Character Sketches of Romance
Chapter 94 : _Mrs. Day_, wife of the "justice," full of vulgar dignity, overbearing, and l

_Mrs. Day_, wife of the "justice," full of vulgar dignity, overbearing, and loud. She was formerly the kitchen-maid of her husband's father; but being raised from the kitchen to the parlor, became my lady paramount.

In the comedy from which this farce is taken, "Mrs. Day" was the kitchen-maid in the family of Colonel Careless, and went by the name of Gillian. In her exalted state she insisted on being addressed as "Your honor" or "Your ladys.h.i.+p."

Margaret Woffington [1718-1760], in "Mrs. Day," made no scruples to disguise her beautiful face by drawing on it the lines of deformity, and to put on the tawdry habiliments and vulgar manners of an old hypocritical city vixen.--Thomas Davies.

_Abel Day_, a puritanical prig, who can do nothing without Obadiah.

This "downright a.s.s" (act i. I) aspires to the hand of the heiress Arabella.--T. Knight, _The Honest Thieves_.

This farce is a mere _rechauffe_ of _The Committee_, a comedy by the Hon. Sir R. Howard (1670). The names of "Day," "Obadiah," and "Arabella" are the same.

_Day (Ferquhard)_, the absentee from the clan Chattan ranks at the conflict.--Sir W. Scott, _Fair Maid of Perth_ (time, Henry IV.).

DAY OF THE DUPES, November 11, 1630. The dupes were Marie de Medicis, Anne of Austria, and Gaston, duc d'Orleans, who were outwitted by Cardinal Richelieu. The plotters had induced Louis XIII. to dismiss his obnoxious minister, whereupon the cardinal went at once to resign the seals of office; the king repented, re-established the cardinal, and he became more powerful than ever.

DAYS RECURRENT IN THE LIVES OF GREAT MEN.

BECKET. Tuesday was Becket's day. He was born on a Tuesday, and on a Tuesday was a.s.sa.s.sinated. He was baptized on a Tuesday, took his flight from Northampton on a Tuesday, withdrew to France on a Tuesday, had his vision of martydom on a Tuesday, returned to England on a Tuesday, his body was removed from the crypt to the shrine on a Tuesday, and on Tuesday (April 13, 1875) Cardinal Manning consecrated the new church dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket.

CROMWELL'S day was September 3. On September 3, 1650, he won the battle of Dunbar; on September 3, 1651, he won the battle of Worcester; on September 3, 1658, he died.

HAROLD'S day was October 14. It was his birthday, and also the day of his death. William the Conqueror was born on the same day, and, on October 14, 1066, won England by conquest.

NAPOLEON'S day was August 15, his birthday; but his his "lucky" day, like that of his nephew, Napoleon III., was the 2nd of the month. He was made consul for life on August 2, 1802; was crowned December 2, 1804; won his greatest battle, that of Austerlitz, for which he obtained the t.i.tle of "Great," December 2, 1805; married the archd.u.c.h.ess of Austria, April 2, 1810; etc.

NAPOLEON III. The _coup d'etat_ was December 2, 1851. Louis Napoleon was made emperor December 2, 1852; he opened, at Saarbruck, the Franco-German war August 2, 1870; and surrendered his sword to William of Prussia, September 2, 1870.

DAZZLE, in _London a.s.surance_, by D. Boucicault.

"Dazzle" and "Lady Gay Spanker" "act themselves," and will never be dropped out of the list of acting plays.--Percy Fitzgerald.

DE BOURGO (_William_), brother of the earl of Ulster and commander of the English forces that defeated Felim O'Connor (1315) at Athunree, in Connaught.

Why tho' fallen her brother kerne [_Irish infantry_]

Beneath De Bourgo's battle stern.

Campbell, _O'Connor's Child_.

DE COURCY, in a romance called _Women_, by the Rev. C.R. Maturin. An Irishman, made up of contradictions and improbabilities. He is in love with Zaira, a brilliant Italian, and also with her unknown daughter, called Eva Wentworth, a model of purity. Both women are blighted by his inconstancy. Eva dies, but Zaira lives to see De Courcy perish of remorse (1822).

DE GARD, a n.o.ble staid gentleman, newly lighted from his travels; brother of Oria'na, who "chases" Mi'rabel "the wild goose," and catches him.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Wild-goose Chase_ (1652).

DE L'EPeE (_Abbe_). Seeing a deaf and dumb lad abandoned in the streets of Paris, he rescues him, and brings him up under the name of Theodore. The foundling turned out to be Julio, count of Harancour.

"In your opinion, who is the greatest genius that France has ever produced?" "Science would decide for D'Alembert, Nature [_would_] say Buffon; Wit and Taste [_would_] present Voltaire; and Sentiment plead for Rousseau; but Genius and Humanity cry out for De l'Epee, and him I call the best and greatest of human creatures."--Th. Holcroft, _The Deaf and Dumb_, iii. 2. (1785).

DE VALMONT (_Count_), father of Florian and uncle of Geraldine. During his absence in the wars, he left his kinsman, the Baron Longueville, guardian of his castle; but under the hope of coming into the property, the baron set fire to the castle, intending thereby to kill the wife and her infant boy. When De Valmont returned and knew his losses, he became a wayward recluse, querulous, despondent, frantic at times, and at times most melancholy. He adopted an infant "found in a forest," who turned out to be his son. His wife was ultimately found, and the villainy of Longueville was brought to light.--W. Dimond, _The Foundling of the Forest._

Many "De Valmonts" I have witnessed in fifty-four years, but have never seen the equal of Joseph George Holman [1764-1817].--Donaldson.

DEAF AND DUMB (_The_), a comedy by Thomas Holcroft. "The deaf and dumb" boy is Julio, count of Harancour, a ward of M. Darlemont, who, in order to get possession of his ward's property, abandons him when very young in the streets of Paris. Here he is rescued by the Abbe De l'Epee, who brings him up under the name of Theodore. The boy being recognized by his old nurse and others, Darlemont confesses his crime, and Julio is restored to his rank and inheritance.--Th. Holcroft, _The Deaf and Dumb_ (1785).

DEAN OF ST. PATRICK (_The_), Jonathan Swift, who was appointed to the deanery in 1713, and retained it till his death. (1667-1745).

DEANS (_Douce Davie_), the cowherd at Edinburgh, noted for his religious peculiarities, his magnanimity in affection, and his eccentricities.

_Mistress Rebecca Deans_, Douce Davie's second wife.

_Jeanie Deans_, daughter of Douce Davie Deans, by his first wife. She marries Reuben Butler, the Presbyterian minister. Jeanie Deans is a model of good sense, strong affection, resolution, and disinterestedness. Her journey from Edinburgh to London is as interesting as that of _Elizabeth_ from Siberia to Moscow, or of Bunyan's pilgrim.

_Effie [Euphemia] Deans_, daughter of Douce Davie Deans, by his second wife. She is betrayed by George [afterward Sir George] Staunton (called _Geordie Robertson_) and imprisoned for child-murder. Jeanie goes to the queen and sues for pardon, which is vouchsafed to her, and Staunton does what he can to repair the mischief he has done by marrying Effie, who thus becomes Lady Staunton. Soon after this Sir George is shot by a gypsy boy, who proves to be his own son, and Effie retires to a convent on the Continent.--Sir W. Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II).

[Ill.u.s.tration] J.E.Millais has a picture of Effie Deans keeping tryst with George Staunton.

[Ill.u.s.tration] The prototype of Jeanie Deans was Helen Walker, to whose memory Sir W. Scott erected a tombstone in Irongray churchyard (Kirkcudbright).

DEAN (Elder). Rigid and puritaincal church, official who brings a charge of heretical opinions and blacksliding against his pastor's wife in _John Ward, Preacher_, Margaret Deland (1888).

DEATH OR MORS. So did Tennyson call Sir Ironside the Red Knight of the Red Lands, who kept Lyonors (for Liones) captive in Castle Perilous.

The name "Mors," which is Latin, is very inconsistent with a purely British tale, and of course does not appear in the original story.--Tennyson, _Idylls_ ("Gareth and Lynette"); Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 134-137 (1470).

DEATH FROM STRANGE CAUSES.

aeschylus was killed by the fall of a tortoise on his head from the claws of an eagle in the air.--Pliny, _Hist_. vii. 7.

Agath'ocles (4 _syl_.), tyrant of Sicily, was killed by a tooth-pick, at the age of 95.

Anacreon was choked by a grape stone.--Pliny, _Hist_. vii. 7.

Ba.s.sus (_Q. Lucilius_) died from the p.r.i.c.k of a fine needle in his left thumb.

Chalchas, the soothsayer, died of laughter at the thought of his having outlived the time predicted for his death.

Charles VIII., conducting his queen into a tennis-court, struck his head against the lintel, and it caused his death.

Fabius, the Roman praetor, was choked by a single goat-hair in the milk which he was drinking.--Pliny, _Hist_. vii. 7.

Frederick Lewis, prince of Wales, died from the blow of a cricket ball.

Itadach died of thirst in the harvest field, because (in observance of the rule of St. Patrick) he refused to drink a drop of anything.

Louis VI. met with his death from a pig running under his horse, and causing it to stumble. Margutte died of laughter on seeing a monkey try ing to pull on a pair of his boots.

Philom'enes (4 _syl_.) died of laughter at seeing an a.s.s eating the figs provided for his own dessert.--Valerius Maximus.

Placut (_Phillipot_) dropped down dead while in the act of paying a bill.--Backaberry the elder.

Quenelault, a Norman physician of Montpellier, died from a slight wound made in his hand in the extraction of a splinter.

Saufeius (_Spurius_) was choked supping up the alb.u.men of a soft-boiled egg.