Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 88

Peace to their shades! the pure Culdees Were Albyn's _[Scotland's]_ earliest priests of G.o.d, Ere yet an island of her seas By foot of Saxon monk was trod.

Campbell, _Reullura_.

CULLOCH _(Sawney)_ a pedlar.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George III.).

CULPRIT FAY, a sprite condemned for loving a mortal maiden to catch the spray-gem from the sturgeon's "silver bow," and light his torch with a falling star.--Joseph Rodman Drake, _The Culprit Fay_ (1847).

c.u.mBERLAND (_John of_). "The devil and John of c.u.mberland" is a blunder for "The devil and John-a-c.u.mber." John-a-c.u.mber was a famous Scotch magician.

He poste to Scotland for brave John-a-c.u.mber, The only man renowned for magick skill.

Oft have I heard he once beguylde the devill.

A. Munday, _John-a-Kent and John-a-c.u.mber_ (1595).

_c.u.mberland (William Augustus, duke of_), commander-in-chief of the army of George II., whose son he was. The duke was especially celebrated for his victory of Cullo'den (1746); but he was called "The Butcher" from the great severity with which he stamped out the clan system of the Scottish Highlanders. He was wounded in the leg at the battle of Dettingen (1743). Sir W. Scott has introduced him in _Waverley_ (time, George II.).

Proud c.u.mberland prances, insulting the slain, And their hoof-beaten bosoms are trod to the plan.

Campbell, _Lochiel's Warning_.

c.u.mBERLAND POET (_The_), William

Wordsworth, born at c.o.c.kermouth (1770-1850).

c.u.mNOR HALL, a ballad by Mickel, the lament of Amy Robsart, who had been won and thrown away by the Earl of Leicester. She says if roses and lilies grow in courts, why did he pluck the primrose of the field, which some country swain might have won and valued! Thus sore and sad the lady grieved in c.u.mnor Hall, and ere dawn the death bell rang, and never more was that countess seen.

[Ill.u.s.tration] Sir W. Scott took this for the groundwork of his _Kenihvorth_, which he called _c.u.mnor Hall_, but Constable, his publisher, induced him to change the name.

CUNeGONDE _[Ku'.na.gond]_, the mistress of Candide (2 _syl_.). in Voltaire's novel called _Candide_. Sterne spells it "Cunegund."

CUN'NINGHAM _(Archie)_, one of the archers of the Scotch guards at Plessis les Tours, in the pay of Louis XI.--Sir W. Scott, _Quentin Durward_ (time, Edward IV.).

CU'NO, the ranger, father of Agatha.--Weber, _Der Freischutz_ (1822).

CUNO'BELINE, a king of the Silures, son of Tasciov'a.n.u.s and father of Caractacus. Coins still exist bearing the name of "Cun.o.beline," and the word "Camalodunum" _[Colchester]_, the capital of his kingdom. The Roman general between A.D. 43 and 47 was Aulus Plautius, but in 47 Ostorius Scapula took Caractacus prisoner.

Some think Cun.o.beline is Shakespeare's "Cymbeline," who reigned from B.C. 8 to A.D. 27; but Cymbeline's father was Tenantius or Tenuantius, his sons Guide'rius Arvir'agus, and the Roman general was Caius Lucius.

... the courageous sons of our Cun.o.belin Sank under Plautius' sword.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, viii. (1612).

CUNSTANCE or CONSTANCE (See CUSTANCE).

CUPID AND PSYCHE [_Si.ky_] an episode in _The Golden a.s.s_ of Apuleius.

The allegory represents Cupid in love with Psyche. He visited her every evening, and left at sunrise, but strictly enjoined her not to attempt to discover who he was. One night curiosity overcame her prudence, and going to look upon her lover a drop of hot oil fell on his shoulder, awoke him, and he fled. Psyche now wandered in search of the lost one, but was persecuted by Venus with relentless cruelty.

Having suffered almost to the death, Cupid at length married her, and she became immortal. Mrs. Tighe has a poem on the subject. Wm. Morris has poetized the same in his _Earthly Paradise_ ("May"); Lafontaine has a poem called _Psyche_, in imitation of the episode of Apuleius; and Moliere has dramatized the subject.

CU'PIDON (_Jean_). Count d'Orsay was so called by Lord Byron (1798-1852). The count's father was styled _Le Beau d' Orsay._

CUR'AN, a courtier in Shakespeare's tragedy of _King Lear_ (1605).

CURe DE MEUDON, Rabelais, who was first a monk, then a leech, then prebendary of St. Maur, and lastly cure of Meudon (1483-1553).

CU'RIO, a gentleman attending on the Duke of Illyria.--Shakespeare, _Twelfth Night_ (1614).

_Curio_. So Akenside calls Mr. Pulteney, and styles him "the betrayer of his country," alluding to the great statesman's change of politics.

Curio was a young Roman senator, at one time the avowed enemy of Caesar, but subsequently of Caesar's party, and one of the victims of the civil war.

Is this the man in freedom's cause approved.

The man so great, so honored, so beloved ...

This Curio, hated now and scorned by all, Who fell himself to work his country's fall?

Akenside, _Epistle to Curio_.

CURIOUS IMPERTINENT (_The_), a tale introduced by Cervantes in his _Don Quixote_. The "impertinent" is an Italian gentleman who is silly enough to make trial of his wife's fidelity by persuading a friend to storm it if he can. Of course his friend "takes the fort," and the fool is left to bewail his own folly.--Pt. I. iv. 5 (1605).

CURRER BELL, the _nom de plume_ of Charlotte Bronte, author of _Jane Eyre_ [_Air_] (1816-1855).

CURTA'NA, the sword of Edward the Con'fessor, which had no point, and was therefore the emblem of mercy. Till the reign of Henry III., the royal sword of England was so called.

But when Curtana will not do the deed, You lay the pointless clergy-weapon by, And to the laws, your sword of justice, fly.

Dryden, _The Hind and the Panther_, ii. (1687).

CURTA'NA or COURTAIN, the sword of Ogier the Dane.

He [_Ogier_] drew Courtain his sword out of its sheath.

W. Morris, _Earthly Paradise_, (634).

CURT-HOSE (2 _syl_.). Robert II. duc de Normandie (1087-1134).

CURT-MANTLE, Henry II. of England

(1133, 1154-1189). So called because he wore the Anjou mantle, which was shorter than the robe worn by his predecessors.

CURTIS, one of Petruchio's servants.--Shakespeare, _Taming of the Shrew_ (1594).

PARSON CUSHING, pastor of the Orthodox Church in Poganuc. In fits of learned abstraction, he fed the dog surrept.i.tiously under the table, thereby encouraging his boys to trust his heart rather than his tongue. He justifies the expulsion of the Indian tribes by Scripture texts, and gathers eggs in the hay-mow with Dolly; upholds the doctrines of his denomination and would seal his faith with his blood, but admits that "the Thirty-nine articles (with some few exceptions) are a very excellent statement of truth." He is Catholic without suspecting it.--Harriet Beecher Stowe, _Poganuc People_, (1878).

CUSTANCE, daughter of the Emperor of Rome, affianced to the Sultan of Syria, who abjured his faith and consented to be baptized in order to marry her. His mother hated this apostasy, and at the wedding breakfast slew all the apostates except the bride. Her she embarked in a ship, which was set adrift and in due time reached the British sh.o.r.es, where Custance was rescued by the Lord-constable of Northumberland, who took her home, and placed her under the care of his wife Hermegild. Custance converted both the constable and his wife. A young knight wished to marry her, but she declined his suit, whereupon he murdered Hermegild, and then laid the b.l.o.o.d.y knife beside Custance, to make her suspected of the crime. King Alia examined the case, and soon discovered the real facts, whereupon the knight was executed, and the king married Custance.

The queen-mother highly disapproved of the match, and during the absence of her son in Scotland embarked Custance and her infant boy in a ship, which was turned adrift. After floating about for five years, it was taken in tow by a Roman fleet on its return from Syria, and Custance with her son Maurice became the guests of a Eoman Senator. It so happened that Alla at this same time was at Rome on a pilgrimage, and encountered his wife, who returned with him to Northumberland and lived in peace and happiness the rest of her life.--Chaucer, _Canterbury Tales_ ("The Man of Law's Tale," 1388).

_Custance_, a gay and rich widow, whom Ralph Roister Doister wishes to marry, but he is wholly baffled in his scheme.--Nicholas TJdall, _Ralph Roister Doister_ (first English comedy, 1534).

CUTE _(Alderman)_, a "practical philosopher," resolved to put down everything. In his opinion "everything must be put down." Starvation must be put down, and so must suicide, sick mothers, babies, and poverty.--C. d.i.c.kens, _The Chimes_ (1844).

CUTHAL, same as Uthal, one of the Orkneys.

CUTHBERT _(St.)_, a Scotch monk of the sixth century.

CUTHBERT BEDE, the Rev. Edw. Bradley, author of _Verdant Green_ (1857.)