Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 65

CARRLLLO _(Fray)_ was never to be found in his own cell, according to a famous Spanish epigram.

Like Fray Carillo, the only place in which one cannot find him Is his own cell.

Longfellow, _The Spanish Student_, i. 5.

CAR'ROL, deputy usher at Kenilworth Castle.--Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

CAR'STONE _(Richard)_, cousin of Ada Clare, both being wards in Chancery interested in the great suit of "Jarndyce _v_. Jarndyce."

Richard Carstone is a "handsome youth, about nineteen, of ingenuous face, and with a most engaging laugh." He marries his cousin Ada, and lives in hope that the suit will soon terminate and make him rich. In the meantime he tries to make two ends meet, first by the profession of medicine, then by that of law, then by the army; but the rolling stone gathers no moss, and the poor fellow dies of the sickness of hope deferred.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Bleak House_ (1853).

CARTAPH'ILUS, the Wandering Jew of _Jewish_ story. Tradition says he was doorkeeper of the judgment-hall, in the service of Pontius Pilate, and, as he led our Lord from the judgment-hall, struck Him, saying "Get on! Faster, Jesus!" Whereupon the Man of Sorrows replied, "I am going fast, Cartaphilus; but tarry thou till I come again." After the crucifixion, Cartaphilus was baptized by the same Anani'as who baptized Paul, and received the name of Joseph. At the close of every century he falls into a trance, and wakes up after a time a young man about thirty years of age.--_Book of the Chronicles of the Abbey of St. Allans_.

(This "book" was copied and continued by Matthew Paris, and contains the earliest account of the Wandering Jew, A.D. 1228. In 1242 Philip Mouskes, afterwards bishop of Tournay, wrote the "rhymed chronicle.")

CARTER _(Mrs. Deborah_), housekeeper to Surplus the lawyer.--J. M.

Morton, _A Regular Fix_.

CAR'THAGE (2 _syl_.). When Dido came to Africa she bought of the natives "as much land as could be encompa.s.sed with a bull's hide." The agreement being made, Dido cut the hide into thongs, so as to enclose a s.p.a.ce sufficiently large for a citadel, which she called Bursa "the hide." (Greek, _bursa_, "a bull's hide.")

The following is a similar story in Russian history:--The Yakutsks granted to the Russian explorers as much land as they could encompa.s.s with a cow's hide; but the Russians, cutting the hide into strips, obtained land enough for the town and fort which they called Yakutsk.

CARTHAGE OF THE NORTH. Lubeck was so called when it was the head of the Hanseatic League.

CAR'THON, son of Cless'ammor and Moina, was born while Clessammor was in flight, and his mother died in childbirth. When he was three years old, Comhal (Fingal's father) took and burnt Balclutha (a town belonging to the Britons, on the Clyde), but Carthon was carried away safely by his nurse. When grown to man's estate, Carthon resolved to revenge this attack on Balclutha, and accordingly invaded Morven, the kingdom of Fingal. After overthrowing two of Fingal's heroes, Carthon was slain by his own father, who knew him not; but when Clessammor learnt that it was his own son whom he had slain, he mourned for him three days, and on the fourth he died.--Ossian, _Carthon_.

CAR'TON _(Sydney)_, a friend of Charles Darnay, whom he personally resembled. Sydney Carton loved Lucie Manette, but knowing of her attachment to Darnay, never attempted to win her. Her friendship, however, called out his good qualities, and he n.o.bly died instead of his friend.--C. d.i.c.kens, _A Tale of Two Cities_ (1859).

CARTOUCHE, an eighteenth century highwayman. He is the French d.i.c.k Turpin.

CA'RUS _(Slow)_, in Garth's _Dispensary_, is Dr. Tyson (1649-1708).

CARYATI'DES (5 _syl_.), or CARYA'TES (4 _syl_.), female figures in Greek costume, used in architecture to support entablatures Ca'rya, in Arcadia, sided with the Persians when they invaded Greece, so after the battle of Thermop'ylae, the victorious Greeks destroyed the city, slew the men, and made the women slaves, Praxit'eles, to perpetuate the disgrace, employed figures of Caryan women with Persian men, for architectural columns.

CAS'CA, a blunt-witted Roman, and one of the conspirators who a.s.sa.s.sinated Julius Caesar. He is called "Honest Casca," meaning _plain-spoken._--Shakespeare, _Julius Caesar_ (1607).

CASCH'CASCH, a hideous genius, "hunch-backed, lame, and blind of one eye; with six horns on his head, and both his hands and feet hooked."

The fairy Maimou'ne (3 _syl_.) summoned him to decide which was the more beautiful, "the prince Camaral'zaman or the princess Badou'ra,"

but he was unable to determine the knotty point.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Camaralzaman and Badoura").

CASEL'LA, a musician and friend of the poet Dante, introduced in his _Purgatory_, ii. On arriving at purgatory, the poet sees a vessel freighted with souls come to be purged of their sins and made fit for paradise; among them he recognizes his friend Casella, whom he "woos to sing;" whereupon Casella repeats with enchanting sweetness the words of [Dante's] second canzone.

Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee higher Than his Casella, whom he wooed to sing, Met in the milder shades of purgatory.

Milton, _Sonnet_, xiii. (To H. Lawes).

CASEY, landlord of the tavern on "Red Hoss Mountain" in Eugene Field's poem _Casey's Table d'Hote_.

He drifted for a fortune to the undeveloped West, And he come to Eed Hoss Mountain when the little camp was new, When the money flowed like likker, an' the folks wuz brave an'

true, And, havin' been a stewart on a Mississippi boat, He opened up a caffy, 'nd he run a _tabble dote_.

(1889.)

CAS'PAR, master of the horse to the baron of Arnheim. Mentioned in Donnerhugel's narrative.--Sir W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

_Cas'par_, a man who sold himself to Za'miel the Black Huntsman. The night before the expiration of his life-lease, he bargained for a respite of three years, on condition of bringing Max into the power of the fiend. On the day appointed for the prize-shooting, Max aimed at a dove but killed Caspar, and Zamiel carried off his victim to "his own place."--Weber's opera, _Der Freischute_ (1822).

Ca.s.s (_G.o.dfrey_), young farmer in _Silas Marner_, by George Eliot.

Father of the heroine.

Ca.s.sAN'DRA, daughter of Priam, gifted with the power of prophecy; but Apollo, whom she had offended, cursed her with the ban "that no one should ever believe her predictions."--Shakespeare, _Troilus and Cressida_ (1602).

Ca.s.sEL (_Count_), an empty-headed, heart less, conceited puppy, who pays court to Amelia Wildenhaim, but is too insufferable to be endured. He tells her he "learnt delicacy in Italy, hauteur in Spain, enterprise in France, prudence in Russia, sincerity in England, and love in the wilds of America," for civilized nations have long since subst.i.tuted intrigue for love.--Inchbald, _Lovers' Vows_ (1800), altered from Kotzebue.

Ca.s.sI, the inhabitants of Hertfordshire or Ca.s.sio.--Caesar, _Commentaries_.

Ca.s.sIB'ELLAUN or Ca.s.sIB'ELAN (probably "Caswallon"), brother and successor of Lud. He was king of Britain when Julius Caesar invaded the island. Geoffrey of Monmouth says, in his _British History_, that Ca.s.sibellaun routed Caesar, and drove him back to Gaul (bk. iv. 3, 5).

In Caesar's second invasion, the British again vanquished him (ch. 7), and "sacrificed to their G.o.ds as a thank-offering 40,000 cows, 100,000 sheep, 30,000 wild beasts, and fowls without number" (ch. 8).

Androg'eus (4 _syl_.) "duke of Trinovantum," with 5000 men, having joined the Roman forces, Ca.s.sibellaun was worsted, and agreed "to pay 3000 pounds of silver yearly in tribute to Rome." Seven years after this Ca.s.sibellaun died and was buried at York.

In Shakespeare's _Cymbeline_ the name is called "Ca.s.sibelan."

[Ill.u.s.tration] Polyaenus of Macedon tells us that Caesar had a huge elephant armed with scales of iron, with a tower on its back, filled with archers and slingers. When this beast entered the sea, Ca.s.sivelaunus and the Britons, who had never seen an elephant, were terrified, and their horses fled in affright, so that the Romans were able to land without molestation.--Drayton, _Polyolbion_, viii.

There the hive of Roman liars worship a gluttonous emperor-idiot.

Such is Rome ... hear it, spirit of Ca.s.sivelaun.

Tennyson, _Boadicea_.

CAS'SILANE (3 _syl_.), general of Candy and father of Annophel.--_Laws of Candy_ (1647).

Ca.s.sIM, brother of Ali Baba, a Persian. He married an heiress and soon became one of the richest merchants of the place. When he discovered that his brother had made himself rich by h.o.a.rds from the robbers'

cave, Ca.s.sim took ten mules charged with panniers to carry away part of the same booty. "Open Sesame!" he cried, and the door opened. He filled his sacks, but forgot the magic word. "Open Barley!" he cried, but the door remained closed. Presently the robber band returned, and cut him down with their sabres. They then hacked the carca.s.s into four parts, placed them near the door, and left the cave. Ali Baba carried off the body and had it decently interred.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Ali Baba, or the Forty Thieves").

CAS'SIO (_Michael_), a Florentine, lieutenant in the Venetian army under the command of Oth.e.l.lo. Simple minded but not strong-minded, and therefore easily led by others who possessed greater power of will.

Being overcome with wine, he engaged in a street-brawl, for which he was suspended by Oth.e.l.lo, but Desdemona pleaded for his restoration.

Iago made capital of this intercession to rouse the jealousy of the Moor. Ca.s.sio's "almost" wife was Bianca, his mistress.--Shakespeare, _Oth.e.l.lo_ (1611).

"Ca.s.sio" is brave, benevolent, and honest, ruined only by his want of stubbornness to resist an insidious invitation.--Dr. Johnson.

Ca.s.sIODO'RUS (_Marcus Aurelius_), a great statesman and learned writer of the sixth century, who died at the age of one hundred, in A.D. 562.

He filled many high offices under Theod'oric, but ended his days in a convent.

Listen awhile to a learned prelection On Marcus Aurelius Ca.s.siodorus.

Longfellow, _The Golden Legend_.

Ca.s.sIOPEIA, wife of Ce'pheus (2 _syl_.) king of Ethiopia, and mother of Androm'eda. She boasted herself to be fairer than the sea-nymphs, and Neptune, to punish her, sent a huge sea-serpent to ravage her husband's kingdom. At death she was made a constellation, consisting of thirteen stars, the largest of which form a "chair" or imperfect W.

... had you been Sphered up with Ca.s.siopeia.