Alexander’s Beard, a smooth chin, or a very small beard.  It is said that Alexander the Great had scarcely any beard at all.

  Disgraced yet with Alexander’s bearde.

G. Gascoigne, The Steele Glas (died 1577).

Alexander’s Runner, Ladas.

ALEXAN’DRA, daughter of Oronthea, queen of the Am’azons, and one of the ten wives of Elba’nio.  It is from this person that the land of the Amazons was called Alexandra.—­Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (1516).

ALEX’IS, the wanton shepherd in The Faithful Shepherdess, a pastoral drama by John Fletcher (1610).

ALFA’DER, the father of all the Asen (deities) of Scandinavia, creator and governor of the universe, patron of arts and magic, etc.

ALFONSO, father of Leono’ra d’Este, and duke of Ferrara, Tasso the poet fell in love with Leonora.  The duke confined him as a lunatic for seven years in the asylum of Santa Anna, but at the expiration of that period he was released through the intercession of Vincenzo Gonzago, duke of Mantua.  Byron refers to this in his Childe Harold, iv. 36.

Alfonso XI of Castile, whose “favorite” was Leonora de Guzman.—­Donizetti, La Favorita (an opera, 1842).

Alfon’so (Don), of Seville, a man of fifty and husband of donna Julia (twenty-seven years his junior), of whom he was jealous without cause.—­Byron, Don Juan, i.

Alfon’so, in Walpole’s tale called The Castle of Otranto, appears as an apparition in the moonlight, dilated to a gigantic form (1769).

ALFRED AS A GLEEMAN.  Alfred, wishing to know the strength of the Danish camp, assumed the disguise of a minstrel, and stayed in the Danish camp for several days, amusing the soldiers with his harping and singing.  After he had made himself master of all he required, he returned back to his own place.—­William of Malmesbury (twelfth century).

William of Malmesbury tells a similar story of Anlaf, a Danish king, who, he says, just before the battle of Brunanburh, in Northumberland, entered the camp of king Athelstan as a gleeman, harp in hand; and so pleased was the English king that he gave him gold.  Anlaf would not keep the gold, but buried it in the earth.

ALGARSIFE (3 syl.), and Cam’ballo, sons of Cambuscan’ king of Tartary, and Elfeta his wife.  Algarsife married Theodora.

  I speak of Algarsife,
  How that he won Theodora to his wife.

Chaucer, The Squire’s Tale AL’GEBAR’ ("the giant").  So the Arabians call the constellation Orion.

  Begirt with many a blazing star,
  Stood the great giant Algebar—­
  Orion, hunter of the beast. 
  Longfellow, The Occultation of Orion.

AL’I, cousin and son-in-law of Mahomet.  The beauty of his eyes is proverbial in Persia. Ayn Hali ("eyes of Ali”) is the highest compliment a Persian can pay to beauty.—­Chardin.