Chapter 11

As stout Armi´da [q.v.], bold Thalestris,And she [Rhodalind q.v.] that would have been the mistressOf Gondibert.S. Butler,Hudibras, i. 2 (1663).

As stout Armi´da [q.v.], bold Thalestris,

And she [Rhodalind q.v.] that would have been the mistress

Of Gondibert.

S. Butler,Hudibras, i. 2 (1663).

Tha´lia, the Muse of pastoral song.She is often represented with a crook in her hand.

Turn to the gentler melodies which suitThalia’s harp, or Pan’s Arcadian lute.Campbell,Pleasures of Hope, ii. (1790).

Turn to the gentler melodies which suit

Thalia’s harp, or Pan’s Arcadian lute.

Campbell,Pleasures of Hope, ii. (1790).

Thaliard, a lord of Antioch.--Shakespeare,Pericles, Prince of Tyre(1608).

Tham´muz, God of the Syrians, and fifth in order of the hierarchy of hell: (1) Satan, (2) Beëlzebub, (3) Moloch, (4) Chemos, (5) Thammuz (the same as Ado´nis). Thammuz was slain by a wild boar in Mount Lebanon, from whence the river Adonis descends, the water of which, at a certain season of the year, becomes reddened. Addison saw it, and ascribes the redness to a minium washed into the river by the violence of the rain.

Thammuz came next behind,Whose annual wound in Lebanon alluredThe Syrian damsels to lament his fateIn amorous ditties all a summer’s day;While smooth Adonis from his native rockRan purple to the sea, supposed with bloodOf Thammuz yearly wounded.Milton,Paradise Lost, i. 446, etc. (1665).

Thammuz came next behind,

Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured

The Syrian damsels to lament his fate

In amorous ditties all a summer’s day;

While smooth Adonis from his native rock

Ran purple to the sea, supposed with blood

Of Thammuz yearly wounded.

Milton,Paradise Lost, i. 446, etc. (1665).

Thamu´dites(3syl.), people of the tribe of Thamûd. They refused to believe in Mahomet without seeing a miracle. On a grand festival, Jonda, prince of the Thamûdites, told Sâleh, the prophet, that the god which answered by miracle should be acknowledged God by both. Jonda and the Thamûdites first called upon their idols, but received no answer. “Now,” said the prince to Sâleh, “if God will bring a camel big with young from that rock, we will believe.” Scarcely had he spoken, when the rock groaned and shook and opened; and forthwith there came a camel, which there and then cast its young one. Jonda became at once a convert, but the Thamûdites held back. To add to the miracle, the camel went up and down among the people crying, “Ho! every one that thirsteth, let him come, and I will give him milk!” (compareIsaiahlv. 1.).

Unto the tribe of Thamûd we sent their brother, Sâleh. He said, “O, my people, worship God; ye have no god besides him. Now hath a manifest proof come unto you from the Lord. This she-camel of God is a sign unto you; therefore dismiss her freely ... and do her no hurt, lest a painful punishment seize upon you.”--Al Korân, vii.

⁂ There is a slight resemblance between this story and that of the contest between Elijah and the priests of Baal, so graphically described in1 Kingsxviii.

Tham´yris(Blind), a Thracian poet, who challenged the Muses to a contest of song, and was deprived of sight, voice, and musical skill for his presumption (Pliny,Natural History, iii. 33, and vii. 57). Plutarch says he had the finest voice of any one, and that he wrote a poem on theWar of the Titans with the Gods. Suidas tells us that he composed a poem on creation. And Plato, in hisRepublic(last book), feigns that the spirit of the blind old bard passed into a nightingale at death. Milton speaks of:

Blind Thamyris and blind Mæon´idês [Homer].Paradise Lost, iii. 35 (1665).

Blind Thamyris and blind Mæon´idês [Homer].

Paradise Lost, iii. 35 (1665).

Thanatopsis.“View of, or meditation upon death.”

W. C. Bryant’s poem bearing this name was written when he was but nineteen years old (1818). It is the best of his poems.

Thancmar, châtelain of Bourbourg, the great enemy of Bertulphe, the provost of Bruges. Charles “the Good,” earl of Flanders, made a law in 1127, that a serf was always a serf till manumitted, and whoever married a serf became a serf.By these absurd laws, the provost of Bruges became a serf, because his father was Thancmar’s serf. By the same laws, Bouchard, though a knight of long descent became Thancmar’s serf, because he married Constance, the provost’s daughter. The result of these laws was that Bertulphe slew the earl and then himself, Constance went mad and died, Bouchard and Thancmar slew each other in fight, and all Bruges was thrown into confusion.--S. Knowles,The Provost of Bruges(1836).

Thaumast, an English pundit, who went to Paris, attracted by the rumor of the great wisdom of Pantag´ruel. He arranged a disputation with that prince, to be carried on solely by pantomime, without the utterance of a single word. Panurge undertook the disputation for the prince, and Pantagruel was appointed arbiter. Many a knotty point in magic, alchemy, the cabala, geomancy, astrology, and philosophy were argued out by signs alone, and the Englishman freely confessed himself fully satisfied, for “Panurge had told him even more than he had asked.”--Rabelais,Pantagruel, ii. 19, 20 (1533).

Thaumaturga.Filumēna is calledLa Thaumaturge du Dixneuvième Siecle. In 1802, a grave was discovered with this inscription:Lumena Paxte Cvmfi, which has no meaning, but being re-arranged makesPax Te-cum, Fi-lumena. So Filumena was at once accepted as a proper name and canonized. And because as many miracles were performed at her tomb as at that of the famous Abbé de Paris, mentioned in Paley’sEvidences, she was called “The Nineteenth-Century Miracle-Worker.” But who Filumena was, or if indeed she ever existed, is one of those secrets which no one, perhaps, will ever know. (SeeSt. Filomena.)

Thaumatur´gus.Gregory, bishop of Neo-Cæsarēa, in Cappadocia, was so called on account of his numerous miracles (212-270).

Alexander of Hohenlohe, was a worker of miracles.

Apollonius of Tya´na, “raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out devils, freed a young man from a lamia or vampire of which he was enamored, uttered prophecies, saw at Ephesus the assassination of Domitian at Rome, and filled the world with the fame of his sanctity” (A.D.3-98).--Philostrătos,Life of Apollonius of Tyana, in eight books.

Francis d’Assisi(St.), founder of the Franciscan order (1182-1226).

J. J. Gassner, of Bratz, in the Tyrol, exorcised the sick and cured their diseases “miraculously” (1727-1779).

Isidore(St.) of Alexandria (370-440).--Damascius,Life of St. Isidore(sixth century).

Jamblichus, when he prayed, was raised ten cubits from the ground, and his body and dress assumed the appearance of gold. At Gadăra he drew from two fountains the guardian spirits, and showed them to his disciples.--Eunapius,Jamblichus(fourth century).

Mahomet, “the prophet.” (1) When he ascended to heaven on Al Borak, the stone on which he stepped to mount rose in the air as the prophet rose, but Mahomet forbade it to follow any further, and it remained suspended in mid-air. (2) He took a scroll of theKorânout of a bull’s horn. (3) He brought the moon from heaven, made it pass through one sleeve and out of the other, and then allowed it to return to its place in heaven.

Pascal(Blaise) was a miracle-worker (1623-1662).

Ploti´nus, the Neo-platonic philosopher(205-270).--Porphyrius,Vita Plotini(A.D.301).

PROCLUS, a Neo-platonic philosopher (410-485).--Marinus,Vita Procli(fifth century).

SOSPITRA possessed the power of seeing all that was done in every part of the whole world.--Eunapius,Œdeseus(fourth century).

VESPASIAN, the Roman emperor, cured a blind man and a cripple by his touch during his stay at Alexandria.

VINCENT DE PAUL, founder of the “Sisters of Charity” (1576-1660).

Thaumaturgus Physicus,a treatise on natural magic, by Gaspar Schott (1657-9).

Thaumaturgus of the West,St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153).

Theag´enes and Chariclei´a(The Loves of), a love story, in Greek, by Heliodorus, bishop of Trikka (fourth century). A charming fiction, largely borrowed from by subsequent novelists, and especially by Mdlle. de Scudéri, Tasso, Guarini and D’Urfé. The tale is this: Some Egyptian brigands met one morning on a hill near the mouth of the Nile, and saw a vessel, laden with stores, lying at anchor. They also observed that the banks of the Nile were strewn with dead bodies and the fragments of food. On further examination they beheld Charicleia sitting on a rock, tending Theagĕnês, who lay beside her severely wounded. Some pirates had done it, and to them the vessel belonged. We are then carried to the house of Nausĭclês, and there Calasīris tells the early history of Charicleia, her love for Theagenês, and their capture by the pirates.

Thea´na(3 syl.) is Anne, countess of Warwick.

No less praiseworthy I Theana read ...She is the well of bounty and brave mind,Excelling most in glory and great light,The ornament is she of womankind,And court’s chief garland with all virtues dight.Spenser,Colin Clout’s Come Home Again(1595).

No less praiseworthy I Theana read ...

She is the well of bounty and brave mind,

Excelling most in glory and great light,

The ornament is she of womankind,

And court’s chief garland with all virtues dight.

Spenser,Colin Clout’s Come Home Again(1595).

Thebaid(The), a Latin epic poem in twelve books, by Statius (about a century after Virgil). Laïos, king of Thebes, was told by an oracle that he would have a son, but that his son would be his murderer. To prevent this, when the son was born he was hung on a tree by his feet, to be devoured by wild beasts. The child, however, was rescued by some of the royal servants, who brought him up, and called his name Œdĭpos or Club-foot, because his feet and ankles were swollen by the thongs. One day, going to Thebes, the chariot of Laïos nearly drove over the young Œdipos; a quarrel ensued, and Laïos was killed. Œdipos, not knowing whom he had slain, went on to Thebes, and ere long married the widowed queen, Jocasta, not knowing that she was his mother, and by her he had two sons and two daughters. The names of the sons were Et´eoclês and Polynīcês. These sons in time dethroned their father, and agreed to reign alternate years. Etĕŏclês reigned first, but at the close of the year refused to resign the crown to his brother, and Polynicês made war upon him. This war, which occurred some forty-two years before the siege of Troy, and about the time that Debŏrah was fighting with Sisĕra (Judgesiv.), is the subject of theThebaid.

The first book recapitulates the history given above, and then goes on to say that Polynicês went straight to Argos, and laid his grievance before King Adrastos (bk. i.). While at Argos he married one of the king’s daughters, and Tydeus the other. The festivities being over, Tydeus was sent to Thebes to claim the throne for hisbrother-in-law, and, being insolently dismissed, denounced war against Eteoclês. The villainous usurper sent fifty ruffians to fall on the ambassador on his way to Argos, but they were all slain, except one, who was left to carry back the news (bk. ii). When Tydeus reached Argos he wanted his father-in-law to march at once against Thebes, but Adrastos, less impetuous, made answer that a great war required time for its organization. How ever, Kapăneus (3syl.), siding with Tydeus [Ti´.duce], roused the mob (bk. iii.), and Adrastos at once set about preparations for war. He placed his army under six chieftains, viz., Polynicês, Tydeus, Amphiarāos, Kapaneus, Parthenopæos and Hippomĕdon, he himself acting as commander-in-chief (bk. iv.). Bks. v., vi. describe the march from Argos to Thebes. On the arrival of the allied army before Thebes, Jocasta tried to reconcile her two sons, but, not succeeding in this, hostilities commenced, and one of the chiefs, named Amphiaraos, was swallowed up by an earthquake (bk. vii.). Next day Tydeus greatly distinguished himself, but fell (bk. viii.). Hippomedon and Parthenopæos were both slain the day following (bk. ix.). Then came the turn of Kapaneus, bold as a tiger, strong as a giant, and a regular dare-devil in war. He actually scaled the wall, he thought himself sure of victory, he defied even Jove to stop him, and was instantly killed by a flash of lightning (bk. x.). Polynicês was now the only one of the six remaining, and he sent to Eteoclês to meet him in single combat. The two brothers met, they fought like lions, they gave no quarter, they took no rest. At length Eteoclês fell, and Polynicês, running up to strip him of his arms, was thrust through the bowels, and fell dead on the dead body of his brother. Adrastos now decamped, and returned to Argos (bk. xi.). Creon, having usurped the Theban crown, forbade any one, on pain of death, to bury the dead; but when Theseus, king of Athens, heard of this profanity, he marched at once to Thebes, Creon died, and the crown was given to Theseus (bk. xii.).

Theban Bard(The),Theban EagleorTheban Lyre, Pindar, born at Thebes (B.C.522-442).

Ye that in fancied vision can admireThe sword of Brutus and the Theban lyre.Campbell,Pleasures of Hope, i. (1799).

Ye that in fancied vision can admire

The sword of Brutus and the Theban lyre.

Campbell,Pleasures of Hope, i. (1799).

Thecla(St.) said to be of noble family, in Ico´nium, and to have been converted by the Apostle Paul. She is styled in Greek martyrologies theprotomartyress, but the book calledThe Acts of Paul and Theclais considered to be apocryphal.

On the selfsame shelfWith the writings of St. Thecla herself.Longfellow,The Golden Legend(1851).

On the selfsame shelf

With the writings of St. Thecla herself.

Longfellow,The Golden Legend(1851).

Thekla, daughter of Wallenstein.--Schiller,Wallenstein(1799).

Thélème(Abbey of) the abbey given by Grangousier to Friar John for the aid he rendered in the battle against Picrochole, king of Lerné. The abbey was stored with everything that could contribute to sensual indulgence and enjoyment. It was the very reverse of a convent or monastery. No religious hypocrites, no pettifogging attorneys, no usurers were admitted within it, but it was filled with gallant ladies and gentlemen, faithful expounders of the Scriptures, and every one who could contribute to its elegant recreations and general festivity. The motto over the door was: “Fay ce que Vouldras.”--Rabelais,Gargantua, i. 52-7 (1533).

Thélème, the Will personified. Voltaire,Thélème and Macare.

The´lu, the female or woman.

And divers colored trees and fresh array [hair]Much grace the town [head], but most the Thelu gay;But all in winter [old age] turn to snow and soon decay.Phineas Fletcher,The Purple Island, v. (1633).

And divers colored trees and fresh array [hair]

Much grace the town [head], but most the Thelu gay;

But all in winter [old age] turn to snow and soon decay.

Phineas Fletcher,The Purple Island, v. (1633).

Thenot, an old shepherd bent with age, who tells Cuddy, the herdsman’s boy, the fable of the oak and the briar. An aged oak, once a most royal tree, was wasted by age of its foliage, and stood with bare head and sear branches. A pert bramble grew hard by, and snubbed the oak, calling it a cumberer of the ground. It even complained to the lord of the field, and prayed him to cut it down. The request was obeyed, and the oak was felled; but now the bramble suffered from the storm and cold, for it had no shelter, and the snow bent it to the ground, where it was draggled and defiled. The application is very personal. Cuddy is the pert, flippant bramble, and Thenot the hoary oak; but Cuddy told the old man his tale was long and trashy, and bad him hie home, for the sun was set.--Spenser,Shepheardes Calendar, ii. (1579).

(Thenot is introduced also in ecl. iv., and again in ecl. xi., where he begs Colin to sing something, but Colin declines because his mind is sorrowing for the death of the shepherdess Dido.)

Thenot, a shepherd who loved Clorin chiefly for her “fidelity” to her deceased lover. When the “faithful shepherdess” knew this, in order to cure him of his passion, she pretended to return his love. Thenot was so shocked to see his charm broken that he lost even his respect for Clorin, and forsook her.--John Fletcher,The Faithful Shepherdess(1610).

Theocritus,of Syracuse, in Sicily (fl.B.C.280), celebrated for his idylls in Doric Greek. Meli is the person referred to below.

Behold once more,The pitying gods to earth restoreTheocritus of Syracuse.Longfellow, TheWayside Inn(prelude 1863).

Behold once more,

The pitying gods to earth restore

Theocritus of Syracuse.

Longfellow, TheWayside Inn(prelude 1863).

Theocritus(The Scotch), Allan Ramsay, author ofThe Gentle Shepherd(1685-1758).

Theocritus(The Sicilian), Giovanni Meli, of Palermo, immortalized by his eclogues and idylls (1740-1815).

Theod´ofred, heir to the Spanish throne, but incapacitated from reigning, because he had been blinded by Witiza. Theodofred was the son of Chindasuintho, and father of King Roderick. As Witiza, the usurper, had blinded Theodofred, so Roderick dethroned and blinded Witiza.--Southey,Roderick, etc.(1814).

⁂ In mediæval times no one with any personal defect was allowed to reign and one of the most ordinary means of disqualifying a prince for succeeding to a throne was to put out his eyes. Of course, the reader will call to mind the case of Prince Arthur, the nephew of King John; and scores of other instances in Italian, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Scandinavian history.

Theod´omas, a famous trumpeter at the siege of Thebes.

At every court ther cam loud menstralcyeThat never trompêd Joab for to heere,Ne he Theodomas yit half so cleereAt Thebês, when the citê was in doute.Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 9592, etc. (1338).

At every court ther cam loud menstralcye

That never trompêd Joab for to heere,

Ne he Theodomas yit half so cleere

At Thebês, when the citê was in doute.

Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 9592, etc. (1338).

Theodo´ra, sister of Constantine, the Greek emperor. She entertained most bitter hatred against Rogēro for slaying her son, and vowed vengeance. Rogero, being entrapped in sleep, was confined by her in a dungeon, and fed on the bread and water of affliction, but was ultimately released by Prince Leon.--Ariosto,Orlando Furioso(1516).

The´odore(3syl.), son of General Archas, “the loyal subject” of the great-duke of Muscovia. A colonel, valorous, but impatient.--Beaumont and Fletcher,The Loyal Subject(1618).

Theodore(3syl.), of Ravenna, brave, rich, honored, and chivalrous. He loved Honōria “to madness,” but “found small favor in the lady’s eyes.” At length, however, the lady relented and married him. (SeeHonoria.)--Dryden,Theodore and Honoria(from Boccaccio).

Theodore, son of the lord of Clarinsal, and grandson of Alphonso. His father thought him dead, renounced the world, and became a monk of St. Nicholas, assuming the name of Austin. By chance Theodore was sent home in a Spanish bark, and found his way into some secret passage of the count’s castle, where he was seized and taken before the count. Here he met the monk, Austin, and was made known to him. He informed his father of his love for Adelaide, the count’s daughter, and was then told that if he married her, he must renounce his estates and title. The case stood thus: If he claimed his estates, he must challenge the count to mortal combat, and renounce the daughter; but if he married Adelaide, he must forego his rights, for he could not marry the daughter and slay his father-in-law. The perplexity is solved by the death of Adelaide, killed by her father by mistake, and the death of the count by his own hand.--Robert Jephson,Count of Narbonne(1782).

Theod´orick, king of the Goths, called by the German minnesingers, Diderick of Bern (Verōna).

Theodorick, or “Alberick of Mortemar,” an exiled nobleman, hermit of Engaddi, and an enthusiast.--Sir W. Scott,The Talisman(time, Richard I.).

Theodorus(Master), a learned physician, employed by Ponocratês to cure Gargantua of his vicious habits. The doctor accordingly “purged him canonically with Anticyrian hellebore, cleansed from his brain all perverse habits, and made him forget everything he had learned of his other preceptors.”--Rabelais,Gargantua, i. 23.

Hellebore was made use of to purge the brain, in order to fit it the better for serious study.--Pliny,Natural History, xxv. 25; Aulus Gellius,Attic Nights, xvii. 15.

Theodo´sius, the hermit of Cappadocia. He wrote the four gospels in letters of gold (423-529).

Theodosius, who of old.Wrote the gospels in letters of gold.Longfellow,The Golden Legend(1851).

Theodosius, who of old.

Wrote the gospels in letters of gold.

Longfellow,The Golden Legend(1851).

Theophilus(St.), of Adana, in Cilicia (sixth century). He was driven by slander to sell his soul to the devil, on condition that his character was cleared. The slander was removed, and no tongue wagged against the thin-skinned saint. Theophilus now repented of his bargain, and after a fast of forty days and forty nights, was visited by the Virgin, who bade him confess to the bishop. This hedid, received absolution, and died within three days of brain fever.--Jacques de Voragine,The Golden Legends(thirteenth century).

This is a very stale trick, told of many a saint. Southey has poetized one of them in his ballad ofSt. Basil, orThe Sinner Saved(1829). Elĕēmon sold his soul to the devil on condition of his procuring him Cyra for wife. The devil performed his part of the bargain, but Eleemon called off, and St. Basil gave him absolution. (SeeSinner Saved.)

Theophras´tus of France(The), Jean de la Bruyère, author ofCaractères(1646-1696).

Theresa, the miller’s wife, who adopted and brought up Amīna, the orphan, called “the somnambulist.”--Bellini,La Sonnambula(libretto by Scribe, 1831).

Therēsa, wife of the count palatine of Padōlia, beloved by Mazeppa. Her father, indignant that a mere page should presume to his daughter’s hand, had Mazeppa bound to a wild horse, and set adrift. The future history of Theresa is not related.--Byron,Mazeppa(1819).

Medora [wife of the Corsair], Neuha [inThe Island], Leila [inThe Giaour], Francesca [inThe Siege of Corinth], and Theresa, it has been alleged, are but children of one family, with differences resulting only from climate and circumstances.--Finden,Byron Beauties.

Theresa(Sister), with Flora M’Ivor at Carlisle.--Sir W. Scott,Waverley(time, George II.).

Theringe(Mde. de), the mother of Louise de Lascours, and grandmother of Diana de Lascours and Martha,aliasOrgari´ta, “the orphan of the Frozen Sea.”--E. Stirling,The Orphan of the Frozen Sea(1856).

Thermopylæ.When Xerxes invaded Greece, Leonĭdas was sent with 300 Spartans, as a forlorn hope, to defend the pass leading from Thessaly into Locris, by which it was thought the Persian host would penetrate into Southern Greece. The Persians, however, having discovered a path over the mountains, fell on Leonidas in the rear, and the “brave defenders of the hot-gates” were cut to pieces.

Theron, the favorite dog of Roderick, the last Gothic king of Spain. When the discrowned king, dressed as a monk, assumed the name of “Father Maccabee,” although his tutor, mother, and even Florinda failed to recognize him, Theron knew him at once, fawned on him with fondest love, and would never again leave him till the faithful creature died. When Roderick saw his favorite,

He threw his arms around the dog, and cried,While tears streamed down, “Thou, Theron, thou hast knownThy poor lost master; Theron, none but thou!”Southey,Roderick, etc., xv. (1814).

He threw his arms around the dog, and cried,

While tears streamed down, “Thou, Theron, thou hast known

Thy poor lost master; Theron, none but thou!”

Southey,Roderick, etc., xv. (1814).

Thersi´tes(3syl.), a scurrilous Grecian chief, “loquacious, loud, and coarse.” His chief delight was to inveigh against the kings of Greece. He squinted, halted, was gibbous behind and pinched before, and on his tapering head grew a few white patches of starveling down (Iliad, ii.).

His brag, as Thersītês, with elbows abroad.T. Tusser,Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, liv. (1557).

His brag, as Thersītês, with elbows abroad.

T. Tusser,Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, liv. (1557).

The´seus(2syl.), the Attic hero. He induced the several towns of Attica to give up their separate governments and submit to a common jurisdiction, wherebythe several petty chiefdoms were consolidated into one state, of which Athens was the capital.

⁂ Similarly, the several kingdoms of the Saxon heptarchy were consolidated into one kingdom by Egbert; but in this latter case, the might of arms, and not the power of conviction, was the instrument employed.

Theseus(Duke) of Athens. On his return home, after marrying Hypolĭta, a crowd of female suppliants complained to him of Creon, king of Thebes. The duke therefore set out for Thebes, slew Creon, and took the city by assault. Among the captives taken in this siege were two knights, named Palămon and Arcite, who saw the duke’s sister from their dungeon window, and fell in love with her. When set at liberty, they told their loves to the duke, and Theseus (2syl.) promised to give the lady to the best man in a single combat. Arcite overthrew Palamon, but as he was about to claim the lady his horse threw him, and he died; so Palamon lost the contest, but won the bride.--Chaucer,Canterbury Tales(“The Knight’s Tale,” 1388).

⁂ In classic story, Theseus is called “king;” but Chaucer styles him “duke,” that is, dux, “leader or emperor” (imperātor).

Thespian Maids(The), the nine Muses. So called from Thespia, in Bœotia, near Mount Helĭcon, often calledThespia Rupes.

Those modest Thespian maids thus to their Isis sung.Drayton,Polyolbion, xv. (1613).

Those modest Thespian maids thus to their Isis sung.

Drayton,Polyolbion, xv. (1613).

Thespi´o, a Muse. The Muses were called Thespi´adês, from Thespīa, in Bœo´tia, at the foot of mount Helĭcon.

Tell me, oh, tell me then, thou holy Muse,Sacred Thespīo.Phineas Fletcher,The Purple Island, vii. (1633).

Tell me, oh, tell me then, thou holy Muse,

Sacred Thespīo.

Phineas Fletcher,The Purple Island, vii. (1633).

Thespis, the father of the Greek drama.

Thespis, the first professor of our art,At country wakes sang ballads from a cart.Dryden, Prologue toSophonisba(1729).

Thespis, the first professor of our art,

At country wakes sang ballads from a cart.

Dryden, Prologue toSophonisba(1729).

Thes´tylis, a female slave; any rustic maiden.--Theocritos,Idylls.

With Thestylis to bind the sheaves.Milton,L’Allegro(1638).

With Thestylis to bind the sheaves.

Milton,L’Allegro(1638).

Thet´is, mother of Achillês. She was a sea-nymph, daughter of Nereus, the sea-god.--Grecian Story.

Theuerdank, a sobriquet of Kaiser Maximilian I. of Germany (1459, 1493-1519).

Thiebalt, a Provençal, one of Arthur’s escorts to Aix.--Sir W. Scott,Anne of Geierstein(time, Edward IV.).

Thieves(The Two). The penitent thief crucified with Jesus, has been called by sundry names, as Demas, Dismas, Titus, Matha, and Vicimus.

The impenitent thief, has been called Gestas, Dumachas, Joca, and Justīnus.

In the AprocryphalGospel of Nicodemus, the former is called Dysmas and the latter Gestas. In theStory of Joseph of Arimathea, the former is called Demas and the latter Gestas. Longfellow’sGolden Legend, calls them Titus and Dumachus. A legend says that they attacked Joseph in his flight into Egypt. Titus said, “Let the good people go;” but Dumachus refused to do so till he “paid a ransom for himself and family.” Upon this, Titus gave his fellow forty groats; and the infant Jesus said, “In thirty years I shall die, and you two with Me. We shall becrucified together; but in that day, Titus, this deed shall be remembered.”

Thieves(His ancestors proved). It is Sir Walter Scott who wrote and proved his “ancestors were thieves,” in theLay of the Last Minstrel, iv. 9.

A modern author spends a hundred leavesTo prove his ancestors notorious thieves.The Town Ecolgue.

A modern author spends a hundred leaves

To prove his ancestors notorious thieves.

The Town Ecolgue.

Thieves Screened.It is said of Edward the Confessor, that one day, while lying on his bed for his afternoon’s nap, a courtier stole into his chamber and seeing the king’s casket, helped himself freely from it. He returned a second time, and on his third entrance, Edward said, “Be quick, or Hugoline (the chamberlain) will see you.” The courtier was scarcely gone, when the chamberlain entered and instantly detected the theft. The king said, “Never mind, Hugoline; the fellow who has taken it no doubt has greater need of it than either you or I.” (Reigned 1042-1066).

Several similar anecdotes are told of Robert the Pious, of France. One time he saw a man steal a silver candle-stick off the altar, and said, “Friend Ogger, run for your life, or you will be found out.” At another time, one of the twelve poor men in his train cut off a rich gold pendant from the royal robe, and Robert, turning to the man, said to him, “Hide it quickly, friend, before any one sees it.” (Reigned 996-1031.)

The following is told of two or three kings, amongst others of Ludwig the Pious, who had a very overbearing wife. A beggar under the table, picking up the crumbs which the king let down, cut off the gold fringe of the royal robe, and the king whispered to him, “Take care the queen doesn’t see you.”

Thieves of Historic Note.

Autol´ycos, son of Hermês; a very prince of thieves. He had the power of changing the color and shape of stolen goods so as to prevent their being recognized.--Greek Fable.

Barlow(Jimmy), immortalized by the ballad-song:

My name it is Jimmy Barlow;I was born in the town of Carlow;And here I lie in Maryboro’ jail,All for the robbing of the Dublin mail.

My name it is Jimmy Barlow;

I was born in the town of Carlow;

And here I lie in Maryboro’ jail,

All for the robbing of the Dublin mail.

Cartouche, the Dick Turpin of France (eighteenth century).

Cottington(John), in the time of the Commonwealth, who emptied the pockets of Oliver Cromwell, when lord protector, stripped Charles II. of £1500, and stole a watch and chain from Lady Fairfax.

Duval(Claude), a French highwayman, noted for his gallantry and daring (*-1670). (See “James Whitney,” who was a very similar character.)

⁂ Alexander Dumas has a novel entitledClaude Duval, and Miss Robinson introduces him inWhite Friars.

Frith(Mary), usually called “Moll Cutpurse.” She had the honor of robbing General Fairfax, on Hounslow Heath. Mary Frith lived in the reign of Charles I., and died at the age of 75 years.

⁂ Nathaniel Field has introduced Mary Frith, and made merry with some of her pranks, in his comedy,Amends for Ladies(1618).

Galloping Dick, executed in Aylesbury, in 1800.

Grant(Captain), the Irish highwayman, executed at Maryborough in 1816.

Greenwood(Samuel), executed at Old Bailey in 1822.

Hassan, the “Old Man of the Mountain,” once the terror of Europe. He was chief of the Assassins (1056-1124).

Hood(Robin) and his “merry men all,”of Sherwood Forest. Famed in song, drama and romance. Probably he lived in the reign of Richard Cœur de Lion.

⁂ Sir W. Scott has introduced him both inThe Talismanand inIvanhoe. Stow has recorded the chief incidents of his life (see under the year 1213). Ritson has compiled a volume of ballads respecting him. Drayton has given a sketch of him in thePolyolbion, xxvi. The following are dramas on the same outlaw, viz.:--The Playe of Robyn Hode, very proper to be played in Maye games(fifteenth century); Skelton, at the command of Henry VIII., wrote a drama calledThe Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington(about 1520);The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, by Munday (1597);The Death of Robert, Earle of Huntington, otherwise called Robin Hood of Merrie Sherwodde, by H. Chettle (1598). Chettle’s drama is in reality a continuation of Munday’s, like the two parts of Shakespeare’s plays,Henry IV.andHenry V.Robin Hood’s Penn´orths, a play by William Haughton (1600);Robin Hood and His Pastoral May Games(1624),Robin Hood and His Crew of Soldiers(1627), both anonymous;The Sad Shepherd, or a Tale of Robin Hood(unfinished), B. Jonson (1637);Robin Hood, an opera (1730);Robin Hood, an opera by Dr. Arne and Burney (1741);Robin Hood, a musical farce (1751);Robin Hood, a comic opera (1784); Robin Hood, an opera by O’Keefe, music by Shield (1787);Robin Hood, by Macnally (before 1820). Sheridan began a drama on the same subject, which he calledThe Foresters;The Foresters, Tennyson (1892).

Periphe´tes(4syl.) of Argŏlis, surnamed “The Club-Bearer,” because he used to kill his victims with an iron club.--Grecian Story.

Procrustes(3syl.), a famous robber of Attica. His real name was Polypēmon or Damastês, but he received the sobriquet ofProcrustês, or “The Stretcher,” from his practice of placing all victims that fell into his hands on a certain bedstead. If the victim was too short to fit it he stretched the limbs to the right length; if too long he lopped off the redundant part.--Grecian Story.

Rea(William), executed at Old Bailey in 1828.

Sheppard(Jack), an ardent, reckless, generous youth, wholly unrivalled as a thief and burglar. His father was a carpenter in Spitalfields. Sentence of death was passed on him in August, 1724; but when the warders came to take him to execution, they found he had escaped. He was apprehended in the following October, and again made his escape. A third time he was caught, and in November suffered death. Certainly the most popular burglar that ever lived (1701-1724).

⁂ Daniel Defoe madeJack Sheppardthe hero of a romance in 1724, and H. Ainsworth in 1839.

Sinis, a Corinthian highwayman, surnamed “The Pine-Bender,” from his custom of attaching the limbs of his victims to two opposite pines forcibly bent down. Immediately the trees were released they bounded back, tearing the victim limb from limb.--Grecian Story.

Ter´meros, a robber of Peloponnesos, who killed his victims by cracking their skulls against his own.

Turpin(Dick), a noted highwayman (1711-1739). His ride to York is described by H. Ainsworth in hisRookwood(1834).

Whitney(James), the last of the “gentlemanly” highwaymen. He prided himself on being “the glass of fashion and the mould of form.” Executed at Porter’s Block, near Smithfield (1660-1694).

Wild(Jonathan), a cool, calculating, heartless villain, with the voice of a Stentor.He was born at Wolverhampton, in Staffordshire, and, like Sheppard, was the son of a carpenter. Unlike Sheppard, this cold-blooded villain was universally execrated. He was hanged at Tyburn (1682-1725).

⁂ Defoe madeJonathan Wildthe hero of a romance in 1725; Fielding in 1744.

Thirlmore(Rev. and Col.), ambitious, able man, first a popular, sensational preacher, then, as the bubble breaks, a farmer and stock-raiser, lastly an officer in the U. S. Army, during the Civil War. In the varied experiences of the latter career, the selfishness which has marred his character sloughs off, and themanappears.--William M. Baker,His Majesty, Myself(1879) andThe Making of a Man(1881).

Third Founder of Rome(The), Caius Marius. He was so called, because he overthrew the multitudinous hordes of Cambrians and Teutons, who came to lick up the Romans as the oxen of the field lick up grass (B.C.102).

⁂ The first founder was Romulus, and the second Camillus.

Thirsil and Thelgon, two gentle swains who were kinsmen. Thelgon exhorts Thirsil to wake his “too long sleeping Muse;” and Thirsil, having collected the nymphs and shepherds around him, sang to them the song ofThe Purple Island.--Phineas Fletcher,The Purple Island, i., ii. (1633).

Thirsty(The), Colman Itadach, surnamed “The Thirsty,” was a monk of the rule of St. Patrick. Itadach, in strict observance of the Patrician rule, refused to quench his thirst even in the harvest-field, and died in consequence.

Thirteen Precious Things of Britain.

1.Dyrnwyn(the sword of Rhydderch Hael). If any man except Hael drew this blade, it burst into a flame from point to hilt.

2.The Basket of Gwyddno Garanhir.If food for one man were put therein, it multiplied till it sufficed for a hundred.

3.The Horn of Bran Galed, in which was always found the very beverage that each drinker most desired.

4.The Platter of Rhegynydd Ysgolhaig, which always contained the very food that the eater most liked.

5.The Chariot of Morgan Mwynvawr.Whoever sat therein was transported instantaneously to the place he wished to go to.

9.The Halter of Clydno Eiddyn.Whatever horse he wished for was always found therein. It hung on a staple at the foot of his bed.

7.The Knife of Llawfrodded Farchawg, which would serve twenty-four men simultaneously at any meal.

8.The Caldron of Tyrnog.If meat were put in for a brave man, it was cooked instantaneously, but meat for a coward would never get boiled therein.

9.The Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud.If the sword of a brave man were sharpened thereon, its cut was certain death; but if of a coward, the cut was harmless.

10.The Robe of Padarn Beisrudd, which fitted every one of gentle birth, but no churl could wear it.

11.The Mantle of Tegau Eurvron, which only fitted ladies whose conduct was irreproachable.

12.The Mantle of King Arthur, which could be worn or used as a carpet, and whoever wore it or stood on it was invisible. This mantle or carpet was called Gwenn.

⁂ The ring of Luned rendered the wearer invisible so long as the stone of it was concealed.

13.The Chessboard of Gwenddolen.When the men were placed upon it, they played of themselves. The board was of gold, and the men silver.--Welsh Romance.

Thirteen Unlucky.It is said that it is unlucky for thirteen persons to sit down to dinner at the same table, because one of the number will die before the year is out. This silly superstition is based on the “Last Supper,” when Christ and His twelve disciples sat at meat together. Jesus was crucified; and Judas Iscariot hanged himself.

Thirty(The). So the Spartan senate established by Lycurgos was called.

Similarly, the Venetian senate was called “The Forty.”

Thirty Tyrants(The). So the governors, appointed by Lysander, the Spartan, over Athens, were called (B.C.404). They continued in power only eight months, when Thrasybūlos deposed them and restored the republic.

“The Thirty” put more people to death in eight months of peace, than the enemy had done in a war of thirty years.--Xenophon.

Thirty Tyrants of Rome(The), a fanciful name, applied by Trebellius Pollio, to a set of adventurers who tried to make themselves masters of Rome at sundry times betweenA.D.260 and 267.

The number was not thirty, and the analogy between them and “The Thirty Tyrants of Athens” is scarcely perceptible.

Thirty Years’ War(The), a series of wars between the Protestants and Catholics of Germany, terminated by the “Peace of Westphalia.” The war arose thus: The emperor of Austria interfered in the struggle between the Protestants and Catholics, by depriving the Protestants of Bohemia of their religious privileges; in consequence of which the Protestants flew to arms. After the contest had been going on for some years, Richelieu joined the Protestants (1635), not from any love of their cause, but solely to humiliate Austria and Spain (1618-1648).

The Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta is called “The Thirty Years’War”.War”.

Thisbe(2syl.), a beautiful Babylonian maid, beloved by Pyrămus, her next-door neighbor. As their parents forbade their marriage, they contrived to hold intercourse with each other through a chink in the garden wall. Once they agreed to meet at the tomb of Ninus. Thisbê was first at the trysting-place, but, being scared by a lion, took to flight, and accidentally dropped her robe, which the lion tore and stained with blood. Pyramus, seeing the blood-stained robe, thought that the lion had eaten Thisbê, and so killed himself. When Thisbê returned and saw her lover dead, she killed herself also. Shakespeare has burlesqued this pretty tale in hisMidsummer Night’s Dream(1592).

Thom´alin, a shepherd who laughed to scorn the notion of love, but was ultimately entangled in its wiles. He tells Willy that one day, hearing a rustling in a bush, he discharged an arrow, when up flew Cupid into a tree. A battle ensued between them, and when the shepherd, having spent all his arrows, ran away, Cupid shot him in the heel. Thomalin did not much heed the wound at first, butsoon it festered inwardly and rankled daily more and more.--Spenser,Shepheardes Calendar, iii. (1579).

Thomalin is again introduced in Ecl. vii., when he inveighs against the Catholic priests in general, and the shepherd Palinode (3syl.) in particular. This eclogue could not have been written before 1578, as it refers to the sequestration of Grindal, archbishop of Canterbury in that year.

Thomas(Monsieur), the fellow-traveller of Val´entine. Valentine’s niece, Mary, is in love with him.--Beaumont and Fletcher,Mons. Thomas(1619).

Thomas(Sir), a dogmatical, prating, self-sufficient squire, whose judgments are but “justices’ justice.”--Crabbe,Borough, x. (1810).

Thomas à Kempis, the pseudonym of Jean Charlier de Gerson (1363-1429). Some say, of Thomas Hämmerlein Maleŏlus (1380-1471).

Thomas the Rhymeror “Thomas of Erceldoun,” an ancient Scottish bard. His name was Thomas Learmont, and he lived in the days of Wallace (thirteenth century).

⁂ Thomas the Rhymer, and Thomas Rymer were totally different persons. The latter was an historiographer, who compiledThe Fœdera(1638-1713).

Thomas(Winifred), beautiful coquette, who wins Henry Vane’s heart only to trifle with it, in Frederic Jesup Stimson’s novel,The Crime of Henry Vane(1884).

Thopas(Sir), a native of Poperyng, in Flanders; a capital sportsman, archer, wrestler, and runner. Sir Thopas resolved to marry no one but an “elf queen,” and accordingly started for Faëryland. On his way he met the three-headed giant, Olifaunt, who challenged him to single combat. Sir Thopas asked permission to go for his armor, and promised to meet the giant next day. Here mine host broke in with the exclamation, “Intolerable stuff!” and the story was left unfinished.--Chaucer,Canterbury Tales(“The Rime of Sir Thopas,” 1388).

Thor, eldest son of Odin and Frigga; strongest and bravest of the gods. He launched the thunder, presided over the air and the seasons, and protected man from lightning and evil spirits.

His wife was Sif (“love”).

His chariot was drawn by two he-goats.

His mace or hammer was called Mjolner.

His belt was Megingjard. Whenever he put it on his strength was doubled.

His palace was Thrudvangr. It contained 540 halls.

Thursday is Thor’s day.--Scandinavian Mythology.

The word means “Refuge from terror.”

Thoresby(Broad), one of the troopers under Fitzurse.--Sir W. Scott,Ivanhoe(time, Richard I.).

Thorn´berry(Job), a brazier in Penzance. He was a blunt but kind man, strictly honest, most charitable, and doting on his daughter, Mary. Job Thornberry is called “John Bull,” and is meant to be a type of a genuine English tradesman, unsophisticated by cant and foreign manners. He failed in business “through the treachery of a friend;” but Peregrine, to whom he had lent ten guineas, returning from Calcutta after the absence ofthirty years, gave him £10,000, which he said his loan had grown to by honest trade.

Mary Thornberry, his daughter, in love with Frank Rochdale, son and heir of Sir Simon Rochdale, whom ultimately she married.--G. Colman, Jr.,John Bull(1805).

Thorne(Esmerald), physician who is killed instantly by a runaway horse, and, without suspecting that his spirit has left his body, seeks first one friend, then another, remaining viewless to all. Condemned to work his way from a lower to a higher plane, he rebels against the natural law of sowing and reaping, until led by the spirit of his own little child to repentance and sanctification.

Thorne(Helen), patient wife and sorrowing widow of Esmerald.--Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward,The Gates Between(1887).

Thornhaugh(Colonel), an officer in Cromwell’s army.--Sir W. Scott,Woodstock(time, Commonwealth).

Thornhill(Sir William),aliasMr. Burchell, about 30 years of age. Most generous and most whimsical, most benevolent and most sensitive. Sir William was the landlord of Dr. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield. After travelling through Europe on foot, he had returned and livedincognito. In the garb and aspect of a pauper, Mr. Burchell is introduced to the vicar of Wakefield. Twice he rescued his daughter, Sophia--once when she was thrown from her horse into a deep stream, and once when she was abducted by Squire Thornhill. Ultimately he married her.--Goldsmith,The Vicar of Wakefield(1766).

Thornhill(Squire), nephew of Sir William Thornhill. He enjoyed a large fortune, but was entirely dependent on his uncle. He was a sad libertine, who abducted both the daughters of Dr. Primrose, and cast the old vicar into jail for rent after the entire loss of his house, money, furniture, and books by fire. Squire Thornhill tried to impose upon Olivia Primrose by a false marriage, but was caught in his own trap, for the marriage proved to be legal in every respect.--Goldsmith,The Vicar of Wakefield(1766).

This worthy citizen abused the aristocracy much on the same principle as the fair Olivia depreciated Squire Thornhill:--he had a sneaking affection for what he abused.--Lord Lytton.

Thornton(Captain), an English officer.--Sir W. Scott,Rob Roy(time George I.).

Thornton(Cyril), the hero and title of a novel of military adventure, by Captain Thomas Hamilton (1827).

Thorough Doctor(The). William Varro was calledDoctor Fundātus(thirteenth century).

Thoughtful(Father), Nicholas Cat´inet, a marshal of France. So called by his soldiers for his cautious and thoughtful policy (1637-1712).

Thoughtless(Miss Betty), a virtuous, sensible, and amiable young lady, utterly regardless of the conventionalities of society, and wholly ignorant of etiquette. She is consequently forever involved in petty scrapes most mortifying to her sensitive mind. Even her lover is alarmed at hergaucherie, and deliberates whether such a partner for life is desirable.--Mrs. Heywood,Miss Betty Thoughtless(1687-1758).

(Mrs. Heywood’s novel evidently suggested theEvelinaof Miss Burney, 1778.)

Thoulouse(Raymond, count of), one of the crusading princes.--Sir W. ScottCount Robert of Paris(time, Rufus).

Thrame(Janet), fiend-possessed serving maid, who, when she went abroad led by her possessor and master, left her body hung upon a nail in her room.--R. L. Stevenson,Thrame Janet.

Thraso, a bragging, swaggering captain, the Roman Bobadil (q.v.).--Terence,The Eunuch.

Thraso, duke of Mar, one of the allies of Charlemagne.--Ariosto,Orlando Furioso(1516).

Three a Divine Number.Pythagoras calls three the perfect number, expressive of “beginning, middle, and end,” and he makes it a symbol of deity.

American Indians:Otkon (creator), Messou (providence) Atahuata (the Logos).

(CalledOtkonby the Iroquois, andOtkeeby the Virginians).

Armorica.The korrigans or fays of Armorica are three times three.

Brahmins:Brahma, Vishnu, Siva.

Buddhists:Buddha, Annan Sonsja, Rosia Sonsja.

(These are the three idols seen in Buddhist temples; Buddha stands in the middle.)

Christians:The Father, the Son (the Logos), the Holy Ghost.

When, in creation, the earth was without form and void, “the Spirit moved over the face,” and put it into order.

Egyptians(Ancient). Almost every district had its own triad, but the most general were Osiris, Isis, Horus; Eicton, Cneph (creator), Phtha.

Etruscans.Their college consisted of three times three gods.

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