Chapter XXV: Book I: Satan presents himself as an old peasant, and, entering into (15)

Said Merlin, “There shall no man sit in the two void places but
they that shall be of most worship. But in the _Siege Perilous_
there shall no man sit but one, and if any other be so hardy as to
do it, he shall be destroyed.”--Pt. i. 48.

Then the old man made Sir Galahad unarm; and he put on him a coat
of red sandel, with a mantel upon his shoulder furred with fine
ermines ... and he brought him unto the Siege Perilous, when he sat
beside Sir Launcelot. And the good old man lifted up the cloth, and
found there these words written: THE SIEGE OF SIR GALAHAD.--Sir T.
Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, iii. 32 (1470).

=Siege of Calais=, a novel by Mde. de Tencin (1681-1749). George Colman has a drama with the same title.

=Siege of Damascus.= Damascus was besieged by the Arabs while Eu´menês was governor. The general of the Syrians was Pho´cyas, and of the Arabs, Caled. Phocyas asked Eumenês’s permission to marry his daughter, Eudo´cia, but was sternly refused. After gaining several victories he fell into the hands of the Arabs, and then joined them in their siege in order to revenge himself on Eumenês. Eudocia fell into his power, but she refused to marry a traitor. Caled requested Phocyas to point out to him the governor’s tent; on being refused, they fought, and Caled fell. Abudah, being now in chief command, made an honorable peace with the Syrians, Phocyas died, and Eudocia retired to a convent.--J. Hughes, _Siege of Damascus_ (1720).

=Siege of Rhodes=, by Sir W. Davenant (1656).

=Sieg´fried= [_Seeg.freed_], hero of pt. i. of the _Nibelungen Lied_, the old German epic. Siegfried was a young warrior of peerless strength and beauty, invulnerable except in one spot between his shoulders. He vanquished the Nibelungs, and carried away their immense hoards of gold and precious stones. He wooed and won Kriemhild, the sister of Günther, king of Burgundy, but was treacherously killed by Hagan while stooping for a draught of water after a hunting expedition.

Siegfried had a cape, or cloak, which rendered him invisible, the gift of the dwarf, Alberich; and his sword, called Balmung, was forged by Wieland, blacksmith of the Teutonic gods.

This epic consists of a number of different lays by the old minnesingers, pieced together into a connected story as early as 1210. It is of Scandinavian origin, and is in the _Younger Edda_, amongst the “Völsunga Sagas” (compiled by Snorro, in the thirteenth century).

_Siegfried’s Birthplace._ He was born in Phinecastle, then called Xanton.

_Siegfried’s Father and Mother._ Siegfried was the youngest son of Siegmund and Sieglind, king and queen of the Netherlands.

_Siegfried called Horny._ He was called horny because, when he slew the dragon, he bathed in its blood, and became covered with a horny hide which was invulnerable. A linden leaf happened to fall on his back between his shoulder-blades, and, as the blood did not touch this spot, it remained vulnerable.--The minnesingers, _The Nibelungen Lied_ (1210).

=Sieg´fried von Lindenberg=, the hero of a comic German romance by Müller (1779). Still popular and very amusing.

=Sieglind= [_Seeg.lind_], the mother of Siegfried, and wife of Siegmund, king of the Netherlands.--The minnesingers, _The Nibelungen Lied_ (1210).

=Siegmund= [_Seeg.mund_], king of the Netherlands. His wife was Sieglind, and his son, Siegfried [_Seeg.freed_].--The minnesingers, _The Nibelungen Lied_ (1210).

=Sige´ro=, “the Good,” slain by Argantês. Argantês hurled his spear at Godfrey, but it struck Sigēro, who “rejoiced to suffer in his sovereign’s place.”--Tasso, _Jerusalem Delivered_, xi. (1575).

=Sightly= (_Captain_), a dashing young officer, who runs away with Priscilla Tomboy, but subsequently obtains her guardian’s consent to marry her.--_The Romp_ (altered from Bickerstaff’s _Love in the City_).

=Sigismonda=, daughter of Tancred, king of Salerno. She fell in love with Guiscardo, her father’s squire, revealed to him her love, and married him in a cavern attached to the palace. Tancred discovered them in each other’s embrace, and gave secret orders to waylay the bridegroom and strangle him. He then went to Sigismonda, and reproved her for her degrading choice, which she boldly justified. Next day, she received a human heart in a gold casket, knew instinctively that it was Guiscardo’s, and poisoned herself. Her father being sent for, she survived just long enough to request that she might be buried in the same grave as her young husband, and Tancred:

Too late repenting of his cruel deed,
One common sepulchre for both decreed;
Intombed the wretched pair in royal state,
And on their monument inscribed their fate.

Dryden, _Sigismonda and Guiscardo_ (from Boccaccio).

=Sigismund=, emperor of Austria.--Sir W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

=Sigismunda=, daughter of Siffrēdi, lord high chancellor of Sicily, and betrothed to Count Tancred. When King Roger died, he left the crown of Sicily to Tancred, on condition that he married Constantia, by which means the rival lines would be united, and the country saved from civil war. Tancred gave a tacit consent, intending to obtain a dispensation; but Sigismunda, in a moment of wounded pride, consented to marry Earl Osmond. When King Tancred obtained an interview with Sigismunda, to explain his conduct, Osmond challenged him, and they fought. Osmond fell, and when his wife ran to him, he thrust his sword into her and killed her.--J. Thomson, _Tancred and Sigismunda_ (1745).

⁂ This tragedy is based on “The Baneful Marriage,” an episode in _Gil Blas_, founded on fact.

_Sigismunda_, the heroine of Cervantes’s last work of fiction. This tale is a tissue of episodes, full of most incredible adventures, astounding prodigies, impossible characters, and extravagant sentiments. It is said that Cervantes himself preferred it to his _Don Quixote_, just as Corneille preferred _Nicomede_ to his _Cid_, and Milton _Paradise Regained_ to his _Paradise Lost_.--_Encyc. Brit._, Art. “Romance.”

=Sigurd=, the hero of an old Scandinavian legend. Sigurd discovered Brynhild, encased in a complete armor, lying in a death-like sleep, to which she had been condemned by Odin. Sigurd woke her by opening her corselet, fell in love with her, promised to marry her, but deserted her for Gudrun. This ill-starred union was the cause of an _Iliad_ of woes.

An analysis of this romance was published by Weber in his _Illustrations of Northern Antiquities_ (1810).

=Sijil= (_Al_), the recording angel.

On that day we will roll up the heavens as the angel Al Sijil
rolleth up the scroll wherein every man’s actions are
recorded.--_Al Korân_, xxi.

=Sikes= (_Bill_), a burglar, and one of Fagin’s associates. Bill Sikes was a hardened, irreclaimable villian,[TN-179] but had a conscience which almost drove him mad after the murder of Nancy, who really loved him (ch. xlviii.) Bill Sikes (1 _syl._) had an ill-conditioned savage dog, the beast-image of his master, which he kicked and loved, ill-treated and fondled.--C. Dickens, _Oliver Twist_ (1837).

The French “Bill Sikes” is “Jean Hiroux,” a creation of Henry Monnier.

=Sikundra= (_The_), a mausoleum about six miles from Agra, raised by Akhbah “the Great.”

=Silence=, a country justice of asinine dullness when sober, but when in his cups of most uproarious mirth. He was in the commission of the peace with his cousin Robert Shallow.

_Falstaff._ I did not think Master Silence had been a man of this
mettle.

_Silence._ Who, I? I have been merry twice and once, ere
now.--Shakespeare, 2 _Henry IV._, act vi. sc. 3 (1598).

=Sile´no=, husband of Mysis; a kind-hearted man, who takes pity on Apollo when cast to earth by Jupiter, and gives him a home.--Kane O’Hara, _Midas_ (1764).

=Silent= (_The_), William I., prince of Orange (1533-1584). It was the principle of Napoleon III., emperor of the French, to “hear, see, and say nothing.”

=Silent Man= (_The_), the barber of Bagdad, the greatest chatterbox that ever lived. Being sent for to shave the head and beard of a young man who was to visit the cadi’s daughter at noon, he kept him from daybreak to midday, prating, to the unspeakable annoyance of the customer. Being subsequently taken before the caliph, he ran on telling story after story about his six brothers. He was called the “Silent Man,” because on one occasion, being accidentally taken up with ten robbers, he never said he was not one of the gang. His six brothers were Bacbouc, the hunchback, Bakbarah, the toothless, Bakac, the one-eyed, Alcouz, the blind, Alnaschar, the earless, and Schacabac, the hare-lipped.--_Arabian Nights_ (“The Barber,” and “The Barber’s Six Brothers”).

=Silent Woman= (_The_), a comedy by Ben Jonson (1609). Morose, a miserly old fellow, who hates to hear any voice but his own, has a young nephew, Sir Dauphine, who wants to wring from him a third of his property; and the way he gains his point is this: He induces a lad to pretend to be a “silent woman.” Morose is so delighted with the phenomenon that he consents to marry the prodigy; but the moment the ceremony is over, the boy-wife assumes the character of a virago, whose tongue is a ceaseless clack. Morose is in despair, and signs away a third of his property to his nephew, on condition of being rid of this intolerable pest. The trick is now revealed, Morose retires into private life, and Sir Dauphine remains master of the situation.

=Sile´nus=, son of Pan, chief of the sile´ni or older satyrs. Silēnus was the foster-father of Bacchus, the wine-god, and is described as a jovial old toper, with bald head, pug nose, and pimply face.

Old Silenus, bloated, drunken,
Led by his inebriate satyrs.

Longfellow, _Drinking Song._

=Silky=, a Jew money-lender, swindler, and miser. (See SULKY.)

Yon cheat all day, tremble at night, and act the hypocrite the
first thing in the morning.--T. Holcroft, _The Road to Ruin_, ii. 3
(1792).

=Silly Billy=, William IV. (1765, 1830-1837).

=Silva= (_Don Ruy Gomez de_), an old Spanish grandee, to whom Elvīra was betrothed; but she detested him, and loved Ernani, a bandit-captain. Charles V. tried to seduce her, and Silva, in his wrath, joined Ernani to depose the king. The plot being discovered, the conspirators were arrested, but, at the intercession of Elvira, were pardoned. The marriage of Ernani and Elvira was just about to be consummated, when a horn sounded. Ernani had bound himself, when Silva joined the bandit, to put an end to his life whenever summoned so to do by Silva; and the summons was to be given by the blast of a horn. Silva being relentless, Ernani kept his vow, and stabbed himself.--Verdi, _Ernani_ (1841).

=Silver-Fork School= (_The_), a name given to a class of English novelists who gave undue importance to etiquette and the externals of social intercourse. The most distinguished are: Lady Blessington (1789-1849), Theodore Hook (1716-1796), Lord Lytton (1804-1873), and Mrs. Trollope (1790-1863).

=Silver Pen.= Eliza Meteyard was so called by Douglas Jerold, and she adopted the pseudonym (1816-1879).

=Silver Star of Love= (_The_), the star which appeared to Vasco da Gama, when his ships were tempest-tossed, through the malice of Bacchus. Immediately the star appeared, the tempest ceased, and there was a great calm.

The sky and ocean blending, each on fire,
Seemed as all Nature struggled to expire;
When now the Silver Star of Love appeared,
Bright in the east her radiant front she reared.

Camoens, _Lusiad_, vi. (1572).

=Silver Tongued= (_The_), Joshua Sylvester, translator of Du Bartas’s _Divine Weeks and Works_ (1563-1618).

William Bates, a puritan divine (1625-1699).

Henry Smith, preacher (1550-1600).

Anthony Hammond, the poet, called “Silver Tongue” (1668-1738).

Spranger Barry, the “Irish Roscius” (1719-1777).

=Silverquill= (_Sam_), one of the prisoners at Portanferry.--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George II.).

=Silves de la Selva= (_The Exploits and Adventures of_), part of the series called _Le Roman des Romans_, pertaining to “Am´adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Feliciano de Silva.

=Silvester= (_Anne_), woman betrayed under promise of marriage, by _Geoffrey Delamayne_, a famous athlete. By a series of _contretemps_, Anne is made out to be the wife (according to Scotch law) of her dearest friend’s betrothed, who visits her as Delamayne’s emissary. She is released from the embarrassing position, by the exhibition of a letter from Delamayne, promising to marry her, written before _Arnold’s_ visit. Infuriated by the _exposé_, Delamayne tries to murder his wife, and is prevented by a crazy woman. Her sudden attack brings on apoplexy. Anne, as his widow, marries her old friend and defender, Sir Patrick Lundie.--Wilkie Collins, _Man and Wife_ (1874).

=Silvestre= (2 _syl._), valet of Octave (son of Argante, and brother of Zerbinette).--Molière, _Les Fourberies de Scapin_ (1671).

=Sil´via=, daughter of the duke of Milan, and the lady-love of Valentine, one of the heroes of the play.--Shakespeare, _The Two Gentlemen of Verona_ (1594).

=Simmons= (_Widow_), the seamstress; a neighbor of the Ramsays.--Sir W. Scott, _Fortunes of Nigel_ (time, James I.).

=Simon= (_Martin_), proprietor of the village Bout du Monde, and miller of Grenoble. He is called “The king of Pelvoux,” and in reality is the Baron de Peyras, who has given up all his estates to his nephew, the young chevalier, Marcellin de Peyras, and retired to Grenoble, where he lived as a villager. Martin Simon is in secret possession of a gold-mine, left him by his father, with the stipulation that he should place it beyond the reach of any private man, on the day it becomes a “source of woe and crime.” Rabisson, a travelling tinker, the only person who knows about it, being murdered, Simon is suspected; but Eusebe Noel confesses the crime. Simon then makes the mine over to the king of France, as it had proved the source both “of woe and crime.”--E. Stirling, _The Gold Mine_, or _Miller of Grenoble_ (1854).

=Simonides=, benevolent Jew, father of Esther, and friend of Ben Hur.--Lew Wallace, _Ben Hur: a Tale of the Christ_ (1880).

=Simon Pure=, a young quaker from Pennsylvania, on a visit to Obadiah Prim (a Bristol Quaker, and one of the guardians of Anne Lovely, the heiress). Colonel Feignwell personated Simon Pure, and obtained Obadiah’s consent to marry his ward. When the real Simon Pure presented himself, the colonel denounced him as an impostor; but after he had obtained the guardian’s signature, he confessed the trick, and showed how he had obtained the consent of the other three guardians.--Mrs. Centlivre, _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_ (1717).

⁂ This name has become a household word for “the real man,” the _ipsissimus ego_.

=Si´monie= or SI´MONY, the friar, in the beast-epic of _Reynard the Fox_ (1498). So called from Simon Magus (_Acts._ viii. 9-24.)

=Simony= (_Dr._), in Foote’s farce, called _The Cozeners_, was meant for Dr. Dodd.

=Sim´org=, a bird “which hath seen the world thrice destroyed.” It is found in Kâf, but as Hafiz says, “searching for the simorg is like searching for the philosopher’s stone.” This does not agree with Beckford’s account. (See SIMURGH.)

In Kâf the simorg hath its dwelling-place,
The all-knowing bird of ages, who hath seen
The world with all its children thrice destroyed.

Southey, _Thalaba, the Destroyer_, viii. 19 (1797).

=Simpcox= (_Saunder_), a lame man, who asserted he was born blind, and to whom St. Alban said, “Come, offer at my shrine, and I will help thee.” Being brought before Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, the lord protector, he was asked how he became lame; and Simpcox replied he fell from a tree which he had climbed to gather plums for his wife. The duke then asked if his sight had been restored? “Yes,” said the man; and, being shown divers colors, could readily distinguish between red, blue, brown, and so on. The duke told the rascal that a _blind_ man does not climb trees to gather their fruits; and one born blind might, if his sight were restored, know that one color differed from another, but could not possibly know which was which. He then placed a stool before him and ordered the constables to whip him till he jumped over it; whereupon the lame man jumped over it, and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. Sir Thomas More tells this story, and Shakespeare introduces it in 2 _Henry VI_. act ii. sc. 1 (1591).

=Simple=, the servant of Slender (cousin of Justice Shallow).--Shakespeare, _The Merry Wives of Windsor_ (1596).

_Simple_ (_The_), Charles III. of France (879, 893-929).

_Simple_ (_Peter_), the hero and title of a novel by Captain Marryat (1833).

=Simple Simon=, a man more sinned against than sinning, whose misfortunes arose from his wife Margery’s cruelty, which began the very morning of their marriage.

We do not know whether it is necessary to seek for a Teutonic or
Northern original for this once popular book.--_Quarterly Review._

=Simpson= (_Tam_), the drunken barber.--Sir W. Scott, _St. Ronan’s Well_ (time, George III.).

=Simson= (_Jean_), an old woman at Middlemas village.--Sir W. Scott, _The Surgeon’s Daughter_ (time, George II.).

=Simurgh=, a fabulous Eastern bird, endowed with reason and knowing all languages. It had seen the great cycle of 7000 years twelve times, and, during that period, it declared it had seen the earth wholly without inhabitant seven times.--W. Beckford, _Vathek_ (notes, 1784). This does not agree with Southey’s account. (See SIMORG.)

=Sin=, twin-keeper, with Death, of Hellgate. She sprang, full-grown, from the head of Satan.

Woman to the waist, and fair,
But ending foul in many a scaly fold
Voluminous and vast, a serpent armed
With mortal sting.

Milton, _Paradise Lost_, ii. (1665).

=Sin´adone= (_The lady of_), metamorphosed by enchantment into a serpent. Sir Lybius (one of Arthur’s knights) slew the enchantress, and the serpent, coiling about his neck, kissed him; whereupon the spell was broken, the serpent became a lovely princess, and Sir Lybius made her his wife.--_Libeaux_ (a romance).

=Sindbad=, a merchant of Bagdad, who acquired great wealth by merchandise. He went seven voyages, which he related to a poor, discontented porter named Hindbad, to show him that wealth must be obtained by enterprise and personal exertion.

_First Voyage._ Being becalmed in the Indian Ocean, he and some others of the crew visited what they supposed to be an island, but which was in reality a huge whale asleep. They lighted a fire on the whale, and the heat woke the creature, which instantly dived under water. Sindbad was picked up by some merchants, and in due time returned home.

_Second Voyage._ Sindbad was left, during sleep, on a desert island, and discovered a roc’s egg, “fifty paces in circumference.” He fastened himself to the claw of the bird, and was deposited in the valley of diamonds. Next day some merchants came to the top of the crags, and threw into the valley huge joints of raw meat, to which the diamonds stuck, and when the eagles picked up the meat, the merchants scared them from their nests, and carried off the diamonds. Sindbad fastened himself to a piece of meat, was carried by an eagle to its nest, and, being rescued by the merchants, returned home laden with diamonds.

_Third Voyage_ is the encounter with the Cyclops. (See ULYSSES AND POLYPHEMOS, where the account is given in detail.)

_Fourth Voyage._ Sindbad married a lady of rank in a strange island on which he was cast; and when his wife died he was buried alive with the dead body, according to the custom of the land. He made his way out of the catacomb, and returned to Bagdad greatly enriched by valuables rifled from the dead bodies.

_Fifth Voyage._ The ship in which he sailed was dashed to pieces by huge stones let down from the talons of two angry rocs. Sindbad swam to a desert inland,[TN-180] where he threw stones at the monkeys, and the monkeys threw back cocoa-nuts. On this island Sindbad encountered and killed the Old Man of the Sea.

_Sixth Voyage._ Sindbad visited the island of Serendib (or Ceylon), and climbed to the top of the mountain “where Adam was placed on his expulsion from paradise.”

_Seventh Voyage._ He was attacked by corsairs, sold to slavery, and employed in shooting elephants from a tree. He discovered a tract of hill country completely covered with elephants’ tusks, communicated his discovery to his master, obtained his liberty, and returned home.--_Arabian Nights_ (“Sindbad the Sailor”).

=Sindbad, Ulysses, and the Cyclops.= (See ULYSSES AND POLYPHEMOS.)

=Sin´el=, thane of Glamis, and father of Macbeth. He married the younger daughter of Malcolm II. of Scotland.

=Sinfire=, brilliant, seductive, and wicked heroine of Julian Hawthorne’s novel of the same name.

=Sing= (_Sadha_), the mourner of the desert.--Sir W. Scott, _The Surgeon’s Daughter_ (time, George II.).

=Sing de Racine= (_Le_), Campistron, the French dramatic poet (1656-1723).

=Singing Apple= (_The_), in the deserts of Libya. This apple resembled a ruby crowned with a huge diamond, and had the gift of imparting wit to those who only smelt of it. Prince Cherry obtained it for Fairstar. (See SINGING TREE.)

The singing apple is as great an embellisher of wit as the dancing
water is of beauty. Would you appear in public as a poet or prose
writer, a wit or a philosopher, you only need smell it, and you are
possessed at once of these rare gifts of genius.--Comtesse D’Aunoy,
_Fairy Tales_ (“Princess Fairstar,” 1682).

=Singing Tree= (_The_), a tree, every leaf of which was a mouth, and all the leaves sang together in harmonious concert.--_Arabian Nights_ (“The Two Sisters,” the last story).

⁂ In the tale of _Cherry and Fairstar_, “the singing tree” is called “the singing apple” (_q.v._).

=Single-Speech Hamilton=, William Gerard Hamilton, statesman (1729-1796). His first speech was delivered November 13, 1775, and his eloquence threw into the shade every orator except Pitt himself.

It was supposed that he had exhausted himself in that one speech,
and had become physically incapable of making a second; so that
afterwards, when he really did make a second, everybody was
naturally disgusted, and most people dropped his acquaintance.--De
Quincey (1786-1859).

=Singleton= (_Captain_), the hero of a novel by D. Defoe, called _The Adventures of Captain Singleton_.

=Singular Doctor= (_The_), William Occam, _Doctor Singularis et Invincibilis_ (1276-1347).

⁂ The “Occam razor” was _entia non sunt multiplicanda_, “entities are not to be unnecessarily multiplied.” In other words, elements, genera, and first principles are very few in number.

=Sinner Saved= (_A_). Cyra, daughter of Proterĭus of Cappadōcia, was on the point of taking the veil among Emmelia’s sisterhood, and just before the day of renunciation, Elĕēmon, her father’s freed slave, who loved her, sold himself to the devil, on condition of obtaining her for his wife. He signed the bond with a drop of his heart’s blood, and carried about with him a little red spot on his bresst,[TN-181] as a perpetual reminder of the compact. The devil now sent a dream to Cyra, and another to her father, which caused them to change their plans; and on the very day that Cyra was to have taken the veil, she was given by St. Basil in marriage to Eleemon, with whom she lived happily for many years, and had a large family. One night, while her husband was asleep, Cyra saw the blood-red spot; she knew what it meant, and next day Eleemon told her the whole story. Cyra now bestirred herself to annul the compact, and went with her husband to St. Basil, to whom a free and full confession was made. Eleemon was shut up for a night in a cell, and Satan would have carried him off, but he clung to the foot of a crucifix. Next day Satan met St. Basil in the cathedral, and demanded his bond. St. Basil assured him the bond was illegal and invalid. The devil was foiled, the red mark vanished from the skin of Eleemon, a sinner was saved, and St. Basil came off victorious.--Amphilochius, _Life of St. Basil_. (See Rosweyde, _Vitæ Patrum_, 156-8.)

⁂ Southey has converted this legend into a ballad of nine lays (1829).

=Sinon=, the crafty Greek, who persuaded the Trojans to drag the Wooden Horse into their city.--Virgil, _Æneid_, ii.

Dantê, in his _Inferno_, places Sinon, with Potiphar’s wife, Nimrod, and the rebellious giants, in the tenth pit of Malêbolgê.

=Sin Saxon.= Sprightly, sparkling personage, who appears, first as a saucy girl, then, as a vivacious young matron, in several of A. D. T. Whitney’s books. She marries Frank Sherman.--A. D. T. Whitney, _Leslie Goldthwaite_ and _The Other Girls_.

=Sintram=, the Greek hero of the German romance, _Sintram and His Companions_, by Baron Lamotte Fouqué.

_Sintram’s Sword_, Welsung.

=Sio´na=, a seraph, to whom was committed the charge of Bartholomew, the apostle.--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).

=Siph´a=, the guardian angel of Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).

=Si´phax=, a soldier, in love with Princess Calis, sister of Astorax, king of Paphos. The princess is in love with Polydore, the brother of General Memnon, (“the mad brother”).--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Mad Lover_ (1617).

=Sir Oracle=, a dictatorial prig; a dogmatic pedant.

I am Sir Oracle,
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark.

Shakespeare, _Merchant of Venice_, act i. sc. 1 (1598).

=Sirens=, three sea-nymphs, whose usual abode was a small island near Cape Pelōrus, in Sicily. They enticed sailors ashore by their melodious singing, and then killed them. Their names are Parthenŏpê, Ligeia, and Leucothĕa.--_Greek Fable._

=Sirloin of Beef.= James I., on his return from a hunting excursion, so much enjoyed his dinner, consisting of a loin of roast beef, that he laid his sword across it, and dubbed it Sir Loin. At Chingford, in Essex, is a place called “Friday Hill House,” in one of the rooms of which is an oak table with a brass plate let into it, inscribed with the following words:--“ALL LOVERS OF ROAST BEEF WILL LIKE TO KNOW THAT ON THIS TABLE A LOIN WAS KNIGHTED BY KING JAMES THE FIRST ON HIS RETURN FROM HUNTING IN EPPING FOREST.”

Knighting the loin of beef is also ascribed to Charles II.

Our second Charles, of fame facete,
On loin of beef did dine;
He held his sword, pleased, o’er the meat.
“Arise, thou famed Sir Loin.”

_Ballad of the New Sir John Barleycorn._

=Sister Anne=, sister of Fatĭma (the seventh and last wife of Bluebeard). Fatima, being condemned to death by her tyrannical husband, requested sister Anne to ascend to the highest tower of the castle to watch for her brothers, who were momentarily expected. Bluebeard kept roaring below stairs for Fatima to be quick; Fatima was constantly calling out from her chamber, “Sister Anne, do you see them coming?” and sister Anne was on the watch-tower, mistaking every cloud of dust for the mounted brothers. They arrived at last, rescued Fatima, and put Bluebeard to death.--Charles Perrault, _Contes_ (“La Barbe Bleue,” 1697).

This is a Scandinavian tale taken from the _Folks Sagas_.

=Sis´yphos=, in Latin =Sisyphus=, a king of Corinth, noted for his avarice and fraud. He was punished in the infernal regions by having to roll uphill a huge stone, which always rolled down again as soon as it reached the top. Sisyphos is a type of avarice, never satisfied. The avaricious man reaches the summit of his ambition, and no sooner does he so than he finds the object of his desire as far off as ever.

With many a weary step, and many a groan,
Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone;
The huge round stone, returning with a bound,
Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground.

Homer, _Odyssey_, xi. [Pope’s trans.].

=Sisyphus=, in the Milesian tales, was doomed to die, but when Death came to him, the wily fellow contrived to fasten the unwelcome messenger in a chair, and then feasted him till old Spare-ribs grew as fat as a prize pig. In time, Pluto released Death, and Sisyphus was caught, but prayed that he might speak to his wife before he went to Hadês. The prayer was granted, and Sisyphus told his wife not to bury him, for though she might think him dead, he would not be really so. When he got to the infernal regions, he made the ghosts so merry with his jokes, that Pluto reproved him, and Sisyphus pleaded that, as he had not been buried, Pluto had no jurisdiction over him, nor could he even be ferried across the Styx. He then obtained leave to return to earth, that he might persuade his wife to bury him. Now, the wily old king had previously bribed Hermês, when he took him to Hadês, to induce Zeus to grant him life, provided he returned to earth again in the body; when, therefore, he did return, he demanded of Hermês the fulfillment of his promise, and Hermês induced Zeus to bestow on him life. Sisyphus was now allowed to return to earth, with a promise that he should never die again, till he himself implored for death. So he lived, and lived till he was weary of living, and when he went to Hadês the second time, he was allotted, by way of punishment, the task of rolling a huge stone to the top of a mountain. Orpheus (2 _syl._), asked him how he could endure so ceaseless and vain an employment, and Sisyphus replied that he hoped ultimately to accomplish the task. “Never,” exclaimed Orpheus; “it can never be done!” “Well, then,” said Sisyphus, “mine is at worst but everlasting hope.”--Lord Lytton, _Tales of Miletus_, ii.

=Sitoph´agus= (“_the wheat-eater_”), one of the mouse princes, who being wounded in the battle, crept into a ditch to avoid further injury or danger.

The lame Sitophagus, oppressed with pain,
Creeps from the desperate dangers of the plain;
And where the ditches rising weeds supply ...
There lurks the silent mouse relieved of heat,
And, safe embowered, avoids the chance of fate.

Parnell, _Battle of the Frogs and Mice_. iii. (about 1712).

The last two lines might be amended thus:

There lurks the trembling mouse with bated breath,
And, hid from sight, avoids his instant death.

=Siward= [_Se.´ward_], the earl of Northumberland, and general of the English forces, acting against Macbeth.--Shakespeare, _Macbeth_ (1606).

=Six Chronicles= (_The_). Dr. Giles compiled and edited six Old English Chronicles for Bohn’s series in 1848. They are: Ethelwerd’s _Chronicle_, Asser’s _Life of Alfred_, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s _British History, Gildas the Wise_, Nennius’s _History of the Britons_, and Richard of Cirencester _On the Ancient State of Britain_. The last three were edited in 1757, by Professor Bertram, in his _Scriptores Tres_, but great doubt exists as to the genuineness of the chronicles contained in Dr. Bertram’s compilation. (See THREE WRITERS.)

=Sixteen-String-Jack=, John Rann, a highwayman. He was a great fop, and wore sixteen tags to his breeches, eight at each knee (hanged 1774).

Dr. Johnson said that Gray’s poetry towered above the ordinary run
of verse, as Sixteen-String-Jack above the ordinary
foot-pad.--Boswell, _Life of Johnson_ (1791).

=Skeffington=, author of _Sleeping Beauty_, _Maids and Bachelors_, etc.

And sure _great_ Skeffington must claim our praise
For skirtless coats, and skeletons of plays.

Byron, _English Bards and Scotch Reviewers_ (1809).

Transcriber’s Note

The following typographical errors and inconsistencies have been maintained in this version of the book.

Typographical errors:

TN-1 1 Perrose should read Penrose
TN-2 4 tranlation should read translation
TN-3 4 A. D. should read A.D.
TN-4 5 sword.’” should read sword.’
TN-5 9 France. See should read France. (See
TN-6 13 outstretehed should read outstretched
TN-7 14 the the sword should read the sword
TN-8 17 incalcuable should read incalculable
TN-9 19 waistcoat--Mrs. should read waistcoat.--Mrs.
TN-10 34 The vail should read The veil
TN-11 38 “about the Mikado’s” should read “about by the Mikado’s”
TN-12 42 mutiplied should read multiplied
TN-13 46 Merlin’s magic mirror (_q.v._). This entry does not exist.
TN-14 47 “He should read He
TN-15 52 succeeeded should read succeeded
TN-16 53 also; should read also,
TN-17 54 rent is paid. should read rent is paid).
TN-18 56 shows.” should read shows.
TN-19 56 preformed should read performed
TN-20 57 (time, Commonwealth. should read (time, Commonwealth).
TN-21 57 Passe-Tyme should read Passe-tyme
TN-22 63 Love à-la-Mode- should read Love à-la-Mode.
TN-23 66 Polyolboin should read Polyolbion
TN-24 69 gray should read grey
TN-25 71 (1508) should read (1598)
TN-26 71 Rev. Mr.) should have a comma following
TN-27 87 act. i. should read act i.
TN-28 88 Chauvvin should read Chauvin
TN-29 92 Bibliothèque Oriental should read Bibliothèque Orientale
TN-30 94 (1698) should read (1598)
TN-31 94 Pylos, was has an extra, following Pylos
TN-32 96 Charles II.). should read Charles II.
TN-33 100 Gentlehomme should read Gentilehomme
TN-34 100 “The Chase, The Road, The Turf” should read “The Chase, the
Turf, and the Road”
TN-35 101 Ninive should read Nineve
TN-36 101 Nino-Thoma should read Nina-Thoma
TN-37 101 magificence should read magnificence
TN-38 101 Nine. Worthies should read Nine Worthies
TN-39 102 Uffizii should read Uffizi
TN-40 102 He Says should read He says
TN-41 104 cadavarous should read cadaverous
TN-42 105 Charles II) should read Charles II.)
TN-43 106 J Home should read J. Home
TN-44 112 Atticœ should read Atticæ
TN-45 116 Sopho´oclês should read Soph´oclês
TN-46 121 imagintion should read imagination
TN-47 125 v.), should read v.).
TN-48 126 Alhague) has extra )
TN-49 127 dog bark!” should read dog bark!
TN-50 135 Furlough should read Turlough
TN-51 135 Coimba should read Coimbra
TN-52 135 eightteenth should read eighteenth
TN-53 136 horse-jockey:” should read horse-jockey;”
TN-54 139 Grondibert should read Gondibert
TN-55 140 was slain should read were slain
TN-56 142 le Grand. is missing )
TN-57 142 howover should read however
TN-58 144 fifteenth century) should read (fifteenth century)
TN-59 145 _Paine_ should be =Paine=
TN-60 146 (1772) should have a following.
TN-61 151 Mosart should read Mozart
TN-62 152 ignorantifiè should read ignorantifié
TN-63 161 Darton and Co, should read Darton and Co.,
TN-64 162 villifies should read vilifies
TN-65 162 Polinices. This entry does not exist.
TN-66 165 Hawes (1506) should end with a.
TN-67 166 “The Deerslayer” should read “The Deerslayer,”
TN-68 167 Rocky Mountains. has an extra . at the end
TN-69 167 of Dorchester, should read of Dorchester.
TN-70 168 St Patrick should read St. Patrick
TN-71 168 etc.. should read etc.,
TN-72 169 Bonarparte should read Bonaparte
TN-73 171 St Remi should read St. Remi (2 times)
TN-74 174 d’ane should read d’âne
TN-75 175 Zaïda should read Zaïde
TN-76 175 Pedrè should read Pèdre (3 times)
TN-77 178 [=Thrift=) should read (_Thrift_)
TN-78 178 Boundderby should read Bounderby
TN-79 181 pcn should read pen
TN-80 181 sc. 2 (1589) should read sc. 2 (1589).
TN-81 184 Dr Parker should read Dr. Parker
TN-82 185 101, 102. should read 101, 102).
TN-83 186 --See Notes should read (See Notes
TN-84 189 “excess.”). should read “excess.”)
TN-85 190 Po tau should read Pot au
TN-86 192 (1768-1848. should read (1768-1848).
TN-87 195 Fennimore should read Fenimore
TN-88 199 _syl._) should read _syl._).
TN-89 201 him thirty should read him “thirty
TN-90 202 (1214-1292; should read (1214-1292);
TN-91 202 (1627-1691; should read (1627-1691);
TN-92 202 (B.C.) 106 should read (B.C. 106
TN-93 207 breathe-therein. should read breathe-therein.”
TN-94 209 Elfenseigen. should read Elfenseigen.)
TN-95 214 “(The incident of” either should not have a ( or a ) is
missing at the end of the sentence.
TN-96 214 notas, should read notas.
TN-97 227 garralous should read garrulous
TN-98 228 “Antinöus, should read “Antinöus,”
TN-99 229 “songs,” should read “songs.”
TN-100 229 Enggland should read England
TN-101 232 Friesingen should read Freisingen
TN-102 232 conscrated should read consecrated
TN-103 232 Lequien should read Le Quien
TN-104 234 who stabbed should read who “stabbed
TN-105 240 Quarakhata. should read Quarakhata.”
TN-106 246 Docter should read Doctor
TN-107 248 reions should read regions
TN-108 250 protegé should read protégé
TN-109 250 forgiven should read forgiven.
TN-110 251 caligraphist should read calligraphist
TN-111 254 i.e, should read i.e.,
TN-112 257 (Pwyll should read (“Pwyll
TN-113 265 Monnema should read Monema
TN-114 267 act. i. should read act i.
TN-115 268 Pyrnne should read Prynne
TN-116 275 rantipolish, should read rantipolish.
TN-117 277 met should read meet
TN-118 278 refered should read referred
TN-119 282 king- should read kingdom
TN-120 282 Cathaginians should read Carthaginians
TN-121 286 VerborumSignificatione should read Verborum Significatione
TN-122 286 entititled should read entitled
TN-123 287 Resolute Doctor should read Resolute Doctor”
TN-124 287 “The “saint” should read The “saint”
TN-125 289 thierepos should read Thierepos
TN-126 295 (bk. vii.) should read (bk. vii.).
TN-127 296 Perveril should read Peveril
TN-128 298 See ORMANDINE. This entry does not exist
TN-129 299 Mortham, was should read Mortham was
TN-130 301 Henry IV.) should read Henry IV.).
TN-131 305 (_q.v._) should read (_q.v._).
TN-132 307 The marquis should read “The marquis
TN-133 310 npon should read upon
TN-134 311 R.C. should read B.C.
TN-135 313 (St) should read (St.)
TN-136 318 Shakepeare should read Shakespeare
TN-137 322 Edward II. and Edward I. should read EDWARD II. and
EDWARD I.
TN-138 325 Innamarato should read Innamorato
TN-139 326 Inis-Thorna should read Inis-Thona
TN-140 326 to part!” should read to part!’
TN-141 326 a friar should read “a friar
TN-142 330 exqusite should read exquisite
TN-143 330 into a river. should end with )
TN-144 332 and and should read and
TN-145 336 heirarchy should read hierarchy
TN-146 338 (1474-1566): should read (1474-1566);
TN-147 339 (died 251. should read (died 251).
TN-148 339 inkeeper should read innkeeper
TN-149 340 ARNOLD should read Arnold
TN-150 340 martydom should read martyrdom
TN-151 341 satire (1704) should read satire (1704).
TN-152 342 Bibliothèques Orientale should read Bibliothèque Orientale
TN-153 342 folly should read folly.
TN-154 343 English) should read English),
TN-155 343 for Uncle should read for “Uncle
TN-156 343 (1741-1779 should end with a )
TN-157 344 serpant should read serpent
TN-158 344 (_The_) Pythagoras should read (_The_), Pythagoras
TN-159 346 (1605-15) should read (1605-15).
TN-160 356 father of “Lucia.” should end with )
TN-161 360 plasir should read plaisir
TN-162 365 instalment should read installment
TN-163 367 hemlet should read helmet
TN-164 368 corse should read corpse
TN-165 368 accidently should read accidentally
TN-166 369 reconcilation should read reconciliation
TN-167 379 πλέιους should read πλείους
TN-168 380 fron should read from
TN-169 384 Cumberland) has extra )
TN-170 386 Whitehall 1607 should read Whitehall, 1607
TN-171 386 Whitehall 1604 should read Whitehall, 1604
TN-172 386 Meres 1598 should read Meres, 1598
TN-173 387 n’etait should read n’était
TN-174 390 lady,and should read lady, and
TN-175 391 November; should read November:
TN-176 392 (1651-1610) should read (B.C. 1651-1610)
TN-177 395 the administration should read The administration
TN-178 396 etc., (1557) has extra (
TN-179 400 villian should read villain
TN-180 405 inland should read island
TN-181 406 bresst should read breast

Inconsistent spelling

Aboulhassan / Aboulhassen
François / Francois
Khrosrou-schah / Khrosru-schar
Sulla / Sylla

Inconsistent hyphenation

brick-dust / brickdust
day-break / daybreak
East-cheap / Eastcheap
grand-son / grandson
Hawk-eye / Hawkeye
heart-sick / heartsick
May-pole / Maypole
moon-light / moonlight
Nôman-al-Aôuar / Nômanal-Aôuar
out-witted /outwitted
Pullicenella / Pullicinella
re-united / reunited
Ros-crana / Roscrana
step-mother / stepmother
Un-born / Unborn

Other inconsistencies

i.e. / i. e.
The inclusion of the "or" in the italics for two-part titles connected
by ", or"