Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 12

AME'LIA, heroine of novel of same name. Young daughter of a German inn-keeper, who rises to a high position in society, through native merit, graces of mind and person.--Eliza Leslie (1843).

_Ame'lia_, a model of conjugal affection, in Fielding's novel so called. It is said that the character was modelled from his own wife. Dr. Johnson read this novel from beginning to end without once stopping.

_Amelia_ is perhaps the only book of which, being printed off betimes one morning, a new edition was called for before night. The character of Amelia is the most pleasing heroine of all the romances.--Dr.

Johnson.

_Ame'lia_, in Thomson's _Seasons_, a beautiful, innocent young woman, overtaken by a storm while walking with her troth-plight lover, Cel'adon, "with equal virtue formed, and equal grace. Hers the mild l.u.s.tre of the blooming morn, and his the radiance of the risen day."

Amelia grew frightened, but Celadon said, "'Tis safety to be near thee, sure;" when a flash of lightning struck her dead in his arms.--"Summer" (1727).

_Amelia_, in Schiller's tragedy of _The Robbers_.

Or they will learn how generous worth sublimes The robber Moor, and pleads for all his crimes; How poor Amelia kissed with many a tear His hand, blood-stained, but ever, ever dear.

Campbell, _Pleasures of Hope_, ii. (1799).

_Amelia Bailey_, ambitious woman with "literary tastes," who in pursuit of a suitable sphere, marries a rich Californian, and "shines with the diamonds her husband has bought, and makes a noise, but it is the blare of vulgar ostentation,"--William Henry Rideing, _A Little Upstart_ (1885).

AMELOT (2 _syl_.), the page of sir Damian de Lacy.--Sir W. Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).

AM'GIAD, son of Camaralzaman and Badoura, and half-brother of a.s.sad (son of Camaralzaman and Haiatal'nefous). Each of the two mothers conceived a base pa.s.sion for the other's son, and when the young princes revolted at their advances, accused them to their father of designs upon their honor. Camaralzaman ordered his emir Giondar to put them both to death, but as the young men had saved him from a lion he laid no hand on them, but told them not to return to their father's dominions. They wandered on for a time, and then parted, but both reached the same place, which was a city of the Magi. Here, by a strange adventure Amgiad was made vizier, while a.s.sad was thrown into a dungeon, where he was designed as a sacrifice to the fire-G.o.d.

Bosta'na, a daughter of the old man who imprisoned a.s.sad, released him, and Amgiad out of grat.i.tude made her his wife. After which, the king, who was greatly advanced in years, appointed him his successor, and Amgiad used his best efforts to abolish the worship of fire and establish "the true faith."--_Arabian Nights_ ("Amgiad and a.s.sad").

AM'YAS, a squire of low degree, beloved by Aemylia. They agreed to meet at a given spot, but on their way thither both were taken captives--Amyas by Corflambo, and Aemylia by a man monster. Aemylia was released by Belphoebe (3 _syl_.), who slew "the caitiff;" and Amyas by prince Arthur, who slew Corflambo. The two lovers were then brought together by the prince "in peace and joyous blis."--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, iv. 7, 9 (1596).

AMI'DAS, the younger brother of Brac'idas, sons of Mile'sio; the former in love with the dowerless Lucy, and the latter with the wealthy Philtra. The two brothers had each an island of equal size and value left them by their father, but the sea daily added to the island of the younger brother, and encroached on that belonging to Bracidas.

When Philtra saw that the property of Amidas was daily increasing, she forsook the elder brother and married the wealthier; while Lucy, seeing herself jilted, threw herself into the sea. A floating chest attracted her attention, she clung to it, and was drifted to the wasted island. It was found to contain great riches, and Lucy gave its contents and herself to Bracidas. Amidas claimed the chest as his own by right, and the question in dispute was submitted to sir Ar'tegal.

The wise arbiter decided, that whereas Armidas claimed as his own all the additions given to his island by the sea, Lucy might claim as her own the chest, because the sea had given it to her.--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, v. 4 (1596).

AM'IEL, in Dryden's _Absalom and Achitophel_, is meant for sir Edward Seymour, Speaker of the House of Commons.

Who can Amiel's praise refuse?

Of ancient race by birth, but n.o.bler yet In his own worth, and without t.i.tle great.

The sanhedrim long time as chief he ruled, Their reason guided, and their pa.s.sion cooled.

Part i.

A'MIN (_Prince_), son of the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid; he married Am'ine, sister of Zobeide (3 _syl_.), the caliph's wife.--_Arabian Nights' Entertainments_ ("The History of Amine").

_Am'ina_, an orphan, who walked in her sleep. She was betrothed to Elvi'no, a rich farmer, but being found the night before the wedding in the chamber of count Rodolpho, Elvino rightly refused to marry her.

The count remonstrated with the young farmer, and while they were talking, the orphan was seen to get out of a window and walk along the narrow edge of a mill-roof while the great wheel was rapidly revolving; she then crossed a crazy old bridge, and came into the same chamber. Here she awoke, and, seeing Elvino, threw her arms around him so lovingly, that all his doubts vanished, and he married her.--Bellini, _La Sonnambula_ (an opera, 1831).

AM'INE (3 _syl_.), half-sister of Zobei'de (3 _syl_.), and wife of Amin, the caliph's son. One day she went to purchase a robe, and the seller told her he would charge nothing if she would suffer him to kiss her cheek. Instead of kissing he bit it, and Amine, being asked by her husband how she came by the wound, so shuffled in her answers that he commanded her to be put to death, a sentence he afterwards commuted to scourging. One day she and her sister told the stories of their lives to the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, when Amin became reconciled to his wife, and the caliph married her half-sister.--_Arabian Nights'Entertainments_ ("History of Zobeide and History of Amine").

AM'INE (3 _syl_.) or AM'INES (3 _syl_.), the beautiful wife of Sidi Nouman. Instead of eating her rice with a spoon, she used a bodkin for the purpose, and carried it to her mouth in infinitesimal portions.

This went on for some time, till Sidi Nouman determined to ascertain on what his wife really fed, and to his horror discovered that she was a ghoul, who went stealthily by night to the cemetery, and feasted on the freshly-buried dead.--_Arabian Nights_ ("History of Sidi Nouman").

One of the Amines' sort, who pick up their grains of food with a bodkin.--O.W. Holmes, _Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table_.

AMIN'TOR, a young n.o.bleman, the troth-plight husband of Aspatia, but by the king's command he marries Evad'ne (3 _syl_.). This is the great event of the tragedy of which Amintor is the hero. The sad story of Evadne, the heroine, gives name to the play.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Maid's Tragedy_ (1610).

(Till the reign of Charles II., the kings of England claimed the feudal right of disposing in marriage any one who owed them feudal allegiance. In _All's Well that Ends Well_, Shakespeare makes the king of France exercise a similar right, when he commands Bertram, count of Rousillon, to marry against his will Hel'ena, the physician's daughter.)

AMIS THE PRIEST, the hero of a comic German epic of the 13th century, represented as an Englishman, a man of great wit and humor, but ignorant and hypocritical. His popularity excites the envy of the superior clergy, who seek to depose him from the priesthood by making public exposition of his ignorance, but by his quickness at repartee he always manages to turn the laugh against them.--Ascribed to Stricker of Austria.

AM'LET (_Richard_), the gamester in Vanbrugh's _Confederacy_ (1695).

He is usually called "d.i.c.k."

I saw Miss Pope for the second time, in the year 1790, in the character of "Flippanta," John Palmer being "d.i.c.k Amlet," and Mrs.

Jordan "Corinna."--James Smith.

_Mrs. Amlet_, a rich, vulgar tradeswoman, mother of _d.i.c.k_, of whom she is very proud, although she calls him a "sad scapegrace," and swears "he will be hanged." At last she settles on him 10,000, and he marries Corinna, daughter of Gripe the rich scrivener.

AMMO'NIAN HORN (_The_), the cornucopia. Ammon king of Lib'ya gave to his mistress Amalthe'a (mother of Bacchus) a tract of land resembling a ram's horn in shape, and hence called the "_Ammonian_ horn" (from the giver), the "_Amalthe'an_ horn" (from the receiver), and the "_Hesperian_ horn" (from its locality). Amalthea also personifies fertility. (Ammon is Ham, son of Noah, founder of the African race.) (See AMALTHEA.)

[Here] Amalthea pours, Well pleased, the wealth of that Ammonian horn, Her dower. Akenside, _Hymn to the Naiads_.

AM'MON'S SON. Alexander the Great called himself the son of the G.o.d Ammon, but others call him the son of Philip of Macedon.

Of food I think with Philip's son, or rather Ammon's (ill pleased with one world and one father).

Byron, _Don Juan_, v. 31.

(Alluding to the tale that when Alexander had conquered the whole world, he wept that there was no other world to conquer.)

A'MON'S SON is Rinaldo, eldest son of Amon or Aymon marquis d'Este, and nephew of Charlemagne.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

AM'ORET, a modest, faithful shepherdess, who plighted her troth to Per'igot (_t_ sounded) at the "Virtuous Well." The wanton shepherdess Amarillis, having by enchantment a.s.sumed her appearance and dress, so disgusted Perigot with her bold ways, that he lost his love for the true Amoret, repulsed her with indignation, and tried to kill her. The deception was revealed by Cor'in, "the faithful shepherdess," and the lovers being reconciled, were happily married.--John Fletcher, _The Faithful Shepherdess_ (before 1611).

AMORET'TA or AM'ORET, twin-born with Belphoebe (3 _syl_.), their mother being Chrysog'one (4 _syl_.). While the mother and her two babes were asleep, Diana took one (Belphoebe) to bring up, and Venus the other. Venus committed Amoretta to the charge of Psyche (2 _syl_.), and Psyche tended her as lovingly as she tended her own daughter Pleasure, "to whom she became the companion." When grown to marriageable estate, Amoretta was brought to Fairyland, and wounded many a heart, but gave her own only to sir Scudamore (bk. iii. 6).

Being seized by Bu'sirane, an enchanter, she was kept in durance by him because she would not "her true love deny;" but Britomart delivered her and bound the enchanter (bk. iii. 11, 12), after which she became the tender, loving wife of sir Scudamore.

_Amoret_ is the type of female loveliness and wifely affection, soft, warm, chaste, gentle, and ardent; not sensual nor yet platonic, but that living, breathing, warm-hearted love which fits woman for the fond mother and faithful wife.--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, iii. (1590).

AMOUR'Y (_Sir Giles_), the Grand-Master of the Knights Templars, who conspires with the marquis of Montserrat against Richard I. Saladin cuts off the Templar's head while in the act of drinking.--Sir W.

Scott, _The Talisman_ (time, Richard I.).

AM'PHIBAL (_St._), confessor of St. Alban of Verulam. When Maximia'nus Hercu'lius, general of Diocle'tian's army in Britain, pulled down the Christian churches, burnt the Holy Scriptures, and put to death the Christians with unflagging zeal, Alban hid his confessor, and offered to die for him.

A thousand other saints whom Amphibal had taught ...

Were slain where Lichfield is, whose name doth rightly sound (There of those Christians slain), "Dead-field" or burying-ground.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, xxiv. (1622).

AMPHI'ON is said to have built Thebes by the music of his lute.

Tennyson has a poem called _Amphion_, a skit and rhyming _jeu d'esprit_.