"the first martyr of the land," and dying for the faith's sake, left
his name to the country, where Offa subsequently reared to him "a rich
and sumptuous shrine, with a monastery attached."--Song xvi.
_Albion_, king of Briton, when O'beron held his court in what is now
called "Kensington Gardens." T. Tickell has a poem upon this subject.
_Albion wars with Jove's Son_. Albion, son of Neptune, wars with
Her'culês, son of Jove. Neptune, dissatisfied with the share of his
father's kingdom, awarded to him by Jupiter, aspired to dethrone
his brother, but Hercules took his father's part, and Albion was
discomfited.
Since Albion wielded arms against the son of
Jove.
M. Drayton, _Polyolbion_, iv. (1612).
ALBO'RAK, the animal brought by Gabriel to convey Mahomet to the
seventh heaven. It had the face of a man, the cheeks of a horse, the
wings of an eagle, and spoke with a human voice.
ALBUMA'ZAR, Arabian astronomer (776-885).
Chaunteclere, our cocke, must tell what is o'clocke,
By the astrologye that he hath naturally
Conceyued and caught; for he was never taught
By Albumazar, the astronomer,
Nor by Ptholomy, prince of astronomy.
J. Skelton, _Philip Sparoiv_ (time, Henry VIII.).
Alcestis or Alcestes, daughter of Pelias and wife of Admetus (_q. v_.)
On his wedding-day Admetus neglected to offer sacrifice to Diana and
was condemned to die, but Apollo induced the Fates to spare his life
if he could find a voluntary substitute. His wife offered to give her
life for his, and went away with death; but Hercules fought with Death
and restored Alcestes to her husband. This story is the subject of a
tragedy _Alcestes_, by Euripides. Milton alludes to the incident in
one of his sonnets:
Methought I saw my late espoused saint
Brought to me like Alcestes from the grave.
John Milton, Sonnet _On his deceased Wife_.
William Morris has made Alcestes the subject of one of the tales in
his _Earthly Paradise._
A variation of the story is found in Longfellow's _The Golden Legend_,
Henry of Hoheneck when dying was promised his life if a maiden could
be found who would give up her life for his. Elsie, the daughter
of Gottlieb, a tenant-farmer of the prince offered herself as a
sacrifice, and followed her lord to Sorrento to give herself up to
Lucifer; but Henry heard of it, and, moved by gratitude, saved Elsie
and made her his wife.
_Alceste_, the hero of Molière's comedy _Le Misanthrope_. He has a
pure and noble mind that has been soured and disgusted by intercourse
with the world. Courtesy he holds to be the vice of fops, and the
manners of society mere hypocrisy. He courts Célmène, a coquette and
her treatment of his love confirms his bad opinion of mankind.
AL'CHEMIST (_The_), the last of the three great comedies of Ben Jonson
(1610). The other two are _Vol'pone_ (2 _syl_.), (1605), and _The
Silent Woman_ (1609). The object of _The Alchemist_ is to ridicule
the belief in the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. The
alchemist is "Subtle," a mere quack; and "sir Epicure Mammon" is
the chief dupe, who supplies money, etc., for the "transmutation of
metal." "Abel Drugger" a tobacconist, and "Dapper" a lawyer's
clerk, are two other dupes. "Captain Face," _alias_ "Jeremy," the
house-servant of "Lovewit," and "Dol Common" are his allies. The whole
thing is blown up by the unexpected return of "Lovewit."
ALCIB'ADES (5 _syl._), the Athenian general. Being banished by the
senate, he marches against the city, and the senate, being unable to
offer resistance, open the gates to him (B.C. 450-404). This incident
is introduced by Shakespeare in _Timon of Athens_.
ALCIBI'ADES' TABLES represented a god or goddess outwardly, and
a Sile'nus, or deformed piper, within. Erasmus has a "curious
dissertation on these tables" (_Adage_, 667, edit. R. Stephens); hence
emblematic of falsehood and dissimulation.
Whose wants virtue is compared to these
False tables wrought by Alcibiades;
Which noted well of all were found t've bin
Most fair without, but most deformed within.
Wm. Browne, _Britannia's Pastorals_, i. (1613).
ALCI'DES, a name sometimes given to Hercules as the descendent of the
hero Alcoeus through his son Amphitryon (_q. v._) The name is applied
to any valiant hero.
The Tuscan poet [_Ariosto_] doth advance
The frantic paladin of France [_Orlando Furioso_];
And those more ancient do enhance
Alcidês in his fury.
M. Drayton, _Nymphidia_ (1563-1631).
Where is the great Alcidês of the field,
Valiant lord Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury?
Shakespeare, 1 _Henry VI_. act. iv. sc. 7 (1589).
ALCI'NA, Carnal Pleasure personified. In Bojardo's _Orlando
Innamorato_ she is a fairy, who carries off Astolfo. In Ariosto's
_Orlando Furioso_ she is a kind of Circê, whose garden is a scene of
enchantment. Alcina enjoys her lovers for a season, and then converts
them into trees, stones, wild beasts, and so on, as her fancy
dictates.
AL'CIPHRON, or _The Minute Philosopher_, the title of a work by bishop
Berkeley, so called from the name of the chief speaker, a freethinker.
The object of this work is to expose the weakness of infidelity.
_Al'ciphron_, "the epicurean," the hero of T. Moore's romance entitled
_The Epicurean_.
Like Aleiphron, we swing in air and darkness,
and know not whither the wind blows us.
--_Putnam's Magazine._
ALCME'NA (in Molière, _Alcmène_), the wife of Amphitryon, general
of the Theban army. While her husband is absent warring against the
Telebo'ans, Jupiter assumes the form of Amphitryon; but Amphitryon
himself returns home the next day, and great confusion arises between
the false and true Amphitryon, which is augmented by Mercury, who
personates Sos'ia, the slave of Amphitryon. By this amour of Jupiter,
Alcmena becomes the mother of Her'culês. Plautus, Molière, and Dryden
have all taken this plot for a comedy entitled _Amphitryon_.
ALCOFRI'BAS, the name by which Rabelais was called, after he came out
of the prince's mouth, where he resided for six months, taking toll of
every morsel of food that the prince ate. Pantag'ruel gave "the merry
fellow the lairdship of Salmigondin."--Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, ii. 32
(1533).
AL'COLOMB, "subduer of hearts," daughter of Abou Aibou of Damascus,
and sister of Ganem. The caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, in a fit of
jealousy, commanded Ganem to be put to death, and his mother and
sister to do penance for three days in Damascus, and then to be
banished from Syria. The two ladies came to Bag dad, and were taken in
by the charitable syndic of the jewellers. When the jealous fit of the
caliph was over he sent for the two exiles. Alcolomb he made his wife,
and her mother he married to his vizier.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Ganem,
the Slave of Love ").
ALCY'ON "the wofullest man alive," but once "the jolly shepherd swain
that wont full merrily to pipe and dance," near where the Severn
flows. One day he saw a lion's cub, and brought it up till it followed
him about like a dog; but a cruel satyr shot it in mere wantonness. By
the lion's cub he means Daphne, who died in her prime, and the cruel
satyr is death. He said he hated everything--the heaven, the earth,
fire, air, and sea, the day, the night; he hated to speak, to hear, to
taste food, to see objects, to smell, to feel; he hated man and woman
too, for his Daphne lived no longer. What became of this doleful
shepherd the poet could never ween. Alcyon is sir Arthur
Gorges.--Spencer, _Daphnaida_ (in seven fyttes, 1590).
And there is that Alcyon bent to mourn,
Though fit to frame an everlasting ditty.
Whose gentle sprite for Daphne's death doth turn
Sweet lays of love to endless plaints of pity.
Spenser, _Colin Clout's Come Home Again_ (1591).
ALCY'ONE or HALCYONE (4 _syl_.), daughter of Aeolus, who, on hearing
of her husband's death by shipwreck, threw herself into the sea, and
was changed to a kingfisher. (See HALCYON DAYS.)
ALDABEL'LA, wife of Orlando, sister of Oliver, and daughter of
Monodan'tês.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso, etc_. (1516).
_Aldabella_, a marchioness of Florence, very beautiful and
fascinating, but arrogant and heartless. She used to give
entertainments to the magnates of Florence, and Fazio was one who
spent most of his time in her society. Bian'ca his wife, being jealous
of the marchioness, accused him to the duke of being privy to the
death of Bartoldo, and for this offence Fazio was executed. Bianca
died broken-hearted, and Aldabella was condemned to spend the rest of
her life in a nunnery.--Dean Milman, _Fazio_ (a tragedy, 1815).
ALDEN (_John_), one of the sons of the Pilgrim fathers, in love with
Priscilla, the beautiful puritan. Miles Standish, a bluff old soldier,
wishing to marry Priscilla, asked John Alden to go and plead for him;
but the maiden answered archly, "Why don't you speak for yourself,
John!" Soon after this, Standish being reported killed by a poisoned
arrow, John spoke for himself, and the maiden consented. Standish,
however, was not killed, but only wounded; he made his reappearance
at the wedding, where, seeing how matters stood, he accepted the
situation with the good-natured remark:
If you would be served you must serve yourself;
and moreover
No man can gather cherries in Kent at the season
of Christmas.
Longfellow, _Courtship of Miles Standish_ (1858).
ALDIBORONTEPHOSCOPHORNIO _[Al'diboron'te-fos'co-for'nio]_, a character
in _Chrononhotonthologos_, by H. Carey.
(Sir Walter Scott used to call James Ballantyne, the printer, this
nickname, from his pomposity and formality of speech.)
AL'DIGER, son of Buo'vo, of the house of Clarmont, brother of
Malagi'gi and Vivian.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
AL'DINE (2 _syl_.), leader of the second squadron of Arabs which
joined the Egyptian armament against the crusaders. Tasso says of
the Arabs, "Their accents were female and their stature diminutive"
(xvii.).--Tasso, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).
AL'DINGAR _(Sir)_, steward of queen Eleanor, wife of Henry II. He
impeached the queen's fidelity, and agreed to prove his charge
by single combat; but an angel (in the shape of a little child)
established the queen's innocence. This is probably a blundering
version of the story of Gunhilda and the emperor Henry.--Percy,
_Reliques_, ii. 9.
ALDO, a Caledonian, was not invited by Fingal to his banquet on his
return to Morven, after the overthrow of Swaran. To resent this
affront, he went over to Fingal's avowed enemy, Erragon king of Sora
(in Scandinavia), and here Lorma, the king's wife, fell in love
with him. The guilty pair fled to Morven, which Erragon immediately
invaded. Aldo fell in single combat with Erragon, Lorma died of grief,
and Erragon was slain in battle by Graul, son of Morni.--_Ossian_
("The Battle of Lora").
ALDRICK the Jesuit, confessor of Charlotte countess of Derby.--Sir W.
Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).
ALDROVAND _(Father)_, chaplain of sir Raymond Berenger, the old Norman
warrior.--Sir W. Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).
ALDUS, father of Al'adine (3 _syl_), the "lusty knight."--Spenser,
_Faëry Queen_, vi. 3 (1596).
ALEA, a warrior who invented dice at the siege of Troy; at least so
Isidore of Seville says. Suidas ascribes the invention to Palamëdês.
Alea est ludus tabulae inventa a Graecis, in otio Trojani belli, a
quodam milite, nomine ALEA, a quo et ars nomen accepit.--Isidorus,
_Orig_. xviii. 57.
ALEC'TRYON, a youth set by Mars to guard against surprises, but he
fell asleep, and Apollo thus surprised Mars and Venus in each others'
embrace. Mars in anger changed the boy into a cock.
And from out the neighboring farmyard
Loud the cock Alectryon crowed.
Longfellow, _Pegasus in Pound_.
ALEC YEATON, the Gloucester skipper in T. B. Aldrich's ballad, _Alec
Yeaton's Son_.
The wind it wailed, the wind it moaned,
And the white caps flecked the sea;
"An' I would to God," the skipper groaned,
"I had not my boy with me!"
* * * * *
Long did they marvel in the town
At God His strange decree;
That let the stalwart skipper drown,
And the little child go free. (1890.)
ALE'RIA, one of the Amazons, and the best beloved of the ten wives of
Guido the Savage.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
ALESSANDRO, husband of the Indian girl Ramona, in Helen Hunt Jackson's
novel _Ramona_. The story of the young couple is a series of
oppressions and deceits practised by U. S. officials (1884). ALESSIO,
the young man with whom Lisa was living in concubinage, when Elvi'no
promised to marry her. Elvino made the promise out of pique, because
he thought Ami'na was not faithful to him, but when he discovered his
error he returned to his first love, and left Lisa to marry Alessio,
with whom she had been previously cohabiting.--Bellini's opera, _La
Sonnamlula_ (1831).
ALE'THES (3 _syl_.), an ambassador from Egypt to king Al'adine
(3 _syl_.); subtle, false, deceitful, and full of wiles.--Tasso,
_Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).
ALEXANDER PATOFF, brother of the young Russian who figures most
prominently in F. Marion Crawford's novel _Paul Patoff_. Alexander's
mysterious disappearance in a mosque leads to suspicions involving
his brother, even the mother of the two brothers accusing Paul of
fratricide (1887).
ALEX. WALTON, physician and suitor of Margaret Kent in _The Story of
Margaret Kent_, by Henry Hayes (Ellen Olney Kirke) (1886).
ALEXANDER THE GREAT, a tragedy by Nathaniel Lee (1678). In French we
have a novel called _Roman d'Alexandre_, by Lambert-li-cors (twelfth
century), and a tragedy by Racine (1665).
_Alexander an Athlete_. Alexander, being asked if he would run a
course at the Olympic games, replied, "Yes, if my competitors are all
kings."
_The Albanian Alexander_, George Castriot _(Scanderbeg_ or _Iscander
beg_, 1404-1467).
_The Persian Alexander_, Sandjar (1117-1158).
_Alexander of the North_, Charles XII. of Sweden (1682-1718).
_Alexander deformed_.
Ammon's great son one shoulder had too high.
Pope, _Prologue to the Satires_, 117.
_Alexander and Homer_. When Alexander invaded Asia Minor, he offered
up sacrifice to Priam, and then went to visit the tomb of Achilles.
Here he exclaimed, "O most enviable of men, who had Homer to sing thy
deeds!"
Which made the Eastern conqueror to cry,
"O fortunate young man! whose virtue found
So brave a trump thy noble deeds to sound."
Spenser, _The Ruins of Time_ (1591).
_Alexander and Parme'nio._ When Darius, king of Persia, offered
Alexander his daughter Stati'ra in marriage, with a dowry of 10,000
talents of gold, Parmenio said, "I would accept the offer, if I
were Alexander." To this Alexander rejoined, "So would I, if I were
Parmenio."
On another occasion the general thought the king somewhat too lavish
in his gifts, whereupon Alexander made answer, "I consider not what
Parmenio ought to receive, but what Alexander ought to give."
_Alexander and Perdiccas_. When Alexander started for Asia he divided
his possessions among his friends. Perdiccas asked what he had
left for himself. "Hope," said Alexander. "If hope is enough for
Alexander," replied the friend, "it is enough for Perdiccas also;" and
declined to accept anything.
_Alexander and Raphael_. Alexander encountered Raphael in a cave
in the mountain of Kaf, and being asked what he was in search of,
replied, "The water of immortality." Whereupon Raphael gave him a
stone, and told him when he found another of the same weight he would
gain his wish. "And how long," said Alexander, "have I to live?" The
angel replied, "Till the heaven above thee and the earth beneath thee
are of iron." Alexander now went forth and found a stone almost of the
weight required, and in order to complete the balance, added a little
earth; falling from his horse at Ghur he was laid in his armor on the
ground, and his shield was set up over him to ward off the sun. Then
understood he that he would gain immortality when, like the stone, he
was buried in the earth, and that his hour was come, for the earth
beneath him was iron, and his iron buckler was his vault of heaven
above. So he died.
_Alexander and the Robber_. When Dion'idês, a pirate, was brought
before Alexander, he exclaimed, "Vile brigand! How dare you infest
the seas with your misdeeds?" "And you," replied the pirate, "by what
right do you ravage the world? Because I have only one ship, I
am called a brigand, but you who have a whole fleet are termed a
conqueror." Alexander admired the man's boldness, and commanded him to
be set at liberty.
_Alexander's Beard_, a smooth chin, or a very small beard. It is said
that Alexander the Great had scarcely any beard at all.
Disgracèd yet with Alexander's bearde.
G. Gascoigne, _The Steele Glas_ (died 1577).
_Alexander's Runner_, Ladas.
ALEXAN'DRA, daughter of Oronthea, queen of the Am'azons, and one of
the ten wives of Elba'nio. It is from this person that the land of the
Amazons was called Alexandra.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
ALEX'IS, the wanton shepherd in _The Faithful Shepherdess_, a pastoral
drama by John Fletcher (1610).
ALFA'DER, the father of all the Asen _(deities)_ of Scandinavia,
creator and governor of the universe, patron of arts and magic, etc.
ALFONSO, father of Leono'ra d'Este, and duke of Ferrara, Tasso the
poet fell in love with Leonora. The duke confined him as a lunatic for
seven years in the asylum of Santa Anna, but at the expiration of that
period he was released through the intercession of Vincenzo Gonzago,
duke of Mantua. Byron refers to this in his _Childe Harold_, iv. 36.
_Alfonso XI_ of Castile, whose "favorite" was Leonora de
Guzman.--Donizetti, _La Favorita_ (an opera, 1842).
_Alfon'so (Don)_, of Seville, a man of fifty and husband of donna
Julia (twenty-seven years his junior), of whom he was jealous without
cause.--Byron, _Don Juan_, i.
_Alfon'so_, in Walpole's tale called _The Castle of Otranto_, appears
as an apparition in the moonlight, dilated to a gigantic form (1769).
ALFRED AS A GLEEMAN. Alfred, wishing to know the strength of the
Danish camp, assumed the disguise of a minstrel, and stayed in the
Danish camp for several days, amusing the soldiers with his harping
and singing. After he had made himself master of all he required,
he returned back to his own place.--William of Malmesbury (twelfth
century).
William of Malmesbury tells a similar story of Anlaf, a Danish king,
who, he says, just before the battle of Brunanburh, in Northumberland,
entered the camp of king Athelstan as a gleeman, harp in hand; and so
pleased was the English king that he gave him gold. Anlaf would not
keep the gold, but buried it in the earth.
ALGARSIFE (3 _syl_.), and Cam'ballo, sons of Cambuscan' king of
Tartary, and Elfêta his wife. Algarsife married Theodora.
I speak of Algarsife,
How that he won Theodora to his wife.
Chaucer, _The Squire's Tale_ AL'GEBAR' ("_the giant_"). So the
Arabians call the constellation Orion.
Begirt with many a blazing star,
Stood the great giant Algebar--
Orion, hunter of the beast.
Longfellow, _The Occultation of Orion_.
AL'I, cousin and son-in-law of Mahomet. The beauty of his eyes is
proverbial in Persia. _Ayn Hali_ ("eyes of Ali") is the highest
compliment a Persian can pay to beauty.--Chardin.
ALI BABA, a poor Persian wood-carrier, who accidentally learns the
magic words, "Open Sesamê!" "Shut Sesamê!" by which he gains entrance
into a vast cavern, the repository of stolen wealth and the lair of
forty thieves. He makes himself rich by plundering from these stores;
and by the shrewd cunning of Morgiana, his female slave, the captain
and his whole band of thieves are extirpated. In reward of these
services, Ali Baba gives Morgiana her freedom, and marries her to his
own son.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Ali Baba or the Forty Thieves").
AL'ICE (2 _syl_.), sister of Valentine, in _Mons. Thomas_, a comedy by
Beaumont and Fletcher (1619).
_Al'ice_ (2 _syl_.), foster-sister of Robert le Diable, and bride of
Rambaldo, the Norman troubadour, in Meyerbeer's opera of _Roberto
il Diavolo_. She comes to Palermo to place in the duke's hand his
mother's "will," which he is enjoined not to read till he is a
virtuous man. She is Robert's good genius, and when Bertram, the
fiend, claims his soul as the price of his ill deeds, Alice, by
reading the will, reclaims him.
_Al'ice_ (2 _syl_.), the servant-girl of dame Whitecraft, wife of the
innkeeper at Altringham.--Sir W. Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time,
Charles II.).
_Al'ice_, the miller's daughter, a story of happy first love told in
later years by an old man who had married the rustic beauty. He was a
dreamy lad when he first loved Alice, and the passion roused him into
manhood. (See ROSE.)--Tennyson, _The Miller's Daughter_.
_Al'ice (The Lady_), widow of Walter, knight of Avenel (2 _syl_).--Sir
W. Scott, _The Monastery_ (time, Elizabeth).
_Al'ice_ [GRAY], called "Old Alice Gray," a quondam tenant of the lord
of Ravenswood. Lucy Ashton visits her after the funeral of the old
lord.--Sir W. Scott, _Bride of Lammermoor_ (time, William III.).
_Alice Munro_, one of the sisters taken captive by Indians in Cooper's
_Last of the Mohicans_ (1821).
ALICHI'NO. a devil in Dante's _Inferno_.
ALICIA gave her heart to Mosby, but married Arden for his position. As
a wife, she played falsely with her husband, and even joined Mosby in
a plot to murder him. Vacillating between love for Mosby and
respect for Arden, she repents, and goes on sinning; wishes to get
disentangled, but is overmastered by Mosby's stronger will. Alicia's
passions impel her to evil, but her judgment accuses her and prompts
her to the right course. She halts, and parleys with sin, like Balaam,
and of course is lost.--Anon., _Arden of Feversham_ (1592).
_Alic'ia_, "a laughing, toying, wheedling, whimpering she," who once
held lord Hastings under her distaff, but her annoying jealousy,
"vexatious days, and jarring, joyless nights," drove him away from
her. Being jealous of Jane Shore, she accused her to the duke of
Gloster of alluring lord Hastings from his allegiance, and the lord
protector soon trumped up a charge against both; the lord chamberlain
he ordered to execution for treason, and Jane Shore he persecuted for
witchcraft. Alicia goes raving mad.--Rowe, _Jane Shore_ (1713).
_Alic'ia_ (_The lady_), daughter of lord Waldemar Fitzurse.--Sir W.
Scott, _Ivanhoe_ (time, Richard I.).
ALICK [POLWORTH], one of the servants of Waverley.--Sir W. Scott,
_Waverley_ (time, George II.).
ALIFAN'FARON, emperor of the island Trap'oban, a Mahometan, the suitor
of Pentap'olin's daughter, a Christian. Pentapolin refused to sanction
this alliance, and the emperor raised a vast army to enforce his
suit. This is don Quixote's solution of two flocks of sheep coming
in opposite directions, which he told Sancho were the armies of
Alifanfaron and Pentapolin.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. iii. 4
(1605).
Ajax the Greater had a similar encounter. (See AJAX.)
ALIN'DA, daughter of Alphonso, an irascible old lord of
Sego'via.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Pilgrim_ (1621).
(_Alinda_ is the name assumed by young Archas when he dresses in
woman's attire. This young man is the son of general Archas, "the
loyal subject" of the great duke of Moscovia, in the drama by Beaumont
and Fletcher, called _The Loyal Subject_, 1618.)
ALIPRANDO, a Christian knight, who discovered the armor of Rinaldo,
and took it to Godfrey. Both inferred that Rinaldo had been slain, but
were mistaken.--Tasso, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).
AL'IRIS, sultan of Lower Buchar'ia, who, under the assumed name of
Fer'amorz, accompanies Lalla Rookh from Delhi, on her way to be
married to the sultan. He wins her love, and amuses the tedium of the
journey by telling her tales. When introduced to the sultan, her joy
is unbounded on discovering that Feramorz the poet, who has won her
heart, is the sultan to whom she is betrothed.--T. Moore, _Lalla
Rookh_.