E

EACUS.  See AEACUS.

EADMER, a celebrated monk of Canterbury; flourished in the 12th century; friend and biographer of St. Anselm, author of a History of His Own Times, as also of many of the Lives of the Saints; elected to the bishopric of St. Andrews in 1120; resigned on account of Alexander I. refusing to admit the right of the English Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony of consecration.

EADRIC, a Saxon, notorious for his treachery, fighting now with his countrymen against the Danes and now with the Danes against them, till put to death by order of Canute in 1017.

EADS, JAMES BUCHANAN, an American engineer, born in Laurenceburg, Indiana; designed ingenious boats for floating submerged ships; built with remarkable speed warships for the Federalists in 1861; constructed a steel bridge spanning the Mississippi at St. Louis, noteworthy for its central span of 520 ft. (1820-1887).

EAGLE, the king of birds, and bird of Jove; was adopted by various nations as the emblem of dominant power, as well as of nobility and generosity; in Christian art it is the symbol of meditation, and the attribute of St. John; is represented now as fighting with a serpent, and now as drinking out of a chalice or a communion cup, to strengthen it for the fight.

EAGLE, ORDER OF THE BLACK, an order of knighthood founded by the Elector of Brandenburg in 1701; with this order was ultimately incorporated the ORDER OF THE RED EAGLE, founded in 1734 by the Markgraf of Bayreuth.

EAGLE OF BRITTANY, DU GUESCLIN (q. v.).

EAGLE OF MEAUX, BOSSUET (q. v.).

EAGRE, a name given in England to a tidal wave rushing up a river or estuary on the top of another, called also a BORE (q. v.).

EARL, a title of nobility, ranking third in the British peerage; originally election to the dignity of earl carried with it a grant of land held in feudal tenure, the discharge of judicial and administrative duties connected therewith, and was the occasion of a solemn service of investiture.  In course of time the title lost its official character, and since the reign of Queen Anne all ceremony of investiture has been dispensed with, the title being conferred by letters-patent.  The word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon eorls which signified the “gentle folk,” as distinguished from the ceorls, the “churls” or “simple folk.”

EARL MARSHAL, a high officer of State, an office of very ancient institution, now the head of the college of arms, and hereditary in the family of the Dukes of Norfolk; formerly one of the chief officers in the court of chivalry, a court which had to do with all matters of high ceremonial, such as coronations.

EARLOM, RICHARD, a mezzotint engraver, born in London; celebrated for his series of 200 prints after the original designs of Claude de Lorraine (1743-1822).