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
“=Posson Jone=,” a gigantic parson from “up the river” who has “been to
Mobile on business for Bethesdy Church.” His sojourn in New Orleans on
his way home is marked by divers adventures. He is beguiled into a
gambling den, drugged and made drunk. While intoxicated, he visits a
circus and has a scene with the showman and his tiger; he is locked up
and awakes in his senses and penitent. His simplicity of
self-condemnation, his humility and fortitude move his tempter to
restore the $500 of church-money he has “borrowed” from the confiding
victim whose transport of pious gratitude overwhelms the world-hardened
man with shame and inspires him to new resolves.--George W. Cable,
“_Posson Jone_” (1879).
=Posthu´mus= [LEONATUS] married Imogen, daughter of Cymbeline, king of
Britain, and was banished the kingdom for life. He went to Italy, and
there, in the house of Philario, bet a diamond ring with Iachimo that
nothing could seduce the fidelity of Imogen. Iachimo accepted the bet,
concealed himself in a chest in Imogen’s chamber, made himself master of
certain details and also of a bracelet, and with these vouchers claimed
the ring. Posthūmus now ordered his servant, Pisanio, to inveigle Imogen
to Milford Haven under the promise of meeting her husband, and to murder
her on the road; but Pisanio told Imogen to assume boy’s apparel, and
enter the service of the Roman general in Britain, as a page. A battle
being fought, the Roman general, Iachimo, and Imogen were among the
captives; and Posthumus, having done great service in the battle on
Cymbeline’s behalf, was pardoned. The Roman general prayed that the
supposed page might be set at liberty, and the king told her she might
also claim a boon, whereupon she asked that Iachimo should state how he
became possessed of the ring he was wearing. The whole villainy being
thus exposed, Imogen’s innocence was fully established, and she was
re-united to her husband.--Shakespeare, _Cymbeline_ (1605).
=Potage= (_Jean_), the French “Jack Pudding;” similar to the Italian
“Macaroni,” the Dutch “Pickel-herringe,” and the German “Hanswurst.”
Clumsy, gormandizing clowns, fond of practical jokes, especially such as
stealing eatables and drinkables.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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