Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 73

(1889.)

CHRIS'TOPHER _(St.)_, a saint of the Roman and Greek Churches, said to have lived in the third century. His pagan name was Offerus, his body was twelve ells in height, and he lived in the land of Canaan. Offerus made a vow to serve only the mightiest; so, thinking the emperor was "the mightiest," he entered his service. But one day the emperor crossed himself for fear of the devil, and the giant perceived that there was one mightier than his present master, so he quitted his service for that of the devil. After awhile. Offerus discovered that the devil was afraid of the cross, whereupon he enlisted under Christ, employing himself in carrying pilgrims across a deep stream. One day, a very small child was carried across by him, but proved so heavy that Offerus, though a huge giant, was well-nigh borne down by the weight.

This child was Jesus, who changed the giant's name to _Christoferus_, "bearer of Christ." He died three days afterwards, and was canonized.

Like the great giant Christopher, it stands Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave.

Longfellow, _The Lighthouse_.

CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT, otherwise "Uncle Christopher," is the consequential oracle of the neighborhood, and the father of six daughters, in _Clovernook_, by Alice Cary (1851).

CHRIST'S VICTORY AND TRIUMPHS, a poem in four parts, by Giles Fletcher (1610): Part i. "Christ's Victory in Heaven," when He reconciled Justice with Mercy, by taking on Himself a body of human flesh; part ii. "Christ's Triumph on Earth," when He was led up into the wilderness, and was tempted by Presumption, Avarice, and Ambition; part iii. "Christ's Triumph over Death," when He died on the Cross; part iv. "Christ's Triumph after Death," in His resurrection and ascension. (See PARADISE REGAINED.)

CHRONICLERS _(Anglo-Norman)_, a series of writers on British history in verse, of very early date. Geffroy Gaimar wrote his Anglo-Norman chronicle before 1146. It is a history in verse of the Anglo-Saxon kings. Robert Wace wrote the _Brut d'Angleterre [i.e., Chronicle of England_] in eight-syllable verse, and presented his work to Henry II.

It was begun in 1160 and finished in 1170.

_Chroniclers (Latin)_, historical writers of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

_Chroniclers (Rhyming)_, a series of writers on English history, from the thirteenth century. The most noted are: Layamon (called "The English Ennius") bishop of Ernleye-upon-Severn (1216). Robert of Gloucester, who wrote a narrative of British history from the landing of Brute to the close of the reign of Henry III. (to 1272). No date is a.s.signed to the coming of Brute, but he was the son of Silvius Aene'as (the third generation from aeneas, who escaped from Troy, B.C. 1183), so that the date may be a.s.sumed to be B.C. 1028, thus giving a scope of 2300 years to the chronicle. (The verse of this chronicle is eight and six syllables displayed together, so as to form lines of fourteen syllables each.) Robert de Brunne's chronicle is in two parts. The first ends with the death of Cadwallader, and the second with the death of Edward I. The earlier parts are similar to the Anglo-Norman chronicle of Wace. (The verse is octo-syllabic.)

CHRONICLES OF CANONGATE, certain stories supposed to have been written by Mrs. Martha Bethune Baliol, a lady of quality and fortune, who lived, when in Edinburgh, at Baliol Lodging, in the Canongate. These tales were written at the request of her cousin, Mr. Croftangry, by whom, at her death, they were published. The first series contains _The Highland Widow, The Two Drovers_, and _The Surgeon's Daughter_ [afterwards removed from this series]. The second series contains _The Fair Maid of Perth_.--Sir W. Scott.

"Chronicles of Canongate" (introduction to _The Highland Widow_).

CHRONOLOGY _(The father of_), J. J. Scaliger (1540-1609).

CHRONON--HOTON--THOL'OGOS _(King)._ He strikes Bombardin'ian, general of his forces, for giving him hashed pork, and saying, "Kings as great as Chrononhotonthologos have made a hearty meal on worse." The king calls his general a traitor. "Traitor in thy teeth!" retorts the general. They fight, and the king dies.--H. Carey, _Chrononhotonthologos_ (a burlesque).

CHRYSALDE' (2 _syl_.), friend of Arnolphe.--Moliere, _L'ecole des Femmes_ (1662).

CHRYSALE (2 _syl_.), a simple-minded, henpecked French tradesman, whose wife Philaminte (3 _syl_.) neglects her house for the learned languages, women's rights, and the aristocracy of mind. He is himself a plain practical man, who has no sympathy with the _bas bleu_ movement. He has two daughters, Armande (2 _syl_.) and Henriette, both of whom love c.l.i.tandre; but Armande, who is a "blue-stocking," loves him platonically; while Henriette, who is a "thorough woman," loves him with a woman's love. Chrysale sides with his daughter Henriette, and when he falls into money difficulties through the "learned proclivities" of his wife, c.l.i.tandre comes forward like a man, and obtains the consent of both parents to his marriage with Henriette.--Moliere, _Les Femmes Savantes_ (1672).

CHRYSA'OR _(ch = k)_, the sword of sir Ar'tegal, which "exceeded all other swords." It once belonged to Jove, and was used by him against the t.i.tans, but it had been laid aside till Astraea gave it to the Knight of Justice.

Of most perfect metal it was made, Tempered with adamant ... no substance was so ... hard But it would pierce or cleave whereso it came. Spenser, _Faery Queen_, v. (1596).

[Ill.u.s.tration] The poet tells us it was broken to pieces by Radigund queen of the Amazons (bk. v. 7), yet it reappears whole and sound (canto 12), when it is used with good service against Grantorto (_the spirit of rebellion_). Spenser says it was called Chrysaor because "the blade was garnished all with gold."

_Chrysa'or_, son of Neptune and Medu'sa. He married Callir'rhoe (4 _syl._), one of the sea-nymphs.

Chrysaor rising out of the sea, Showed thus glorious and thus emulous, Leaving the arms of Callirrhoe.

Longfellow, _The Evening Star_.

Chryseis [_Kri see'.iss_], daughter of Chryses priest of Apollo. She was famed for her beauty and her embroidery. During the Trojan war Chryseis was taken captive and allotted to Agamemnon king of Argos, but her father came to ransom her. The king would not accept the offered ransom, and Chryses prayed that a plague might fall on the Grecian camp. His prayer was answered, and in order to avert the plague Agamemnon sent the lady back to her father not only without ransom but with costly gifts.--Homer, _Iliad_, i.

CHRYSOSTOM, a famous scholar, who died for love of Marcella, "rich William's daughter."

CHUCKS, the boatswain under Captain Savage.--Captain Marryat, _Peter Simple_ (1833).

CHUFFEY, Anthony Chuzzlewit's old clerk, almost in his dotage, but master and man love each other with sincerest affection.

Chuffey fell back into a dark corner on one side of the fire-place, where he always spent his evenings, and was neither seen nor heard....

save once, when a cup of tea was given him, in which he was seen to soak his bread mechanically.... He remained, as it were, frozen up; if any term expressive of such a vigorous process can be applied to him--C. d.i.c.kens, _Martin Chuzzlewit_, xi. (1843).

CHUNeE (_a la_), very huge and bulky. Chunee was the largest elephant ever brought to England. Henry Harris, manager of Covent Garden, bought it for 900 to appear in the pantomime of _Harlequin Padmenaba_, in 1810. It was subsequently sold to Cross, the proprietor of Exeter 'Change. Chunee at length became mad, and was shot by a detachment of the Guards, receiving 152 wounds. The skeleton is preserved in the museum of the College of Surgeons. It is 12 feet 4 inches high.

CHURCH BUILT BY VOLTAIRE. Voltaire, the atheist, built, at Ferney, a Christian church, and had this inscription affixed to it "_Deo erexit Voltaire_." Campbell, in the Life of Cowper (vol. vii., 358) says, "he knows not to whom Cowper alludes in these lines:"

Nor his who for the bane of thousands born, Built G.o.d a church, and laughed His word to scorn.

Cowper, _Retirement_ (1782).

CHURM. Guide, philosopher, and friend of Robert Byng, in _Cecil Dreeme_. A noted philanthropist, the fame of whose benevolence is the Open Sesame to an insane asylum in which his child is incarcerated.

--Theodore Winthrop, _Cecil Dreeme_ (1861).

CHUZZLEWIT (_Anthony_), cousin of Martin Chuzzlewit, the grandfather.

Anthony is an avaricious old hunks, proud of having brought up his son, Jonas, to be as mean and grasping as himself. His two redeeming points are his affection for his old old servant, Chuffey, and his forgiveness of Jonas after his attempt to poison him.

The old established firm of Anthony Chuzzlewit and Son, Manchester warehous.e.m.e.n ... had its place of business in a very narrow street somewhere behind the Post Office.... A dim, dirty, smoky, tumble-down, rotten old house it was ... but here the firm ... transacted their business ... and neither the young man nor the old one had any other residence.--Chap. xi.

_Jonas Chuzzlewit_, son of Anthony, of the "firm of Anthony Chuzzlewit and Son, Manchester warehous.e.m.e.n." A consummate villain of mean brutality and small tyranny. He attempts to poison his old father, and murders Montague Tigg, who knows his secret. Jonas marries Mercy Pecksniff, his cousin, and leads her a life of utter misery. His education had been conducted on money-grubbing principles; the first word he was taught to spell was _gain_, and the second, _money_. He poisons himself to save his neck from the gallows.

This fine young man had all the inclination of a profligate of the first water, and only lacked the one good trait in the common catalogue of debauched vices--open-handedness--to be a notable vagabond. But there his griping and penurious habits stepped in.--Chap. xi.

_Martin Chuzzlewit, sen._, grandfather to the hero of the same name.

A stern old man, whose kind heart has been turned to gall by the dire selfishness of his relations. Being resolved to expose Pecksniff, he goes to live in his house, and pretends to be weak in intellect, but keeps his eyes sharp open, and is able to expose the canting scoundrel in all his deformity.

_Martin Chuzzlewit, jun._, the hero of the tale called _Martin Chuzzlewit_, grandson to old Martin. His nature has been warped by bad training, and, at first, he is both selfish and exacting; but the troubles and hards.h.i.+ps he undergoes in "Eden" completely transform him, and he becomes worthy of Mary Graham, whom he marries.--C.

d.i.c.kens, _Martin Chuzzlewit_ (1844).

CYNDO'NAX, a chief druid, whose tomb (with a Greek inscription) was discovered near Dijon, in 1598.

CIACCO' (2 _syl._), a glutton, spoken to by Dante, in the third circle of h.e.l.l, the place in which gluttons are consigned to endless woe. The word means "a pig," and is not a proper name, but only a symbolical one.--Dante, _h.e.l.l_, vi. (1300).

Ciacco, thy dire affliction grieves me much.

_h.e.l.l_, vi.

CICERO. When the great Roman orator was given up by Augustus to the revenge of Antony, it was a cobbler who conducted the sicarii to Formiae, whither Cicero had fled in a litter, intending to put to sea. His bearers would have fought, but Cicero forbade them, and one Herennius has the unenviable notoriety of being his murderer.

It was a cobbler that set the murderers on Cicero.--Ouida, _Ariadne_, i. 6.

_Cicero of the British Senate_, George Canning (1770-1827).

_Cicero of France_, Jean Baptiste Ma.s.sillon (1663-1742).

_Cicero of Germany_, John, Elector of Brandenburg (1455, 1486-1499).

_Cicero's Mouth_, Philippe Pot, Prime Minister of Louis XL (1428-1494).

_The British Cicero_, William Pitt, Earl of Chatham (1708-1778).