Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 5

=Matthias de Silva= (_Don_), a Spanish beau. This exquisite one day received a challenge for defamation, soon after he had retired to bed, and said to his valet, "I would not get up before noon to make one in the best party of pleasure that was ever projected. Judge, then, if I shall rise at six o'clock in the morning to get my throat cut."--Lesage, _Gil Blas_, iii. 8 (1715).

(This reply was borrowed from the romance of Espinel, ent.i.tled _Vida del Escudero Marcos de Obregon_, 1618).

=Mattie=, maid servant of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and afterwards his wife.--Sir W. Scott, _Rob Roy_ (time, George I.).

=Maud Muller=, pretty, shy haymaker, of whom the judge, pa.s.sing by, craves a cup of water. He falls in love with the rustic maiden, but dare not wed her. She, too, recollects him with tenderness, dreaming vainly of what might have been her different lot.

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"

J. G. Whittier, _Maud Muller_.

Bret Harte has written a clever parody upon Maud Muller,--"_Mrs. Judge Jenkins_."

"There are no sadder words of tongue or pen, Than 'It is, but _it hadn't orter been!_'"

=Maude=, (1 _syl._), wife of Peter Pratefast, "who loved cleanliness."

She kepe her dishes from all foulenes; And when she lacked clowtes withouten fayle, She wyped her dishes with her dogges tayll.

Stephen Hawes, _The Pastyme of Pleasure_, xxix. (1515).

=Maugis=, the Nestor of French romance. He was one of Charlemagne's paladins, a magician and champion.

? In Italian romance he is called "Malagigi" (_q.v._).

=Maugis d'Aygremont=, son of Duke Bevis d'Aygremont, stolen in infancy by a female slave. As the slave rested under a white-thorn, a lion and a leopard devoured her, and then killed each other in disputing over the infant. Oriande la fee, attracted to the spot by the crying of the child, exclaimed, "by the powers above, the child is _mal gist_ ('badly nursed')!" and ever after it was called Mal-gist or Mau-gis'. When grown to manhood, he obtained the enchanted horse Bayard, and took from Anthenor (the Saracen) the the[TN-7] sword Flamberge. Subsequently he gave both to his cousin Renaud (_Renaldo_). Romance of _Maugis d'Aygremont et de Vivian son Frere_.

? In the Italian romance, Maugis is called "Malagigi," Bevis is "Buovo,"

Bayard is "Bayardo," Flamberge is "Fusberta," and Renaud is "Renaldo."

=Maugrabin= (_Zamet_), a Bohemian, hung near Plessis les Tours.

_Hayraddin Maugrabin_, the "Zingaro," brother of Zamet Maugrabin. He a.s.sumes the disguise of Rouge Sanglier, and pretends to be a herald from Liege [_Le.aje_].--Sir W. Scott, _Quentin Durward_ (time, Edward IV.).

=Mau'graby=, son of Hal-il-Maugraby and his wife Yandar. Hal-il-Maugraby founded Dom-Daniel "under the roots of the ocean" near the coast of Tunis, and his son completed it. He and his son were the greatest magicians that ever lived. Maugraby was killed by Prince Habed-il-Rouman, son of the caliph of Syria, and with his death Dom-Daniel ceased to exist.--_Continuation of Arabian Nights_ ("History of Maugraby").

Did they not say to us every day that if we were naughty the Maugraby would take us?--_Continuation of Arabian Nights_, iv. 74.

=Maugys=, a giant who kept the bridge leading to a castle in which a lady was besieged. Sir Lybius, one of the knights of the Round Table, did battle with him, slew him, and liberated the lady.--_Libeaux_ (a romance).

=Maul=, a giant who used to spoil young pilgrims with sophistry. He attacked Mr. Greatheart with a club; but Greatheart pierced him under the fifth rib, and then cut off his head.--Bunyan, _Pilgrim's Progress_, ii. (1684).

=Maul of Monks=, Thomas Cromwell, visitor-general of English monasteries, which he summarily suppressed (1490-1540).

=Maulstatute= (_Master_), a magistrate.--Sir W. Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).

=Maun'drel=, a wearisome gossip, a chattering woman.

_Maundrels_, vagaries, especially those of a person in delirium, or the disjointed gabble of a sleeper.

? The word is said to be a corruption of Mandeville (_Sir John_), who published a book of travels, full of idle tales and maundering gossip.

=Mauprat= (_Adrien de_), colonel and chevalier in the king's army; "the wildest gallant and bravest knight of France." He married Julie; but the king accused him of treason for so doing, and sent him to the Bastille.

Being released by the Cardinal Richelieu, he was forgiven, and made happy with the blessing of the king.--Lord Lytton, _Richelieu_ (1839).

_Mauprat_, the last of a fierce race of French robber n.o.bles. His wild nature is subdued into real n.o.bility by his love for his beautiful cousin.--George Sand, _Mauprat_ (1836).

=Maurice Beevor= (_Sir_), a miser, and (failing the children of the countess) heir to the Arundel estates. The countess having two sons (Arthur and Percy), Sir Maurice hired a.s.sa.s.sins to murder them; but his plots were frustrated, and the miser went to his grave "a sordid, spat-upon, revengeless, worthless, and rascally poor cousin."--Lord Lytton, _The Sea-Captain_ (1839).

=Mause= (_Old_), mother of Cuddie Headrigg, and a covenanter.--Sir W.

Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).

=Mauso'lus=, king of Caria, to whom his wife Artemisia erected a sepulchre which was one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" (B.C. 353).

The chief mausoleums besides this are those of Augustus; Hadrian (now called the castle of St. Angelo) at Rome; Henri II., erected by Catherine de Medicis; St. Peter the martyr, in the church of St.

Eustatius, by G. Balduccio; that to the memory of Louis XVI.; and the tomb of Napoleon in Les Invalides, Paris. The one erected by Queen Victoria to Prince Albert may also be mentioned.

=Mauthe Dog=, a black spectre spaniel that haunted the guard-room of Peeltown in the Isle of Man. One day a drunken trooper entered the guard-room while the dog was there, but lost his speech, and died within three days.--Sir W. Scott, _Lay of the Last Minstrel_, vi. 26 (1805).

=Mauxalin'da=, in love with Moore, of Moore Hall; but the valiant combatant of the dragon deserts her for Margery, daughter of Gubbins, of Roth'ram Green.--H. Carey, _Dragon of Wantley_ (1696-1743).

=Mavortian=, a soldier or son of Mavors (_Mars_).

Hew dreadfull Mavortian the poor price of a dinner.--Richard Brome, _Plays_ (1653).

=Mawworm=, a vulgar copy of Dr. Cantwell "the hypocrite." He is a most gross abuser of his mother tongue, but believes he has a call to preach.

He tells old Lady Lambert that he has made several sermons already, but "always does 'em extrumpery" because he could not write. He finds his "religious vocation" more profitable than selling "grocery, tea, small beer, charcoal, b.u.t.ter, brickdust, and other spices," and so comes to the conclusion that it "is sinful to keep shop." He is a convert of Dr.

Cantwell, and believes in him to the last.