Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 6

A'JAX TEL'AMON. Sophocles has a tragedy called _Ajax_, in which "the madman" scourges a ram he mistakes for Ulysses. His encounter with a flock of sheep, which he fancied in his madness to be the sons of Atreus, has been mentioned at greater or less length by several Greek and Roman poets. Don Quixote had a similar adventure. This Ajax is introduced by Shakespeare in his drama called _Troilus and Cressida._ (See ALIFANFARON).

The Tuscan poet [_Ariosto_] doth advance The frantic paladin of France [_Orlando Furioso_]; And those more ancient [_Euripides_ and _Seneca_] do enhance Alcides in his fury [_Hercules Furens_]; And others, Ajax Telamon;-- But to this time there hath been none So bedlam as our Oberon; Of whom I dare a.s.sure you.

M. Drayton, _Nymphidia_ (1536-1631).

AJUT AND ANNINGAIT, in _The Rambler_.

Part, like Ajut, never to return.

Campbell, _Pleasures of Hope_, ii. (1799).

ALA'CIEL, the genius who went on a voyage to the two islands, Taciturnia and Merry land [_London_ and _Paris_].--De la Dixmerie _L'isle Taciturne et l'isle Enjouee, ou Voyage du Genie Alaciel dans les deux Iles_ (1759).

ALADDIN, son of Mustafa, a poor tailor, of China, "obstinate, disobedent, and mischievous," wholly abandoned "to indolence and licentiousness." One day an African magician accosted him, pretending to be his uncle, and sent him to bring up the "wonderful lamp," at the same time giving him a "ring of safety." Aladdin secured the lamp, but would not hand it to the magician till he was out of the cave, whereupon the magician shut him up in the cave, and departed for Africa. Aladdin, wringing his hands in despair, happened to rub the magic ring, when the genius of the ring appeared before him, and asked him his commands. Aladdin requested to be delivered from the cave, and he returned home. By means of his lamp, he obtained untold wealth, built a superb palace, and married Badroul'boudour, the sultan's daughter. After a time, the African magician got possession of the lamp, and caused the palace, with all its contents, to be transported into Africa. Aladdin was absent at the time, was arrested and ordered to execution, but was rescued by the populace, with whom he was an immense favorite, and started to discover what had become of his palace. Happening to slip, he rubbed his ring, and when the genius of the ring appeared and asked his orders, was instantly posted to the place where his palace was in Africa. He poisoned the magician, regained the lamp, and had his palace restored to its original place in China.

Yes, ready money is Aladdin's lamp.

Byron, _Don Juan_, xii. 12.

_Aladdin's Lamp_, a lamp brought from an underground cavern in "the middle of China." Being in want of food, the mother of Aladdin began to scrub it, intending to sell it, when the genius of the lamp appeared, and asked her what were her commands. Aladdin answered, "I am hungry; bring me food;" and immediately a banquet was set before him. Having thus become acquainted with the merits of the lamp, he became enormously rich, and married the sultan's daughter. By artifice the African magician got possession of the lamp, and transported the palace with its contents to Africa. Aladdin poisoned the magician, recovered the lamp, and retranslated the palace to its original site.

_Aladdin's Palace Windows_. At the top of the palace was a saloon, containing tweny-four windows (six on each side), and all but one enriched with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. One was left for the sultan to complete, but all the jewellers in the empire were unable to make one to match the others, so Aladdin commanded "the slaves of the lamp" to complete their work.

_Aladdin's Ring_, given him by the African magician, "a preservative against every evil."--_Arabian Nights_ ("Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp").

AL'ADINE, the sagacious but cruel king of Jerusalem, slain by Raymond.--Ta.s.so, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).

_Al'adine_ (3 _syl_.), son of Aldus, "a l.u.s.ty knight."--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, vi. 3 (1596).

ALAFF, ANLAF, or OLAF, son of Sihtric, Danish king of Northumberland (died 927). When Aethelstan [_Athelstan_] took possession of Northumberland, Alaff fled to Ireland, and his brother Guthfrith or G.o.dfrey to Scotland.

Our English Athelstan, In the Northumbrian fields, with most victorious might, Put Alaff and his powers to more inglorious flight.

Drayton, _Potyolbion_, xii. (1612).

ALAIN, cousin of Eos, the artist's wife, in _Desert Sands_, by Harriet Prescott Spofford (1863).

ALAR'CON, king of Barca, who joined the armament of Egypt against the crusaders, but his men were only half armed.--Ta.s.so, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).

ALARIC COTTIN. Frederick the Great of Prussia was so called by Voltaire. "Alaric" because, like Alaric, he was a great warrior, and "Cottin" because, like Cottin, satirized by Boileau, he was a very indifferent poet.

ALAS'CO, _alias_ DR. DEMETRIUS DOb.o.o.bIE, an old astrologer, consulted by the earl of Leicester.--Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

ALAS'NAM (_Prince Zeyn_) possessed eight statues, each a single diamond on a gold pedestal, but had to go in search of a ninth, more valuable than them all. This ninth was a lady, the most beautiful and virtuous of women, "more precious than rubies," who became his wife.

One pure and perfect _[woman]_ is ... like Alasnam's lady, worth them all.--Sir Walter Scott.

_Alasnam's Mirror_. When Alasnam was in search of his ninth statue, the king of the Genii gave him a test mirror, in which he was to look when he saw a beautiful girl; "if the gla.s.s remained pure and unsullied, the damsel would be the same, but if not, the damsel would not be wholly pure in body and in mind." This mirror was called "the touchstone of virtue."--_Arabian Nights_ ("Prince Zeyn Alasnam").

ALAS'TOR, a surname of Zeus as "the Avenger." Or, in general, any deity or demon who avenges wrong done by man. Sh.e.l.ley wrote a poem, _Alastor, or the Spirit of Solitude_.

Cicero says he meditated killing himself that he might become the Alastor of Augustus, whom he hated.--Plutarch, _Cicero, etc._ ("Parallel Lives.")

G.o.d Almighty mustered up an army of mice against the archbishop [_Hatto_], and sent them to persecute him as his furious Alastors.--Coryat, _Crudities_, 571.

AL'BAN (_St._) of Ver'ulam, hid his confessor, St. Am'phibal, and changing clothes with him, suffered death in his stead. This was during the frightful persecution of Maximia'nus Hercu'lius, general of Diocle'tian's army in Britain, when 1000 Christians fell at Lichfield.

Alban--our proto-martyr called.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, xxiv. [1622].

AL'BERICK OF MORTEMAR, the same as Theodorick the hermit of Engaddi, an exiled n.o.bleman. He tells king Richard the history of his life, and tries to dissuade him from sending a letter of defiance to the archduke of Austria.--Sir W. Scott, _The Talisman_ (time, Richard I.).

_Al' berick_, the squire of prince Richard, one of the sons of Henry II. of England.--Sir W. Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).

ALBERT, commander of the _Britannia_. Brave, liberal, and just, softened and refined by domestic ties and superior information. His s.h.i.+p was dashed against the projecting verge of Cape Colonna, the most southern point of Attica, and he perished in the sea because Rodmond (second in command) grasped one of his legs and could not be shaken off.

Though trained in boisterous elements, his mind Was yet by soft humanity refined; Each joy of wedded love at home he knew, Abroad, confessed the father of his crew....

His genius, ever for th' event prepared, Rose with the storm, and all its dangers shared.

Falconer, _The s.h.i.+pwreck_, i. 2 (1756).

_Albert_, father of Gertrude, patriarch and judge of Wyo'ming (called by Campbell Wy'oming). Both Albert and his daughter were shot by a mixed force of British and Indian troops, led by one Brandt, who made an attack on the settlement, put all the inhabitants to the sword, set fire to the fort, and destroyed all the houses.--Campbell, _Gertrude of Wyoming_ (1809).

_Albert_, in Goethe's romance called _The Sorrows of Werther_, is meant for his friend Kestner. He is a young German farmer, who married Charlotte Buff (called "Lotte" in the novel), with whom Goethe was in love. Goethe represents himself under the name of Werther (_q. v._).

ALBERT OF GEI'ERSTEIN (_Count_), brother of Arnold Biederman, and president of the "Secret Tribunal." He sometimes appears as a "black priest of St. Paul's," and sometimes as the "monk of St.

Victoire."--Sir W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

ALBERTAZ'ZO married Alda, daughter of Otho, duke of Saxony. His sons were Ugo and Fulco. From this stem springs the Royal Family of England.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

ALBIA'ZAR, an Arab chief, who joins the Egyptian armament against the crusaders.

A chief in rapine, not in knighthood bred. Ta.s.so, _Jerusalem Delivered_, xvii. (1575).

AL'BION. In legendary history this word is variously accounted for.

One derivation is from Albion, a giant, son of Neptune, its first discoverer, who ruled over the island for forty-four years.

Another derivation is Al'bia, eldest of the fifty daughters of Diocle'sian king of Syria. These fifty ladies all married on the same day, and all murdered their husbands on the wedding night. By way of punishment, they were cast adrift in a s.h.i.+p, unmanned, but the wind drove the vessel to our coast, where these Syrian damsels disembarked.

Here they lived the rest of their lives, and married with the aborigines, "a lawless crew of devils." Milton mentions this legend, and navely adds, "it is too absurd and unconscionably gross to be believed." Its resemblance to the fifty daughters of Dan'aos is palpable.

Drayton, in his _Polyolbion_, says that Albion came from Rome, was "the first martyr of the land," and dying for the faith's sake, left his name to the country, where Offa subsequently reared to him "a rich and sumptuous shrine, with a monastery attached."--Song xvi.

_Albion_, king of Briton, when O'beron held his court in what is now called "Kensington Gardens." T. Tickell has a poem upon this subject.

_Albion wars with Jove's Son_. Albion, son of Neptune, wars with Her'cules, son of Jove. Neptune, dissatisfied with the share of his father's kingdom, awarded to him by Jupiter, aspired to dethrone his brother, but Hercules took his father's part, and Albion was discomfited.

Since Albion wielded arms against the son of Jove.