Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 32

Earl of Rochester.

=Mutual Friend= (_Our_), a novel by Charles d.i.c.kens (1864). The "mutual friend" is Mr. Boffin, "the golden dustman," who was the mutual friend of John Harmon and of Bella Wilfer. The tale is this: John Harmon was supposed to have been murdered by Julius Handford; but it was Ratford, who was murdered by Rogue Riderhood, and the mistake arose from a resemblance between the two persons. By his father's will, John Harmon was to marry Bella Wilfer; but John Harmon knew not the person destined by his father for his wife, and made up his mind to dislike her. After his supposed murder, he a.s.sumed the name of John Rokesmith, and became the secretary of Mr. Boffin, "the golden dustman," residuary legatee of old John Harmon, by which he became possessor of 100,000. Boffin knew Rokesmith, but concealed his knowledge for a time. At Boffin's house, John Harmon (as Rokesmith) met Bella Wilfer, and fell in love with her.

Mr. Boffin, in order to test Bella's love, pretended to be angry with Rokesmith for presuming to love Bella; and, as Bella married him, he cast them both off "for a time," to live on John's earnings. A baby was born, and then the husband took the young mother to a beautiful house, and told her he was John Harmon, that the house was their house, that he was the possessor of 100,000 through the disinterested conduct of their "mutual friend," Mr. Boffin; and the young couple lived happily with Mr.

and Mrs. Boffin, in wealth and luxury.

=Mutusa-ili=, Babylonian sage and unsuspected Jew, high in repute for wisdom and prophetic powers.--Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and Herbert D.

Ward, _The Master of the Magicians_ (1890).

=My Book= (_Dr._). Dr. John Aberne'thy (1765-1830) was so called because he used to say to his patients, "Read my book" (_On Surgical Observations_).

=My Little All.=

I was twice burnt out, and lost my little all both times.--Sheridan, _The Critic_, i. 1 (1779).

=Myrebeau= (_Le sieure de_), one of the committee of the states of Burgundy.--Sir W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

=Myro=, a statuary of Eleu'therae, who carved a cow so true to nature that even bulls mistook it for a living animal. (See HORSE PAINTED.)

E'en Myro's statues, which for art surpa.s.s All others, once were but a shapeless ma.s.s.

Ovid, _Art of Love_, iii.

=Myrra=, an Ionian slave, and the beloved concubine of Sardanapa'lus, the a.s.syrian king. She roused him from his indolence to resist Arba'ces, the Mede, who aspired to his throne, and when she found his cause hopeless, induced him to mount a funeral pile, which she fired with her own hand, and then, springing into the flames, she perished with the tyrant.--Byron, _Sardanapalus_ (1819).

=Myrtle= (_Mrs. Lerviah_), sentimental Christian, who finds Magdalens and poor, ill-clad, homeless girls "so depressing," but begs Nixy Trent, the only one who ever entered her house, "to consider that there is hope for us all in the way of salvation which our Lord has marked out for sinners." After which crumb of ghostly consolation she proceeds to turn Nixy out of the house.--Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, _Hedged In_ (1870).

=Mysie=, the female attendant of Lady Margaret b.e.l.l.e.n.den, of the Tower of Tillietudlem.--Sir W. Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).

_Mysie_, the old housekeeper at Wolf's Crag Tower.--Sir W. Scott, _Bride of Lammermoor_ (time, William III.).

=Mysis=, the scolding wife of Sile'no, and mother of Daph'ne and Nysa. It is to Mysis that Apollo sings that popular song, "Pray, Goody, please to moderate the rancour of your tongue" (act i. 3).--Kane O'Hara, _Midas_ (1764).

=Mysterious Husband= (_The_), a tragedy by c.u.mberland (1783). Lord Davenant was a bigamist. His first wife was Marianne Dormer, whom he forsook in three months to marry Louisa Travers. Marianne, supposing her husband to be dead, married Lord Davenant's son. Miss Dormer's brother was the betrothed of the second Lady Davenant before her marriage with his lords.h.i.+p. She was told that he had proved faithless and had married another. The report of Lord Davenant's death and the marriage of Captain Dormer were both false. When the villainy of Lord Davenant could be concealed no longer, he destroyed himself.

=Nat=, the fairy that addressed Orpheus, in the infernal regions, and offered him for food a roasted ant, a flea's thigh, b.u.t.terflies' brains, some sucking mites, a rainbow tart etc., to be washed down with dew-drops and beer made from seven barleycorns--a very heady liquor.--King, _Orpheus and Eurydice_ (1730-1805).

=Nab-man= (_The_), a sheriff's officer.

Old Dornton has sent the nab-man after him at last.--_Guy Mannering_, ii. 3.

? This is the dramatized version of Sir W. Scott's novel, by Terry (1816).

=Nacien=, the holy hermit who introduced Galahad to the "Siege Perilous,"

the only vacant seat in the Round Table. This seat was reserved for the knight who was destined to achieve the quest of the Holy Graal. Nacien told the king and his knights that no one but a virgin knight could achieve that quest.--Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, iii.

(1470).

=Nadab=, in Dryden's satire of _Absalom and Achitophel_, is meant for Lord Howard, a profligate, who laid claim to great piety. As Nadab offered incense with strange fire and was slain, so Lord Howard, it is said, mixed the consecrated wafer with some roast apples and sugar.--Pt. i.

(1681).

=Nadgett=, a man employed by Montague Tigg (manager of the "Anglo-Bengalee Company") to make private inquiries. He was a dried-up, shrivelled old man. Where he lived and how he lived, n.o.body knew; but he was always to be seen waiting for some one who never appeared; and he would glide along apparently taking no notice of any one.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Martin Chuzzlewit_ (1844).

=Nag's Head Consecration=, a scandal perpetuated by Pennant, on the dogma of "apostolic succession." The "high-church clergy" a.s.sert that the ceremony called holy orders has been transmitted without interruption from the apostles. Thus, the apostles laid hands on certain persons, who (say they) became ministers of the gospel; these persons "ordained"

others in the same manner; and the succession has never been broken.

Pennant says, at the Reformation the bishops came to a fix. There was only one bishop, viz., Anthony Kitchen, of Llandaff, and Bonner would not allow him to perform the ceremony. In this predicament, the fourteen candidates for episcopal ordination rummaged up Story, a deposed bishop, and got him to "lay hands" on Parker, as archbishop of Canterbury. As it would have been profanation for Story to do this in a cathedral or church, the ceremony was performed in a tavern called the Nag's Head, corner of Friday Street, Cheapside. Strype refutes this scandalous tale in his _Life of Archbishop Parker_, and so does Dr. Hook; but it will never be stamped out.

=Naggleton= (_Mr._ and _Mrs._), types of a nagging husband and wife. They are for ever jangling at trifles and willful misunderstandings.--_Punch_ (1864-5).

=Naked Bear= (_The_). _Hus.h.!.+ the naked bear will hear you!_ a threat and reproof to unruly children in North America. The naked bear, says the legend, was larger and more ferocious than any of the species. It was quite naked, save and except one spot on its back, where was a tuft of white hair.--Heckewelder, _Transactions of the American Phil. Soc._, iv.

260.

Thus the wrinkled old Nokomis Nursed the little Hiawatha, Rocked him in his linden cradle, Stilled his fretful wail by saying "Hus.h.!.+ the naked bear will get thee!"

Longfellow, _Hiawatha_, iii. (1855).

=Nakir'=, =Nekir=, or =Nakeer=. (See MONKER AND NAKIR.)

=Nala=, a legendary king of India, noted for his love of Damayanti, and his subsequent misfortunes. This legendary king has been the subject of numerous poems.

? Dean Milman has translated into English the episode from the _Mahabharata_, and W. Yates has translated the Nalodaya of the great Sanskrit poem.

=Nama=, a daughter of man, beloved by the angel Zaraph. Her wish was to love intensely and to love holily, but as she fixed her love on a seraph, and not on G.o.d, she was doomed to abide on earth, "unchanged in heart and frame," so long as the earth endureth; but at the great consummation both Nama and her seraph will be received into those courts of love, where "love never dieth."--Moore, _Loves of the Angels_, ii.

(1822).