Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 59

_Canterbury Tales_ ("The Monk's Tale," 1388).

Plutarch expressly tells us he was killed in Pompey's Porch or Piazza; and in _Julius Caesar_ Shakespeare says he fell "e'en at the base of Pompey's statue" (act iii. sc. 2).

_Caesar's Famous Despatch_, "Veni, vidi, vici," written to the senate to announce his overthrow of Pharnaces king of Pontus. This "hop, skip, and a jump" was, however, the work of three days.

_Caesar's Wars_. The carnage occasioned by the wars of Caesar is usually estimated at a million fighting men. He won 320 triumphs, and fought 500 battles. See above, CaeSAR (_Caius Julius_).

What millions died that Caesar might be great!

Campbell. _The Pleasures of Hope_, ii. (1799).

_Caesar_, the Mephistoph'eles of Byron's unfinished drama called _The Deformed Transformed_. This Caesar changes Arnold (the hunchback) into the form of Achilles, and a.s.sumes himself the deformity and ugliness which Arnold casts off. The drama being incomplete, all that can be said is that Caesar, in cynicism, effrontery, and snarling bitterness of spirit, is the exact counterpart of his prototype, Mephistopheles (1821).

_Caesar (Don)_, an old man of sixty-three, the father of Olivia. In order to induce his daughter to marry, he makes love to Marcella, a girl of sixteen.--Mrs. Cowley, _A Bold Stroke for a Husband_ (1782).

CAEL, a Highlander of the western coast of Scotland. These Cael had colonized, in very remote times, the northern parts of Ireland, as the Fir-bolg or Belgae of Britain had colonized the southern parts. The two colonies had each a separate king. When Crothar was king of the Fir-bolg (or "lord of Atha"), he carried off Conla'ma, daughter of the king of Ulster (_i.e._ "chief of the Cael"), and a general war ensued between the two races. The Cael, being reduced to the last extremity, sent to Trathal (Fingal's grandfather) for help, and Trathal sent over Con'ar, who was chosen "king of the Cael" immediately he landed in Ulster; and having reduced the Fir-bolg to submission, he a.s.sumed the t.i.tle of "king of Ireland." The Fir-bolg, though conquered, often rose in rebellion, and made many efforts to expel the race of Conar, but never succeeded in so doing.--Ossian.

CAGES FOR MEN. Alexander the Great had the philosopher Callisthenes chained for seven months in an iron cage, for refusing to pay him divine honors.

Catherine II. of Eussia kept her perruquier for more than three years in an iron cage in her bed-chamber, to prevent his telling people that she wore a wig.--Mons. de Ma.s.son, _Memoires Secrets sur la Russie_.

Edward I. confined the countess of Buchan in an iron cage, for placing the crown of Scotland on the head of Bruce. This cage was erected on one of the towers of Berwick Castle, where the countess was exposed to the rigor of the elements and the gaze of pa.s.sers-by. One of the sisters of Bruce was similarly dealt with.

Louis XI. confined cardinal Balue (grand-almoner of France) for ten years in an iron cage in the castle of Loches [_Losh_].

Tamerlane enclosed the sultan Bajazet in an iron cage, and made of him a public show. So says D'Herbelot.

An iron cage was made by Timour's command, composed on every side of iron gratings, through which the captive sultan [Bajazet] could be seen in any direction. He travelled in this den slung between two horses.--Leunclavius.

CAGLIOS'TRO (_Count de_), the a.s.sumed name of Joseph Balsamo (1743-1795).

CAIN AND ABEL are called in the _Koran_ "Kabil and Habil." The tradition is that Cain was commanded to marry Abel's sister, and Abel to marry Cain's, but Cain demurred because his own sister was the more beautiful, and so the matter was referred to G.o.d, and G.o.d answered "No" by rejecting Cain's sacrifice.

The Mohammedans also say that Cain carried about with him the dead body of Abel till he saw a raven scratch a hole in the ground to bury a dead bird. The hint was taken, and Abel was buried under ground.--Sale's _Koran_, v. (notes).

CAIR'BAR, son of Borbar-Duthul, "lord of Atha" (Connaught), the most potent of the race of the Fir-bolg. He rose in rebellion against Cormac "king of Ireland," murdered him (_Temora_, i.), and usurped the throne; but Fingal (who was distantly related to Cormac) went to Ireland with an army, to restore the ancient dynasty. Cairbar invited Oscar (Fingal's grandson) to a feast, and Oscar accepted the invitation, but Cairbar having provoked a quarrel with his guest, the two fought, and both were slain.

"Thy heart is a rock. Thy thoughts are dark and b.l.o.o.d.y. Thou art the brother of Cathmor ... but my soul is not like thine, thou feeble hand in fight. The light of my bosom is stained by thy deeds."--Ossian, _Temora_, i.

CAIR'BRE (_2 syl._), sometimes called Cair'bar, third king of Ireland, of the Caledonian line. (There was also a Cairbar, "lord of Atha," a Fir-bolg, quite a different person.)

The Caledonian line ran thus: (1) Conar, first "king of Ireland;" (2) Cormac I., his son; (3) Cairbre, his son; (4) Artho, his son; (5) Cormac II., his son; (6) Ferad-Artho, his cousin.--Ossian.

CAI'US (2 _syl._), the a.s.sumed name of the earl of Kent when he attended on king Lear, after Goneril and Re'gan refused to entertain their aged father with his suite.--Shakespeare, _King Lear_ (1605).

_Cai'us_ (_Dr._), a French physician, whose servants are Rugby and Mrs. Quickly.--Shakespeare, _Merry Wives of Windsor_ (1601).

The clipped English of Dr. Cains.--Macau lay.

CALANDRI'NO, a character in the _Decameron_, whose "misfortunes have made all Europe merry for four centuries."--Boccaccio, _Decameron_, viii. 9 (1350).

CALAN'THA, princess of Sparta, loved by Ith'ocles. Ithocles induces his sister, Penthe'a, to break the matter to the princess. This she does; the princess is won to requite his love, and the king consents to the union. During a grand court ceremony Calantha is informed of the sudden death of her father, another announces to her that Penthea had starved herself to death from hatred to Ba.s.s'anes, and a third follows to tell her that Ithocles, her betrothed husband, has been murdered. Calantha bates no jot of the ceremony, but continues the dance even to the bitter end. The coronation ensues, but scarcely is the ceremony over than she can support the strain no longer, and, broken-hearted, she falls dead.--John Ford, _The Broken Heart_ (1633).

CALAN'THE (3 _syl._), the betrothed wife of Pyth'ias the Syracusian.--J. Banim, _Damon and Pythias_ (1825).

CAL'CULATOR (_The_). Alfragan the Arabian astronomer was so called (died A.D. 820). Jedediah Buxton, of Elmeton, in Derbys.h.i.+re, was also called "The Calculator" (1705-1775). George Bidder, Zerah Colburn, and a girl named Heywood (whose father was a Mile End weaver) all exhibited their calculating powers in public.

Pascal, in 1642, made a calculating machine, which was improved by Leibnitz. C. Babbage also invented a calculating machine (1790-1871).

CAL'DERON (_Don Pedro_), a Spanish poet born at Madrid (1600-1681). At the age of fifty-two he became an ecclesiastic, and composed religious poetry only. Altogether he wrote about 1000 dramatic pieces.

Her memory was a mine. She knew by heart All Cal'deron and greater part of Lope.

Byron, _Don Juan_, i. 11 (1819).

[Ill.u.s.tration] "Lope," that is Lope de Vega, the Spanish poet (1562-1635).

CALEB, the enchantress who carried off St. George in infancy.

_Ca'leb_, in Dryden's satire of _Absalom and Achitophel_, is meant for lord Grey of Wark, in Northumberland, an adherent of the duke of Monmouth.

And, therefore, in the name of dulness be The well-hung Balaam and cold Caleb free.

Part i.

[Ill.u.s.tration] "Balaam" is the earl of Huntingdon.

CA'LED, commander-in-chief of the Arabs in the siege of Damascus. He is brave, fierce, and revengeful. War is his delight. When Pho'cyas, the Syrian, deserts Eu'menes, Caled asks him to point out the governor's tent; he refuses; they fight, and Caled falls.--John Hughes, _Siege of Damascus_ (1720).

CALEDO'NIANS, Gauls from France who colonized south Britain, whence they journeyed to Inverness and Ross. The word is compounded of two Celtic words, _Cael_ ("Gaul" or "Celt") and _don_ or _dun_ ("a hill"), so that Cael-don means "Celts of the highlands."

The Highlanders to this day call themselves "_Cael_" and their language "_Caelic_" or "_Gaelic_"

and their country "_Caeldock_" which the Romans softened into Caledonia.--_Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian_.

CA'LENDERS, a cla.s.s of Mohammedans who abandoned father and mother, wife and children, relations and possessions, to wander through the world as religious devotees, living on the bounty of those whom they made their dupes.--D'Herbelot, _Supplement_, 204.

He diverted himself with the mult.i.tude of calenders, santons, and dervises, who had travelled from the heart of India, and halted on their way with the emir.--W. Beckford, _Vathek_ (1786).

_The Three Calenders_, three royal princes, disguised as begging dervishes, each of whom had lost his right eye. Their adventures form three tales in the _Arabian Nights' Entertainments_.

_Tale of the First Calender_. No names are given. This calender was the son of a king, and nephew of another king. While on a visit to his uncle his father died, and the vizier usurped the throne. When the prince returned, he was seized, and the usurper pulled out his right eye. The uncle died, and the usurping vizier made himself master of this kingdom also. So the hapless young prince a.s.sumed the garb of a calender, wandered to Baghdad, and being received into the house of "the three sisters," told his tale in the hearing of the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid.--_The Arabian Nights_.

_Tale of the Second Calender._ No names given. This calender, like the first, was the son of a king. On his way to India he was attacked by robbers, and though he contrived to escape, he lost all his effects.

In his flight he came to a large city, where he encountered a tailor, who gave him food and lodging. In order to earn a living, he turned woodman for the nonce, and accidentally discovered an underground palace, in which lived a beautiful lady, confined there by an evil genius. With a view of liberating her, he kicked down the talisman, when the genius appeared, killed the lady, and turned the prince into an ape. As an ape he was taken on board s.h.i.+p, and transported to a large commercial city, where his penmans.h.i.+p recommended him to the sultan, who made him his vizier. The sultan's daughter undertook to disenchant him and restore him to his proper form; but to accomplish this she had to fight with the malignant genius. She succeeded in killing the genius, and restoring the enchanted prince; but received such severe injuries in the struggle that she died, and a spark of fire which flew into the right eye of the prince destroyed it. The sultan was so heart-broken at the death of his only child, that he insisted on the prince quitting the kingdom without delay. So he a.s.sumed the garb of a calender, and being received into the hospitable house of "the three sisters," told his tale in the hearing of the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid.--_The Arabian Nights_.

_Tale of the Third Calender._ This tale is given under the word AGIB.

"I am called Agib," he says, "and am the son of a king whose name was Ca.s.sib."--_Arabian Nights_.