Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
=Osmand=, a necromancer, who, by enchantment, raised up an army to resist
the Christians. Six of the champions were enchanted by Osmand, but St.
George restored them. Osmand tore off his hair, in which lay his spirit
of enchantment, bit his tongue in two, disembowelled himself, cut off
his arms, and died.--R. Johnson, _Seven Champions of Christendom_, i. 19
(1617).
=Osmond=, an old Varangian guard.--Sir W. Scott, _Count Robert of Paris_
(time, Rufus).
_Osmond_ (_Gilbert_), the incarnation of polished selfishness. He
deserts one woman, who has sacrificed everything for him, and marries
Isabel Archer for her money; eyes his only child as he might a pretty
puppet, and sends her back to her convent upon finding that she will not
increase his social consequence by marrying an English nobleman.--Henry
James, Jr., _Portrait of a Lady_ (1881).
=Osmyn=, _alias_ ALPHONSO, son of Anselmo, king of Valentia, and husband
of Alme´ria, daughter of Manuel, king of Grana´da. Supposed to have been
lost at sea, but in reality cast on the African coast, and tended by
Queen Zara, who falls in love with him. Both are taken captive by
Manuel, and brought to Granada. Here Manuel falls in love with Zara, but
Zara retains her passionate love for Alphonso. Alphonso makes his
escape, returns at the head of an army to Granada, finds both the king
and Zara dead, but Almeria, being still alive, becomes his acknowledged
bride.--W. Congreve, _The Mourning Bride_ (1697).
=Osric=, a court fop, contemptible for his affectation and finical
dandyism. He is made umpire by King Claudius, when Laertês and Hamlet
“play” with rapiers in “friendly” combat.--Shakespeare, _Hamlet_ (1596).
=Osse´o=, son of the Evening Star, whose wife was O´weenee. In the
Northland there were once ten sisters of surpassing beauty; nine married
beautiful young husbands, but the youngest, named Oweenee, fixed her
affections on Osseo, who was “old, poor and ugly,” but “most beautiful
within.” All being invited to a feast, the nine set upon their youngest
sister, taunting her for having married Osseo; but forthwith Osseo
leaped into a fallen oak, and was transformed into a most handsome young
man, his wife to a very old woman, “wrinkled and ugly,” but his love
changed not. Soon another change occurred; Oweenee resumed her former
beauty, and all the sisters and their husbands were changed to birds,
who were kept in cages about Osseo’s wigwam. In due time a son was born,
and one day he shot an arrow at one of the caged birds, and forthwith
the nine, with their husbands, were changed to pygmies.
From the story of Osseo
Let [_us_] learn the fate of jesters.
Longfellow, _Hiawatha_, xii. (1855).
=Ossian=, the warrior-bard. He was son of Fingal (king of Morven) and his
first wife, Ros-crana (daughter of Cormac, king of Ireland).
His wife was Evir-Allen, daughter of Branno (a native of Ireland); and
his son was Oscar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account