride” i. 2., p. 5 ; and Philo Byblius.^* (2) Of eternity, as a corollary of the former. It is represented as forming a circle and holding its tail in its roouth. (3) Of renovation. It is said that the serpent, when it is old, has the power of growing young again "like the eagle,” by casting its slough, which is done by squeezing itself between two rocks. (4) Of guardian spirits. It was thus employed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and not unfrequently the figure of a serpent was depicted on their altars. In the temple of Athe'na, at Athens, a serpent was kept in a cage, and called "The Guardian Spirit of the Temple.” This serpent was supposed to be ani- mated by the soul of Erictho'nius. To cherish a serpent in your bosom. To show kindness to one who proves un- grateful. The Greeks say that a hus- bandman found a serpent’s egg, which he put into his bosom. The egg was hatched by the warmtb, and the young serpent stung its benefactor. Their ears have been serpent-liclced. They have the gift of foreseeing events, the power of seeing into futurity. This is a Greek superstition. It is said that Cas- sandra and Hel'enus were gifted with the power of prophecy, because serpents licked their ears while sleeping in the temple of Apollo. The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head. And to the serpent God said, the seed of the woman " shall bruise thy head.” The heart of the serpent being close to the head, renders a severe "bruise” there fatal. The serpent bruised the heel of man — i.e., being a cause of stumbling, it hurt the foot which tripped against it. (Gen. iii. 15.) Serpent* s Food. Fennel is said to be the favourite food of serpents, with the juice of which it restores its sight when dim. Serpents. Brazilian wood is a panacea against the bites of serpents. The coun- tess of Salisbury, in the reign of James I., had a bedstead made of this wood, and on it is the legend of Honi soit qui mal y pense. Serpentine Verses. Such as end with the same word as they begin with. The following are examples : — Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit. Greater grows the love of pelf, as pelf itself grows greater. ^mbo fiorentes aetatibus, Arcades ambo. Both intne spring of life, Arcadi as both. SERPENTINO. SEVEN BODIES. 806 Serpenti'no (in Orlando Furioso ”). One of the leaders of the allied Moorish army. Serrapur'da. High screens of rep cloth, stiffened with cane, used to en- close a considerable space round the royal tent of the Persian army. Servant {Faithful), {See An am.) Serve. I'll serve him out—g\YQ him a quid pro quo. This is the French des- serveVf to do an ill turn to one. To serve a ro'pe. To roll something upon it to prevent it from being fretted. The service” or material employed is spun yard, small lines, sennit, ropes, old leather, or canvas. Servus Servo'rum {Latin). The slave of slaves, the drudge of a servant. The style adopted by the Roman pontiffs ever since the time of Gregory the Great is Servus Servorum Dei. Alexander episcopus, servus servnrum Dei, Karis- Bimo lilio Wiilielmo saluiem.— “i^’cedera,* i.. p. 1. Ses'ame (3 syl.). Oily grain of the natural order Pedalia'cese, originally from India. In Egypt they eat sesame cakes, and the Jews frequently add the seed to their cakes. The cakes made of sesame oil, mixed with honey and pre- served citron, are considered an Oriental luxury ; sesame is excellent also for pud- dings. {See Open Sesame.) Among the numerous objects.. . .was a black horse .. ..On one side of its manger there was clean barley and sesame, and the other was filled with rose-water. — 'Arabian Nights ” (Third Colander). Se'sha. King of the serpent race, on which Vishnu reclines on the primeval waters. It has a thousand heads, on one of which the world rests. The coiled-up sesha is the emblem of eternity. — Hindu mythology. Sesos'tris (in F^nelon’s “ Tele- maque ”). The lay figure Of this charac- ter was Louis XIV. Set Off. A commercial expression. The credits are set off the debits, and the balance struck. Set off to advantage. A term used by jewellers, who set off precious stones by appropriate settings.” Set-to. A boxing match, a pugilistic fight, a scolding. In pugilism the com- batants are by their seconds ^^set to the scratch ” or line marked on the ground, and this set-to” is in fact the com- mencement of the encounter. Set'ebos. A deity of the Patago- nians, introduced by Shakespeare into his '^Tempest.” His art is of such power It would control my dam’s god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him. ^‘Tempest," i. 2. Sethltes (2 syl.). A sect of the second century, who maintained that the Messiah was Seth, son of Adam. Setting the Thames on Fire. A pun on the word temse (a sieve for cleans- ing meal). An active workman would often set the rim of the temse on fire by friction, as he moved it rapidly over the mouth of the barrel into which the meal was sifted. The French have the same pun: Setting the Seine on fire;” for seine is a large fish-net. A lazy man will ‘‘ never set the temse [Thames] on fire.” Seven (Greek, hepta; Latin, septem; German, sieben ; Saxon, seofan; our seven, &c.). A holy number. There are seven days in creation, seven spirits before the throne of God, seven days in the week, seven graces, seven divisions in the Lord’s Prayer, seven ages in the life of man, and the just fall ^^seven times a day.” There are seven phases of the moon, every seventh year was sabbatical, and seven times seventy years was the jubilee. The three great Jewish feasts lasted seven days, and between the first and second of these feasts were seven weeks. Levit- ical purifications lasted seven days. We have seven churches of Asia, seven can- dlesticks, seven stars, seven trumpets, seven spirits before the throne of God, seven horns, the Lamb has seven eyes, ten times seven Israelites go to Egypt, the exile lasts the same number of years, and there were ten times seven elders. Pharaoh in his dream saw seven kine and seven ears of corn, &c. It is frequently used indefinitely to signify a long time, or a great many: thus in the Interlude of the Four Ele- ments,” the dance of Apetyte is called the best ‘Hhat I have seen this seven yere.” Shakespeare talks of a man being a vile thief this seven year.” Seven Bodies in Alchemy. Sun is gold, moon silver. Mars iron, Merc ary quicksilver, Saturn lead, Jupiter tin, and Venus copper. The bodies seven, eek, lo hem heer anoon ; Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe ; Mars yren, Mercuric quyksilver we clepe ; Saturnus leed, and Jubitur is tyn, And Venus coper, by my fader kyu. Chaucer, Prol. of the ^'Chanounea Yemanea 806 SEVEN CHAMPIONS. SEVEN SLEEPEKS Seven Champions of Christen- dom is by Richard Johnson, who lived in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. (1) St. George of England was seven years imprisoned by the Almi'dor, the black king of Morocco. (2) St. Denys of France lived seven years in the form of a hart. (3) St. James of Spain was seven years dumb out of love to a fair Jewess. (4) St. Anthony of Italy, with the other champions, was enchanted into a deep sleep in the Black Castle, and was re- leased by St. George’s three sons, who quenched the seven lamps by water from the enchanted fountain. (5) St. Andrew of Scotland, who was guided through the Vale of Walking Spirits by the Walking Fire, and de- livered six ladies who had lived seven years under the form of milk-white swans, (6) St. Patrick of Ireland was immured in a cell where he scratched his grave with his own nails. (7) St. David of Wales slept seven years in the enchanted garden of Orman- dine, but was redeemed by St. George. Seven Churclies of Asia. (1) Ephesos, founded by St. Paul, 57, in a ruinous state in the time of Justinian (527). (2) Smyrna, still an important seaport. Polycarp was its first bishop, and died 175. (3) Per'gamos, renowned for its library. (4) Thyati'ra, now called Ak-hissar (the White Castle). (5) Sardis, now a small village called Sart. (6) Philadelphia, now called Allah Shehr (Cit?/ of God) ^ a miserable town. (7) Laodice'a, now a deserted place called Eske-hissar (the Old Cdstle). Seven Days’ War. The great conflict for German supremacy between Prussia and Italy on one side and Aus- tria on the other, in the spring of 1866. Austria, having confessed herself beaten, gave up the Quadrilateral to France, and France gave it to Italy, by which means all Italy, except a small part secured to the pope, became one kingdona. The late Franco-Prussian conflict was a SIX months’ war. The emperor left St. Cloud July 28, 1870, and Paris ca- pitulated January 28, 1871. Seven Dials {London). A column, railed in, formerly stood at the ancient limits of St. Giles, and seven dials were affixed to^ it, facing the seven streets which radiated from that centre. Where famed St. Giles’s ancient limits spread An in-railed column rears its lofty head. Here to seven streets seven dials count the day, And from each other catch the circlin? ray. Gay,** Trivia," ii. Sevea Joys of the Virgin. {See Mary.) Seven Sages or Wise Men of Greece. (1) Solon of Athens, whose motto was, '^Know thyself.” (2) Chilo of Sparta — ^‘Consider the end.” (3) Thales of Mile'tos — ^^Who hateth suretyship is sure.” (4) Bias of Prie'ne — ‘^Most men are bad.” (5) Cleobu'los of Lindos—*^ The golden mean,” or ^^Avoid extremes.” (6) Pittacos of Mityle'ne — Seize Time by the forelock.” (7) Periander of Corinth — Nothing is impossible to industry.” First Solon, who made the Athenian laws; While Chilo, in Sparta, was famed for his saws ; In Mile'tos did Thales astronomy teach ; Mas used in Prie'ne his morals to preach; Cleobulos, of Lindos, was handsome and wise ; Mityle'ne ’gainst thraldom saw Pittacos rise ; Periander is said to have gained through his court The title that My son, the Cheaian, ought. Seven Senses. Scared out of my seven senses. According to very ancient teaching, the soul of man, or his ^Inward holy body,” is compounded of the seven properties which are under the influence of the seven planets. Fire animates, earth gives the sense of feeling, water gives speech, air gives taste, mist gives sight, flowers give hearing, the south wind gives smelling. Hence the seven senses are animation, feeling, speech, taste, sight, hearing, and smelling. {See Common Sense.) Seven Sisters. Seven culverins so called, cast by one Borthwick. And these were Borthwick’s “ Sisters Seven,” And culverins which France had given ; Ill-omened gitt! The guns remain The conqueror’s spoil on Flodden plain. Sir Walter Scott, ** Marmion," iv. Seven Sleepers. Seven noble youths of Ephesos, who fled in the Decian persecution to a cave in mount Celioq, After 230 years they awoke, but soon died, and their bodies were taken to Marseilles in a large stone coffin, still shown in Victor’s Church. Their names SEVEN SOREOWS, SFORZA. 807 are Constantine, Dionysius, John, Max- im'ian, Malchus, Martin'ian, and Serap'- ion. This fable took its rise from a mis- apprehension of the words, ‘^They fell asleep in the Lord”— “i.e., died. — 6^re- gory of Tours, De Gloria 31 arty rum,"' i. 9. Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. (See Mary.) Seven Spirits stand before the Throne of God : — Michael, Gabriel, La- mael, Raphael, Zachariel, Anael, and Oriphiel. — Gustarini. Seven Wise Masters. A Roman prince was placed under the charge of seven wise instructors ; when he grew to man’s estate his step-mother made im- proper advances to him, and, being re- pelled, accused him to the king of offer- ing her violence. By consulting the stars the prince found out that his life was in danger, but that the crisis would be passed without injury if he remained si- lent for seven days. The wise masters now take up the matter ; each one in turn tells the king a tale to illustrate the evils of inconsiderate punishments, and as the tale ends the king resolves to relent ; but the queen at night prevails on him to carry out his sentence. The seven days being passed, the prince also tells a tale which embodies the whole truth, whereupon the king sentences the queen to lose her life. This collection of tales, called ^^Sandabar’s Parables,” is very ancient, and has been translated from the Arabic into almost all the lan- guages of the civilised world. John Rolland, of ENalkeith, turned it into Scotch metre. Seven Wonders (I.) of Antiquity. (1) The Pyramids of Egypt; (2) the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; (3) the Tomb of Mauso'los ; (4) the Temple of Diana at Ephesus ; (5) the Colossus of Rhodes; (6) the Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) by Phidias ; (7) the Pharos of Egypt, or else the Palace of Cyrus cemented with gold. The pyramids first, which in Egypt were laid ; Next Babylon's garden, for Am'ytis made ; Then Muusolos's tomb of affection and guilt ; Fourth, the Temple o/Dian, in J^phesus built ; The Colossos of Rhodes, cast m brass, to the sun ; Sixth, Jupiter's statue, by Phidias done ; The Pharos of Egypt comes last, we are told, Or the palace of Cyrus, cemented with gold. (II.) Of the Middle Ayes. (1) The Colise'um of Rome ; (2) the Catacombs of Alexandria ; (3) the Great Wall of China; (4) Stonehenge; (5) the Leaning Tower of Pisa; (6) the Porcelain Tower of Nankin ; (7) the Mosque of St. Sophia at Constantinople. Seven Years’ Lease. Leases run by seven years and its multiples, from the ancient notion of what was termed ^^climacteric years,” in which life was supposed to be in special peril. — Levinus Lemnius. (See Climacteric Years.) Seven Years’ War. The conflict maintained by Frederick II. of Prussia against Austria, Russia, and France. (1756-1763.) Severn. (^See Sabrina.) Seve'rus (St.). Patron saint of fullers, being himself of the same craft. The Wall of Severus. A stone ram- part, built in 208 by the emperor Seve'rus, between the Tyne and the Solway. It is to the north of Hadrian’s wall, which was constructed in 120. Sewed-up. Intoxicated; done up. (Dutch, seeuwt, sick.) Sexages'ima Sunday. The second Sunday before Lent ; so called because in round numbers it is sixty days before Easter. Sex'tile (2 syl.). The aspect of two planets when distant from each other sixty degrees or two signs. This position is marked thus ^ As there are twelve signs, two degrees is a sixth. In sextile, square, and trine, and opposite Of noxious efficacy. Milton. Paradise Lost." x. 059, N.B. The signs opposite or distant one-half the circle are noxious, because their action and influence are in the con- trary direction. Sex'ton. A corruption of Sa'cristan, an official who has charge of the sacra or things attached to a specific church, such as vestments, cushions, books, boxes, tools, vessels, and so on. Seyd (Seed). Pacha of the Moro'a, assassinated by Gulnare, his favourite concubine. — Byron, ^‘The Corsair 3' Sforza, the founder of the illus- trious house which was so conspicuous in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was the son of a day-labourer. His name was Giacomuzzo Attendolo, and was chauged to Sforza from the following 808 SHACK. SHAFALUS. incident : — Being desirous of going to the wars, he consulted his hatchet thus : he flung it against a tree, saying it sticks fast, I will go.” It did stick fast, and he enlisted. It was because he threw it with such amazing force that he was called Sforza, the Italian for force. iS/orza (in ^‘Jerusalem Delivered”) of Lombardy. He, with his two brothers Achilles and Palame'deSsj were in the squadron of adventurers in tlie allied Christian army. Sliack. A scamp. To shack or shackle is to tie a log to a horse, and send it out to feed on the stubble after harvest. A shack is either a beast so shackled, the right of sending a beast to the stubble, or the stubble itself. Ap- plied to men, a shack is a jade, a stubble- feeder, one bearing the same ratio to a well-to-do man as a jade sent to graze on a common bears to a well-stalled horse. (Saxon, sceacul ; Arabic, shakal, to tie the feet of a beast.) Shad-U-Kain {Pleasure and Delight). The luxuriant province of the Peri- realms, the capital of which is Juder- abad' {Jewel city). Shaddock. A large kind of orange, so called from Captain Shaddock, who first transplanted one in the West Indies. It is a native of China and Japan. Shades. Wine vaults. The Brigh- ton Old Bank, in 1819, was turned by Mr. Savage into a smoking-room and gin- shop. There was an entrance to it by the Pavilion Shades, and Savage took down the word hank, and inserted instead the word shades. This term was not inappropriate, as the room was in reality shaded by the opposite house, occupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert. Shadoff. A contrivance in Egypt for watering lands for the summer crops. It consists chiefly of long rods so sus- pended as to act as levers. Shadow. A ghost. Macbeth says to the ghost of Banquo — Hence, horrible shadow ! unreal mockeiy. hence ! Shakespeare, “i/acbe^/i,” iii. 4. He ivould quarrel loith his own shadow. He is so irritable that he would lose his temper on the merest trifle. Gone to the had for the shadow of an ass. Demosthenes says a young Athenian once hired an ass to Meg'ara. The heat was so great and the road so exposed, that he alighted at midday to take shel- ter from the sun under the shadow of the poor beast. Scarcely was he seated when the owner passed by, and laid claim to the shadow, saying he let the ass to the traveller, but not the ass’s shadow. After fighting for a time, they agreed to settle the matter in the law courts, and the suit lasted so long that both were ruined. If you must quar- rel, let it be for something better than the shadow of an ass.” May your shadiow never he less. When students have made certain progress in the black arts, they are compelled to run through a subterranean hall, with the devil after them. If they run so fast that the devil can only catch their sha- dow or part of it, they become first-rate magicians, but lose either all or part of their shadow. Therefore the expression referred to above means. May you escape wholly and entirely from the clutches of the foul fiend. A servant earnestly desireth the shadoio ( J ob vii. 2)— the time of leaving off work. The people of the East measure time by the length of their shadow, and if you ask a man what o’clock it is, he will go into the sun, stand erect, and fixing his eye where his shadow terminates, will measure its length with his feet ; having done so he will tell you the hour cor- rectly. A workman earnestly desires his shadow, which indicates the time of leaving off work. A person wanting to leave the field-work says, ^^How long my shadow is coming!” A wife will say to her husband, Why did you not come sooner,” and the man will answer, I was obliged to wait for my shadow.” Shady. On the shady side of forty — the wrong side, meaning more than forty. As evening approaches the shadows lengthen, and as man advances towards the evening of life he approaches the shady side thereof. As the beauty of the day is gone when the sun declines, the word shady means inferior, bad, &c. ; as, a shady character, one that will not bear the light ; a shady transaction, &c. ShaTalus. So Bottom the Weaver, and Francis Flute the Bellows-mender, call Ceph'alus, the husband of Procris. Cephalus was very fond of hunting, and being greatly heated used to throw him self on the ground and call for Aura SHAFITES. SHAKESPEARE. 809 (wind), Procris, being informed of- this, thought Aura was some rival mistress, and out of jealousy stole through the woods to catch her faithless spouse” in the very act of infidelity. Cephalus heard a rustling, and thinking it to be occasioned by some wild boar about to spring on him, discharged a dart, and killed his jealous wife. Py RAMUS. Wot Shafalus to Procrus was so true. Thisbe. As Shafalus to Procrus. I to you. Shakespeare, '' Midsummer Night's Dream,'' v. 1. Slia^fites (2 syl.). One of the four sects of the Sunnites or orthodox Mos- lems; so called from Al-Shafei, a descen- dant of Mahomet. Shaft. I will make either a shaft or holt of it. I will apply it to one use or another. The bolt was the cross-bow arrow, the shaft was the arrow of the long-bow. Shafton (^Sir Piercie). In this char- acter Sir Walter Scott has made familiar to us the euphuisms of queen Elizabeth’s age. The fashionable cavalier or pedantic fop, who assumes the high-flown style rendered fashionable by Lyly, was grand- son of old Overstitch the tailor.— Walter Scott, Monastery.’' Shag. Wet as a shag. A shag is a cormorant or sea-raven (Cormis mari'nus). S h a h-p our, the Great (Sapor' II. ). Surnamed Zu-lectaf (shoulder-breaker), because he dislocated the shoulders of all the Arabs taken in war. The Romans called him Posthumus, because he was born after the death of his father Hor- muz II. He was crowned in the womb by the Magi placing the royal insignia on the body of his mother. Shakes. No great shakes. Nothing ex- traordinary ; no such mighty privilege, or bargain. The shake is the common or stubble, which poor men were by law empowered to use for their hogs, sheep, or cattle, between harvest and seed time ; hence a 'privilege. It is quite a mistake to derive the word from the French chaque, or Persian shuck (a thing). ril do it in a brace of shakes — instantly, as soon as you can shake twice the dice- box. Shake-down. Come and take a shake-down at my house—o. bed. The allusion is to the time when men slept upon litter or clean straw. Shakers. Certain agamists founded ill North America by Ann Lee, called Mother Ann,” daughter of a poor blacksmith, born in Toad Lane (Todd Street), Manchester. She married a smith named Stanley, and had four children who died in infancy, after which she joined the sect of Jane Ward- law, a tailoress, but was thrown into prison as a brawler. While there she said that Jesus Christ stood before her, and became one with her in form and spirit ; and when she came out and told her story, six or seven persons joined her, and called her '^the Lamb’s bride.” Soon after this she went to America and settled at Water Vliet, in New York. Other settlements were established in Hancock and Mount Lebanon. The shakers never marry, form no earthly ties believe in no future resurrection.— IT. Hepworih Dixon, "New America,” vii. 12. Shakespeare, usually called ^^Gen tie Will.” His wife was Anne Hathaway, of Shot- tery, about eight years older than him- self. He had one son named Hamnet, who died in his twelfth year. Ben Jonson said of him — “ And though thou hadst small Latin and less Greek . . .” Milton calls him Sweetest Shake- speare, fancy’s child,” and says he will go to the well-trod stage to hear him warble his native wood-notes wild.” — Allegro,” 133. Akenside says he is Alike the mas< ter of our smiles and tears.”— Oofe i. Dryden says of him — He was a man who of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most com- prehensive soul.” Young says — '^He wrote the play the Almighty made.” — Epistle to Lord Lans- downe. Mallett says — Great above rule. . . . Nature was his own.” — Verbal Criti- cism.” Collins says he joined Tuscan fancy to Athenian force.” — Ejpistle to Sir Thomas Hanmer, Pope says — Shakespeare (whom you and every play-house bill Style “ the divine,” “the matchless,” what you will) For gain, not glory, winged his roving flight. And grew immortal in his own despight. “ Imitations of Horace,” Ep. i. The dedication of Shakespeare' s Sonnets 810 SHAKY. SHANDEAN EXi^.CTNESS. has provoked much controversy. It is as follows ; — TO THE ONLIE BEGETTER OP THESE INSUING SONNETS MR. W. H. ALL HAPPINESSE AND THAT ETERNITIE PROMISED BY OUR EVER-LIVING POET WISHETH — that is, Mr. William Herbert [after- wards lord Pembroke] wisheth to [the earl of Southampton] the only begetter or instigxtor of these sonnets, that happi- ness and eternal life which [Shakespeare] the ever-living poet speaks of. The rider is — THE WELL-WISHING ADVENTURER IN SETTING FORTH T. T. That is, Thomas Thorpe is the adven- turer who speculates in their publica- tion. (See Aihenceum, Jan. 25, 1862.) Shakespeare. There are six accredited signatures of this poet, five of which are attached to business documents, and one is entered in a book called ^^Floreo,” a translation of Montaigne, published in 1603. A passage in act ii., s. 2, of ^‘The Tempest ” is traced directly to this tran- slation, proving that the Floreo ” was possessed by Shakespeare before he wrote that play. The Shakespeare of Divines. Jeremy Taylor. (1613-1667.) The Shakespeare of Eloquence. So Bar- nave happily characterised the comte de Mirabeau. (1749-1791.) Shaky. Not steady ; not in good health ; not strictly upright : not well prepared for examination. The allusion is to a table or chair out of order, and shaky. Shalloon is the French ras de Chalons (the short-napped cloth manufactured at Chalons). Shallow. A weak-minded country justice, intended as a caricature of Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlecote. He is described as one who has been a mad- cap in his youth, and still dotes on his wild tricks ; he is withal a liar, a block- head, and a rogue. — Shakespeare^ Merry Wives of Windsor f and ‘^2 Henry /F.” Shallum, the lover of Hilpa, is de- scribed by Addison to be of a gentle dis- position, beloved both by God and man.” He was lord of a manor consisting of a long chain of rocks and mountains called Tirzah. (See Hilpa.) Shalott (Lady of). A poem by Tennyson, the tale of which is similar to that of Elaine the ^‘fair maid of Astolat” {q.v.). Part I. describes the island of Shalott, and tells us that the lady passed her life so secluded there that only the farm -labourers knew her. Part II. tells us that the lady passed her time in weaving a magic web, and that a curse would light on her if she looked down the river towards Camelot. Part III. describes how Sir Lancelot, in all his bravery, rode to Camelot, and the lady looked at him as he rode along. Part IV. says that the lady entered a boat, hav- ing first written her name on the prow, and floated down the river to Camelot, but died on the way. When the boat reached Camelot, Sir Lancelot, with all the inmates of the palace, came to look at it. They read the name on the prow, and Sir Lancelot exclaimed, She has a lovely face, and may God have mercy on the lady of Shalott !” Sliambles means benches (Saxon, scamel; Latin, scamnuri) ; the benches on which meat is exposed for sale. Bank means precisely the same thing as sham- bles. (See Bank. ) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question.— 1 Gor. x. 25. Sham'rock, the symbol of Ireland, because it was selected by St. Patrick to prove to the Irish the doctrine of the Trinity. (Irish and Gaelic, seam-rag.) Shamrock. According to the elder Pliny, no serpent will touch this plant. Slian-dra-dan. A Scotch car; a corruption of the French char-en-dedans (an inside car— ^.e., a car where the tra- vellers sit vis-d-vis'), Shande'an Exactness. Sir Wal- ter Scott says, The author proceeds with the most unfeeling prolixity to give a minute detail of civil and common law, of the feudal institutions, of the archi- tecture of churches and castles, of sculpture and painting, of minstrels, players, and parish clerks. . . Tristram can hardly be said to be fairly born, though his lip has already attained the size of half a volume.” (See next page.) SHANDY SHAVING. 811 "With a Shandean exactness. . . . Lady Anne begins her memoirs of herself nine months before her nativity, for the sake of introducing a beauti- ful quotation from the Psalms.— Borealis,''* p. 269. Shandy. Captain Shandy is called Uncle Toby. He was wounded at the siege of Namur, and had retired from the service. He is benevolent and generous, simple as a child, brave as a lion, and gallant as a courtier. His modesty with Widow Wadman and his military tastes are admirable. He is said to be drawn for Sterne’s father. — ^‘Tristram Shandy.''^ Mrs. Elizabeth Shandy^ mother of Tristram. The beau-ideal of nonentity. Sir Walter Scott describes her as a good lady of the poco-curante school.” — Sterne^ “ Tristram Shandy. Tristram Shandy. The hero of Sterne’s novel so called. Walter Shandy, Tristram’s father. He is a metaphysical Don Quixote in his way, full of superstitious and idle conceits. He believes in long noses and propitious names, but his son’s nose is crushed, and his name is Tristram instead of Tris- megistus. — Sterne, ^^Tristram Shandy.'*' Shanks’ 3Nag. To ride Shanlcs' nag is to go on foot, the shanks being the legs. A similar phrase is ‘‘ Going by the marrow-bone stage.” Shanty. A log-hut ; from the French chantier, a yard where logs of wood are piled for sale. Shark. A swindler, a pilferer ; one who snaps up things like a* shark, which eats almost anything, and seems to care little whether its food is alive or dead, fish, flesh, or human bodies. These thieves dee rob us with our ownegood will, And have datr.e Nature’s warrant for it still; Sometimes these sharks doe worke each other’s wrack, The raveniag belly of.cn robs the backe Taylor's “IForites,” ii. 117. The sharTc flies the feodher. This is a sailor’s proverb founded on observation. Though a shark is so voracious that it will swallow without distinction every- thing that drops from a ship into the sea, such as cordage, cloth, pitch, wood, and even knives, yet it will never touch a pilot-fish {q.v.) or a fowl, either alive or dead. It avoids sea-gulls, sea-mews, petrels, and every feathered thing. — St. Pierre, Studies, " i. Sharp {BecTcy). The impersonation of intellect without virtue in Thackeray’s ‘ Wanity Fair.” (>See Sedley.) Becky Sharp, with a baronet for a brother-in? law and an earl’s daughter for a friend, felt the hollowness of human grandeur, and thought she WHS happier with the Bohemian artists in Soho.— The Express. Sharpes the word. Look out,-keep your eyes open and your wits about you, When a shopman suspects a customer, he will ask aloud of a brother shopman if ^^Mr. Sharp is come in and if his suspicion is confirmed will receive for answ'er, ^^No, but he is expected back immediately.” — Hotten. Sharp-beak. The Crow’s wife in the tale of Reynard the Fox.” Sharp-set. Hungry, If anie were so sharpe-set as to eat fried flies, but- terd bees, stued snailes, either on Fridaie or Sun- daie, he could not be therefore indicted of haulte Xxeason.— Stanihurst, ^‘Ireland," p. 19. (1580.) Shaaigeda'ya {North- American In^ clian). A coward. Shave. To shave a customer. Hotten says, when a master-draper sees any one capable of being imposed upon enter his shop, he strokes his chin, to signify to his assistant that the customer may be shaved. I shaved through; He ivas within a shave of a pluck. I just got through [my examination] ; He was nearly rejected as not up to the mark. The allusion is to carpentry. Shaveling. A lad, a young man. In the year 1348, the clergy died so fast of the Black Death, that youths were ad- mitted to holy orders by being shaven. William Bateman, bishop of Norwich, dispensed with sixty shavelings to hold rectories and other livings, that divine service might not cease in the parishes over which they were appointed.” — Blom- field, History of Norfolk," vol. iii. Shaveling. A friar, a priest ; so called because priests were ^‘all shaven and shorn,” and are still in the Roman Ca- tholic Church. Becket proclaimed to his shavelings immunitie of condigne punishment even in a case of most wicked murthering. — Lamharde's Perambulation, p. 438. (1596.) Shaving. Bondmen were com- manded by the ancient Gauls to shave in token of servitude. In the Turkish seraglio, the slaves are obliged to shave their chins in token of their servitude. 812 SHAWONDASEE. SHEET ANCHOR. Shawonda'see (North- American In- dian). Son of Mudjekee'wis, and king of the South-wind. He sends the wood- birds and robin, the swallow and wild- goose, the melon and tobacco, the grape amd the maize. He is described as fat and lazy, listless and easy. He loved a prairie maiden, but was too lazy to woo her. The maiden proved to be the dan- delion, and when winter came her head was covered with snow, and she was lost to the lazy Shawonda'see. — LongfelloWj Hiawatha.^^ She Stoops to Conquer. This comedy owes its existence to ah incident which actually occurred to the author. When Goldsmith was sixteen years of age, a wag residing at Ardagh directed him, when passing through that village, to squire Fetherstone’s house as the village inn. The mistake was not discovered for some time, and then no one enjoyed it more heartily than Oliver himself. Shear Steel is steel fit for clothiers* shears. Scythes, penknives, razors, and other sharp cutting instruments are made of this steel. Sheh-seze. The great fire festival of the Persians, when they used to set fire to large bunches of dry combustibles, fas- tened round wild beasts and birds, which being then let loose, the air and earth appeared one great illumination. The terrified creatures naturally fled to the woods for shelter, and it is easy to con- ceive the conflagration they produced. — Richardson, ‘ ‘I) issertation. ” She'ba (Queen of). Maqueda, but called Balkis in the Koran. Sheb'diz. The Persian Bucephalos (q.v.), the favourite charger of Khosru Parviz, generally called Chosroes II. of Persia. (590-628.) Shechi'nah (shachan, to reside). The glory of the Divine presence in the shape of a cloud of fire, which rested on the mercy-seat (Lev. xvi. 2). Shedad made the delicious gardens of Irim, in imitation of Paradise, and was destroyed by lightning the first time he attempted to enter them. Sheep. Ram or tup, the sire ; ewe, the dam ; lamb, the new-born sheep till it is weaned, when it is called a hogget; the tup-lamb being a tiip-hogget,” and the ewe-lamb a ewe-hogget;” if the tup is castrated it is called a wether- hogget. After the removal of the first fleece, the tup-hogget becomes a shearling, the ewe-hogget a grimmer, and the wether- hogget a dinmont (hence the name Dandy Dinmont”). After the removal of the second fleece, the shearling becomes a tico-shear tup, the grimmer a ewe, and the dinmont a icether. After the removal of the third fleece, the ewe is called a twinter-ewe ; and when it ceases to breed, a draft-eive. Sheep. Don Quixote saw the dust of two flocks of sheep coming in opposite directions towards him, and told Sancho they were two armies— one commanded by the emperor Alifanfaron, sovereign of the island of Trap'oban ; and the other by the king of the Garaman'teans, named ‘‘ Pentap'olin with the naked arm.” Ali- fanfaron was in love with Pentapolin’s daughter, but the royal father refused to sanction the alliance unless the emperor renounced his faith in Mahomet, and this caused a deadly feud between them. The mad knight rushed on the flock led by Alifanfaron,” killing seven of the sheep, but was stunned by stones thrown at him by the shepherds. When Sancho told his master that the two armies were two flocks of sheep, the knight replied that the enchanter Freston had metamor- phosed ^Hhe two grand armies” in order to show his malice. — Cervantes, Don Quixote,’* bk. iii., ch. 5. The Black Sheep (K4r^-koin-loo). A tribe which established a principality in Armenia, that lasted 108 years (1360- 1468); so called from the device of their standard. The White Sheep (Ak-koin-loo). A tribe which established a principality in Ar- menia, &c., on the ruin of the Black Sheep (1468-1508) ; so called from the device of their standard. To cast a sheep's eye at one is to look askance like a sheep at a person to whom you feel lovingly inclined (transversa tuentibus hircis. — Virgil). But he, the beast, was casting sheen’s eyes at her. Colman, Broad Grins.* Sheets, Shoots or Shots, A Ken- tish word for pigs between the age of six and ten months. Sheet Anchor. That is my sheet anchor— my chief stay, my chief depen- SHEIK. SHEWKI-WHILE. 813 dence. The sheet anchor is the largest and heaviest of all. The word is a corruption of Shote-anchor, the anchor shot or thrown out in stress of weather. The surgeon no longer bleeds. If you ask him “ why this negleet of what was once considei ed the sheet anchor of practice in certain diseases,'’ he will . . , .— The Times. Sheik (Arabic, elder). A title of re- spect equal to the Italian signo'rBf the French sieur^ Spanish serior^ &c. Sheldo'nian Theatre. The Se- nate House ” of Oxford ; so called from Gilbert Sheldon, archbishop of Canter- bury, who built it. (1598-1699.) Shelf. Laid on the shelf or shelved. A government officer no longer actively employed; an actor no longer assigned a part; a young lady past the ordinary age of marriage ; a pawn at the broker’s ; a question started and set aside. All mean laid up and put away. Shell out. Out with your shells or money ; in allusion to the Cyprcea mone'ta or cowries (univalve shells), used in Southern Asia and on the coast of Guinea in Africa. In the Philippine Islands other shells are also used for coins. Shemit'ic. Pertaining to Shem, des- cendant of Shem, derived from Shem. The Sheinitic Languages are Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, Hebrew, Samaritan, Ethiopic, and old Phoenician. Shemitic Nations or Shemites (2 syl.). The Assyrians, Chaldseans or Babylo- nians, Syrians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Arabs, and Ethiopians. Africa'nus, 284 years; Eusebius, 103 years. Some say they extended over five dynas- ties, some over three, some limit their sway to one; some give the name of only one monarch, some of four, and others of six. Bunsen places them B.c. 1639; Lepsius, B.C. 1842; others, 1900 or 2000. If there ever were such kings, they were driven into Syria by the rulers of Upper Egypt. (ITyk, ruler; shos, shepherd.) The Shepherd Lord. Henry, the tenth lord Clifford, sent by his mother to be brought up by a shepherd, in order to save him from the fury of the Yorkists. At the accession of Henry VII. he was restored to all his rights and seigniories. (Died 1523.) The Shepherd^ s Sun-dial. The scarlet pimpernel, which opens at a little past seven in the morning, and closes at a little past two. When rain is at hand, or the weather is unfavourable, it does not open at all. The Shepherd of Banhury, The ostens- ible author of a Weather Guide. He styles himself John Claridge, Shepherd, but the real author is said to be Dr. John Campbell. (First published in 1744.) The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain. Said to be David Saunders, noted for his homely wisdom and practical piety. Mrs. Hannah More wrote the religious tract so entitled, and makes the hero a Chris- tian Arcadian. Shepherd of the Ocean. So Sir Walter Ealeigh is called by Spenser, in his poem entitled “ Colin Clout’s come Home again.” (1552-1618.) Shepherd {Jach). Son of a carpenter in Smithfield, noted for his two escapes from Newgate in 1724. He was hanged at Tyburn the same year. (1701-1724.) The Shepherd. Moses who fed the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-law. Sing, heavenly muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb or of Sinai didst inspire That sliepherd, who first taught the chosen s^ In the beginning how the heavens and eartli Hose out of chaos. Milton^ Paradise Lostp bk. : N.B. — Oreb or Horeb and Sinai are two heights of one mountain. The Sfupherd Kings or IlyTcsos. Some 2,000 years B.c., a tribe of Arabian shep- herds established themselves in Lower Egypt, and were governed by their own chiefs,. Man'etho says ^^They reigned 511 years ;” Eratos'thenes says 470 years ; She'va, in the satire of Absalom and Achitophel,” by Dryden and Tate, is designed for Sir Roger Lestrange. Sheva. The benevolent Jew in Cum- berland’s comedy of “The Jew.” This drama was written to disabuse the public mind of unjust prejudices against a peo- ple who have been so long “ scattered and peeled,” and a very handsome purse was collected by the Jews of England, and presented to the dramatist as an acknow- ledgment of his championship. Sheva, however, can never hold its own against the Shylock of Will Shakespeare. Shewri-wh-ile. A spirit-woman that haunts Mynydd Llanhilleth mountain in Monmouthshire, to mislead those who attempt to cross it. 814 SHIBBOLETH SHTBH. SMb'boletll. The pass-word of a secret society ; the secret by which those of a party know each other. The Ephraimites quarrelled with Jephthah, and Jephthah gathered together the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. There were many fugitives, and when they tried to pass the Jordan the guard told them to say Shibboleth, which the Ephraimites pronounced Sibboleth, and by this test it was ascertained whether the person wishing to cross the river was a friend or foe (Judges xii. 1-6). Their foes a deadly Shibboleth devise. Dryden, Hind and Panther,’' pt, iii. Shield. Cairbar rises in his arms, The clang of shields is heardf' When ^ chief doomed a man to death, he struck his shield with the blunt end of his spear, by way of notice to the royal bard to begin the death-song.— “ Temoraf' i. {See ^E'gis.) Shield-of-Arms. Same as Coat of Arms ; so called because persons in the middle ages bore their heraldic devices on their shields. Shiites (Arabic, shiah, a sect). A Persian sect formed in opposition to the Sunnites, or orthodox Moslems (a.d. 644). Shilling. Said to be derived from Si. Kilian, whose image was stamped on the shillings” of Wurzburg. Of course this etymology is of no philological value. Shilly Shally. A corruption of Will I, shall I,” or Shall I, shall I.” There’s no delay, they ne’re stand shall I, shall I, Ilermog'eues with Dal'lila doth dally. Taylor’s ’Workes,” iii. 3. (1630.) Shim'ei (2 syl.), in Dryden’s satire of ‘^Absalom and Achitophel,” is designed for Slingsby Bethel, the lord mayor. Shimei, whose youth did early promise bring. Of zeal to God and hatred to his king ; Did wisely from expensive sins refrain, And never broke the Sabbath but for gain. Shi'nar. The land of the Chaldees, Babylo'nia. Shine or Shindy. A row, a distur- bance. Probably from the game of shindy or shinney, much the same as bandy, hockey, or knurspell, all of which are played with a knobbed stick, and a knur or wooden ball. Shin'gebis, in North- American In- dian mythology, is a diver who dared the North- Wind to single combat. The Indian Boreas rated him for staying in his dominions after he had routed away the flowers, and driven off the sea-gulls and herons. Shin'gebis laughed at him, and the North-Wind went at night and tried to blow down his hut and put out his fire. As he could not do this, he defied the diver to come forth and wrestle with him. Shin'gebis obeyed the summons, and sent the blusterer howling to his home. — Longfelloiv, Hiawatha {See Kabibonokka'.) Sh-ip, as the device of Paris. Sauval says, ‘‘L'ile de la cite est faite comme un grand navire enfonce dans la vase, et ^choud au fil de I’eau vers le milieu de la Seine.” This form of a ship struck the heraldic scribes, who, in the latter half of the middle ages, emblazoned it in the shield of the city. Ship. According to French tradition^ on June 1st, 1794, the French fleet, under admiral Villaret Joyeuse, engaged the English Channel fleet, commanded by lord Howe. The Vengeur commanded by Cambronne, in action with the Bruns- wick commanded by captain Harvey, went down, and while so doing Cam- bronne and the crew shouted, Vive la Repuhliquel This is a mere myth, first given in the French convention. The ship, no doubt, was sunk, but the crew went down crying for help, which was readily given by their British enemies. Ship of the Desert. The camel. A desert is a sea of sand, and a camel is peculiarly qualified to encounter a jour- ney through it. Ships of the Line. Men-of-war large enough to have a place in a line of battle. They must not have less than two decks, or two complete tiers of guns. Ship-shape. As methodically ar- ranged as things in a ship, in good order. When a vessel is sent out temporarily rigged, it is termed ^^jury-rigged” {i.e., jour-y, meaning pro tern-, for the day or time being). Her rigging is completed while at sea, and when the jury-rigging has been duly changed for ship-rigging, the vessel is in ship-shape,” i.e., due or regular order. Ship ton, Mother) Shire and County. When the Saxon kings created an earl, they gave him a shire or division of land to govern. At the Norman conquest the word count SHIRT, SHOE. 815 superseded the title of earl, and the earldom was called a county. Even to the present hour we call the wife of an earl a countess. (Saxon, scire, from sciran, to divide. ) He comes from the shires ; has a seat in the shires ; &c. — in those Ene:lish coun- ties which terminate in shire a belt running from Devonshire and Hampshire in a north-east direction. In a general way it means the midland counties. *** Anglesey in Wales, and twelve counties of England, do not terminate in shire.” Shirt. {See Nessus.) Shirt for ensign. When Sultan Saladin died, he commanded that no ceremony should be used but this : A priest was to carry his shirt on a lance, and say ‘^Saladin, the conqueror of the East, carries nothing with him of all his wealth and greatness, save a shirt for his shroud and ensign. — Knolles, ‘ ‘ Turkish H isforg.” Close sits my shirt, but closer my skin — i.e., My property is dear to me, but dearer my life ; my belongings sit close to my heart, but ‘‘ ego proximus mihi.” Shivering Mountain. Mam Tor, a hill on the peak of Derbyshire ; so called from the waste of its mass by '^shivering” — that is, breaking away in shivers” or small pieces. This shiver- ing has been going on for ages, as the hill consists of alternate layers of shale and gritstone. The former, being soft, is easily reduced to powder, and as it crumbles away small shivers” of the gritstone break away from want of sup- port. Shoddy properly means the flue and fluff thrown off from cloth in the pro- cess of weaving. This flue being mixed with new wool is woven into a cloth called shoddy — i.e., cloth made of the flue ^^shod” or thrown off. Shoddy is also made of old garments torn up and re-spun. The tern, is used for any loose sleazy cloth, and metaphorically for lite- rature of an inferior character compiled from other works. {Shed, provincial pret. shod; ” shoot, obsolete pret. shotten.) Shoddy characters. Persons of tar- nished reputation, like cloth made of shoddy or refuse wool. Shoe, Chopine.) Shoe. It is thought unlucky to put on the left shoe before the right, or to put either shoe on the wrong foot. It is said that Augustus Caesar was nearly assassinated by a mutiny one day when he put on his left shoe first. Auguste, cet empereur qui gouvema avec taut de eagesse. et dont le regiie fut si florissaut, restoit immobile et consterne lorsqu il lui arrivoit par megarde de mettre le soulier droit au pied gauche, et le soulier gauche au pied droit.— Foix. Put on the right shoe first. One of the auditions of Pythagoras was this: ‘‘When stretching forth your feet to have your sandals put on, first extend your right foot ; but when about to step into a bath, let your left foot enter first.” Jamblichus says the hidden meaning is that worthy actions should be done heartily, but base ones should be avoided! — ‘Hrotreptics'' (symbol xii.). A man without shoes. An unnatural kinsman, a selfish prodigal {Hebrew). If a man refused to marry his brother’s widow, the woman pulled off his shoe in the presence of the elders, spat in his face, and called him “shoe-loosed” (Dent. XXV. 9). Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou, standest is holy (Josh. V. 15). Loosing the shoe is a mark of re- spect in the East, among Moslems and Hindus, to the present hour. The Mus- sulman leaves his slippers at the door of the mosque. The Mahometan moonshee comes bare-footed into the presence of his superiors. The governor of a town, in making a visit of ceremony to a European visitor, leaves his slippers at the tent-entrance, as a mark of respect. There are two reasons for this custom ; (1) It is a mark of humility, the shoe being a sign of dignity and the shoeless foot a mark of servitude. (2) Leather, being held to be an unclean thing, would contaminate the sacred floor and offend the insulted idol. {See Sandal.) Plucking off the shoe among the Jews, smoking a pipe together among the In- dians, thumb-licking among the Scotch, breaking a straw together among the Teutons, and shaking hands among the English, are all ceremonies to confirm a bargain, now done by “ earnest money.” No one knows where the shoe pinches like the wearer. This was said by a Roman sage who was blamed for divorcing his wife, with whom he seemed to live hap- pily. For, Qoi it wot, he sat ful still and song, Wliea that his scho ful bitleil.v him wrong. Chaucer^ “ OunUrbury Tules,” 6,074. 816 SHOE. SHOOTING ETARS. Over shoes, over loots. In for a penny, in for a pound. Where true courage roots. The proverb says, “once over shoes, o’er boots.” Taylor's “ Workes,*' ii. 145 (1630). 2'o shoe the cobbler. To give a quick peculiar movement with the front foot in sliding. To shoe the horse (French, ferrer la mule') means to cheat one’s employer out of a small sum of money. The expres- sion is derived from the ancient practice of grooms, who charged their masters for ‘^shoeing,” but pocketed the money themselves. To stands in another marHs shoes. To occupy the place or lay claim to the honours of another. Among the ancient Northmen, when a man adopted a son, the person adopted put on the shoes of the adopter. — Brayley, “ Graphic Ilhis- trator.^' (1834.) In the tale of ‘^Reynard the Fox ”(14th century). Master Reynard having turned the tables on Sir Bruin the Bear, asked the queen to let him have the shoes of the disgraced minister ; so Bruin’s shoes were torn off and put upon Reynard, the new favourite. Looking fo)' dead men's shoes. Counting on some advantage to which you will succeed when the present possessor is dead. Waiting for my shoes. Hoping for my death. Amongst the ancient Jews the transfer of an inheritance was made by the new party pulling off the shoe of the possessor. (^See Ruth iv. 7.) Throwing the wedding -shoe. It has long been a custom in England, Scot- land, and elsewhere, to throw an old shoe, or several shoes, at the bride and bridegroom when they quit the bride’s home, after the wedding breakfast, or when they go to church to get married. Some think this represents an assault, and refers to the ancient notion that the bridegroom carried off the bride with force and violence. Others look upon it as a relic of the ancient law of exchange, implying that the parents of the bride give up henceforth all right of dominion to their daughter. This was a Jewish custom ; thus in Dent. xxv. 5-10, we read that the widow refused by the surviving brother asserted her indepen- dence by ‘‘loosing his shoe;” and in the story of Ruth we are told “that it was the custom ” in exchange to deliver a shoe in token of renunciation. When Boaz, therefore, became possessed of his brother’s lot, the family of Ruth indicated their assent by giving him a shoe. When the emperor Wladimir proposed mar- riage to the daughter of Ragnald, she rejected him sajdng, “I will not take off my shoe to the son of a slave.” Luther being at a wedding, told the bridegroom that he had placed the hus- band’s shoe on the head of the bed, “afin qu’il prit ainsi la domination et le gouvernement.”— “Zf/e of Lu- ther." In Anglo-Saxon marriages the father delivered the bride’s shoe to the bride- groom, who touched her with it on the head, to show his authority. ^ In Turkey the bridegroom, after mar- riage, is chased by the guests, who either administer blows by way of adieux or pelt him with slippers.— Years in the Harem, p. 330. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear (Matt. hi. 11). This means “ I am not worthy to be his humblest slave.” It was the business of a slave recently pur- chased to loose and carry his master’s sandals. — J ahn, ‘ rchceologica Biblica." Shoeing the wild colt. Exacting a fine called “footing” from a new-comer, who is called the “colt.” Of course, the play is between the words “ shoeing” and “footing” {q.v.^. Colt is a common synonym for a green-horn, or a youth not broken in. Thus Shakespeare says— “Ay, that’s a colt indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his horse.” — ^‘Mer- chant of Venice," i. 2. SLoemakers. The patron saints of shoemakers are St. Crispin and his bro- ther Crispian, who supported themselves by making shoes while they preached to the people of Gaul and Britain. In compliment to these saints the trade of shoemaking is called “ the gentle craft.” Shoo -king. The history of the Chinese monarchs, by Confu'cius. It begins with Yoo, B.c. 2205. Shooting Stars, called in ancient legends the “fiery tears of St. Law- rence,” because one of the periodic swarms of these meteors is between the 9th and 14th of August, about the time of St. Lawrence’s festival, which is on the 10th. SHOP. SHRIMP. 817 Shooting Stars are said by the Arabs to be firebrands hurled by the angels against the inquisitive Ginns or Genii, who are for ever clambering up on the constellations to peep into heaven. Shop. To talk shop. To talk about one’s affairs or business, to illustrate by one’s business, as when Ollipod the apothecary talks of a uniform with rhu- barb-coloured facings. Shop -lifting is stealing from shops. Dekker speaks of the lifting-law — i.e., the law against theft. (Gothic, hlifan, to steal ; hliftus, a thief ; Latin, leva, to disburden.) Shore {Jane). Sir Thomas More says. She was well-born, honestly brought up, and married somewhat too soon to a wealthy yeoman.” The tragedy of ‘‘Jane Shore” is by Nicholas Rowe. Shoreditch, according to tradition, is so called from J ane Shore, who, it is said, died there iq a ditch. This tale comes from a ballad in Pepys’ col- lection ; but the truth is, it receives its . name from Sir John de Soerdich, lord of the manor in the reign of Edward III. I could not get one bit of bread Whereby my hunger might be fed.... So weary of my life, at length I yielded up my vital strength Within a ditch which since that day Is Shoreditch called, as writers say. Duke of Shoreditch. The most success- ful of the London archers received this playful title. Good kintr, make not good lord of Lincoln duke of Shoreditch ! — “ T/ie Poore Man's Peticion to the Kinge." (1603.) Shorne {Sir John') or Master John Bhorne, well known for his feat of con- juring the devil into a boot. He was ' one of the uncanonised saints, and was prayed to in cases of ague. It seems that he was a devout man, and rector of North Marston, in Buckinghamshire, at the close of the thirteenth century. He blessed a well which became the resort of multitudes, and brought in a yearly revenue of some £.500. To Maister John Shorne, that blessed man borne. For the ague to him we apply, [rote Which jugeleth with a bote ; I beschrewe his herte That will trust him, and it be I. *‘Fanta8sie of Idolatries Sh-Ot. Hand out your shot or Down with your shot — your reckoning or quota, your money. (Saxon, sceat ; Dutch, schot.) See Scot and Lot. As the fund of our pleasure, let us each pay his shot. Ben Jonton. He shot wide of the mark. He was al- together in error. The allusion is to shooting at the mark or bull’s-eye in archery, but will now apply to our modern rifle practice. Shot-over {Oxfordshire). A corrup- tion of chdteau vert (the verdant coun- try-house). Shotten-herring. A lean spiritless creature, a Jack-o’-Lent, like a herring that has shot or ejected its spawn. Her- rings gutted and dried are so called also. Though they like shotten herrings are to s e. Yet such tall souldiers of their teeth they be That two of them, like greedy cormorants. Devour: more then sixe honest protectants. '^Taylor s WorJces,” iii. 6. Should he Upbraid. A song, words adapted from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” act ii., sc. 1 {PetrucMo), music by Bishop. Shoulder. Showing the cold shoulder. Receiving without cordiality some one who was once on better terms with you. {See Cold.) The government shall he upon his shoul- ders (Isaiah ix. 6). The allusion is to the key slung on the shoulder of Jewish stewards on public occasions, and as a key is emblematic of government and power, the metaphor is very striking. Show-Bread. Food for show only, and not intended to be eaten except by certain privileged persons. The term is Jewish, and refers to the twelve loaves which the priest “showed” or exhibited to Jehovah, by placing them week by week on the sanctuary table. At the end of the week, the priest who had been in office was allowed to take them home for his own eating ; but no one else was allowed to partake of them. Shrew-Mouse. The field mouse. It was supposed to have the power of bewitching ; and to provide a remedy our forefathers used to plunge the crea- ture into a hole made in an ash-tree, any branch of which would cure the mis- chief done by the mouse. (Teutonic, heschreyen, to bewitch.) Shrimp. A child, a puny little fellow, in the same ratio to a man as a shrimp to any ordinary fish. Fry is also used for children. (Danish, skrumpe, to shrink ; Dutch, h'impen ; German, schrumpfen,) It cannot be this weak and writhled shrimp Would strike such terror to his enemies. • • Shakespeare, '' t- H enry VI. p \\.Z, AAA 818 SHROPSHIRE. SrBYLS. Shropshire. A contraction of Shrewesbury- shire, the Saxon Scrohhes- hurh (shrub -borough), corrupted by the Normans into Slo'ppes-'burie, whence our Salop. Shufflebottom {Alel). A nom de plume of Robert Southey. (1774-1843.) Shuh-shuh-gah {North- A merican Indian), The blue heron. Shunamites’ House (^The). An inn kept for the entertainment of the preachers at Paul’s Cross. These preach- ers were invited by the bishop, and were entertained by the corporation of Lon- don from Thursday before the day of preaching, to the following Thursday movmug.— Maitland j London y” ii., p. 949. Shunt. A contraction of shun it ; a railway term. Shy. To hare a shy at anything. To fling at it, to try and shoot it. (Saxon, sci\ a contraction of scitaUy to shoot; German, schiesseUy &c.) Shylock. The grasping Jew, who ** would kill the thing he hates.” — Shahespeare, Merchant of Venice.” ^^Paul Secchi, a merchant of Venice, heard, by a private letter, that Drake had taken and plundered St. Domingo, and sent to inform Sampson Ceneda, a Jew usurer. The Jew discredited the rumour, and bet a pound of flesh it was false. Secchi wagered 1,000 crowns it was true. The news was confirmed, and the Pope told Secchi he was at liberty to claim his bet, but that he must take neither more nor less than a pound on pain of being hanged.” — Gregory Letiy ‘ ^ Life of Sextus V.” Shakespeare reverses the order, and makes the Jew usurer demand the pound of flesh from the merchant. Si Quis. A notice to all whom it pfiay concern, given in the parish church before ordination, that a resident means to offer himself as a candidate for holy orders; and Si Quis — i.e.y if any one knows any just cause or impediment thereto, he is to declare the same to the bishop. Si'amese Twins. Yoke-fellows, in- separables; so called from two youths (Eng and Chang), born of Chinese parents in Siam, in 182^, Their bodies are united by a band of flesh, stretching from breast-bone to breast-bone. The} married two sisters and have offspring. They are still alive (1870). Siamese Tioins. The Biddenden Maids, born 1100, had distinct bodies, but were joined by the hips and shoulders. They lived to be thirty-four years of age. Sib'beridge (3 syl.). Banns of mar- riage, (Saxon sibhey alliance ; whence the old English word sibredCy relationship, kindred.) Gossip. For every man it schulde drede And nameliche in his sibrede. Gower, “ Confessio Amanti s'* Sibyls. Martian Capella says there were but two, the Erythraean and the Phrygian; the former being the famous Cumaean Sibyl.” Jackson in his Chro- nologic Antiquities,” maintains, on the authority of .^lian, that there were four — the Erythrceany the Samian, the Egyp- tiany and the Sardian. The usual num- ber given is ten, and their places of abode — Libya, Samos, Cumae in Italy, Cumae in Asia Minor, Erythraea, Persia, Tiburtis, Delphi, Ancy'ra in Phrygia, and Marpessa. How know we but that she may be an eleventh Sibyl or a second Cassandra?— '"'’Gargantua and Pantagruei;' iii. IG. Sibyls. The Mediaeval monks reckoned twelve Sibyls, and gave to each a sepa- rate prophecy and distinct emblem : — (1) The Lib' y an Sibyl : The day shall come when men shall see the King of all living things.”— a lighted taper. (2) The Sa'mian^Wfjl : The Rich One shall be born of a pure virgin.”— blem, a rose. (3) Sibylla Cuma'na : Jesus Christ shall come from heaven, and live and reign in poverty on earth.” — Emblemy a crown. (4) Sibylla Cu'mce: God shall be born of a pure virgin, and hold converse with sinners.” — Emblem, a cradle. (5) Sibylla Erythrcea : Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Saviour.” — Emblem, a horn. (6) The Persian Sibyl ; Satan shall be overcome by a true Prophet.” — Em- blem, a dragon under the Sibyl’s feet, and a lantern. (7) The Tiourtine Sibyl ; The High- est shall descend from heaven, and a virgin be shown in the valleys of the deserts.’* — Emblemy a dove. SIBYLLINE BOOKS. SIDNEY? 819 (8) The Sibyl : ‘'The Prophet born of the virgin shall be crowned with thorns.” — Mmblem, a crown of thorns. (9) The Phrygian Sibyl: "Our Lord shall rise eLgainP— Emblem, a banner and a cross. (10) The European Sibyl ; " A virgin and her Son shall flee into Egypt.” — Emblem, a sword. (11) Agrippi'na ; " J esus Christ shall be outraged and scourged.” — Em- Mem, a whip. (12) The Hellespontic Sibyl: "Jesus Christ shall suffer shame upon the cross.” — Emblem, a T cross. This list of prophecies is of the six- teenth century, and is manifestly a clumsy forgery or mere monkish legend. {See below. Sibylline Verses.) The most famous of the ten Sibyls was Amalthsea, of Cumae in JEoflia, who offered her nine books to Tarquin the Proud. The offer being rejected, she burnt three of them ; and after the lapse of twelve months, offered the re- maining six at the same price. Again being refused she burnt three more, and after a similar interval asked the same price for the remaining three. The sum demanded was now given, and Amalthaea never made her appearance again. Sibyl, The Cumsean sibyl was the con- ductor of Virgil to the infernal rogions— jEneid,'^ vi. Sibyl. A fortune-teller. How they will fare it needs a sibyl to say.— TA« Times. Sibylline Books. The three sur- viving books of the Sibyl Amalthaea were preserved in a stone chest under- ground in the temple of Jupiter Capi- toli'nus, and committed to the charge of custodians chosen in the same manner as the high priests. The number of custodians was at first two, then ten, and ultimately fifteen. The books were destroyed by fire when the Capitol was burnt (a.d. 670). Siby lline Boolcs. A collection of poetical utterances in Greek, made of Jewish, Pagan, and Christian sibyllists, and com- piled in the second century (138-167). It is in eight books, relates to Jesus Christ, and is entitled " Orac'ula Sibyl- li'na.” Sibylline Verses. When the Sibyl- line books were destroyed {see above), all the floating verses of the several Sibyls were carefully collected and deposited in the new temple of Jupiter. Augustus had some 2,000 of these verses destroyed as spurious, and placed the rest in two gilt cases, under the base of the statue of Apollo, in the temple on the Palatine hill ; but the whole perished when the city was burnt in the reign of Nero. See Sibyls (of the Mediaeval monks). Sibylline leaves. The Sibylline prophecies were written in Greek, upon palm-leaves. — Varro. Sice (1 syl.). A sizing, an allowance of bread and butter. “ He’ll print for a sice.” In the university of Cambridge, the men call the pound loaf, two inches of butter, and pot of milk allowed for breakfast, their " sizings and when one student breakfasts with another in the same college, the bed-maker carries his sizings to the rooms of the enter- tainer. {See Sizings.) Sich. A gutter, a small runnel (old Latin, sichetum), SiciTian Vespers. The massacre of the French in Sicily, which began at the hour of vespers, on Easter Monday, in 1282. Sick Man {The), So Nicholas of Russia called the Ottoman empire, which has been declining ever since 1586. I repeat to you that the sick naan is dying; and we must never allow such an event to take us by surprise.— Register, 1853. Siddons {Mrs. ), Sydney Smith says it was never without awe that he saw this tragedy queen stab the potatoes ; and Sir Walter Scott tells us, while she was stay- ing at Abbotsford he heard her declaim to the footman, "I asked for water, boy ! you’ve brought me beer.” Sidney {A Igernoii), called by Thom- son " the British Cassius.” Caius Cas- sius, called by Brutus "the last of the Romans,” was both brave and learned. Of both it may be said with equal pro- priety — Of high determined spirit, roughly brave. By ancient learning to the en ightened love Of ancient freedom warmed. Thomson, "’Summer** Sidney {Sir Philip'). The academy figure of prince Arthur, in Spenser’s " Faery Queen,” and the poet’s type of magnanimity. Sir Philip Sidney, called by Sir Walter Raleigh The English Petrarch, was the A A A 2 820 SIDNEY-SUSSEX. SIGISMUNDA. author of ^^Arca'dia.” Queen Elizabeth called him The jevjel of her dominions; and Thomson, in his Summer,” The plume of war. The poet refers to the battle of Zutphen, where Sir Philip re- ceived his death- wound. Being thirsty, a soldier brought him some water ; but as he was about to drink, he observed a wounded man eye the bottle with longing looks. Sir Philip gave the water to the wounded man, saying, ‘^Poor fellow, thy necessity is greater than mine.” Spenser laments his loss in the poem called '^As- trophel” {q.v.), Sidney's sister^ PemhroJcds mother. Mary Herbert {nee Sidney), countess of Pembroke, poetess, &c. (Died 1621.) The line is by Dryden. Sidney-Sussex College, Cam- bridge, founded by lady Frances Sidney, countess of Sussex, in 1598. Sid'ropliel meant for Sir Paul Neal, member of the Royal Society, who proved to his own satisfaction that Samuel Butler was not the author of Hudibras.” Butler satirises him in his ‘^Heroical Epistle of Hudibras to Sid- rophel.” N.B. In the poem Hudibras,” Wil- liam Lilly, the cunning man that dealt in destiny’s dark counsel,” is called Sid- rophel. pt. ii. 3.) Sieg'fried (2 syl.). Hero of the first part of the ^^Nibelungen-Lied.” He was the youngest son of Siegmund and Sieg- lind, king and queen of the Nether- lands, and was born in Rhinecastle called Xanton. He married Kriemhild, prin- cess of Burgundy, and sister of Gunther. Gunther craved his assistance in carry- ing off Brunhild from Issland, and Siegfried succeeded by taking away her talisman by main force. This excited the jealousy of Gunther, who induced Hagan, the Dane, to murder Sieg'fried. Hagan struck him with a sword in the only vulnerable part (between the shoulder- blades), while he stooped to quench his thirst at a fountain. — ^^Nihelungen-Lied." Horny Siegfried. So called because when he slew the dragon he bathed in its blood, and became covered all over with a horny hide which was invulner- able, except in one spot between the shoulders, where a linden-leaf stuck. — ^^Nihelungen-Liedf st. 100. Siegfried's cloah of invisibility, called ** tarnkappe ” {tarnen^ to conceal ] happe^ a cloak). It not only made the wearer invisible, but also gave him the strength of twelve men. (Tarnkappe, 2 syl.) The mighty dwarf successless strove with the mightier man ; Like to wild mountain lions to the hollow hill they ran ; He ravished there the tarnkappe from struggling Albric’s hold, And then became the master of the hoarded gems and gold. Lettsom’a " Fall of the lungers,*’ Lied iii. Sieglind (2 syl.). Mother of Sieg- fried, and queen of the Netherlanders. — The Nihelungen-Lied." Sien'na (3 syl.). The paint so called is made of terra di Sienna. Sier'ra (3 syl., Spanish, a saw). A mountain whose top is indented like a saw, a range of mountains whose tops form a saw-like appearance, a line of craggy rocks ; as Sierra More'na (where many of the incidents in Don Quixote ” are laid). Sierra Neva'da (the snowy range). Sierra Leo'ne (in West Africa, where lions abound), &c. Sies'ta (3 syl.) means ^^the sixth hour,” — i.e,, noon. (Latin, sexta hora.) It is applied to the short sleep taken in Spain during the mid-day heat. Sif. Wife of Thor, famous for the beauty of her hair. Loki, having cut it off while she was asleep, obtained from the dwarfs a new fell of golden hair equal to that which he had taken. Sige'ro (in ^Glerusalem Delivered”), called the Good. Argantes hurled a spear at Godfrey ; it missed its aim, but killed Sige'ro, who rejoiced to suffer for his sovereign.” — Bk. xi. Siglit for ‘^multitude” is not an Americanism, but good old English. Thus in “ Morte d’ Arthur” the word is not unfrequently so employed ; and the high-born dame Juliana Berners, lady prioress in the fifteenth century of Sop- well nunnery, speaks of a homynable syght of monkes {o. laxgQ number of friars). A corruption of the Anglo-Saxon swU or siolth, a large quantity ; adverb, swithe, very much. Where is so huge a syght of mony 1— Palsgrave , *'Acolastus*’ ( 1540 ). Sigismun'da. Daughter of Tancred, prince of Salerno, who falls in love with Guiscardo, a page. Tancred put the page to death, and sent his heart in a golden cup to his daughter.— Boccacao, ' ‘*J)ecamerone" {Drydem's version). SIGNS. SILENUS. 821 Signs instead of words. John, a monk, gives in his Life of St. Odo a number of signs for bread, tart, beans, eggs, tish, cheese, honey, milk, cherries, onions, and so on. {See Sussex Archaeo- logical Collection,” vol. iii., p. 190.) Significa'vit. A writ of Chancery given by the ordinary to keep an excom- municate in prison till he submitted to the authority of the Church. The writ, which is now obsolete, used to begin with Significavit nobis venerabilis pater,” &c. Chaucer says of his Sompnour — And also ware him of a “ significavit.” “ Canterbury Tales ” (Prologue), 661. Sign your I^'ame. It is not cor- rect to say that the expression signing one’s name” points to the time when persons could not write. No doubt per- sons who could not write made their mark in olden times as they do now, but we find over and over again in ancient documents these words : This [grant] is signed with the sign of the cross for its greater assurance (or) greater inviola- bility,” and after the sign follows the name of the donor. {See Rymer’s ^^Foedera,” vol. i., pt. 1.) Sigun'a. Wife of Loki. She nurses him in his cavern, but sometimes, as she carries off the poison which the serpents gorge, a portion drops on the god, and his writhings cause earthquakes. — S^an- dinavian mythology. Si'gurd. The Norse Siegfried (^.t>.). He falls in love with Brynhild, but un- der the influence of a love-potion marries Gudrun, a union which brings about a volume of mischief. Si'gurd the Horny. A German romance based on a legend in the Sagas. An analysis of this legend is published by Weber in his ^‘Illustrations of Northern Antiquities.” See Siegfried {horny). Siian'kos. The sea-horn, common in India, Africa, and the Mediterranean, for giving alarm. — Pennant. High in view A ponderous sea-hom hung. T. Moore^ “ Fire Worshippery." Sikes {Bill). A ruffian housebreaker of the lowest grade, in “ Oliver Twist,” by Charles Dickens. _ Sikh.^ A corruption of the Sanskrit sishya (disciple). The Sikhs were origi- nally a religious body like the Mahome- tans, but in 1764 they formally assumed national independence. Since 1846 the Sikhs have been ruled by the English. Silbury, near Marlborough. An artificial mound, 130 feet high, and covering seven acres of ground. Some say it is where “ King Sel ” was buried ; others that it is a corruption of Solis-hury (mound of the sun) ; others that it is Sel-barrow (great tumulus) , in honour of some ancient prince of Britain. The Bev. A. C. Smith is of opinion that it was erected by the Celts about B.C. 1600. There is a natural hill in the same vicinity, called St. Martin’s Sell or Sill, in which case sill or sell means seat or throne. These etymologies of Silbury must rest on the authority of those who have suggested them. Sil'cliester {Berks) is Silicis castrum (flint camp), a Saxon-Latin form of the Koman Calleva or Galleva. Galleva is the Eoman form of the British Gwal Vaior (great wall), so called from its wall, the ruins of which are still striking. Leland says, “ On that wall grow some oaks of ten cart-load the piece.” According to tradition, king Arthur was crowned here ; and Ninnius asserts that the city was built by Constantius, father of Constan- tine the Great. Silence gives Consent. Latin, Qu% tacet consenti're vide'tur ; Greek, A^Uo de to sigan omologountos esti sou (Euripides) ; French, Assez consent qui ne dit mot\ Italian, Chi ta ce confessa. But that you shall not say I yield, being silent, I would not speak. Shakespeare, ‘'Cymbeline,” ii. 3. Silent {The). William I., prince of Orange. (1533-1584.) Silent Woman {The), A comedy by Ben Jonson. The chief character is Morose, a miserly old fellow who hates to hear any voice but his own. His young nephew. Sir Dauphine, wants to wring from his hard hands one third of his in- come, with the promise of the rest at death. The way he gains his end is this : A lad pretends to be a silent lady, with whom Morose falls in love, and marries in “ a stage fashion.” When married the boy-lady turns out to be a virago of the first water, and Morose signs away the third of his income to his nephew to get rid of his bride. The plot is revealed, and Morose retires to privacy, leaving Sir Dauphine master of the situation. Sile'nus. The foster-father of Bac- 822 SILHOUETTE. SILVER. chus, fond of music, and a prophet ; but indomitably lazy, wanton, and given to debauch. He is described as a jovial old man, with bald head, pug nose, and face like Bardolph’s. SiThouet'te (3 syl.). A black pro- file, so called from Etienne de Silhouette, Controlenr des Finances, 1757, who made great savings in the public expenditure of France. Some say the black portraits Were called Silhouettes in ridicule ; others assert that Silhouette devised* this way of taking likenesses to save expense. Silk. Received silhj applied to a bar- rister, means that he has obtained li- cence to wear a silk gown in the law courts^ having obtained the degree or title of Serjeant. Silk Gown. A queen’s counsel ; so called because his canonical robe is a black silk gown. That of an ordinary barrister is made of stuff or prunello. Silken Thread. In the kingdom of Lilliput the three great prizes of honour are ‘^fine silk threads six inches long, one blue, another red, and a third green.” The emperor holds a stick in bis hands, and the candidates jump over it or creep under it, backwards or forwards, as the stick indicates,” and he who does so with the greatest agility is rewarded with the blue ribbon, the second best with the red cordon, and the third with the green. The thread is girt about their loins, and no ribbon of the Legion of Honour, or Knight of the Garter, is won rfiore worthily or worn more proudly. — Gulliver's Travels." Silken Words. The mother of Artaxerxes said, Those that address kings must use silken words.” Silly is the German selig (blessed), whence the infant Jesus is termed the harmless silly babe,” and sheep are called silly,” meaning harmless or inno- cent. As the ‘^holy” are easily taken in by worldly cunning, the word came to signify ^^gullable,” ^'foolish.” {See Simplicity.) Silly Cheat. A pickpocket. Silly means silver,” or money called siller. — “ Winter's Tale^' iv. 2. Silly Sheep means blessed sheep,” not foolish sheep. {See above.) Sil'tim {Persian mythology). A demon in human form supposed to haunt forests and woods. — Richardson^ To keep him from the Siltim’s harm. Moore, *'Light of the Haram.’* Silu'ria — that is, Hereford, Mon- mouth, Radnor, Brecon, and Glamorgan. The ‘^sparkling wines of the Silurian vats” are cider and perry. From Silurian vats, hi£?h-sparkliag wines Foam in transparent floods. 1 homson, Autumn." Silu'rian Rocks. A name given by Sir R. Murchison to what miners call gray-^oacke, and Werner termed transition rocics. Sir Roderick called them Silu- rian because it was in the region of the ancient Siluresthat he investigated them. Silva (Don Ruy Gomez de). An old Spanish grandee to whom Elvira is be- trothed ; but she detests him, and loves Erna'ni the bandit-captain. Charles V. tries to seduce Elvira from the old lord, and when Silva discovers this he joins the league of Ernani against the king. The conspirators meet in the catacomb of Aquisgra'na, where Charles overhears their plans, and at a given signal the ro 3 ’al guards arrest them. At the inter- cession of Elvira, the king grants them a free pardon, and the wedding of Elvira and Ernani is arranged. On the day of solemnisation, Silva sounds a horn given him by Emaui when he joined the league, with a promise When the horn sounded he would die.” Silva insists on the fulfil- ment of this promise, and Ernani stabs himself. — Verdiy Ernani" {an opera), Silva'na. A maga or fata in Tasso’s *'Amadi'gi, where she is made the guardian spirit of Alido'ro. Silvanella. A beautiful maga or fata in Bojardo, who raised a tomb over Narcissus, and then dissolved into a fountain. — Lib. ii., xvii. 56, &c. Silver. The Frenchman employs the word silver to designate money, the wealthy Englishman uses the word gold^ and the poorer old Roman brass (ses). Silver and gold articles are marked with five marks : the maker’s private mark, the standard or assay mark, the hall mark, the duty mark, and the date mark. The standard mark states the proportion of silver, to which figure is added, a lion passant for England, a harp crowned for Ireland, a thistle for Edin- SILVER FORK SCHOOL. SIMPLICITY. 823 burgh, and a lion rampant for Glasgow. (For the other marks, see Mark.) The Silver Star of Love. When Gama was tempest-tossed through the machi- nations of Bacchus, the ^‘Silver Star of Love” appeared to him, calmed the sea, and restored the elements to harmony again. The sliy and ocean blending, each on fire, Seemed as all Nature struggled to expire; When now the Silver Star of Love appeared, Bright in the east her radiant front sbe reared. CamoenSt "‘Lusiad," bk. vi. Silver Fork School. Those no- velists who are sticklers for etiquette and the graces of society, such as Theo- dore Hook, lady Blessington, Mrs. Trollope, and Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton [lord Lytton]. Silver Lining. The prospect of better days, the promise of happier times. The allusion is to Milton’s ^^Comus,” where the lady lost in the wood resolves to hope on, and sees a “sable cloud turn forth its silver lining to the night.” Silver of Guthrum or 0 / Gnthram's Lane. Fine silver ; so called because in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the principal gold and silver smiths resided there. Silver-Tongued. William Bates, the Puritan divine. (1625-1699.) Anthony Hammond, the poet, called Silver-tongue. (1668-1738.) Henry Smith, preacher. (1550-1600.) Joshua Sylvester, translator of Hu Bartas. (1563-1618.) Silver Weapon. With silver wea- pons you may conquer the world, is what the Delphic oracle said to Philip of Macedon when he went to consult it. Philip, acting on this advice, sat down before a fortress which his staff pro- nounced to be impregnable. “You shall see,” said the king, “how an ass laden with gold will find an entrance.” Silver W edding. The twenty - fifth anniversary, when, in Germany, the woman has a silver wreath presented her. On the fiftieth anniversary, or Golden Wedding, the wreath is of gold. Sil'ves de la Selva. A knight whose adventures and exploits form a supple- mental part of the Spanish romance entitled Am'adis of Gaul. This part was added by Felicia'no de Silva. Sim'eon {St.) is usually depicted as bearing in his arms the infant J esus, or receiving him in the temple. Simnel Cakes. Rich cakes eaten in Lancashire in Mid-Lent. Simnel is the German semmel, a manchet or roll ; Danish and Norwegian, simle; Swedish, Simla. In Somersetshire a tea-cake is called a simlin. A simnel cake is a calce manchet, or rich semmel. The eating of these cakes in Mid-Lent is in com- memoration of the banquet given by J o- seph to his brethren, which forms the first lesson of Mid-Lent Sunday, and the feeding of five thousand, which forms the gospel of the day. {See Mid-Lent.) Simon {St.) is represented with a saw in his hand, in allusion to the instru- ment of his martyrdom. He sometimes bears fish in the other hand, in allusion to his occupation as a fishmonger. Simon Pure. The real man. In Mrs. Centlivre’s“ Bold Stroke for a Wife,” a colonel Feign well passes himself off for Simon Pure, and wins the heart of Miss Lovely. No sooner does he get the assent of her father, than the veritable Quaker shows himself, and proves, be- yond a doubt, he is the real Simon Pure. Every play or novel reader can guess how such a matter will conclude. Simony. Buying and selling church livings ; any unlawful traffic in holy things. So called from Simon Magus, who wanted to purchase the “gift of the Holy Ghost,” that he might have the power of working miracles. (Acts viii. 9—23.) Simony. The friar in the tale of Reynard the Fox so called from Simon Magus. Simoorgh'. A sort of griffin or hippogriff, which took some of its breast feathers for Tahmuras’ helmet. This creature forms a very striking figure in the epic poems of Saadi and Ferdusi, the Persian poets. {See Tahmuras.) Simple (YAe). Charles III. of France. (879, 893-922.) Simple Simon. A simpleton. The character is introduced in the well- known nursery tale, the author of which is unknown. Simplicity is sine plica, without a fold ; as duplicity is duplex plica, a double fold. Conduct “ without a fold ” is straight-forward, but thought without 824 SIMPLON ROAD. SINGING- APPLB. a fold is mere childishness. It is tor- tuity of thought ” that constitutes philo- sophic wisdom, and ** simplicity of thought’^ that prepares the mind for faith. The flat simplicity of that reply was admirable.— Vanbrugh and Cibber, '‘‘The Provoked Husband," i. Simplon Road. Commenced in 1800 by Napoleon, and finished in 1806. It leads over a shoulder of what is called S Greeks on their way to Troy. Telephus asterai con^umptus tube perieset Si nou quae nuc'uit dextrd tulisset opem.— Ovid. The spear of Te'lephus could both kill and cure. — Plutarch. {^eeAchilLts' Spear,) The heavy spear of Valence was of great repute in the days of chivalry. Arthur's Spear. Rone or Ron. To break a spear. To fight in a tour- nament. Spear-half. The male line. The female line was called by the Saxons the Spindle-half {q.v.). Special Pleading. Quibbling ; making your own argument good by forcing certain words or phrases from their obvious and ordinary meaning. A pleading in law means a written state- ment of a cause pro and con., and "special pleaders” are persons who have been called to the bar, but do not speak as advocates. They advise on evidence, draw up affidavits, state the merits and demerits of a cause, and so on. After a time most special pleaders go to the bar, and many get advanced to the bench. Specie, Species, means simply what is visible. As things are distin- guished by their visible forms, it has come to mean kind or class. As drugs and condiments at one time formed the most important articles of merchandise, they were called species — still retained in the French epiceSy and English spices. Again, as bank-notes represent money, money itself is called specie, the thing represented. Spectrum, Spectra, Spectre are all from the Latin specto (to behold). In optics a spectrum is the image of a sunbeam beheld on a screen. Spectra are the images of objects left on the eye after the objects themselves are removed from sight. A spectre is the apparition of a person no longer living or not bodily present. Spectre of the Brochen. The Brochen is the highest sununit of the Hartz moun- tains in Hanover. This summit is at times enveloped in a thick mist, which reflects in a greatly magnified degree any form opposite at sunset. In one of De Quincey’s opium-dreams, there is 844 SPECULATE. SPICK AND SPAN Ni;W. a powerful descriptioD of the Brochen spectre. Speculate means to look out of the window, to spy about {Latin). Meta- phorically, to look at a subject with the mind’s eye, to spy into it ; in commercey to purchase articles which your mind has speculated on, and has led you to expect will prove profitable. {Specula'ris lapis is what we should now call window- glass.) Speed. A ^eat punster, the serving- man of Valentine, one of the Two Gen- tlemen of V ero'na. Launce is the serving- man of Protheus, the other gentleman. — tShakespeai'e, **Two Gentlemen of Verona.^* Spell. A pretty good spell. A long bou^ or pull, as a spell at the pumps” on board ship, a “ spell at the cap- stan,” &c. This is the German spiel, a game, applied to a theatrical representa- tion, a game of cards, bowls, racket, &c* Spencer. An outer coat without skirts ; so named from the late earl Spencer, who wore this kind of dress (George III.). Spendthrift. The Danish thrift is the noun of the word thrive (to increase or prosper). Shakespeare says, I have a mind presages me such thrift” (increase, profit). As our frugal ancestors found saving the best way to grow rich, they applied the word to frugality and careful management. A spendthrift is one who spends the thrift or savings of his father, or, as Old Adam says, the thrifty hire I saved.” — As Yon Like It^ Spenser {Edmund), called by Milton ''the sage and serious Spenser.” Ben Jonson, in a letter to Drummond, states that the poet died for lake of bread.” (1553-1599.) Spent. Weary. A hunting term. A deer is said to be spent when it stretches out its neck, and is at the point of death. In sea language, a broken mast is said to be “spent.” Spheres. The music or harmony of the spheres. Pythag'oras, having ascer- tained that the pitch of notes depends on the rapidity of vibrations, and also that the planets move at different rates of motion, concluded that the sounds made by their motion must vary accord- ing to their different rates of motion. As all things in nature are harmoniously made, these different sounds must har- monise, and the combination he called the “ harmony of the spheres.” Kepler has a treatise on the subject. Sphinx {The Egyptian). Half a woman and half a lion, said to symbolise the “rising of the Nile while the sun is in Leo and Virgo.” This “ saying ” must be taken for what it is worth. Sphinx. Lord Bacon’s ingenious reso- lution of this fable is a fair specimen of what some persons call “ spiritualising ” the incidents and parables of Scripture. He says that the whole represents “science,” which is regarded by the ignorant as “ a monster.” As the figure of the sphinx is heterogeneous, so the subjects of science “are very various. ” The female face “ denotes volubility of speech ;” her wings show that “knowledge like light is rapidly diffused ;” her hooked talons remind us of “the arguments of science which enter the mind and lay hold of it.” She is placed on a crag over- looking the city, for “all science ia placed on an eminence which is hard to climb.” If the riddles of the sphinx brought disaster, so the riddles of science “perplex and harass the mind.” You are a perfect sphinx— Y ovl speak in riddles. You are nothing better than a sphinx — You speak so obscurely that I cannot understand you. The sphinx was a sea-monster that proposed a riddle to the Thebans, and murdered all who could not guess it. (Edipos solved it, and the sphinx put herself to death. The riddle was this — What goea on four feet, on two feet, and three. But the more feet it goes on the weaker it be ? Spice. A small admixture, a flavour- ing ; as, “He is all very well, but there’s a spice of conceit about him.” Probably the French espece. God’s bounte is all pure, without ony espece of evylL— Caafon, '■"Mirrourof the Worldpi. Spick and Span IN'ew. First ap- plied to cloth just taken off the spannans (stretchers) and spikes (hooks).— Another derivation is spick from the Italian spicco (brightness), and span- new is newly span or spun, meaning glossy and newly spun. A third is the Dutch spyker (a warehouse), spange (glossy or shining), shining or glossy a» SPIDEE, SPINSTER. 845 fresh from the warehouse. Shakespeare uses the expression fire-ne%o (^.v.). Then, while the honour thou hast got Ig spick and span now, piping hf t, htrike her up bravely thou hadst best. And trust to fortune all the rest. Butler^ "Hudibras,'* L S. Spider. It is said that Robert Bruce noticed a spider near his bed try six times unsuccessfully to attach its thread to a balk, and said, ‘'Now shall this spider teach me what I am to do, for I also have failed six times.” The spider made a seventh effort and succeeded. Bruce also oucceeded, and never after- wards sustained a defeat of any moment. In remembrance of this incident, it has always been deemed a foul crime for any of the name of Bruce to injure a spider. — " Tales of a Grandfatlmf' p. 26, col. 2. I will grant you, my father, that this valiant hur- g;8s of Perth u one of the best-hearted men that draws breath.. ..he would be as loth, in wantonn^ss, to kill a spider, as if he were a kinsman to king llobert of hanpy memory .— Walter Scotty "Fair Maid of Perth," ch. ii. Spider. When Mahomet fled from Mecca he hid in a certain cave, and the Koreishites were close upon him. Sud- denly an acacia in full leaf sprang up at the mouth of the cave, a woodpigeon had its nest in the branches, and a spider had woven its net between the tree and the oave. When the Koreishites saw this they felt persuaded that no one could have recently passed that way, and went on. Spider, anciently supposed to envenom everything it touched. In the examina- tion into the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, one of the witnesses deposed “that the countess wished him to get the strongest poison that he could . . .” Accordingly he brought seven great spiders. There may be in the cup A spider gteeped, and one may drink, depart, And yet partake no venom. Shakespeare, “ Winter's Talef ii. 1. Spider. According to old wives’ fable, fever may be cured by wearing a spider in a nutshell round the neck. Cured by wearing a spider hnna' round one’s neck In a nutshell.— Lonp/eiioto, "Evangdinef Spiders will never set their webs on a €edarroof. — Caughey, “Letters.” (1845.) Spiders spin only cm dark days. The subtle spider never spins But on dark days his slimy gins. S. BuUer, "On a Nonconformist,” ir. Spider. The shoal called the Sham- bles at the entrance of Portland Roads was very dangerous before the break- water was constructed. According to legend, at the bottom of the gigantic shaft are the wrecks of ships seized and sunk by the huge spider Kraken, called also the fish-mountain. Spid'ireen or Spidereen. The ano- nyrna of ships. If a sailor is asked what ship he belongs to, and does not choose to tell, he will say “ The spidireen frigate with nine decks.” Officers who will not tell their quarters, give B.K.S. as their address. (8’ee B.K.S.) Spigot. Spare at the spiggot and spill at the hung. To bo parsimonious in trifles and wasteful in great matters, like a man who stops his beer-tub at the vent-hole and leaves it running at the bung-hole. Spindle-half. The female line. A Saxon term. The spindle was the pin on which the thread was wound from the spinning-wheel. {See Spear-half.) Spinning Jenny. Jennie is a di- minutive and corruption of engine (’ginie). A little engine invented by James Hargreaves, a Lancashire weaver, in 1767. It is usually said that he so called it after his wife and daughter ; but the name of his wife was Elizabeth, and he never had a daughter. Spino'za. The “ system of Spi- no'za ” is that matter is eternal, and that the universe is God. Spinster. An unmarried woman. The fleece which was brought homo by the Anglo-Saxons in summer, was spun into clothing by the female part of each family during the winter. King Edward the Elder commanded his daughters to be instructed in the use of the distaff. Alfred the Great, in his will, calls the female part of his family the spindle side; and it was a regularly received axiom with our frugal fore- fathers, that no young woman was fit to be a wife till she had spun for herself a set of body, table, and bed linen. Hence the maiden was termed a spinner or spin- ster, and the married woman a wife or “ one who has been a spinner.” (Saxon, wif, from the verb wyfan or wefan, to weave.^ 846 SPIRITS. SPOKE. Spirits. Inflammable liquors ob- tained by distillation. This is connec- ted with the ancient notion of bottle- imps {q.v.)y whence these liquors v/ere largely used in the black arts. Spirits. There are four spirits and seven bodies in alchemy. The spirits are quicksilver, orpiment, sal-ammoniac, and brimstone. {See Seven Bodies.) The first spirit quyk stiver called is ; The secound orpiment ; the thrid I wis Sal armotii'ac; and the ferth bremstoon. Chaucer^ ProiL of the “ Cluinouna Yemanea Tale.** Spirits. There are three in animal bodies : — (1) The animal spirits, seated in the brain ; they perform through the nerves all the actions of sense and motion. (2) The vital spirits, seated in the heart, on which depend the motion of the blood and animal heat. (3) The natural spirits, seated in the liver, on which depend the temper and spirit of mind.” To give up tlie spirit. To die. At death the “ spirit is given back to Him who gave it.” Spiritual Mother. So Johanna Southcott is addressed by her disciples. (1750-1814.) Spiritualism or Spiritism. A sys- tem which started up in America in 1848. It professes that certain living persons have the power of holding com- munion with the spirits of the dead.” The system, without doubt, owes its ori- gin to Andrew Jackson Davis, the Seer of Ploughkeepsie.” Spirt or Spurt. A sudden convulsive effort (Swedish, Danish, sprude; our spout, to throw up water in a jet). Spit. Spawn, the eggs of insects ; as Cuckoo-spit, the spawn of insects com- mon on lavender, rosemary, catch-fly, and apple-trees. Spit and spaivu are both from the same root, another shoot of which is spew. Spitting for Luck. Boys often spit on a piece of money given to them for luck. Boxers spit upon their hands for luck. Fishwomen not unfrequently spit upon their hansel {i.e., the first money they take) for luck. Spitting was a charm against fascination among the ancient Greeks and Romans. Pliny says it averted witchcraft, and availed in giv- ing to an enemy a shrewder blow. Thrice on my breast I spit, to guard me safe Erom fascinating charms. Theocritoa. Spitalfields {London). A spital is a charitable foundation for the care of the poor, and these were the fields of the almshouse founded in 1197 by Walter Brune and his wife Rosia. Spitfire. An irascible person, whose angry words are like fire spit from the mouth of a fire-eater. Spittle or SpUal. An hospital. A spittle or hospitall for poore folkes diseased ; a spittle, hospitall, or lazarhouse for lepers.— '■'ALvearie." (1580.) Spittle Sermons. Sermons preached formerly at the Spittle, in a pulpit erected expressly for the pur- pose. Subsequently they were preached at Christchurch, City, on Easter Mon- day and Tuesday. Ben Jonson alludes to them in his “ Underwoods,*’ ap. Gif- ford, viii. 414. Splay is a contraction of display (to unfold ; Latin, dis-plico). A splay-window is one in a V shape, the external opening being very wide, to admit as much light as possible, but the inner opening being very small. A splay-foot is a foot dis- played or turned outward. A splay- mouth is a wide mouth, like that of a clown. Spleen was at one time believed to be the seat of ill-humour and melan- choly. The herb spleen-wort was sup- posed to remove these splenetic dis- orders. Splendid Shilling. A mock heroic by J ohn Philips. Splice. To marry. Very strangely '^splice” means to split or divide. The way it came to signify unite is this: Ropes’ ends are first untwisted before the strands are interwoven. Joining twO' ropes together by interweaving their strands is splicing” them. Splicing wood is joining two boards together, the term being borrowed from the sailor. (German, spleissen, to split.) Spoke. When members of the House of Commons and other debaters call out Spoke, they mean that the person who gets up to address the assembly has spoken already, and cannot speak again SPOON. SPOUSE. 847 except in explanation of something im- perfectly understood. 1 have put my spoke into his wheel. I have shut him up. The allusion is to the pin or spoke used to lock wheels in ma- chinery. Don't put your spoke into my wheel. Don’t interfere with my business ; Let my wheel turn, and don’t you put a pin in to stop it or interrupt its movement. The Dutch have “ Een spaak in t’wiel steeken,” to thwart a purpose. When solid wheels were used, the driver was provided with a pin or spoke, which he thrust into one of the three holes made to receive it, to skid the cart when it went down-hill. The carts used by railway navvies, and tram-waggons used in collieries, still have a wheel ‘^spoked” in order to skid it. Spoon. (^66 Apostle-Spoons.) He hath need of a long spoon that eateth with the deril. Shakespeare alludes to this proverb in the Comedy of Errors,” iv. 3 ; and again in the Tempest,” ii. 2, where Stephano says Mercy ! mercy ! this is a devil ... I will leave him, I have DO long spoon.” Therfor bchoveth him a ful long spoon That schal ete with a feend. Chaucer t “ The Squieres TcUeP 10,916. A tea-spoon, dessert-spoon, table-spoon, and gravy-spoon. £5,000, £10,000, £15,000, and £20,000. When Streat- field and Laurence, in 1860, were on the point of failure, an offer was made to ac- commodate them with £5,000, whereupon Laurence replied, “Come, come, that will never do ; you are feeding me with a tea-spoon.” The four terms were sub- sequently introduced into the financial world. Spooning, in rowing, is dipping the oars so little into the water as merely to skim the surface. The resistance being very small, much water is thrown up, and more disturbed; Spoony. Lovingly soft. A sea- phrase. When a ship under sail in a sea-storm cannot bear it, but is obliged to put right before the wind, she is said to “ spoon so a young man under sail in the sea of courtship “ spoons” when he cannot bear it, but is obliged to put right before the gale of his lady’s “ eye-brow.” Sport a Door or Oak. To keep an outer door shut. In the Universities the College rooms have two doors, an outer and an inner one. The outer door is called the sporting door, and is opened with a key. When shut it is to give notice to visitors that the person who occupies the rooms is not at home,, or is not to be disturbed. The word sport means to exhibit to the public, as, “to sport a new equipage,” “to sport a new tile [hat],” &c. ; whence to have a new thing as “to sport an aegro'- tat [sick-leave] or merely to show to the public, as “sport a door or oak.” The word is a contraction of support. (French, supporter, to sustain, carry; Latin, supporto.) Sporting Seasons in England. Those marked thus (•) are fixed by Act of Parlta- ment. Black Game,* from Aug. 20 to Dec. 10 ; but in Somerset, Devon, and New Forest, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 10. Blackcock, Aug. 20 to Dec, 10. Jiuck hunting, Aug. 20 to Sept. 17. Bastard* Sept. 1 to March 1. Red Deer hunted, Aug. 20 to Sept. 31. Male Deer (Ireland),* Oct. 20 to June 10. Fallow Deer (Ireland), June 20 to Michaelmas. Feis, (about) April 20 to Oct. 28. Fox hiinting, (about) Oct, to Lady Day. Fox Cubs, Aug. to the first Monday in Nov. Grouse* shooting, Aug. 12 to Dec. 10. Hare hunting, Oct. 29 to Feb. 27. Hare coursing, between Sept, and March. Hind, hunted in October, and again between* April 10 and May 20. iloor Game (Ireland),* Aug. 20 to Dec. 10. Oyster peason, Aug. 5 to May. Partridge shooting,* Sept. 1 to Peb. I. Pheasant shooting,* Oct. 1 to Feb. 1 . Ptarmigan, Aug. 12 to Dec. 10. Quail, Aug. 12 to Jan. 10. Rabbits, between Oct. and March. Salmon,* Feb. 1 to Sept. 1. Salmon, rod fishing,* Nov. 1 to Sept. 1. Trovt fishing. May 1 to Sept. 10. Trout, in the Thames, April 1 to Sept. 10. Woodcocks, about Nov. to Jan. For Ireland and Scotland there are spe- cial game-laws. {See Time of Grace.) N.B.— Game in England: hare, pheasant, par- tridge, grouse, and moor-fowl; in Scotland, some England, with the addition of ptarmigan ; in Ire- land, same as England, with the addition of deer, black-game, landrail, quail, and bustard. Spouse {Spouze, 1 syl.) means on© whom sponsors have answered for. In Rome, before marriage, the friends of the parties about to be married met at the house of the woman’s father to settle the marriage contract. This contract was called spousa'lia (espousals) ; the man and woman were spouses. The contract- ing parties were each asked An spondes (Do you agree)? and replied Spondeo (I agree). Spouse of Jesus. ‘ ^ Our seraphic mo- ther the holy Tere'sa,” bom at Av'ila ia ^48 SPOUT, SQUAB -PIE. 1515, is so called in the Koman Catholic church. Spout. TJ'p the spout. At the pawn- > broker’s. In allusion to the “ spout ” up which brokers send the articles ticketed. When redeemed they return down the spout — I.C., from the store-room to the shop. As for spoons, forks, and jewelry, they are not taken so readily to the srn el ting-pot, hut to well- Icnown places where there is a pipe Lspout] which your lordships may have seen in a pawnbroker's ^hop. The thief taps, the pipe is lifted up, and in the course of a minut’e a hand comes out, covered with a glove, takes up the article, and gives out the money for it.— Shaftesbury, “ The Times” March 1st, 1869. Sprat. To bait with a sprat to catch a mackerel. To give a small thing under the hope of getting something much •more valuable. The French say “ A pea for a bean.” Gar vies.) Spring G-ardens {London). So called from a playfully contrived water- work, which, on being unguardedly pressed by the foot, sprinkled the by- standers with water. (James I., &c.) Spring Tide. The tide that springs or leaps or swells up. These full tides occur at the new and full moon, when the attraction of both sun and moon act in a direct line, as thus — * O © or :!< © O Springer. Ludwig the Springer. The margrave of Thuringia, in the eleventh century; so called because he escaped from Giebichenstein castle by leaping over the river Saale. Sprout-kele. The Saxon name for February. Kele; is cole- wort, the great pot-wort of the ancient Saxons ; the broth made thereof was also called kele. This important potage herb begins to sprout in February. — Verstegan. Shakespeare speaks of winter as the time when greasy Joan doth kele the pot ” — that is, put kele into the pot. Spuma'dor. Prince Arthur’s horse of “heavenly seed so called from the foam of its mouth, which showed its fiery temper. — Spenser, Faery Quern, bk. ii. Spnnging House. A victualling house where persons arrested for debt are kept for twenty-four hours, before lodging them in prison. The houses so used are generally kept by a bailiff, and the person lodged is spunged of all his money before he leaves. Spurs. Rlpon spurs. The best spurs were made at Ripon, in Yorkshire. If my spurs be not right Rippon, Ben Jonson, ^'Staple of News ” The Battle of Spurs. The battle of Guinnegate, fought in 1513, between Henry Vlll. and the due de Longueville ; so called because the French used their spurs in flight more than their swords in fight. The Battle of the Spurs. The battle of Courtrai, in 1302 ; so called because the victorious Flemings gathered from the field more than 700 gilt spurs, worn by French nobles slain in the tight. To dish up the spurs. In Scotland, during the times of the Border feuds, when any of the great families had come to the end of their provisions the lady of the house sent up a pair of spurs for the last course, to intimate that it was time to put spurs to the horses and make a raid upon England for more cattle. He dishes up the spurs in his helpless address, like one of the old Border chiefs wich an empty larder.— TAe Daily Telegraph To win his spurs. To gain the rank of knighthood. When a man was knighted, the person who dubbed him presented him with a pair of gilt spurs. Spur Money. Money given to re- deem a pair of spurs. Gifford says, in the time of Ben Jonson, in consequence of the interruptions to divine service occasioned by the ringing of the spurs worn, a small fine was imposed on those who entered church in spurs. The en- forcement of this fine was committed to the beadles and chorister-boys. Spy. Vidocq, the spy in the French revolution, w^as a short man, vivacious, vain, and talkative. He spoke of his feats with real enthusiasm and gusto. Spy Wednesday. The Wednesday before Good Friday, when Judas bar- gained to become the spy of the Jewish {Sanhedrim. (Matt. xxvi. 3-5, 14-16.) Squab. Poet Squab, John Dryden was so called by lord Rochester, because of his squab corpulent figure. Squab-pie. Pie made of squabs - i.e., young pigeons ; also a pie made of mutton, apples, and onions. Cornwall squab-pie, and Devon white-pot brings. And I.eicester beans and bacon, fit for kings. Kins, "Art the treasures where hid (ch. v.). Strawberry means the straying plant that bears berries (Saxon, streow- berie') ; so called from its runners, which stray from the parent plant in all direc- tions. Strawberry Preachers. So Lati- mer called the non-resident country clergy, because they strayed from their parishes, to which they returned only once a year. (Saxon, streowan, to stray.) Streph'on. The shepherd in Sir Philip Sidney’s " Arcadia,” who pays his Kcourt to the beautiful Ura'nia. Stre- phon, like Romeo, is a stock name for a lover. Stretch'er. An exaggeration ; a statement stretched out beyond the strict truth. Strike (1 syl.). Strikey hut hear me! So said Themis'tocles with wonderful self-possession to Eurybi'ades the Spar- tan general. The tale told by Plutarch is this : — Themistocles strongly opposed the proposal of Eurybiades to quit the bay of Sal'amis. The hot-headed Spar- tan insultingly remarked that "those who in the public games rise up before 'the proper signal are scourged.” " True,” said Themistocles, "but those who lag behind win no laurels.” On this, Eury- biades lifted up his staff to strike him, when Themistocles earnestly but proudly exclaimed, " Strike, but hear me !” To strike hands upon a bargain or strike a bargain. To confirm it by shaking or striking hands. Strike Sail. To acknowledge one- self beaten ; to eat umble pie. A maritime expression. When a ship in fight, or on meeting another ship, let’s down her top-sails at least half-mast high, she is said to strike, meaning that she submits or pays respect to the other. Now Margaret Must strike her and learn awhile to serve When kings command. Shaktapeare, Henry VI.,'* in. 3. String. A Iways harping on one string. Always talking on one subject ; always repeating the same thing. The allusion is to the ancient harpers : some like Paga- nini played on one string to show their skill, but more would have endorsed the Apothecary’s apology — My poverty, and not my will, consents.” Stroke. The oarsman who sits on the bench next the coxswain, and sets the stroke of the oars. In an eight-oar the rowers are named thus : — CO •si w, M y o strong-back. One of Fortunio’s servants. He was so strong he could carry any weight upon his back without difficulty. — " GHrnm's Goblins ” {For~ tunio). Strong -bow. Richard de Clare, earl of Strigul. Justice of Heland. C-1176.) Stron'tian. This mineral receives its name from Stontian, in Argyleshire, where it was discovered by Dr. Hope in 1792. Struld'brugs. Persons who never die ; the miserable inhabitants of Lugg- ** Gidlivers Travels.” Stuart. So called from Walter, lord high steward of Scotland, who married Marjory, daughter of Robert Bruce. Walter was the sixth of his family who had enjoyed the office of lord high STUBBLE GEESE. SUB HASTA. 801 steward, and the family was usually called the Steward family. This Walter Steward and Marjory were the ancestors of the lon^ line of Scotch Stuarts.— Walter Scottf Tales of a Grandfather f XV. Stubl)le Geese, called in Devon- shire AHsh Geese. The geese turned into the stubble-fields or arrishers, to pick up the corn left after harvest. {See Earing.) Stuck Pig. To stare like a stuck pig. A simile founded on actual observation. Of course the stuck pig is the pig in the act of being killed. Stuck Up. An Australian phrase for robbed on the highway. (5ee Gone Up.) Stuck-up People. Pretentious people ; parvenus; nobodies who assume to be somebodies. The allusion is to birds, as the peacock which sticks up its tail, the turkey-cock which sticks up its feathers generally, &c., to add to its ‘‘importance,” and “awe down” an- tagonists. Stuff Gown. An outer barrister, or one without the bar. {See Barrister. ) Stump Orator (in America). A person who harangues the people from the stump of a tree or other chance ele- vation ; a mob orator. Stump Up. Pay your reckoning ; pay what is due. Ready money is called stumpy or stumps. An Americanism, meaning money paid down on the spot— i.e.f on the stump of a tree. {See Nail.) Stumped Out. Outwitted ; put down. A term borrowed from the game of cricket. Stumps. To stir one's stumps. To get on faster ; to set upon something expeditiously. The stumps properly are wooden legs fastened to stumps or muti- lated limbs. (Danish, stump, sl frag- ment ; German, stumpf, shortened.) This makes him stirre his stumps. “ The Two Lancashire Lovers^ (1610). ^ Stupid Boy. St. Thomas Aqui nas, nicknamed the Dumb Ox by his school- fellows. (1224-1274.) Stygian (3 syl.). Infernal ; pertain- ing to Styx, the fabled river of hell. At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng Bent their aspect. Milton, “ Paradise Lost." Style (1 syl.) is from the Latin stylus,. an iron pencil for writing on waxen* tablets, &c. The characteristic of a per- son’s writing is called his style. Meta- phorically it is applied to composition* and speech. Good writing is stylish, and metaphorically smartness of dress and'^ deportment is so called. Styles. Tom Styles or John a Styles,. connected with John o' Noakes in actions of ejectment. These mythical gentle- men, like John Doe and Richard Roe,, are no longer employed. And, like blind Fortune, with a sleight Convey men’s interest and right From Stiles’s pocket into Nokes’s. Butler^ “ Hudibras,** iii 3. Styli'tes or Pillar Saints. By far th® • most celebrated are Simeon the Stylite- of Syria, and Daniel the Stylite of Con- stantinople. Simeon spent thirty-seven* years on different pillars, each loftier and* narrower than the preceding. The last was sixty-six feet high. He died in 460, . aged seventy- two. Daniel lived thirty- three years on a pillar, and was not un- frequently nearly blown from it by the- storms from Thrace. He died in 494. Tenny.son has a poem on Simeon Stylites. I, Simeon of the Pillar by surname, Stylites among meu— 1, Simeon, The watcher on the column till the end. Tennyson, Stylus and Wax Tablets. Em- blems of the Muse Calli'ope. Styx. The river of Hate, called bjr Milton “ abhorred Styx, the flood of' burning hate” (“Paradise Lost,” ii.). It. was said to flow nine times round th® infernal regions. (Greek, stug'eo, to hate.) The Thames reminded him of Styx.— if. Taino, Styx, the dread oath of gods. For by the black infernal Styx I swear (Thar, dreadful oath which binds the Thunderer) ’Tis fixed ! Pope, “ Thebais of Statius,'* i. Suav'iter in Modo {Latin). Ao inoffensive manner of doing what is t®* be done. Suaviter in modo, fortUer in re, doing what is to be done with unflinching firmness, but in the most inoffensive manner possible. Sub Hasta. By auction. When an auction took place among the Romans, it was customary to stick a spear in th® ground to give notice of it to the public. In London we hang from the first-floor window a strip of bed-room carpet. 8G2 SUB JOVE. SUFFOLK. Sub Jo've {Latin). Under Jove ; in the open air. Jupiter is the deified per- sonification of the upper regions of the air, Juno of the lower regions, Neptune of the waters of the sea, Vesta of the earth, Ceres of the surface soil, Hades of the invisible or under- world. Sub-Lapsa'rian, Snpra-Lapsarian. The s?t&-lapsarian maintains that God devised his scheme of redemption after the ^Hapse” or fall of Adam, when He elected some to salvation and left others to run their course. The 5?ej9m-lapsarian maintains that all this was ordained by- God from the foundation of the world, and therefore lefore the lapse ” or fall of Adam. Sub Rosa. (See Kose.) Submit means simply ^'to lower,’* and the idea usually associated with the word is derived from a custom in gladia- torial sports : When a gladiator acknow- ledged himself vanquished he lowered {submitted) his arms as a sign that he gave in ; it then rested with the spectators to let him go or put him to death. If they wished him to live they held their thumbs dowriy if to be put to death they held their thumbs upwards, Subpoe'na is a writ given to a man •commanding him to appear in court, to bear witness or give evidence on a certain trial named in the writ. It is so called because the party summoned is bound to appear sub poena centum libro'rum (under a penalty of £100). Sub'sidy means literally a sediment ; that which is on the ground. It is a military term. In battle the Eomans drew up their army in three divisions : first, the light-armed troops made the attack, and if repulsed, the pike-men came up to their aid ; if these two were beaten back, the swordsmen {prin' cipes) advanced ; and if they too were defeated, the reserve went forward. These last were called subsidies because they re- mained resting on their left Jcnee till their time of action. Metaphorically money aid is called a subsidy. (Latin, subsideo, to subside.) Subtle Doctor. John Duns Scutum, one of the schoolmen. (1265-1308.) Subvol'vars or Subvolvani. The antagonists of the Privolvans in Samuel Butler’s satirical poem called ^‘The Elephant in the Moon.” The gallant Subvolvani rally. And fi om their trenches make a sally. V erse S3, &c. Sueces'sion Powder. The poison used by the marquise de Brinvilliers in her poisonings, for the benefit of succes- sors. {See Poisoners.) Suceint means undergirded ; hence compact, concise. (Latin, sub-cinctus.') Suck the Monkey. Capt. Marryat says that rum is sometimes inserted in cocoa-nuts for the private use of sailors, and as cocoa-nut shells are generally fashioned into the resemblance of a monkey’s face, sucking the rum from them is called sucking the monkey. The phrase is extended to other ways . of taking spirits surreptitiously, as sucking it from a cask by means of a straw. Suckle. To sucHe fools and chronicle small beer. lago says women are of no use but to nurse children and keep the accounts of the household, — Shakespeare, Othello;^ ii, 1. Sucre. Manger du sucre. Applause given by claqueurs to actors is called sucre {sugar). French actors and ac- tresses make a regular agreement with the manager for these hired applauders. While inferior artists are obliged to accept a mere murmur of approval, others re- ceive a salVo of bravos,” while those of the highest role demand a ‘‘furore” or “eclat de rire,” according to their line of acting, whether tragedy or comedy. Sometimes the manager is bound to give actors “sugar to eat” in the public jour- nals, and the agreement is that the an- nouncement of their name shall be pre- ceded with the words “celebrated,” “ad- mirable,” and so on. The following is part of the agreement of a French actor on renewing his engagement (1869) “ que cinquante claqueurs au moins feraient manger du sucre dbs 1’ entree en scbne, et que I’actrice rivale serait priv^e de cet agrSment. ” (See Claque, ) Suds {Mrs.). A facetious name for a washwoman or laundress. Of course the allusion is to soap-suds. To be in the suds— in ill-temper. Ac- cording to the song, “ Ne’er a bit of com- fort is upon a washing day,” all are put out of gear, and therefore out of temper. Suffolk. The folk south of Norfolk. SUFFRAGE. SUN. 86 ; means primarily the hough S . stern of a horse, so called because it sunder and” iTot over, like the knee- / joint. When a horse is lying down and wants to rise on his legs, it is this joint which is brought into action ; and when the horse stands on his legs it is these ancle- joints” which support him. Meta- phorically, voters are the pastern joints of ■a candidate, whereby he is supported. A suffragan is a titular bishop who is appointed to assist a prelate ; and in relation to an archbishop all bishops are suffragans. The archbishop is the horse, and the bishops are his pasterns. Sugar-lip. H4fiz, the great Persian lyrist. (*-1389.) Sugared Words. Sweet, flattering words. When sugar was first imported into Europe it was a very great dainty. The coarse, vulgar idea now associated with it is from its being cheap and com- mon. Sui Gen'eris (Latin). Having a distinct character of its own; unlike anything else. Suit (1 syl. ). To follow suit. To follow the leader; to do as those do who are taken as your exemplars. The term is from games of cards. Sullen (Squire). A brutal husband an Farquhar’s Country Blockhead.” Sullt (starvation). The knife which the goddess Hel (jq.v.) is accustomed to use when she sits down to eat from her dish Hunger. Sulpizlo. Serjeant in the 11th Regi- ment of the Grand Army of Napoleon. He found a young girl named Maria, after a battle, and the regiment adopted her as their daughter. — Donizetti, ‘‘Aa Figlia del Reggimento ” (an opera), Sultan of Persia. Mahmoud Gazni, founder of the Gaznivide dynasty, was the first to assume in Persia the title of Sultan (a.d. 999). Sultan’s Horse. Bjzaniians boast that on the clod Wliere once the su'tan’s horse hath trod Grows neither graes nor frhrub, nor tree. Swifty **Fethox the ^eaL'* Sulta'na* A beautiful bird with bright blue feathers, and purple beak and legs. Some pnrple-winged Sultana. Moore, ^'Faradiit and the Peri.** Summer. The second or autumnal summer, said to last thirty days, begins about the time that the sun enters Scorpio (Oct. 23rd). It is variously called — (1) St. Martin’s summer (L’€t^ de St. Martin). St. Martin’s day is the 11th Nov. Expect St. Martin’s summer, halcyon days. Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry F/.,” i. 2. (2) All Saints’ summer (All Saints’ is the 1st Nov.). Then followed that beautiful season Called by the pioua Arcadian pea ants the s'lmmer of All Saints. Longfellow, ''Evangeline.” (3) All tiallowen summer (same as All Saints’). Farewell, All Hallowen summer. Shakespeare, “ 1 Henry VI ” i. 2. (4) St. Luke’s little summer (St. Luke’s day is 18th Oct.). Summons. Pnter and John de Car- vajal, being condemned to death on cir- cumstantial evidence, appealed without success to Ferdinand IV. of Spain. On their way to execution they declared their innocence, and summoned the king to appear before God within thirty days. Ferdinand was quite well on the thirtieth day, but was found dead in his bed next morning. {See Wishaut.) Summum Bonum. The chief excellence ; the highest attainable good. Sumpter Horse or Mule. One that carries baggage (Italian, soma, a burden). (See Somagia.) Sun. Hebrew, Elokim (God) ; Greek, helios (the sun) ; Breton, heol; Latin, sol; German, sonne; Saxon, sunne; our sun. {See Apollo, Surya, &c.) Sun. Harris, in his Hermes,” asserts that all nations ascribe to the sun a mas- culine and the moon a feminine gender. For confutation see Moon. Horses of the Sun. Arva'kur, Aslo, and Alsvidur.— /Scaw,- dinavian mythology. Bronte (thunder), Eo'os (day break), Ethiops (flashing), Ethon (fiery), Eryth- re'os {red - producers) , Philoge'a (earth - loving), Pyr'ois (fiery). All or them ^'breathe fire from their nostrils.” — Greek and Latin mythology. Tbe horses of Aurora are Abrax and Pha'eton. More worship the rising than the setting sun, said Pompey; meaning that more persons pay honour to ascendant than 864 SUN AND MOON FALLING. SUPERNACULUM. to fallen greatness. The allusion is, of course, to the Persian fire-worshippers. Heaven cannot support tivo suns, nor earth two masters. So said Alexander the Great when Darius (before the battle of Arbe'la) sent to offer terms of peace. Beautifully imitated by Shakespeare : — Twos^ar3 keep not their motion in one sphere; Nor can one England brook a double reign— Of Harry Percy and the prime of Wales. *• 1 Henry IV. P T. 4. Here lies a she-sun, and a he-moon there (Donne). Epithalamium on the marriage of lady Elizabeth, daughter of James I., with Frederick, elector palatine. It was through this unfortunate princess, called “Queen of Bohemia” and “Queen of Hearts,” that the family of Brunswick succeeded to the British throne. Some say that lord Craven married (secretly) the “ fair widow.” City of the Sun. Rhodes was poetically so called because the sun was its tutelar deity. The Colossos of Rhodes was con- secrated to the sun. Sun and Moon Falling. In heral- dry the arms of sovereigns and royal houses are not emblazoned by colours, but by sun, moon, and stars. Thus instead of or {gold') a royal coat has the sun; instead of argent {silver), the moon; instead of the other five heraldic colours, one of the other five ancient planets. In connection with this idea read Matt, xxiv. 29: “ Immediately after the tribu- lation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” {See Planets.) Sun-burst. The fanciful name given by the ancient Irish to their national banner. At once, like a sun-burst, her banner unfurled. Thomas Moore^ ** Irish Mdodiesp No. 6. Sun -flower. So called, not be- cause it follows the sun, but because it resembles the sun in appearance. It does not turn to the sun, for frequently three or four flowers on one plant will turn as many different ways. Sun Inn. In compliment to the ill- omened house of York. Sunday Saint. One who observes the ordinances of religion, and goes to church on a Sunday, but is worldly, grasping, indifferent honest, and not “ too moral ” the following six days. Sunna or Sonna. The Oral Law, or the precepts of Mahomet not contained in the Koran, collected into a volume. Similar to the Jewish Mishna, which is the supplement of the Pentateuch. (Ara- bic, sunna, custom, rule of conduct.) Sunnites (2 syl.). Orthodox Ma- hometans, who consider the Sunna or Oral Law as binding as the Koran. They wear white turbans. The heterodox Moslems are called Schiites or Shyites (?•»•)• Suo Jure (Latin). In one’s oiiro right. Suo Marte {Latin). By one's own, strength or personal exertions. Supercilious (5 syl.). Having an elevated eyebrow ; hence contemptuous, haughty. Shakespeare (“As You Like- It”) speaks of the ^Mover sighing like furnace with woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow.” It does not mean that the poet writes about the “eyebrow” of his amie du coeurf but that his ballad is woebegone because his- sweeting is supercilious. Observe the poet does not say on but to the eyebrow. (Latin, super -ciliurn.) Supernac'ulum. The very best wine. The word is Latin for “ upon the nail,” meaning that the wine is so good the drinker leaves only enough in his glass to make p. bead on his nail. The French say of first-class wine, “ It is fit to make a ruby on the nail ” {faire ruhis sur Vongle), referring to the residue left which is only sufficient to make a single drop on the nail. Tom Nash says, “After a man has drunk his glass it is usual, in the North, to turn the bottom of the cup upside down, and let a drop fall upon the thumb-nail. If the drop rolls off the drinker is obliged to fill and drink again.” Bishop Hall alludes to the same custom : “The duke Tenter-belly .... exclaims .... ‘Let never this goodly-formed goblet of wine go jovially through me ; ’ and then he set it to his mouth, stole it off every drop, save a little remainder, which he was by cus- tom to set upon his thumb-nail and lick off.” ’Tisherel the supernaculum ! twenty years Of age, if ’tis a day. Byron^ “Fer/ier,” i. 1. Supernaculum. Entirely. To drink supernaculum is to leave no heel-taps; to drink so as to leave just enough not SUPERSTITION. SUTOR. 865 to roll off one’s thumb-nail if poured upon it, but only to remain there as a wine-bead. This is after the fashion of Switzerland. Clear off, neat, supernaculum.— JKaieZais, and Pantagruel,'’ bk. i, 5. Their jests were supernaculum. I snatched the rubies from each thumb. And in this crystal have them here. Perhaps you’ll like it more than beer. King, “ Orpheus and KurydicS.* Superstition. That which survives when its companions are dead (Latin, supersto). Those who escaped in battle were called sitj^erstites. Superstition is that religion which remains when real religion is dead ; that fear and awe and worship paid to the religious im- pression which survives in the mind, when correct notions of Deity no longer exist. Supplica'tion. This word has greatly changed its original meaning. The Romans used it for a thanksgiving after a signal victory — Livp, iii. 63. (His rebus gestis, supplicatio a senatu decre- tum est—Csesar, ‘^Bell. Gall.,’' ii.) The word means the act of folding the knees {sub-plico). We now use the word for begging or entreating something. Surface (Sir Oliver). The rich uncle of Joseph and Charles Surface. — Sheri- dan^ “ School for ScandaV’ Charles Surface. A reformed scape- grace, after having ‘'sowed his wild oats.” He was the accepted lover of Maria, the rich ward of Sir Peter Teazle. His evil was all on the surface.— NAm- dan, School for Scandal.” Joseph Stirface. The elder brother of the above, a sentimental knave, artful and malicious, but so plausible in speech and manner as to pass among his acquain- tances for a “youthful miracle qf pru- dence, good sense, and benevolence.” His good was all on tlie surface. — Sheri- dan, ^‘School for Scandal.” Surgeon is the Greek form of the Latin word manufacturer. The former is clieir-ergein (to work with the hand), and the latter manu-facere (to do or make with the hand). Surlyboy. Yellow hair (Irish, soi'ley huie). Sur'name (2 syl.). The over-name : either the name written over the Chris- tian name, or given over and above it ; an additional name. For a long time persons had no family name, but only one and that a personal name. Surnames are not traced further back than tho latter part of the tenth century. Sur'plice (2 syl.). Over the fur-robe (Latin, super- pel licium). The clerical robe worn over the bachelor’s ordinary dress, which was anciently made of sheep-skin. The ancient Celts and Germans also wore a garment occasion- ally over their fur-skins. Surrey. Saxon, Suth-rea (south of the river — i.e., the Thames), or Suth-ric (south kingdom). Saddle White Surrey for the field to- morrow (Shakespeare, “Richard III.).’^ Surrey is the Syrian horse, as Roan Bar- bary in ' ‘ Richard II.” is the Barbary horse or barb. Surt. The guardian of Muspelheim, who keeps watch day and night with a flaming sword. At the end of the world he will hurl fire from his hand and burn up both heaven and Qoxih..— Scandinavian mythology. Surtur. The giant who is to set the world on fire at the great consummation. — Scandinavian mythology. Su'rya. The sun-god of Hindu my- thology. His chariot i§ drawn by seven horses, and his charioteer is Arun'a (god of the dawn). Susan {St.). The patron saint who saves from infamy and reproach. This is from her fiery trial recorded in the tale of Susannah and the Elders. Susan'nali, the wife of Joiachim, being accused of adultery, was con- demned to death by the Jewish elders; but Daniel proved her innocence, and turned tbe tables on her accusers, who were put to death instead. — The Apo- crypha. Sussex. The territory of the South- Saxons {Suth-Seaxe). Sutor. Ne sutor, &c. {See Cobbler.) Make wigs. {See Wigs.) St. Peter is all very well at Rome. Stick to the cow. Boswell, one night sitting in the pit of Covent-garden Thea- tre with his friend Dr. Blair, gave an extempore imitation of a cow, which the house applauded. He then ventured another imitation, but failed, whereupon the doctor advised him in future to “stick to the covy.” D D D 866 SUTTEE, SWAN, Suttee {Indian), A pure and model wife (Sanskrit, sati, chaste, pure) ; a widow who immolates herself on the funeral pile of her deceased husoand. Sval'in. The dashboard placed by the gods before the sun-car, to prevent the earth from being burnt up. The word means cooling.”— JScandmavian mythology. Swaddler. A contemptuous syno- nym for Protestant used by the Roman Catholics. Cardinal Cullen, in 1869, gave notice that he would deprive of the sacra- ments ail parents who sent their children to be taught in mixed Model Schools, where they were associated with Pres- byterians, Socinians, Arians, and Swad- dlers.” (See Times, Sept. 4, 1869.) The origin of the term is as follows; — ‘'It happened that Cennick, preaching on Christnias-day, took for his text these words from St. Luke’s Gospel: ‘And this shall be a sign unto you ; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.’ A Catholic who was present, and to whom the language of Scripture was a novelty, thought this so ridiculous that he called the preacher a swaddler in derision, and this unmeaning word became the nickname of the Metho- dists, and had all the effect of the most opprobious appellation.” — Southey, ^‘Life of Wesley,” ii. 153. Swainmote. {See Swanimote.) Swallow. According to Scandina- vian tradition, this bird hovered over the cross of our Lord, crying “Svala ! svala !” (Console ! console !) whence it was called svatoio (the bird of consolation). {See Stork.) The Sivalloio is said to bring home from the sea-shore a stone that gives sight to her fledglings. Seeking with eager eyes that wondrous stone which the swallow Brings from the shore of the sea to restore the sight of its fledglings. Longfellow, “ Evangeline^' pt. L It is luchy for a swallow to build about one’s house. This is a Roman supersti- tion. .^lian says that the swallow was sacred to the Pena'tes or household gods, and therefore to injure one would be to bring wrath upon your own house. Swallow - wort. A corruption of sal low- wort. So the celandine is called, from the dark yellow juice which exudes freely from its stems and roots on being broken. Swan. Fionnuala, daughter of Lir, was transformed into a swan, and con- demned to wander for many hundred years over the lakes and rivers of Ireland till the introduction of Christianity into that island. T. Moore has a poem en= titled “The Song of Fionnuala.” — Irish Melodies,” No. 11. The male swan is called a Cob; the female, a Fen. Swan. Erman says of the Cygnus olor. “ This bird, when wounded, pours forth its last breath in notes most beautifully clear and loud.” — “ Travels in Siberia^” translated by Cooley, vol. ii. Emily says, “ I will play the swan, and die in music.” — “ Othello,” v. 2. “ What is that, mother ?” “ The swan, my love. He is floating down to his native grove .. Death darkens his eyes and unplumes his wings, Yet the sweetest song is the last he sings. Live so, my son, that when death shall come, Swan-like and sweet, it may waft thee home. Dr. G. Doane. Swan. Mr. Nicol says of the Cygnus mu'sicus that its note resembles the tones of a violin, though somewhat higher. Each note occurs after a long interval. The music presages a thaw in Iceland, and hence one of its great charms. The Stoan of Avon or Sweet Swan of Avon. Shakespeare is so called by Beii Jonson because his home was on the Avon. (1564-1616.) The Sican of Cambray, Fenelon, arch- bishop of Cambray, and author of “Tele- machus.” (1651-1715.) The Swan of Mantua or The Mantuan Swan. Virgil, who was born at Mantua. (B.c. 70-29.) The Swan of Padua. Count Francesco Algarotti. (1712-1764.) The Swan of Meander. Homer, who lived on the banks of the Meander, in Asia Minor. (FI. B.c. 950.) Swan, a public-house sign, like the pea- cock and pheasant, was an emblem of the parade of chivalry. Every knight chose one of these birds, which was asso- ciated with God, the Virgin, and his lady-love in his oath. Hence their use as public-house signs. A black swan. A curiosity, a rara avis. The expression is borrowed from the well-known verse — “Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno. What! is it my rara avis, my black swan?— 5Vr Walter Scoti, “ Tlie Antiquary." SWAN-HOPPING. SWEEP. 867 The White Sivan, a public-house sign, is in compliment to Anne of Cleves, descended from the Knight of the Swan. Sivan. A nickname for a blackamoor. {See Luc us a non Lucendo.) Ethiopem voca'mus cygnum. Juvenal, viii. 32. Swan with Ttvo Neeles. A corruption of Swan with Two Nicks.” The Vintners’ Company mark their swans with two nicks cut in the beak, and nothing can be a more appropriate sign for a tavern than the Vintners’ emblem. N.B. Koyal swans are marked with five nicks — two lengthwise, and three across the bill. Swan-Hopping. A corruption of j Swan Upping — that is, taking the swans up the river Thames for the purpose of marking them. {See above.) Swan'imote. A court held thrice a year before forest verderers by the stew- ard of the court ; so called because the swans or swains were the jurymen. {Swans, sivains, or jsweins, freeholders ; Saxon, sioan or swein, a herdsman, shep- herd, youth ; our swain. ) This court was incident to a forest, as the court of pie-powder or piepoudre to a fair. Swarga. The paradise of Indra, and also of certain deified mortals, who rest there under the shade of the five won- derful trees, drink the nectar of immor- tality called Am'rita, and dance with the heavenly nymphs. Swash-buckler. A ruffian ; a swag- gerer. ‘‘From swashing,” says Fuller, “and making a noise on the buckler.” The sword-players used to “swash” or tap their shield, as fencers tap their foot upon the ground when they attack. — Worthies of England^' (a.d. 1662). {See SwiNGE-BUCKLER.) A bravo, a swash-buckler, one that for money and ^ood cheere will follow any man to defend him ; but if any danger come, he runs away the first, and leaves him in the lurch.— i^’torio. Swear now means to take an oath, but the primitive sense is merely to aver or affirm; when to affirm on oath was meant the word oath was appended, as “I swear by oath.” Shakespeare uses the word scores of times in its primitive sense ; thus Othello says of Desdemona — ' She swore, in faith, ’twas strange, ’twas pitiful. “ Othello^' i. 3. Sivear by my sword (‘^Hamlet,” i. 5) — that is, “by the cross on the hilt of my sword.” Again in “ Winter’s Tale,” “ Swear by this sword thou wilt perform my bidding” (ii. 3). Holin^hed says, “Warwick kisses the cross of king Ed- ward’s sword, as it were a vow to his promise;” and Decker says, “He has sworn to me on the cross of his pure Tole'do (“ Old Fortunatus”). Sweat. To sweod a client. To make him bleed ; to fleece him. To sweat coin. To subtract part of the silver or gold by friction, but not to such an amount as to render the coin useless as a legal tender. The French use suer 1 in the same sense, as Suer son argent, to sweat his money by usury. “Vous faites suer le bonhomme— tel est votre dire quand vous le pillez.” — ‘‘Harangue du Capitaine la Carbonnade'^ (1615). Sweating Sickness appeared in England about a century and a half after the Blach Death (1485). It broke out amongst the soldiers of Richmond’s army, after the battle of Bosworth Field, and lasted five weeks. It was a violent inflammatory fever, without boils or ul- cers. Between 1485 and 1529 there were five outbreaks of this pest in England, the first four being confined to English people in England or France ; the fifth spread over Germany, Turkey, and Austria. Swedenbor'gians. Followers of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish noble- man born at Stockholm in 1689. He professed himself to be the founder ot the New Jerusalem church, alluding to Edo. The Swedenborgians believe they are in direct communication with angels, and maintain that the sacred Scriptures contain a celestial, a spiritual, and a natural sense. Swedish ISTiglitingale. Jenny IJnd, now Madame Goldschmidt, a na- tive of Stockholm, and previous to her marriage a public singer. (1821-*) Sweep. To sioeep the threshold. To announce to all the world that the woman of the house is paramount. When the procession called “Skimmington” passed any house where the woman was domi- nant, each one gave the threshold a sweep with a broom or bunch of twigs. {See Skimmington. ) D D D 2 868 SWEET SINGER. SWITHIN. Sweet Singer of Israel. King David. Sweet Singers. A puritanical sect in the reign of Charles II., &c., common in Edinburgh. They burnt all story- books, ballads, romances, &c. , denounced all unchaste words and actions, and even the printed Bible. Swell Mob. The better ~ dressed thieves and pickpockets. A swell” is a person showily dressed ; one who puffs himself out beyond his proper dimen- sions, like ^the frog in the fable. Sweno (in Jerusalem Delivered”), son of the king of Denmark, was at- tacked in the night, while bringing succours to Godfrey, by Solyman and a large army of Arabs. After losing all his army, Sweno himself was slain by Solyman, and was buried in a marble sepulchre which appeared miraculously on the field of battle for the purpose (bk. viii.). The historic fact is thus described by Paolo Emilio ; Sweno, Dani regis filius, cum mille quingentis equitibus cruce insignitis, transmisso ad Constantino- polem Bosphoro inter Antiochiam ad reliquos Latinos iter faciebat; insidiis Turcorum ad unum omnes cum regio juvene caesi.” Swerga. An earth Ij’ paradise on Mount Meru, often resorted to by the gods . — Hindu mythology. Swi Dynasty. The twelfth Im- perial dynasty of China, founded by Yang-kien, prince of Swi, a.d. 587. He assumed the name of Wen-tee (king Wen). Swidger {William). Custodian or keeper of an ancient college. His wife was Milly, and his father Philip. Mr. William is a great talker, and generally begins with the remark, That’s what I say,” apropos of nothing. Philip’s fa- vourite expression is, ‘^Lord, keep my memory green, I am eighty- seven.” Mrs. William or Milly is the good angel of the tale. — Dickens, ^‘The Haunted Man'* Swindle. To cheat ; from the Ger- man schwindeln, to totter. It originally meant those artifices employed by a tradesman to prop up his credit when it began to totter, in order to prevent or defer bankruptcy. Swine. Boar or hrawn^ the sire * sow, the dam ; sucklings, the new-born pigs. A castrated boar-pig is called a hog or shot. Young pigs for the butcher are called porkers. A sow-pig after her first litter be- comes a hrood-sow, and her whole stock of pigs cast at a birth is called a litter or farrow of pigs. Swing {Captain). The name as- sumed by certain persons who sent threatening letters to those who used threshing machines (1830-1833). The tenor of these letters was as follows ; — ^^Sir, if you do not lay by your threshing machine, you will hear from Swing.” Excesses of the Luddites and Swing.— T/je Times. Swinge -buckler. A roisterer, a rake. The continuation of Stow’s^ Annals” tells us that the ‘^blades” of London used to assemble in West Smith - field with sword and bucker, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, on high days and holidays, for mock fights called brag- ging ” fights. They swashed and swinged their bucklers with much show of fury, but seldome was anyman hurt.” {See Swash-buckler.) There was I, and little John Doit of Staffordshire^ and black George Bare, and Francis Pickbone, and Will Squele a Cotswold man,— you had not four such Bwinge-bucklers in all the Inns-of-court ; and, 1 may say to you, we knew where the bona-robas were.— Shakespeare, 2 Henry IV.,*’ iii. 2. Swiss. The nick-name of a Swiss i» Colin Tampon” {q.v.). JVo money, no Swiss— i.e., no servant. The Swiss have ever been the merce- naries of Europe, willing to serve any one for pay. The same was said of the » ancient Ca'rians. In the hotels of Paris this notice is common ; Demandez or Parlez au Suisse (Speak to the porter). Swiss Boy (The). Music by Mos- cheles. Swiss Family Robinson. An abridged translation of a German tale bv Joachim Heinrich Kampe, tutor to baron Humboldt. Switbin (St.). If it rains on SL Sivithin's day {15ih July), there will he rain for forty days. St. Swifchin’a day, gif ye do rain, for forty days it will remain ; St. Swithin’g day, an ye be fair, for forty days ’twill rain nae mair. The French have two similar pro- 1 verbs— /S’ pleut le jour de St. Medard SWITZERS. SWORD. 869 [8th June], il pleut quarante jours plus tavd; and pleut le jour de iSt. Gervais [19th June], il pleut quarante jours apres. The legend is that St. Switbin, bishop of Winchester, who died 862, desired to be buried in the church-;yarc? of the minster, that the sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave.” At canon- isation the monks thought to honour the saint by removing his body into the ohoir, and fixed the 15th July for the ■ceremony ; but it rained day after day for forty days, so that the monks saw the saints were averse to their project, and wisely abandoned it. The St. Swithin of Scotland is St. Martin of Bouillons. The rainy saint in Flanders is St. Godelieve ; in Germany, the Seven Sleepers. Switzers. Guards attendant on kings, &c., without any regard to the country whence they came. The reason is this, the Swiss used to be hired for mer- cenaries. In French suisse means ‘‘house porter,” and till quite recently at the British embassy were these words over the porter’s lodge— Demandez au Suisse. The church beadle is called suisse. The King in “Hamlet” says, “Where are my Switzers ? Let them guard the door ” C arrying the child Jesus, and a gin / lily if= somewhere displayed. Magdalen A box of ointment. Matthew ... Carrying a fuller’s club, or ex- pouuding a hook held before him. Michael... In armour, with a cross, or else holding scales, in which he is weighing souls. Nicholat ... A tub with naked infants in it- He is patron saint of children. Paul A sword and a book. Peter Keys and a triple cross. PhVip A crosier. Roche A wallet, and a dog with a loaf in its mouth sittinc by. He shows a boil in his thigh. Sebastian ... His arms lied behind him, and his bodv transfixed with arrows. Two archers stand by his side. Stephen A book and a stone in his baud. Theodora ... The deal hold.ng her hand, and tempting her. Theodore ... A med with a halberd in bis hand, and witti a sabre by his side. Thomas o/) Kneeling, and a man behind him Canterbury j striking at him with a sword. Ursula A book and arrows. She was shot through with arrows by the prince of the Huns. [See Apostles, Evangelists, &c.) Symbolism of Colours, whether displayed in dresses, the back-ground of pictures, or otherwise : Black typifies grief, death. BluCy hope, love of divine works ; (in dresses) divine contemplation, piety, sin- cerity. Pale Blue, peace, Christian prudence, love of good works, a serene conscience. Green, faith, immortality, the resurrec- tion of the just ; (in dresses) the gladness of the faithful. Pale Green, baptism. Grey, tribulation. Purple, justice, royalty. Red, martyrdom for faith, charity ; (in dresses) divine love. Rose-colour, martyrdom. Innocent III. says of martyrs and apostles, Hi et illi sunt flores rosarum et lillia convallium.’* De Sacr. alto Myst.,” i. 64. Saffron, confessors. Scarlet, the fervour and glory of wit- nesses to the church. Violet, penitence. White, purity, temperance, innocence, chastity, faith ; (in dresses) innocence and purity. Symbolism of Metals and Gems. Amethyst typifies humility. Diamond, invulnerable faith. Gold, glory, power. Onyx, sincerity. Sapphire, hope. Silver, chastity, purity. Symmes’s Hole. A vast cavern, supposed by Capt. John C. Symmes, of America, to exist in the earth, leading to its very centre. The centre, he affirms, is peopled, has its flora and fauna, and is lighted by two underground planets, which he calls Pluto and Proserpine. Symple'gades (4 syl.). Two rocks in the Euxine Sea said to open and shut. When a ship sailed between them they not unfrequently shut suddenly upon it and crushed it. The Argo es- caped this fate, but lost a part of its stern. Synop'tics. The first three gospels. (See Logia.) Syntax (Doctor'). A simple-minded clergyman, wholly unacquainted with the world, but a scholar and a gentleman. He goes in search of the picturesque. — William Coirdje, Tour of Dr. Syntax.^' Syn'tipas. A Greek version of Sandabar s parables. Syntipas is the tutor, and Cyrus the king. (See Seven Sages.) Sy'phax (in Jerusalem'Delivered”). Chief of the Arabs who joined the Egyp- tian armament against the Crusaders. Tasso says of the Arabs, Their accents were female, and their stature diminu- tive” (bk. xvii. ). Syphax, in Addison’s ^^Cato.” Syrens of the Ditch. Frogs ; so called by Tasso. Syr'ia, says Richardson, derives its name from Sari (a delicate rose) ; hence Suristan (the land of roses). The Jews called Syria Aram, T T, in music, stands for Tutti (all), meaning all the instruments or voices are to join, it is the opposite of S for Solo. Marked with a T. Criminals con- victed of felony, and admitted to the benefit of clergy, were branded on the brawn of the thumb with the letter T (thief). The law was abolished by 7 and 8 Geo. IV., c. 27. R fits to a T, Exactly. The allusion is to work that mechanics square with TAB. TABLE-TUEN1NG< 873 a T-rule, especially useful in making angles true, and obtaining perpendicu- lars on paper or wood. The saintly T*s. Sin Tander, Sin Tantony, Sin Tawdry, Sin Tausin, Sin Tedmund, and Sin Telders ; otherwise St. Andrew, St. Anthony, St. Audry, St. Austin [Augustine], St. Edmund, and St. Ethelred. Tab. An old Tab. An old maid ; an old tabby or cat. So called because old maids usually make a cat their com- panion. Tab'ard. The Tabard, in Southwark, is where Chaucer supposes his pilgrims to have assembled. The tabard was a jacket without sleeves, whole before, open on both sides, with a square collar, winged at the shoulder like a cape, and worn by military nobles over their armour. It was generally emblazoned with heral- dic devices. Heralds still wear a tabard. Item. ...a chascun ung gratid tabart De cordeliet, jusques aux pieds *'Le Petit Testament de Maistre Francois Villon, Tab'ardar. A sizer of Queen’s Col- lege, Oxford ; so called because his gown has tabard sleeves — that is, loose sleeves, terminating a little below the elbow in a point. Tab'arin. Hds a Tabarin — a merry Andrew. Tabarin was the fellow of Mondor, a famous vendor of quack medi- cines in the reign of Charles IX. By his antics and coarse wit he collected great crowds, and both he and his master grew rich. Tabarin bought a handsome chA,teau in Dauphine, but the aristocracy out of jealousy murdered him. Tabby, a cat, means strictly the silken creature. (French, tabis ; Italian, &c., tabi ; Persian, retabi, a rich figured silk.) Demurest of the tabby kind. The pensive Selima reclined. Gray. Table. Apelles' Table. A pictured table, representing the excellency of so- briety on one side, and the deformity of intemperance on the other. Tables of Cehes. Cebes was a Theban philosopher, a disciple of Socrates, and one of the interlocutors of Plato’s ‘^Phsedo.” His “Tables” or Tableau supposes him to be placed before a tableau or panorama representing the life of man, which the philosopher de- scribes with great accuracy of judgment and splendour of sentiment. This ta- bleau is sometimes appended to ‘‘Epic- te'tus.” Table of Pythaforas. The common multiplication table, carried up to ten. The table is parcelled off into 100 little squares or cells. {See Tabulae.) KTi/iglits of the Round Table. A mili- tary order instituted by Arthur, the first king of the Britons,” a.d. 516. Some say they were twenty-four in num- ber, some make the number as high as 150, and others reduce the number to 12. They were all seated at a round table, that no one might claim a post of honour. The Tioelve Tables, The tables of the Roman laws engraved on brass, brought from Athens to Rome by the decemvirs. Turning the Tables. Rebutting a charge by bringing forth a counter- charge. Thus, if a husband accuses his wife of extravagance in dress, she “turns the tables upon him ” by accusing him of extravagance in his club. The Romans prided themselves on their tables made of citron-wood from Maurita'nia, inlaid with ivory, and sold at a most extrava- gant price— some equal to a senator’s income. When the gentlemen accused the ladies of extravagance, the ladies retorted by reminding the gentlemen of what they spent in tables. Pliny calls this taste of the Romans mensolrum in- sania. It is also used for “audi alteram partem,” and the allusion is then slightly modified — “We have considered the wife’s extravagance, let us now look to the husband's.” We will now turn the tables, and show the hexa- meters in all their vigour.— T/ie Times. Table d’Hote {the host's table). An ordinary. In the middle ages, and even down to the reign of Louis XIV., the landlord’s table was the only public dining-place known in Germany and France. The first restaurant was opened in Paris during the reign of the Grand Monarguey and was a great success. ^ Table Money. Money appro- priated to the purposes of hospitality. General officers in the army and fiag. officers in the navy have table-money- the maximum allowance being three guineas a- day. Table-Turning. The art or power 874 TABLEAUX VIVANTS. TAGHAIRM. of turning tables without the application of mechanical force. The force applied is alleged to be that of “the spirits,” or of some unknown aura akin to elec- tricity and animal magnetism. {See Spiritualism.) Tableaux Vivants (French, living pictures). Representations of statuary groups by living persons, invented by Madame Genlis while she had charge of the children of the due d’Orleans. Tabooed. Forbidden. This is a Polynesian term, and means consecrated or set apart. Thus a burial-ground is tabooed for general purposes. To fight in such a place would be impious, and any person who did so would be tabooed or excommunicated” for violating the taboo. Like the Greek anathema, the Latin sacer, the French sacre, &c., the word has a double meaning — one to con- secrate, and one to incur the penalty of violating the consecration. Tab'orites (3 syl.). A sect of Hus- sites in Bohemia ; so called from the fortress Tabor, about fifty miles from Prague, from which ^Nicolas von Hussi- neez, one of the founders, expelled the Imperial army. They are now incorpo- rated with the Bohemian Brethren. Tabouret. The right of sitting in the presence of the queen. In the ancient French cy^urt certain ladies had the droit de tabouret (right of sitting on a tabouret in the presence of the queen). At first it was limited to princesses ; but subsequently it was extended to all the chief ladies of the queen’s house- hold ; and later still the wives of am- bassadors, dukes, lord chancellor, and keeper of the seals, enjoyed the privilege. Gentlemen similarly privileged had the droit defauteuil. Qui me resisterait La marquise a le tabouret. Beranger, “ Le Marquis de Carabas'* Tab'ulae Toleta'nse. The astro- nomical tables composed by order of Alphonso X. of Castile, in the middle of the thirteenth century, were so called because they were adapted to the city of Tole'do. His Tables Tolletanes forth he brought, Tul wel corrected, ne ther lakked nought Chaucer, ‘''Canterbury Tales” ii,585 Tache'brune (2 syl.). The horse of Ogier le Dane. The word means “brown-spot.” Tac'wins. Winged female forms, who (according to the Koran) defend mortals from the evil demons. Tae'-pings. Chinese rebels. The word means Universal Peace, and arose thus : Hung-sew-tseuen, a man of hum- ble birth, and an unsuccessful candidate for a government office, was induced by some missionary tracts to renounce idol- atry and found the society of Tae-ping, which came into collision with the im- perial authorities in 1850. Hung now gave out that he was the chosen instru- ment in God’s hand to uproot idolatry and establish the dynasty of Universal Peace; he assumed the title of Tae"- ping-wang {Prince of Universal Peace), and called his five chief ofiicers princes. Nankin was made their capital in 1860, but in 1864 the rebellion was nearly stamped out. Taf 'fata or Taffety. A fabric made of silk. At one time it was watered ; hence Taylor says “No taffaty more change- able than they.” “Notre mot taffeta est forme, par onomatopee, du bruit que fait cette etoffe” (Francisque-Michel) . Taffata phrases. Smooth sleek phrases ; euphemisms. We also use the words fustian, stuff, silken, shoddy, buckram, velvet, satin, lutestring, &c. &c., to qualify phrases and literary compositions spoken or written. Taffata phrases, silken terms precise. Three-piled hyperboles. Shakespeare, "Love's Labour^s Lo8t,"v. 2. Taffy. A Welshman ; so called from David, a very common Welsh name. David, familiarly Davy, becomes in Welsh Tafftd, Taffy. Tag, Hag, and Bobtail. The vulgus ignohite. The words are properly applied to three sorts of inferior dogs. Tag is sometimes written shag. It will swallow US all up, ships and men, shag, rag, and bobtail.— jRafteZais, "Pantagruel” iv. 33. Tag'hairm (2 syl.). A means em- ployed by the Scotch in inquiring into futurity. A person wrapped up in the hide of a fresh-slain bullock was placed beside a waterfall, or at the foot of a^ precipice, and there left to meditate on the question propounded. Whatever his fancy suggested to him in this wild TAHERITES. TALES. 875 * situation passed for the inspiration of his disembodied spirit. Last evening tide Brian an augury hath tried. Of that kind which must not be Unless in dread extremity. The Taghairm called. Sir Walter Scott, Lady of the Lake," iv. 4. TaTierites (3 syl.). A dynasty of five kings, who reigned in Khorassan for fifty-two years (820-872). So called from the founder Taher, general of the Calif’s army. Tahmuras. King of Persia, whose adventures in Fairy-land among the Pe'ris and Dives (1 syl.) may be found in “Richardson’s “Dissertation.” Tail. LiorCs tail. Lions, according to legend, wipe out their footsteps with their tail, that they may not be tracked. He has no more tail than a Manx cat. The cats in the Isle of Man are without a tail. Tails. The men of Kent are born with tails, as a punishment for the murder of Thomas h Becket. — Lambert, “ PerambT For Becket’s sake, Kent always shall have tails. Andrew Matwel. Tails. It is said that the Ghilane race, which number between 30,000 and 40,000, and dwell “far beyond the Sen- naar,” have tails three or four inches long. Colonel du Corret 'tells us he care- fully examined one of this race named Belial, the slave of an emir in Mecca, whose house be frequented. — “ World of Wonders f p. 206. The Niam-niams of Africa are tailed. Tailors. The three tailors of Tooley Street, Canning says that three tailors of Tooley Street, Southwark, addressed a petition of grievances to the House of Commons, beginning— “We, the people of England.” . Nine tailors maTce a man. The present scope of this expression is that a tailor is so much more feeble than another man, that it would take nine of them to make a man of average stature and strength. There is a tradition that an orphan lad, in 1742, applied to a fashion- able London tailor for alms. There were nine journeymen in the establish- ment, each of whom contributed some- thing to set the little orphan up with a fruit barrow. The little merchant in time became rich, and adoj^ted for his motto “ Nine tailors made m.e a man,” or “Nine tailors make a man.” This cer- tainly is not the origin of the expression,, inasmuch as we find a similar one used by Taylor a century before that date, and referred to as of old standing even then. Some foolish knave, I thinke, at first began The slander that three taylerd are one man. Taylor, “ Workes," iii. 73. (1030.) Take a Hair of the Dog that Bit You. After a debauch take a little wine the next day. Take a cool draught of ale in the morning, after a night’s excess. The advice was given literally in ancient times, “ If a clog bites you, put a hair of the dog into the wound,’” on the homoeopathic principle of similio/ similibus curantur (like cures like). Talbot {Lord Arthur). A Cavalier who won the affections of Elvi'ra, daughter of lord Walton ; but lord Walton had promised his daughter in marriage to Sir Richard Ford, a Puritan officer. The betrothal being set aside, the Cavalier became the accepted lover, and the marriage ceremony was fixed to take place at Plymouth. When lord Arthur reached Plymouth, he discovered the^ dowager queen Henrietta in disguise, and aided her escape. Elvira, hearing thereof, concluded that her affiancecl. husband had eloped with another lady. Lord Arthur, on his return, was arrested^ by Cromwell’s soldiers and condemned to death ; but Cromwell, secure in hist strength, commanded all political prison- ers to be released. Lord Arthur was ac- cordingly pardoned, and married Elvira. — Bellini, “/ PuritanV^ {an opera). Tal'botype (3 syl.). A photographic, process invented in 1839 by Fox Talbot, who called it “ The Calotype process.” Tale (1 syl.). A tally ; a reckoning. In Exod. V. we have tale of bricks. The ignorant measure by tale, not by weight. Every shepherd tells his tale, Under the hawthorn in the dale. Milton, ""L'AUegra." Talent, meaning cleverness or “gift" of intelligence, is a word borrowed from Matt. XXV. 14—30. Tales (2 syl.). Persons in the court from whom the sheriff or his clerk makes selections to supply the place of jurors who have been empanelled, but are not in attendance. It is the first word of the Latin sentence wliich provides for this contingency — Tales de circumstant’ ibus. To serve for jurymen or tales. JJuUer ,"Hudibras,’" pt. iii. 3. TALES. TAMING. .S76 To fray a tales. To pray taat the Slumber of jurymen may be completed. It sometimes happens that jurymen are 'Challenged, or that less than twelve are in court. When this is the case the jury can request that their complement be made up from persons in the court. Those who supplement the jury are called talesmen^ and their names are set •Tdown in a book called a taleshook. Tal'gol (in Hudibras), famous for killing flies, was Jackson, butcher of Newgate Street, who got his captain’s commission at Naseby. Talk Shop. {See Shop.) Talleyrand, anciently written Tail- leran, is the sobriquet derived from the words taiUer les rangs, “ cut through the ranks. ” TaTisman. In order to free any place of vermin, the figure of the ob- noxious animal is made in wax or conse- crated metal, in a planetary hour, and tthis is called the talisman. — Warbu7'i07i. He swore that you had robbed his house. And stole his talismanic louae. S. Butler. “ //wdi&ras,” pt. hi. 1. Talisman. The Abraxas Stone is a -most noted talisman. Abraxas.) In Arabia a talisman is still used, consisting •of a piece of paper, on which are written the names of the Seven Sleepers and their dog, to protect a house from ghosts •and demons. The talisman is supposed to be sympathetic, and to receive an in- fluence from the planets, which it com- municates to the wearer. Talking Bird. A bird that spoke with a human voice, and could call all other birds to sing in concert with itself. — The Sisters who Envied their Younger Eister {^^ Arabian Nights''). {See Green Bird.) Tally. To correspond. The tally used in the Exchequer was a rod of wood, marked on one face with notches corres- ponding to the sum for which it was an acknowledgment. Two other sides con- tained the date, the name of the payer, and so on. The rod was then cleft in such a manner that each half contained one written side and half of every notch. One part was kept in the Exchequer, and the other was circulated. When pay- ment was required the two parts were compared, and if they tallied,” or made a tally, all was right ; if not, there was some fraud, and payment was refused. Tallies were not finally abandoned in the Exchequer till 1834. (French, tailler^ to cut.) Tally-ho is the Norman hunting cry, Taillis au / (To the coppice). The tally- ho was used when the stag was viewed in full career making for the coppice. We ' now cry Tally-ho !” when the fox breaks cover. The French cry is Thia hillaut / Talpot or Talipot Tree. A gi- gantic palm. When the sheath of the flower bursts it makes a report like that of a cannon. The burst, like Zeilan’s giant ralm, WhcEe buds fly open with a sound That shakes the pigmy forest round. Moore. ''’Fire Worshippers'* Zeila or Zeilan is a' seaport of Africa. Talus. Sir A^'tegaC s won man. Spen- ser, in his “ Faery Queen,” makes Talus run continually round the island of Crete to chastise offenders with an iron flail. He represents executive power — swift as a swallow, and as lion strong.” In Greek mythology Talos was a man of brass, the work of Hephaostos ( Vulcan), who went round the island of Crete thrice a day. Whenever he saw a stranger draw near the island he made himself red-hot, and embraced the stranger to death. Tam of the Cowgate. Sir Thomas Hamilton, the Scotch lawyer, who lived at the Cowgate of Edinburgh. (Diedl563. ) Tam'erlane (3 syl.). A corruption of Timour Lengh (Timourthe Lame), one of the greatest warrior-kings that ever lived. Under him Persia became a pro- vince of Tartary. He modestly called himself Ameer (chief), instead of sultan or shah. (1380-1405.) Taming of the Shrew. The plot was borrowed from a drama of the same title, published by S. Leacroft, of Charing Cross, under tbe title of Six Old Plays on which Shakespeare Founded his Come- dies.” The induction was borrowed from Heuterus’ ‘^Rerum Burgund,” lib. iv., a translation of which was published in 1607 by E. Grimstone, and called ^^Ad- mirable and Memorable Histories.” Ur. Percy thinks that the ballad of ^^The Frolicksome Duke, or the Tinker’s Good Fortune,” published in the Pepys Col- lection, may have suggested the induc- tion. {See Sly.) TAiMMANY. TANNHAUSEK. 877 Tamhig of the Shreiv. The shrew was Katherine, eldest daughter of Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua. Her temper was so fiery, her tongue so insolent, her pride so unbounded, that gentlemen avoided her; but her father would not consent to the marriage of his younger daughter Bianca till Katherine was off his hands. Petruchio, wishing to marry, made his bow to this termagant, and actually married her. Being both high- spirited and witty, he assumed for the nonce such a violent seeming to all his dependents, appeared so arbitrary and dogmatical, that the lady was cowed, and tamed into a pattern wife. — Shake- speare. Tammaiiy (‘S'i.). Tammany was of the Delaware nation in the seventeenth century, and became a chief, whose rule was wise and pacific. He was chosen by the American democrats as their tute- lary saint. His day is the 1st May. Cooper calls him Tamenund. Tammany King. A cabal or powerful organisation of unprincipled officials, who enriched themselves by plundering the people. So called from Tammany Hall, the head* quarters of the high officials of the U.S , whose nefa- rious practices were exposed in 1871. Tammuz. {See Thammuz.) Tan'cred(in Jerusalem Delivered”) shows a generous contempt of danger. Son of Eudes and Emma (sister of Robert Guiscard). Boemond or Bohemond was his cousin. Tancred was the greatest of all the Christian warriors except Rinaldo. His one fault was woman’s love,” and that woman Clorinda, a Pagan (bk. i.). He brought 800 horse from Tuscany and Campania to the allied Christian army. He slew Clorinda (not knowing her) in a night combat, and lamented her death with great lamentation (bk. xii.). Being wounded, he was nursed by Ermin'ia, who was in love with him (bk. xix.). Tan'dem. At length. A pun applied to two horses driven one before the other. This Latin is of a similar character to plemim sed (full butt). Tandem D.O.M. Tandem Deo op- timo maximo (Now at the end ascribe we praise to God, the best and greatest). Tangle. The water-sprite of the Orkneys ; so called from tang (sea- weed). with which it is covered. The tangie sometimes appears in a human form, and sometimes as a little apple-green horse. Tanist Stone. A monolith erected by the Celts at a coronation. We read in the Book of Judges (ix. 6) of Abimelech, that a ‘^pillar was erected in Shechem” when he was made king ; and (2 Kings xi. 14) it is said that a pillar was raised when Joash was made king, ^^as the manner was.” The Lia Fail of Ireland was erected in Icolmkil for the coronation of Fergus Ere. This stone was removed to Scone, and became the coronation chair of Scotland. It was taken to Westminster by Edward I., and is the coronation chair of our sovereigns. (Celtic, Tanist, th©' heir-apparent. ) Tanner. Sixpence. (The Italian danaro, small change ; Gipsy, taimo, little one. Similarly a thaler is called a dollar.') Tanner. A proper name. (/See Brewer.)^ Tanner of Tamworth. Edward IV. was hunting in Drayton Basset when a tanner met him. The king asked him several questions, and the tanner, taking him for a highway robber, was very chary. At last they swopped horses ; the tanner gave the king his gentle mare Brock e, which cost 4s., and the king gave the- tanner his hunter, which soon threw him. Upon this the tanner payed dearly for changing back again. Edward now blew his horn, and when his courtiers came up in obedience to the summons, the tanner, in great alarm, cried out, I hope' I shall be hanged to-morrow” (i.e., I expect) ; but the king gave him the manor of Plurnpton Park, with 300 marks a year.— Percy, “ Reliquesf . St. Laurence was roasted to death on a gridiron on the 10th of August, and wept that others had not the same spirit to* suffer for truth’s sake as he had. As- falling stars are abundant about this period, it was said that they are the tears of the saint falling on the burning embers. Tear (to rhyme with snare”). T& tear Christ's hody. To use imprecations. The common oaths of mediaeval times were by different parts of the Lord’s body ; hence the preachers used to talk oi ‘Hearing God’s body by imprecations.” Her othes been so greet and so dampnable. That it is grisly for to hiere hem swere. Our blisful Lordes hody thay to-tere. Chaucer, “ Canterbury Tales,** 13 , 889 . Tear'sheet {Doll). A courtesan iii» Shakespeare’s “ 2 Henry IV.” Tea'zle {Lady). A lively, innocent country maiden, married to Sir Peter,, who is old enough to bo her father. Planted in the hot-bed of London gaiety, she formed a liaison with Joseph Surface, but being saved from disgrace, repented and reformed.— ^‘School for Scandal." (fe Tow^^lt.) Teazle {Sir Peter). A man who had remained a bachelor till he had become old, when he married a girl from the country, who proved extravagant, fond of pleasure, selfish, and vain. Sir Peter was always gibing his wife for her inferior rank, teazing her about her manner ot life, and yet secretly liking what she did,, and feeling proud of her. — SMridaUg, “ School for Scandal." TEETH. TEMORA. 881 Teetli. Ill sj^ite of Jd$. teeth. In op- p'^sitiori “to £is settled purpose or resolu- tion. The tale told by Holinshed of the Bristol Jew, who suffered a tooth to be drawn daily for seven days before he would submit to the extortion of King John, is given under the article Jew’s Eye. {See Tooth, p. 901 ; see also Skin.) Teeth. The people of Ceylon and Malabar used to worship the teeth of elephants and monkeys. The Siamese once offered to a Portuguese 700,000 ducats to redeem a monkey’s tooth. Wolfs tooth. An amulet worn by children to charm away fear. He has cut his eye-teeth. He is ‘^up to SDuff;” he has ‘^his weather-eye open.” The eye-teeth are cut late — Months. First set— 5 to 8, the four central incisors. 7 „ 10 „ lateral „ 12 „ 11 „ anterior molars. 14 „ 2J „ the eye-teeth. Years. Second set—^ to 6, the anterior molars. 7 „ 8 „ incisor'*. 9 „ 10 „ bicuspids, 11 „ 12 „ eye-teeth. Teian poet. {See Tean. ) Telamo'nes. Supporters (Greek, telamon). Generally applied to figures of men used for supporters in archi- tecture. Atlantes. ) Telegram. Milhiny a telegram. A telegram is said to be milked” when the message sent to a specific party is surreptitiously made use of by others. They receive their telegrams in cipher to avoid the risk of their being “ milked ” by rival journals.— I'he Times, August 14, 1809. Telem'aclios. The only son of Ulysses and Penelope. After the fall of Troy he went, under the guidance of Mentor, in quest of his father. He is the hero of Fenelon’s prose epic called Telemaque.” Tell {William'). The boldest of the Swiss mountaineers. The daughter of Leu'thold having been insulted by an emissary of Albricht Gessler, the enraged father killed the ruffian and fled. William Tell carried the assassin across the lake, and greatly incensed the tyrannical governor. The people rising in rebel- lion, Gessler put to death Melch'tal, the patriarch of the district, and placing the ducal cap of Austria on a pole, com- manded the people to bow down before it in reverence. Tell refused to do so, whereupon Gessler imposed on him the task of shooting an apple from his little boy’s head. Tell succeeded in this peri- lous trial of skill, but letting fall a con- cealed arrow, was asked with what object he had secreted it. To kill thee, O tyrant,” he replied, if I had failed in the task imposed on me.” Gessler now ordered the bold mountaineer to be put in chains and carried across the lake to Kiissnacht castle, “ to be devoured alive by reptiles ;” but being rescued by the peasantry, he shot Gessler and liberated his country. — Rossini, Gugliehno Tell ” {an opera). William Tell. The story of William Tell is told of several other persons : (1) Egil, the brother of Way land Smith. One day king Nidung com- manded him to shoot an apple off the head of his son. Egil took two arrows from his quiver, the straightest and sharpest he could find. When asked by the king why he took two arrows, the god-archer replied, as the Swiss pea- sant to Gessler, To shoot thee, tyrant, with the second, if the first one fails.” (2) Saxo Grammaticus tells nearly the same story respecting Toki, who killed Harald. (3) Reginald Scot says, '^Puncher shot a pennie on his son’s heaRi, and made ready another arrow to have slain the duke Remgrave, who commanded it.” (1584.) (4) Similar tales are told of Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, William of Cloudeslie, Olaf, and Eindridi, &c. Tellers of the Exchequer. A cor- ruption of talliers—i.e., tally-men, whose duty it was to compare the tallies, re- ceive money payable into the Exchequer, give receipts, and pay what was due ac- cording to the tallies. Abolished in the reign of William IV. The functionary of a bank who receives and pays bills, orders, and so on, is still called a ‘Heller.” Tem'ora. One of the principal poems of Ossian, in eight books, so called from the royal residence of the kings of Connaught. Cairbar had usurped the throne, having killed Cor mac, a distant relative of Fingal ; and Fingal raised an army to dethrone the usurper. The poem begins from this point with an in- vitation from Cairbar to Oscar, son of Ossian, to a banquet. Oscar accepted the invitation, but during the feast a E E E 882 TEMPER. TENTERDEX. quarrel was vamped up, in which Cairbar and Oscar fell by each other’s spears. When Fingal arrived a battle ensued, in which Fillan, son of Fingal the Achilles of the Caledonian army, and Cathmor, son of Cairbar, the bravest of the Irish army, were both slain. Victory erowned the army of Fingal, and Ferad- Artho, the rightful heir, was restored to the throne of Connaught. Tertiper. To make trim. The Italians say, iemperare la, lira, to tune the lyre ; temperdre una penna, to mend a pen ; temperdre Voriuolo, to wind up the clock. In Latin temperdre ccUamum is ‘‘to mend a pen.” Metal well tempered is metal made trim or mete for its use, and if not so it is called ill-tempered. When Otway says, “ Woman, nature made thee to temper man,” he means to make him trim, to soften his aature, to mend him. Templars or Knights Templars. Nine French knights bound themselves, at the beginning of the twelfth century, to pro- tect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, and received the name of Tem- plars, because their arms were kept in a building given to them for the purpose by the abbot of the convent called the Temple of Jerusalem. They used to call themselves the “Poor Soldiers of the Holy City.” Their habit was a long white mantle, to which subsequently was added a red cross on the left shoulder. Their famous war-cry was “ Bauseant,” from their banner, which was striped black and white, and charged with a red cross ; the word Baitseant is old French for a black and white horse. Seal of the Knights Templars (two knights riding on one horse). The first Master of the order and his friend were so poor that they had but one horse between them, a circumstance comme- morated by the seal of the order. Temple {London) was once the seat of the Knights Templars. {See above.) Temple Bar, called “Tlie City Gol- gotha,” because the heads of traitors, &c., were exposed there after decapitation. Ten. Gothic, tai-hun (two hands) ; Old German, ze-hen, whence zehn, zen. Tench, is from the Latin tinc-a, so called, says Aulus Gellius, because it is tincta (tinted). Tendon. {See Achilles.) Ten'glio. A river in Lapland on whose banks roses grow. I was surprised to see upon the banhs of this river roses of as lovely a red as any that are in our own gardens.— de Maupertuis. T en'iers. Malplaquet, in France, famous for the victory of the duke of Marlborough over the French in 1709. Her courage tried On Teniers’ dreadful held. Thomson, ‘^Autumn,” The Scottish Teniers. Sir David Wilkie. (1785-1841.) Tennis-Ball of Fortune. Per- tinax, the Roman emperor, was so called. He was first a seller of charcoal, then a schoolmaster, then a soldier, and lastly an emperor, but in three months he was dethroned and murdered. Tennyson {Alfred). Bard of Ar- thurian Romance. His poems on the legends of king Arthur are — (1) The Coming of Arthur ; (2) Geraint and Enid ; (3) Merlin and Vivien ; (4) Lancelot and Elaine ; (5) The Holy Grail ; (6) Pelleas and Ettarre ; (7) Guinevere ; (8) The Passing of Arthur. Also the Morte d’Arthur, Sir Galahad, The Lady of Shalott. (1810-*) Ten son. A subdivision of the cJian- zos or poems of love and gallantry by the Troubadours. When the public jousts were over, the lady of the castle opened her “ court of love,” in which the com- batants contended with harp and song. Tent. Pari Banou {the Fairy Banon) gave Prince Ahmed a tent which would cover a whole army, but yet fold up into a parcel not too big for the pocket (“Ara- bian Nights ”). The ship “ Skidbladnir ” would hold all the gods of the Scandina- vian Valhalla, but yet might be folded small like a sheet of paper. {See Carpet. ) Father of such as dwell in tents. ‘ Jabal (Gen. iv. 20). Tent Wine. A corruption of the Spanish vino tinto ; so called because it is white wine tinted. Ten'terden. Tenterden steeple was the cause of Goodwin Sands. The reason alleged is not obvious ; an apparent non- sequitur. Mr. More, iDeing sent with a commission into Kent to ascertain the cause of the Goodwin Sands, called to- gether the oldest inhabitants to ask their opinion. A very old man said, “I be- lieve that Tenterden steeple is the cause.” TENTH WAVE, TERRIBLE. 883 This reason seemed ridiculous enough, but the fact is the bishop of Rochester applied the revenues for keeping clear the Sandwich haven to the building of' Tenterden steeple. Another tradition is that a quantity of stones, got together for the purpose of strengthening the sea- wall, were employed in building the church-tower, and when the next storm came that part of the mainland called Goodwin Sands was submerged. Tenth Wave. It is said that every tenth wave is the biggest. At length, tumbling from the Gallic coast, the victorious tenth wave shall ride like the boar over all the rest.— Burfce. Teon Bard. {See Tean.) Tercel. The male hawk ; so called because it is one-third smaller than the female. (French, tiers.) Terebin'thus. Ephes - dammin, or the coast of Dammin; also called Pas- dammin (1 Sam. xvii. 1). O thou, that ’gainst Goliath’s impious head The youthful arms iu Terebinthus sped. When the proud foe, who scoffed at Israel’s band, Fell by the weapon of a stripling’s hand. '’‘‘Jerusalem Delivered” bk. vii. Terence. The Terence of England y the mender of hearts, is the exquisite com- pliment which Goldsmith, in his ^^Retali- ation,” pays to Richard Cumberland, author of “The Jew,” ‘^The West In- dian,” “The Wheel of Fortune,” &c. (1732-1811.) Tere'sa {St. ). The reformer of the Carmelites, canonised by Gregory XV. in 1621. (1515-1582.) Tere'sa Panza. Wife of Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s squire. In Bk. i. 7, she is called dame Juana Gutierez ; in Pt. II., Bk. iv. 7, she is called Maria Gutierrez ; in Bk. viii. 21, she is called Joan Panza. — Cervantes, Don Quixote.^* Te'reus (2 syl.). A king of Thrace, changed into a hoopoe. His wife Progne was changed into a swallow, and his wife's sister, Philomel, into a nightingale. Term Time. Hilary or Lent begins 11th Jan.. ends Slst Jan. Easterterm „ 15th April, „ 8th May. Trinity term „ 22nd May, „ 12th June- Michaelmas term „ 2nd l^ov., „ •25th Nov. N.B.— When a term begins or ends on a Sunday, Ihe Monday after is term-day. Ter'magant. The author of “Ju- nius’' says this was a Saxon idol, and derives the word from tyr magan (very mighty) ; but probably it is the Persian tir-magian (Magian lord or deity). The early Crusaders, not very nice in their distinctions, called all Pagans Saracens, and muddled together Magianism and Mahometanism in wonderful confusion, so that Termagant was called the god of the Saracens, or the co-partner of Ma- hound. Hence Ariosto makes Ferrau “blaspheme his Mahound and Terma- gant” (“Orlando Furioso,” xii. 59) ; and in the legend of “ Syr Guy ” the Soudan or Sultan is made to say — So helpe me, Mahoune of might. And Termagaunt, my God so bright. Termagant was at one time applied to men. Thus Massenger, in “The Pic- ture,” says: “ A hundred thousand Turks assailed him, every one a Termagant” (Pagan). At present the word is applied to a boisterous, brawling woman. Thus Arbuthnot says : “ The eldest daughter was a termagant, an imperious profligate wretch.” This change of sex arose from the custom of representing Termaganjt on the stage in Eastern robes, like those worn in Europe by females. ’Twas time to counterfeit^ or that hot termagant Scot [Douglas] had paid me scot and lot too.— tShaJce- speare, "l Henry IV.” v. 4. Outdoing Termagant (“ Hamlet,” iii. 2). In the old plays the degree of rant was the measure of villany. Termagant and Herod, being considered the beau-ideal of all that is bad, were represented as settling everything with club-law, and bawling so as to split the ears of the groundlings. Bully Bottom, having ranted to his heart’s content, says, “ That is Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein.” {See Herod.) Terpsichore, properly Terp-siJ -o-rt, but generally pronounced Ter^'-si-eore, The goddess of dancing. Ter'psichore'an. relating to dancing. Dancers are callea “the votaries of Terpsichore.” Terra Firma. Dry land, in oppo- sition to water ; the continents as dis- tinguished from islands. The Venetians so called the mainland of Italy under their sway, as the duchy of Venice, Venetian Lombardy, the March of Tre- vi'so, the duchy of Friu'li, and Istria. The continental parts of America belonging to Spain were also called by the same term. Terrible {The). Ivan IV. [or II J of Russia. (1529, 1533-158L) E E E 2 884 TERRIER. TEUTONS, Ter'rier is a dog that ''takes the earth,” or unearths his prey. Dog Tray is merely an abbreviation of the same word. Terrier is also applied to the hole which foxes, badgers, rabbits, and so on, dig under ground to save them- selves from the hunters. The dog called a terrier creeps into these holes like a ferret to rout out the victim. (Latin, terra, the earth.) Terry Alts. Insurgents of Clare, who appeared after the Union, and com- mitted numerous outrages. These rebels were similar to the Thrashers ” of Con- naught, "the Carders,” the followers of " Captain Rock ” in 1822, and the Fenians (186h). Ter'tium Quid. A third party which shall be nameless. The expres- sion originated with Pythag'oras, who de- fining bipeds said — Sunt homo, et avis, et tertium quid. A man is a biped, so is a bird, and a third thing $which shall be nameless). Jamblicus says this third thing was Pythagoras himself. — Vita Pyth., cxxvii. In chemistry, when two substances chemically unite the new substance is called a tertium quid, as a neutral salt produced by the mixture of an acid and alkali. Tessera'rian Art. The art of gambling. (Latin, tessera, a die.) Tessira (in "Orlando Furioso ”). One of the leaders of the Moorish army. Tester. A sixpence ; so called be- cause it was stamped on one side with the head of the reigning sovereign. Similarly the head canopy of a bed is called its tester (Italian, testa; French, teste, tete). Copstick in Dutch means the same thing. Hold, there’s a tester for thee. ^Iiakaspnare^ “ 2 Heavy /F.,” iii. 2. Testers are gone to Oxford, to study at Brazenose. When Henry VIII. debased the silver testers, the alloy broke out in red pimples through the silver, giving the royal likeness in the coin a blotchy appearance; hence the punning proverb. ^ Tete. Tete hottee (Booted-Head). The nickname of Philippe des Comines. lou, Sir Philip des Comines, vrere at a hunting- match with the duke your master ; and when he alighted after the chase, he required your services in drawing oil his boots. Heading in your looks some natural resentment ..he ordered you to sit down in turn, and rendered you the same office, ..but...no sooner had he p ucked one of your boots off, than he brutally beat it about your head. ..and his privi- leged fool Le Glorieux . gave you the name of Tete Bottee .—SirW. Scott;' Quentin Durward” ch. xxx. Tete du Pont. The harbacan or watch-tower placed on the head of a draw-bridge. Teth'ys. The sea, properly the wife of Oce'anos. The golden sun above the watery bed Of hoary Tethys r-aised his beamy head. Boole's Ariosto;* bk. viiL Tetragram'maton. The four let- ters, meaning the four which compose the name of Deity. The ancient Jews never pronounced the word Jehovah composed of the four sacred letters JHVH. The word means '‘I am” or I exist (Exod. iii. 14) ; but Rabbi Bechai says that the letters include the three times, past, present, and future. Pytha- goras called Deity a Tetrad or Tetractys, meaning the " four sacred letters.” The Greek ZEUS, Latin JOVE and DEUS, Persian SORU, Assyrian AD AD, Arabian ALLA, Egyptian AMON, German GOTT, and a host of other words significant of Deity, are tetragrams. Zeus, Deus, and Jove all mean the same as Jehovah, viz., " The living Being.” Such was the sacred Tetragrammaton. Things worthy silence must not be revealed. Dryden, '"Britannia Rediviva." [We have the Egyptian OuivO, like the Greek Geo? ; Spanish dios, French dieu, Italian Idio, Dutch Godt, Danish Godk, Swedish Goth, &c. &c.] Tetrapla. The Bible, disposed by Origen under four columns, each of which contained a different Greek ver- sion. The versions were those of Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotian, and the Sep- tuagint. Teueer. Brother of Ajax the Greater, who went with the allied Greeks to the siege of Troy. On his return home his father banished him the kingdom, for not avenging on Ulysses the death ot his brother. — Homer, ^HliadP Teufelsdroekh., Heir (pronounce Toy-fels-druk). The German philosopher in Carlyle’s "Sartor Resartus,” who looks through the coat to the skin which it covers. Teutons. Thuath-duine (north men). Our word Dutch and the German Deutsch TEUTONIC KNIGHTS. THAUMATURGUS. 885 are variations of the same word, origi- nally written Theodisk. Teutonic Knights. An order which the Crusades gave birth to. Ori- ginally only Germans of noble birth were admissible to the order. (Abolished by Napoleon in 1800.) Thabeck {executioner'). The fierce angel that presides over the dark region of Jehennam. — The Koran. Thais (2 syl.). An Athenian courte- san who induced Alexander, when excited with wine, to set fire to the palace of the Persian kings at Persep'olis. The king seized a flambeau with zeal to destroy; Thais led the way to light him to his prey. And, like another Helen, fired another Troy. Dryden, "Alexander's Feast'* ThaPaba. The Destroyer, son of Hodei'rah and Zei'nab {Zeno'bia) ; hero of a poem by Southey, in twelve books. Thales. {See Seven Sages.) Thales'tris. Queen of the Am'- azons ; any lady-at-arms or female war- rior. — Classic mythology. Thali'a. The muse of comedy. Thames (1 syl.). The Latin Tamesis, the river Tame combined with the river Isis. Tame is a variety of the Aryan element am, amp, tarn, &c., seen in the Latin amn-is, in the Greek 'po-tam-os, and in such words as North-amp-ton, So.uth-amp-ton, Tam-worth, Tam-ar, &c. Isis is a variety of the Celtic uisg, water, of which esk, ex, ouse, &c., are other varieties. Around his throne the sea-bom brothers stood. Who swell with tributary urns his flood First the famed authors of his ancient name, The winding Isis and the fruitful Thame ; The Kennet swift, for silver eels renowned ; The Loddon slow with verdant alders crowned; Cole, whose dark streams his flowery islands lave; And chalky Wey that rolls a milky wave ; The blue transparent Vandalis appears; The gulphy Lee his sedgy tresses rears; And sullen Mole that hides his,diving flood; And silent Larent stained with Danish blood. Pope, “ Windsor Forest." Hill never set the Thames on fire. He’ll never make any figure in the world. The temse was a com sieve which was worked in former times over the receiver of the sifted flour. A hard-working active man would not unfrequently ply the temse so quickly as to set fire to the wooden hoop at the bottom ; but a lazy fellow would never set the temse on fire. The play on the word temse has engendered many stupid imitations, as He will never set the Mersey on fire,” which has no mean- ing. (Dutch, teme; French, tamis; Italian, tamiso, a sieve ; with the verbs temsen, tamiser, tamisare, to sift). Hence bread made of finely-sifted flour used to be called temse-bread. *,j.* The thin worsted stuff called tammy, lasting, and durant, used for ladies’ shoes and strainers, is the same word. The sieve called the tammy, tamis, or temse, was made of this glazed cloth. Tham'muz. The Syrian and Phoeni- cian name of Ado'nis. Flis death hap- pened on the banks of the river Adonis, and in summer time the waters always become reddened with the huntePs blood. {See Ezek. viii. 14.) Thammuz came next behind. Whose annual wound on Jjehanon allured The Syrian damsels to lament his fate In amorous ditties all a summer’s day. While smooth Adonis from his native rock Kan purple to the sea, supposed with blood Of Thammuz yearly wounded. Milton, "Paradise Lost" bk. 1 Tham'yFis. A Thracian bard men- tioned by Homer Iliad,” ii. 595). H© challenged the Muses to a trial of skill, and being overcome in the contest, was deprived by them of his sight and power of song. He is represented with a broken lyre in his hand. Blind Thamyris and blind Maeon'ides [Homer], And Ti'resias and Phineus, prophets old. Milton, Paradise Lost," iii. *** Tiresias” pron. Tt-re-sas', '^PhF neus” pron. Fi'-nuce. Tbatcll. A straw hat. A hat being called a tile, and the word being mistaken for a roof-tile, gave rise to several syno^ nyms, such as roof, roofing, thatch, &c. Thau'maste (2 syl.). A mighty scholar, who journeyed from England to argue by signs only. He was beaten in argument by Panurge (2 syl.). — Rabelais, “ Gargantua and PantagruelF Thau'matur'gus. A miracle-worker; applied to saints and others who are reputed to have performed miracles. (Greek, thauma ergon.) Prince A lexander of Ilohenlohe, whose power was looked upon as miraculous. Apolldniusof Tya'na. (a.d. 3-98.) {See his life by Philos'tratus.) St. Bernard of Clair vaux, called The Thaumaturgus of the West.” (1091-1153.) St. Francis D' Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order. m82-1226.) 886 THEAGENES, THELUSSON ACT. J, Joseph Gassner, of Bratz in the Tyrol, who, looking on disease as a pos- session, exorcised the sick, and his cures were considered miraculous. (1727-1779. ) Gregory, bishop of Neo-Ccesare' a, in Cap- pado'cia, called emphatically ‘‘The Thau- maturgus,” from the numerous miracles he is reported to have performed. (212- 270.) St, Isidorus, (See his lifeby Damascius.) Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Pharaoh, who withstood Moses, Blaise Pascal, (1623-1662. ) Ploti'nus, and several other Alexan- drine philosophers. (205-270.) (See the Life of Plotinus by Porphyry.) Proclus. (412-485.) (See his life by Alari'nus. ) Simon Magus, of Samaria, called “The Great Power of God ” (Acts viii. 10). Several of the Sophists. (See “ Life of the Philosophers,” by Eunapius.) Vincent de Paul, founder of the “ Sis- ters of Charity.” (1576-1660.) Peter Schott has published a trea- tise on natural magic called “ Thauma- turgus Physicus.” (See below ^ Thaumaturgus. Filume'-na is called Thaumaturga, a saint unknown till 1802, when a grave was discovered with this inscription on tiles : lumena paxte CVMFI, which, being re-arranged, makes Pax tecum Filumena. Filumena was at once accepted as a saint, and so many wonders were worked by “her” that she has been called La Thaumaturge du Dix- neuvieme Siecle, Theag'enes and Cliaricle'a. The hero and heroine of an exquisite erotic romance in Greek by Heliodo'rus, bishop of Tricca. At early dawn some Egyptian banditti assemble on the summit of a promontory at the mouth of the Nile, and behold a vessel laden with spoils lying at anchor in the sea before them. The banks of the Nile are covered with dead bodies and the fragments of a feast. These are the relics of certain pirates that had contended for the possession of Chariclea, who is discovered by the rob- bers sitting on a rock tending Theagenes, who lies wounded beside her. Subse- quently Cnemon and Calasi'ris meet in the house of Nau' sides, when Calasiris relates the early history of Chariclea, the development of her love for Theagenes, and her capture by the pirates. — Loves of Theagenes and Charicleia^^ (4th cent.). Theban Bard or Eagle, Pindar, born at Thebes, (b.c. 518-439.) Thebes (1 syl.), called The Hundred Gated, was not Thebes of Boeotia, but of Thebais of Egypt, which extended over twenty-three miles of land. Homer says out of each gate the Thebans could send forth 200 war-chariots. (Egyptian, Taape or Taouab, city of the sun.) The woild’s great empress on the Egyptian plain. That spreads her conquests o’er a thousand states. And pours her heroes through a hundred gates. Two hundred horsemen and two hundred cars From each wide portal issuing to the wars. Pope, “ llvxd^ lx. Theda (St,), stjtled in Greek martyr- ologies th.Qproto-mahyress, 2 ,^ St. Stephen is the proto-martyr. All that is known of her is from a book called the “Periods,” or “ Acts of Paul and Theda,” pronounced apocryphal by pope Gela'sius, and un- happily lost. According to the legend, Theda was born o^ a noble family in Ico'nium, and was converted by the preaching of St. Paul. Theleme (Ta-laim), The abbey founded and endowed by Gargantua at the suggestion of Friar John, and be- stowed upon him for his services in the subjugation of Picrochole. It was hexa- gonal,six storeys high, and contained 9, 332 chambers, every one of which had its boudoir, oratory, and ward- room. The staircase was twenty feet wide, and had a landing after every twelve stairs. All the furniture was most sumptuous. The sur- rounding parks were planted with the choicest trees, and decorated with foun- tains and statues. The men wore crimson stockings, and both the men and women had every luxury which art could devise. There was only one law, and that was expressed in four words — “Do what YOU WILL ; ” but what one did all did. If one played, all played ; if one went hawk- ing, all went ; in a word, every one liked and disliked alike. To maintain this establishment a fee-farm-rent of 2,369,514 rose-nobles, exempt from all burden, was settled on it, and paid annually at the gate of the abbey. — Rabelais, “ Gargan- tua and Pantagruelf bk. i. 53. Thelusson Act. The 39th and 40th Geo. III., cap. 98. An Act to prevent testators from leaving their property to accumulate for more than twenty-one years ; so called because it was passed in reference to the last will and testament THENOT. THESPIS. 887 of the late Mr. Thelusson, in which he desired his property to be invested till it had accumulated to some nineteen mil- lions sterling. The'not. An old shepherd who re- lates to Cuddy the fable of ‘^The Oak and the Briar,” with the view of curing him of his vanity.— Shepherd’s Calendar’* Theoc'ritos. The Scottish Theocritus. Allen Ramsay, author of “ The Gentle Shepherd.” (1685-1758.) Theodolite (Greek). Theaomai odos litos (I survey the straight road— ^.e., the direct distance between two given points). The general etymology is thea- omai dolos. Theod'omas. A famous trumpeter at the siege of Thebes. At every court ther cam loud menstralcye That never tromped J oab for to heere, Ne he Theodomas yit half so cleere At Thebes, wUen the cite was in doute. Chaucer t “ Canterbury Tales” 9,592. Theodo'ra (in '^Orlando Furioso”), sister of Constantine, the Greek emperor. Greatly enraged against Roge'ro, who slew her son, she vowed vengeance. Ro- gero was captured during sleep, and com- mitted to her hands. She cast him into a foul dungeon, and fed him on the bread of affliction, but prince Leon released him. Theod'orick. One of the heroes of the ISiibeluDg, a legend of the Sagas. This king of the Goths was also selected as the centre of a set of champions by the German minnesangers [minstrels), but he is called by these romancers Diderick of Bern [Vero'na), Tlieodo'rus. The royal physician who undertook to cure Gargantua of his bad propensities, so he purged him cano- nically with “ Anticyrian hellebore,” ‘‘to drive off all the perverse habits of his trains,” and make him forget all he had over learnt under previous masters. — Rabelais, “ Gargantua and Pantagruel,** bk. i. 23. Therapeu'tae. The Therapeutae of Philo were a branch of the Essenes. The word Essenes is Greek, and means doc- tors” (essaioi), and Therapeutae is merely a synonym of the same word. There'sa. Daughter of the count Palatine of Padodia, beloved by Mazeppa. The count her father was very indignant that a mere page should presume to fall in love with his dauirhter, and had Ma- zeppa bound to a wild horse and set adrift. As for Theresa, Mazeppa never knew her future history. Theresa was historically not the daughter but the young wife of the fiery count. — Byron, “ Mazeppa.” Til e r e s a . The miller’s wife who adopted and brought up the orphan Amiffla, called the somnambulist. — Bel- lini, “La Sonnambula” [Scribe’s libretto). TlierirLido'rians. Those who took part in the coup d’etat which effected the fall of Robespierre, with the desire of restoring the legitimate monarchy. So called because the Reign of Terror was brought to an end on the 9th Ther- midor of the second Republican year (July 27, 1794). Ther'midor or Hot Month” was from July 19 to August 18.— Duval, “Souvenirs Thermidoriens,” Thersi'tes. A deformed scurrilous officer in the Greek army which went to the siege of Troy. He was always railing at the chiefs, and one day Achilles felled him to the earth with his fist, and killed him. — Homer, “Iliad.” He squinted, halted, gibbous was behind. And pinched before, and on his tapering head Grew patches only of the flimsiest down. Him Greece had sent to Troy, The miscreant, who shamed his country most. Cowper's translation, bk. ii. A Thersites. A dastardly, malevolent, impudent railer against the powers that be. [See above.) Theseus (2 syl.). Lord and governor of Athens, called by Chaucer Duke The- seus. He married Hypol'ita, and as he returned home with his bride and Emily her sister, was accosted by a crowd of female suppliants, who complained of Creon, king of Thebes. The duke forth- with set out for Thebes, slew Creon, and took the city by assault. Many captives fell into his hands, amongst whom were the two knights named PaTamon and Arcite [q.v.). — Chancer, “ The Knighlis Tale.” Thes'pis, Dramatic. Thes- pis was the father of Greek tragedy. The race of learned men Oft snatch the pen. As if inspired, and in a Thespian rage Then write. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence,” c. i. 52. Thespis, the first professor of our art. At country wakes sang ballads from a cart. Dryden, Prologue to “ Hophonuba.’* THESTYLIS, THISTLE. Thes'tylis. Any rustic maiden. In the Idylls” of Theoc'ritos, Thestylis is a young female slave. And then in haste her bower she leaves, With Thestylis to bind the sheaves. Milton^ “ L' Allegro.’* Thick. Through thick and thin (Dry- den). Through evil and through good report ; through stoggy mud and stones only thinly covered with dust. Devon- shire roads illustrate the notion com- pletely. Through perils both of wind and limb She followed him through thick and thin, Butler^ “ Hujubras.** Thief. Autolycos, Cacus, &c.) Thieves on the Cross, called Ges- mas (the impenitent) and Dismas (after- wards St. Dismas,” the penitent thief) in the ancient mysteries. Hence the following charm to scare away thieves : — Imparibus merit's pendent tria corpora ramis ; Dismas et Gesinas, media est divma potestas ; Alta petit Dismas, infelix, inlima, Gesraas : IVos et res nostras conservet sumina potestas, Hos versus dicas, ne tu furto tua pordas. Thimble. Scotch, Thummle, origi- nally ‘^Thumb-hell,” because it was worn on the thumb, as sailors still wear their thimbles. It is a Dutch invention, intro- duced into England in 1695 by John Lofting, who opened a thimble manufac- tory at Islington. {Ble, German hlech, metal-plate, as Mech-mutze^ a cap of iron- plate, &c.) Thimble-rig. A cheat. The cheat- ing game so called is played thus : A pea is put on a table, and the conjuror places three or four thimbles over it in succession, and then sets the thimbles on the table. Y ou are asked to say under which thimble the pea is, but are sure to guess wrong, as the pea has been con- cealed under the man’s nail. Thirteen at dinner, unlucky. One will die before the year is out. This silly superstition is derived from the “last supper” of our Lord with his twelve disciples. Thirteenpenee- halfpenny. A hangman ; so called because thirteen- pence-halfpenny was his wages for hang- ing a man. {See Hangman.) Thirty. A man at thirty must be either a fool or a physician. — Tiberius. Thirty Tyrants. The thirty magis- trates appointed by Sparta over Athens, at the termination of the Peloponnesian war. This “reign of terror,” after one year’s continuance, was overthrown by Thrasybu'los (B.C. 403). The Thirty Tyrants of the Roman empire. So those military usurpers are called who endeavoured, in the reigns of Vale'rianand Gallie'nus (253-268), to make themselves independent princes. The number thirty must be taken with great latitude, as only nineteen are given, aod their resemblance to the thirty tyrants of Athens is extremely fanciful. They were — In the East. (1) Cyri'ades. ( 2 ) Macria'nus. (3) Balista. (4) Odena'thus. (5) Zeno'bia. In ihe West. (6) Post'humus. (7) Lollia'nus. (8) Victori'nus and his mother Victoria. (9) Ma'rius. (10) Tet'ricus. niyricum. (11) Ingeii'uus. (12) Kegillia'nus. (13) Aure'olus. Promiscuous. (14) Saturni'nus in Pon» tus. (15) Trebellia'nusinisaa- ria. (Iff) Pi'so in Thessaly. (17) Va'lens in Achaia. (18) Almilia'nus in Egypt. (19) Celsus in Africa. Thirty Years’ War. A series of wars between the Catholics and Protes- tants of Germany in the seventeenth cen- tury. It began in Bohemia in 1618, and ended in 1648 with the “peace of West- phalia.” Thisbe. A Babylonish maiden be- loved by Pir^mus. They lived in con- tiguous houses, and as their parents would not let them marry, they contrived to converse together through a hole in the garden wall. On one occasion they agreed to meet at Ninus’ tomb, and Thisbe, who was first at the spot, hearing a lion roar, ran away in a fright, dropping her garment on the way. The lion seized the garment and tore it. When Piramus arrived and saw the garment, he concluded that a lion had eaten Thisbe, and he stabbed himself. Thisbe returning to the tomb saw Piramus dead, and killed herself also. This story is travestied in “The Midsummer Night’s Dream,” by Shakespeare. Thistle of Scotland. The Danes thought it cowardly to attack an enemy by night, but on one occasion deviated from their rule. On they crept, bare- footed, noiselessly, and unobserved, when one of the men set his foot on a thistle, which made him cry out. The alarm was given, the Scotch fell upon the night- party, and defeated them with terrible slaughter. Ever since the thistle has THISTLE BEDS, THORGKTM. 889 been adopted as the insignia of Scotland, with the motto Nemo me impune lacesiit. This tradition reminds us of Brennus and the geese. Thistle. The device of the Scotch monarehs was adopted by queen Anne, hence the riddle in Pope’s pastoral pro- posed by Daphnis to Strephon : Tell me.. ..in what more happy fields The thistle springs, to whi h the lily yields ? Pove, •* Spring.’* In the reign of Anne the duke of Marl- borough made the lily ” of France yield to the thistle of queen Anne. The lines are a parody of Virgil’s Eclogue iii., 104—108. Thistle Beds. Withoos, a Dutch artist, is famous for his homely pictures where thistle-beds abound. Thom'alin. One of the shepherds in Spenser’s Shepherd’s Calendar.” Thomas (St.). Patron saint of archi- tects. The tradition is that Gondof orus, king of the Indies, gave him a large sum of money to build a palace. St. Thomas spent it on the poor, ^Hhus erecting a superb palace in heaven.” The symbol of St. Thomas is a builder’s square, because he was the patron of masons and architects. Christians of St. Thomas. In the sou- thern parts of Mai abar there were some 200,000 persons who called themselves Christians of St. Thomas,” when Gama discovered India. They had been 1,300 years under the jurisdiction of the patri- arch of Babylon, who appointed their materene (archbishop). When Gama arrived the head of the Malabar Chris- tians was Jacob, who styled himself Metropolitan of India and China.” In 1625 a stone was found near Siganfu with a cross on it, and containing a list of the materenes of India and China. Sir Thomas. The dogmatical, prating squire in Crabbe’s Borough ” (letter x.). Thomas-a-Kempis, generally as- cribed to Jean de Gerson, who died 1429, aged sixty-six. His real name was Jean Charlier. Gerson was the place of his birth. Thomas the Rhymer. Thomas Learmont, of Ercildoune, a Scotchman in the reign of Alexander III., and con- temporary with W^allace. He is also called Thomas of Ercildoune. Sir Walter Scott calls him the Merlin of Scot- land.” He was magician, prophet, and poet, and is to return again to earth at some future time when Shrove Tuesday and Good Friday change places. Care must betaken not to confound Thomas the Rhymer ” with Thomas Rymer, the historiographer and compiler of the Foedera.” Thom'ists. Followers of Thomas Aqui'nas, who denied the doctrine of the immaculate conception maintained' by Duns Scotus. Sootists and Thomists now in peace remain. Pope, '’Essay on Criticism,'* 414 . Thomson (James), author of ''The Seasons ” and '‘ Castle of Indolence,” in 1729 brought out the tragedy of "So- phonisba,” in which occurs the silly line': "0 Sophonisba, Sophonisba, 0 !” which a wag in the pit parodied into " 0 Jemmy Thomson, Jemmy Thomson, 0 !” (1709- 1748.) Tho'pas (Sir). Native of Poperyng, in Flanders; a capital sportsman, archer, wrestler, and runner. He resolved to marry no one but an " elf queen,” and set out for fairy-land. On his way h© met the three-headed giant Olifaunt, who challenged him to single combat. Sir Thopas got permission to go back for his armour, and promised to meet him next day. Here mine host interrupts the narrative as " intolerable nonsense,” and the "rime ” is left unfinished. An elf queen wol I have. I wis, For in this world no woman is "Worthy to be my mate. Chaucer, “ Rime of Sir Thopas.'* Thor. Son of Odin, and god of war; His wife was Sif (love), and his palace Thrudvangr, where he received the warriors who had fallen in battle. — Scandinavian mythology. The word enters into many names of places, &c., as Thorsby in Cumberland, Thunderhill in Surrey, Thurso in Caith- ness, Torthorwald {i.e., "hill of Thor-in- the-wood ”) in Dumfriesshire, Thursday, &c. Thor’s Belt. The Scandinayian war- god has a belt which doubles his strength whenever he puts it on. Thor’s Hammer or Mace is called Mjblnir. Thorgrim (Icelandic mythology). The Northern Apollo. 890 THORN. THREADNEEDLE STREET, Thorn. A thorn in the flesh. Some- thing to mortify ; a skeleton in the cup- board. The allusion is to a custom com- mon amongst the ancient Pharisees, one class of which used to insert thorns in the borders of their gaberdines, to' prick their legs in walking and make them bleed. (>5^66 Pharisees.) The thorns of Daujphin^ will never pricJc unless they prich thefirst day. This proverb is applied to natural talent. If talent does not show itself early it will never do so — the truth of which application is very doubtful indeed. Si I’espine non picque quand nai, A pene que picque jamai. Proverb in DaupJiinS. Conference of Thorn met October, 1645, at Thorn, in Prussia, to remove the dif- ficulties which separate Christians into ^ sects. It was convoked by Lad'islas IV. of Poland, but no good result followed the conference. Thornberry {Joh). The hero of »Colman’s comedy entitled John Bull.” Mary Thornberry is his daughter. Tliornllill {Sir William), who as- sumes the name of Burchell, and passes himself off as a poor man. He expresses his dissent by the word Fudge.” — Gold- smith, Vicar of WaTcefleld.^* Thorps-men. Villagers. This very pretty Anglo-Saxon word is worth restor- ing. {Thorpe^ Anglo-Saxon, a village.) Thoth. The Hermes of Egyptian mythology. Pie is represented with the head of an ibis on a human body. He is the inventor of the arts and sciences, music and astronomy, speech and letters. The name means ^ ‘ Logos ” or ‘ ^ the W ord. ’ ’ Thousand. Every one knows that a do^en may be either twelve or thirteen, a score either twenty or twenty-one, a hun- dred either one hundred or one hundred and twenty-five, and a thousand either one thousand or one thousand two hun- dred. The higher numbers are the old Teutonic computations. Hickes tells us that the Norwegians and Icelandic people have two sorts of decad, the lesser and the greater called “Tolfrsed.” The lesser thousand. -10 x 100, but the greater «or Tolfraed thousand=12 x 100. The word iolf, equal to Danish tolv, is our twelve . — Gram. Jsl.f p. 43. Five score of meu, money, or pins, Six score of all other things. Old saw. Thrall. Bondage. From dinll, in allusion to the custom of drilling the ear of a slave in token of servitude, a custom common to the Jews (Deut. xv. 17). Our Saxon forefathers were accustomed to pierce at the church-door the ears of their bond- slaves. Thra'so. Duke of Mar, one of the allies of Charlemagne.— J.nos^(?, Orlando Fu- rioso.’' Thra'so. A swaggering captain in the Eunuch ” of Terence. Thrasonical. Boastful, given to swagger, like Thraso. {See above.) Caesar’s Thrasonical brag of “I came, saw, and overcame.”— iS/iafcespean, “As You Like ItP v. 2. Thread- The thread of destiny — i.e., that on which destiny depends. The Greeks and Romans imagined that a grave maiden called Clotho spun from her distaff the destiny of man, and as she spun one of her sisters worked out the events which were in store, and Apropos cut the thread at the point when death was to occur. A St. Thomais thread. The tale is that St. Thomas planted Christianity in China, and then returned to Mal'abar. Here he saw a huge beam of timber floating on the sea near the coast, and the king- endeavouring by the force of men and elephants to haul it ashore, but it would not stir. St. Thomas desired leave to build a church with it, and his request being granted, he dragged it easily ashore with a piece of pack-thread. — Faria y Sousa. Chief of the Triple Thread. Chief Brah- min. Oso'rius tells us that the Brahmins wore a symbolicalTessera of three threads, reaching from the right shoulder to the left. Faria says that the religion of the Brahmins proceeded from fishermen, who left the charge of the temples to their suc- cessors on the condition of their wearing some threads of their nets in remem- brance of their vocation; but Oso'rius maintains that the triple thread sym- bolises the Trinity. Terna fila ab hu'mero dex'tero in latus sinis'trum geruntjUt desigaent trinam in natu'ra divi'na ratio'- nem. Threadneedle Street. A corrup- tion of Thridendal Street, meaning the third street from Chepesyde ” to the great thoroughfare from London Bridge to ^‘Bushop Gate” (consisting of New Fyshe Streate, Gracious Streate, and THREE. THROW. 891 Bushop Gate Streate. (Anglo-Saxon, thridda, third.) Another etymology is Thrig-needle (three-needle street), from the three needles which the Needlemakers’ Com- pany bore in their arms. It begins from the Mansion House, and therefore the Bank stands in it. The Old Lady in Threadneedle Street. The directors of the Bank of England were so called by William Cobbett, be- cause, like Mrs. Partington, they tried with theii' broom to keep back the At- lantic waves of national progress. A silver curl-paper that I myself took off the shining locks of the ever-beautiful old lady of Threadneedle Street [aftanfc note].—Dickens^ “ Doctor Marigold. ’ Three. Pythagoras calls three the perfect number, expressive of ^^beginning, middle, and end,” wherefore he makes it a symbol of deity. Jove is represented with three -forked lightning, N eptune with n, trident, and Pluto with a three-headed dog. The Fates are three, the Furies three, the Graces three, the Muses three times three, &c. The trinity of the trinity is three times three. {See Nine.) Three Bishopries (^The). So the French call the three cities of Lorraine, Metz, and Verdun, each of which was at one time under the lordship of a bishop. They were united to the kingdom of France by Henri II., in 1552. Three Chapters {The). Three books, or parts of three books — one by Theodore of Mopsuestia, one by Theod'- oret of Cyprus, and the third by Ibas, bishop of Edessa. These books were of a Nestorian bias on the subject of the Incarnation and two natures of Christ. The church took up the controversy warmly, and the dispute continued during the reign of Justinian and the popedom of Vigilius. In 553 the “ Three Chapters” were condemned at the general council of Constantinople. Three Estates of the Be aim are the nobility, the clergy, and the com- monalty. In the collect for Gunpowder Treason we thank God for preserving (1st) the king, and (2nd) the three estates of the realm;” from which it is quite •evident that the sovereign is not one of the three estates, as nine persons out of ten suppose. These three estates are represented in the two Houses of Parlia- ment. Three-fingered Jack. The famous negro robber, who was the terror of Ja- maica in 1780, and was hunted down in 1781. Three Kings’ Day. Epiphany or Twelfth-day, designed to commemorate the visit of the three kings” or Wise Men of the East to the infant Jesus. Three Sheets in the Wind. Un- steady from over drinking, as a ship when its sheets are in the wind. The sail of a ship is fastened at one of the bottom corners by a rope called a tack the other corner is left more or less free as the rope called a sheet ” is disposed ; if quite free the sheet is said to be in the wind,” and the sail flaps and flutters with- out restraint. If all the three sails were so loosened the ship would '^reel and stagger like a drunken man.” Three-tailed Bashaw. The beg- lerbeg or prince of princes among the Turks has a standard borne before him with three horse-tails. He has also a gilt spear with three horse-tails carried before him, and stuck before his tent. The next in rank is the pacha with two tails, and then the bey, who has only one. Three Tuns. A fish ordinary in Billingsgate, famous as far back as the reign of queen Anne. Threshers. Members of the Catho- lic organisation instituted in 1806. One object was to resist the payment of tithes. Their threats and warnings were signed Captain Thresher.” Threshold. Properly the door-sill, but figuratively applied to the beginning of anything, as the threshold of life [in- fancy) y the threshold of an argument {the commencement), th.Q threshold of the inquiry {the first part of the investigation). (Saxon, thoerscwald, door- wood ; German, thursch- \oelle; Icelandic, throsulldur. From thuh’ comes our door. ) Thrift-box. A money-box, in which thrifts or savings are put. {See Spend- thrift.) Throgmorton Street {London). So named from Sir Nicholas Throck- morton, head of the ancient Warwick- shire family, and chief banker of Eng- land in the reign of queen Elizabeth. Throw. To throiv the helve after the hatchet. To lose the hatchet, and then in 892 THRUMS. THUMB. temper to throw away the handle ; to be reckless; “neck or nothing.” Losers often stake all they have left in a despe- rate last stake. Thrums. Weaver’s ends and fag- ends of carpet, used for common rugs. (The word is common to many languages, as Icelandic, thraum; German, irumm; Dutch, drom ; Greek, thrumma ; all meaning “fag-ends” or “fragments.”) Come, sisters, come, cut thread and thrum ; Quail, crush, conclude, and quell ! Hhakespeare, *'■ Midsumimr JNighVs Dream* v.l. Thread and thrum. Everything, good and bad together. Thrummy Cap. A sprite de- scribed in Northumberland fairy tales as a “queer-looking little auld man,” whose exploits are generally laid in the cellars of old castles. Thrym. The giant who fell in love with Freyja, and stole Thor’s hammer. — Scandinavian mythology. Thug {a cheat). So a religious fra- ternity in India is called. Their patron goddess is Devi or Kali, wife of Si'va. The Thugs live by plunder, to obtain which they never halt at violence or even murder. In some provinces they are called “ stranglers ” {^phansigars), in the Tamil tongue “noosers” {ari tulukar), in the Canarese cat-gut thieves ” {tanti kalleru). They band together in gangs mounted on horseback, assuming the appearance of merchants ; some two or more of these gangs concert to meet as if by accident at a given town. They then ascertain what rich merchants are about to journey, and either join this party or lay in wait for it. This being arranged the victim is duly caught with a lasso, plundered, and strangled. (Hindu, thaga, deceive.) Thuggee (2 syl.). The vocation of a Thug— i.e., waylaying and robbing tra- vellers and merchants ; these expeditions were generally accompanied with murder by strangulation with a running noose. This was a religious vocation, which had priests and an order of knighthood. Thule (2 syl.). Called by Drayton Thuly. Pliny, Solinus, and Mela take it for Iceland. Pliny says, “It is an island in the Northern Ocean discovered by Pyth'eas, after sailing six days from the Orcades.” Others, like Camden, consider it to be Shetland, still called Thylens-el (isle of Thyle) by seamen, in which opinion they agree with MarPnus, and the descriptions of Ptolemy and Tacitus. Bochart says it is a Syrian word, and that the Phoenician merchants who traded to the group called it Gezirat Thule (isles of darkness) ; but probably it is the Gothic Tilde, meaning the “ most remote land,” and is connected with the Greek telos, the end. Where the Northern Ocean, in vast whirls. Boils round the naked melancholy isles Of furthest Thule. Thomson, Autumn” Ultima Thule. The end of the world ; the last extremity. Thule was the most northern point known to the ancient Romans. Tibi servi it ultima Thule. Virgil, “ Georgies* i 30. Thumb. When a gladiator was van- quished it rested with the spectators to decide whether he should be slain or not. If they wished him to live they held their thumbs down; if to be slain they turned their thumbs upwards. Where, influenced by the rabble’s bloody will. With thumbs bent back, they nonularly kill. Dry den, *• Third Satire.'* Do you Lite your thumb at me 1 Do you mean to insult me? The way of expressing defiance and contempt was by snapping the finger, or putting the thumb in the mouth. Both these acts are termed a fico, whence our expressions “not worth a fig,” “I dont care a fig for you.” Decker, describing St. Paul’s Walk, speaks of the biting of thumbs to beget quarrels. (aSs^ Glove.) I see Contempt marching forth, giving mee the fico with his thombe in his mouth.— “VFrfs Misene" (1596). I will bite my thumbs at them, which is a disgrace to them if they bear it.— Shakespeare, '•"Romeo and Juliet," i. 1. By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Another proverb says, “ My little finger told me that.” When your ears turn hot and red, it is to indicate that some one is speaking about you. When a sudden fit of “ shivering” occurs, it is because some one is treading on the place which is to form your grave. When the eye itches, it indicates the visit of a friend. When the palm itches, it shows that a present will be shortly received. When the bones ache, it prognosticates a coming storm. Plautus says, ‘ ^ Timeo quod rerum gesserim hie, ita dorsus totus prurit” {Miles Gloriosus). All these and many similar superstitions THUMBIKIN3. TIBER 893 rest on the notion that coming- events cast their shadows before,” because our angel,” ever watchful, forewarns us that we may be prepared. Sudden pains and prickings are the warnings of evil on the road ; sudden glows and pleasurable sensations are the couriers to tell us of joy close at hand. These superstitions are relics of demonology and witchcraft. Every honest miller has a thumb of gold. Bven an honest miller grows rich with what he prigs. Thus Chaucer says of his miller — Wei cowde he ste'e and tollen thriea, And yet he had a thomb of gold parde [was what is called an “honest miller”]. “ Canterbury Tales ” {Prologue, 585). Rule of Thumb. Rough measure. Ladies often measure yard lengths by their thumb. Indeed the expression Six- teen nails make a yard” seems to point to the thumb-nail as a standard. Coun- trymen always measure by their thumb. Tom Thumb. (See Tom. ) Thumb Brewed. A corruption of Th’ome (the home) brewed. Thumlbikins or Thumbscrew. An instrument of torture largely used by the Inquisition. The torture was com- pressing the thumb between two bars of iron, made to approach each other by means of a screw. Principal Carstairs was the last person put to this torture in Britain ; he suffered for half an hour at Holyrood, by order of the Scotch Privy Council, to wring from him a con- fession of the secrets of the Argyll and Monmouth parties. Thunder. The giant who fell into the river and was killed, because Jack cut the ropes that suspended the draw- bridge, and when the giant ventured to cross it the bridge fell in. — ^^Jack the Giant Killer.'* Thund^er and Lightning or Tonnant. Stephen II. of Hungary. (1100, 1114- 1131.) Sons of Thunder (Boaner'ges). James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Mark iii. 17) ; so called because they asked to be allowed to consume with lightning those who rejected the mission of Christ (Luke ix. 54). Thunders of the Vatican. The anathemas and denunciations of the Pope, whose palace is the Vatican of Rome. Properly speaking, the Vatican con- sists of the papal palace, the court and garden of Belvedere, the library, and the museum, all on the right bank of the Tiber. Thunderbolt of Italy. Gaston de Foix, nephew of Louis XII. (1489-1512.) Thunderer (The'). A name applied to The Times ne\vspaper, in allusion to a series of leaders written by Capt. Ed. Sterling, on the subject of political and social influence. This was when Thomas Barnes was editor. (See Times.) Thundering Legion. During the war of Marcus Aurelius with the Marco- manni, in 174, the Roman army was shut up in a defile, and was reduced to great straits for want of water. The Chris- tians in the army prayed for relief, when a thunderstorm broke over them, under cover of which they attacked the Marco- manni, and won a signal victory. Thun'stone. The successor of king Arthur . — Nursery Tale, Tom Thumb.** Thursday. {See Black.) Thwack'um, in Fielding’s ^^Tom Jones.” Tiara. A composite emblem. Its primary meaning is purity and chastity — the foundation being of fine linen. The gold band denotes supremacy. The first cap of dignity was adopted by pope Damasus II. in 1048. The cap was sur- mounted with a high coronet in 1295 by Boniface VIII. The second coronet was added in 1335 by Benedict XII., to in- dicate the prerogatives of spiritual and temporal power combined in the Papacy. The third coronet is indicative of the Trinity, but it is not known who first adopted it ; some say Urban V., others John XXII., John XXIII., or Bene- dict XII. Tib. Si. Tib*s Eve. Never. A cor- ruption of St. Ubes, a corruption again of Setuval. There is no such saint in the calendar as St. Ubes, and therefore her eve falls on the Greek Kalends” (q.v.), neither before Christmas Day nor after it. Tibbs (Beau). A vain, flashy man about town, exquisite in dress and dread- fully poor, in Goldsmith’s Citizen of the World.” Tiber, called The Yellow Tiber, be- 894 TIBERT. TIME OF GRACE. cause it is much discoloured with yellow mud. VorticKbus rap'ldis et multa flavus are'na.— yir( 7 iZ. Tibert {Sir). The cat in the tale of Reynard the Fox.” {See Tybalt.) Tibul'lus. The French Tibullus. Evariste Desire Desforges, chevalier de Farny. (1753-1814.) Tibur'ce (3 syl.) or Tiburce (2 syl.). Brother of Vale'rian, converted by the teaching of St, Cecilia, his sister-in-law, and baptised by pope Urban. Being brought before Almachius the prefect, and commanded to worship the image of Jupiter, both the brothers refused, and were decapitated. — Chaucer, Secounde Nonnes Tale.'* A1 this thins: sche unto Tiburce tolie (3 syl.). And after this Tiburce, in good entente (2 syl.). With Valiri'an to pope Urban wente. Chaucer^ “ Canterbury Tales," 12,276, Tick. To go on tick — on ticket. In the seventeenth century, ticket was the ordi- nary term for the written acknowledg- ment of a debt, and one living on credit was said to be living on tick. Betting was then, and still is to a great extent, a matter of tick — i.e., entry of particulars in a bet- ting-book. We have an Act of Parlia- ment prohibiting the use of betting- tickets : Be it enacted, that if any person shall play at any of the said games .... (otherwise than with and for ready money), or shall bet on the sides of such as shall play .... a sum of money exceeding £100 at any one time .... upon ticket or credit .... he shall,” &c. (16 Car. II., cap. 16). Tide -waiters. Those who vote against their opinions. S. G. 0. of the Times calls the clergy in convocation whose votes do not agree with their con- victions Ecclesiastical Tide-waiters.” Tidy means in tide, in season, in time. We retain the word in even-tide, spring- tide, and so on. Tusser has the phrase If weather be fair and tidy,” meaning seasonable. Things done punctually and in their proper season are sure to be done orderly, and what is orderly done is neat and well-arranged. Hence we get the notion of methodical, neat, well- arranged, associated with tidy. (JJanish, tidig, seasonable, favourable.) How are you getting on 1 Oh ! 'prett'y tidily — favourably. {See above.) Tied-up. Married; tied-up in the marriage-knot. When first the marriage-knot was tied Between my wife and me. Walkingame's ^'Arithmetic." Tigllt. Nearly intoxicated. Sobri- ety is so taut, that with a little more strain it will burst away. A sea-phrase. Tiglath Pile'ser. Son of Pul, second of ther sixth dynasty of the New Assyrian Empire. The word is a cor- ruption of Tiglath Pul Assur {the great tiger of Assyria^ Tigris (the Arrow). So called from the rapidity of its current. Hiddekel is ‘^The Dekel” or Higlath, a Semitic cor- ruption of Tigra, Medo-Persic for arrow. (Gen. ii. 14.) Flu'meni, a celerita'te qua defluit Tigri nomen est ; quia, Persica lingua, tigrim sagittam appellant— Quintus Gurtius. Tike. A Yorkshire tike. A clown- ish rustic. (Celtic, tiac, a ploughman.) A small bullock or heifer is called a tike, so also is a dog, probably because they are the common companions of the ^Hiac.” Tilbury. The Governor of Tilbury Fort. Father of Tilburi'na ; a plain, blunt, matter-of-fact John Bull. — SheridaUf Critic." Tile, a hat. (Saxon tigel, Latin tego^ to cover.) Tile a Lodge, in Freemasonry^, means to close the door, to prevent any one uninitiated from entering. {See above.) Time. Time and tide wait for no man. For the next inn he spurs amain. In haste alights, and skuds away,— But time and tide for no man stay. Somerville, “ The Sweet-scented Miser. ^ Take or Seize Time by the forelock (Tha'- les of Mile'tus). Time is represented as an old man, quite bald, with the excep- tion of a single lock of hair on the fore- head. Shakespeare calls him 'Hhat bald sexton. Time” (‘'King John,” hi. 1). The Times. A newspaper, founded by John Walter. In 1785 he established The Daily Universal Register, but in 1788 changed the name into The Times, or Daily Universal Register. {See Thunderer.) Time of Grace. The lawful season for venery, which began at Midsummer and lasted to Holyrood-day. The fox and wolf might be hunted from the Na- N TIME-HONOUEED. TIPHYS. 895 tivity to the Annunciation ; the roebuck from Easter to Michaelmas ; the roe from Michaelmas to Candlemas; the hare from Michaelmas to Midsummer; and the boar from the Nativity to the Purification. {See Sporting Seasons.) Time-honoured Lancaster. Old John of Ghaunt. His father was Edward III., his son Henry IV., his nephew Eichard II. of England ; his second wife was Constance, daughter of Peter the Cruel of Castile and Leon ; his only daughter married John of Castile and Leon ; his sister J oanna marri ed Alphonso, king of Castile. Shakespeare calls him ‘^time-honoured” and “old;” honoured he certainly was, but was only fifty-nine at his death. Hesiod is called “ meaning “ long ago.” Tim'ias. King Arthur’s squire, the impersonation of chivalrous honour and generosity. His love for Belphoebe is in allusion to Sir Walter Ealeigh’s admi- ration of queen Elizabeth. — Spenser, Faery Queen'' Timoleon. The Corinthian who so hated tyranny, that he murdered his own brother Timoph'anes when he attempted to make himself absolute in Corinth. The fair Corinthian boast Timoleon, happy temper, mild and firm. Who wept the brother while the tyrant bled. Thomson, “ Winter.’* Timon of Athens. The misanthrope. Shakespeare’s play so called. Lord Ma- caulay uses the expression to out-Timon Timon”— t.e., to be more misanthropical than even Timon. Tin. Money. A depreciating syno- nym for silver, which it resembles, and for which in Germany it is largely sub- stituted. Tinac'rio (The Sage). King of Micom'icon. {See Zaramilla.) Tinder and are different forms of the same word. Thus the Latin nun- tins was also written nuncius, “c” having the force of ^‘k.” Webster, in his Dic- tionary, says cl (answering to kt) are pronounced as tl, and illustrates his observation by the words clear, clean. We have heard of colour-blindness, but here is another phase of blindness. Tine-man {Lose-man). So was the great earl of Douglas called, who died in France, August 17, 1 424. Godscroft says, “ No man was lesse fortunate, and it is no lesse true that no man was more valorous.” He was defeated at the battles of Homilden, Shrewsbury, and Verneuil. It was in this last battle that he lost his life. — Sir Walter Scott, Tales of a Grand- father," xviii. Ting. The general assembly of the- Northmen, which all capable of bearing arms were bound to attend on occasions requiring deliberation^nd action. The words Volksthing and btorthing are still in use. A shout filled all the Ting, a thousand swords Clashed loud approval. •• Frithiof-Saga” (The Parting). Tinker. The person who tinks or beats on a kettle to announce his trade. (Welsh, tincian, to ring or “ tink tincerz, a tinker. ) The Inspired TinJce:)'. John Bunyan. (1628-1688.) Tintag'el or Tintag'il. A strong castle on the coast of Cornwall, the birth-place of king Arthur. When Uther in Tintagil past away.— Tennyson, “ The Holy Grail.’* Tin'tern Abbey. Wordsworth has a poem called “ Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey,” but these lines have nothing whatever to do with the famous ruin, and do not even once allude to it. Tinto {Dich). The painter in Sir Walter Scott’s novel of “St. Eonan’s Well” and in the introduction of “The Bride of Lammermoor.” Tintoretto, the historical painter. So called because his father was a dyer {tintore). His real name was Jacopo Eobusti. He was nicknamed II Furioso, from the rapidity of his productions. (1512-1594.) Tip. He gave me a tip — a present of money, a bribe. {See Dibs.) To tip one the wink. To make a signal to another by a wink. Here tip means “ to give,” as tip in the previous example means “ a gift.” Tiph'any, according to the calendar of saints, was the mother of the three kings of Cologne, {See Cologne. ) Ti'phys. A pilot. He was the pilot of the Argonauts. Many a Tiphys ocean’s depths eTplore, To open wondrous ways untried before. Iluole's ’’Ariosto” bk. vliL m TIPSTAFF. TITHONUS. Tipstaff. A constable so called be- ■cause he carried a statf tipped with a bull’s horn. In the documents of Ed- ward III. allusion is often made to this staff. {See Rymer, Feeder a.') Tirante the White. One of the most redoubtable knights of mediseval ro- mance. Don Quixote ranks him with Am'adis of Gaul, Felixmarte of Hyr- cania, and the more modern hero named don Belianis of Greece (bk. ii., ch. 5). Tirer une Dent. To draw a man’s tooth, or extort money from him. The allusion is to the tale told by Holinshed of king John, who extorted 10,000 marks from a Jew living at Bristol, by extract- ing a tooth daily till he consented to provide the money. For seven succes- sive days a tooth was taken, and then the Jew gave in. Tire'sias. Blind as Tire'sias. Tire- -sias, the Theban, by accident saw Athe'na bathing, and the goddess struck him with blindness by splashing water in his face. She afterwards repented doing so, and as she could not restore his sight, conferred on him the power of soothsay- ing, and gave him a staff with which he »could walk as safely as if he had his sight. He found death at last by drink- ing from the well of Tilpho'sa. Milton makes Tiresias three syllables, as Ti'- re-sas. (^See Thamyris.) Juno the truth of what was said denied, Tiresias, therefore, must the cause decide. Addisojt, “ Tratisjormatio7i of Tiresias." Tiring Irons. Iron rings to be put on or taken off a ring as a puzzle. Light- foot calls them tiring irons never to be untied.” Tirled. He tirled at the pin. He twiddled or rattled with the latch before he opened the door. Guillaume di Lorris, in his Bomance of the Bose ” (13th century), says, When persons visit a friend they ought not to bounce all at once into the room, but should an- nounce their approach by a slight cough, or few words spoken in the hall, or a slight shuffling of their feet, so as not to take their friends unawares.” The pin is the door-latch, and before a visitor entered a room it was, in Scotland, thought good manners to fumble at the latch to give notice of your intention to enter (Tirl is the German querlen., Dutch dwarleiiy our twirl, &c. ; or Danish trille, German trillevy Welsh treillio ; our trill y to rattle or roll. ) Right quick he mounted up the stair, And tirled at the pin. Charlie is my Darling.'^ Tiryns. An ancient city of Ar'golis in Greece, famous for its Cyclopean architecture. The ‘^Gallery of Tiryns” is the oldest and noblest structure of the heroic ages. It is mentioned by Homer, and still exists. Tiryn'tliian Swain. Hercules is so called by Spenser, but he is more fre- quently styled the Tirynthian Hero, be- cause he generally resided at Tirynthos, a town of Ar'golis. Tisapher'nes (4 syl.). The thun- derbolt of war, whose force in battle every force excelled.” He was in the army of the king of Egypt, and was slain by Binaldo. — Tasso, ‘^ Jerusalem De- livered, bk. XX. Tisellin the raven, in the tale of ^^Beynard the Fox.” The word is old German, tis (wise) ; tisellin means the little wise one. Tit for Tat. J. Bellenden Ker says this is the Dutch dit vor dat (this for that). Quid pro quo is a synonymous phrase. Ti'tan. The sun, so called by Ovid and Virgil. And flecked Darkness like a drunkard reels ITrom forth Day’s pith «nd Ticau’s fiery wheels. Shakespeare, '‘'Romeo and Juliet y ii. 3. The Titans. The children of Heaven and Earth, who, instigated by their mother, deposed their father, and libe- rated from Tar'taros their brothers the Hundred-handed, and the Cyclopes. — Classic mythology. Titan'ia. Wife of Oberon, king of the fairies. According to the belief in Shakespeare’s age, fairies were the same as the classic nymphs, the attendants of Diana. The queen of the fairies was therefore Diana herself, called Titania by Ovid Metamorphoses,” iii. 173). — Keightley, Fairy Mythology.^' Titlio'nus. A beautiful Trojan be- loved by Auro'ra. He begged the god- dess to grant him immortality, which request the goddess granted ; but a? he had forgotten to ask for youth and vigour, he soon grew old, infirm, and ugly. When life became insupportable TITIAN, TOADS. 897 lie prayed Aurora to remove him from the world ; this, however, she could not ■do, but she changed him into a grass- hopper. Synonym for ‘^an old man.’* An idle scene Tythonus acted When to a grasshopper contracted. Prior, “ The Turtle and Sparrow.'* Thinner than Tithonus was Before he faded into air. Tales of Miletus,” ii. Titian Vecellio). An Italian landscape painter, celebrated for the fine ‘effects of his clouds. (1477-1576.) ^^ot Titian’s pencil e’er could so array. So fleece with clouds the pure ethereal space. Thomson, “ Castle of Indolence," canto i. The French Titian. Jacques Blanch- ard, the painter. (1600-1638. ) The Titian of Portugal. Alonzo Sanchez •Doello. (1515-1590.) Titmouse (Tittlelat). A vulgar, ignorant linen-draper’s apprentice, who -comes into £10,000 a year. His conceit, his vulgarity, his gauclierie, and his -emptiness of mind are well illustrated in Warren’s “ Ten Thousand a Year.” Tittle Tattle. Tattle is prate, Dutch tateren^ Italian tatta-mUla. Tittle Is little, same as tit in tomtit, titmouse, little tit, tit-bit. Tit'uos. A giant whose body covered nine acres of ground. He was punished %>y having two vultures feeding for ever on his liver, which grew again as fast as it was eaten. Prome'theus was chained to Mount Caucasus, and had his liver devoured in a similar way by a vulture or eagle. Ti'tus. The penitent thief, called Desmas in the ancient mysteries. {See Dumachus.) Titus the Roman emperor was called ^‘The delight of men.” (40, 79-81.) Titus indeed gave one short evening gleam, More cordial felt, as in the midst it spread Of storm and horror ; the delight of men. Thomson, “ Liberty," iil. The Arch of Titus commemorates the capture of Jerusalem, a.d. 70. Tit'yre Tus. A dissolute young scapegrace, whose delight was to worry the watchmen, upset sedans, wrench knockers off doors, and be rude to pretty women, at the close of the seventeenth century. The name comes from the first line of Virgil’s first Eclogue, Tityre tu patulce recubans sub tegmine fagi (Tityre Tus loves to lurk in the dark night looking for mischief). Tit'yrus. Any shepherd; so called in allusion to the name familiar from its use in Greek idyls and Virgil’s fiist Eclogue. In the Shepherd’s Calen- dar,” Spenser calls Chaucer by this name. Heroes and the-’r feats Fatigue me, never weary of the pipe Of Tityrus, assembling as he sang The rustic throng beneath his favourite beech. Cowper. Tizo'na. One of the favourite swords of the Cid, taken by him from king Bucar. The other favourite sword was called Cola'da. To. Altogether ; whplly. If the podech be burned to. . . . we saye the byshope hath put his fote in the ^otte.—Tyndale. To-do. Here's a pretty to-do. Dis- turbance. The French affaire— i.e.^ d faire (to do). Toads. The device of Clovis was three toads (or botes, as they were called in Old French), but after his baptism the Arians greatly hated him, and assembled a large army under king Candat to put down the Christian king. While on his way to meet the heretics, he saw in the heavens his device miraculously changed into three lilies or on a banner azure. He had such a banner instantly made, and called it his liflambe. Even before his army came in sight of king Candat, the host of the heretic lay dead, slain like the army of Sennacherib by a blast from the God of battles. — Raoul de Presles^ Grans Croniques de France.'* It is wytnessyd of Maister Robert Gagwyne that before thyse dayes all French kynges used to bere in their armes iii Todys, but after this Clodoveus had recognised Cristes relygyon iii Floure de lya were sent to hym by diuyne power, sette in a shylde of azure, the whiche syns that been borne of all French kynges.— F'a&ian’s Chronicle. The toady ugly and venomouSy wears yet a precious jewel in its head. Fenton says : There is to be found in the heads of old and great toads a stone they call borax or stelon, which being used as rings give forewarning against venom” (1569). These stones always bear a figure resembling a toad on their surface. Lupton says : A toad- stone, called crepaudia, touching any part envenomed by the bite of a rat, wasp, spider, or other venomous beast, ceases the pain and swelling thereof.” In the Londes- borough Collection is a silver ring of the fifteenth century, in which one of these toad-stones is set. The stone was Bup- F F F 898 TOAD-EATER. TOBY VECK. posed to sweat and change colour when poison was in its proximity. Toad-eater. At the final overthrow of the Moors, the Castilians made them their servants, and their active habits and officious manners greatly pleased the proud and lazy Spaniards, who called them mi iodita (my factotum). Hence a cringing officious dependent, who will do all sorts of dirty work for you, is called a iodita or toad-eater. Dr. Ogilvie, in the Imperial Dictionary,” says the word arose from a sycophant who praised everything. In order to’ ^ fool him to the top of his bent,’ a dish of toads was set before him, which he ate and praised.” Fiiltenexfs Toadeater. Henry Vane, so called by Walpole, 1742. Toad-flax. A corruption of tod- dax. Tod” means a bunch or cluster, a word still applied to wool, where 281bs. is called a tod. The mass of a sum of figures is called the lump or total. The Cymhala'ria Italica is called tod-flax on account of its multitudinous mass of threads matted together in a cluster. Toad-pipe {Equise'tum arrense) is tod-pipe ; so called from the cluster of jointed hair-like tubes or pipes of which it consists. Toad-stone. {See Toad, ugly and venomous.”) Toady. (See Toad-eater.) Toast. A name given, to which guests are invited to drink in compli- ment. The name at one time was that of a lady. The word is taken from the toast which used at one time to be put into the tankard, and which still floats in the loving-cup, and also the cups called copus, bishop, and cardinal, at the Uni- versities. Hence the lady named was the toast or savour of the wine — that which gave the draught piquancy and merit. The story goes that a certain beau, in the reign of Charles II., being at Bath, pledged a noted beauty in a glass of water taken from her bath, whereupon another roysterer cried out he would have nothing to do with the liquor, but would have the toast {i.e.j the lady herself). — Ramhlery No. 24. He noisy mirth and roaring sonps commands. Gives idle toasts, wife of Francois II. The white represented the royal house of France ; the blue, Scotland ; and the rec?, Switzerland,. in compliment to the Swiss guards, whose livery it was. The heralds afterwards tinctured the shield of Paris with the three colours, thus expressed in heraldic language : “ Paris portait de gueules, sur vaisseau d’argent, fiottant sur des ondes de me me, le chef cousu de France ” (a ship with white sails, on a red ground, with a blue chef). The usual tale is that the insurgents in 1789 had adopted for their flag the two colours red and blue, but that Lafayette persuaded them to add the Bourbon white, to show that they bore no hostility to the king. To say nothing of the palpable improbability of this story, it may be summarily rejected, seeing the first flag of the republicans was green, and the tricolour was not adopted till the 11th of July, when the people were disgusted with the king for dismissing Necker. TRIESTE. TRIPLE ALLIANCE. 909 Triest'e (2 syl.). Since 1816 it has borne the title of The most loyal of towns.” Trifaldi. The Afflicted Duenna ; called Trifaldi because she wore three skirts. She was chief lady of the bed-chamber to the infanta Antonomas'ia. — Cervantes, Don Quixote," pt. II., bk. hi., ch. 4. Trifaldin, of the Bushy Beard. Squire to the countess Trifaldi, the Afflicted Duen- na^ — Cervantes, ‘^Don Quixote II., bk. iii., ch. 4, 5. Tri'gon. The junction of three signs. The zodiac is partitioned into four trigons, named respectively after the four ele- ments : The watery trigon includes Can- -cer, Scorpio, and Pisces ; the,/iery, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius ; the earthy, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricornus; and the airy, ’Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Tril'ogy. A group of three tragedies. Every one in Greece who took part in the poetic contest had to produce a trilogy and a satyric drama. We have only one specimen, and that is by ^schylos, em- bracing the Agamemnon, the Chcephoras, and the Eumen'id'es. Trim [Corporal). Uncle Toby’s faith- ful servant ; affectionate, respectful, and a great talker. The duplicate of his master in delf. — Sterne, Tristram Shandy." Trim-tram Gate. The lich-gate, at which the corpse was put on tressels for a few seconds, while all the cortege alighted and got ready to enter the church. Tram means train or cortdge. Trimilki. The Anglo-Saxon name for the month of May, because in that month they began to milk their kine three times a day. Trimmer. One who runs with the hare and holds with the hounds. Charles Montagu, earl of Halifax, adopted the term in the reign of Charles IL, to signify that he was neither an extreme Whig nor an extreme Tory. Dry den was called a. trimmer, because he professed attach- ment to the king, but was the avowed enemy of the duke of York. Trin'culo. A jester in Shakespeare’a Tempest.” Trine. In astrology, a planet distant from another one-third of the circle is said to be in trine ; one-fourth, it is in square; one-sixth or two degrees, it is in sextile ; but when one-half distant, it is said to be opposite.” In sextile, square, and trine, and opposite Of noxious efficacy. Milton, Paradise Lost*’ x. 659 . N.B. Planets distant from each other six degrees or half a circle have opposite influences, and are therefore opposed to each other. Trin'ity. Of the American Indians : Otkon, Messou, and Atahuata. Of the Brahmins : Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Represented as a body with three heads. Of Plato : Tag'athon or Goodi^ess ; Nous,” Eternal Intellect, or architect of the world ; and Psuche or the mun- dane soul. Of the Persians, the triplasian deity is Oromas'des, Mithras, and Arim'anes. Of Orpheus : Phanes, U'ranos, and Kronos. Of the Egyptians : Eicton ; Cneph the demiurgus ; and Phtha. — Jamhlichus. Of Pythagoras : The Monad or One ; Nous or Mind ; Psuche. (#8^6 Three.) Roman : Jupiter or Divine Power ; Mi- nerva or Divine Logos; Juno, Amor ac Delicium Jovis, i.e. the Holy Spirit. — G. J. Vossius, '‘^De Theol. Gentil.,"\m. 12. Scandinavians: Odin, who gave the breath of life; Haenir, who gave sense and motion ; Lodur, who gave blood, colour, speech, sight, and hearing. Trinoban'tes (4 syl.). Inhabitants of Essex, referred to in Caesar’s Gallic Wars.” Trino'da INecessitas. The three contributions to which all lands were subject in Anglo-Saxon times, viz. — (1) Bryge-bot, for keeping bridges and highroads in repair; (2) Burg-hot, for Fyrd, for maintaining the military and keeping fortresses in repair ; and (3) naval force of the kingdom. Tripit 'aka means the ^Hriple basket,” a term applied to the three classes into which the canonical writings of the Buddha are divided — viz., the Soutras, the Vina'ya, and the Abid- harma. {See these words.) Triple Alliance. A treaty entered into by Great Britain^, Sweden, and Holland against Louis XIV., in 1668. {See next page.) 910 TRIPOS. TROGLODYTES. A treaty between Great Britain, France, and Holland against Spain, 1717. Tripos. A Cambridge University term, meaning the voluntary honour ex- amination in classics, for those who have already passed their degree examination or in “honours." It is a tri-pos because the candidates are disposed into three classes or groups, according to merit. Trismegis'tus {thrice greatest). Her- mes the Egyptian philosopher, or Thoth councillor of Osi'ris king of Egypt, to whom is attributed a host of inventions — amongst others the art of writing in hieroglyphics, the first code of Egyptian laws, harmony, astrology, the lute and lyre, magic, and all mysterious sciences. Tris'sotin'. A poet, coxcomb, and fool in Moliere’s “ Femmes Savantes." Tristram (Sir), Tristrem, Tristan, or Tristam. Son of Rouland Rise lord of Ermonie, and Blanche Fleur sister of Marke king of Cornwall. Having lost both his parents, he was brought up by his uncle. Tristram, being wounded in a duel, was cured by Ysolde, daughter of the queen of Ireland, and on his return to Cornwall told his uncle of the beautiful princess. Marke sent to solicit her hand in marriage, and was accepted. Ysolde married the king, but was in love with the nephew, with whom she had guilty connection. Tristram, being banished from Cornwall, went to Brittany, and married Ysolto/See Dandin.) Tu Quoque. The tu quoque style or argument. Personal invectives ; ar- gument of personal application; argu- mentum ad hominem. We miss in this work his usual tu quoque style. — Public Opinion. Tu-ral-lu, the refrain of comic songs, is a corruption of the Italian tur- luru, and the French turlureau or turelure. ^'Loure ” is an old French word for a bag- pipe, and toure loure ” means a refrain on the bagpipe. The refrain of a French tong published in 1697 is — Toure loure, lourirette, Lironfa, toure lourira. "'Suite du Thedtre Italien" iii.^ p. 453. Tub. A tale of a tub. A cock-and- bull story ; a rigmarole, nonsensical ro- mance. The Tale of a Tub ” is a reli- gious satire by Dean Swift. A tub of noMd children. Emblematical of St. Nicholas, in allusion to two boys murdered and placed in a pickling tub by a landlord, but raised to life again by this saint. (&ee Nicholas, p. 614.) Throw a tub to the whale. To create a diversion in order to avoid a real danger ; to bamboozle or mislead an enemy. In whaling, when a ship is threatened by a whole school of whales, it is usual to throw a tub into the sea to divert their attention, and to make off as fast as possible. Tuberose. {See Misnomers.) Tuck {Friar'), One of Robin Hood’s companions. He is represented as a fat, paunchy, sleek-headed gourmand, whose axiom was ^^Who leads a good life is sure to live well.” TucJc, a long narrow sword (Gaelic tuca, Welsh twca, Italian- siocco, French estoc). In Hamlet the word is erroneously printed stuck,” in Malone’s edition. If he by chance escape your venomous tuck. Our purpose may hold there. Act. iv. 7. A good tuch in or iucTc out. A good feed. To tuck is to full, a tucker is a fuller. Hence the fold of a dress to allow for growth is called a tuck, and a little frill on the top thereof is called a tucker. I'll tuck him up. Stab him, do for him. Tuck is a small dirk used by artillerymen. Tuft. A nobleman or fellow-com- moner ; so called at the University be- cause he wears a gold tuft or tassel on his college cap. Tuft-Hunter. A nobleman’s toady, one who tries to curry favour with the wealthy and great for the sake of feeding on the crumbs which fall from the rich man’s table. A University term. {See above.) ^ Tuileries, Paris (tile-kilns). The present palace being on the site of some old tile-kilns. {See Sablonniere.) Tulip. The turban plant; Persian, ihoulyV (thoulyban, a turban), by which name the flower is called in Persia. Tulip Mania. A reckless mania for the purchase of tulip-bulbs in the seven- teenth century. Beckmann says it rose to its greatest height in the years 1634-7. A root of the species called Viceroy sold for £250 ; Semper Augustus, more than double that sum. The tulips were grown in Holland, but the mania which spread over Europe was a mere stock-jobbing speculation. Tul'kinghorn. A lawyer in posses- sion of family secrets of no value to any one. — Dickens, Bleak House.” TULLY. TUKNCOAT. 915 Tully. Cicero, whose name was Marcus Tullius Cicero. One rich soul, Plato, the Stagyrite, and Tully joined. Thomson, “ Summer.^* Tulsi, according to Hindu mythology, was a woman who asked Vishnu to make her his wife, for which she was meta- morphosed into a plant {Ocymum sanctuTri) by Luximel, the wife of Vishnu. Tumbledown Dick. Anything that will not stand firmly. Dick is Kichard, the Protector’s son, who was but a tottering wall at best. Tune. The tune that the cow died of. Words instead of food. To say to a starving beggar Be thou fed,” but to give nothing ; to argue and show how you cannot afford to give alms, though you wish well. The reference is to^an old song which represents a man who had bought a cow, but having no food to give her, bade his cow ‘^consider that it was not the season for grass.” He took up his fiddle and played her this tune— “ Consider, good cow, consider, This isn’t the time for grass to grow ; Consider, good cow, consider.” Tuneful Nine. The nine Muses; Calli'ope (e'pic poetryf Clio {history'), .Era'to {elegy and lyric 'poetry), EuterpS {miLsic)y Melpom'ene {tragedy), Polyhym'- nia {sacred song), Terpsic'hore {dancing), Thali'a {comedy), Ura'nia {astronomy). Tuning Goose. The entertainment given in Yorkshire when the corn at harvest was all safely stacked. Tunis lan. The adjective form of Tunis. TunTiers. A politico-religious sect of Ohio. They came from a small Ger- man village on the Eder. They believe all will be saved ; are Quakers in plain- ness of dress and speech ; they will neither fight, nor go to law. Both sexes are equally eligible for any office. Celi- bacy is the highest honour, but not imperative. They are also called Tum- blers, and incorrectly Bunkers. Tunker means to dip a morsel into gravy,” ^‘a sop into wine,” and as they are Baptists this term has been given them ; but they call themselves ^‘The harmless people.” — W. Bepworth Dixon, New America” ii. 18. Tupman {Tracy). A sleek young gentleman who falls in love with every pretty girl he meets. He travels under the charge of Mr. Pickwick. — Dickens, Pickwick Papers.” Tur'caret. One who has become rich by hook or by crook, and having nothing else to display, makes a great display of his wealth. A chevalier in Lesage’s comedy of the same name. Tureen'. A deep pan for holding soup. (French, terrine, a pan made of texre, earth.) Turf {The). The race-course ; the profession of horse-racing, which is done on turf or grass. One who lives by the turf, or one on the turf, is one whose chief occupation or means of living is derived from running horses or betting on races. All men are equal on the turf and under it.— Lord George BentincTc. Turk. Slave, villain. A term of re- proach used by the Greeks of Constanti- nople. Turk Gregory. Gregory VII., called Hildebrand, a furious Churchman, who surmounted every obstacle to deprive the emperor of his right of investi- ture of. bishops. He was exceedingly disliked by the early reformers. Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms as I have done this day.— “1 Henry IV.,'* 3. Turkey. The turkey-red bird, the bird with a deep red wattle. It does not mean the bird that comes from Turkey, as it is a native of America. Turkisk Spy was written by John Paul Mara'na, an Italian, who had been imprisoned for conspiracy. After his release he retired to Mon'aco, where he wrote the History of the Plot.” Subse- quently he removed to Paris, and pro- duced his Turkish Spy,” in which he gives the history of the last age. The first three volumes are by far the best. (1642-1693.) Turncoat. The dominions of the duke of Saxony being between France and Savoy, one of the early dukes hit upon the device of a coat blue one side, and white the other. When he wished to be thought in the Spanish interest he wore the bffie outside ; when he wished to be considered in the French interest he wore the white outside. Whence he was named Emanuel Turncoat. — Scots^ Magazine, October, 1747. Without going to history, we have a G G G 2 916 TURNSPIT DOG. TWELFTH NIGHT. very palpable etymon in the French tourne-c6te (turn-side). {See Coat.) Turnspit Dog. One who has all the work but none of the profit ; he turns the spit but eats not of the roast. The allusion is to the dog used formerly to turn the spit in roasting. Topsel says, They go into a wheel, which they turn round about with the waight of their bodies, so dilligently that no drudge can do the feate more cunningly.” (1697.) Turpin, ArchUshop of Rhehns. A mythological contemporary of Charle- magne. His chronicle is supposed to be written at Vienne, in Dauphiny, whence it is addressed to Leoprandus, dean of Aquisgranensis (Aix-la-Chapelle). It was not really written till the end of the eleventh century, and the probable author was a canon of Barcelo'na. The romance turns on the expedition of Charlemagne to Spain in 777, to de- fend one of his allies from the aggres- sions of some neighbouring prince. Having conquered Navarre and Aragon, he returned to France. The chronicle says he invested Pampelu'na fpr three months without being able to take it ; he then tried what prayer could do, and the walls fell down of their own accord like those of Jericho. Those Saracens who consented to become Christians were spared ; the rest were put to the sword. Charlemagne then visited the sarcophagus of James, and Turpin bap- tised most of the neighbourhood. The king crossed the Pyrenees, but the rear commanded by Orlando was attacked by 50,000 Saracens, and none escaped but Orlando. Dich Turpin. A highwayman, executed at York for horse-stealing. His ride to York on his steed Black Bess is de- scribed in Ainsworth’s “ Rookwood.” Turveydrop. A man who lives on his son’s earnings ; but his son looks upon him as a perfect '^master of de- portment.” — Charles DickenSy Bleak House, Tussle. A struggle, a skirmish. A corruption of tousle (German, zauseiiy to pull) ; hence a dog is named Towser (pull’em down). In the Winter's Tale,” iv. iii., Autol'ycus says to the Shepherd, “I toze from thee thy business” (pump or draw out of thee). In " Measure for Measure,” Escalus says to the Duke,, We’ll touze thee joint by joint” (v. i.). Tut. A word used in Lincolnshire for a phantom, as the Spittal Hill Tut. Tom Tut will get you is a threat to frighten children. Tut-gotten is panic- struck. Our tush is derived from the word tut. Tuti villus. The demon who collects all the words skipped over or mutilated by priests in the performance of the services. These literary scraps or shreds he deposits in that pit which is said to be paved with "good resolutions” never brought to effect. — Piers Ploughman f p. 547 ; ‘‘ Townley Mysteries,' pp. 310, 319 ; &c. Twa Dogs of Robert Burns, per- haps suggested by the Spanish ‘ ' Colloquio- de Dos Ferros,” by Cervantes. Twangdillo, the fiddler, lost one leg and one eye by a stroke of lightning,, on the banks of the Ister. Yet still the merry bard without regret Bears his own ills, and with his sounding shell And comic phiz relieves his drooping friends . . . He tickles every string, to every note He bends his pliant neck, his single eye Twinkles with joy, his active stump beats time. ^ Somerville, Hobbinol,” \. Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Some say that signor Bononcini Compared to Handel is a ninny ; Whilst others vow that to him Handel Is hardly fit to hold a candle. Strange that such difference should be ’Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee. This refers to the feud between the- Bononcinists and Handelists. The duke of Marlborough and most of the nobility took Bononcini by the hand ; but the prince of Wales, with Pope and Arbuth- not, were for Handel. {See Gluckists.) Twelfth. Cake. The drawing for king and queen is a relic of the Roman Saturna'lia. At the close of this festi- val the Roman children drew lots with beans to see who would be king. Twelfth day is twelve days after Christmas, or the Epiphany. Twelfth iN’ight {Shakespeare). Tlio serious plot is taken from Belleforest’s " Histoires Tragiques ; ” and Belleforest borrowed the tale from Bandello of Piedmont, whose "Novelle” ranks next to the "Decamerone” of Boccaccio. The comic parts are of Shakespeare’s own invention. Bandello lived 1480-156L {See Beffana.) TWELVE. TWO. 917 Twelve. Each English archer carries ticelre Scotchmen under his girdle. This was a common saying at one time, be- cause the English were unerring archers, and each archer carried in his belt twelve arrows. — Sir Walter Scott, Tales of a Grandfather f vii. The Twelve. All the prelates of the Roman Catholic church. The pope idenifies himself with the “ Master,” and addresses those 700 prelates as the “ Twelve.” — The Times^ Dec. 11, 1869. Twelve Tables. The earliest code of Roman law, compiled by the decem- viri, and cut on twelve bronze tables or tablets. — Livy, iii. 57 ; Diodorus, xii. 56. Twiekenbam. The hard of Tioich- £nham. Alexander Pope, who lived there for thirty years. (1688-1744.) Twig. I tvoig you ; do you twig my meaning 1 I catch your meaning ; I un- derstand. Probably a corruption of the Saxon'Merb wit-an, to know, perceive ; Latin vid-eo. Twinkling. {See Bed-post.) Twins. One of the signs of the -constellation (May 21st to June 21st). When now no more the alternate twins are fired. Short is the doubtful empire of the night. Thomson^ “ Summer,” Twist {Oliver). A boy born in a workhouse, starved and ill-treated ; but always gentle, amiable, and pure-minded. Dickens’s novel so called. Twiteher. Jemmy Twitcher. A juame given to John lord Sandwich (1718-1792), noted for his liaison with Miss Ray, who was shot by the Rev. ‘^Captain” Hackman out of jealousy. His lordship’s shambling gait is memo- rialised in the Heroic Epistle.” See Jemmy Twitcher shambles— stop, stop thief I Twitten. A narrow alley. Two. The evil principle of Pytha- goras. Accordingly the second day of the second month of the year was sacred to Pluto, and was esteemed unlucky. Two an unluclcy number in our dynas- ties, TVitness Ethelred II. the Unready, forced to abdicate ; Harold II., slain at Hastings; William II., shot in New Forest; Henry II., who had to fight for his crown, &c. ; Edward II., murdered at Berkeley Castle ; Richard II., de- posed ; Charles II., driven into exile ; James II., forced to abdicate ; George II. was worsted at Fontenoy and Law- feld, his reign was troubled by civil war, and disgraced by general Braddock and admiral Byng. It does not seem much more lucky abroad: Charles II. of France, after a most unhappy reign, died of poison ; Charles II. of Navarre was called The Bad ; Charles II. of Spain ended his dynasty, and left his kingdom a wreck ; Charles II. of Anjou {le Boiteux) passed almost the whole of his life in captivity ; Charles II. of Savoy reigned only nine months, and died at the age of eight. Fran 9 ois II. of France was peculiarly unhappy, and after reigning less than two years sickened and died ; Napoleon II. never reigned at all ; Franz II. of Germany lost all his Rhine possessions, and in 1806 had to renounce his title of emperor. Friedrich II., emperor of Germany, was first anathematised, then excom- municated, then dethroned, and lastly poisoned. Jean II. of France, being conquered at Poitiers, was brought captive to Eng- land by the Black Prince; Juan II. of Aragon had to contend for his crown with his own son Carlos. It was Felipe II. of Spain who sent against England the ‘^Invincible Ar- mada;” it is Francesco II. of the Two Sicilies who has been driven from his throne by Garibaldi ; it was Romulus II. in whom terminated the empire of the West; Peter II. of Russia died at the age of fifteen, and he is a disgrace to the name of Menzikoff ; Pietro II. do Medicis was forced to abdicate, and died of shipwreck ; James II. of Scotland was shot by a cannon at the siege of Rox- burgh ; James II. of Majorca, after losing his dominions, was murdered. Alexander II. of Scotland had his king- dom laid under an interdict ; Alexander II., the pope, had to contend against Honorius II. the anti-pope ; Alexis II., emperor of the East, was placed under the ward of his mother and uncle, who so disgusted the nation by their cruelty that the boy was first dethroned, and then strangled; Andronicus II., emperor of Greece, was dethroned ; Henri II. of France made the disastrous peace called La Paix Malheureuse, and was killed by Montgomery in a tournament ; &c. &c. {See Jake and John.) 918 TWO EYES. TYEANT. Two Eyes of Glreece. Sparta. Athens and night, to-morrow ; not this year, as it is generally supposed. Two Gentlemen of Vero'na. The story of Protheus and Julia was borrowed from the pastoral romance of Diana,” by George of Montemayor, a Spaniard, translated into English by Bartholomew Younge in 1598. The love adventure of Julia resembles that of Viola, in Twelfth Night.” Two Sundays. When two Sundays meet. Never. {See Greek Calends.) Tybalt. A Capulet ; a fiery” young nohlQ.— Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.’" It is the name given to the cat in the story of ^^Eeynard the Fox.” Hence Mercutio says, Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk ? ” (iii. 1 ) ; and again, when Tybalt asks, What wouldst thou have with me?” Mercutio answers, ‘^Good king of cats ! nothing but one of your nine lives” (iii. 1). Tyburn is Twa-burne, the two rivulets ; ” so called because two small rivers met in this locality. Tyhurn's triple tree. A gallows, which consists of two uprights and a beam resting on them. Previous to 1783 Tyburn was the chief place of execution in London, and a gallows was perma- nently erected there. In the reign of Henry VIII. the average number of persons executed annually in England was 2,000. The present number is under twelve. Kings of Tyhurn. Public executioners. (^See Hangmen.) Tyburn Ticket. Under a statute of William III., prosecutors who had secured a capital conviction against a criminal were exempted from all parish and ward ofiices within the parish in which the felony had been committed. Such persons obtained a Tyburn Ticket, which was duly enrolled and might be sold. The Stamford Mercury (March 27th, 1818) announces the sale of one of these tickets for £280. The Act was repealed by 58 Geo. III., c. 70. Tybur'nia {Londori). Portman and Grosvenor Squares district, described by Thackeray as ‘Hhe elegant, the pros- perous, the polite Tyburnia, the most re- spectable district of the habitable globe.” T’Year— i.e., to-year; as to-day, to- ' Tyke. {See Tike.) Tyler Insurrection. That headed by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, in con- sequence of a poll-tax of three groats to defray the expenses of a war with France. (1381.) Tyl'wyth Teg (the Fair Family). A sort of Kobold family, but not of di-' minutive size. They lived in the lake- near Brecknock. — Davies, ‘^Mythology, c&c., of the British Druids.” Type. Pica {large type), “litera pica'ta,” the great black letter at the beginning of some new order in the liturgy. Brevier {small type), used in printing the breviary. Primer, now called ‘^long primer” {small type), used in printing small prayer-books called primers. A fount of types, A complete assort- ment, containing — a .. .. 8,500 h .. .. 6,400 o .. .. 8,^ '00 b .. .. 1,600 i .. .. 8,000 p .. .. 1,700 c .. .. 3,000 j .. .. 400 q .. . . 500 d .. .. 4,400 k .. .. 800 r .. .. 6;>oo e .. .. 12,000 1 .. .. 4,000 s .. .. 6,U00 f .. .. 2,500 m .. .. 3,000 t .. .. 9,000 g .. .. 1,700 n .. 8,000 u .. .. 3,400 1,2X> 2,';0O 4i>i> 2,000 200 Typhoon'. The evil genius of Egyp- tian mythology ; also a furious whirling wind in the Chinese seas. [Typhoon or typhon, the whirling wind, is really the Chinese tai-fun, hot wind.] Beneath the radiant line that girts the globe, The circling Ty'phon, whirled from point to point* Exhausting all the rage of all the sky. And dire Ecneph'ia reigns. Thomson, “ Summer P Tyr. Son of Odin, and younger bro- ther of Thor. The wolf Fenrir bit off his hand. — Scandinavian mythology. Tyrant did not originally mean a despot, but an absolute prince, and espe- cially one who made himself absolute in a free state. Napoleon III. would have- been so called by the ancient Greeks. Many of the Greek tyrants were pattern rulers, as Pisis'tratos and Pericles, of Athens ; Per'iander, of Corinth ; Dio- nysios the Younger, Gelon, and his bro- ther Hi'ero, of Syracuse ; Polyc'rates, of Samos ; Phi'dion, of Argos ; &c. &c. Tyrant of the Chersonese. Milti'ades was so called, and yet was he, as Byron says, Freedom’s best and bravest friend.” {See Thirty Tyrants.) TYRE. ULLIN. 919 A tyrant's vein. A ranting, bullying manner. In the old moralities the ty- rants were made to rant, and the loud- ness of their rant was proportionate to the villany of their dispositions. Hence to out-Herod Herod is to rant more loudly than Herod; to o’erdo Terma- gant is to rant more loudly than Terma- gant. {See Pilate.) Tyre, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom and Achitophel,” means Holland ; Egypt means France. I mourn, my countrymen, your lost estate. . .. Now aJl your liberties a spoil are made, Egypt and Tyrus intercept your trade. Tyrtaeus. The Spanish Tyrtmus. Manuel Jos^ Quinta'na, whose odes stimu- lated the Spaniards to vindicate their liberty at the outbreak of the War of Independence. (1772-1857.) U Ubaldo (in “ Jerusalem Delivered”). One of the squadron of adventurers that joined the Crusaders. He was ‘^mature in age,” had visited many regions, from polar cold to Libya’s burning soil,” and was the bosom friend of Guelpho. He and Charles the Dane go to bring Rinaldo back from the enchanted isle. Ube'da. Orbaneia, painter of Ubeda, sometimes painted a cock so prepos- terously designed that he was obliged to write under it, This is a cock.” — Cer- vanteSj Don Quixote,' pt. II., bk. i. 3. Uberto (in '^Orlando Furioso”). Count d’Este et de Commacchio. Ugly means hag-like. Mr. Dyer de- rives it from ouph-lic, like an ouph or goblin. The Welsh hagr, ugly, would rather point to hag-lie, like a hag ; but we need only go to the Old English verb ngge, to feel an abhorrence of, to stand in fear of. For tha payneg are so felle and harde., .. That ilk man may ugge bothe yhowng and awlde. Hampokt MS. JBowes, p. 189. Uglyog'raphy. A word coined by Southey, and applied to Churchyarde’s reformed ” spelling of English. Alex- ander Gil made an attempt in the same direction in his Logonomia Anglica” (1619). Dr. Franklin, in 1768, proposed a phonetic alphabet ; but that of Ellis and Pitman, completed in 1847, is pro- bably the best. Ugoli'no, count of Pisa, deserted his party the Ghibellines, and with the hope of usurping supreme power in Pisa formed an alliance with Giovanni Visconti, the head of the Guelphic party, who promised to supply him secretly with soldiers from Sardinia. The plot was found out, and both were banished. Giovanni died, but the latter joined the Forentines, and forced the Pisans to restore his terri- tories, In 1284 Genoa made war against Pisa, and count Ugoli'no treacherously deserted the Pisans, causing their total overthrow. At length a conspiracy was formed against him, and in 1288 he was cast with his two sons and two grandsons into the tower of Gualandi, where they were all starved to death. Dante, in his Inferno,” has given the sad tale an undying interest. N.B. Count Ugolino was one of the noble family of Gheradesca, and should be styled Ugolino Count of Gheradesca. Uka'se (2 syl.). A Russian term for an edict either proceeding from the senate or direct from the emperor. (Russian, ukasat, to speak.) Ul-Erin. ‘'The Guide of Ireland.” A star supposed to be the guardian of that island. — Ossian, ‘^Temora," iv. Ula'nia, queen of PerduTa or Islanda, sent a golden shield to Charlemagne^ which he was to give to his bravest paladin. Whoever could win the shield from this paladin was to claim the hand of Ulania in marriage. — “ Orlando Fun- oso," bk. XV. Ule'ma. In Turkey, either a member of the college or the college itself. The Ulema consists of the imaums, muftis, and cadis (ministers of religion, doctors of law, and administrators of justice). Ulien’sSon. Rodomont.—" Furioso," Ul'Ier. The god of archery and the chase. No one could outstrip him in his snow-shoes. — Scandinavian mythology. Ullin. Fingal’s aged bard. — Ossian. Lord Ullin's Daughter. A ballad by Campbell. She eloped with the chief of Ulva’s Isle, and being pursued, induced 920 ULRIC. UMBRAGE. a boatman to row them over Lochgyle during a storm, and the boat was over- whelmed just as Lord Ullin and l^is retinue reached the lake. In an agony of distress, he now promised to forgive the fugitives, but it was too late : “ the waters wild rolled o’er his child, and he was left lamenting.” Xirrie. Son of count Siegendorf. He rescued Stral'enheim from the Oder, but being informed by his father that the man he had saved is the great enemy of their house, he murders him. — Byron, *i W emery St, Ulric. Much honoured by fisher- men. He died 973 on ashes strewed in the form of a cross upon the floor. Ulri'ea. The sibyl in Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Hvanhoe.” Ulster. The Red Hand of Ulster. In an ancient expedition to Ireland the leader thereof declared that he who first touched the shore should possess the territory on which he lighted. O’Neil, from whom descended the princes of Ulster, seeing another boat likely to land before him, cut off his hand and threw it ashore. The ‘^red hand” was assigned by James as a badge of the baronets, whose duty it was to colonise the province. Ulster Badge. A sinister hand, erect, open, and couped at the wrist {gules), sometimes borne in a canton, and sometimes on the escutcheon. {See above.) Ulster King of Arms. Chief heraldic officer of Ireland. Created by Edward VI. in 1552. Ultima Thule. {See Thule.) Ultima'tum (JLatiri). A final pro- posal, which, if not accepted, will be followed by hostile proceedings. Ul'timum Vale {Latin), A finish- ing stroke, a final coup. Atropos. cutting off the thread of his life, gave an ultimum vale to my good fortune. — “ TAe tSeven Champions of Christendom,’' iii. 4. Urtimus Romano'rum. So Hora ce Walpolehas been sometimes called. (1717- 1797.) {See Last of the Romans.) Ultramontane Party. The ultra- Popish party in the Church of Rome, Ultramontane opinions or tendencies are those which favour the high Catholic” party, Ultramontane beyond the Alps”) means Italy or the Papal States. The term was first used by the French, to distinguish those who look upon the pope as the fountain of all power in the church, in contradistinction to the Gallican school, which maintains the right of self-government by national churches. Ulys'ses (3 syl.). King of Ith'aca, a small rocky island of Greece. He is represented in Homer’s Iliad ” as full of artifices, and, according to Virgil, hit upon the device of the wooden horse, by which Troy was ultimately taken. (The word means The Angry or Wrathfd.) After the fall of Troy, Ulysses was driven about by tempests for ten years before he reached home, and his adven- tures form the subject of Homer’s other epic, called the “ Odyssey.” Ulysses. When Palame'des summoned Ulysses to the Trojan war, he found him in a field ploughing with a team of strange animals, and sowing salt instead of barley. This he did to semble in- sanity, that he might be excused from the expedition. The incident is em- ployed to show what meagre shifts are sometimes resorted to, to shuffie out of plain duties. Ulysses' Bow. Only Ulysses could draw his own bow, and he could shoot an arrow through twelve rings. By this sign Penel'ope recognised her hus- band after an absence of twenty years. The Ulysses. Albert III., margrave of Brandenburg. He was also called Achilles ” {q.v.). (1414-1486.) The Ulysses of the Highlands. Sir Evan Cameron, lord of Lochiel, sur- named ^^The Black.” (Died 1719.) His son Donald was called ‘'The Gentle Lochiel.” (Lochiel pron. Loc-heel'.) Uma, consort of Siva, famous for her defeat of the army of Chanda and Munda, two demons. She is represented as hold- ing the head of Chanda in one of her four hands, and trampling on Munda. The heads of the army, strung into a necklace, adorn her body, and a girdle of the same surrounds her waist. Umber. The paint so called was first made in Umbria, Italy. Umbra. Obsequious Umbra, in Garth’s " Dispensary,”' is Dr. Gould. Umbrage. To take umbrage. To take offence. Umbrage means shade UMBRELLA. UNCUMBER. 921 (Latin, umbra), a gloomy view. A bright view of any matter is a cheerful or hope- ful one ; a gloomy or shady view is the contrary. Umbrella. First used in Edinburgh by Dr. Spens ; in Glasgow, 1780, by Jameson, a surgeon. Common in London 1710 . {^ee A City Shower," by Swift.) UmTbriel. A gnome or spirit of earth, who goes to the house of Spleen and is supplied by that goddess with a bag-full of sighs, sobs, passions, and cross words;” and a vial-full of ‘^soft sorrows, melting grief, and flowing tears.” When the baron cuts off Belinda’s lock of hair, Umbriel breaks the vial over her, and Belinda instantly begins to weep and sigh. — Pope, ‘‘ Fiape of the Loc%,” iv. U'na {Truth, so called because truth as one). She starts with St. George on his adventure, and being driven by a storm into ^‘Wandering Wood,” retires for the night to Hypocrisy’s cell. St. George quits the cell, leaving Una be- hind. In her search for him she is caressed by a lion, who afterwards attends her. She next sleeps in the hut of Superstition, and next morning meets Hypocrisy dressed as St. George. As they journey together Sansloy meets them, exposes Hypocrisy, kills the lion, and carries off Una on his steed to a wild forest. Una fills the air with her 4sbrieks, and is rescued by the fauns and satyrs, who attempt to worship her, but being restrained pay adoration to her ass. She is delivered from the satyrs and fauns by Sir Satyrane, and is told by Archima'go that St. George is dead, but subsequently hears that he is the captive of Orgoglio. She goes to king Arthur for aid, and the king both slays Orgoglio and rescues the knight. Una now takes St. George to the house of Holiness, where he is careRilly nursed, and then leads him to Eden, where their union is consummated. — Spenser, Faery Queen,** bk. i. (^See Lion.) Una Serranilla (a little mountain song), by Mendo'za, marquis of Santil- lana, godfather of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. This song, of European cele- brity, was composed on a little girl found by the marquis tending her father’s flocks on the hills, and is called ^^The Charming Milk-maiden of Sweet Fin'ojo'sa.” Un'anelRed (3 syl.). Without ex- treme unction. (Saxon cell means oil,” and an-cell to anoint with oil.”) Uncas, the son of Chingachcook ; called in French Le Cerf Agile (Deer- foot) ; introduced into three of Fenimore Cooper’s novels, viz. — ‘^The Last of the Mohicans,” “ The Path-finder,” and The Pioneer.” Un'cial Letters. Letters an inch in size. From the fifth to the ninth century. (Latin, uncia, an inch.) Uncle. Gone to my uncUs. Uncle’s is a pun on the Latin word uncus, a hook. Pawnbrokers employed a hook to lift ar- ticles pawned before spouts were adopted. ^^Grone to the uncus” is exactly tanta- mount to the more modern phrase, Up the spout.” The pronoun was inserted to carry out the pun. The French phrase, A ma tante does not mean To my aunt’s,” but to ^Hhe scoundrel’s,” the word tante in French argot being the most reproachful word they can use speaking of a man. Gone to my uncle's, in French (Test chez ma tante. At the pawnbroker’s. In French the concierge de prison is called uncle because the prisoners are ‘‘kept there in pawn” by Government. In the seventeenth century a usurer was called my uncle in the Walloon provinces, because of his near connection with spendthrifts, called in Latin nepotes, nephews. In publica'num sen foenerato'rem vulgo a Belgis voca'tum mon oncle, sea avuiiculum. (See p. 11. “ Epigramme.” imprime a Tournay, chez Adrien Quinque.) Uncle Toby. {See Toby.) Uncle Tom. A negro slave, noted for his fidelity, piety, and the faithful dis- charge of all his duties. Being sold he has to submit to the most revolting cruelties. — Mrs. Beecher Stowe, “ Uncle Tom's Cabin." Uncumber {St.), formerly called St. Wylgeforte. “Women changed her name ” (says Sir Thomas More) “ because they reken that for a pecke of otys she will not faile to uncumber them of their husbondys.” The tradition says that the saint was very beautiful, but wishing to lead a single life, prayed that she might 922 UNDEE THE EOSE. UNICOEN. have a beard, after which she was no more cumbered with lovers. '^For a peck of oats,” says Sir Thomas More, ^^she would provide a horse for an evil house- honde to ride to the Devill upon.” If a wife were weary of a husband, she offered oats at Ponies.... to St. Uncumber. — Woodc ( 1554 ). Under the Hose (^Suh to' so). Se- cretly, confidentially. Amongst the ancients the rose was an emblem of silence, and it was customary to suspend a rose from the ceiling of a banquet- room, to intimate to the guests that nothing said in that room was to be uttered abroad. (^See article Kose.) U n'd e r - e u r'r e n t metaphorically means something at work which has an opposite tendency to what is visible or apparent. Thus in the Puritan supre- macy there was a strong under-current of loyalty to the banished prince. Both in air and water there are frequently two currents, the upper one running in one direction, and the under one in another. Under Weigh.. The undertaking is already begun. A ship is said to be under weigh when it has drawn its an- chors from their moorings, and started on its voyage. Probably this should be under ^^way” — i,e., on the way, in the act of moving. We say the matter is under consideration, the bill is under discussion. Underwriter. An underwriter at Lloyd's. One who insures a ship or its merchandise to a stated amount ; so called because he writes his name under the policy. Undine' (2 syl.). The water-nymph, who was created without a soul like all others of her species. By marrying a mortal she obtained a soul, and with it all the pains and penalties of the human race.— Xa Motte Fonqu^, ^‘Undine." Bor- rowed from Theophrastus Paracelsus. Undines (2 syl.), according to middle- age belief, are the elemental spirits of water (Latin, unda, water). See Sylphs. Ungrateful. The Ungrateful Guest. A Macedonian soldier, being wrecked, was hospitably entertained in the house of a villager. When he appeared before Philip, the king asked him what service he could render him, and the soldier demanded the house of his entertainer ; but the circumstance being known, Philip ordered him to be branded on the fore- head with these words : “ The Ungrateful Guest.” Unguem. Ad unguem. To the mi- nutest point. To finish a statue ad un- guem is to finish it so smoothly and perfectly that when the nail is run over the surface it can detect no imperfection. Unhinged. I am quite unhinged. My nerves are shaken, my equilibrium of mind is disturbed ; I am like a door which has lost one of its hinges. Unhou'selled(3syl.). Without hav- ing had the Eucharist in the hour of death. To housel is to administer the “sacrament” to the sick in danger of death. Housel is the Saxon husel (the Eucharist). Lye derives it from the Gothic hunsa (a victim). U'nicorn. According to the legends of the middle ages, the unicorn could be caught only by placing a virgin in his haunts ; upon seeing the virgin, the creature would lose its fierceness and lie quiet at her feet. This is said to be an allegory of Jesus Christ, who willingly became man and entered the Virgin’s womb, when he was taken by the hunters of blood. The one horn symbolises the great gospel doctrine that Christ is one with God. — Guillaume Clerc de Norman- die Troiirere. The unicorn has the legs of a buck, the tail of a lion, the head and body of a horse, and a single horn in the middle of its forenead. The horn is white at the base, black in the middle, and red at the tip. The body of the unicorn is white, the head red, and eyes blue. The oldest author that describes it is Cte'sias (b.c. 400) ; Aristotle calls it the Wild Ass ; Pliny, the Indian Ass ; Lobo also describes it in his “ History of Abyssinia.” Unicorn, James I. substituted a uni- corn, one of the supporters of the royal arms of Scotland, for the red dragon of Wales, introduced by Henry VII. Ari- osto refers to the arms of Scotland thus : Ton lion placed two unicorns between, That rampant witSi a silver sword is seen. Is for the king of Scotland’s banner known. PfooZe, ill. Unicorn. According to a belief once popular, the unicorn by dipping its horn into a liquid could detect whether or not it contained poison. In the designs for gold and silver plate made for the emperor Eudolph II., by Ottavio Strada, UNIGEJNITUS. UNWASHED. 923 : ie a cup on which a unicorn stands as if to essay the liquid. Driving unicorn. Two wheelers and one leader. The leader is the one horn. (Latin, unum cornu, one horn.) Unigen'itus (Latin, The Only -Be- gotten'). A papal bull, so called from its opening sentence, Unigen'itus Dei Filius. It was issued in condemnation of Quesnel’s Reflexions Morales, which favoured Jansenism ; the bull was issued in 1713 by Clement XI., and was a damnatio in globo—i.e., a condemnation of the whole book without exception. Cardinal de Noailles, archbishop of Paris, took the side of Quesnel, and those who supported the archbishop against the pope were termed Appelants.” In 1730 the bull was condemned by the civil authorities of Paris, and the controversy died out. Union Jack. The national banner of Great Britain and Ireland. It consists of three united crosses — that of St. George for England, the saltire of St. Andrew for Scotland, and the cross of St. Patrick for Ireland. St. George’s cross, red on white. St. Andrew’s cross, white on blue. St. Patrick’s cross, red on white. In the Union Jack the white edging of St. George’s cross shows the white field. In the saltire the cross is reversed on each side, showing that the other half of the cross is covered over. The broad white band is the St. Andrew’s cross ; the narrow white edge is the white field of St. Patrick’s cross. In regard to the word Jack,” some say it is Jacque (James), the name of the king who united the flags, but this is not correct. When James I. came to the throne the flag was the cross of St. George, with the surcoat or jack usually embla- zoned with the red cross of St. George. James added the saltire of St, Andrew, but that of St. Patrick was not added till 1801. {Jacque, our ‘^jacket.”) Unita'rians, in England, ascribe their foundation to John Biddle. (1615- 1662.) Milton, Locke, Newton, Lardner, and many other men of historic note were Unitarians. United States. The thirty-six states of North America composing the Eederal Bepublic. Each state is repre- sented in the Federal Congress by twe senators, and a number of representa- tives proportionate to the number of inhabitants. The nickname of a United Statesman is K Brother Jonathan,” and of the people in the aggregate Brother Jonathan” {q.v.). U'nities. {See Aristotelian.) Universal Doctor. Alain de Lille. (1114-1203.) U'niverse (3 syh). According to the Peripatetics, the universe consists of eleven spheres enclosed within each other like Chinese balls. The eleventh sphere is called the empyre'an or heaven of ther blessed. {See Heaven.) U 'niver'sity. First applied to col- legiate societies of learning in the twelfth century, because the universitas litera'r^im (entire range of literature) was taught in them — i.e., arts,, theology, law, and physic, still called the ‘ ‘ learned ” sciences., Greek, Latin, grammar, rhetoric, and poetry are called humanity studied, or lamianiores literoe, meaning “ lay” studies in contradistinction to divinity, which is the study of divine things. {See Cad.) Unknown. The Great Unknown. Sir Walter Scott ; so called because the Waverley Novels were published anony- mously. It was James Ballantyne who first applied the term to the unknown novelist. Unlicked or Unlicked Cuh. A lout- ish, unmannerly youth. According to tradition, the bear cub is misshapen and imperfect till its dam has licked it into normal form. Unready {The). Ethelred II. — i.e., lacking rede (counsel). (*, 978-1016.) Unrigh-teous {Adok'imos'). St. Christopher’s name before baptism. It was changed to Christ-bearer because he carried over a stream a little child, who (according to tradition) proved to be Jesus Christ. Unwashed (2 syl.). It was Burke who first called the mob 'Hhe great un- washed,” but the term ‘‘unwashed * had 924 UPAS TREE. URGANDA. leen applied to them before, for Gay v