Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 53

=Orrock= (_Puggie_), a sheriff's officer at Fairport.--Sir W. Scott, _The Antiquary_ (time, George III.).

=Orsin=, one of the leaders of the rabble rout that attacked Hudibras at the bear-baiting.--S. Butler, _Hudibras_ (1663).

=Orsi'ni= (_Maffio_), a young Italian n.o.bleman, whose life was saved by Genna'ro at the battle of Rim'ini. Orsini became the fast friend of Gennaro, but both were poisoned by the Princess Neg'roni at a banquet.--Donizetti, _Lucrezia di Borgia_ (opera, 1834).

=Orsi'no=, duke of Illyria, who sought the love of Olivia, a rich countess; but Olivia gave no encouragement to his suit, and the duke moped and pined, leaving manly sports for music and other effeminate employments. Viola entered the duke's service as a page, and soon became a great favorite. When Olivia married Sebastian (Viola's brother), and the s.e.x of Viola became known, the duke married her, and made her d.u.c.h.ess of Illyria.--Shakespeare, _Twelfth Night_ (1614).

=Orson=, twin brother of Valentine, and son of Bellisant. The twin-brothers were born in a wood near Orleans, and Orson was carried off by a bear, which suckled him with its cubs. When he grew up he became the terror of France, and was called "The Wild Man of the Forest." Ultimately, he was reclaimed by his brother Valentine, overthrew the Green Knight, and married Fezon, daughter of the duke of Savary, in Aquitane.--_Valentine and Orson_ (fifteenth century).

=Orson and Ellen.= Young Orson was a comely young farmer from Taunton, stout as an oak, and very fond of the la.s.ses, but he hated matrimony, and used to say, "the man who can buy milk is a fool to keep a cow."

While still a lad, Orson made love to Ellen, a rustic maiden; but, in the fickleness of youth, forsook her for a richer la.s.s, and Ellen left the village, wandered far away, and became waiting maid to old Boniface, the innkeeper. One day Orson happened to stop at this very inn, and Ellen waited on him. Five years had pa.s.sed since they had seen each other, and at first neither knew the other. When, however, the facts were known, Orson made Ellen his wife, and their marriage feast was given by Boniface himself.--Peter Pindar [Dr. Wolcot], _Orson and Ellen_ (1809).

=Ortel'lius= (_Abraham_), a Dutch geographer, who published in 1570, his _Theatrum Orbis Terrae_, or _Universal Geography_ (1527-1598).

I more could tell to prove the place our own, Than by his s.p.a.cious maps are by Ortellius shown.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, vi. (1612).

=Ortheris=, c.o.c.kney companion of Mulvaney. He suffers violently from homesickness in India.--Rudyard Kipling, _Soldiers Three_.

=Orthodoxy.= When Lord Sandwich said, "he did not know the difference between orthodoxy and heterodoxy," Warburton, bishop of Gloucester, replied, "Orthodoxy, my lord, is _my_ doxy, and heterodoxy is _another man's_ doxy."

_Orthodoxy_ (_The Father of_), Athanasius (296-373).

=Orthrus=, the two-headed dog of Euryt'ion, the herdsman of Geryon'eo. It was the progeny of Typha'on and Echidna.

With his two-headed dogge that Orthrus hight, Orthrus begotten by great Typhaon And foule Echidna in the house of Night.

Spenser, _Faery Queen_, v., 10 (1596).

=Ortwine= (2 _syl._), knight of Metz, sister's son of Sir Hagan of Trony, a Burgundian.--_The Nibelungen Lied_ (eleventh century).

=Or'ville= (_Lord_), the amiable and devoted lover of Evelina, whom he ultimately marries.--Miss Burney, _Evelina_ (1778).

=Osbaldistone= (_Mr._), a London merchant.

_Frank Osbaldistone_, his son, in love with Diana Vernon, whom he marries.

_Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone_, of Osbaldistone Hall, uncle of Frank, his heir.

_His Sons_ were: Percival, "the sot;" Thorncliffe, "the bully;" John, "the gamekeeper;" Richard, "the horse-jockey:"[TN-53] Wilfred, "the fool;" and Rashleigh, "the scholar," a perfidious villain killed by Rob Roy.--Sir W. Scott, Rob Roy (time, George I.).

_Rob Roy Macgregor_ was dramatized by Poc.o.c.k.

=Osborne= (_Mr._), a hard, money-loving, purse-proud, wealthy London merchant, whose only gospel was that "according to Mammon." He was a widower, and his heart of hearts was to see his son, Captain George, marry a rich mulatto. While his neighbor, Sedley, was prosperous, old Sedley encouraged the love-making of George and Miss Sedley; but when old Sedley failed, and George dared to marry the bankrupt's daughter, to whom he was engaged, the old merchant disinherited him. Captain George fell on the field of Waterloo, but the heart of old Osborne would not relent, and he allowed the widow to starve in abject poverty. He adopted, however, the widow's son George, and brought him up in absurd luxury and indulgence. A more detestable cad than old Sedley cannot be imagined.

_Maria_ and _Jane Osborne_, daughters of the merchant, and of the same mould. Maria married Frederick Bullock, a banker's son.

_Captain George Osborne_, son of the merchant; selfish, vain, extravagant, and self-indulgent. He was engaged to Amelia Sedley, while her father was in prosperity, and Captain Dobbin induced him to marry her after the father was made a bankrupt. Happily, George fell on the field of Waterloo, or one would never vouch for his conjugal fidelity.--Thackeray, _Vanity Fair_ (1848).

=Oscar=, son of Ossian and grandson of Fingal. He was engaged to Malvi'na, daughter of Toscar, but before the day of marriage arrived, he was slain in Ulster, fighting against Cairbar, who had treacherously invited him to a banquet and then slew him, A.D. 296. Oscar is represented as most brave, warm-hearted, and impetuous, most submissive to his father, tender to Malvina, and a universal favorite.

_Oscar Roused from Sleep._ "Caolt took up a huge stone and hurled it on the hero's head. The hill for three miles round shook with the reverberation of the blow, and the stone, rebounding, rolled out of sight. Whereupon Oscar awoke, and told Caolt to reserve his blows for his enemies."

Gun thog Caoilte a chlach nach gan, Agus a n' aighai' chiean gun bhuail; Tri mil an tulloch gun chri.

_Gaelic Romances._

=Oscar Dubourg.= Amiable, affectionate young fellow, betrothed to blind Lucilla Finch. To cure the epilepsy attendant upon an injury to his head, he takes nitrate of silver, concealing the discoloration of his complexion caused by the drug from the knowledge of his betrothed, who has a nervous horror of ugliness and deformity. When she regains her sight, he leaves her because he dares not disclose the truth that she has mistaken his brother for himself, and does not enter her presence until her sight again leaves her.--Wilkie Collins, _Poor Miss Finch_.

=Os'ewald= (3 _syl._), the reeve, of "the carpenteres craft," an old man.--Chaucer, _Canterbury Tales_ (1388).

=Oseway= (_Dame_), the ewe, in the beast-epic of _Reynard the Fox_ (1498).

=O'Shanter= (_Tam_), a farmer, who, returning home from Ayr very late and well-soaked with liquor, had to pa.s.s the kirk of Alloway. Seeing it was illuminated, he peeped in, and saw there the witches and devils dancing, while old Clootie was blowing the bagpipes. Tam got so excited that he roared out to one of the dancers, "Weel done, Cutty Sark!" In a moment all was dark. Tam now spurred his "grey mare Meg" to the top of her speed, while all the fiends chased after him. The river Doon was near, and Tam just reached the middle of the bridge when one of the witches, whom he called Cutty Sark, reached him; but it was too late--he had pa.s.sed the _middle_ of the stream, and was out of the power of the crew.

Not so his mare's tail--that had not yet pa.s.sed the magic line, and Cutty Sark, clinging thereto, dragged it off with an infernal wrench.--R. Burns, _Tam O'Shanter_.

=Osi'ris=, judge of the dead, brother and husband of Isis. Osiris is identical with Adonis and Thammuz. All three represent the sun, six months above the equator, and six months below it. Adonis pa.s.sed six months with Aphrodite in heaven, and six months with Persephone in h.e.l.l.

So Osiris in heaven was the beloved of Isis, but in the land of darkness was embraced by Nepthys.

_Osiris_, the sun; Isis, the moon.

They [_the priests_] wore rich mitres shaped like the moon, To show that Isis doth the moon portend, Like as Osiris signifies the sun.

Spenser, _Faery Queen_, v. 7 (1596).

=Osman=, sultan of the East, the great conqueror of the Christians, a man of most magnanimous mind and of n.o.ble generosity. He loved Zara, a young Christian captive, and was by her beloved with equal ardor and sincerity. Zara was the daughter of Lusignan d'Outremer, a Christian king of Jerusalem; she was taken prisoner by Osman's father, with her elder brother, Nerestan, then four years old. After twenty years'

captivity, Nerestan was sent to France for ransom, and on his return presented himself before the sultan, who fancied he perceived a sort of intimacy between the young man and Zara, which excited his suspicion and jealousy. A letter, begging that Zara would meet him in a "secret pa.s.sage" of the seraglio, fell into the sultan's hands, and confirmed his suspicions. Zara went to the rendezvous, where Osman met her and stabbed her to the heart. Nerestan was soon brought before him, and told him he had murdered his sister, and all he wanted of her was to tell her of the death of her father, and to bring her his dying benediction.

Stung with remorse, Osman liberated all his Christian captives, and then stabbed himself.--Aaron Hill, _Zara_ (1735).