Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 3

_Mary Anne_, a generic name for a secret republican society in France.

[TN-5]See MARIANNE.)--B. Disraeli, _Lothair_.

Mary Anne was the red-name for the republic years ago, and there always was a sort of myth that these secret societies had been founded by a woman.

The Mary-Anne a.s.sociations, which are essentially republic, are scattered about all the provinces of France.--_Lothair._

=Mary Graham=, an orphan adopted by old Martin Chuzzlewit. She eventually married Martin Chuzzlewit, the grandson, and hero of the tale.

=Mary Scudder.= Blue-eyed daughter of a "capable" New England housewife.

From childhood she has loved her cousin. Her mother objects on the ground that James is "unregenerate," and brings Mary to accept Dr.

Hopkins, her pastor. The doctor, upon discovering the truth, resigns his betrothed to the younger lover.--Harriet Beecher Stowe, _The Minister's Wooing_ (1862).

=Mary Stuart=, an historical tragedy by J. Haynes (1840). The subject is the death of David Rizzio.

? Schiller has taken Mary Stuart for the subject of a tragedy. P. Lebrun turned the German drama into a French play. Sir W. Scott, in _The Abbot_, has taken for his subject the flight of Mary to England.

=Mary Tudor.= Victor Hugo has a tragedy so called (1833), and Tennyson, in 1878, issued a play ent.i.tled _Queen Mary_, an epitome of the reign of the Tudor Mary.

=Mary and Byron.= The "Mary" of Lord Byron was Miss Chaworth. Both were under the guardianship of Mr. White. Miss Chaworth married John Musters, and Lord Byron married Miss Milbanke; both equally unfortunate. Lord Byron, in _The Dream_, refers to his love-affair with Mary Chaworth.

=Mary in Heaven= (_To_) and _Highland Mary_, lyrics addressed by Robert Burns to Mary Campbell, between whom and the poet there existed a strong attachment previous to the latter's departure from Ayrshire to Nithsdale. _Mary Morison_, a youthful effusion, was written to the object of a prior pa.s.sion. The lines in the latter

Those smiles and glances let me see, That make the miser's treasure poor,

resembles those in _Highland Mary_--

Still o'er those scenes my mem'ry wakes, And fondly broods with miser care.

=Mary of Mode'na=, the second wife of James II. of England, and mother of "The Pretender."

Mamma was to a.s.sume the character and stately way of the royal "Mary of Modena."--Percy Fitzgerald, _The Parvenu Family_, iii.

239.

=Mary Queen of Scots= was confined first at Carlisle; she was removed in 1568 to Bolton; in 1569 she was confined at Tutbury, Wingfield, Tutbury, Ashby-de-la-Zouche, and Coventry; in 1570 she was removed to Tutbury, Chatsworth, and Sheffield; in 1577 to Chatsworth; in 1578 to Sheffield; in 1584 to Wingfield; in 1585 to Tutbury, Chartley, Tixhall, and Chartley; in 1586 (September 25) to Fotheringay.

? She is introduced by Sir W. Scott, in his novel ent.i.tled _The Abbot_.

Schiller has taken Mary Stuart for the subject of his best tragedy, and P. Lebrun brought out in France a French version thereof (1729-1807).

_Mary queen of Scots._ The most elegant and poetical compliment ever paid to woman was paid to Mary queen of Scots, by Shakespeare, in _Midsummer Night's Dream_. Remember, the _mermaid_ is "Queen Mary;" the _dolphin_ means the "dauphin of France," whom Mary married; the _rude sea_ means the "Scotch rebels;" and the _stars that shot from their spheres_ means "the princes who sprang from their allegiance to Queen Elizabeth."

Thou remember'st Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a _mermaid_, on a _dolphin's_ back, Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, That the _rude sea_ grew civil at her song; And certain _stars shot madly from their spheres_, To hear the sea-maid's music.

Act ii. sc. 1 (1592).

These "stars" were the earl of Northumberland, the earl of Westmoreland, and the duke of Norfolk.

=Mary, the Maid of the Inn=, the delight and sunshine of the parish, about to be married to Richard, an idle, worthless fellow. One autumn night, two guests were drinking at the inn, and one remarked he should not much like to go to the abbey on such a night. "I'll wager that Mary will go,"

said the other, and the bet was accepted. Mary went, and, hearing footsteps, stepped into a place of concealment, when presently pa.s.sed her two young men carrying a young woman they had just murdered. The hat of one blew off, and fell at Mary's feet. She picked it up, and flew to the inn, told her story, and then, producing the hat, found it was Richard's. Her senses gave way, and she became a confirmed maniac for life.--R. Southey, _Mary, the Maid of the Inn_ (from Dr. Plot's _History of Staffordshire_, 1686).

=Mary Pyncheon.= (See PYNCHEON.)

=Mary Woodc.o.c.k.= (See WOODc.o.c.k.)

=Mar'zavan=, foster-brother of the Princess Badou'ra.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Camaralzaman and Badoura").

=Masaniello=, a corruption of [Tom]maso Aniello, a Neapolitan fisherman, who headed an insurrection in 1647 against the duke of Arcos; and he resolved to kill the duke's son for having seduced Fenella, his sister, who was deaf and dumb. The insurrection succeeded, and Masaniello was elected by his rabble "chief magistrate of Portici;" but he became intoxicated with his greatness, so the mob shot him, and flung his dead body into a ditch. Next day, however, it was taken out and interred with much ceremony and pomp. When Fenella heard of her brother's death, she threw herself into the crater of Vesuvius.

? Auber has an opera on the subject (1831), the libretto by Scribe.

Caraffa had chosen the same subject for an opera previously.

=Mascarille= (3 _syl._), the valet of La Grange. In order to reform two silly, romantic girls, La Grange and Du Croisy introduce to them their valets, as the "marquis of Mascarille" and the "viscount of Jodelet."

The girls are taken with their "aristocratic visitors;" but when the game has gone far enough, the masters enter and unmask the trick. By this means the girls are taught a most useful lesson, and are saved from any serious ill consequences.--Moliere, _Les Precieuses Ridicules_ (1659).

? Moliere had already introduced the same name in two other of his comedies, _L'Etourdi_ (1653) and _Le Depit Amoureux_ (1654).

=Masetto=, a rustic engaged to Zerlina; but Don Giovanni intervenes before the wedding, and deludes the foolish girl into believing that he means to make her a great lady and his wife.--Mozart, _Don Giovanni_ (libretto by L. da Ponte, 1787).

=Mask'well=, the "double dealer." He pretends to love Lady Touchwood, but it is only to make her a tool for breaking the attachment between Mellefont (2 _syl._) and Cynthia. Maskwell pretends friendship for Mellefont merely to throw dust in his eyes respecting his designs to carry off Cynthia, to whom Mellefont is betrothed. Cunning and hypocrisy are Maskwell's subst.i.tutes for wisdom and honesty.--W. Congreve, _The Double Dealer_ (1700).

=Ma.s.sasowat.= The account given by Edward Winslow of the illness of Ma.s.sasowat--the friendly Indian chief whose alliance with the pilgrim father ceased only with his life--is a curious contribution to colonial literature. The remedies and diet used by Winslow are so extraordinary as to give unintentional point to his remark--"We, with admiration, blessed G.o.d for giving his blessing to such rare and ignorant means."--Edward Winslow, _Good News from New England_ (1624).

=Mason= (_William_). The medallion to this poet in Westminster Abbey was by Bacon.

_Mason_ (_Lady_). She forges a will purporting to be by her husband, securing his estate to herself and her son. n.o.body suspects the fraud for years. When inquiry arises, Lady Mason is engaged to a gallant old baronet who will not credit her guilt until, conscience-smitten, she throws herself at his feet and acknowledges all.

_Lucius Mason._ The priggish, good-looking youth for whom Lady Mason risks so much. When he learns the truth he is stern in his judgment of the unhappy woman.--Anthony Trollope, _Orley Farm_.

=Master= (_The_). Goethe is called _Der Meister_ (1749-1832).