Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 8

=Medo'ra=, the beloved wife of Conrad, the corsair. When Conrad was taken captive by the Pacha Seyd, Medora sat day after day expecting his return, and feeling the heart-anguish of hope deferred. Still he returned not, and Medora died. In the mean time, Gulnare, the favorite concubine of Seyd, murdered the pacha, liberated Conrad, and sailed with him to the corsair's island home. When, however, Conrad found his wife dead, he quitted the island, and went no one knew whither. The sequel of the story forms the poem called _Lara_.--Byron, _The Corsair_ (1814).

=Medo'ro=, a Moorish youth of extraordinary beauty, but of humble race; page to Agramante. Being wounded, Angelica dressed his wounds, fell in love with him, married him, and retired with him to Cathay, where, in right of his wife, he became a king. This was the cause of Orlando's madness.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

When Don Roldan [_Orlando_] discovered in a fountain proofs of Angelica's dishonorable conduct with Medoro, it distracted him to such a degree that he tore up huge trees by the roots, sullied the purest streams, destroyed flocks, slew shepherds, fired their huts, pulled houses to the ground, and committed a thousand other most furious exploits worthy of being reported in fame's register.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. iii. 11 (1605).

=Medu'sa= (_The soft_), Mary Stuart, queen of Scots (1545-1577).

Rise from thy b.l.o.o.d.y grave, Thou soft Medusa of the "Fated Line,"

Whose evil beauty looked to death the brave!

Lord Lytton, _Ode_, i. (1839).

=Meeta=, the "maid of Mariendorpt," a true woman and a true heroine. She is the daughter of Mahldenau, minister of Mariendorpt, whom she loves almost to idolatry. Her betrothed is Major Rupert Roselheim. Hearing of her father's captivity at Prague, she goes thither on foot to crave his pardon.--S. Knowles, _The Maid of Mariendorpt_ (1838).

=Meg=, a pretty, bright, dutiful girl, daughter of Toby Veck, and engaged to Richard, whom she marries on New Year's Day.--C. d.i.c.kens, _The Chimes_ (1844).

=Meg Dods=, the old landlady at St. Ronan's Well.--Sir W. Scott, _St.

Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

=Meg Merrilees=, a half-crazy sibyl or gypsy woman.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George II.).

=Meg Murdochson=, an old gypsy thief, mother of Madge Wildfire.--Sir W.

Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

=Megid'don=, the tutelar angel of Simon the Canaanite. This Simon, "once a shepherd, was called by Jesus from the field, and feasted Him in his hut with a lamb."--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).

=Megingjard=, the belt of Thor, whereby his strength was doubled.

=Megissog'won= ("_the great pearl feather_"), a magician, and the Manito of wealth. It was Megissogwon who sent the fiery fever on man, the white fog, and death. Hiawatha slew him, and taught man the science of medicine. This great Pearl-Feather slew the father of Niko'mis (the grandmother of Hiawatha). Hiawatha all day long fought with the magician without effect; at nightfall the woodp.e.c.k.e.r told him to strike at the tuft of hair on the magician's head, the only vulnerable place; accordingly, Hiawatha discharged his three remaining arrows at the hair tuft, and Megissogwon died.

"Honor be to Hiawatha!

He hath slain the great Pearl-Feather; Slain the mightiest of magicians-- Him that sent the fiery fever, ...

Sent disease and death among us."

Longfellow, _Hiawatha_, ix. (1855).

=Megnoun.= (See MEJNOUN.)

=Meg'ra=, a lascivious lady in the drama called _Philaster_, or _Love Lies a-bleeding_, by Beaumont and Fletcher (1608).

=Meiklehose= (_Isaac_), one of the elders of Roseneath parish.--Sir W.

Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

=Meiklewham= (_Mr. Saunders_), "the man of law," in the managing committee of the Spa hotel.--Sir W. Scott, _St. Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

=Meister= (_Wilhelm_), the hero and t.i.tle of a novel by Goethe. The object is to show that man, despite his errors and short-comings, is led by a guiding hand, and reaches some higher aim at last (1821).

=Meistersingers=, or minstrel tradesmen of Germany. An a.s.sociation of master tradesmen to revive the national minstrelsy, which had fallen into decay with the decline of the minnesingers, or love minstrels (1350-1523). Their subjects were chiefly moral or religious, and constructed according to rigid rules. The three chief were Hans Rosenblut (armorial painter, born 1450), Hans Folz (surgeon, born 1479), and Hans Sachs (cobbler, 1494-1574). The next best were Heinrich von Mueglen, Konrad Harder, Master Altschwert, Master Barthel Regenbogen (the blacksmith), Muscablut (the tailor), and Hans Blotz (the barber).

=Mej'noun and Lei'lah= (2 _syl._), a Persian love tale, the Romeo and Juliet of Eastern romance. They are the most beautiful, chaste, and impa.s.sionate of lovers; the models of what lovers would be if human nature were perfect.

When he sang the loves of Megnoun and Leileh ... tears insensibly overflowed the cheeks of his auditors.--W. Beckford, _Vathek_ (1786).

=Mela Dryfoos.= Loud young lady of the gilded period, "physically too amiable and too well corporeally ever to be quite cross," but selfish and coa.r.s.e and reposing confidently upon the importance given her by her father's money.--W. D. Howells, _A Hazard of New Fortunes_ (1889).

=Melan'chates= (4 _syl._), the hound that killed Actaeon, and was changed into a hart.

Melanchates, that hound That plucked Actaeon to the grounde, Gaue him his mortal wound, ...

Was chaunged to a harte.

J. Skelton, _Philip Sparow_ (time, Henry VIII).

=Melantius=, a rough, honest soldier, who believes every one is true till convicted of crime, and then is he a relentless punisher. Melantius and Diph'ilus are brothers of Evadne.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Maid's Tragedy_ (1610).

? The master scene between Antony and Ventidius in Dryden's _All for Love_ is copied from _The Maid's Tragedy_. "Ventidius" is in the place of Melantius.

=Melchior=, one of the three kings of Cologne. He was the "Wise Man of the East" who offered to the infant Jesus _gold_, the emblem of royalty. The other two were Gaspar and Balthazar. Melchior means "king of light."

_Melchior_, a monk attending the black priest of St. Paul's.--Sir W.

Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

_Melchior_ (_i.e. Melchior Pfinzing_), a German poet who wrote the _Teuerdank_, an epic poem which has the kaiser Maximilian (son of Frederick III.) for its hero. This poem was the _Orlando Furioso_ of the Germans.

Sat the poet Melchior, singing kaiser Maximilian's praise.

Longfellow, _Nuremberg_.