Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
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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
“Whom is he called after!” said Scott. “It is a fancy name,” said
Young: “in memoriam of his mother, Julia Ann.” “Well, it is a
capital name for a novel, I must say,” he replied. In the very next
novel by the author of _Waverley_, the hero’s name is “Julian.” I
allude, of course, to _Peveril of the Peak_.--J. Young, _Memoirs_,
91.
=Peveril of the Peak=, the hero of Sir W. Scott’s novel of that name
(1823).
=Peyton= (_Dunwoodie_), fine young fellow, major in the American army, and
in love with Frances Wharton. Yet, when forced to choose between
marrying her at once or doing his duty in keeping her brother under
arrest, he plays the man of honor and true soldier. After many
vicissitudes he becomes the husband of Frances.
_Peyton_ (_Miss Jeannette_), sister-in-law to Mr. Wharton, relative of
Major Dunwoodie, and affectionate guardian of her nieces. A warm friend
of Dr. Sitgreaves, the American surgeon.--James Fennimore[TN-87] Cooper,
_The Spy_.
=Phædra=, daughter of Minos, and wife of Theseus. (See PHEDRE.)
_Phædra_, waiting-woman of Alcme´na (wife of Amphit´ryon). A type of
venality of the lowest and grossest kind. Phædra is betrothed to Judge
Gripus, a stupid magistrate, ready to sell justice to the highest
bidder. Neither Phædra nor Gripus forms any part of the _dramatis
personæ_ of Molière’s _Amphitryon_ (1668).--Dryden, _Amphitryon_ (1690).
=Phædria=, the impersonation of wantonness. She is handmaid of the
enchantress Acrasia, and sails about Idle Lake in a gondola. Seeing Sir
Guyon, she ferries him across the lake to the floating island, where he
is set upon by Cymoch´les. Phædria interposes, and ferries Sir Guyon
(the Knight Temperance) over the lake again.--Spenser, _Faëry Queen_,
ii. (1590).
=Pha´eton= (3 _syl._), son, of Helĭos and Clymēnê. He obtained leave to
drive his father’s sun-car for one day, but was overthrown, and nearly
set the world on fire. Jove or Zeus (1 _syl._) struck him with a
thunderbolt for his presumption, and cast him into the river Po.
=Phal´aris=, tyrant of Agrigentum, in Sicily. When Perillos, the
brass-founder of Athens, brought to him a brazen bull, and told the
tyrant it was intended for the punishment of criminals, Phalăris
inquired into its merits. Perillos said the victim was to be enclosed in
the bull, and roasted alive, by making the figure red hot. Certain tubes
were so constructed as to make the groans of the victim resemble the
bellowings of a mad bull. The tyrant much commended the ingenuity, and
ordered the invention to be tried on Perillos himself.
_Letters of Phalaris_, certain apocryphal letters ascribed to Phalaris,
the tyrant, and published at Oxford, in 1718, by Charles Boyle. There
was an edition in 1777 by Walckenaer; another in 1823, by G. H. Schæfer,
with notes by Boyle and others. Bentley maintained that the letters were
forgeries, and no doubt Bentley was right.
=Phallas=, the horse of Heraclius (Greek, _phalios_, “a grey horse.”).
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