Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 eBook

Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 804 pages of information about Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1.

Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 eBook

Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 804 pages of information about Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1.

AN’DERSON (Eppie), a servant at the inn of St. Ronan’s Well, held by Meg Dods.—­Sir W. Scott, St. Ronan’s Well (time, George III.).

ANDRE (2 syl.).  Petit-Andre and Trois Echelles are the executioners of Louis XI. of France.  They are introduced by sir W. Scott, both in Quentin Durward and in Anne of Geierstein.

Andre, the hero and title of a novel by George Sand (Mde.  Dudevant).  This novel and that called Consuelo (4 syl.) are considered her best (1804-1876).

ANDRE’OS, Fortitude personified in The Purple Island, by Phineas Fletcher (canto x.).  “None fiercer to a stubborn enemy, but to the yielding none more sweetly kind.” (Greek, andria or andreia, “manliness.”)

ANDREW, gardener, at Ellangowan, to Godfrey Bertram the laird.—­Sir W. Scott, Guy Mannering (time, George II.).

ANDREWS, a private in the royal army of the duke of Monmouth.—­Sir W. Scott, Old Mortality (time, Charles II.).

Andrews (Joseph), the hero and title of a novel by Fielding.  He is a footman who marries a maid-servant.  Joseph Andrews is a brother of [Richardson’s] “Pamela,” a handsome, model young man.

The accounts of Joseph’s bravery and good qualities, his voice too musical to halloa to the dogs, his bravery in riding races for the gentlemen of the county, and his constancy in refusing bribes and temptation, have something refreshing in their naivete and freshness, and prepossess one in favor of that handsome young hero.—­Thackeray.

ANDROCLUS AND THE LION.  Androclus was a runaway Roman slave, who took refuge in a cavern.  A lion entered, and instead of tearing him to pieces, lifted up its fore-paw that Androclus might extract from it a thorn.  The fugitive, being subsequently captured, was doomed to fight with a lion in the Roman arena, and it so happened that the very same lion was let out against him; it instantly recognized its benefactor, and began to fawn upon him with every token of gratitude and joy.  The story being told of this strange behavior, Androclus was forthwith set free.

A somewhat similar anecdote is told of sir George Davis, English consul at Florence at the beginning of the present century.  One day he went to see the lions of the great duke of Tuscany.  There was one which the keepers could not tame, but no sooner did sir George appear, than the beast manifested every symptom of joy.  Sir George entered the cage, when the creature leaped on his shoulder, licked his face, wagged its tail, and fawned like a dog.  Sir George told the great duke that he had brought up this lion, but as it grew older it became dangerous, and he sold it to a Barbary captain.  The duke said he bought it of the same man, and the mystery was cleared up.

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Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.