Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
(The "grates" here referred to were those of a prison in which
Lovelace was confined by the Long Parliament, for his petition from
Kent in favor of the king.)
ALTHEETAR, one of the seven bridegrooms of Lopluël, condemned to die
successively, by a malignant spirit. He is young, beautiful, and
endowed with rare gifts of soul and mind. While singing to her, his
lyre falls from his hand and he dies in her arms, her loosened hair
falling about him as a shroud.
"So calm, so fair,
He rested on the purple, tapestried floor,
It seemed an angel lay reposing there."
_Lopluel, or the Bride of Seven_, by Maria del Occidente (Maria Gowen
Brooks) (1833).
ALTISIDO'RA, one of the duchess's servants, who pretends to be in love
with don Quixote, and serenades him. The don sings his response that
he has no other love than what he gives to his Dulcin'ea, and while he
is still singing he is assailed by a string of cats, let into the room
by a rope. As the knight is leaving the mansion, Altisidora accuses
him of having stolen her garters, but when the knight denies the
charge, the damsel protests that she said so in her distraction, for
her garters were not stolen. "I am like the man looking for his mule
at the time he was astride its back."--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II.
iii. 9, etc.; iv. 5 (1615).
AL'TON (_Miss_), _alias_ Miss CLIFFORD, a sweet, modest young lady,
the companion of Miss Alscrip, "the heiress," a vulgar, conceited
_parvenue_. Lord Gayville is expected to marry "the heiress," but
detests her, and loves Miss Alton, her humble companion. It turns out
that £2000 a year of "the heiress's" fortune belongs to Mr. Clifford
(Miss Alton's brother), and is by him settled on his sister. Sir
Clement Flint destroys this bond, whereby the money returns to
Clifford, who marries lady Emily Gayville, and sir Clement settles the
same on his nephew, lord Gayville, who marries Miss Alton.--General
Burgoyne, _The Heiress_ (1781).
AL'TON LOCKE, tailor and poet, a novel by the Rev. Charles Kingsley
(1850). This novel won for the author the title of "The Chartist
Clergyman."
ALVIRA ROBERTS, hired "girl" and faithful retainer of the Fairchild
family. For many years she and Milton Squires, the hired man, have
"kept company." In his prosperity he deserts her. When he is convicted
of murder, she kisses him. "Ef 'twas the last thing I ever done in
my life, I'd dew it. We was--engaged--once't on a time!"--_Seth's
Brother's Wife_, by Harold Frederic (1886).
ALZIR'DO, king of Trem'izen, in Africa, overthrown by Orlando in
his march to join the allied army of Ag'ramant.--Ariosto, _Orlando
Furioso_ (1516).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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