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
=Medo´ro=, a Moorish youth of extraordinary beauty, but of humble race;
page to Agramante. Being wounded, Angelica dressed his wounds, fell in
love with him, married him, and retired with him to Cathay, where, in
right of his wife, he became a king. This was the cause of Orlando’s
madness.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
When Don Roldan [_Orlando_] discovered in a fountain proofs of
Angelica’s dishonorable conduct with Medoro, it distracted him to
such a degree that he tore up huge trees by the roots, sullied the
purest streams, destroyed flocks, slew shepherds, fired their huts,
pulled houses to the ground, and committed a thousand other most
furious exploits worthy of being reported in fame’s
register.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. iii. 11 (1605).
=Medu´sa= (_The soft_), Mary Stuart, queen of Scots (1545-1577).
Rise from thy bloody grave,
Thou soft Medusa of the “Fated Line,”
Whose evil beauty looked to death the brave!
Lord Lytton, _Ode_, i. (1839).
=Meeta=, the “maid of Mariendorpt,” a true woman and a true heroine. She
is the daughter of Mahldenau, minister of Mariendorpt, whom she loves
almost to idolatry. Her betrothed is Major Rupert Roselheim. Hearing of
her father’s captivity at Prague, she goes thither on foot to crave his
pardon.--S. Knowles, _The Maid of Mariendorpt_ (1838).
=Meg=, a pretty, bright, dutiful girl, daughter of Toby Veck, and engaged
to Richard, whom she marries on New Year’s Day.--C. Dickens, _The
Chimes_ (1844).
=Meg Dods=, the old landlady at St. Ronan’s Well.--Sir W. Scott, _St.
Ronan’s Well_ (time, George III.).
=Meg Merrilees=, a half-crazy sibyl or gypsy woman.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy
Mannering_ (time, George II.).
=Meg Murdochson=, an old gypsy thief, mother of Madge Wildfire.--Sir W.
Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).
=Megid´don=, the tutelar angel of Simon the Canaanite. This Simon, “once a
shepherd, was called by Jesus from the field, and feasted Him in his hut
with a lamb.”--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).
=Megingjard=, the belt of Thor, whereby his strength was doubled.
=Megissog´won= (“_the great pearl feather_”), a magician, and the Manĭto
of wealth. It was Megissogwon who sent the fiery fever on man, the white
fog, and death. Hiawatha slew him, and taught man the science of
medicine. This great Pearl-Feather slew the father of Niko´mis (the
grandmother of Hiawatha). Hiawatha all day long fought with the magician
without effect; at nightfall the woodpecker told him to strike at the
tuft of hair on the magician’s head, the only vulnerable place;
accordingly, Hiawatha discharged his three remaining arrows at the hair
tuft, and Megissogwon died.
“Honor be to Hiawatha!
He hath slain the great Pearl-Feather;
Slain the mightiest of magicians--
Him that sent the fiery fever, ...
Sent disease and death among us.”
Longfellow, _Hiawatha_, ix. (1855).
=Megnoun.= (See MEJNOUN.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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