Tusser has a poem onThriftiness, twelve lines in length, and in rhyme, every word of which begins witht(died 1580). Leon Placentius, a Dominican, wrote a poem in Latin hexameters, calledPugna Porcorum, 253 lines long, every word of which begins withp(died 1548).

The thrifty that teacheth the thriving to thrive,Teach timely to traverse, the thing that thou ’trive,Transferring thy toiling, to timeliness taught,This teacheth thee temp’rance, to temper thy thought.Take Trusty (to trust to) that thinkest to thee,That trustily thriftiness trowleth to thee.Then temper thy traveil, to tarry the tide;This teacheth thee thriftiness, twenty times tryed.Take thankfull thy talent, thank thankfully thoseThat thriftily teacheth [? teach thee] thy time to transpose.Troth twice to be teached, teach twenty times ten,This trade thou that takest, take thrift to thee then.Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, xlix. (1557).

The thrifty that teacheth the thriving to thrive,

Teach timely to traverse, the thing that thou ’trive,

Transferring thy toiling, to timeliness taught,

This teacheth thee temp’rance, to temper thy thought.

Take Trusty (to trust to) that thinkest to thee,

That trustily thriftiness trowleth to thee.

Then temper thy traveil, to tarry the tide;

This teacheth thee thriftiness, twenty times tryed.

Take thankfull thy talent, thank thankfully those

That thriftily teacheth [? teach thee] thy time to transpose.

Troth twice to be teached, teach twenty times ten,

This trade thou that takest, take thrift to thee then.

Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, xlix. (1557).

Taau, the god of thunder. The natives of the Hervey Islands believe that thunder is produced by the shaking of Taau’s wings.--John Williams,Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands, 109 (1837).

Tabakiera, a magic snuff-box which, upon being opened, said,Que quieres?(“What do you want?”); and, upon being told the wish, it was there and then accomplished. The snuff-box is the counterpart of Aladdin’s lamp, but appears in numerous legends slightly varied (see for example Campbell’sTales of the West Highlands, ii. 293-303, “The Widow’s Son”).--Rev. W. Webster,Basque Legends, 94 (1876).

Tabarin, a famous vender of quack medicines, born at Milan, who went to Paris in the seventeenth century. By his antics and rude wit he collected great crowds together, and in ten years (1620-30) became rich enough to buy a handsome château in Dauphine. The French aristocracy, unable to bear the satire of a charlatan in a château, murdered him.

The jests and witty sayings of thisfarceurwere collected together in 1622, and published under the title ofL’inventaire Universel des Œuvres de Tabarin, contenant ses Fantaisies, Dialogues, Paradoxes, Farces, etc.

In 1858 an edition of his works was published by G. Aventin.

Tachebrune(2syl.), the horse of Ogier le Dane. The word means “brown spot.”

Taciturnian, an inhabitant ofL’Isle Taciturne, or Taciturna, meaning London and the Londoners.

A thick and perpetual vapor covers this island, and fills the souls of the inhabitants with a certain sadness, misanthropy, and irksomenessof their own existence. Alaciel [the genius] was hardly at the first barriers of the metropolis when he fell in with a peasant bending under the weight of a bag of gold ... but his heart was sad and gloomy ... and he said to the genius, “Joy! I know it not; I never heard of it in this island.”--De la Dixmie,L’Isle Taciturne et l’Isle Enjouée(1759).

Tacket(Tibb), the wife of old Martin, the shepherd of Julian Avenel, of Avenel Castle.--Sir W. Scott,The Monastery(time, Elizabeth).

Tackleton, a toy merchant, called Gruff and Tackleton, because at one time Gruff had been his partner; he had, however, been bought out long ago. Tackleton was a stern, sordid, grinding man; ugly in looks, and uglier in his nature; cold and callous, selfish and unfeeling; his look was sarcastic and malicious; one eye was always wide open, and one nearly shut. He ought to have been a money-lender, a sheriff’s officer, or a broker, for he hated children and hated playthings. It was his greatest delight to make toys which scared children, and you could not please him better than to say that a toy from his warehouse had made a child miserable the whole Christmas holidays, and had been a nightmare to it for half its child-life. This amiable creature was about to marry May Fielding, when her old sweetheart, Edward Plummer, thought to be dead, returned from South America, and married her. Tackleton was reformed by Peerybingle, the carrier, bore his disappointment manfully, sent the bride and bridegroom his own wedding-cake, and joined the festivities of the marriage banquet.--C. Dickens,The Cricket on the Hearth(1845).

Taffril(Lieutenant), of H. M. gunbrigSearch. He is in love with Jenny Caxton, the milliner.--Sir W. Scott,The Antiquary(time, George III.).

Taffy, a Welshman. The word is simply Davy (David) pronounced with aspiration. David is the most common Welsh name; Sawney (Alexander), the most common Scotch; Pat (Patrick), the most common Irish; and John (John Bull), the most common English. So we have Cousin Michael for a German, Micaire for a Frenchman, Colin Tampon for a Swiss, and Brother Jonathan in the United States.

Tag, wife of Puff, and lady’s maid to Miss Biddy Bellair.--D. Garrick,Miss in Her Teens(1753).

Tahmuras, a king of Persia, whose exploits in Fairy-land among the peris and deevs are fully set forth by Richardson, in hisDissertation.

Tails(Men with). The Niam-niams, an African race between the gulf of Benin and Abyssinia, are said to have tails. Mons. de Castlenau (1851) tells us that the Niam-niams “have tails forty centimetres long, and between two and three centimetres in diameter.” Dr. Hubsch, physician to the hospitals of Constantinople, says, in 1853, that he carefully examined a Niam-niam negress, and that her tail was two inches long. Mons. d’Abbadie, in hisAbyssynian Travels(1852), tells us that south of the Herrar is a place where all themenhave tails, but not the females. “I have examined,” he says, “fifteen of them, and am positive that the tail is a natural appendage.” Dr. Wolf, in hisTravels and Adventures, ii. (1861), says: “There are both men and women in Abyssinia with tails like dogs and horses.” He heard that, near Narea, in Abyssinia, therewere men and women with tails so muscular that they could “knock down a horse with a blow.”

John Struys, a Dutch traveller, says, in hisVoyages(1650), that “all the natives on the south of Formosa have tails.” He adds that he himself personally saw one of these islanders with a tail “more than a foot long.”

It is said that the Ghilane race, which numbers between 30,000 and 40,000 souls, and dwell “far beyond the Senaar,” have tails three or four inches long. Colonel du Corret assures us that he himself most carefully examined one of the race named Bellal, a slave belonging to an emir in Mecca, whose house he frequented.--World of Wonders, 206.

The Poonangs, of Borneo, are said to be a tail-bearing race.

Individual Examples.Dr. Hubsch says that he examined at Constantinople the son of a physician whom he knew intimately, who had a decided tail, and so had his grandfather.

In the middle of the present (the nineteenth) century, all the newspapers made mention of the birth of a boy at Newcastle-on-Tyne with a tail, which “wagged when he was pleased.”

In the College of Surgeons at Dublin may be seen a human skeleton with a tail seven inches long.

Tails given by way of Punishment.Polydore Vergil asserts that when Thomas á Becket came to Stroud, the mob cut off the tail of his horse, and in eternal reproach, “both they and their offspring bore tails.” Lambarde repeats the same story in hisPerambulation of Kent(1576).

For Becket’s sake Kent always shall have tails.--Andrew Marvel.

John Bale, bishop of Ossory, in the reign of Edward VI., tells us that John Capgrave and Alexander of Esseby have stated it as a fact that certain Dorsetshire men cast fishes’ tails at St. Augustine, in consequence of which “the men of this county have borne tails ever since.”

We all know the tradition that Cornish men are born with tails.

Taillefer, a valiant warrior and minstrel in the army of William the Conqueror. At the battle of Hastings (orSenlac) he stimulated the ardor of the Normans by songs in praise of Charlemagne and Roland. The soldier-minstrel was at last borne down by numbers, and fell fighting.

He was a juggler or minstrel, who could sing songs and play tricks.... So he rode forth singing as he went, and as some say, throwing his sword up in the air and catching it again.--E. A. Freeman,Old English History, 332.

Tailors of Tooley Street(The Three). Canning tells us of three tailors of Tooley Street, Southwark, who addressed a petition of grievances to the House of Commons, beginning with these words, “We, the people of England.”

The “deputies of Vaugirard” presented themselves before Charles VIII. of France. When the king asked how many there were, the usher replied, “Only one, an please your majesty.”

Taj, in Agra (East India), the mausoleum built by Shah Jehan to his favorite sultana, Moomtaz-i-Mahul, who died in childbirth of her eighth child. It is of white marble, and is so beautiful that it is called “A Poem in Marble,” and “The Marble Queen of Sorrow.”

Talbert[Tŏl´.but], John Talbert or rather Talbot. “The English Achillês,” first earl of Shrewsbury (1373-1453).

Our Talbert, to the French so terrible in war,That with his very name their babes they used to scare.Drayton,Polyolbion, xviii. (1613).

Our Talbert, to the French so terrible in war,

That with his very name their babes they used to scare.

Drayton,Polyolbion, xviii. (1613).

Tallbot(John), a name of terror in France. Same as above.

They in France, to feare their young children, crye, “The Talbot commeth!”--Hall,Chronicles(1545).

Is this the Talbot, so much feared abroad,That with his name the mothers still their babes?Shakespeare,1 Henry VI.act. ii. sc. 3 (1589).

Is this the Talbot, so much feared abroad,

That with his name the mothers still their babes?

Shakespeare,1 Henry VI.act. ii. sc. 3 (1589).

Talbot(Colonel), an English officer, and one of Waverley’s friends.--Sir W. Scott,Waverley(time, George II.).

Talbot(Lord Arthur), a cavalier who won the love of Elvira, daughter of Lord Walton; but his lordship had promised his daughter in marriage to Sir Richard Ford, a puritan officer. The betrothal being set aside, Lord Talbot became the accepted lover, and the marriage ceremony was fixed to take place at Plymouth. In the mean time, Lord Arthur assisted the Dowager Queen Henrietta to escape, and on his return to England was arrested by the soldiers of Cromwell, and condemned to death; but Cromwell, feeling secure of his position, commanded all political prisoners to be released, so Lord Arthur was set at liberty, and married Elvira.--Bellini,I Puritani(1834).

Talbot(Lying Dick), the nickname given to Tyrconnel, the Irish Jacobite, who held the highest offices in Ireland in the reign of James II., and in the early part of William III.’s reign (died 1691).

Tale of a Tub, a comedy by Ben Jonson (1618). This was the last comedy brought out by him on the stage; the first wasEvery Man in His Humor(1598).

In theTale of a Tub, he [Ben Jonson] follows the path of Aristoph´anês, and lets his wit run into low buffoonery, that he might bring upon the stage Inigo Jones, his personal enemy.--Sir Walter Scott,The Drama.

Tale of a Tub, a religious satire by Dean Swift (1704). Its object is to ridicule the Roman Catholics under the name of Peter, and the Presbyterians under the name of Jack [Calvin]. The Church of England is represented by Martin [Luther].

Gulliver’s Travelsand theTale of a Tubmust ever be the chief corner-stones of Swift’s fame.--Chambers,English Literature, ii. 547.

Tales(Chinese), being the transmigrations of the mandarin, Fum-Hoam, told to Gulchenraz, daughter of the king of Georgia. (SeeFum-Hoam.)--T. S. Gueulette (originally in French, 1723).

Tales(Fairy), a series of tales, originally in French, by the Comtesse D’Aunoy, D’Aulnoy, or D’Anois (1698). Some are very near copies of theArabian Nights. The best-known are “Cherry and Fairstar,” “The Yellow Dwarf,” and “The White Cat.”

About the same time (1697), Claude Perrault published, in French, his famousFairy Tales, chiefly taken from theSagasof Scandinavia.

Tales(Moral), twenty-three tales by Marmontel, originally in French (1761). They were intended for draughts of dramas. The design of the first tale, called “Alcibiădês,” is to expose the folly of expecting to be loved “merely for one’s self.” The design of the second tale, called “Soliman II.,” is to expose the folly of attempting to gain woman’s love by any othermeans than reciprocal love; and so on. The second tale has been dramatized.

Tales(Oriental), by the Comte de Caylus, originally in French (1743). A series of tales supposed to be told by Moradbak, a girl of 14, to Hudjadge, shah of Persia, who could not sleep. It contains the tale of “The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.” (SeeMoradbak.)

Tales of a Grandfather, in three series, by Sir W. Scott; told to Hugh Littlejohn, who was between five and six years of age (1828). These tales are supposed to be taken from Scotch chronicles, and embrace the most prominent and graphic incidents of Scotch history. Series i., to the amalgamation of the two crowns in James I.; series ii., to the union of the two parliaments in the reign of Queen Anne; series iii., to the death of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender.

Tales of My Landlord, tales supposed to be told by the landlord of the Wallace inn, in the parish of Gandercleuch, “edited and arranged by Jedediah Cleishbotham, schoolmaster and parish clerk” of the same parish, but in reality corrected and arranged by his usher, Peter or Patrick Pattison, who lived to complete five of the novels, but died before the last two were issued. These novels are arranged thus:First Series, “The Black Dwarf” and “Old Mortality;”Second Series, “Heart of Midlothian;”Third Series, “Bride of Lammermoor” and “Legend of Montrose;”Posthumous, “Count Robert of Paris” and “Castle Dangerous.”--Sir W. Scott. (SeeBlack Dwarf, introduction.)

Tales of the Crusaders, by Sir W. Scott, includeThe BetrothedandThe Talisman.

Tales of the Genii, that is, tales told by the genii to Iracagem, their chief, respecting their tutelary charges, or how they had discharged their functions as the guardian genii of man. Patna and Coulor, children of Giualar (imân of Terki), were permitted to hear these accounts rendered, and hence they have reached our earth. The genius, Barhaddan, related the history of his tutelary charge of Abu´dah, a merchant of Bagdad. The genius, Mamlouk, told how he had been employed in watching over the Dervise Alfouran. Next, Omphram recounted his labors as the tutelar genius of Hassan Assar, caliph of Bagdad. The genius, Hassarack, tells his experience in the tale of Kelaun and Guzzarat. The fifth was a female genius, by name, Houadir, who told the tale of Urad, the fair wanderer, her ward on earth. Then rose the sage genius, Macoma, and told the tale of the Sultan Misnar, with the episodes of Mahoud and the princess of Cassimir. The affable Adiram, the tutelar genius of Sadak and Kalas´rade, told of their battle of life. Last of all rose the venerable genius, Nadan, and recounted the history of his earthly charge, named Mirglip, the dervise. These tales are from the Persian, and are ascribed to Horam, son of Asmar.

Talgol, a butcher in Newgate market, who obtained a captain’s commission in Cromwell’s army for his bravery at Naseby.

Talgol was of courage stout ...Inured to labor, sweat, and toil,And like a champion, shone with oil ...He many a boar and huge dun cowDid, like another Guy, o’erthrow ...With greater troops of sheep he’d foughtThan Ajax or bold Don Quixote.S. Butler,Hudibras. i. 2 (1663).

Talgol was of courage stout ...

Inured to labor, sweat, and toil,

And like a champion, shone with oil ...

He many a boar and huge dun cow

Did, like another Guy, o’erthrow ...

With greater troops of sheep he’d fought

Than Ajax or bold Don Quixote.

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

TaliesinorTaliessin, son of St. Henwig,chief of the bards of the West, in the time of King Arthur (sixth century). In theMabinogion, are given the legends connected with him, several specimens of his songs, and all that is historically known about him. The bursting in of the sea through the neglect of Seithenin, who had charge of the embankment, and the ruin which it brought on Gwyddno Garanhir, is allegorized by the bursting of a pot called the “caldron of inspiration,” through the neglect of Gwion Bach, who was set to watch it.

That Taliessen, once which made the rivers dance,And in his rapture raised the mountains from their trance.Shall tremble at my verse.Drayton,Polyolbion, iv. (1613).

That Taliessen, once which made the rivers dance,

And in his rapture raised the mountains from their trance.

Shall tremble at my verse.

Drayton,Polyolbion, iv. (1613).

Talisman(The), a novel by Sir W. Scott, and one of the best of the thirty-two which he wrote (1825). It relates how Richard Cœur de Lion was cured of a fever in the Holy Land, by Saladin, the soldan, his noble enemy. Saladin, hearing of his illness, assumed the disguise of Adonbec el Hakim, the physician, and visited the king. He filled a cup with spring water, into which he dipped the talisman, a little red purse that he took from his bosom, and when it had been steeped long enough, he gave the draught to the king to drink (ch. ix.). During the king’s sickness, the archduke of Austria planted his own banner beside that of England; but as soon as Richard recovered from his fever he tore down the Austrian banner, and gave it in custody to Sir Kenneth. While Kenneth was absent he left his dog in charge of it, but on his return, found the dog wounded, and the banner stolen. King Richard, in his rage, ordered Sir Kenneth to execution, but pardoned him on the intercession of “the physician” (Saladin). Sir Kenneth’s dog showed such a strange aversion to the Marquis de Montserrat, that suspicion was aroused, the marquis was challenged to single combat, and, being overthrown by Sir Kenneth, confessed that he had stolen the banner. The love story interwoven is that between Sir Kenneth, the prince royal of Scotland, and Lady Edith Plantagenet, the king’s kinswoman, with whose marriage the tale concludes.

Talismans(The Four). Houna, surnamed Seidel-Beckir, a talismanist, made three of great value: viz., a little golden fish, which would fetch out of the sea whatever it was bidden; a poniard, which rendered invisible not only the person bearing it, but all those he wished to be so; and a ring of steel, which enabled the wearer to read thesecretssecretsof men’s hearts. The fourth talisman was a bracelet, which preserved the wearer from poison.--Comte de Caylus,Oriental Tales(“The Four Talismans,” 1743).

Talking-Bird(The), called Bulbulhe´zar. It had the power of human speech, and when it sang all the song-birds in the vicinity came and joined in concert. It was also oracular, and told the sultan the tale of his three children, and how they had been exposed by the sultana’s two jealous sisters.--Arabian Nights(“The Two Sisters,” the last tale).

The talking bird is called “the little green bird” in “The Princess Fairstar,” one of theFairy Talesof the Comtesse D’Aunoy (1682).

Tallboy(Old), forester of St. Mary’s Convent.--Sir W. Scott,Monastery(time, Elizabeth).

Talleyrand.This name, anciently written “Taileran,” was originally a sobriquetderived from the wordstailler les rangs(“cut through the ranks”).

Talleyrand is generally credited with themot:“La parole a été donnée à l’homme pour l’aider à cacher sa pensée[ordéguiser la pensée];” but they were spoken by Comte de Montrond, “the most agreeable scoundrel in the court of Marie Antoinette.”--Captain Gronow,Recollections and Anecdotes.

Voltaire, sixty years previously, had said:“Ils n’employent les paroles que pour déguiser leurs pensées.”--Le Chapon et la Poularde.

And Goldsmith, in 1759, when Talleyrand was about four years old, had published the sentence: “The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.”--The Bee, iii.

Talos, a son of Perdix, sister of Dædălos, inventor of the saw, compasses, and other mechanical instruments. His uncle, jealous of him, threw him from the citadel of Athens, and he was changed into a partridge.

Talos, a man of brass, made by Hephæstos (Vulcan). This wonderful automaton was given to Minos to patrol the island of Crete. It traversed the island thrice every day, and if a stranger came near, made itself red hot, and squeezed him to death.

Talus, an iron man, representing power or the executive of a state. He was Astræa’s groom, whom the goddess gave to Sir Artĕgal. This man of iron, “unmovable and resistless without end,” “swift as a swallow, and as a lion strong,” carried in his hand an iron flail, “with which he threshed out falsehood, and did truth unfold.” When Sir Artegal fell into the power of Radigund, queen of the Amăzons, Talus brought Britomart to the rescue.--Spenser,Faëry Queen, v. 1 (1596).

Talut.So the Mohammedans call Saul.

Verily God hath sent Talût king over you .... Samuel said, Verily God hath chosen him, and hath caused him to increase in knowledge and stature.--Al Korân, ii.

Talvi, a pseudonym of Mrs. Robinson. It is simply the initials of her maiden name, Therese Albertine Louise von Iakob.

Tam o’ Todshaw, a huntsman, near Charlie’s Hope Farm.--Sir W. Scott,Guy Mannering(time, George II.).

Tam o’ the Cowgate, the sobriquet of Sir Thomas Hamilton, a Scotch lawyer, who lived in the Cowgate, at Edinburgh (*-1563).

Tam O’ Shanter, drunken peasant who looks into the lighted windows of Alloway Kirk one night, on his way home from the tavern, and watches the witches dance. He is discovered and chased by the hags. In crossing the bridge, a witch who has sprung upon his crupper, seizes his horse’s tail, and he leaves it with her, since she cannot cross running water.--Robert Burns,Tam O’ Shanter.

Tamburlaine the Great(orTimour Lengh), the Tartar conqueror. In history called Tamerlane. He had only one hand and was lame (1336-1405). The hero and title of a tragedy by C. Marlowe (1587). Shakespeare (2 Henry IV.act ii. sc. 4) makes Pistol quote a part of this turgid play.

Holla, ye pampered jades of Asia.What! can ye draw but twenty miles a day,And have so proud a chariot at your heels,And such a coachman as great Tamburlaine.

Holla, ye pampered jades of Asia.

What! can ye draw but twenty miles a day,

And have so proud a chariot at your heels,

And such a coachman as great Tamburlaine.

(In the stage direction in Marlowe’s play:

Enter Tamburlaine, drawn in his chariot by Treb´izon and Soria, with bits in their mouths, reins in his left hand, in his right a whip with which he scourgeth them.)

N. Rowe has a tragedy entitledTamerlane(q. v.).

Tamer Tamed(The), a kind of sequel to Shakespeare’s comedyThe Taming of the Shrew. In theTamer Tamed, Petruchio is supposed to marry a second wife, by whom he is hen-pecked.--Beaumont and Fletcher (1647).

Tamerlane, emperor of Tartary, in Rowe’s tragedy so called, is a noble, generous, high-minded prince, the very glass of fashion for all conquerors, in his forgiveness of wrongs, and from whose example Christians might be taught their moral code. Tamerlane treats Bajazet, his captive, with truly godlike clemency, till the fierce sultan plots his assassination. Then, longer forbearance would have been folly, and the Tartar has his untamed captive chained in a cage, like a wild beast.--N. Rowe,Tamerlane(1702).

It is said that Louis XIV. was Rowe’s “Bajazet,” and William III. his “Tamerlane.”

⁂ Tamerlane is a corruption ofTimour Lengh(“Timour, the lame”). He was one-handed and lame also. His name was used by the Persiansin terrorem. (SeeTamburlaine the Great.)

Taming of the Shrew(The), a comedy by Shakespeare (1594). The “shrew” is Kathari´na, elder daughter of Baptista, of Padua, and she is tamed by the stronger mind of Petruchio into a most obedient and submissive wife.

This drama is founded onA pleasaunt conceited Historie, called The Taming of a Shrew. As it hath beene sundry times acted by the right honourable the earle of Pembrooke his servants, 1607.The induction is borrowed from Heuterus,Rerum Burgundearum, iv., a translation of which into English, by E. Grimstone, appeared in 1607. The same trick was played by Haroun-al-Raschid, on the merchant Abou Hassan (Arabian Nights, “The Sleeper Awakened”); and by Philippe the Good of Burgundy. (See Burton,Anatomy of Melancholy, II. ii. 4; see alsoThe Frolicksome Duke, or the Tinker’s Good Fortune(a ballad), Percy.)

Beaumont and Fletcher wrote a kind of sequel to this comedy, calledThe Tamer Tamed, in which Petruchio is supposed to marry a second wife, by whom he is hen-pecked (1647).

The Honeymoon, a comedy by Tobin (1804), has a similar plot, but the shrew is tamed with far less display of obstreperous self-will.

Tami´no and Pami´na, the two lovers who were guided by the magic flute through all worldly dangers to the knowledge of divine truth (or the mysteries of Isis).--Mozart,Die Zauberflöte(1791).

Tamismud, aged chief of the Delawares, regarded as an oracle by Indians of all tribes. When Magua brings his captives, whites and Indians, before the sage for sentence, Tamismud is a hundred years old, and speaks with clear eyes, and for the most part dreamily, as communing with unseen powers. His style of speech is highly figurative and the superstitious creatures by whom he is surrounded hang breathlessly upon every sentence uttered by his lips.--James Fenimore Cooper,The Last of the Mohicans(1826).

Tam´ora, queen of the Goths, in lovewith Aaron, the Moor.--(?) Shakespeare,Titus Andron´icus(1593).

⁂ The classic name isAndronīcus, but Titus Andronĭcus is a purely fictitious character.

Tamper(Colonel), betrothed to Emily. On his return from Havana, he wanted to ascertain if Emily loved him “for himself alone;” so he pretended to have lost one leg and one eye. Emily was so shocked that the family doctor was sent for, who, amidst other gossip, told the young lady he had recently seen Colonel Tamper, who was looking remarkably well, and had lost neither leg nor eye. Emily now perceived that a trick was being played, so she persuaded Mdlle. Florival to assume the part of a rival lover, under the assumed name of Captain Johnson. After the colonel had been thoroughly roasted, Major Belford entered, recognized “Captain Johnson” as his ownaffiancée, the colonel saw how the tables had been turned upon him, apologized, and all ended happily.--G. Colman, Sr.,The Deuce is in Him(1762).

Tamson(Peg), an old woman at Middlemas village.--Sir W. Scott,The Surgeon’s Daughter(time, George II.).

Tanaquill, wife of Tarquinius,priscusof Rome. She was greatly venerated by the Romans, but Juvenal uses the name as the personification of an imperious woman with a strong independent will. In theFaëry Queen, Spenser calls Gloriana (Queen Elizabeth), “Tanaquill” (bk. i. introduction, 1590).

Tancred, son of Eudes and Emma. He was the greatest of all the Christian warriors except Rinaldo. His one fault was the love of woman, and that woman Clorinda, a pagan (bk. i.). Tancred brought 800 horse to the allied crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon. In a night combat Tancred unwittingly slew Clorinda, and lamented her death with great and bitter lamentation (bk. xii.). Being wounded, he was tenderly nursed by Erminia, who was in love with him (bk. xix).--Tasso,Jerusalem Delivered(1575).

⁂ Rossini has an opera entitledTancredi(1813).

Tancred, prince of Otranto, one of the crusaders, probably the same as the one above.--Sir W. Scott,Count Robert of Paris(time, Rufus).

Tancred(Count), the orphan son of Manfred, eldest grandson of Roger I. of Sicily, and rightful heir to the throne. His father was murdered by William the Bad, and he himself, was brought up by Siffre´di, lord high chancellor of Sicily. While only a count, he fell in love with Sigismunda, the chancellor’s daughter, but when King Roger died, he left the throne to Tancred, provided he married Constantia, daughter of William the Bad, and thus united the rival lines. Tancred gave a tacit consent to this arrangement, intending all the time to obtain a dispensation from the pope, and marry the chancellor’s daughter; but Sigismunda could not know his secret intentions, and, in a fit of irritation, married the Earl Osmond. Now follows the catastrophe: Tancred sought an interview with Sigismunda, to justify his conduct, but Osmond challenged him to fight. Osmond fell, and stabbed Sigismunda when she ran to his succor.--Thomson,Tancred and Sigismunda(1745).

⁂ Thomson’s tragedy is founded on the episode called “The Baneful Marriage,”Gil Blas, iv. 4 (Lesage, 1724). Inthe prose tale, Tancred is called “Henriquez,” and Sigismunda “Blanch.”

Tancredi, the Italian form of Tancred (q.v.). The best of the early operas of Rossini (1813).

Tanner of Tamworth(The), the man who mistook Edward IV. for a highwayman. After some little altercation, they changed horses, the king giving his hunter for the tanner’s cob, worth about four shillings; but as soon as the tanner mounted the king’s horse, it threw him, and the tanner gladly paid down a sum of money to get his old cob back again.

King Edward now blew his hunting-horn, and the courtiers gathered round him. “Ihope[i.e.,expect] I shall be hanged for this,” cried the tanner; but the king, in merry pin, gave him the manor of Plumpton Park, with 300 marks a year.--Percy,Reliques, etc.

Tannhäuser(Sir), called in German theRitter Tannhäuser, a Teutonic knight, who wins the love of Lisaura, a Mantuan lady. Hilario, the philosopher, often converses with the Ritter on supernatural subjects, and promises that Venus herself shall be his mistress, if he will summon up his courage to enter Venusberg. Tannhäuser starts on the mysterious journey, and Lisaura, hearing thereof, kills herself. At Venusberg, the Ritter gives full swing to his pleasures, but in time returns to Mantua, and makes his confession to Pope Urban. His holiness says to him, “Man, you can no more hope for absolution, than this staff which I hold in my hand, can be expected to bud.” So Tannhäuser flees in despair from Rome, and returns to Venusberg. Meanwhile, the pope’s staff actually does sprout, and Urban sends in all directions for the Ritter, but he is nowhere to be found.

Tieck, in hisPhantasus(1812), introduces the story. Wagner (in 1845) brought out his great opera, calledTannhäuser. The companion of Tannhäuser was Eckhardt.

⁂ The tale of Tannhäuser is substantially the same as that of Thomas of Erceldoun, also called “Thomas the Rhymer,” who was so intimate with Faëry folk, that he could foretell what events would come to pass. He was also a bard, and wrote the famous lay ofSir Tristrem. The general belief is, that the seer is not dead, but has been simply removed from the land of the living to Faëry-land, whence occasionally he emerges, to busy himself with human affairs. Sir W. Scott has introduced the legend inCastle Dangerous, v. (SeeErceldoun.)

Tantalus, for crimes the nature of which is uncertain, he was punished in the Inferno with insatiable hunger and thirst, placed up to his chin in water, which receded whenever he tried to drink, while tempting fruits grew near by, that drew back if he attempted to touch them. Hence,tantalize.--Greek Mythology.

Taouism, the system of Taou, that invisible principle which pervades everything. Pope refers to this universal divine permeation in the well-known lines: it

Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,Lives through all life, extends through all extent,Spreads undivided, operates unspent.Essay on Man, i. (1733).

Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,

Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,

Lives through all life, extends through all extent,

Spreads undivided, operates unspent.

Essay on Man, i. (1733).

Tapestered Chamber(The), a tale by Sir W. Scott, laid in the reign of GeorgeIII. There are but two characters introduced. General Browne goes on avisitvisitto Lord Woodville, and sleeps in the “tapestered chamber,” which is haunted. He sees the “lady in the sacque,” describes her to Lord Woodville next morning, and recognizes her picture in the portrait gallery.

The back of this form was turned to me, and I could observe, from the shoulders and neck, it was that of an old woman, whose dress was an old-fashioned gown, which, I think, ladies call a sacque--that is, a sort of robe completely loose in the body, but gathered into broad plaits upon the neck and shoulders, which fall down to the ground, and terminate in a species of train.

Tap´ley(Mark), an honest, light-hearted young man, whose ambition was “to come out jolly” under the most unfavorable circumstances. Greatly attached to Martin Chuzzlewit, he leaves his comfortable situation at the Blue Dragon to accompany him to America, and in “Eden” has ample opportunities of “being jolly,” so far as wretchedness could make him so. On his return to England he marries Mrs. Lupin, and thus becomes landlord of the Blue Dragon.--C. Dickens,Martin Chuzzlewit, xiii., xxi., etc. (1843).

Charles [VII. of France] was the Mark Tapley of kings, and bore himself with his usual “jollity” under this afflicting news. It was remarked of him that “no one could lose a kingdom with greater gaiety.”--Rev. J. White.

Tappertit(Sim, i.e.,Simon), the apprentice of Gabriel Varden, locksmith. He was just 20 in years, but 200 in conceit. An old-fashioned, thin-faced, sleek-haired, sharp-nosed, small-eyed little fellow was Mr. Sim Tappertit, about five feet high, but thoroughly convinced in his own mind that he was both good looking and above the middle size, in fact, rather tall than otherwise. His figure, which was slender, he was proud of; and with his legs, which in knee-breeches were perfect curiosities of littleness, he was enraptured. He had also a secret notion that the power of his eye was irresistible, and he believed that he could subdue the haughtiest beauty “by eyeing her.” Of course Mr. Tappertit had an ambitious soul, and admired his master’s daughter, Dolly. He was captain of the secret society of “’Prentice Knights,” whose object was “vengeance against their tyrant masters.” After the Gordon riots, in which Tappertit took a leading part, he was found “burnt and bruised, with a gun-shot wound in his body and both his legs crushed into shapeless ugliness.” The cripple, by the locksmith’s aid, turned shoe-black under an archway near the Horse Guards, thrived in his vocation, and married the widow of a rag-and-bone collector. While an apprentice, Miss Miggs, the “protestant” shrewish servant of Mrs. Varden, cast an eye of hope on “Simmun;” but the conceited puppy pronounced her “decidedly scraggy,” and disregarded the soft impeachment.--C. Dickens,Barnaby Rudge(1841). (SeeSylli.)

Tapwell(Timothy), husband of Froth, put into business by Wellborn’s father, whose butler he was. When Wellborn was reduced to beggary, Timothy behaved most insolently to him; but as soon as he supposed he was about to marry the rich dowager, Lady Allworth, the rascal fawned on him like a whipped spaniel.--Massinger,A New Way to Pay Old Debts(1625).

Tara(The Hill of), in Meath, Ireland. Here the kings, the clergy, the princes and the bards used to assemble in a large hall, to consult on matters of public importance.

The harp that once thro’ Tara’s hallsThe soul of music shed,Now hangs as mute on Tara’s wallsAs if that soul were fled.T. Moore,Irish Melodies(“The Harp that Once ...” 1814).

The harp that once thro’ Tara’s halls

The soul of music shed,

Now hangs as mute on Tara’s walls

As if that soul were fled.

T. Moore,Irish Melodies(“The Harp that Once ...” 1814).

Tara(The Fes of), the triennial convention established by Ollam Fodlah or Ollav Fola inB.C.900, or 950. When business was over the princes banqueted together, each under his shield suspended by the chief herald on the wall, according to precedency. In the reign of Cormac, the palace of Tara was 900 feet square, and contained 150 apartments, and 150 dormitories, each for sixty sleepers. As many as 1000 guests were daily entertained in the hall.

Tarpa(Spurius Metius), a famous critic of the Augustan age. He sat in the temple of Apollo, with four colleagues, to judge the merit of theatrical pieces before they were produced in public.

He gives himself out for another Tarpa; decides boldly, and supports his opinions with loudness and obstinacy.--Lesage,Gil Blas, xi. 10 (1735).

Tarpe´ian Rock.So called from Tarpeia, daughter of Spurius Tarpeius, governor of the citadel on the Saturnian (i.e., Capitoline) Hill of Rome. The story is that the Sabines bargained with the Roman maid to open the gates to them, for the “ornaments on their arms.” As they passed through the gates they threw on her their shields, saying, “These are the ornaments we bear on our arms.” She was crushed to death, and buried on the Tarpeian Hill. Ever after, traitors were put to death by being hurled headlong from the hill-top.

Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thenceInto destruction cast him.Shakespeare,Coriolanus, act iii. sc. 1 (1610).

Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence

Into destruction cast him.

Shakespeare,Coriolanus, act iii. sc. 1 (1610).

⁂ G. Gilfillan, in his introduction to Longfellow’s poems, makes an erroneous allusion to the Roman traitress. He says Longfellow’s “ornaments, unlike those of the Sabine [sic] maid, have not crushed him.”

Louise Imogen Guiney has a poem entitledTarpeia, beginning:

“Woe! lightly to part with one’s soul as the sea with its foam!Woe to Tarpeia, Tarpeia, daughter of Rome!”(1884).

“Woe! lightly to part with one’s soul as the sea with its foam!

Woe to Tarpeia, Tarpeia, daughter of Rome!”

(1884).

Tarquin, a name of terror in Roman nurseries.

The nurse, to still her child, will tell my story,And fright her crying babe with Tarquin’s name.Shakespeare,Rape of Lucrece(1594).

The nurse, to still her child, will tell my story,

And fright her crying babe with Tarquin’s name.

Shakespeare,Rape of Lucrece(1594).

Tarquin(The Fall of). The well-known Roman story of Sextus Tarquinius and Lucretia has been dramatized by various persons, as: N. Lee (1679); John Howard Payne,Brutus, orThe Fall of Tarquin(1820)--this is the tragedy in which Edmund Kean appeared with his son, Charles, at Glasgow, the father taking “Brutus” and the son “Titus.” Arnault produced a tragedy in French, entitledLucrèce, in 1792; and Ponsard, in 1843. Alfieri has a tragedy calledBrutus, on the same subject. It also forms indirectly the subject of one of the lays of Lord Macaulay, calledThe Battle of the Lake Regillus(1842), a battle undertaken by the Sabines for the restoration of Tarquin, but in which the king and his two sons were left dead upon the field.

Tarquinia, wife of Titus, son of Brutus. Titus is one of the conspirators whose object is to bring back the Tarquins to Rome, and the sin against the state is palliated by his connection with the proscribed family. The unhappy son is condemned to death by his own father,and beheaded in his presence.--John Howard Payne,Brutus, a tragedy (1818).

Tarquinius(Sextus), having violated Lucretia, wife of Tarquinius Collatīnus, caused an insurrection in Rome, whereby the magistracy of kings was changed for that of consuls.

⁂ A parallel case is given in Spanish history: Roderick, the Goth, king of Spain, having violated Florinda, daughter of Count Julian, was the cause of Julian’s inviting over the Moors, who invaded Spain, drove Roderick from the throne, and the Gothic dynasty was set aside for ever.

Tartaro, the Basque Cyclops; of giant stature and cannibal habits, but not without a roughbonhommie. Intellectually very low in the scale, and invariably beaten in all contests with men. Galled in spirit by his ill success, the giant commits suicide. Tartaro, the son of a king, was made a monster out of punishment, and was never to lose his deformity till he married. One day he asked a girl to be his bride, and on being refused, sent her “a talking ring,” which talked without ceasing immediately she put it on; so she cut off her finger and threw it into a large pond, and there the Tartaro drowned himself.--Rev. W. Webster,Basque Legends, 1-4 (1876).

In one of the Basque legends, Tartaro is represented as a Polyphēmos, whose one eye is bored out with spits made red hot by some seamen who had wandered inadvertently into his dwelling. Like Ulysses, the leader of these seamen made his escape by the aid of a ram, but with this difference--he did not, like Ulysses, cling to the ram’s belly, but fastened the ram’s bell round his neck and threw a sheep-skin over his shoulders. When Tartaro laid hold of the fugitive, the man escaped, leaving the sheep-skin in the giant’s hand.

Tartar, handsome, “eminently well-dressed” and vivacious cousin of the Crittendens, into whose family Phœbe has married. The country-bred bride conceives the fancy that the dashing belle is beloved of her (Phœbe’s) husband, and leaves him in consequence. Tartar, meanwhile, has long loved--as she believes--hopelessly, Peyton Edwards, a quietly-reserved young lawyer, whom she finally marries.--Mariam Coles Harris,Phœbe(1884).

Tartarin, a Quixotic Frenchman whose life at home and whose adventures while travelling are related by Alphonse Daudet inTartarin of Tarascon,Tartarin on the Alps, andPort Tarascon.

Tartlet(Tim), servant of Mrs. Pattypan, to whom also he is engaged to be married. He says, “I loves to see life, because vy, ’tis so agreeable.”--James Cobb,The First Floor, i. 2 (1756-1818).

Tartuffe(2syl.), the chief character and title of a comedy by Molière (1664). Tartuffe is a religious hypocrite and impostor who uses “religion” as the means of gaining money, covering deceit, and promoting self-indulgence. He is taken up by one Orgon, a man of property, who promises him his daughter in marriage, but his true character being exposed, he is not only turned out of the house, but is lodged in jail for felony.

Isaac Bickerstaff has adapted Molière’s comedy to the English stage, under the title ofThe Hypocrite(1768). Tartuffe hecalls “Dr. Cantwell,” and Orgon “Sir John Lambert.” It is thought that “Tartuffe” is a caricature of Père la Chaise, the confessor of Louis XIV., who was very fond of truffles (French,tartuffes), and that this suggested the name to the dramatist.

Tartuffe of the Revolution.N. J. Pache is so called by Carlyle (1740-1823).

Swiss Pache sits sleek-headed, frugal, the wonder of his own ally for humility of mind.... Sit there Tartuffe, till wanted.--Carlyle.

TasnarTasnar, an enchanter, who aided the rebel army arrayed against Misnar, sultan of Delhi. A female slave undertook to kill the enchanter, and went with the sultan’s sanction to carry out her promise. She presented herself to Tasnar and Ahu´bal, and presented papers which she said she had stolen. Tasnar, suspecting a trick, ordered her to be bow-strung, and then detected a dagger concealed about her person. Tasnar now put on the slave’s dress, and, transformed into her likeness, went to the sultan’s tent. The vizier commanded the supposed slave to prostrate “herself” before she approached the throne, and while prostrate he cut off “her” head. The sultan was angry, but the vizier replied, “This is not the slave, but the enchanter. Fearing this might occur, I gave the slave a pass-word, which this deceiver did not give, and was thus betrayed. So perish all the enemies of Mahomet and Misnar, his vicegerent upon earth!”--Sir C. Morell [J. Ridley],Tales of the Genii, vi. (1751).

Tasso and Leonora.When Tasso, the poet, lived in the court of Alfonso II., the reigning duke of Ferrara, he fell in love with Leonora d’Este (2syl.), the duke’s sister, but “she saw it not or viewed with disdain” his passion, and the poet, moneyless, fled half mad to Naples. After an absence of two years, in which the poet was almost starved to death by extreme poverty, his friends, together with Leonora, induced the duke to receive him back, but no sooner did he reach Ferrara than Alfonso sent him to an asylum, and there he was kept for seven years, when he was liberated by the instigation of the pope, but died soon afterwards (1544-1595).

Taste, a farce by Foote (1753), to expose the imposition of picture-dealers and sellers of virtu generally.

Tati´nus, a Greek who joined the crusaders with a force of 200 men armed with “crooked sabres” and bows. These Greeks, like the Parthians, were famous in retreat, but when a drought came they all sneaked off home.--Tasso,Jerusalem Delivered, xiii. (1575).

Tatius(Achilles), the acolyte, an officer in the Varangian guard.--Sir W. Scott,Count Robert of Paris(time, Rufus).

Tatlanthe(3syl.) the favorite of Fadladinida (queen of Queerummania and wife of Chrononhotonthologos). She extols the warlike deeds of the king, supposing the queen will feel flattered by her praises; and Fadladinida exclaims, “Art mad, Tatlonthe? Your talk’s distasteful.... You are too pertly lavish in his praise?” She then guesses that the queen loves another, and says to herself, “I see that I must tack about,” and happening to mention “the captive king,” Fadladinida exclaims, “That’s he! that’s he! that’s he! I’d die ten thousand deaths to set him free.” Ultimately, the queen promises marriage to both the captive king and Rigdum-Funnidos“to make matters easy.” Then, turning to her favorite, she says:

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