Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Vol. 2: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Vol. 2: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
HECTOR, the protector and father of his country, a brave soldier, an
affectionate husband, a wise counsellor, and a model prince; SARPEDON,
the favorite of the gods, gallant and generous; PARIS, a gallant and a
fop; TROILUS, “the prince of chivalry;” PRIAM, a broken-spirited old
monarch.
HELEN, a heartless beauty, faithless, and fond of pleasure; ANDROM´ACHÊ,
a fond young mother and affectionate wife; CASSANDRA, a querulous,
croaking prophetess; HECUBA, an old she-bear robbed of her whelps.
=Homespun= (_Zekiel_), a farmer of Castleton. Being turned out of his
farm, he goes to London to seek his fortune. Though quite illiterate, he
has warm affections, noble principles, and a most ingenious mind. Zekiel
wins £20,000 by a lottery ticket, bought by his deceased father.
_Cicely Homespun_, sister of Zekiel, betrothed to Dick Dowlas (for a
short time the Hon. Dick Dowlas). When Cicely went to London with her
brother, she took a situation with Caroline Dormer. Miss Dormer married
“the heir-at-law” of Baron Duberly, and Cicely married Dick Dowlas.—G.
Colman, _The Heir-at Law_ (1797).
=Hominy= (_Mrs._), philosopher and authoress, wife of Major Hominy, and
“mother of the modern Gracchi,” as she called her daughter, who lived at
New Thermopylæ, three days this side of “Eden,” in America. Mrs. Hominy
was considered by her countrymen a “very choice spirit.”—C. Dickens,
_Martin Chuzzlewit_ (1844).
=Homo Sum.= A story by George Ebers, telling of the life, temptations,
and victories of certain anchorites living on Mt. Sinai.
=Honest George.= General George Monk, duke of Albemarle, was so called
by the Cromwellites (1608-1670).
=Honest Man.= Diogenês, being asked one day what he was searching for so
diligently that he needed the light of a lantern in broad day, replied,
“An honest man.”
Searched with lantern-light to find an honest man.
Southey, _Roderick, etc._, xxi. (1814).
Still will he hold his lantern up to scan
The face of monarchs for an honest man.
Byron, _Age of Bronze_, x. (1821).
=Honest Thieves= (_The_). The “thieves” are Ruth and Arabella, two
heiresses, brought up by Justice Day, trustee of the estates of Ruth and
guardian of Arabella. The two girls wish to marry Colonel Careless and
Captain Manly, but do not know how to get possession of their property,
which is in the hands of Justice Day. It so happens that Day goes to pay
a visit, and the two girls, finding the key of his strong box, help
themselves to the deeds, etc., to which they are respectively entitled.
Mrs. Day, on her return, accuses them of robbery; but Manly says,
“Madam, they have taken nothing but what is their own. They are honest
thieves, I assure you.”—T. Knight (a farce).
⁂ This is a mere _rifacimento_ of _The Committee_ (1670), by the Hon.
Sir R. Howard. Most of the names are identical, but “Captain Manly” is
substituted for Colonel Blunt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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