Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 · Chapter 33Copyright, 1892, by SELMAR HESS (33)
This chapter is not translated yet. You are reading the original.
Volumnia Dedlock, cousin of Sir Leicester. A "young" lady of 60, given to rouge, pearl-powder, and cosmetics. She has a habit of prying into the concerns of others.—C. Dickens, Bleak House (1853).
Dee's Spec'ulum, a mirror, which Dr. John Dee asserted was brought to him by the angels Raphael and Gabriel. At the death of the doctor it passed into the possession of the Earl of Peterborough, at Drayton; then to Lady Betty Grermaine, by whom it was given to John, last duke of Argyll. The duke's grandson (Lord Frederic Campbell) gave it to Horace Walpole; and in 1842 it was sold, at the dispersion of the curiosities of Strawberry Hill, and bought by Mr. Smythe Pigott. At the sale of Mr. Pigott's library, in 1853, it passed into the possession of the late Lord Londesborough. A writer in Notes and Queries (p. 376, November 7, 1874) says, it "has now been for many years in the British Museum," where he saw it "some eighteen years ago."
This magic speculum is a flat polished mineral, like cannel coal, of a circular form, fitted with a handle.
Deerslayer (The), the title of a novel by J.F. Cooper, and the nickname of its hero, Natty or Nathaniel Bumppo. He is a model uncivilized man, honorable, truthful, and brave, pure of heart and without reproach.
Deerfield. The particulars of the captivity of the Williams family of Deerfield, (Mass.), are told by John Williams, the head of the household. The Indians entered the town before dawn Feb. 29, 1703, broke into the house, murdered two children and a servant and carried the rest into the wilderness. Mrs. Williams being weak from a recent illness, was killed on the journey.—John Williams, The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion (1707).
Defarge (Mons.), keeper of a wine shop in the Faubourg St. Antoine, in Paris. He is a bull-necked, good-humored, but implacable-looking man.
Mde. Defarge, his wife, a dangerous woman, with great force of character; everlastingly knitting.
Mde. Defarge had a watchful eye that seldom seemed to look at anything.—C. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, i. 5 (1859).
Defender of the Faith, the title first given to Henry VIII, by Pope Leo X., for a volume against Luther, in defence of pardons, the papacy, and the seven sacraments. The original volume is in the Vatican, and contains this inscription in the king's handwriting; Anglorum rex Henricus, Leoni X. mittit hoc opus et fidei testem et amicitiæ; whereupon the pope (in the twelfth year of his reign) conferred upon Henry, by bull, the title "Fidei Defensor," and commanded all Christians so to address him. The original bull was preserved by Sir Robert Cotton, and is signed by the pope, four bishop-cardinals, fifteen priest-cardinals, and eight deacon-cardinals. A complete copy of the bull, with its seals and signatures, may be seen in Selden's Titles of Honor, v. 53-57 (1672).
Defoe writes The History of the Plague of London as if he had been a personal spectator, but he was only three years old at the the time (1663-1731).
Deggial, antichrist. The Mohammedan writers say he has but one eye and one eyebrow, and on his forehead is written CAFER ("infidel")
Chilled with terror, we concluded that the Deggial, with his exterminating angels, had sent forth their plagues on the earth.—W. Beckford, Vathek (1784).
Deird'ri, an ancient Irish story similar to the Dar-Thula of Ossian. Conor, king of Ulster, puts to death by treachery the three sons of Usnach. This leads to the desolating war against Ulster, which terminates in the total destruction of Eman. This is one of the three tragic stories of the Irish, which are: (1) The death of the children of Touran (regarding Tuatha de Danans); (2) the death of the children of Lear or Lir, turned into swans by Aoife; (3) the death of the children of Usnach (a "Milesian" story).
Dek'abrist, a Decembrist, from Dekaber, the Russian for December. It denotes those persons who suffered death or captivity for the part they took in the military conspiracy which broke out in St. Petersburg in December, 1825, on the accession of Czar Nicholas to the throne.
Dela'da, the tooth of Buddah, preserved in the Malegawa temple at Kandy. The natives guard it with the greatest jealousy, from a belief that whoever possesses it acquires the right to govern Ceylon. When the English (in 1815) obtained possession of this palladium, the natives submitted without resistance.
Delaserre (Captain Philip), a friend of Harry Bertram.—Sir W. Scott, Guy Mannering (time, George II.).
De'lia, Diana; so called from the island Delos, where she was born. Similarly, Apollo was called Delius. Milton says that Eve, e'en
Delia's self,
In gait surpassed and goddess-like deport,
Though not as she with bow and quiver armed.
Paradise Lost, ix. 338, etc. (1665).
Delia, any female sweetheart. She is one of the shepherdesses in Virgil's Eclogues. Tibullus, the Roman poet, calls his lady-love "Delia," but what her real name was is not certain.
Delia, the lady-love of James Hammond's elegies, was Miss Dashwood, who died in 1779. She rejected his suit, and died unmarried. In one of the elegies the poet imagines himself married to her, and that they were living happily together till death, when pitying maids would tell of their wondrous loves.
Delian King (The). Apollo or the sun is so called in the Orphic hymn,
Oft as the Delian king with Sirius holds
The central heavens.
Akenside, Hymn to the Naiads (1767).
Delight of Mankind (The), Titus the Roman emperor, A.D.40, (79-81).
Titus indeed gave one short evening gleam,
More cordial felt, as in the midst it spread
Of storm and horror: "The Delight of Men."
Thomson, Liberty, in. (1725).
Della Crusca School, originally applied in 1582 to a society in Florence, established to purify the national language and sift from it all its impurities; but applied in England to a brotherhood of poets (at the close of the last century) under the leadership of Mrs. Piozzi. This school was conspicuous for affectation and high-flown panegyrics on each other. It was stamped out by Gifford, in The Baviad, in 1794, and The Moeviad, in 1796. Robert Merry, who signed himself Della Crusca, James Cobb, a farce-writer, James Boswell (biographer of Dr. Johnson), O'Keefe, Morton, Reynolds, Holcroft, Sheridan, Colman the younger, Mrs. H. Cowley, and Mrs. Robinson were its best exponents.
Del'phine, (2 syl.), the heroine and title of a novel by Mde. de Staël. Delphine is a charming character, who has a faithless lover, and dies of a broken heart. This novel, like Corinne, was written during her banishment from France by Napoleon I., when she travelled in Switzerland and Italy. It is generally thought that "Delphine" was meant for the authoress herself (1802).
Delphine Classics (The), a set of Latin classics edited in France for the use of the grand dauphin (son of Louis XIV.). Huet was chief editor, assisted by Montausier and Bossuet. They had thirty-nine scholars working under them. The indexes of these classics are very valuable.
Delta of Blackwood is D.M.Moir (1798-1851).
Del'ville (2 syl.), one of the guardians of Cecilia. He is a man of wealth and great ostentation, with a haughty humility and condescending pride, especially in his intercourse with his social inferiors.—Miss Burney, Cecilia (1782). Deme'tia, South Wales; the inhabitants are called Demetians.
Denevoir, the seat of the Demetian king.
Drayton, Polyolbion, v. (1612).
Deme'trius, a young Athenian, to whom Egeus (3 syl.) promised his daughter Hermia in marriage. As Hermia loved Lysander, she refused to marry Demetrius, and fled from Athens with Lysander. Demetrius went in quest of her, and was followed by Helena, who doted on him. All four fell asleep, and "dreamed a dream" about the fairies. On waking, Demetrius became more reasonable. He saw that Hermia disliked him, but that Helena loved him sincerely, so he consented to forego the one and take to wife the other. When Egeus, the father of Hermia, found out how the case stood, he consented to the union of his daughter with Lysander.—Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream (1592).
Deme'trius, in The Poetaster, by Ben Jonson, is meant for John Marston (died 1633).
Deme'trius, (4 syl.), son of King Antig'onus, in love with Celia, alias Enan'thê.—Beaumont and Fletcher, The Humorous Lieutenant (1647).
Deme'trius, a citizen of Greece during the reign of Alexius Comnenus.—Sir W. Scott, Count Robert of Paris (time, Rufus).
Demiurgus, that mysterious agent which, according to Plato, made the world and all that it contains. The Logos or "Word" of St. John's Gospel (ch. i. I) is the demiurgus of platonizing Christians.
Democ'ritos (in Latin Democritus), the laughing or scoffing philosopher, the Friar Bacon of his age. To "dine with Democ'ritos" is to go without dinner, the same as "dining with Duke Humphrey," or "dining with the cross-legged knights."
People think that we [authors] often dine with Democritos, but there they are mistaken. There is not one of the fraternity who is not welcome to some good table.—Lesage, Gil Blas, xii. 7 (1735).
Democritus Junior, Robert Burton, author of The Anatomy of Melancholy (1576-1640).
Demod'ocos (in Latin Demodocus), bard of Alcin'ous (4 syl.) king of the Phæa'cians.
Such as the wise Demodicos once told
In solemn songs at King Alcinous' feast,
While sad Ulysses' soul and all the rest
Are held, with his melodious harmony,
In willing chains and sweet captivity.
Milton, Vacation Exercise (1627).
Dem'ogor'gon, tyrant of the elves and fays, whose very name inspired terror; hence Milton speaks of "the dreaded name of Demogorgon" (Paradise Lost, ii. 965). Spenser says he "dwells in the deep abyss where the three fatal sisters dwell" (Faëry Queen, iv. 2); but Ariosto says he inhabited a splendid palace on the Himalaya Mountains. Demogorgon is mentioned by Statius in the Thebaid, iv. 516.
He's the first-begotten of Beëlzebub, with a face as terrible as Demogorgon.—Dryden, The Spanish Fryar, v. 2 (1680).
Demon. Increase Mather tells a long and circumstantial story of The Demon at William Morse His House, time of visitation being 1679. "The true story of these strange disturbances is as yet not certainly known," he says. "Some (as has been hinted), did suspect Morse's wife to be guilty of witchcraft."—Increase Mather, An Essay for the Eecording of Illustrious Providences (1681). Demoph'oôn (4 syl.) was brought up by Demêter, who anointed him with ambrosia and plunged him every night into the fire. One day, his mother, out of curiosity, watched the proceeding, and was horror-struck; whereupon Demêter told her that her foolish curiosity had robbed her son of immortal youth.
This story is also told of Isis.—Plutarch, De Isid. et Osirid., xvi. 357.
A similar story is told of Achillês. His mother Thet'is was taking similar precautions to render him immortal, when his father Pe'leus (2 syl.) interfered.—Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautic Exp., iv. 866.
Demos'thenes of the Pulpit. Dr. Thomas Rennell, dean of Westminster, was so called by William Pitt (1753-1840).
Dendin (Peter), an old man, who had settled more disputes than all the magistrates of Poitiers, though he was no judge. His plan was to wait till the litigants were thoroughly sick of their contention, and longed to end their disputes; then he would interpose, and his judgment could not fail to be acceptable.
Tenot Dendin, son of the above, but, unlike the father, he always tried to crush quarrels in the bud; consequently, he never succeeded in settling a single dispute submitted to his judgment.—Rabelais, Pantagruel, in. 41 (1545).
(Racine has introduced the same name into his comedy called Les Plaideurs (1669), and Lafontaine in his Fables 1668).
Dennet (Father), an old peasant at the Lists of St. George.—Sir W. Scott, Ivanhoe (time, Richard I.).
Dennis the hangman, one of the ringleaders of the "No Popery Riots;" the other two were Hugh, servant of the Maypole inn, and the half-witted Barnaby Rudge. Dennis was cheerful enough when he "turned off" others, but when he himself ascended the gibbet he showed a most grovelling and craven spirit.—C. Dickens, Barnaby Rudge (1841).
Dennis (John), "the best abused man in English literature." Swift lampooned him; Pope assailed him in the Essay on Criticism; and finally he was "damned to everlasting fame" in the Dunciad. He is called "Zo'ïlus" (1657-1733).
Dennison (Jenny), attendant on Miss Edith Bellenden. She marries Cuddie Headrigg.—Sir W. Scott, Old Mortality (time, Charles II.).
Dermer (Mr.), a little bachelor lawyer, whose face has "a pinched, wistful look" under the curls of his brown wig. He lives in a dreary house, with a testy housekeeper, and a timid little nephew-ward, and spends many of his lonely hours in trying to decide if he loves Miss Deborah Woodhouse the utilitarian, or aesthetic Miss Ruth. On his death-bed, he gives an old daguerreotype of himself to Miss Ruth.
"Not that I have—have changed my mind,
but it is not improper, I am sure that Miss Deborah's
sister should give me—if she will be
so good—her hand, that I may say 'goodbye'"—Margaret
Deland,
John Ward, Preacher
(1888).
D'Éon de Beaumont (Le Chevalier), a person notorious for the ambiguity of his sex; said to be the son of an advocate. His face was pretty, without beard, moustache, or whiskers. Louis XV. sent him as a woman to Russia on a secret mission, and he presented himself to the czarina as a woman (1756). In the Seven Years' War he was appointed captain of dragoons. In 1777 he assumed the dress of a woman again, which he maintained till death (1728-1810).
Derby (Earl of), third son of the Earl of Lancaster, and near kinsman of Edward III. His name was Henry Plantagenet, and he died 1362. Henry Plantagenet, earl of Derby, was sent to protect Guienne, and was noted for his humanity no less than for his bravery. He defeated the Comte de l'Isle at Bergerac, reduced Perigord, took the castle of Auberoche, in Gascony, overthrew 10,000 French with only 1000, taking prisoners nine earls and nearly all the barons, knights, and squires (1345). Next year he took the fortresses of Monsegur, Montpezat, Villefranche, Miraumont, Tonneins, Damazin, Aiguillon, and Reole.
That most deserving Earl of Derby, we prefer Henry's third valiant son, the Earl of Lancaster. That only Mars of men.
Dayton, Polyolbion, xviii. (1613).
Derby (Countess of), Charlotte de la Tremouille, Countess of Derby and Queen of Man.
Philip (earl of Derby), King of Man, son of the countess.—Sir W. Scott, Peveril of the Peak (time, Charles II.).
Daniel Deronda, pure young fellow whose influence for good over men and women is marvellous, and explicable only upon the principle that virtue is mightier than vice. "You could not have seen his face thoroughly meeting yours without believing that human creatures had done nobly in times past and might do more nobly in time to come."—George Eliot, Daniel Deronda.
Der'rick, hangman in the first half of the seventeenth century. The crane for hoisting goods is called a derrick, from this hangman.
Derrick (Faith). The rural heroine of Susan Warner's novel Say and Seal (1860).
Derrick (Tom), quarter-master of the pirate's vessel.—Sir W. Scott, The Pirate (time, William III.).
Derry Down Triangle (The), Lord Castlereagh; afterwards marquis of Londonderry; so called by William Hone. The first word is a pun on the title, the second refers to his lordship's oratory, a triangle being the most feeble, monotonous, and unmusical of all musical instruments. Tom Moore compares the oratory of Lord Castlereagh to "water spouting from a pump."
Q
. Why is a pump like viscount Castlereigh?
A. Because it is a slender thing of wood,
That up and down its awkward arm doth sway,
And coolly spout, and spout, and spout away,
In one weak, washy, everlasting flood.
T. Moore.
Dervish ("a poor man"), a sort of religious friar or mendicant among the Mohammedans.
Desboroug-h (Colonel), one of the parliamentary commissioners.—Sir W. Scott, Woodstock (time, Commonwealth).
Desdemo'na, daughter of Brabantio, a Venetian senator, in love with Othello the Moor (general of the Venetian army). The Moor loves her intensely, and marries her; but Iago, by artful villainy, induces him to believe that she loves Cassio too well. After a violent conflict between love and jealousy, Othello smothers her with a bolster, and then stabs himself.—Shakespeare, Othello (1611.)
The soft simplicity of Desdemona, confident of merit and conscious of innocence, her artless perseverance in her suit, and her slowness to suspect that she can be suspected, are proofs of Shakespeare's skill in human nature.—Dr. Johnson.
Desert Fairy (The). This fairy was guarded by two lions, that could be pacified only by a cake made of millet, sugar-candy, and crocodiles' eggs. The Desert Fairy said to Allfair, "I swear by my coif you shall marry the Yellow Dwarf, or I will burn my crutch."—Comtesse D'Aunoy, Fairy Tales ("The Yellow Dwarf," 1682).
Deserted Daughter (The), a comedy by Holcroft. Joanna was the daughter of Mordent, but her mother died, and Mordent married Lady Anne. In order to do so he ignored his daughter and had her brought up by strangers, intending to apprentice her to some trade. Item, a money-lender, acting on the advice of Mordent, lodges the girl with Mrs. Enfield, a crimp, where Lennox is introduced to her, and obtains Mordent's consent to run away with her. In the interim Cheveril sees her, falls in love with her, and determines to marry her. Mordent repents, takes the girl home, acknowledges her to be his daughter, and she becomes the wife of the gallant young Cheveril (1784).
This comedy has been recast, and called The Steward.
Deserter (The), a musical drama by Dibdin (1770). Henry, a soldier, is engaged to Louisa, but during his absence some rumors of gallantry to his disadvantage reach the village, and to test his love, Louisa in pretence goes with Simkin as if to be married. Henry sees the procession, is told it is Louisa's wedding day, and in a fit of desperation gives himself up as a deserter, and is condemned to death. Lousia goes to the king, explains the whole affair, and returns with his pardon as the muffled drums begin to beat.
Desmas. The repentant thief is so called in The Story of Joseph of Arimathea; but Dismas in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. Longfellow, in The Golden Legend, calls him Dumachus. The impenitent thief is called Gestas, but Longfellow calls him Titus.
Imparibus meritis pendent tria corpora ramis:
Dismas et Gesmas
, media est Divina Potestas;
Alta petit Dismas, infelix infima Gesmas;
Nos et res nostras conservet Summa Potestas.
Of differing merits from three trees incline
Dismas and Gesmas and the Power Divine;
Dismas repents, Gesmas no pardon craves,
The power Divine by death the sinner saves.
Desmonds of Kilmallock (Limerick). The legend is that the last powerful head of this family, who perished in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, still keeps his state under the waters of Lough Gur, that every seventh year he re-appears fully armed, rides round the lake early in the morning, and will ultimately return in the flesh to claim his own again. (See BARBAROSSA.)—Sir W. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel.
Despair (Giant), lived in Doubting Castle. He took Christian and Hopeful captive for sleeping on his grounds, and locked them in a dark dungeon from Wednesday to Saturday, without "one bit of bread, or drop of drink, or ray of light." By the advice of his wife, Diffidence, the giant beat them soundly "with a crab-tree cudgel." On Saturday night Christian remembered he had a key in his bosom, called "Promise," which would open any lock in Doubting Castle. So he opened the dungeon door, and they both made their escape with speed.—John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, i. (1678).
Deuce is in Him (The) a farce by George Colman, senior. The person referred to is Colonel Tember, under which name the plot of the farce is given (1762).
Deuga'la, says Ossian, "was covered with the light of beauty, but her heart was the house of pride."
Deve'ta, plu. Devetas, inferior or secondary deities in Hindû mythology.
Devil (The). Olivier le Daim, the tool of Louis XL, and once the king's barber, was called Le Diable, because he was as much feared, was as fond of making mischief, and was far more disliked than the prince of evil. Olivier was executed in 1484.
Devil (The French), Jean Bart, an intrepid French sailor, born at Dunkirk (1650-1702).
Devil (The White). George Castriot, surnamed "Scanderbeg," was called by the Turks "The White Devil of Wallachia" (1404-1467).
Devil (The Printer's). Aldus Manutius, a printer in Venice to the holy Church and the doge, employed a negro boy to help him in his office. This little black boy was believed to be an imp of Satan, and went by the name of the "printer's devil." In order to protect him from persecution, and confute a foolish superstition, Manutius made a public exhibition of the boy, and announced that "any one who doubted him to be flesh and blood might come forward and pinch him."
Devil (Robert the), of Normandy; so called because his father was said to have been an incubus or fiend in the disguise of a knight (1028-1035).
Robert Francois Damiens is also called Robert le Diable, for his attempt to assassinate Louis XV. (1714-1757).
Devil (Son of the), Ezzeli'no, chief of the Gibelins, governor of Vicenza. He was so called for his infamous cruelties (1215-1259).
Devil Dick, Richard Porson, the critic, (1759-1808).
Devil on Two Sticks, (The), that is Le Diable Boiteux, by Lesage (1707). The plot of this humorous satirical tale is borrowed from the Spanish, El Diabolo Cojuelo, by Gueva'ra (1635). Asmode'us (le diable boiteux) perches Don Cle'ofas on the steeple of St. Salvador, and stretching out his hand, the roofs of all the houses open, and expose to him what is being done privately in every dwelling.
Devil on Two Sticks (The), a farce by S. Foote; a satire on the medical profession.
Devil to Pay, (The), a farce by C. Coffey. Sir John Loverule has a termagant wife, and Zackel Jobson, a patient grissel. Two spirits named Nadir and Ab'ishog transform these two wives for a time, so that the termagant is given to Jobson, and the patient wife to Sir John. When my lady tries her tricks on Jobson, he takes his strap to her and soon reduces her to obedience. After she is well reformed, the two are restored to their original husbands, and the shrew becomes an obedient, modest wife (died, 1745).
Devil's Age (The). A wealthy man once promised to give a poor gentleman and his wife a large sum of money if at a given time they could tell him the devil's age. When the time came, the gentleman at his wife's suggestion, plunged first into a barrel of honey and then into a barrel of feathers, and walked on all fours. Presently up came his Satanic majesty, and said, "X and x years have I lived," naming the exact number, "yet never saw I an animal like this." The gentlemen had heard enough, and was able to answer the question without difficulty.—Rev. W. Webster, Basque Legends, 58 (1877).
Devil's Chalice (The). A wealthy man gave a poor farmer a large sum of money on this condition: at the end of a twelvemonth he was either to say "of what the devil made his chalice," or else give his head to the devil. The poor farmer as the time came round, hid himself in the crossroads, and presently the witches assembled from all sides. Said one witch to another, "You know that Farmer So-and-so has sold his head to the devil, for he will never know of what the devil makes his chalice. In fact I don't know myself." "Don't you?" said the other; "why, of the parings of finger-nails trimmed on Sundays."—The farmer was overjoyed, and when the time came round was quite ready with his answer.—Rev. W. Webster, Basque Legends, 71 (1877).
Devil's Dyke, Brighton (The). One day, as St. Cuthman was walking over the South Downs, and thinking to himself how completely he had rescued the whole country from paganism, he was accosted by his sable majesty in person. "Ha, ha!" said the prince of darkness; "so you think by these churches and convents to put me and mine to your ban, do you? Poor fool! why, this very night will I swamp the whole land with the sea." "Forewarned is forearmed," thought St. Cuthman, and hies him to sister Celia, superior of a convent which then stood on the spot of the present Dyke House. "Sister," said the saint, "I love you well. This night, for the grace of God, keep lights burning at the convent windows from midnight to day-break, and let masses be said by the holy sisterhood." At sundown came the devil with pickaxe and spade, mattock: and shovel, and set to work in right good earnest to dig a dyke which should let the waters of the seas into the downs. "Fire and brim-stone!" —he exclaimed, as a sound of voices rose and fell in sacred song—"Fire and brim-stone! What's the matter with me?" Shoulders, feet, wrists, loins, all seemed paralyzed. Down went mattock and spade, pickaxe and shovel, and just at that moment the lights at the convent windows burst forth, and the cock, mistaking the blaze for daybreak, began to crow most lustily. Off flew the devil, and never again returned to complete his work. The small digging he effected still remains in witness of the truth of this legend of the "Devil's Dyke."
Devil's Parliament (The), the parliament assembled by Henry VI. at Conventry, 1459. So called because it passed attainders on the duke of York and his chief supporters.
Devil Sacrament. This blasphemous rite whereby those who would practice witchcraft were initiated into the diabolical mysteries is described by Deodat Lawson in 1704.
"At their cursed supper they were said to have red bread and red drink, and when they pressed an afflicted person to eat and drink thereof she turned away her head and spit at it, and said, 'I will not eat, I will not drink. It is blood.' ... Thus horribly doth Satan endeavor to have his kingdom and administrations to resemble those of our Lord Jesus Christ."—Deodat Lawson, Christ's Fidelity the only Shield against Satan's Malignity (1704).
Devonshire, according to historic fable, is a corruption of "Debon's-share." This Debon was one of the companions of Brute, the descendent of Aene'as. He chased the giant Coulin till he came to a pit eight leagues across. Trying to leap this chasm, the giant fell backwards and lost his life.
... that ample pit, yet far renowned
For the great leap which Debon did compel
Coulin to make, being eight lugs of ground,
Into the which retourning back he fell ...
And Debon's share was that is Devonshire.
Spenser, Faery Queen, ii. 10 (1590).
De'vorgoil (Lady Jane), a friend of the Hazlewood family.—Sir W. Scott, Guy Mannering (time, George II.).
Dewlap (Dick), an anecdote teller, whose success depended more upon his physiognomy than his wit. His chin and his paunch were his most telling points.
I found that the merit of his wit was founded upon the shaking of a fat paunch, and the tossing up of a pair of rosy jowls.—Richard Steele.
Dexter, (Gregory), the typical Successful Man who is first suitor, then the generous friend of Anne Douglas, in Constance Fennimore Woolson's Anne.
"A little indifference to outside opinion would
have made him a contented, as he was a successful
man. But there was a surface of personal
vanity over his better qualities which led him to
desire a tribute of universal liking." (1882).
Dhu (Evan) of Lochiel, a Highland chief in the army of Montrose.
Mhich-Connel Dhu. or M'Ilduy, a Highland chief in the army of Montrose.—
Sir W. Scott, Legend of Montrose (time, Charles I.).
Dhul'dul, the famous horse of Ali, son-in-law of Mahomet.
Dhu'l Karnein ("the two-horned,") a true believer according to the Mohammedan notion, who built the wall to prevent the incursions of Gog and Magog.—Al Korân, xviii.
Commentators say the wall was built in this
manner: The workman dug till they found
water; and having laid the foundation of stone
and melted brass, they built the superstructure
of large pieces of iron, between which they
packed wood and coal, till the whole equalled
the height of the mountains [
of Armenia
]. Then
setting fire to the combustibles, and by the use of
bellows, they made the iron red hot, and poured
molten brass over to fill up the interstices.
—Al Beidawi.
Dhu'lnun, the surname of Jonah.; so called because he was swallowed by a fish.
Remember Dhu'lnun, when he departed in wrath, and thought that we could not exercise our power over him.—Al Korân, xxi.
Diafoirus (Thomas), son of Dr. Diafoirus. He is a young medical milksop, to whom Argan has promised his daughter Angelique in marriage. Diafoirus pays his compliments in cut-and-dried speeches, and on one occasion, being interrupted in his remarks, says, "Madame, vous m'avez interrompu dans le milieu de ma période, et cela m'a troublé la mémoire." His father says, "Thomas, reservez cela pour une autre fois." Angelique loves Cléante (2 syl.), and Thomas Diafoirus goes to the wall.
Il n'a jamais eu l'imagination bien vive, ni ce feu d'esprit qu'on remarque dans quelques uns,.... Lorsqui'il était petit, il n'a jamais été ce qu'on appelle mièvre et éveille; on le voyait toujours doux, paisible, et taciturne, ne disant jamais mot, et ne jouant jamais à tons ces petits jeux que l'on nomme enfantins.—Molière, Le Malade Imaginaire, ii.6 (1673).