Page:Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.djvu/14

Rh ul-Latif (servant. of the Gracious One), etc.

Abdael (2 syl). George Monk, third Duke of Albemarle.

⁂ Tate's blunder for Abdial.

Abdall&prime;ah, the father of Mahomet, was so beautiful, that when he married Ami&prime;na, 200 virgins broke their hearts from disappointed love.—Washington Irving: Life of Mahomet.

Abdall&prime;ah. Brother and predecessor of Giaffir, pacha of Aby&prime;dos. He was murdered by Giaffir (2 syl).—Byron: Bride of Abydos.

Ab&prime;dals. Persian fanatics, who think it a merit to kill anyone of a different religion; and if slain in the attempt, are accounted martyrs.

Abde&prime;ra. A maritime town of Thrace, and in fable to have been founded by Abdēra, sister of Diomede. It was so overrun with rats that it was abandoned, and the Abderītans migrated to Macedonia.

Abderi&prime;tan. A native of Abdēra, a maritime city of Thrace. The Abderītans were proverbial for stupidity, hence the phrase, "You have no more mind than an Abderite." Yet the city gave birth to some of the wisest men of Greece: as Democrītos (the laughing philosopher), Protagōras (the great sophist), Anaxarchos (the philosopher and friend of Alexander), Hecatæos (the historian), etc.

Abderitan Laughter. Scoffing laughter, incessant laughter. So called from Abdēra, the birthplace of Democrītos, the laughing philospher.

 Ab&prime;derite (3 syl). A scoffer, so called from Democ&prime;ritos.

Abde&prime;rus. One of Herakles's friends, devoured by the horses of Diomede. Diomede gave him his horses to hold, and they devoured him.

Ab&prime;diel. The faithful seraph who withstood Satan when he the urged the angels to revolt (See Paradise Lost, Bk. v., lines 806, etc.)

Abeceda&prime;rian. One who teaches or is learning his A B C.

Abdecedarin Hymns. Hymns which began with the letter A, and each verse or clause following took up the letters of the alphabet in regular succession. (See .)

Abel and Cain. The Mahometan tradition of the death of Abel is this: Cain was born with a twin sister who was named Aclima, and Abel with a twin sister named Jumella. Adam wished Cain to marry Abel's twin sister, and Abel to marry Cain's. Cain would not consent to arrangement, and Adam proposed to refer the question to God by means of a sacrifice. God rejected Cain's sacrifice to signify his disapproval of his marriage with Aclima, his twin sister, and Cain slew his brother in a fit of jealousy.

 Abel Keene. A village schoolmaster, afterwards a merchant's clerk. He was led astray, lost his place, and hanged himself—Crabbe: Borough, Letter xxxi.

A&prime;belites (3 sl.), Abel&prime;ians, or Abelo&prime;nians. A sect of the fourth century, chiefly found in Hippo (N. Africa), They married, but lived in continence, as they affirm Abel did, The sect was maintained by adopting the children of others. No children of Abel being mentioned in Scripture, the Abelites assume that he had none.

Abes&prime;sa. The impersonation of Abbeys and Convents, represented by Spenser as a damsel. When Una asked if she had seen the Red Cross Knight, Abessa, frightened at the lion, ran to the cottage of blind Superstition, and shut the door. Una arrived, and the lion burst the door open. The meaning is, that at the Reformation, when Truth came, the abbeys and convents alarmed, and would not let Truth enter, but England (the lion) broke down the door,—Faērie Queen, i. 3.

Abesta. A book said to have been written by Abraham as a commentary on the Zend and the Pazend. It is furthermore said that Abraham read these three books in the midst of the furnace into which he was cast by Nimrod.—Persian Mythology.

Abey&prime;ance means something gaped after (French, bayer, to gape). The allusion is to men standing with their mouths open, in expectation of some sight about to appear.

Abhigit. The propitiatory sacrifice made by an Indian rajah who has slain a priest without premeditation.

Abhor&prime; (Latin, ab, away from, and, horreo to shrink; originally, to shudder,