페이지 이미지
PDF
ePub

Lucrine Bay, a lake in Cam

pania, famed for oysters Lyceus, a mountain in Arcadia Lyones, Lyonesse, a British name for Cornwall, or for Leon in Brittany

Machabeus. The redoubtable family of the Maccabees, first of whom was Judas Maccabæus, headed a patriotic revolt, won several great battles against Antiochus Epiphanes, and held out against them for many years. They were priests. See Book of the Maccabees

Macharus, a city in Perma Meander, a river in Asia

Minor Manalus, a mountain in Arcadia

Mæonides, Homer
Maotis, Sea of Azof
Magellan's Straits, off S.
America

Magnetic, magnet, P.R. ii. 168
Mahanaim, E. of Jordan, where
Jacob, after parting with
Laban, saw heavenly hosts
encamped

Maia, mother of Hermes, the messenger of Zeus. Raphael is compared to Hermes because sent as a messenger from Jehovah

Malabar, the S.-W. coast of India

Mammon, a personification of filthy lucre

manure, attend to, P.L. iv. 628 marasmus, consumption, P.L. xi. 487

Margiana, a province near to Sogdiana

marle, earth, P.L. i. 296 Mars, god of war in Roman mythology

and

mask or masque, a dramatical fantasia, with songs dances, P.L. iv. 768 maugre, in spite of, P.L. iii. 255; P.R. iii. 368

meath, to press so as to make

mead, P.L. v. 344 Medusa, a Gorgon whose face turned into stone all that looked upon it. Perseus

[merged small][ocr errors]

Melinda, a haven near Zanzibar Memnon, an Ethiopian prince, who fought in the Trojan War. He was renowned for his beauty Memnonian, Susa was founded by the father of Memnon, who built its fortress Memphian, of Memphis, famous city of Egypt Mera, a district of Ethiopia, between two rivers; called an island because formed by two branches of the Nile Michael, "who is like God?" an Archangel

a

Midas, King of Phrygia, judged that Pan sang sweeter than Apollo, and had his ears changed into asses' ears for his pains

middle (air), i.e. between earth and heaven, P.L. i. 516 middle (shore), of the Mediterranean, P.L. v. 339 Mincius, now Mincio, a river in N. Italy, flowing through Lake Garda, and passing into the Po

minim, minute thing, P.L. vii. 482

missive, projectile (adj.) P.L. vi. 519

Modin, the district from whence came Judas Mac

cabæus

Mogul, a dynasty of Moslem En perors, reigning at Agra first, then Lahore, then Delhi mole, mass, P.L. x. 300 Moloch, an Ammonite fire-god, to whom human sacrifice was

[ocr errors]

done, and other hideous rites moly, a herb potent against magic charms, C. 636 Mombasa,

near

Mombaza,
Zanzibar
Mona, Anglesey
monostrophic, having one stanza
Montalban, a town in the S. of
France

Montezuma, emperor of Mexico,
subdued by Cortes
Morocco, in Ñ. Africa
Morpheus, god of sleep
morrice, or morris, a dance

(originally Moorish), C. 116 Moses chair, see Matt. xxiii. 2 Mountain, the Mount of Temptation cannot be Quarantaria, near Jericho, as the prospect shows. It may be one of the mountains of Armenia; or perhaps M. had no special mountain in his mind, but chose a central position and imagined one Mozambic, Mozambique, in E. Africa Mulciber, Vulcan, god of fire and smith-craft Musacus, an early Greek poet must, new wine, P.L. v. 345 myrrhine, made of baked clay

or some such substance, probably porcelain

Naiades, water-nymphs Namancos, marked in Mercator's Atlas near Cape Finisterre Narcissus, a beautiful youth, cold to a nymph Echo, who loved him and died of love. Nemesis made N. fall in love with his own image in a fountain; and he pined away and became the flower called by his name

nathless, nevertheless, P.L. i.

299 Nazarites, a sect who abstained

from all intoxicants and kept the hair unshorn

Nebaioth, used for Ishmael in P.R. ii. 309, but really the name of Ishmael's eldest son (Gen. xxiii. 13). See Gen. xxi. 17

Nebo, the mountain from which Moses surveyed the Promised Land

nectar, the mythical drink of the gods, P.L. iv. 240 Negus, title of the King of Abyssinia

nepenthes, an opiate given by Helen to Menelaus. She got it from Polydamna, wife of Thone Neptune, Roman God of the sea, incensed against Ulysses, as described in the Odyssey Nereus, the "wise old man of the sea," father of fifty Nereides

nice, fastidious, P.L. v. 433; P.R. iv. 157 night-foundered, lost in the night, P.L. i. 204

Nineveh, a city on the Tigris,
founded by Ninus
Niphates, a mountain in Ar-
menia

Nisibis, in Mesopotamia
Nisroch, a deity of Nineveh
Norumbega, a part of N.
America
Notus, the S. wind
numbering Israel, 1 Chron. xxi.

[blocks in formation]

Olympian, at Olympia in Elis were held the most famous athletic contests of Greece Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great

Olympus, a mountain in Thessaly, where the Greeks supposed their gods to dwell; also used as a synonym for the sky

omnific, all-creating, P.L. vii. 217

Ophion, a Titan, driven from

Olympus by Kronos Ophir, the land whence Solomon got his gold Ophiuchus, a northern constellation

Ophiusa, an island full of serpents opposition, an astrological term, used when the earth lies between two bodies and in one straight line with them, P.L. ii. 803

opprobrious, infamous, P.L. i. 403

Ops, wife of Saturn

optic glass, telescope, P.L. i. 288 orc, a sea-monster, P.L. xi. 835 Orcus, a Latin name of the king of the infernal regions Oread, a mountain nymph Oreb or Horeb, which properly means a dry place," later used of the Sinaitic region

66

was

orient, bright, like the sunrise, P.L. xi. 205 Orion, a constellation figured

as an armed man, which was supposed to bring storms Ormus, Hormuz, a rich city on the Persian Gulf

Orontes, a river to the N. of Syria

Orphean, Orpheus was a mythical musician, who played so beautifully that beasts and trees and rocks listened and followed him

Orpheus, a mythical singer, who went to Hades in order to recover his dead wife, Eurydice. He so charmed Pluto that Pluto consented, condition Orpheus should not look back upon her until

on

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Palatine, a hill of Rome where stood the palace of the later Emperors. M. anticipates in P.R. iv. 50, for then the buildings were more modest Pales, a Roman deity of flocks and shepherds

pampered, leafy (Lat. pampinus, "vine "), P.L. v. 214

Pan, the rural god of the Greeks, patron of flocks and shepherds; a kind of personification of nature. The word râv means everything," and M. plays on this word in P.L. iv. 266, though there is no real connection between the two Pandemonium, the place of

All-Devils. A word coined on the analogy of Pantheon Pandora, a woman made by the gods to do mischief to

men. The word means that she possest" all their gifts" Paneas, now Banias, a town

under Hermon at one of the springs of Jordan, believed by many to be the ancient Dan

panim, pagan (or infidel) Panope, a sea nymph, daughter;

of Nereus

Paquin, Pekin (really the same as Cambaluc)

[blocks in formation]

pardon, dispensation or indulgence, P.L. iii. 492 peal, fill with noise, P.L. ii. 920 Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology; in later times associated with the Muses, because with his hoof he struck, and forth came the inspiring fount called Hippocrene

Pellean, of Pella in Macedonia; used of Alexander the Great, who was born there. At the battle of the Issus, he captured, when he was twentythree years old, the wife and daughters of Darius, with other ladies not a few; but dismissed them free Pelleas, a Knight of the Round Table

Pellemore, a Knight of the Round Table

Pelops' line, the Thyestiadæ, whose story was the theme of many Greek tragedies Pelorus, the N.-E. promontory of Sicily

Peor, i.e. Baal-peor, a licentious deity

Perca, a district E. of the Jordan

perfet, perfect (older and correct spelling), P.R. iv. 468 Persepolis, ancient capital of Persia

person, character, P.L. x. 156 Petsora, Petchora on the Arctic

ocean

Pharphar, a river flowing near Damascus

Philip, father of Alexander the Great. Alexander began his reign at twenty, conquered Persia when not yet twentyfive, and died at thirty-three Philomel, the nightingale Phineus, a blind soothsayer of old Greece

Phlegeton (Phlegethon), river of fire, one of the rivers of the infernal regions in Greek mythology Phlegra, the battle-field of the gods and giants in Greek mythology

phoenix, a fabulous bird, supposed to live a thousand years, and then to burn itself, on which another would rise from the ashes

Pindarus, a great Greek lyric poet

pinnacle, Matt. iv. 5 platane, plane-tree, P.L. iv. 478 Plato, most famous of the Greek philosophers

Pluto, king of the underworld poise, weigh down, P.L. ii. 905 Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees, wedded by Vertumnus

Pompey, Cn. Pompius Magnus, distinguished himself before he was twenty-three, but did not obtain a triumph so early as M. states ponent, from the W. or sunsetting, P.L. x. 704 Pontic King, Mithradates pontifical, bridge-making, P.L. X. 313

Pontus, the Black Sea; famed for its fish; also a district in Asia Minor southward of the same

port, gate, P.L. iv. 778 prætor, a Roman official, P.R. iv. 63

pretended, stretcht as a screen, P.L. x. 872

prevenient, anticipating, P.L. xi.

[blocks in formation]

who carried her off while gathering flowers in Enna Proteus, the mythical Old Man of the Sea, who could transform himself into many shapes

prowest, most renowned or bravest, P.R. iii. 342 Psyche, the soul personified. Eros (or Cupid) loved her, but visited her only at night, and forbade her to look upon him. She disobeyed, he departed, and she traversed a weary pilgrimage before she was united to him again

punctual, like a point, P.L. viii. 23

Punic, Carthaginian or Phoeni

[blocks in formation]

quaternion, fourfold, P.L. v. 181. The four elements, according to Heracleitus, were air, æther, water, and earth Quiloa, near Zanzibar Quintilian, a great critic and rhetorician under the early Roman empire Quintius, L. Quintus Cincinnatus, dictator in Rome, called to that post from the plough, returned to the plough on resigning it

Rabba, or Rabbath, chief city
of Ammon; on the E. of
Jordan
Ramath-lechi, "casting away of
the jaw-bone": see Judges
XV. 17

Ramiel, "exaltation of God"
Ramoth, Ramoth - Gilead,

a

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

realty, royalty, P.L. vi. 115 rebeck, a kind of violin, P.R. P. 401

recorder, a wind instrument, P.L. i. 551

redound, overflow, P.L. ii. 889 Regulus, M. Atilius Regulus was taken prisoner at Carthage. He was sent home on parole, and bidden to persuade the Romans to make peace; but, on the contrary, he is said to have told them to hold out, and then he returned to his death

reluctant, struggling, P.L. x. 515 result, rebound, P.L. vi. 619 Rhea, wife of Jupiter Ammon Rhea, wife of Kronos (Saturn) Rhene, the Rhine Rhodope, a mountain range between Thrace and Macedonia. Here was the oracle of the Thracian Dionysus. The "Thracian bard" Orpheus did not honour Dionysus, who sent upon him the Bassarida (a rout of Mænad women), and they tore him to pieces, nor could his mother Calliope aid him rhomb, wheel, P.L. viii. 134 Rimmon, a Syrian deity rined, rinded, P.L. v. 342 ruin, fall, P.L. vi. 868 Rutupina æquora, Rutupiæ is the modern Richborough

Sabean, Arabian

sad, serious, P.L. vi. 541 Salem, properly Salim, P.R. i. 21. See John iii. 23 Salmanassar, Shalmanezer, King of Assyria. See 2 Kings xvii. I salve, save, P.R. iv. 12 Samoed shore, in Siberia Samos, an island off the coast of Asai Minor near Ephesus (not in the Cyclades) sapient king, Solomon Sarra, Tyre, famous for its purple dye

« 이전계속 »