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Poetry by William S. Walsh; A Dictionary of the Noted Names of Fiction by William A. Wheeler; and the series of dictionaries of Thackeray, George Eliot, Hardy, etc., published by George Routledge and Sons. The older reference books, such as John Colin Dunlop's History of Prose Fiction, were also drawn upon for material, as were a number of mythological dictionaries, The Cambridge History of American Literature, The Cambridge History of English Literature, and many other volumes of literary history and criticism.

Much effort has been expended to insure accuracy of statement as well as a wise, well-balanced choice of material and a contemporary emphasis. With such a wide range, it is perhaps too much to hope that some typographical inconsistencies and errors have not crept in; and the editor has at times experienced a keen fellow-feeling for Rev. Mr. Casaubon, whose "difficulty of making his Key to all Mythologies unimpeachable weighed like lead upon his mind." The spellings chosen for proper names are, for the most part, those in most general usage, but especial attention has been paid to cross-references in this connection, as well as for Christian names and surnames of fictitious characters, one or the other of which so often eludes the memory. Inasmuch as the vast majority of well-known characters are from English literature, the English novel or play has not been so labelled in parentheses except for recent works. Accents, for assistance in pronunciation, have been used freely wherever they seemed necessary or helpful, but otherwise omitted. It is hoped that these and other devices will play their part in making the Handbook of genuine practical use.

HENRIETTA GERWIG.

July, 1925.

CROWELL'S HANDBOOK

FOR

READERS AND WRITERS

A1 means first-raté the very best. In Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, the character of the ship's hull is designated by letters, and that of the anchors, cables, and stores by figures. Al means hull first-rate, and also anchors, cables, and stores: A2, hull first-rate, but fittings second-rate. Vessels of an inferior character are classified under the letters Æ, E and I.

A.B., An. An able-bodied seaman, the lowest rank but one in the British Royal Navy.

A.B. degree. Bachelor of Arts; the degree conferred upon the completion of a four-year college course of more or less classical nature. It is the same as B.A. Cp. Bachelor; Master.

A.B.C. An abbreviation having a number of meanings that can be decided only by the context. Thus, "So-and-so doesn't know his A B C" means that he is intensely ignorant; "he doesn't understand the A B C of engineering

means

that he has not mastered its rudiments. So, an A B C Book, or Absey Book, is a primer which used to be used as a child's first lesson book and contained merely the alphabet and a few rudimentary lessons often set in catechism form, as is evident from Shakespeare's lines:

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A

The meaning that Frederick gave them

was

Archidux Electus Imperator Optime Vivat. Many other versions are known, including

Austrie Est Imperare Orbi Universo.

Alles Erdreich Ist Oesterreich Unterthan.
Austria's Empire Is Overall Universal.

To which wags added after the war of 1866

Austria's Emperor Is Ousted Utterly. Frederick the Great is said to have translated the motto thus:

Austria Erit In Orbe Ultima (Austria will be lowest in the world).

A la carte (Fr. by the card). A meal à la carte is chosen from a varied menu with a separate price for each item, in contrast to table d'hôte service which provides an entire meal at a fixed price.

À la mode (Fr. in the manner). In general usage à la mode means "in the style"; with relation to food, as pie à la mode, it means topped with ice cream.

A.M. The academic degree, Master of Arts, the same as M.A. In America it is conferred upon the successful completion of one year of postgraduate work or its equivalent. When the Latin form is intended the A comes first, as Artium Magister: but where the English form is meant the M precedes, as Master of Arts. The abbreviation A.M." also stands, of course, for ante meridiem (Lat.), before noon, and anno mundi, in the year of the world.

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A poster'io'ri (Lat. from the latter). An a posteriori argument is proving the cause from the effect. Thus, if we see a watch we conclude there was a watchmaker. Robinson Crusoe inferred there was another human being on the desert island, because he saw a human footprint in the wet sand. It is thus the existence and character of Deity is inferred from His works. See A priori.

A prio'ri (Lat. from an antecedent). An a priori argument is one in which a fact is

deduced from something antecedent, as when we infer certain effects from, given causes. All mathematical proofs are of the a priori kind, whereas judgments in the law courts are usually posteriori (q.v.); we infer the animus from the act. A.U.C. Abbreviation of the Lat. Anno Urbis Condito;from the foundation of the city" (Rome). It is the starting point of the. Roman system of dating events, and corresponds with B. C. 753.

Aaron. In the Old Testament, brother of Moses (q.v.) with whom he was associated in the calling down of the Ten Plagues and the leading of the Children of Israel out of Egypt. As high priest Aaron was responsible for the making of the Golden Calf which the Israelites worshipped in the wilderness while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments from Jehovah.

Aaron's Beard. The popular name of many wild plants, including Great_St. John's Wort (Rose of Sharon), the Ivyleaved Toadflax, Meadowsweet, Saxifrage Sarmentosa, etc.

Aaron's Rod. The name given (with reference to Num. xvii. 8) to various flowering plants, including Golden Rod. Great Mullein, and others.

Aaron's Serpent. Something so powerful as to eliminate minor powers. The allusion is to Exod. vii. 10-12.

(2) A Moor, beloved by Tam'ora, queen of the Goths, in the tragedy of Titus Andron'icus, published amongst the plays of Shakespeare.

Abaddon. The angel of the bottomless pit (Rev. ix. 11), from Heb. abad, he perished. Milton uses the name for the bottomless pit itself.

"the

Ab'aris. A mythical Greek sage of the 6th century B. C. (surnamed Hyperborean") mentioned by Herodotus, Pindar, etc. Apollo gave him a magic arrow which rendered him invisible, cured diseases, gave oracles, and on which he could ride through the air. Abaris gave it to Pythagoras, who, in return, taught him philosophy. Hence the dart of Abaris.

Abbad'ona. One of the most interesting figures in Klopstock's epic poem, The Messiah (Ger. Der Messias, 1748-1773) (q.v.), an angel who was drawn into the rebellion of Satan half unwillingly. In hell he constantly bewailed his fall and reproved Satan for his pride and blasphemy; and during the crucifixion he lingered about the cross with repentance, hope and fear. His ultimate fate we are not told, but his redemption is implied.

Abb'assides. A dynasty of thirty-seven caliphs who reigned over the Mohammedan Empire from 750 to 1258. They were descended from Abbas, uncle of Mahomet. Haroun al Raschid (born 765, reigned 786-808), of the Arabian Nights, was one of their number.

Abbé Constantin, L'. A novel by Ludovic Halévy (Fr. 1834-1908), in which the kindly old village priest who bears the title rôle plays something of the matchmaker. The hero is his godson, Lt. Jean Renaud, and the heroine one of the two American sisters who come to live in the castle of Longueval.

Abbot, The. A novel by Sir Walter Scott (1820). The Abbot, Father Ambrose (q.v.) plays a subordinate part. The hero is Roland Graeme, a foundling brought up by Lady Avenel as a sort of page. He later became page to Mary Queen of Scots, who plays a prominent role in the novel. Eventually Roland Graeme is discovered to be the son of Julian Avenel, marries Catherine Seyton, the daughter of a lord, and is acclaimed heir to the barony of Avenel.

Abbot of Misrule. See King of Misrule. Abbot of Unreason. See King of Misrule.

Abbotsford. The name given by Sir Walter Scott to Clarty Hole, on the south bank of the Tweed, after it became his residence in 1812.

Abdaldar. A magician in Southey's Thalaba the Destroyer (q.v.).

Abde'ra, Abderi'tan. Abdera was a maritime city of Thrace whose inhabitants were proverbial in ancient times for their stupidity.

Abderi'tan laughter. Scoffing laughter, incessant laughter. So called because Abdera was the birthplace of Democritus, the laughing philosopher. Ab'derite. A scoffer.

Ab'diel (Arab. the servant of God). In Milton's Paradise Lost (v. 805, 896, etc.) the faithful seraph who withstood Satan when he urged the angels to revolt.

Abdulla. A powerful Malay trader who appears in Conrad's Outcast of the Islands (q.v.) and in Almayer's Folly.

Abel. In the Old Testament, the son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his brother Cain because his sacrifice was more acceptable to Jehovah than Cain's (Gen. IV). For his rôle in Mohammedan legend and in Byron's Cain, a Mystery (1821), see Cain.

Abel, Mr. The hero and narrator of W. H. Hudson's Green Mansions (q.v.).

Abelard and Heloise. Two celebrated medieval lovers. Abelard (1079–1142) was a scholastic philosopher and probably the most famous teacher of the Middle Ages, his school being the immediate forerunner of the University of Paris. The lovers did not marry because of the effect of such a step upon Abelard's ecclesiastical advancement. Their story, told in their published letters, has appealed to readers of many centuries. Pope has a poem called An Epistle from Eloisa to Abelard. Abercrombie, Lascelles (1881- ). Contemporary English poet.

Abhorson. In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, an executioner.

Ab'igail. A lady's maid. Abigail, wife of Nabal and afterwards of David, is a well-known Scripture heroine (1 Sam. xxv. 3). Marlowe called the daughter of Barrabas, his Jew of Malta, by this name, and it was given by Beaumont and Fletcher to the "waiting gentlewoman " in The Scornful Lady. Swift, Fielding, and other novelists of the period employ it in their novels, and it was further popularized by the notoriety of Abigail Hill, better known as Mrs. Masham, the waiting-woman to Queen Anne.

Able McLaughlins, The. A novel by Margaret Wilson (Am. 1923), the story of a family of hardy Scotch settlers in Iowa. Wully McLaughlin, the hero, returns from the Civil War to marry his beloved Chirstie. For a long time he hates the cousin who had taken advantage of her in his absence and for whose misdeed he manfully bears the blame in the eyes of that pious Scotch community, but when at last he finds his cousin, in a dying condition, he is able to forgive him. Perhaps the most interesting character of the novel is Wully's big-hearted mother, the ablest of all the "Able McLaughlins.' The book took first prize in a Harper contest and was awarded the Pulitzer prize as the best novel of the year.

Abomination of Desolation, The. Mentioned in Dan. (chs. ix, xi, and xii), and in Matt. xxiv. 15, probably refers to some statue set up in the Temple by either the heathen or the Romans. The phrase is used for anything very hateful or destructive.

Abou Ben Adhem. A short poem by Leigh Hunt. Because Abou begged to be written as one who loves his fellowmen" his angel visitor

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showed the names whom love of God had blest And lo Ben Abou's name led all the rest."

Abou Hassan. Young merchant of

Bagdad, hero of the tale called The Sleeper Awakened in the Arabian Nights' Entertainments. While Abou Hassan is asleep he is conveyed to the palace of Haroun al Raschid, and the attendants are ordered to do everything they can to make him fancy himself the Caliph. He subsequently becomes the Caliph's favorite. Cp. Sly, Christopher.

Abra. A favorite concubine of Solomon. In his poem Solomon on the Vanity of the World (1718), Matthew Prior describes her devotion in the celebrated lines:

Abra was ready ere I called her name, And though I called another, Abra came. Abracadabra. A cabalistic charm, said to be made up from the initials of the Hebrew words Ab (Father), Ben (Son) and Ruach ACadsch (Holy Spirit) and formerly used as a powerful antidote against ague, flux, toothache, etc. Hence a charm; also any meaningless jargon. The word was written on parchment, and suspended from the neck by a linen thread, in the following form:

ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR

ABRACADAB

ABRACADA

ABRACAD

ABRACA

ABRAC

ABRA

ABR
A B

Abraham. The founder of the Hebrew nation and its first patriarch. With his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot he migrated from Ur of Chaldees into the Land of Canaan, where he settled and prospered. To test his faith Jehovah commanded him to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering, but when he was about to draw the knife, a ram was provided instead. The story of Abraham is told in Gen. xii-xiii and in various Mohammedan legends, which relate that at the age of fifteen months Abraham was equal in size to a lad of fifteen, and was so wise that his father introduced him to the court of King Nimrod; that Abraham and his son "Ismail" rebuilt for the fourth time the Kaaba over the sacred stone at Mecca; and that Abraham destroyed the idols manufactured and worshipped by his father, Terah. See also Sarai, Hagar, Isaac, Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham's Bosom. The repose of the happy in death (Luke xvi. 22).

Abraham'ic Covenant. (1) The covenant made by God with Abraham, that Messiah should spring from his seed. This promise was given to Abraham,

because he left his country and father's house to live in a strange land, as God told him. (2) The rite of circumcision.

To Sham Abraham. To pretend illness or distress, in order to get off work. See Abram-Man.

Abraham Lincoln. See Lincoln.

Abraham Newland, An. A bank-note, so called from the name of the chief cashier at the Bank of England from 1782 to 1807, without whose signature no Bank of England notes were genuine.

Abram-Man, or Abraham Cove. A pretended maniac who, in Tudor and early Stuart times, wandered about the country as a begging impostor; a Tom o' Bedlam (q.v.); hence the phrase, to sham Abraham, meaning to pretend illness or distress, in order to get off work.

Inmates of Bedlam (q.v.) who were not dangerously mad were kept in the "Abraham Ward," and were allowed out from time to time in a distinctive dress, and were permitted to supplement their scanty rations by begging. This gave an opportunity to impostors, and large numbers availed themselves of it. Says The Canting Academy (Richd. Head, 1674), they

"used to array themselves with party-coloured ribbons, tape in their hats, a fox-tail hanging down, a long stick with streamers, and beg alms; but "for all their seeming madness, they had wit enough to steal as they went along.

There is a good picture of them in King Lear ii. 3; and see also Beaumont and Fletcher's Beggar's Bush, ii. i.

Come, princes of the ragged regiment

And these, what name or title e'er they bear,
Jarkman or Pal'rico, Cranke or Clapper-dudgeon,
Frater or Abram-man, I speak to all
That stand in fair election for the title
Of King of Beggars.

Abrax'as. A cabalistic word used by the Gnostics to denote the Supreme Being, the source of 365 emanations, the sum of the numbers represented by the Greek letters of the word totaling 365. It was frequently engraved on gems (hence known as abraxas stones) that were used as amulets or talismans. By some authorities the name is given as that of one of the horses of Aurora.

Absalom. In the Old Testament (2 Sam. viii), the handsome but rebellious son of David who "stole the hearts of the men of Israel" and plotted to become king in his father's stead. In the battle in which the issue was decided, Absalom, who rode on a mule, was caught by his head in an oak tree; and one of David's army, finding him so suspended, killed him in spite of the previous commands of the King. David's lament, "O my son

Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee," has become a classic expression of paternal grief.

Absalom and Achitophel. A famous political satire in verse published in 1681, the first part by Dryden and the second by Nahum Tate and revised by Dryden. The general scheme is to show the rebellious character of the Puritans, who insisted on the exclusion of the Duke of York from the succession, on account of his being a pronounced Catholic, and the determination of the King to resist this interference with his royal prerogative, even at the cost of a civil war. Of the principal characters, David stands for Charles II; Absalom for his natural son James, Duke of Monmouth (handsome and rebellious); Achitophel for Lord Shaftesbury; Zimri for the Duke of Buckingham; and Abdael for Monk. The accommodation of the biblical narrative to contemporary history is so skilfully made that the story of David seems to repeat itself. Of Absalom, Dryden says (Part i):

Whate'er he did was done with so much ease.
In him alone 'twas natural to please;
His motions all accompanied with grace,
And paradise was opened in his face.

Absent-minded Beggar. The title of one of Kipling's poems (1900), hence applied to an English private, a Tommy Atkins (q.v.).

Absentee, The. A novel by Maria Edgeworth (1812). The "Absentee," Lord Clonbrony allows his foolish wife to persuade him to leave his estate in Ireland and try to force a way into fashionable London society. The outcome is unhappy for all concerned; Lord Clonbrony takes to gambling, Lady Clonbrony is snubbed right and left and the Irish tenants are very much neglected.

Absey book. See A. B. C.

Ab'solon. A priggish parish clerk in The Miller's Tale in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. His hair was curled, his shoes slashed, his hose red. He could let blood, cut hair, and shave, could dance, and play either on the ribible or the gittern. This gay spark paid his addresses to Mistress Alison, the young wife of John, a wealthy aged carpenter; but Alison herself loved a poor scholar named Nicholas, a lodger in the house. See Nicholas.

Absolute. Sir Anthony Absolute. One of the most popular characters in all English comedy, a testy, but warmhearted old gentleman in Sheridan's Rivals (1775), who imagines that he

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