Wabster(Michael), a citizen of Perth.--Sir W. Scott,Fair Maid of Perth(time, Henry IV.).
Wabun, son of Mudjekeewis; the Indian Apollo. He chases darkness over hill and dale with his arrows, wakes man, and brings the morning. He married Wabun-Annung, who was taken to heaven at death, and became the morning star.--Longfellow,Hiawatha(1855).
Wabun-Annung, the morning star, a country maiden who married Wabun, the Indian Apollo.--Longfellow,Hiawatha(1855).
Wackbairn(Mr.), the schoolmaster at Libberton.--Sir W. Scott,Heart of Midlothian(time, George II.).
Wackles(Mrs.and theMisses), of Chelsea, keepers of a “Ladies’ Seminary.” English grammar, composition, geography, and the use of dumb-bells, by Miss Melissa Wackles; writing, arithmetic, dancing, music, and general fascination, by Miss Sophy Wackles; needlework, marking, and samplery, by Miss Jane Wackles; corporal punishment and domestic duties, by Mrs. Wackles. Miss Sophy was a fresh, good-natured, buxom girl of 20, who owned to a soft impeachment for Mr. Swiveller, but as he held back, she married Mr. Cheggs, a well-to-do market gardener.--C. Dickens,The Old Curiosity Shop, viii. (1840).
Wade(Miss), a handsome young woman, brought up by her grandmother, with a small independence. She looked at every act of kindness, benevolence, and charity with a jaundiced eye, and attributed it to a vile motive. Her manner was suspicious, self-secluded, and repellant; her temper proud, fiery, and unsympathetic. Twice she loved--in one case she jilted her lover, in the other she was herself jilted. The latter was Henry Gowan, who married Pet, the daughter of Mr. Meagles, and in consequence of this marriage Miss Wade hated Gowan, his wife, the Meagleses, and all their friends. She enticed Tattycoram away from Mr. Meagles, and the two beautiful young women lived together for a time, nursing their hatred of man to keep it warm.--C. Dickens,Little Dorrit, ii. 21 (1857).
Waddell(James), the Blind Preacher, as he was familiarly called, was a marked character in the central counties of Virginia in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He performed all the offices of aclergyman up to the time of his death, preaching with power and unction every week. “I have never,” says William Wirt, “seen in any other orator such a union of simplicity and majesty. He has not a gesture, an attitude or an accent, to which he does not seem forced by the sentiment which he is expressing.... He is not only a very polite scholar, but a man of extensive and profound erudition.”--William Wirt,The British Spy(1803).
Wadman(Widow), a comely widow, who would full fain secure Uncle Toby for her second husband. Amongst other wiles, she pretends to have something in her eye, and gets Uncle Toby to look for it. As the kind-hearted hero of Namur does so, the gentle widow gradually places her face nearer and nearer the captain’s mouth, under the hope that he will kiss and propose.--Sterne,The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy(1759).
Wagner, the faithful servant and constant companion of Faust, in Marlowe’s drama calledThe Life and Death of Dr. Faustus(1589); in Goethe’sFaust(German, 1798); and in Gounod’s opera ofFaust(1859).
Wagner is a type of the pedant. He sacrifices himself to books as Faust does to knowledge ... the dust of folios is his element, parchment the source of his inspiration.... He is one of those who, in the presence of Niagara, would vex you with questions about arrow-headed inscriptions ... or the origin of the Pelasgi.--Lewes.
Wa´hela, Lot’s wife, who was confederate with the men of Sodom, and gave them notice when a stranger came to visit her husband. Her sign was smoke by day and fire by night. Wahela was turned into a pillar of salt.--Jallâlo´ddin,Al Zamakh.
Wa´ila(3syl.), wife of Noah, who told the people her husband was distraught.
The wife of Noah [Wâïla] and the wife of Lot [Wâhela] were both unbelievers, ... and it shall be said unto them at the last day, “Enter ye into hell fire, with those who enter therein.”--Al Korân, lxvi.
Wainamoi´nen, the Orpheus of Finnish mythology. His magic harp performed similar wonders to that of Orpheus (2syl.). It was made of the bones of a pike; that of Orpheus was of tortoiseshell. The “beloved” of Wainamoinen was a treasure called Sampo, which was lost as the poet reached the verge of the realms of darkness; the “beloved” of Orpheus was Eurydi´cê, who was lost just as the poet reached the confines of earth, after his descent into hell.
⁂ See Kalewala,Rune, xxii. It is very beautiful. An extract is given in Baring Gould’sMyths of the Middle Ages, 440-444.
Waitwell, the lackey of Edward Mirabell, and husband of Foible, governante of the household of Lady Wishfort. By his master’s request, Waitwell personates Sir Roland, and makes love to Lady Wishfort, but the trick is discovered before much mischief is done.--W. Congreve,The Way of the World(1700).
Wakefield(Harry), the English drover killed by Robin Oig.--Sir W. Scott,The Two Drovers(time, George III.).
Wakeman(Sir George), physician to Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I.--Sir W. Scott,Peveril of the Peak(time, Charles II.).
Waldeck(Martin), the miner, and hero of a story read by Lovel to a picnic partyat the ruins of St. Ruth’s Priory.--Sir W. Scott,The Antiquary(time, George III.).
Walde´grave(2syl.), leader of the British forces which joined the Hurons in extirpating the Snake Indians, but he fell in the fray (pt. i. 18).
Julia Waldegrave, wife of the above. She was bound to a tree with her child by some of the Indians during the attack. Outalissi, a Snake Indian, unbound them, took them home, and took care of them; but the mother died. Her last request was that Outalissi would carry her child to Albert of Wy´oming, her friend, and beg him to take charge of it.
Henry Waldegrave, the boy brought by Outalissi to Albert. After staying at Wyoming for three years, his English friends sent for him (he was then 12 years old). When grown to manhood, he returned to Wyoming, and was married to Gertrude; but three months afterwards Outalissi appeared, and told them that Brandt was coming with his English soldiers to destroy the village. Both Albert and Gertrude were shot in the attack; and Henry joined the army of Washington.--Campbell,Gertrude of Wyoming(1809).
Waldemar Fitzurse(Lord), a baron following Prince John of Anjou (brother of Richard Cœur de Lion).--Sir W. Scott,Ivanhoe(time, Richard I.).
Waldstetten(The countess of), a relative of the baron. He is one of the characters in Donnerhugel’s narrative.--Sir W. Scott,Anne of Geierstein(time, Edward IV.).
Walk(Knave) is meant for colonel Hewson, generally called “Walk, Knave, Walk,” from a tract written by Edmund Gayton, to satirize the party, and entitledWalk, Knaves, Walk.--S. Butler,Hudibras(1663-78).
Walker(Dr.), one of the three great quacks of the eighteenth century, the others being Dr. Rock and Dr. Timothy Franks. Goldsmith, in hisCitizen of the World, has a letter (lxviii.) wholly upon these three worthies (1759).
Walker(Helen), the prototype of Jeanie Deans. Sir W. Scott caused a tombstone to be erected over her grave in Irongray churchyard, Kirkcudbright [Ke.koo´.bry].
Walker(Hookey), John Walker, outdoor clerk to Longman, Clementi and Co., Cheapside. He was noted for his hooked nose, and disliked for his official duties, which were to see that the men came and left at the proper hour, and that they worked during the hours of work. Of course, the men conspired to throw discredit on his reports; and hence when any one draws the “long-bow,” the hearer exclaims, “Hookey Walker!” as much as to say, “I don’t believe it.”
Walking Gentleman(A). Thomas Colley Grattan published hisHighways and Byewaysunder this signature (1825).
Walking Stewart, John Stewart, an English traveller, who walked through Hindûstan, Persia, Nubia, Abyssinia, the Arabian Desert, Europe, and the North American states; “crazy beyond the reach of hellebore, yet sublime and divinely benignant.... He had seen more of the earth’s surface, and had communicated more with the children of the earth, than any man before or since.”--De Quincey, (1856).
Walking-Stick(Henry VIII.’s), the great Danish club shown in the armory of the Tower.
Walkingshaw(Miss), mistress of the chevalier Charles Edward, the Young Pretender.--Sir W. Scott,Redgauntlet(time, George III.).
Wallace’s Larder, the dungeon of Ardrossan, in Ayrshire, where Wallace had the dead bodies thrown when the garrison was surprised by him in the reign of Edward I.
“Douglas’s Larder” is a similar phrase, meaning that horrible compound of dead bodies, barrels of flour, meal, wheat, malt, wine, ale, and beer, all mixed together in Douglas Castle, by the order of Lord James Douglas, when, in 1306, the garrison was surprised by him.
Wallenrode(The earl of), an Hungarian crusader.--Sir W. Scott,The Talisman(time, Richard I.).
Wallenstein(Max), German baron and general, eminent in the Thirty Years’ War. He was assassinated in 1634 by order of Ferdinand II. of Germany.--Schiller,Wallenstein(1799).
Waller, in love with Lydia, lady’s-maid to Widow Green. His love at first was not honorable, because his aristocratic pride revolted at the inferior social position of Lydia; but when he knew her real worth, he loved her, proposed marriage, and found that she was the sister of Trueworth, who had taken service to avoid an obnoxious marriage.--S. Knowles,The Love-Chase(1837).
Waller’s Plot, a plot organized in 1643 by Waller, the poet, against the parliamentary party. The object was to secure the king’s children, to seize the most eminent of the parliamentarians, to capture the Tower, and resist all taxes imposed for the support of the parliamentary army.
Walley(Richard), the regicide, whose story is told by Major Bridgenorth (a roundhead) at his dinner-table.--Sir W. Scott,Peveril of the Peak(time, Charles II.).
Walnut Web.When the three princes of a certain king were sent to find out “a web of cloth which would pass through the eye of a fine needle,” the White Cat furnished the youngest of the three with one spun by the cats of her palace.
The prince ... took out of his box a walnut, which he cracked ... and saw a small hazel nut, which he cracked also ... and found therein a kernel of wax.... In this kernel of wax was hidden a single grain of wheat, and in the grain a small millet seed.... On opening the millet, he drew out a web of cloth 400 yards long, and in it was woven all sorts of birds, beasts, and fishes; fruits and flowers; the sun, moon, and stars; the portraits of kings and queens, and many other wonderful designs.--Comtesse D’Aunoy,Fairy Tales(“The White Cat,” 1682).
Walpurgis, saint who converted the Saxons to Christianity.
Walpurgis Night.May 1, when witches dance upon the Brocken in the Hartz Mountains.
Walsingham, the affianced of Helen Mowbray. Deceived by appearances, he believed that Helen was the mistress of Lord Athunree, and abandoned her; but when he discovered his mistake he married her.--S. Knowles,Woman’s Wit, etc.(1838).
Walsingham(Lord) of Queen Elizabeth’s court.--Sir W. Scott,Kenilworth(time, Elizabeth).
Walter, marquis of Saluzzo, in Italy, and husband of Grisilda, the peasant’s daughter (q.v.).--Chaucer,Canterbury Tales(“The Clerk’s Tale,” 1388).
⁂ This tale, of course, is allegorical; Lord Walter takes the place of deity, and Grisilda typifies the true Christian. In all her privations, in all her sorrows, in all her trials, she says to her lord and master, “Thy will be done.”
Walte(Master), “the hunchback,” guardian of Julia. A worthy man, liberal and charitable, frank and honest, who turns out to be the earl of Rochdale and father of Julia.--S. Knowles,The Hunchback(1831).
Walter Debree, a Protestant clergyman, who, driven as he imagines, by conscience, takes orders in the Roman Catholic Church. His wife seeks him out and makes an eloquent appeal to him in the name of their former love, their dead child, and their once common faith. His heart and conscience thus aroused, combine to urge reconsideration of his belief. He resolves to return to the Mother Church, and makes his plans to take the Lord’s Supper with his wife on a certain Sabbath. On his way to church, he is overtaken by a fierce snow-storm and buried in the drifts. It is his lifeless body which is taken to the waiting wife. “Is this all, Walter?” she sobbed. “Is this the end? Yes, and it is a good end.... I did not seek you for myself. It never was for myself!” The effort to subdue the human love to the Divine triumphed in the midst of tears.--Robert Lowell,The New Priest of Conception Bay(1858).
Walter[Furst], father-in-law of Tell.--Rossini,Guglielmo Tell(opera, 1829).
Walter Hartwright, drawing-teacher and lover of Laura Fairlie. When the report of her death has been circulated by her husband, Sir Percival Glyde, Walter unravels the plot, restores Laura to her rightful place, and after the baronet’s death, marries her.--Wilkie Collins,The Woman in White.
Walter von der Vogelweide, one of the Germanminnesingers, flourished in 1206.
Waltheof(The abbot), abbot of St. Withold’s Priory.--Sir W. Scott,Ivanhoe(time, Richard I.).
Waltheof(Father), a grey friar, confessor to the duchess of Rothesay.--Sir W. Scott,Fair Maid of Perth(time, Henry IV.).
Walton(Lord), father of Elvi´ra, who promised his daughter in marriage to Sir Richard Forth, a puritan officer; but Elvira had already plighted her love to Lord Arthur Talbot, a cavalier. The betrothal was set aside, and Elvira married Arthur Talbot at last.--Bellini,Il Puritani(opera, 1834).
Walton(Sir John de), governor of Douglas Castle.--Sir W. Scott,Castle Dangerous(time, Henry I.).
Wamba, “the son of Witless,” the jester of Cedric, the Saxon, of Rotherwood.--Sir W. Scott,Ivanhoe(time, Richard I.).
Wampum, a string or belt of whelk-shells, current with the North American Indians as a medium of exchange, andalways sent as a present to those with whom an alliance or treaty is made.
Peace be to thee! my words this belt approve.Campbell,Gertrude of Wyoming, i. 14 (1809).
Peace be to thee! my words this belt approve.Campbell,Gertrude of Wyoming, i. 14 (1809).
Peace be to thee! my words this belt approve.Campbell,Gertrude of Wyoming, i. 14 (1809).
Peace be to thee! my words this belt approve.
Campbell,Gertrude of Wyoming, i. 14 (1809).
Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace.Ibid, i. 15.
Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace.Ibid, i. 15.
Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace.Ibid, i. 15.
Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace.
Ibid, i. 15.
Wanda, proud, high-bred German beauty, who loves and weds a man, believing him to be of noble birth. Accident reveals the mistake, and she drives him from her in anger. After long separation, he rescues their child from death, and dies in the arms of his remorseful wife.--Ouida,Wanda.
Wanderers.It is said that gypsies are doomed to be wanderers on the face of the earth, because they refused hospitality to the Virgin and Child, when the holy family fled into Egypt. (SeeWild Huntsman.)--Aventinus,Annalium Boiorum, libri septem(1554).
Wandering Jew(The), Kartaph´ilos (in Latin,Cartaphilus), the door-keeper of the judgment hall, in the service of Pontius Pilate. The tradition is that this porter, while haling Jesus before Pilate, struck Him, saying, “Get on faster!” whereupon Jesus replied, “I am going fast enough; but thou shalt tarry till I come again.”
⁂ The earliest account of this tradition is in theBook of the Chronicles of the Abbey of St. Alban’s, copied and continued by Matthew Paris (1228). In 1242 Philip Mouskes, afterwards bishop of Tournay, wrote the “rhymed chronicle.”
Kartaphilos, we are told, was baptized by Ananias, who baptized Paul, and received the name of Joseph.--SeeBook of the Chronicles of the Abbey of St. Alban’s.
Another tradition says the Jew was Ahasue´rus, a cobbler, and gives the story thus: Jesus, overcome by the weight of the cross, stopped at the door of Ahasuerus, when the man pushed Him away, saying, “be off with you!” Jesus replied, “I am going off truly, as it is written; but thou shalt tarry till I come again.”
⁂ This legend is given by Paul von Eitzen, bishop of Schleswig, in 1547.--See Greve,Memoirs of Paul von Eitzen, Hamburgh (1744).
InGermany, the Wandering Jew is associated with John Buttadæus, who was seen at Antwerp in the thirteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries, and at Brussels in 1774.
⁂ Leonard Doldius of Nürnberg, in hisPraxis Alchymiæ(1604), says the Jew Ahasuerus is sometimes called Buttadæus.
InFrance, the name given to the Jew is Isaac Laquedem, or Lakedion.
⁂ See Mitternacht,Dissertatio in Johan., xxi. 19.
Salathiel ben Sadi is the name of the Wandering Jew, in Croly’s novel entitledSalathiel(1827).
Eugène Sue introduces a Wandering Jew in his novel calledLe Juif Errant(1845). Galt has also a novel calledThe Wandering Jew.
Poetical versions of the legend have been made by A. W. von Schlegal,Die Warnung; by Schubert,Ahasuer; by Goethe,Aus Meinem Leben, all in German. By Mrs. Norton,The Undying One, in English, etc. The legend is based on St. John’sGospelxxi. 22. “If I will thathetarry till I come, what is that to thee?” The apostles thought the words meant that John would not die, but tradition has applied them to some one else.
Wandering Knight(The), El Donzel del Febo (“the Knight of the Sun”), is so called in the Spanish romance entitledThe Mirror of Knighthood.Eumen´edês is so called in Peele’sOld Wives’ Tale(1590).
Wandering Willie, the blind fiddler, who tells the tale about Sir Robert Redgauntlet, and his son, Sir John.--Sir W. Scott,Redgauntlet(time, George III.).
Wandering Woodwhich contained the den of Error. Error was a monster, like a woman upwards, but ending in a huge dragon’s tail with a venomous sting. The first encounter of the Red Cross Knight was with this monster whom he slew.--Spenser,Faëry Queen, i. 1 (1590).
⁂ When piety (the Red Cross Knight) once forsakes the oneness of truth (Una), it is sure to get into “Wandering Wood,” where it will be attacked by “Error.”
Wantley(Dragon of), a monster slain by More of More Hall, who procured a suit of armor studded with spikes, and, proceeding to the lair, kicked the dragon in its mouth, where alone it was vulnerable.--Percy,Reliques of Ancient Poetry.
One of Carey’s farces is entitledThe Dragon of Wantley.
War of Wartburg, a poetic contest at Wartburg’s Castle, in which Vogelweid triumphed over Heinrich von Ofterdingen.
They renewed the war of Wartburg,Which the bard had fought before.Longfellow,Walter von der Vogelweid.
They renewed the war of Wartburg,Which the bard had fought before.Longfellow,Walter von der Vogelweid.
They renewed the war of Wartburg,Which the bard had fought before.Longfellow,Walter von der Vogelweid.
They renewed the war of Wartburg,
Which the bard had fought before.
Longfellow,Walter von der Vogelweid.
Warbeck(Perkin) assumed himself to be Richard, duke of York, the younger son of Edward IV., supposed to be murdered by order of Richard III., in the Tower.
Parallel Instances.The youngest son of Ivan IV. of Russia was named Dīmitri,i.e., Demetrius. He was born in 1581, and was mysteriously assassinated in 1591, some say by Godounov, the successor to the throne. Several impostors assumed to be Dimitri, the most remarkable appeared in Poland in 1603, was recognized as Czar in 1605, but perished the year following.
Martin Guerre, in the sixteenth century, left his wife, to whom he had been married ten years, to join the army in Spain. In the eighth year of his absence one Arnaud du Tilh assumed to be Martin Guerre, and was received by the wife as her husband. For three years he lived with her, recognized by all her friends and relations, but the return of Martin himself dispelled the illusion, and Arnaud was put to death.
The great Tichborne case was a similar imposition. One Orton assumed to be Sir Roger Tichborne, and was even acknowledged to be so by Sir Roger’s mother; but after a long and patient trial it was proved that the claimant of the Tichborne estates was no other than one Orton, of Wapping.
In German history, Jakob Rehback, a miller’s man, assumed, in 1345, to be Waldemar, an Ascanier margraf. Jakob was a menial in the service of the margraf.
Warburton(Lord), handsome, well-bred and commonplace young nobleman, in love with Isabel Archer.--Henry James, Jr.,Portrait of a Lady(1881).
Ward(Artĕmus), Charles F. Browne, of America, author ofHis Book of Goaks(1865). He died in London in 1867.
Ward(Dr.), a footman, famous for his “friars’ balsam.” He was called to prescribe for George II., and died, 1761. Dr. Ward had a claret stain on his left cheek, and in Hogarth’s famous picture, “The Undertakers’ Arms,” the cheek is marked gules. He forms one of the three figuresat the top, and occupies the right hand side of the spectator. The other two figures are Mrs. Mapp and Dr. Taylor.
Warden(Henry),aliasHenry Wellwood, the Protestant preacher. In theAbbothe is chaplain of the Lady Mary at Avenel Castle.--Sir W. Scott,The Monastery(time, Elizabeth).
Warden(Michael), a young man of about 30, well-made and good-looking, light-hearted, capricious, and without ballast. He had been so wild and extravagant, that Snitchey and Craggs told him it would take six years to nurse his property into a healthy state. Michael Warden told them he was in love with Marion Jeddler, and her, in due time, he married.--C. Dickens,The Battle of Life(1846).
Wardlaw, land-steward at Osbaldistone Hall.--Sir W. Scott,Rob Roy(time, George I.).
Wardlaw(Henry of), archbishop of St. Andrew’s.--Sir W. Scott,Fair Maid of Perth(time, Henry IV.).
Wardle(Mr.), an old country gentleman, who had attended some of the meetings of “The Pickwick Club,” and felt a liking for Mr. Pickwick and his three friends, whom he occasionally entertained at his house.
Miss[Isabella]Wardle, daughter of Mr. Wardle. She marries Augustus Snodgrass, M.P.C.
Miss Emily Wardle, daughter of Mr. Wardle. She marries Mr. Trundle.--C. Dickens,The Pickwick Papers(1836).
Wardour(Sir Arthur), of Knockwinnock Castle.
Isabella Wardour, daughter of Sir Arthur. She marries Lord Geraldin.
Captain Reginald Wardour, son of Sir Arthur. He is in the army.
Sir Richard Wardouror “Richard with the Red Hand,” an ancestor of Sir Arthur.--Sir W. Scott,The Antiquary(time, George III.).
Ware(Bed of), a great bed, twelve feet square, assigned by tradition to the earl of Warwick, the “king maker.”
A mighty large bed [the bed of honor], bigger by half than the great bed of Ware; ten thousand people may lie in it together and never feel one another.--G. Farquhar,The Recruiting Officer(1707).
The bed of Og, king of Bashan,which was fourteen feet long, and a little more than six feet wide, was considerably smaller than the great bed of Ware.
His bedstead was a bedstead of iron ... nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.--Deut.iii. 11.
Waring(Sir Walter), a justice of the peace, whose knowledge of the law was derived from Matthew Medley, his factotum. His sentences were justices’ justice, influenced by prejudice and personal feeling. An ugly old hag would have found from him but scant mercy, while a pretty girl could hardly do wrong in Sir Walter’s code of law.--Sir H. B. Dudley,The Woodman(1771).
Warman, steward of Robin Hood, while earl of Huntingdon. He betrayed his master into the hands of Gilbert Hoode (or Hood), a prior, Robin’s uncle. King John rewarded Warman for this treachery by appointing him high sheriff of Nottingham.
The ill-fac’d miser, bribed on either hand,Is Warman, one the steward of his house,Who, Judas-like, betraies his liberall lordInto the hands of that relentlesse priorCalde Gilbert Hoode, uncle of Huntington.Skelton,Downfall of Robert, earl of Huntington(Henry VIII.).
The ill-fac’d miser, bribed on either hand,Is Warman, one the steward of his house,Who, Judas-like, betraies his liberall lordInto the hands of that relentlesse priorCalde Gilbert Hoode, uncle of Huntington.Skelton,Downfall of Robert, earl of Huntington(Henry VIII.).
The ill-fac’d miser, bribed on either hand,Is Warman, one the steward of his house,Who, Judas-like, betraies his liberall lordInto the hands of that relentlesse priorCalde Gilbert Hoode, uncle of Huntington.Skelton,Downfall of Robert, earl of Huntington(Henry VIII.).
The ill-fac’d miser, bribed on either hand,
Is Warman, one the steward of his house,
Who, Judas-like, betraies his liberall lord
Into the hands of that relentlesse prior
Calde Gilbert Hoode, uncle of Huntington.
Skelton,Downfall of Robert, earl of Huntington(Henry VIII.).
Warming-Pan Hero(The), James Francis Edward Stuart (the first Pretender). According to the absurd story set afloat by the disaffected at the time of his birth, he was not the son of Mary d’Este, the wife of James II., but a natural child of that monarch by Mary Beatrice, of Modena, and he had been conveyed to the royal bed in a warming-pan, with the intention of palming him off upon the British people as the legitimate heir to the throne.
Warner, the old steward of Sir Charles Cropland, who grieves to see the timber of the estate cut down to supply the extravagance of his young master.--G. Colman,The Poor Gentleman(1802).
Warning-Givers.
Alasnam’s Mirror.This mirror remained unsullied when it reflected a chaste and pure-minded woman, but became dim when the woman reflected by it was faithless, wanton, or light.--Arabian Nights(“Prince Zeyn Alasnam”).
Ants.Alexander Ross says that the “cruel battle between the Venetians and Insubrians, and also that between the Liegeois and the Burgundians, in which 30,000 men were slain, were both presignified by combats between two swarms of ants.”--Arcana Microcosmi.
Bahman’s Knife(Prince). When Prince Bahman started on his exploits, he gave his sister, Parizādê, a knife which, he told her, would remain bright and clean so long as he was safe and well, but, immediately he was in danger, or dead, would become dull or drop gouts of blood.--Arabian Nights(“The Two Sisters”).
Bay Trees.The withering of bay trees prognosticates a death.
’Tis thought the king is dead ...The bay trees in our country are all withered.Shakespeare,Richard II. (1597).
’Tis thought the king is dead ...The bay trees in our country are all withered.Shakespeare,Richard II. (1597).
’Tis thought the king is dead ...The bay trees in our country are all withered.Shakespeare,Richard II. (1597).
’Tis thought the king is dead ...
The bay trees in our country are all withered.
Shakespeare,Richard II. (1597).
N.B.--The bay was called by the Romans “the plant of the good angel,” because “neyther falling sicknes, neyther devyll, wyll infest or hurt one in that place whereas a bay tree is.”--Thomas Lupton,Syxt Book of Notable Thinges(1660).
Bee.The buzzing of a bee in a room indicates that a stranger is about to pay the house a visit.
Birtha’s Emerald Ring.The Duke Gondibert gave Birtha an emerald ring which, he said, would preserve its lustre so long as he remained faithful and true, but would become dull and pale if he proved false to her.--Wm. Davenant,Gondibert.
Brawn’s Head(The). A boy brought to King Arthur’s court a brawn’s head, over which he drew his wand thrice, and said, “There’s never a traitor or a cuckold who can carve that head of brawn.”--Percy,Reliques(“The Boy and the Mantle”).
Canace’s Mirrorindicated, by its lustre, if the person whom the inspector loved was true or false.--Chaucer,Canterbury Tales(“The Squire’s Tale”).
Candles.The shooting forth of a parcel of tallow, called a winding-sheet, from the top of a lighted candle, gives warning to the house of an approaching death; but a bright spark upon the burning wick is the promise of a letter.
Catson the deck of a ship are said to “carry a gale of wind in their tail,” or to presage a coming storm. When cats are veryassiduousassiduousin cleaning their ears and head, it prognosticates rain.
Cattlegive warning of an earthquake by their uneasiness.
Children Playing Soldierson a road is said to forebode approaching war.
Coals.A cinder bounding from the fire is either a purse or a coffin. Those which rattle when held to the ear are tokens of wealth; those which are mute and solid indicate sickness or death.
Corpse Candles.Theignis fatuus, called by the Welshcanhwyll cyrph, or “corpse candle,” prognosticates death. If small and of pale blue, it denotes the death of an infant; if large and yellow, the death of one of full age.
Captain Leather, chief magistrate of Belfast, in 1690, being shipwrecked on the Isle of Man, was told that thirteen of his crew were lost, for thirteen corpse candles had been seen moving towards the churchyard. It is a fact that thirteen of the men were drowned in this wreck.--Sacheverell,Isle of Man, 15.
Cradle.It forebodes evil to the child if any one rocks its cradle when empty.--American Superstition.
Crickets.Crickets in a house are a sign of good luck, but if they suddenly leave, it is a warning of death.
Crow(A). A crow appearing to one on the left hand side indicates some impending evil to the person; and flying over a house, foretells evil at hand to some of the inmates. (See “Raven.”)
Sæpe sinistra cava prædixit ab ilice cornex.Virgil,Eclogue, i.
Sæpe sinistra cava prædixit ab ilice cornex.Virgil,Eclogue, i.
Sæpe sinistra cava prædixit ab ilice cornex.Virgil,Eclogue, i.
Sæpe sinistra cava prædixit ab ilice cornex.
Virgil,Eclogue, i.
Crowing of a Cock.Themistoclês was assured of his victory over Xerxes by the crowing of a cock, on his way to Artemisium the day before the battle.--Lloyd,Stratagems of Jerusalem, 285.
Crowing of a henindicates approaching disaster.
Death-warnings in Private Families.
1.In Germany.Several princes of Germany have their special warning-givers of death. In some it is the roaring of a lion, in others the howling of a dog. In some it is the tolling of a bell or striking of a clock at an unusual time, in others it is a bustling noise about the castle.--The Living Library, 284 (1621).
2.In Berlin.A White Lady appears to some one of the household or guard, to announce the death of a prince of Hohenzollern. She was duly seen on the eve of Prince Waldemar’s death in 1879.
3.In Bohemia.“Spectrum fœminium vestitu lugubri apparere solet in arce quadam illustris familiæ, antequam una ex conjugibus dominorum illorum e vita decebat.”--Debrio,Disquisitiones Magicæ,(592)(592).
4.In Great Britain.In Wales the corpse candle appears to warn a family of impending death. In Carmarthen scarcely any person dies but some one sees his light or candle.
In Northumberland the warning light is called the person’swaff, in Cumberland aswarth, in Ross atask, in some parts of Scotland afye-token.
King James tells us that the wraith of a person newly dead, or about to die, appears to his friends.--Demonology, 125.
Edgewell Oak indicates the coming death of an inmate of Castle Dalhousie by the fall of one of its branches.
5.In Scotland.The family of Rothmurchas have the Bodachau Dun, or the Ghost of the Hill.
The Kinchardines have the Spectre of the Bloody Hand.
Gartinbeg House used to be haunted by Bodach Gartin.
The house of Tulloch Gorms used to be haunted by Maug Monlach, or the Girl with the Hairy Left Hand.
Death-watch(The). The tapping made by a small beetle called the death-watch is said to be a warning of death.
The chambermaids christen this worm a “Death-watch,”Because, like a watch, it always cries “click;”Then woe be to those in the house who are sick,For sure as a gun they will give up the ghost,If the maggot cries “click” when it scratches a post.Swift.
The chambermaids christen this worm a “Death-watch,”Because, like a watch, it always cries “click;”Then woe be to those in the house who are sick,For sure as a gun they will give up the ghost,If the maggot cries “click” when it scratches a post.Swift.
The chambermaids christen this worm a “Death-watch,”Because, like a watch, it always cries “click;”Then woe be to those in the house who are sick,For sure as a gun they will give up the ghost,If the maggot cries “click” when it scratches a post.Swift.
The chambermaids christen this worm a “Death-watch,”
Because, like a watch, it always cries “click;”
Then woe be to those in the house who are sick,
For sure as a gun they will give up the ghost,
If the maggot cries “click” when it scratches a post.
Swift.
Divining-Rod(The). A forked hazel rod, suspended between the balls of the thumbs, was at one time supposed to indicate the presence of water-springs and precious metals by inclining towards the earth beneath which these things might be found. Dousterswivel obtained money by professing to indicate the spot of buried wealth by a divining-rod.--Sir W. Scott,The Antiquary.
Dogs.The howling of a dog at night forebodes death.
A cane præviso funere disce mori.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
A cane præviso funere disce mori.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
A cane præviso funere disce mori.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
A cane præviso funere disce mori.
R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
Capitolīnus tells us that the death of Maximīnus was presaged by the howling of dogs. Pausanias (in hisMessenĭa) says the dogs brake into a fierce howl just before the overthrow of the Messenians. Fincelius says the dogs in Mysinia flocked together and howled just before the overthrow of the Saxons in 1553. Virgil says the same thing occurred just previous to the battle of Pharsalia.
Dogs give warning of death by scratching on the floor of a house.
Dotterels.
When dotterels do first appear,It shows that frost is very near;But when that dotterels do go,Then you may look for heavy snow.Salisbury Saying.
When dotterels do first appear,It shows that frost is very near;But when that dotterels do go,Then you may look for heavy snow.Salisbury Saying.
When dotterels do first appear,It shows that frost is very near;But when that dotterels do go,Then you may look for heavy snow.Salisbury Saying.
When dotterels do first appear,
It shows that frost is very near;
But when that dotterels do go,
Then you may look for heavy snow.
Salisbury Saying.
Dreams.It will be remembered that Joseph, the husband of Mary, was warned by a dream to flee from Judæa, and when Herod was dead he was again warned by a dream to “turn aside into the parts of Galilee.”--Matt.ii. 13, 19, 22.
In the Old Testament, Pharaoh had a warning dream of a famine which he was enabled to provide against.--Gen.xli. 15-36.
Pharaoh’s butler and baker had warning dreams, one being prevised thereby of his restoration to favor, and the other warned of his execution.--Gen.xl. 5-23.
Nebuchadnezzar had an historic dream, which Daniel explained.--Dan.ii. 1, 31-45.
Abimelech, king of Egypt was warned by a dream that Sarah was Abraham’s wife and not his sister.--Gen.xx. 3-16.
Jacob had an historic dream on his way to Haran.--Gen.xxviii. 12-15.
Joseph, son of Jacob, had an historic dream, revealing to him his future greatness.--Gen.xxxvii. 5-10.
Daniel had an historic dream about four beasts which indicated four kingdoms (Dan.vii.). Whether his “visions” were also dreams is uncertain (see chs. viii. x.).
It would require many pages to do justice to this subject. Bland, in hisPopular Antiquities, iii. 134, gives “A Dictionary of Dreams” in alphabetic order, extracted fromThe Royal Dream-Book.
Drinking-Horns.King Arthur had a horn from which no one could drink who was either unchaste or unfaithful. The cuckold’s horn, brought to King Arthur’s court by a mysterious boy, gave warning of infidelity, inasmuch as no one unfaithful in love or unleal to his liege lord could drink therefrom without spilling the liquor. Thecoupe enchantéepossessed a similar property.
Eagle.Tarquinius Priscus was assured that he would be king of Rome by an eagle, which stooped upon him, took off his cap, rose in the air, and let the cap fall again upon his head.
Aristander assured Alexander of his victory over Darius at the battle of Arbĕla,by the flight of an eagle.--Lloyd,Stratagems of Jerusalem, 290.
Ear(The). If the left ear tingles or burns, it indicates that some one is talking evil of you; if the right ear, some one is praising you. The foreboded evil may be averted by biting the little finger of the left hand.
Laudor et adverso, sonat auris, lædor ab ore;Dextra bono tinnit murmure, læva malo.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
Laudor et adverso, sonat auris, lædor ab ore;Dextra bono tinnit murmure, læva malo.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
Laudor et adverso, sonat auris, lædor ab ore;Dextra bono tinnit murmure, læva malo.R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
Laudor et adverso, sonat auris, lædor ab ore;
Dextra bono tinnit murmure, læva malo.
R. Keuchen,Crepundia, 113 (1662).
Epitaphs(Reading). If you would preserve your memory, be warned against reading epitaphs. In this instance the American superstition is the warning-giver, and not the act referred to.
Fir Trees.“If a firr tree be touched, withered, or burned with lighting, it is a warning to the house that the master or mistress thereof shall shortly dye.”--Thomas Lupton,Syxt Book of Notable Thinges, iii. (1660).
Fire.The noise occasioned when the enclosed gas in a piece of burning coal matches fire, is a sure indication of a quarrel between the inmates of the house.
Florimel’s Girdlewould loosen or tear asunder if any woman unfaithful or unchaste attempted to put it on.--Spenser,Faëry Queen.
Gates of Gundof´orus(The). No one carrying poison could pass these gates. They were made of the horn of the horned snake, by the apostle Thomas, who built a palace of sethym wood for this Indian king, and set up the gates.
Grotto of Ephesus(The) contained a reed, which gave forth musical sounds when the chaste and faithful entered it, but denounced others by giving forth harsh and discordant noises.--Lord Lytton,Tales of Miletus, iii.
Hare Crossing the Road(A). It was thought by the ancient Romans that if a hare ran across the road on which a person was travelling, it was a certain omen of ill luck.
Lepus quoque occurrens in via, infortunatum iter præsagit et ominosum.--Alexander ab Alexandro,Genialium Dierum, libri VI.v. 13 p. 685.