contract, As'si-en'to. [Sp., seat, agreement.] A treaty or convention; specifically (Sp. Hist.), a convention between the king of Spain and some foreign power for the supply of negroes for the Spanish American colonies. The first Assiento was concluded with the Flemings by Charles I. of Spain. In 1713, it was transferred to England by the treaty of Utrecht, and afterward made over for thirty years by the English government to the South-Sea Company, which, however, in 1750, relinquished its rights to Spain, upon the payment of £100,000, and the concession of certain commercial advantages. [Written also, though rarely in English books, Asiento, which is the proper Spanish orthography.]

As-tar'te. (Myth.) The Punic name of the Syrian deity named Ashtaroth. See ASHTAROTH.

With these in troops
Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians called
Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns;
To whose bright image nightly by the moon
Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs;
In Sion also not unsung, where stood

Her temple on the offensive mountain, built
By that uxorious king, whose heart, though
large,

Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell
To idols foul.

Milton.

As'to-lăt. The name given to Guilford, in Surrey, in the old romances of the Arthurian cycle. As-tol'fo, or As-tol'pho. A celebrat

ed character in the romantic tales and poems founded upon the supposed adventures of Charlemagne and his paladins. Astolfo is represented as the English cousin of Orlando, being equally descended with him from Charles Martel. He is a boaster, and is perpetually undertaking great feats, which he is unable to perform; but he is generous, and brave to fool - hardiness, courteous, gay, and singularly handsome. In Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso," he is made to cure Orlando's madness by bringing home his lost wits in a phial from the moon, and noted for his magic horn, that routed armies with a blast.

In the hands of Antony Van Corlear, this windy instrument [the trumpet] appeared to

him as potent as the horn of the paladin Astolpho, or even the more classic horn of Alecto. W. Irving.

As-træ'a. 1. [Gr. 'Aorpaia.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) The goddess of justice, a daughter of Jupiter and Themis, or, according to others, of Astræus and Aurora. She was the last of all the deities who left the earth when the golden age had passed away; and, when she departed, shocked by the impiety of mankind, she took her place in heaven among the stars, as the constellation "Virgo," in the

zodiac.

2. A poetical name assumed by Mrs. Aphara, or Aphra, Behn, a dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the seventeenth century, notorious for the license of her life and writings.

The stage how loosely does Astræa tread! Pope. As'tro-phel. [A sort of metagrammatic translation of Phil. Sid., an abbreviation of Philip Sidney,-Sid. being taken as a contraction of the Latin sidus, a star, in Gr., йorρov, and Phil. standing for piños, a friend. Hence, Astrophil, star-friend, or friend of the star [Stella], changed to Astrophel, which is the name of a flowering plant called also starwort.] A name given by Sir Philip Sidney to himself in a series of poems entitled "Astrophel and Stella," in which he celebrated the praises of Penelope Devereux, to whom he was at one time betrothed. Spenser embalmed the mutual friendship of Sidney and himself in a pastoral ode entitled Astrophel." See STELLA, 1.

66

The long-winded strophes of the divine Astrophel. Sir W. Scott. As-ty'a-nax. [Gr. 'Aorvúvaš.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) The only son of Hector and Andromache. After the capture of Troy, the Greeks hurled him down from the walls of the city to prevent the fulfillment of a decree of fate, according to which he was to restore the kingdom of Troy. Ata-lan'tà. [Gr. 'Araλúvτn.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A princess of Scyros, or, according to others, of Arcadia, who was famed for her beauty.

She consented to marry that one of her numerous suitors who should outrun her; but he was to die who lost the prize. After many had perished, Hippomenes offered himself; and, by dropping at intervals three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, which Atalanta stopped to pick up, arrived first at the goal, and thus obtained her hand. Ã'te. [Gr. "Ατη.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A daughter of Jupiter, and the goddess of discord. The tragic writers describe her as the goddess of retribution.

Ath'el-stane. A prominent character

in Sir Walter Scott's novel of "Ivanhoe." He is thane of Coningsburgh, and is surnamed "The Unready.' A-the'ne. [Gr. 'Adývn.] (Myth.) One of the great female divinities of the Greeks; the same as the Minerva of the Romans. See MINERVA. [Written also Athena.]

priests of Egypt. He gives a beautiful picture of the interior of this imaginary land, and enriches it with a fabulous history. He says, that, nine thousand years before his time, the island suddenly sank into the sea, rendering it innayigable ever since by reason of the shoals of mud caused by the submersion of so great an ex

tent of land. At-lăn'tis, The New. The title of an allegorical fiction by Lord Bacon, and the name of an island described in it as being situated, like the Atlantis of the ancients, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Bacon represents himself as having been wrecked on this island, and as finding there an association for the cultivation of natural science and the promotion of improvements in the

arts.

Atlas. [Gr. 'Arλas.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) One of the Titans, son of Iapetus and Clymene. Being conquered by Jupiter, he was condemned to the labor of bearing on his head and hands the heaven he had attempted to destroy. Another account makes him a man metamorphosed into a mountain by Perseus. Atlas, Witch of. See WITCH OF ATLAS.

of the most cultivated and eminent Irishmen of the present day. Athens of the North. See NORTHERN ATHENS.

At-lan'teş (It. pron. åt-lån/tess). A famous enchanter, who figures in Bojardo's "Orlando Innamorato," and Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso," as the tutor of Rogero.

of Cyrus, queen of Cambyses, and afterward of Darius Hystaspis, by whom she had Xerxes. Herodotus speaks of her as a follower of Sappho.] A poetical name given by Pope to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, a great friend of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, whom Pope calls Sappho in his "Moral Essays," Ep.

II.

But what are these to great Atossa's mind? Scarce once herself, by turns all womankind. l'ope.

A'treûs. [Gr. 'Arpεús.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A son of Pelops and Hippodamia, grandson of Tantalus, and father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. A-tri'deş. [Gr. 'Arpεidns.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A patronymic used to designate Agamemnon, the son of Atreus.

At'ro-pos. [Gг. "Arроños, the inflexible, from a privative, and трÉπεv, to change.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) One of the three Parcæ, or Fates; the one that cut the thread of life.

Attic Bee, Epithets conferred by Attic Ho'mer. ( the ancients upon Sophocles (495-406, B. C.), the tragic poet of Athens, on account of the unrivaled beauty and sweetness of his productions.

Attic Muse. A title bestowed by the Greeks upon Xenophon (B. C. 450),

the celebrated historian, on account of the merit of his style, which was regarded as a model of simplicity and elegance. He is sometimes called The Muse of Greece. At'ti-cus. 1. A poetical name given by Pope to Addison in the "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" which forms the "Prologue to the Satires." Atticus was an epithet applied by the Romans to a person distinguished for his learning or eloquence.

2. A name given to George Faulkner (d. 1775), to whom Lord Chesterfield addressed, under this title, a series of ironical letters, which attained great celebrity.

3. A name given to Richard Heber (1773-1833), a famous English book-hunter, in Dibdin's "Biblio

mania."

Attorney-General to the Lantern.

[Fr. Procureur-Général de la Lanterne.] A title adopted by Camille Desmoulins (1762-1794), one of the earliest instigators of the French Revolution, in reference to the summary executions in the streets, when the mob took the law into their own hands, and hanged those whom they considered their opponents, by means of the long ropes to which the lamps were suspended.

A'tys. [Gr. "ATvs.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A beautiful Phrygian shepherd, beloved by Cybele, who made him her priest on condition of perpetual chastity; but he broke his vow, became insane, unmanned himself, and was changed into a fir-tree. [Written also Attys, Attis, Attes, Attin.]

Audhumbla (öŵd-hoom/blå). (Scand. Myth.) The name of a wonderful cow formed by the fiat of Alfadur, at the creation of the universe. She fostered the giant Ymir, and, by licking the salt rocks in Ginnunga-gap (from which she obtained her own nourishment), she occasioned the birth of Buri, the progenitor of the gods. Audhumbla represents the power of nature acting upon chaos. [Written also Audumbla and AudhumAudley, John. A name used by la.] theatrical performers, in the phrase, "We will John Audley it," when they intend to abridge an act or a play. [Written also John Orderley.]

"In the year 1749, Shuter was master of a droll at Bartholomew Fair, and it was his mode to lengthen the exhibition until a sufficient number of persons were gathered at the door to fill the house. This event was signified by a fellow popping his head in at the gallerydoor, and bellowing out, John Audley, as if in act of inquiry, though the intention was to let Shuter know that a fresh audience were in high expectation below. The consequence of this notification was, that the entertainments were immediately concluded, and the gates of the booth thrown open for a new auditory."

Pulleyn.

Au'drey. A country wench, in Shakespeare's "As You Like It."

"Audrey is the most perfect specimen of a wondering she-gawky. She thanks the gods she is foul, and, if to be poetical is not to be honest, she thanks the gods also that she is not poetical." Cowden Clarke.

She flourished the switch she held in her hand, dropped a courtesy as low as a lady at a birthnight introduction, recovered herself seemingly according to Touchstone's directions to Audrey, and opened the conversation without waiting till any questions were asked. Sir W. Scott.

Au'ge-as. [Gr. Avyéas.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) A king of Elis, one of the Argonauts. It was the fifth of the twelve labors of Hercules to cleanse his stables in one day of the filth which had been produced in them by 3000 head of cattle during thirty years. This he accomplished by leading the waters of the Alpheus and the Peneus through them. The fable of the Augean stables is often

Auld Hangie. A name popularly
given in Scotland to the Devil.
Auld Hornie. Among the Scotch, a
familiar name for the Devil, who is
often described and represented with
horns.

O thou! whatever title suit thee,
Auld Hornic, Satan, Nick, or Clootie,
Hear me, Auld Hangie, for a wee,
And let poor damnèd bodies be.

Burns.

Auld Reekie. A designation given to Edinburgh on account of its smoky appearance, as seen from a distance; or, according to others, on account of the uncleanliness of its public streets.

"This designation [Auld Reekie] reminds one, that the quarter of the city to which it particularly refers, presents, even to this day, the spectacle of the most flagrant violation of the most elementary rules for the preservation of public health and the maintenance of domestic decency." London Review.

Hech, sirs, but ye 've gotten a nasty, cauld, wet day for coming into Auld Reekie, as you kintra folks ca' Embro. M. Lindsay.

When my mind was quite made up to make Auld Reekie my head-quarters, I began to explore, in good earnest, for the purpose of discovering a suitable habitation. Sir W. Scott. Au-ro'ra (9). [Gr. "Aupios &pa, the golden hour.] (Rom. Myth.) The goddess of the morning, or of the dawn; sometimes described as the goddess of day. She had a passion for mortal youths, and carried off Clitus, Orion, and Tithonus. Aus'ter. (Rom. Myth.) A personification of the south wind.

Austrian Hyena. An appellation given to Julius Jakob von Haynau (1786-1853), an Austrian general distinguished for his sinister appearance,

and notorious for his ruthless cruelty to the prisoners particularly the female political prisoners - captured by the forces under his command, in the wars against Charles Albert of Sardinia and the Hungarians under Kossuth and Görgey.

Authentic Doctor. [Lat. Doctor Authenticus.] An honorary appellation conferred upon Gregory of Rimini (d. 1357), a celebrated scholar of the Middle Ages.

Au-tol'y-cus. 1. [Gr. AvTÓλUKOÇ.] (Gr. & Rom. Myth.) One of the Argonauts, a son of Mercury and Chione. He is very famous in ancient story as a successful robber, who had the power of metamorphosing both the stolen goods and himself.

2. A witty rogue in Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale."

A lively, bustling, arch fellow, whose pack and oaken ell-wand, studded duly with brass points, denoted him to be of Autolycus's profession, occupied a good deal of the attention, and furnished much of the amusement, of the evening. Sir W. Scott.

Av'a-lon. In Middle-Age romance, the name of an ocean island, and of a castle of loadstone upon it, "not far on this side of the terrestrial paradise;" represented as the abode of Arthur and Oberon and Morgaine la Fée. It is most fully described in the old French Romance of " 'Ogier le Danois."

“Avalon was perhaps the Island of the Blest of the Celtic mythology, and then the abode of the Fees, through the Breton Korrigan. Writers, however, seem to be unanimous in regarding it and Glastonbury as the same place, called an isle, it is stated, as being made nearly such by the river's embracement.' It was named Avalon, we are told, from the British word aval, an apple, as it abounded with orchards; and Ynys gwydrin, Saxon Glastn-ey, glassy isle, (Latin Glastonia,) from the green hue of the water surrounding it." Keightley. Avenel, White Lady of. See WHITE LADY OF AVENEL.

A-ver'nus (4). [Gr. "Aopvos.] (Rom. Myth.) Properly, a small, deep lake in Campania, occupying the crater of an extinct volcano, and almost completely shut in by steep and wooded heights. From its gloomy

and awful aspect, it was described by the Latin poets as the entrance to the lower world; but the name was often used to designate the lower world itself. Avernus was also regarded as a divine being. Ay'mer, Prior. A jovial Benedictine monk, prior of Jorvaulx Abbey, in Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe." Ay'mon. (Fr. pron. à'mon', 62.) A semi-mythical character who figures in the romances and romantic poems of the Carolian series. He is represented as Duke of Dordona (Dordogne), and father of four sons, Rinaldo, Guicciardo, Alardo, and Ricciardetto (or Renaud, Guiscard, Alard, and Richard), whose adventures are the subject of an old French romance, entitled "Les Quatre-Filz-Aymon,' by Huon de Villeneuve, a French poet of the age of Philip II. (1165– 1223).

A-za'zel. Among the ancient Jews, the name inscribed upon one of the lots cast by the high priest, on the day of atonement, to determine which of the two goats selected as a sin-offering should be the scape-goat, and which should be sacrificed to Jehovah. (See Lev. xvi.) There has been much discussion among biblical interpreters as to the meaning of the word Azazel. Some regard it as a designation of the goat itself; some as the name of the place to which he was sent; and others as the name of a personal being to whom he was sent. Tholuck and other critics render the word "for complete sending Ewald considers Azazel to away." have been a demon belonging to the pre-Mosaic religion. Another opinion identifies him with Satan, or the

Devil. Milton makes him Satan's standard-bearer.

That proud honor claimed Azazel as his right, a cherub tall;

Who forthwith from his glittering staff unfurled

The imperial ensign, which, full high advanced,

Shone like a meteor streaming to the wind, With gems and golden luster rich emblazed, Seraphic arms and trophies. Par. Lost, Bk. I. A'zo. The name given by Byron to the Prince of Este, in his poem of "Parisina." The poem is founded on fact, and the real name of the prince was Nicholas; but Lord Byron substituted Azo as being metrically preferable. See PARISINA.

Az'ra-el. [Heb., help of God.] In the Jewish and the Mohammedan mythology, the name of an angel who watches over the dying, and separates the soul from the body.

"The Mohammedan doctors say that Azrael . . . was commissioned to inflict the penalty of death on all mankind, and that, until the time of Mahomet, he visibly struck down before the eyes of the living those whose time for death was come; and although not invariably seen by by-standers, yet he was supposed to be always visible, in the very act of inflicting the mortal blow, to those whose souls he was summoned to take away. Mahomet, struck by the terrific effect which this produced upon men, entreated that the angel of death should take away the souls of men without this visible appearance; and, in consequence of the prayers of the prophet, it was no longer permitted, but men's souls were taken without their beholding the angelic form which removed them." Henry Christmas.