(1709-1784).
Mr. South’s amiable manners and attachment to our Socrătês at once
united me to him.--_Life of Johnson_ (1791).
=Sofronia=, a young Christian of Jerusalem, the heroine of an episode in
Tasso’s _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575). The tale is this: Aladine, king of
Jerusalem, stole from a Christian church an image of the Virgin, being
told by a magician that it was a palladium, and, if set up in a mosque,
the Virgin would forsake the Christian army, and favor the Mohammedan.
The image was accordingly set up in a mosque, but during the night was
carried off by some one. Aladine, greatly enraged, ordered the instant
execution of all his Christian subjects, but, to prevent this massacre,
Sofronia accused herself of the offence. Her lover, Olindo, hearing that
Sofronia was sentenced to death, presented himself before the king, and
said that he and not Sofronia was the real offender; whereupon the king
ordered both to instant execution; but Clorinda, the Amăzon, pleading
for them, obtained their pardon, and Sofronia left the stake to join
Olindo at the altar of matrimony.--Bk. ii.
This episode may have been suggested by a well-known incident in
ecclesiastical history. At Merum, a city of Phrygia, Amachius, the
governor of the province, ordered the temple to be opened, and the idols
to be cleansed. Three Christians, inflamed with Christian zeal, went by
night and broke all the images. The governor, unable to discover the
culprits, commanded all the Christians of Merum to be put to death; but
the three who had been guilty of the act confessed their offence, and
were executed.--Socratês, _Ecclesiastical History_, iii. 15 (A.D. 439).
(See SOPHRONIA.)
=Soham=, a monster with the head of a horse, four eyes, and the body of
a fiery dragon. (See OURANABAD.)
=Soi-même.= _St. Soi-même_, the “natural man,” in opposition to the
“spiritual man.” In almost all religious acts and feelings, a thread of
self may be detected, and many things are done ostensibly for God, but
in reality for St. Soi-même.
They attended the church service not altogether without regard to St.
Soi-même.--_Asylum Christi_, ii.
=Soldan= (_The_), Philip II. of Spain, whose wife was Adicia (or _papal
bigotry_). Prince Arthur sent the soldan a challenge for wrongs done to
Samient, a female ambassador (_deputies of the states of Holland_). On
receiving this challenge, the soldan “swore and banned most
blasphemously,” and mounting “his chariot high” (_the high ships of the
Armāda_), drawn by horses fed on carrion (_the Inquisitors_), went forth
to meet the prince, whom he expected to tear to pieces with his chariot
scythes, or trample down beneath his horses’ hoofs. Not being able to
get at the soldan from the great height of the chariot, the prince
uncovered his shield, and held it up to view. Instantly the soldan’s
horses were so terrified that they fled, regardless of the whip and
reins, overthrew the chariot, and left the soldan on the ground, “torn
to rags, amongst his own iron hooks and grapples keen.”--Spenser, _Faëry
Queen_, v. 8 (1596).
⁂ The overthrow of the soldan by supernatural means, and not by combat,
refers to the destruction of the Armada by tempest, according to the
legend of the medals, _Flavit Jehovah, et dissipati sunt_ (“He blew with
His blast, and they were scattered”).
=Soldier’s Daughter= (_The_), a comedy by A. Cherry (1804). Mrs.
Cheerly, the daughter of Colonel Woodley, after a marriage of three
years, is left a widow, young, rich, gay, and engaging. She comes to
London, and Frank Heartall, a generous-minded young merchant, sees her
at the opera, falls in love with her, and follows her to her lodging.
Here he meets with the Malfort family, reduced to abject poverty by
speculation, and relieves them. Ferret, the villain of the piece,
spreads a report that Frank gave the money as hush-money, because he had
base designs on Mrs. Malfort; but his character is cleared, and he leads
to the altar the blooming young widow, while the return of Malfort’s
father places his son again in prosperous circumstances.
=Soldiers’ Friend= (_The_), Frederick, duke of York, second son of
George III., and commander of the British forces in the Low Countries
during the French Revolution (1763-1827).
=Solarion=, a dog, selected from the finest and purest breeds, and
endowed with intellect and soul by means of electricity. He is his
master’s favorite companion and fellow-student until master and dog love
the same woman. They quarrel, the man strikes the dog, and the dog,
leaping upon his former friend, tears him horribly. The master shoots
him dead, and bears for the rest of his life in frightful disfigurement
of visage tokens of his folly and madness.--Edgar Fawcett, _Solarion_
(1890).
=Solemn Doctor= (_The_). Henry Goethals was by the Sorbonne given the
honorary title of _Doctor Solemnis_ (1227-1293).
=Solemn League and Covenant=, a league to support the Church of
Scotland, and exterminate popery and prelacy. Charles II. signed it in
1651, but declared it null and void at his restoration.
=Soles=, a shoemaker, and a witness at the examination of Dirk
Hatteraick.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George II.).
=Solid Doctor= (_The_), Richard Middleton (*-1304).
=Soliman the Magnificent=, Charles Jennens, who composed the libretto
for Handel’s _Messiah_ (*-1773).
=Soli´nus=, duke of Ephesus, who was obliged to pass the sentence of the
law on Æge´on, a merchant, because, being a Syracusan, he had dared to
set foot in Ephesus. When, however, he discovered that the man who had
saved his life, and whom he best loved, was the son of Ægeon, the
prisoner was released, and settled in Ephesus.--Shakespeare, _Comedy of
Errors_ (1593).
=Solomon=, an epic poem in three books, by Prior (1718). Bk. i. Solomon
seeks happiness from wisdom, but comes to the conclusion that “All is
vanity;” this book is entitled _Knowledge_. Bk. ii. Solomon seeks
happiness in wealth, grandeur, luxury, and ungodliness, but comes to the
conclusion that “All is vanity and vexation of spirit;” this book is
entitled _Pleasure_. Bk. iii., entitled _Power_, consists of the
reflections of Solomon upon human life, the power of God, life, death,
and a future state. An angel reveals to him the future lot of the Jewish
race, and Solomon concludes with this petition:
Restore, Great Father, Thy instructed son,
And in my act may Thy great will be done!
_Solomon_ is called king of the ginn and fairies. This is probably a
mere blunder. The monarch of these spirits was called “suleyman,” and
this title of rank has been mistaken for a proper name.
_Solomon died standing._ Solomon employed the genii in building the
Temple, but, perceiving that his end was at hand, prayed God that his
death might be concealed from the genii till the work was completed.
Accordingly, he died standing, leaning on his staff as if in prayer. The
genii, supposing him to be alive, toiled on, and when the Temple was
fully built, a worm knawed the staff, and the corpse fell prostrate to
the earth. Mahomet refers to this as a fact:
When We [_God_] had decreed that Solomon should die, nothing
discovered his death unto them [_the genii_] except the creeping thing
of the earth, which gnawed his staff. And when his [_dead_] body fell
down, the genii plainly perceived that if they had known that which is
secret, they would not have continued in a vile punishment.--_Al
Korân_, xxxiv.
_Solomon’s Favorite Wife._ Prior, in his epic poem called _Solomon_ (bk.
ii.), makes Abra the favorite.
The apples she had gathered smelt most sweet;
The cake she kneaded was the savory meat;
All fruits their odor lost and meats their taste,
If gentle Abra had not decked the feast;
Dishonored did the sparkling goblet stand,
Unless received from gentle Abra’s hand; ...
Nor could my soul approve the music’s tone,
Till all was hushed, and Abra sung alone.
Al Beidâwi, Jallâlo´ddin, and Abulfeda, give Amīna, daughter of Jerâda,
king of Tyre, as his favorite concubine.
_Solomon Kills His Horses._ Solomon bought a thousand horses, and went
to examine them. The examination took him the whole day, so that he
omitted the prayers which he ought to have repeated. This neglect came
into his mind at sunset, and, by way of atonement, he slew all the
horses except a hundred of the best “as an offering to God;” and God, to
make him amends for his loss, gave him the dominion of the winds.
Mahomet refers to this in the following passage:--
When the horses, standing on three feet, and touching the ground with
the edge of the fourth foot, swift in the course, were set in parade
before him [_Solomon_] in the evening, he said, “Verily I have loved
the love of earthly good above the remembrance of my Lord; and I have
spent the time in viewing these horses till the sun is hidden by the
veil of night. Bring the horses back unto me.” And when they were
brought back, he began to cut off their legs and their necks.--_Al
Korân_, xxxvii.
_Solomon’s Mode of Travelling._ Solomon had a carpet of green silk, on
which his throne was placed. This carpet was large enough for all his
army to stand on. When his soldiers had stationed themselves on his
right hand, and the spirits on his left, Solomon commanded the winds to
convey him whither he listed. Whereupon the winds buoyed up the carpet,
and transported it to the place the king wished to go to, and while
passing thus through the air, the birds of heaven hovered overhead
forming a canopy with their wings to ward off the heat of the sun.
Mahomet takes this legend as an historic fact, for he says in reference
to it:
Unto Solomon We subjected the strong wind, and it ran at his command
to the land whereon We had bestowed our blessing.--_Al Korân_, xxi.
And again:
We made the wind subject to him, and it ran gently at his command
whithersoever he desired.--_Al Korân_, xxxviii.
_Solomon’s Signet-Ring._ The rabbins say that Solomon wore a ring in
which was set a chased stone that told him everything he wished to know.
_Solomon Loses His Signet-Ring._ Solomon’s favorite concubine was Amīna,
daughter of Jerâda, king of Tyre, and when he went to bathe, it was to
Amina that he entrusted his signet-ring. One day the devil, Sakhar,
assumed the likeness of Solomon, and so got possession of the ring, and
for forty days reigned in Jerusalem, while Solomon himself was a
wanderer living on alms. At the end of the forty days, Sakhar flung the
ring into the sea; it was swallowed by a fish, which was given to
Solomon. Having thus obtained his ring again, Solomon took Sakhar
captive, and cast him into the sea of Galilee.--_Al Korân_ (Sale’s
notes, ch. xxxviii.). (See JOVIAN.)
⁂ Mahomet, in the _Korân_, takes this legend as an historic fact, for he
says: “We [_God_], also tried Solomon, and placed on his throne a
counterfeit body [_i.e._, _Sakhar, the Devil_].”--Ch. xxxviii.
Uffan, the sage, saw Solomon asleep, and wishing to take off his
signet-ring, gave three arrows to Aboutaleb, saying, “When the serpent
springs upon me, and strikes me dead, shoot one of these arrows at me,
and I shall instantly come to life again.” Uffan tugged at the ring, was
stung to death, but, being struck by one of the arrows, revived. This
happened twice. After the third attempt, the heavens grew so black, and
the thunder was so alarming, that Aboutaleb was afraid to shoot, and
throwing down the bow and arrow, fled with precipitation from the
dreadful place.--Comte de Caylus, _Oriental Tales_ (“History of
Aboutaleb,” 1743).
_Solomon_ (_The Second_), James I. of England (1566, 1603-1625).
The French king (_Henri IV._) said, in the presence of Lord Sanquhar,
to one that called James _a second Solomon_. “I hope he is not the son
of David the fiddler” [_David Rizzio_].--Osborne, _Secret History_, i.
231.
Sully called him “The Wisest Fool in Christendom.”
_Solomon_, a tedious, consequential, old butler, in the service of Count
Wintersen. He has two idiosyncrasies: One is that he receives letters of
confidential importance from all parts of the civilized world, but “has
received no communication from abroad to tell him who Mrs. Haller is.”
One letter “from Constantinople” turns out to be from his nephew, Tim
Twist, the tailor, about a waistcoat, which had been turned three times.
In regard to the other idiosyncrasy, he boasts of his cellar of wine,
provided in a “most frugal and provident way,” and of his alterations in
the park, “all done with the most economical economy.” He is very proud
of his son, Peter, a half-witted lad, and thinks Mrs. Haller “casts eyes
at him.”--Benj. Thompson, _The Stranger_ (1797).
=Solomon Daisy=, parish clerk and bellringer, of Chigwell. He had
little, round, black, shiny eyes like beads; wore rusty black breeches,
a rusty black coat, and a long-flapped waistcoat, with little queer
buttons like his eyes. As he sat in the firelight, he seemed all eyes,
from head to foot.--C. Dickens, _Barnaby Rudge_ (1841).
=Solomon of China= (_The_), Taetsong I., whose real name was Lee-chemen.
He reformed the calendar, founded a very extensive library, established
schools in his palace, built places of worship for the Nestorian
Christians, and was noted for his wise maxims (*, 618-626).
=Solomon of England= (_The_), Henry VII. (1457, 1485-1509). (See SOLOMON
THE SECOND.)
=Solomon of France= (_The_), Charles V. _le Sage_ (1337, 1364-1380).
⁂ Louis IX. (_i.e._, St. Louis) is also called “The Solomon of France”
(1215, 1226-1270).
=Solon of French Prose= (_The_), Balzac (1596-1655).
=Solon of Parnassus= (_The_). Boileau is so called by Voltaire, in
allusion to his _Art of Poetry_ (1636-1711).
=Solsgrace= (_Master Nehemiah_), a Presbyterian pastor.--Sir W. Scott,
_Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).
=Solus=, an old bachelor, who greatly wished to be a married man. When
he saw the bright sides of domestic life, he resolved he would marry;
but when he saw the reverse sides, he determined to remain single.
Ultimately, he takes to the altar Miss Spinster.--Inchbald, _Every One
has His Fault_ (1794).
=Solymæan Rout= (_The_), the London rabble and rebels. Solymæa was an
ancient name of Jerusalem, subsequently called Hiero-solyma, that is
“sacred Solyma.” As Charles II. is called “David,” and London
“Jerusalem,” the London rebels are called “the Solymæan rout,” or the
rabble of Jerusalem.
The Solymæan rout, well versed of old,
In godly faction, and in treason bold, ...
Saw with disdain an Ethnic plot [_popish plot_] begun,
And scorned by Jebusites [_papists_] to be outdone.
Dryden, _Absalom and Achitophel_, i. (1681).
=Sol´yman=, king of the Saracens, whose capital was Nice. Being driven
from his kingdom, he fled to Egypt, and was there appointed leader of
the Arabs (bk. ix.). Solyman and Argantês were by far the most doughty
of the pagan knights. The former was slain by Rinaldo (bk. xx.), and the
latter by Tancred.--Tasso, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).
=Somnambulus.= Sir W. Scott so signs _The Visionary_ (political satires,
1819).--Olphar Hamst [Ralph Thomas], _Handbook of Fictitious Names_.
=Somo Sala= (_Like the Father of_), a dreamer of air-castles, like the
milkmaid Perrette, in Lafontaine. (See COUNT NOT, etc.)
=Son of Be´lial= (_A_), a wicked person, a rebel, an infidel.
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial: they knew not [i.e.,
_acknowledged not_] the Lord.--_1 Sam._ ii. 12.
=Son of Consolation=, St. Barnabas of Cyprus (first century).--_Acts_
iv. 36.
=Son of Perdition= (_The_), Judas Iscariot.--_John_ xvii. 12.
_Son of Perdition_, Antichrist.--_2 Thess._ ii. 3.
=Son of a Star= (_The_), Barcochebas, or Barchochab, who gave himself
out to be the “star” predicted by Balaam (died A.D. 135).
There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the
children of Sheth.--_Numb._ xxiv. 17.
=Son of the Last Man.= Charles II. was so called by the
parliamentarians. His father, Charles I., was called by them “The Last
Man.”
=Son of the Rock=, echo.
She went. She called on Armar. Nought answered but the son of the
rock.--Ossian, _The Songs of Selma_.
=Sons of Phidias=, sculptors.
=Sons of Thunder=, or _Boanerges_, James and John, sons of
Zebedee.--_Mark_ iii. 17.
=Sonderby= (_John_), a school-teacher who, after dallying with an evil
temptation all through one summer, shakes himself free of it, and
resolves “to make a man of himself, to go where human life is thick and
the push keen and strong, to earn a place there by using the talent
given him, and to work with hope, courage and belief, with a heart open
to his humankind.”--Bliss Perry, _The Broughton House_ (1890).
=Song.= _The Father of Modern French Songs_, C. F. Panard (1691-1765).
_Song._ _What! all this for a song?_ So said William Cecil, Lord
Burghley, when Queen Elizabeth ordered him to give Edmund Spenser £100
as an expression of her pleasure at some verses he had presented to her.
When a pension of £50 a year was settled on the poet, Lord Burghley did
all in his power to oppose the grant. To this Spenser alludes in the
lines following:--
O, grief of griefs! O, gall of all good hearts!
To see that virtue should despisèd be
Of him that first was raised for virtuous parts;
And now, broad-spreading like an aged tree,
Lets none shoot up that nigh him planted be.
Oh, let the man of whom the Muse is scorned,
Alive nor dead be of the Muse adorned!
Spenser, _The Ruins of Time_ (1591).
=Sonnam´bula= (_La_), Ami´na, the miller’s daughter. She was betrothed
to Elvi´no, a rich young farmer, but the night before the wedding was
discovered in the bed of Conte Rodolpho. This very ugly circumstance
made the farmer break off the match and promise marriage to Lisa, the
innkeeper’s daughter. The count now interfered, and assured Elvino that
the miller’s daughter was a sleep-walker, and while they were still
talking she was seen walking on the edge of the mill-roof, while the
huge mill-wheel was turning rapidly. She then crossed a crazy old
bridge, and came into the midst of the assembly, when she woke and ran
to the arms of her lover. Elvino, convinced of her innocence, married
her, and Lisa was resigned to Alessio, whose paramour she
was.--Bellini’s opera, _La Sonnambula_ (1831).
(Taken from a melodrama by Romani, and adapted as a libretto by Scribe.)
=Sophi=, in Arabic, means “pure,” and therefore one of the pure or true
faith. As a royal title it is tantamount to “Catholic,” or “most
Christian.”--Selden, _Titles of Honor_, vi, 76-7 (1614).
=Sophi´a=, mother of Rollo and Otto, dukes of Normandy. Rollo is the
“bloody brother.”--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Bloody Brother_ (1639).
_Sophia_, wife of Mathīas, a Bohemian knight. When Mathias went to take
service with King Ladislaus of Bohemia, the queen, Honoria, fell in love
with him, and sent Ubaldo and Ricardo to tempt Sophia to infidelity. But
immediately Sophia perceived their purpose she had them confined in
separate chambers, and compelled them to earn their living by spinning.
_Sophia’s Picture._ When Mathias left, Sophia gave him a magic picture,
which turned _yellow_ if she were tempted, and black if she yielded to
the temptation.--Massinger, _The Picture_ (1629).
_Sophia_ (_St._) or AGIA [_Aya_] SOFI´A, the most celebrated mosque of
Constantinople, once a Christian church, but now a Mohammedan jamih. It
is 260 feet long and 230 feet broad. Its dome is supported on pillars of
marble, granite, and green jasper, said to have belonged to the temple
of Diana at Ephesus.
Sophia’s cupola with golden gleam.
Byron, _Don Juan_, v. 3 (1820).
_Sophia_ (_The princess_), only child of the old king of Lombardy, in
love with Paladore, a Briton, who saved her life by killing a boar which
had gored her horse to death. She was unjustly accused of wantonness by
Duke Birēno, whom the king wished her to marry, but whom she rejected.
By the law of Lombardy, this offence was punishable by death, but the
accuser was bound to support his charge by single combat, if any
champion chose to fight in her defence. Paladore challenged the duke,
and slew him. The whole villainy of the charge was then exposed, the
character of the princess was cleared, and her marriage with Paladore
concludes the play.--Robert Jephson, _The Law of Lombardy_ (1779).
_Sophia_ [FREELOVE], daughter of the Widow Warren by her first husband.
She is a lovely, innocent girl, passionately attached to Harry Dornton,
the baker’s son, to whom ultimately she is married.--T. Holcroft, _The
Road to Ruin_ (1792).
_Sophia_ [PRIMROSE], the younger daughter of the vicar of Wakefield;
soft, modest, and alluring. Being thrown from her horse into a deep
stream, she was rescued by Sir William Thornhill _alias_ Mr. Burchell.
Being abducted, she was again rescued by him, and finally married
him.--Goldsmith, _Vicar of Wakefield_ (1766).
_Sophia_ [SPRIGHTLY], a young lady of high spirits and up to fun. Tukely
loves her sincerely, and knowing her partiality for the Hon. Mr.
Daffodil, exposes him as a “male coquette,” of mean spirit and without
manly courage; after which she rejects him with scorn, and gives her
hand and heart to Tukely.--Garrick, _The Male Coquette_ (1758).
=Sophonis´ba=, daughter of Asdrubal, and reared to detest Rome. She was
affianced to Masinissa, king of the Numidians, but married Syphax. In
B.C. 203 she fell into the hands of Lelius and Masinissa, and, to
prevent being made a captive, married the Numidian prince. This subject
and that of Cleopatra have furnished more dramas than any other
whatsoever.
_French:_ J. Mairet, _Sophonisbe_ (1630); Pierre Corneille;
Lagrange-Chancel; rewritten by Voltaire. _Italian:_ Trissino (1514);
Alfieri (1749-1863). _English:_ John Marston, _The Wonder of Women_, or
_the Tragedy of Sophonisba_ (1605); James Thomson, _Sophonisba_ (1729).
(In Thomson’s tragedy occurs the line, “Oh, Sophonisba! Sophonisba, oh!”
and a wit set all the town laughing with “Oh, Jemmy Thomson! Jemmy
Thomson, oh!”)
=Sophronia=, a young lady who was taught Greek, and to hate men who were
not scholars. Her wisdom taught her to gauge the wisdom of her suitors,
and to discover their shortcomings. She never found one up to the mark,
and now she is wrinkled with age, and talks about the “beauties of the
mind.”--Goldsmith, _A Citizen of the World_, xxviii. (1759).
_Sophronia._ (See =Sofronia=.)
=Sophros´yne= (4 _syl._), one of Logistilla’s handmaids, noted for her
purity. Sophrosynê was sent with Andronīca to conduct Astolpho safely
from India to Arabia.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
=Sophy=, the eldest of a large family. She is engaged to Traddles, and
is always spoken of by him as “the dearest girl in the world.”--C.
Dickens, _David Copperfield_ (1849).
=Sora´no=, a Neapolitan noble, brother of Evanthe (3 _syl._) “the wife
for a month,” and the infamous instrument of Frederick, the licentious
brother of Alphonso, king of Naples.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _A Wife for
a Month_ (1624).
=Sordello=, a Provençal poet, whom Dantê meets in purgatory, sitting
apart. On seeing Virgil, Sordello springs forward to embrace him.
⁂ R. Browning has a poem called _Sordello_, and makes Sordello typical
of liberty and human perfectibility.
=Sorel= (_Agnes_), surnamed _La dame de Beauté_, not from her personal
beauty, but from the “château de Beauté,” on the banks of the Marne,
given to her by Charles VII. (1409-1450).
=Sorento= (in Naples), the birthplace of Torquato Tasso, the Italian
poet.
=Sorrows of Werther=, a mawkish, sentimental novel by Goethe (1774),
once extremely popular. Werther, the hero of the story, loves a married
woman, and becomes disgusted with life because Charlotte [Lotte] is the
wife of his friend, Kestner.
_Werther_, infusing itself into the core and whole spirit of
literature, gave birth to a race of sentimentalists, who raged and
wailed in every part of the world till better light dawned on them,
or, at any rate, till exhausted nature laid itself to sleep, and it
was discovered that lamenting was an unproductive labor.--Carlyle.