=Rosa´na=, daughter of the Armenian queen who helped St. George to quench
the seven lamps of the knight of the Black Castle.--R. Johnson, _The
Seven Champions of Christendom_, ii. 8, 9 (1617).
=Roscius= (_Quintus_), the greatest of Roman actors (died B.C. 62).
What scene of death hath Roscius now to act?
Shakespeare, 3 _Henry VI._ act v. sc. 6 (1592).
_Roscius_ (_The British_), Thomas Betterton (1635-1710), and David
Garrick (1716-1779).
⁂ The earl of Southampton says that Richard Burbage “is famous as our
English Roscius” (1566-1619).
_Roscius_ (_The Irish_), Spranger Barry, “The Silver Tongued”
(1719-1777).
_Roscius_ (_The Young_), William Henry West Betty, who, in 1803, made
his _début_ in London. He was about 12 years of age, and in fifty-six
nights realized £34,000. He died, aged 84, in 1874.
=Roscius of France= (_The_), Michel Boyron or Baron (1653-1729).
=Roscrana=, daughter of Cormac, king of Ireland (grandfather of that
Cormac murdered by Cairbar). Roscra´na is called “the blue-eyed and
white-handed maid,” and was “like a spirit of heaven, half folded in the
skirt of a cloud.” Subsequently she was the wife of Fingal, king of
Morven, and mother of Ossian, “king of bards.”--Ossian, _Temora_, vi.
⁂ Cormac, the father of Roscrana, was great-grandfather of that Cormac
who was reigning when Swaran made his invasion. The line ran thus: (1)
Cormac I., (2) Cairbre, his son, (3) Artho, his son, (4) Cormac II.,
father-in-law of Fingal.
=Rose=, “the gardener’s daughter,” a story of happy first love, told in
later years by an old man who had, in his younger days, trifled with the
passion of love; but, like St. Augustin, was always “loving to love”
(_amans amāre_), and was at length heart-smitten with Rose, whom he
married. (See ALICE.)--Tennyson, _The Gardener’s Daughter_.
_Rose._ Sir John Mandeville says that a Jewish maid of Bethlehem (whom
Southey names Zillah) was beloved by one Ham´uel, a brutish sot. Zillah
rejected his suit, and Hamuel, in revenge, accused the maiden of
offences for which she was condemned to be burned alive. When brought to
the stake, the flames burnt Hamuel to a cinder, but did no harm to
Zillah. There she stood, in a garden of roses, for the brands which had
been kindled became red roses, and those which had not caught fire
became white ones. These are the first roses that ever bloomed on earth
since the loss of paradise.
As the fyre began to brenne about hire, she made her preyeres to
oure Lord ... and anon was the fayer quenched and oute, and brondes
that weren brennynge becomen white roseres ... and theise werein
the first roseres that ever ony man saughe.--Sir John Maundeville,
_Voiage and Traivaile_.
_Rose._ According to Mussulman tradition, the rose is thus accounted
for: When Mahomet took his journey to heaven, the sweat which fell on
the earth from the prophet’s forehead produced _White_ roses, and that
which fell from Al Borak´ (the animal he rode) produced _yellow_ ones.
_Rose._
The gentle name that shows
Her love, her loveliness, and bloom
(Her only epitaph a rose)
Is growing on her tomb!
John James Piatt, _Poems of House and Home_ (1879).
=Rose of Aragon= (_The_), a drama by S. Knowles (1842). Olivia, daughter
of Ruphi´no (a peasant), was married to Prince Alonzo of Aragon. The
king would not recognize the match, but sent his son to the army, and
made the cortez pass an act of divorce. A revolt having been organized,
the king was dethroned, and Almagro was made regent. Almagro tried to
marry Olivia, and to murder her father and brother, but the prince
returning with the army made himself master of the city, Almagro died of
poison, the marriage of the prince and peasant was recognized, the
revolt was broken up, and order was restored.
=Rose of Har´pocrate= (3 _syl._). Cupid gave Harpocrate a rose, to bribe
him not to divulge the amours of his mother, Venus.
Red as a rose of Harpocrate.
E. B. Browning, _Isobel’s Child_, iii.
=Rose of Paradise.= The roses which grew in paradise had no thorns.
“Thorns and thistles” were unknown on earth till after the Fall (_Gen._
iii. 18). Both St. Ambrose and St. Basil note that the roses in Eden
had no thorns, and Milton says, in Eden bloomed “Flowers of all hue, and
without thorn the rose.”--_Paradise Lost_, iv. 256 (1665).
=Rose of Raby=, the mother of Richard III. This was Cicely, daughter of
Ralph de Nevill of Raby, earl of Westmoreland.
=Rose Vaughan.= Lover of “Yone” Willoughby, in _The Amber Gods_. He has
super-refined and poetical tastes; delights and revels in beauty, and
until he met Yone had admired her gentle sister. The siren, Yone, sets
herself to win him and succeeds. Marriage disenchants him and the
knowledge of this maddens her into something akin to hatred. Yet she
dies begging him to kiss her. “I am your Yone! I forgot a little
while,--but I love you, Rose, Rose!”--Harriet Prescott Spofford, _The
Amber Gods_ (1863).
=Rose of York=, the heir and head of the York faction.
When Warwick perished, Edmund de la Pole became the Rose of York,
and if this foolish prince should be removed by death ... his young
and clever brother [_Richard_] would be raised to the rank of Rose
of York.--W. H. Dixon, _Two Queens_.
=Roses= (_War of the_). The origin of this expression is thus given by
Shakepeare:[TN-136]
_Plant._ Let him that is a true-born gentleman ...
If he supposes that I have pleaded truth,
From off this briar pluck a white rose with me.
_Somerset._ Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer,
But dare maintain the party of the truth,
Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me.
Whereupon Warwick plucked a white rose and joined the Yorkists, while
Suffolk plucked a red one and joined the Lancastrians.--Shakespeare, 1
_Henry VI._ act ii. sc. 4 (1589).
=Rosemond=, daughter of Cunimond, king of the Gepidæ. She was compelled to
marry Alboin, king of the Lombards, who put her father to death A.D.
567. Alboin compelled her to drink from the skull of her own father, and
Rosemond induced Peride´us (the secretary of Helmichild, her lover), to
murder the wretch (573). She then married Helmichild, fled Ravenna, and
sought to poison her second husband, that she might marry Longin, the
exarch; but Helmichild, apprised of her intention, forced her to drink
the mixture she had prepared for him. This lady is the heroine of
Alfieri’s tragedy called _Rosemonde_ (1749-1803). (See ROSAMOND.)
=Ro´sencrantz=, a courtier in the court of Denmark, willing to sell or
betray his friend and schoolfellow, Prince Hamlet, to please a
king.--Shakespeare, _Hamlet_ (1596).
=Rosetta=, the wicked sister of Brunetta and Blon´dina, the mothers of
Cherry and Fairstar. She abetted the queen-mother in her wicked designs
against the offspring of her two sisters, but, being found out, was
imprisoned for life.--Comtesse D’Aunoy, _Fairy Tales_ (“Princess
Fairstar,” 1682).
_Rosetta_, a bright, laughing little coquette, who runs away from home
because her father wants her to marry young Meadows, whom she has never
seen. She enters the service of Justice Woodcock. Now, it so happens
that Sir William Meadows wishes his son to marry Rosetta, whom he has
never seen, and he also runs away from home, and under the name of
Thomas becomes gardener to Justice Woodcock. Rosetta and young Meadows
here fall in love with each other, and the wishes of the two fathers are
accomplished.--Isaac Bickerstaff, _Love in a Village_ (1763).
In 1786 Mrs. Billington made her _début_ in “Rosetta,” at once
dazzling the town with the brilliancy of her vocalization and the
flush of her beauty.--C. R. Leslie.
=Rosetta [Belmont]=, daughter of Sir Robert Belmont. Rosetta is
high-spirited, witty, confident, and of good spirits. “If you told her a
merry story, she would sigh; if a mournful one, she would laugh. For
_yes_ she would say ‘no,’ and for _no_, ‘yes.’” She is in love with
Colonel Raymond, but shows her love by teasing him, and Colonel Raymond
is afraid of the capricious beauty.--Edward Moore, _The Foundling_
(1748).
=Rosiclear and Donzel del Phebo=, the heroine and hero of the _Mirror of
Knighthood_, a mediæval romance.
=Rosinan´te= (4 _syl._), the steed of Don Quixote. The name implies “that
the horse had risen from a mean condition to the highest honor a steed
could achieve, for it was once a cart-horse, and was elevated into the
charger of a knight-errant.”--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. ii. 1 (1605).
Rosinante was admirably drawn, so lean, lank, meagre, drooping,
sharp-backed, and raw-boned, as to excite much curiosity and
mirth.--Pt. I. ii. 1.
=Rosiphele= (3 _syl._), princess of Armenia; of surpassing beauty, but
insensible to love. She is made to submit to the yoke of Cupid, by a
vision which befalls her on a May-day ramble.--Gower, _Confessio
Amantis_ (1393).
=Rosmonda=, a tragedy in Italian, by John R. Ruccellai (1525). This is one
of the first regular tragedies of modern times. _Sophonisba_, by
Trissino, preceded it, being produced in 1514, and performed in 1515.
=Rosny= (_Sabina_), the young wife of Lord Sensitive. “Of noble parents,
who perished under the axe in France.” The young orphan, “as much to be
admired for her virtues, as to be pitied for her misfortunes,” fled to
Padua, where she met Lord Sensitive.--Cumberland, _First Love_ (1796).
=Ross= (_Lord_), an officer in the king’s army, under the duke of
Monmouth.--Sir W. Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).
_Ross_ (_The Man of_), John Kyrle, of Whitehouse, in Gloucestershire. So
called because he resided in the village of Ross, Herefordshire. Kyrle
was a man of unbounded benevolence, and beloved by all who knew him.
⁂ Pope celebrates him in his _Moral Essays_, iii. (1709).
=Rosse= (2 _syl._), the sword which the dwarf Elberich gave to Otwit, king
of Lombardy. It was so keen that it left no gap where it cut.
Balmung, the sword forged by Wieland, and given to Siegfried, was so
keen that it clove Amilias in two without his knowing it, but when he
attempted to move he fell asunder.
This sword to thee I give; it is all bright of hue,
Whatever it may cleave, no gap will there ensue.
From Almari I brought it, and Rossê is its name.
_The Heldenbuch._
=Rostocostojambedanesse= (_M. N._), author of _After Beef,
Mustard_.--Rabelais, Pantagruel, ii. 7 (1533).
=Rothmar=, chief of Tromlo. He attacked the vassal kingdom of Croma, while
the under-king, Crothar, was blind with age, resolving to annex it to
his own dominion. Crothar’s son, Fovar-Gormo, attacked the invader, but
was defeated and slain. Not many days after, Ossian (one of the sons of
Fingal) arrived with succors, renewed the battle, defeated the
victorious army, and slew the invader.--Ossian, _Croma_.
=Rothsay= (_The duke of_) prince Robert, eldest son of Robert III. of
Scotland.
_Margaret, duchess of Rothsay._--Sir W. Scott, _Fair Maid of Perth_
(time, Henry IV.).
=Rou= (_Le Roman de_), a metrical and mythical history, in Norman-French,
of the dukes of Normandy, from Rollo downwards, by Robert Wace (author
of _Le Brut_).
⁂ Rou’, that is, _Roul_, the same as Rollo.
=Roubigné= (_Julie de_), the heroine and title of a novel by Henry
Mackenzie (1783).
=Rougedragon= (_Lady Rachel_), the former guardian of Lilias
Redgauntlet.--Sir W. Scott, _Redgauntlet_ (time, George III.).
=Rouncewell= (_Mrs._), housekeeper at Chesney Wold to Lord and Lady
Dedlock, to whom she is most faithfully attached.--C. Dickens, _Bleak
House_ (1823).
=Round Table= (_The_), a table made at Carduel, by Merlin, for Uther, the
pendragon. Uther gave it to King Leodegraunce, of Camelyard, and when
Arthur married Guinever (the daughter of Leodegraunce), he received the
table with a hundred knights as a wedding present (pt. i. 45). The
table would seat 150 knights (pt. iii. 36), and each seat was
appropriated. One of them was called the “Siege Perilous,” because it
was fatal for any one to sit therein, except the knight who was destined
to achieve the Holy Graal (pt. iii. 32). King Arthur instituted an order
of knighthood called “the knights of the Round Table,” the chief of whom
were Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Lamerock, or Lamorake. The
“Siege Perilous” was reserved for Sir Galahad, the son of Sir Launcelot
by Elaine.--Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_ (1470).
⁂ There is a table shown at Winchester, as “Arthur’s Round Table,” but
it corresponds in no respect with the Round Table described in the
_History of Prince Arthur_. Round Tables are not unusual, as Dr. Percy
has shown, with other kings in the times of chivalry. Thus, the king of
Ireland, father of Christabelle, had his “knights of the Round
Table.”--See “Sir Cauline,” in Percy’s _Reliques_.
In the eighth year of Edward I., Roger de Mortimer established at
Kenilworth, a Round Table for “the encouragement of military pastimes.”
Some seventy years later, Edward III. had his Round Table at Windsor; it
was 200 feet in diameter.
=Rousseau= (_Jean Jacques_) used to say that all fables which ascribe
speech and reason to dumb animals ought to be withheld from children, as
being only vehicles of deception.
I shall not ask Jean Jacques Rousseau
If birds confabulate or no;
’Tis clear that they were always able
To hold discourse--at least in fable.
Cowper, _Pairing-Time Anticipated_ (1782).
=Roustam= or =Rostam=, the Persian Herculês. He was the son of Zal, and a
descendant of Djamshid At one time Roustam killed 1000 Tartars at a
blow; he slew dragons, overcame devils, captured cities, and performed
other marvellous exploits. This mighty man of strength fell into
disgrace for refusing to receive the doctrines of Zoroaster, and died by
the hand of one of his brothers named Scheghad (sixth century B.C.).
=Routledge= (_Harold_). First love of _Lilian Westbrook_, in _The Banker’s
Daughter_. They have a lover’s quarrel and separate. Lilian, to save her
father from poverty, marries another man. Meeting Harold in after years,
her love revives. When he challenges a Frenchman who has spoken lightly
of her, she follows him to the field in time to receive his last breath
and sob in his ear--“I have loved you--you only--from the
first.”--Bronson Howard, _The Banker’s Daughter_, (1878).
=Rover=, a dissolute young spark, who set off vice “as naughty but yet
nice.”--Mrs. Behn, _The Rover_ (1680).
William Mountford [1660-1692] had so much in him of the agreeable,
that when he played “The Rover,” it was remarked by many, and
particularly by Queen Mary, that it was dangerous to see him
act--he made vice so alluring.--C. Dibdin, _History of the Stage_.
=Rovewell= (_Captain_), in love with Arethusa, daughter of Argus. The
lady’s father wanted her to marry Squire Cuckoo, who had a large estate;
but Arethusa contrived to have her own way and marry Captain Rovewell,
who turned out to be the son of Ned Worthy, who gave the bridegroom
£30,000.--Carey, _Contrivances_ (1715).
=Rowe= (_Nicholas_), poet-laureate (1673, 1714-1718). The monument in
Westminster Abbey to this poet was by Rysbrack.
=Rowena= (_The lady_), of Hargettstanstede, a ward of Cedric the Saxon, of
Rotherwood. She marries Ivanhoe.--Sir W. Scott, _Ivanhoe_ (time, Richard
I.).
=Rowland= (_Childe_), youngest brother of Helen. Under the guidance of
Merlin, he undertook to bring back his sister from elf land, whither the
fairies had carried her, and he succeeded in his perilous exploit.--_An
Ancient Scotch Ballad._
=Rowland for an Oliver= (_A_), a tit for tat; getting as good as you gave.
Rowland (or Roland) and Oliver were two of Charlemagne’s paladins, so
much alike in prowess and exploits that they might be described as
“fortemque Gyan, fortemque Cloanthum” (_Æneid_, i. 222).
Och! Mrs. Mustard-pot, have you found a Rowland for your Oliver at
last?--T. Knight, _The Honest Thieves_.
=Rowley=, one of the retainers of Julia Avenel (2 _syl._).--Sir W. Scott,
_The Monastery_ (time, Elizabeth).
_Rowley_ (_Master_), formerly steward of Mr. Surface, Sr., the friend of
Charles Surface, and the _fidus Achātês_ of Sir Oliver Surface, the rich
uncle.--Sheridan, _School for Scandal_ (1777).
_Rowley_ (_Thomas_), the hypothetical priest of Bristol, said by
Chatterton to have lived in the reigns of Henry VI. and Edward IV., and
to have written certain poems, of which Chatterton himself was the
author.
=Rowley Overdees=, a highwayman.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time,
George II.).
=Roxa´na=, daughter of Oxyartês of Bactria, and wife or concubine of
Alexander the Great. Proud, imperious, and relentless, she loved
Alexander with a madness of love; and being jealous of Statīra, daughter
of King Darius, and wife of Alexander, she stabbed her and slew her.--N.
Lee, _Alexander the Great_ (1678).
So now am I as great as the famed Alexander; but my dear Statīra
and Roxana, don’t exert yourselves so much about me.--Mrs.
Centlivre, _The Wonder_, iii. 1 (1714).
=Roxa´na and Stati´ra.= Dr. Doran says that Peg Woffington (as “Roxana”),
jealous of Mrs. Bellamy (as “Statira”) because she was better dressed,
pulled her to the floor when she left the stage, and pummeled her with
the handle of her dagger, screaming as she did so:
Nor he, nor heaven, shall shield thee from my justice.
Die, sorceress, die! and all my wrongs die with thee?
_Table Traits._
Campbell tells a very similar story of Mrs. Barry (“Roxana”) and Miss
Boutwell (“Statira”). The stage-manager had given to Miss Boutwell a
lace veil, and Mrs. Barry, out of jealousy, actually stabbed her rival
in acting, and the dagger went a quarter of an inch through the stays
into the flesh.
=Royal Mottoes= or LEGENDS.
_Dieu et mon droit_, Richard I.
_Honi soit qui mal y pense_, Edward III.
_Semper eadem_, Elizabeth and Anne.
_Je maintiendrai_, William III.
=Royal Style of Address.=
“My Liege,” the usual style till the Lancastrian usurpation.
“Your Grace,” Henry IV.
“Your Excellent Grace,” Henry VI.
“Most High and Mighty Prince,” Edward IV.
“Your Highness,” Henry VII.
“Your Majesty,” Henry VIII. So addressed in 1520, by François I.
“The King’s Sacred Majesty,” James I.
“Your Most Excellent Majesty,” Charles II.
“Your Most Gracious Majesty,” the present style.
=Royal Titles.=
WILLIAM I. called himself “Rex Anglorum, comes Normannorum et
Cinomanentium.”
WILLIAM II. called himself “Rex Anglorum,” or “Monarchicus
Britanniæ.”
HENRY I. called himself “Rex Anglorum et dux Normannorum.”
Subsequent to 1106 we find “Dei gratia” introduced in charters.
HENRY II. called himself “Rex Anglorum, et dux Normannorum et
Aquitannorum, et comes Andegavorum;” or “Rex Angliæ, dux Normanniæ
et Aquitaniæ, et comes Andegaviæ.”
RICHARD I. began his charters with “Dei gratia, rex Angliæ, et dux
Normaniæ et Aquitaniæ, et comes Andegaviæ.”
JOHN headed his charters with “Johannes, D.G. rex Angliæ, dominus
Hiberniæ, dux Normanniæ et Aquitaniæ, et comes Andegaviæ.” Instead
of “Hiberniæ” we sometimes find “Iberniæ,” and sometimes “Yberniæ.”
HENRY III. followed the style of his father till October, 1259,
when he adopted the form “D.G. rex Angliæ, dominus Hiberniæ, et dux
Aquitaniæ.”
EDWARD I. adopted the latter style. So did Edward II.[TN-137] till
1326, when he used the form “Rex Angliæ et dominus Hiberniæ.”
Edward I.[TN-137] for thirteen years headed his charters with
“Edwardus, Dei gratia rex Angliæ, dominus Hiberniæ, et dux
Aquitaniæ.” But after 1337 the form ran thus: “Edwardus, D.G. rex
Angliæ et Franciæ, dominus Hiberniæ, et dux Aquitaniæ;” and
sometimes “Franciæ” stands before “Angliæ.”
RICHARD II. began thus: “Richardus, D.G. rex Angliæ et Franciæ, et
dominus Hiberniæ.”
HENRY IV. continued the same style. So did HENRY V. till 1420,
after which date he adopted the form, “Henricus, D.G. rex Angliæ,
hæres et regens Franciæ, et dominus Hiberniæ.”
HENRY VI. began, “Henricus, D.G. rex Angliæ et Franciæ, et dominus
Hiberniæ.”
EDWARD IV., EDWARD V., RICHARD III., HENRY VII. continued the same
style.
From HENRY VIII. (1521) to GEORGE III. (1800) the royal style and
title was “* by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and
Ireland, king, Defender of the Faith.”
From GEORGE III. (1800) to the present day it has been, “* by the
grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
king, Defender of the Faith.”
=Ru´bezahl=, Number Nip, a famous mountain-spirit of Germany corresponding
to our Puck.
=Rubi=, one of the cherubs or spirits of wisdom who was with Eve in
Paradise. He loved Liris, who was young, proud, and most eager for
knowledge. She asked her angel lover to let her see him in his full
glory; so Rubi came to her in his cherubic splendor. Liris, rushing into
his arms, was burnt to ashes; and the kiss she gave him became a brand
upon his forehead, which shot unceasing agony into his brain.--T. Moore,
_Loves of the Angels_, ii. (1822).
=Ru´bicon= (_Napoleon’s_), Moscow. The invasion of Moscow was the
beginning of Napoleon’s fall.
Thou, Rome, who saw’st thy Cæsar’s deeds outdone!
Alas! why passed he [_Napoleon_] too the Rubicon ...
Moscow! thou limit of his long career,
For which rude Charles had wept his frozen tear.
Byron, _Age of Bronze_, v. (1821).
⁂ Charles XII. of Sweden formed the resolution of humbling Peter the
Great (1709).
=Rubo´nax=, a man who hanged himself from mortification and annoyance at
some verses written upon him by a poet.--Sir P. Sidney, _Defence of
Poesie_ (1595).
=Rubrick= (_The Rev. Mr._), chaplain to the baron of Bradwardine.--Sir W.
Scott, _Waverley_ (time, George II.).
=Ruby= (_Lady_), the young widow of Lord Ruby. Her “first love” was
Frederick Mowbray, and when a widow she married him. She is described as
“young, blooming and wealthy, fresh and fine as a daisy.”--Cumberland,
_First Love_ (1796).
=Rucellai= (_John_), _i.e._ Oricellarius, poet (1475-1525), son of Bernard
Rucellai, of Florence, historian and diplomatist.
As hath been said by Rucellai.
Longfellow, _The Wayside Inn_ (prelude, 1863).
=Ruddymane= (3 _syl._), the name given by Sir Guyon to the babe rescued
from Amavia, who had stabbed herself in grief at the death of her
husband. So called because:
... in her streaming blood he [_the infant_] did embay his little
hands.
Spenser, _Faëry Queen_, ii. 1, 3 (1590).
=Rudge= (_Barnaby_), a half-witted young man of three and twenty years
old; rather spare, of a fair height and strong make. His hair, of which
he had a great profusion, was red and hung in disorder about his face
and shoulders. His face was pale, his eyes glassy and protruding. His
dress was green, clumsily trimmed here and there with gaudy lace. A pair
of tawdry ruffles dangled at his wrists, while his throat was nearly
bare. His hat was ornamented with a cluster of peacock’s feathers, limp,
broken, and trailing down his back. Girded to his side was the steel
hilt of an old sword, without blade or scabbard; and a few knee-ribbons
completed his attire. He had a large raven named Grip, which he carried
at his back in a basket, a most knowing imp, which used to cry out in a
hoarse voice, “Halloa!” “I’m a devil!” “Never say die!” “Polly, put the
kettle on!”
Barnaby joined the Gordon rioters for the proud pleasure of carrying a
flag and wearing a blue bow. He was arrested and lodged in Newgate, from
whence he made his escape, with other prisoners, when the jail was burnt
down by the rioters; but both he and his father and Hugh, being betrayed
by Dennis, the hangman, were recaptured, brought to trial, and condemned
to death, but by the influence of _Gabriel Varden_, the locksmith, the
poor half-witted lad was reprieved, and lived the rest of his life with
his mother in a cottage and garden near the Maypole.
Here he lived, tending the poultry and the cattle, working in a
garden of his own, and helping every one. He was known to every
bird and beast about the place, and had a name for every one. Never
was there a lighter-hearted husbandman, a creature more popular
with young and old, a blither and more happy soul than
Barnaby.--Ch. lxxxii.
_Mr. Rudge_, the father of Barnaby, supposed to have been murdered the
same night as Mr. Haredale, to whom he was steward. The fact is that
Rudge himself was the murderer both of Mr. Haredale and also of his
faithful servant, to whom the crime was falsely attributed. After the
murder, he was seen by many haunting the locality, and was supposed to
be a ghost. He joined the Gordon rioters when they attacked and burnt to
the ground the house of Mr. Haredale, the son of the murdered man, and
being arrested (ch. lvi.), was sent to Newgate, but made his escape with
the other prisoners when it was burnt down by the rioters. Being
betrayed by Dennis, he was brought to trial for murder, but we are not
told if he was executed (ch. lxxiii.). His name is not mentioned again,
and probably he suffered death.
_Mrs. [Mary] Rudge_, mother of Barnaby, and very like him, “but where
in his face there was wildness and vacancy, in hers there was the
patient composure of long effort and quiet resignation.” She was a
widow. Her husband (steward at the Warren), who murdered his master, Mr.
Haredale, and his servant, told her of his deed of blood a little before
the birth of Barnaby, and the woman’s face ever after inspired terror.
It was thought for many years that Rudge had been murdered in defending
his master, and Mrs. Rudge was allowed a pension by Mr. Haredale, son
and heir of the murdered man. This pension she subsequently refused to
take. After the reprieve of Barnaby, Mrs. Rudge lived with him in a
cottage near the Maypole, and her last days were her happiest. C.
Dickens, _Barnaby Rudge_ (1841).
=Ru´diger=, a wealthy Hun, liegeman of Etzel, sent to conduct Kriemhild to
Hungary. When Günther and his suite went to visit Kriemhild, Rudiger
entertained them all most hospitably, and gave his daughter in marriage
to Giselher (Kriemhild’s brother). In the broil which ensued, Rudiger
was killed fighting against Gernot, but Gernot dropped down dead at the
same moment, “each by the other slain.”--_Nibelungen Lied_ (by the
minnesingers, 1210).
_Rudiger_, a knight who came to Waldhurst in a boat drawn by a swan.
Margaret fell in love with him. At every tournament he bore off the
prize, and in everything excelled the youths about him. Margaret became
his wife. A child was born. On the christening day, Rudiger carried it
along the banks of the Rhine, and nothing that Margaret said could
prevail on him to go home. Presently, the swan and boat came in sight,
and carried all three to a desolate place, where was a deep cavern.
Rudiger got on shore, still holding the babe, and Margaret followed.
They reached the cave, two giant arms clasped Rudiger, Margaret sprang
forward and seized the infant, but Rudiger was never seen more.--R.
Southey, _Rudiger_ (a ballad from Thomas Heywood’s notes).
=Rufus= (or _the Red_), William II. of England (1057, 1087-1100).
=Rugby=, servant to Dr. Caius, in _Merry Wives of Windsor_, by
Shakespeare.
=Rugg=, (_Mr._) a lawyer living at Pentonville. A red-haired man, who wore
a hat with a high crown and narrow brim. Mr. Pancks employed him to
settle the business pertaining to the estate which had long lain
unclaimed, to which Mr. Dorrit was heir-at-law. Mr. Rugg delighted in
legal difficulties as much as a housewife in her jams and preserves.--C.
Dickens, _Little Dorrit_ (1857).
=Ruggie´ro=, a young Saracen knight, born of Christian parents. He fell in
love with Bradamant (sister of Rinaldo), whom he ultimately married.
Ruggiero is especially noted for possessing a hippogriff, or winged
horse, and a shield of such dazzling splendor that it blinded those who
looked on it. He threw away this shield into a well, because it enabled
him to win victory too cheaply.--_Orlando Innamarato_[TN-138] (1495), and
_Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
=Rukenaw= (_Dame_), the ape’s wife, in the beast-epic called _Reynard the
Fox_ (1498).
=Rule a Wife and Have a Wife=, a comedy by Beaumont and Fletcher (1640).
Donna Margaritta, a lady of great wealth, wishes to marry in order to
mask her intrigues, and seeks for a husband a man without spirit, whom
she can mould to her will. Leon, the brother of Altea, is selected as
the “softest fool in Spain,” and the marriage takes place. After
marriage, Leon shows himself firm, courageous, high-minded, but most
affectionate. He “rules his wife” and her household with a masterly
hand, wins the respect of every one, and the wife, wholly reclaimed,
“loves, honors, and obeys” him.
=Rumolt=, the chief cook of Prince Günther of Burgundy.--_Nibelungen
Lied_, 800 (1210).
=Rumpelstilzchen= [_Rumple.stiltz.skin_], an irritable, deformed dwarf. He
aided a miller’s daughter, who had been enjoined by the king to spin
straw into gold; and the condition he made with her for this service,
was that she should give him for wife her first daughter. The miller’s
daughter married the king, and when her first daughter was born, the
mother grieved so bitterly that the dwarf consented to absolve her of
her promise, if, within three days she could find out his name. The
first day passed, but the secret was not discovered; the second passed
with no better success; but on the third day, some 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._
=Runa=, the dog of Argon and Ruro, sons of Annir, king of Inis-Thona, an
island of Scandinavia.--Ossian, _The War of Inis-Thorna_.[TN-139]
=Runners.=
1. Iphiclês, son of Phylakos and Klymĕnê. Hesiod says he could run over
ears of corn without bending the stems; and Demarātos says he could run
on the surface of the sea.--_Argonauts_, i. 60.
2. Camilla, queen of the Volsci, was so swift of foot that she could run
over standing corn, without bending the ears, and over the sea without
wetting her feet.--Virgil, _Æneid_, vii. 303; xi. 433.
Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain,
Flies o’er th’ unbending corn, and skims along the main.
Pope.
3. Lădas, the swift runner of King Alexander. He ran so fast that he
never left a foot-print on the ground.
4. Phidippĭdês, a professional courier, ran from Athens to Sparta (150
miles) in two days.