Character Sketches of Romance
Chapter 102 : _The Most Resolute Doctor_, Durand de St. Pourcain (1267-1332)._The Perspicuous Doctor

_The Most Resolute Doctor_, Durand de St. Pourcain (1267-1332).

_The Perspicuous Doctor_, Walter Burley (fourteenth century).

_The Profound Doctor_, Thomas Bradwardine (_-1349).

_The Scholastic Doctor_, Anselm of Laon (1050-1117).

_The Seraphic Doctor_, St. Bonaventura (1211-1274).

_The Solemn Doctor_, Henry Goethals (1227-1293).

_The Solid Doctor_, Richard Middleton (_-1304).

_The Subtle Doctor_, Duns Scotus (1265-1308), or _Most Subtle Doctor_.

_The Thorough Doctor_, William Varro (thirteenth century).

_The Universal Doctor_, Alain de Lille (1114-1203); Thomas Aquinas, (1224-1274).

_The Venerable Doctor_, William de Champeaux (_-1126).

_The Well-founded Doctor_, aegidius Roma.n.u.s (_-1316).

_The Wise Doctor_, John Herman Wessel (1409-1489).

_The Wonderful Doctor_, Roger Bacon (1214-1292).

DOCTOR'S TALE _(The)_, in Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_, is the Roman story of Virginius given by Livy. This story is told in French in the _Roman de la Rose_, ii. 74, and by Gower in his _Confessio Amantis_, vii. It has furnished the subject of a host of tragedies: for example, in _French_, Mairet (1628); Leclerc (1645); Campestron (1683); Chabenon (1769); Laharpe (1786); Leblanc de Guillet (1786); Guiraud (1827); Latour St. Ybars (1845). In _Italian_, Alfieri (1784); in _German_, Lessing (1775); and in _English_, Knowles, (1829).

DOCTOR'S WIFE _(The,)_ a novel by Miss Braddon, adapted from _Madam Bovary_, a French novel.

DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH. The _Greek_ Church recognizes four doctors, viz., St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. John Chrysostom. The _Latin_ Church recognizes St. Augustin, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose and St. Gregory _the Great_.

DODGER _(The Artful_), the sobriquet of Jack Dawkins, an artful thievish young scamp, in the boy crew of f.a.gin the Jew villain.--C.

d.i.c.kens, _Oliver Twist_, viii. (1837).

DODINGTON, whom Thomson invokes in his _Summer_, is George Bubb Dodington, lord Melcomb-Regis, a British statesman. Churchill and Pope ridiculed him, while Hogarth introduced him in his picture called the "Orders of Periwigs."

DOD'IPOL, _(Dr.)_, any man of weak intellect, a dotard. Hence the proverb, _Wise as Dr. Dodipoll_, meaning "_not wise at all._"

DODON or rather DODOENS _(Rembert)_ a Dutch botanist (1517-1585), physician to the emperors Maximilian II. and Rudolph II. His works are _Frumentomm et Leguminum Historia; Florum Historia; Purgantium Radic.u.m Herbarum Historia; Stirpium Historia_; all included under the general t.i.tle of "The History of Plants."

"Of these most helpful herbs yet tell we but few, To those unnumbered sorts, of simples here that grew, Which justly to set down ee'n Dodon short doth fall."

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, xiii. (1613)

DO'DONA in (Epiros), famous for the most ancient oracle in Greece. The responses were made by an old woman called a _pigeon_, because the Greek word _pelioe_ means either old "women" or "pigeons." According to fable, Zeus, gave his daughter Thebe two black pigeons endowed with the gift of human speech: one flew into Libya, and gave the responses in the temple of Ammon: the other into Epiros, where it gave the responses in Dodona.

We are told that the priestess of Dodona derived her answers from the cooing of the sacred doves, the rustling of the sacred trees, the bubbling of the sacred fountain and the tinkling of bells or pieces of metal suspended among the branches of the trees.

And Dodona's oak sw.a.n.g lonely, Henceforth to the tempest only.

Mrs. Browning, _Dead Pan_, 17.

DODS (_Meg_), landlady of the Clachan or Mowbery Arms inn at St.

Ronan's Old Town. The inn was once the manse, and Meg Dods reigned there despotically, but her wines were good and her cuisine excellent.

This is one of the best low comic characters in the whole range of fiction.

She had hair of a brindled color, betwixt black and grey, which was apt to escape in elf-locks from under her mutch when she was thrown into violent agitation; long skinny hands terminated by stout talons, grey eyes, thin lips, a robust person, a broad though fat chest, capital wind, and a voice that could match a choir of fishwomen.--Sir W. Scott. _St. Ronan's Well_, i (time George III.).

(So good a housewife was this eccentric landlady, that a cookery-book has been published bearing her name; the auth.o.r.ess is Mrs. Johnstone, a Scotchwoman.)

DODSON, a young farmer, called upon by Death on his wedding day. Death told him he must quit his Susan and go with him. "With you!" the hapless husband cried; "young as I am and unprepared?" Death then told him he would not disturb him yet, but would call again after giving him three warnings. When he was 80 years of age, Death called again.

"So soon returned!" old Dodson cried. "You know you promised me three warnings." Death then told him that as he was "lame and deaf and blind," he had received his three warnings.--Mrs. Thrale, [Piozzi], _The Three Warnings_.

DODSON AND FOGG (Messrs.), two unprincipled lawyers, who undertake on their own speculation to bring an action against Mr. Pickwick for "breach of promise" and file accordingly the famous suit of "Bardell _v_. Pickwick."--C. d.i.c.kens, _The Pickwick Papers_ (1836).

DOE _(John)_ and _Richard Roe_, the fict.i.tious plaintiff and defendant in an action of ejectment. Men of straw.

DOEG, Saul's herdsman, who told him that the priest Abim'elech.

had supplied David with food; whereupon the king sent him to kill Abimelech, and Doeg slew priests to the number of four score and five (1 _Samuel_ xxii. 18). In pt. ii. of the satire called _Absalom and Achitophel_, Elkaneh Settle is called Doeg, because he "fell upon"

Dryden with his pen, but was only a "herdsman or driver of a.s.ses."

Doeg, tho' without knowing how or why, Made still a blundering kind of melody.

Let him rail on ...

But if he jumbles to one line of sense, Indict him of a capital offense.

Tate, _Absalom and Achitophel_, ii. (1682).

DOG _(Agrippa's)._ Cornelius Agrippa had a dog which was generally suspected of being a spirit incarnate.

_Arthur's Dog_ "Cavall."

_Dog of Belgrade_, the camp suttler, was named "Clumsey."

_Lord Byron's Dog_, "Boatswain." It was buried in the garden of Newstead Abbey.

_Dog of Catherine de Medicis_, "Phoebe," a lap dog.

_Cuthullin's Dog_ was named "Luath," a swift-footed hound.

_Dora's Dog_, "Jip."--C. d.i.c.kens, _David Copperfield._

_Douglas's Dog_, "Luffra." _Lady of the Lake._

_Erigone's Dog_ was "Moera." Erigone is the constellation _Virgo_, and Moera the star called _Canis_.