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IMPROVISE, to speak extemporaneously, JENNER, EDWARD, an English physician,

especially in verse. INCONVENIENT IGNORANCE, 181. INDIANS, The N. A., 299, 302, 382. INEXPUG NABLE, not to be subdued by force. INFLECTIONS OF THE VOICE, 41, 46. INNOCENT. The original Latin is in'nocens, and simply means, doing no hurt or harm. See p. 384. INSTRUCTION. (Lat. in and struo, I furnish, set in order.) Compare this with the derivation of the word education. INTANGIBLE, that cannot be touched. INTEMPERANCE, want of moderation, not in drinking only, but in eating, and any kind of indulgence INTENSE (Lat. intendo, I stretch), strained, ardent, vehement, extreme in degree. IO'NA, a small but famous island of the Hebrides, once the seat of an abbey, 371. IRVING, WASHINGTON, an admirable Ameri

can writer, born in the city of New York,
April 3, 1783. His style is pure and feli-
citous, and he has written no line "which
dying he could wish to blot."

Climate of the Catskill Mts., 111
Ferdinand and Isabella, 281.
The N. A. Indians, 382.

ISRAEL. By this name is sometimes under-
stood the person of Jacob, and sometimes
the people of Israël, the race of Jacob.
ITHURIEL'S SPEAR has reference to a pas-
sage in Milton's Paradise Lost (beginning
Book 4th, line 788), in which Ithuriel,
one of the good angels appointed to search
the garden, touches with his spear ("for
no falsehood can endure touch of celestial
temper ") the evil spirit, who, thereupon,
starts up "discovered and surprised."

JA (pronounced ya, the a either as in father

or water), an adverb in German, corresponding to our yes.

JACKSON, ANDREW, President of the United States from 1829 to 1837, was born in S. Carolina, in 1767; died, 1845. He commanded at the battle of N. Orleans, where he displayed great military capacity. Extract from, 288.

celebrated for having introduced, about
the year 1776, the practice of vaccination,
was born 1749, died 1823.
JERUSALEM, the capital of Palestine, and the
scene of the crucifixion of the Saviour, is
situated in the southern part of the coun-
try, about thirty miles from the sea. It
has been long in the hands of the Mahom
etans, and is now a ruinous place, with
about twenty thousand inhabitants, of
whom five thousand are Christians.
JEW, WANDERING, The (p. 442), an imagi-
nary personage, whose existence is de-
rived from a legend, that when our
Saviour was on his way to execution he
rested on a stone before the house of a
Jew, named Ahasuerus, who drove him
away with curses; whereupon, Jesus re-
plied, "Wander thou upon the earth till
I return." The fable runs, that the Jew,
racked with remorse, has ever since been
wandering over the earth. There is no
foundation in reason or history for this
legend, but it has been made the subject
of stories by many writers, and there are
many allusions to it in literature.
JEWELL, JOHN, an English bishop in the
time of Queen Elizabeth. He was an
elegant Latin scholar; b. 1522, d. 1571.
JOAN OF ARC, 259.

JOHN LITTLEJOHN, a poem, 336.
JOHNSON, DR. SAMUEL, born at Litchfield,
Eng., 1709; died 1784. His is one of the
greatest names in English literature. His
style, though somewhat pompous and
wanting flexibility to modern ears, is
wielded by him with a peculiar mastery.
He was the compiler of the first good
dictionary of the English language.
biography, written by Boswell, is a store-
house of literary portraiture and informa
tion, 371.

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JOVE (from Jovis, the genitive of Jupiter),

the name of the supreme deity among the Romans.

JUBAL is spoken of in the Bible (Gen. 4: 21) as "the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."

JUDAH, the name of the fourth son of Jacob and Leah; also of a tribe; and, finally, of a kingdom occupying the southern part of Palestine. The name Jew is derived from it.

JULY is so named from Julius Cæsar, who reformed the calendar, so that this month stood, as it does now with us, the seventh in order.

JUNE, the sixth month, so named, according to some, from Juno; others say, from Junius Brutus.

JACOBIN. In French history, a political club, during the first revolution, bore this name, having taken it from holding their meetings in the hall of a suppressed Jacobin monastery. The members were the most sanguinary and violent of the revolutionists; and Jacobinism came to mean a factious and bloody radicalism. ANUARY, the first month of the year. By some the name is derived from Janus, a Roman divinity; by others, from janua, a gate. JEFFERSON, THOMAS, third President of the United States, was born in Virginia, in 1743, and died on the 4th July, 1826, simultaneously with John Adams, the second president. It was Jefferson whoJU'VE-NAL, one of the most caustic of the drew up the famous Declaration of Independence, 381. Extract from, 287. JEFFREY, FRANCIS, Lord, famous as a critic, b. in Scotland 1773, d. 1850.

On the Steam-engine, 405.

JUPITER, in mythology, the Latin name of the deity called by the Greeks Zeus: it is derived from that word, with the addition pater, father. See Jove.

Roman satirists; and he may be called the last of the Roman poets. He died A. D. 128.

KARR, ALPHONSE, a French writer, distin

guished for his taste and knowledge in
botany. See pp. 125, 353.
KEBLE, REV. JOHN, an English devotional
poet, much esteemed, 59, 113.

KEEN. The use of this word as a verb (as
on p. 128) is very unusual.
KHAN (pronounced kawn), in Persia a gov
ernor of a province.
KOSCIUS'KO, THADDEUS, a Polish general
and patriot; b. 1746, d. 1817. Joining
the American cause, he served under
Washington during the revolution. Re-
turning home, he twice bravely attempted
to free his native country, but, being
wounded and taken prisoner in 1794,
passed the rest of his days in exile.
KEY-STONE, the stone on the top or middle
of an arch or vault, which, being wider
at the top than at the bottom, enters like
a wedge, and binds the work.
KNOWLES, JAMES SHERIDAN, a dramatic

writer and an actor; born in Ireland, in
1784. He is the author of many success-
ful plays. In the latter part of his life he
became a Baptist preacher.

The Abuse of Genius, by, 147.

LABAUME (pronounced La-bom, the first a
as in father). Eugene Labaume was a
colonel in the French army, who wrote a
graphic account of Bonaparte's campaign,
described p. 327.

LA BRUYERE, JOHN DE, an eminent French
writer, b. 1644, d. 1696.
"LA'CONISM, a short and pointed saying, so
termed from the celebrity which the Lace-
dæmonians (or people of Laconia) an-
ciently had for their brief and sententious
mode of expressing themselves; so that
this mode is still called laconic. The
work entitled "Lacon " (quoted p. 78)
was by Colton, an English clergyman.
LAMB, MARY, a sister of the celebrated
English humorist, Charles Lamb, who died
1834. See p. 77.

LAMARTINE, ALPHONSE DE, distinguished as
a poet, orator, historian, and politician,
was born at Macon, in France, in 1790.
He rose to great distinction during the
revolution of 1848, but was superseded
because of his liberal and popular tenden-
cies. Extracts from, 291, 393.
LAMMENAIS, Félicité Robert, Abbé, a dis-
tinguished French ecclesiastic, politician,
and author; b. 1782, d. 1854.
The Poor Exile, 82.
Efficacy of Prayer, 318.
LANGUET, pronounced Lang-gwā', the first
a as in father, 172.

LARBOARD, the left side of a vessel, looking
forward.

LARDNER, DR. D., 138.

LARK, a name given to a genus of birds, of
which the sky-lark is much celebrated by
European poets. It is one of those few
birds that chant whilst on the wing.
When it first rises from the earth, its
notes are feeble and interrupted; as it
ascends, however, they gradually swell to
their full tone, and long after the bird
has reached a height where it is lost to

the eye, it still continues to charm the ear
with its melody. The sky-lark is not
found in the United States, but we have
the shore-lark, resembling it in some re-
spects, but an inferior bird. See Lines
to a Sky-lark, p. 415.

LATIN, the language spoken by the ancient
Romans, or the inhabitants of Latium,
whence its name.

LAUNCH OF THE SHIP, 143.
LAUREATE. Literally, crowned with laurels.
In England the "poet laureate" is an
officer of the king's household, whose
duty it was, formerly, to write odes on
royal birthdays. Southey was laureate
for several years; and Alfred Tennyson
held the office in 1854.

LAUREL. The ancient laurel was a species
of evergreen shrub or bay-tree, with the
leaves and branches of which it was the
custom to crown the victors in various
games.

LEAD. "The plunging lead," 191. An
allusion to the practice of "heaving the
lead" on ship-board, on approaching a
coast, to learn the depth of the water.
The lead used for sounding is in the shape
of a cone, with a small hole at the base,
into which some grease is put, that sand
or mud may adhere.

LE-AN'DER, a famous youth of Aby'dos, who
swam every night across the Hellespont
to visit Hero, his lady-love. During a
stormy night he perished in the waves.
LEARNING TO WRITE, 87.
LEEWARD (pronounced lu'ard), the lee side;
that is, the side opposite to that from
which the wind blows, which is called
windward. A lee shore is the shore
upon which the wind is blowing.
LEIBNITZ (Lib'nitz), an eminent mathema-
tician and philosopher, born in Leipsic,
1646, died 1716.

LEIPSIC (Lip'sic), the largest commercial
town of Eastern Germany, celebrated for
its extensive book trade.

LE SAGE, Alain René, a celebrated French
novelist and dramatic writer, b. 1668, d.
1747. He is principally remembered for
his novel of "Gil Blas," which first ap-
peared in 1715.

Gil Blas and the Archbishop, 340.
Gil Blas and the Parasite, 429.
LESSON. The Latin word from which this
is derived means simply to read; thus
indicating that reading should hold a
primary rank in a pupil's lessons, since
it gives its name to the word.
LE'VER (Lat. le-va-rë, to raise or lift up), a
bar for raising a great weight by turning
on a fulcrum or prop; the second me-
chanical power.

LEYDEN, JOHN, a Scotch poet and scholar,
b. 1755, d. 1806, from over-study. See
p. 171.
LIBRARY. In this word we have a record
of the fact that books were once written on
the bark (liber in Latin) of trees.
LIEBIG (pronounced Lee'-big), JUSTUS, a
distinguished chemist, b. in Germany, in
1803. On Light, 406.

LIEUTENANT This word is composed of
two French words, lieu, place, and ten-
ant, holding, and it generally means an
officer who supplies the place of a supe-
rior in his absence. The word has been
adopted into the English language, and,
according to Webster, it may be pro-
nounced either lu-ten'ant or lef-ten'-
ant. It is difficult to account for the
latter mode. Was it suggested by the
words left tenant? These would be
equally expressive of the nature of the
office.

LIFE-BOAT, THE, a poem, 89.

LILY. "The lilies of France," 259. The lily,
or rather the fleur-de-lis, was adopted
as a royal emblem by Louis VII., of
France, 1179.

LILLIPUTIAN, diminutive; from Swift's satir-
ical account of Gulliver in Lilliput.
LIM'BO (Lat. limbus, a hem or edge), a re-
gion supposed by some theologians and
poets to lie on the edge or border of
hell.

LINGARD, DR. JOHN, an English priest, au-
thor of a history of England; b. 1770, d.
1851. Extract from, 283.

LINGUIST (Lat. lingua, the tongue), a per
son skilled in languages.

LINNA US, or Linne, Charles von, the most
celebrated of modern naturalists, and the
founder of the present botanic system, was
born in Sweden in 1707, d. 1778. Ex-
tract from, 316.

LION AND SPANIEL, The, 139.
LITERATURE, On, 267, 345, 389.
LITURGY (Gr. leiton, public, ergon, a
work), anciently a public work, or office;
now applied to a form or ritual of public
worship in certain Christian churches.
LIVERY, a word believed to be derived from
the delivery of clothes by masters to their
servants; a particular garb or dress.
LLOYD, ROBERT, an English poet, b. 1733,
d. 1764.

On Expression in Reading, 155.
LOGIC (Gr. logos, speech) has been defined

the science, and also the art, of reasoning.
LONGEVITY, length of life, long life.
LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH, an ac-
complished American poet and scholar,
born 1807.

Launch of the Ship, 143.
Excelsior, 285.

LOUIS XIV. (pronounced Loo-ee), King of
France from 1651 to 1715. Literature
and the arts flourished remarkably under
his reign.

LOWERTZ. Pronounced Lo-vairtz'.
LUCIFER (Lat. lux, light, fero, I bring),
literally, the light-bringer; the name of
the planet Venus when seen in the morn-
ing before sunrise. See Hesperus. The
name of Lucifer is sometimes applied to
Satan.

LUNGS, Complaint of a pair, 360.
LUTIST AND NIGHTINGALE, 295.
LYC'IDAS (Lis'sedas). The title of a cele-
brated poem by Milton, an extract from
which is given, p. 410. Under this name
the poet laments the death of his friend,

Henry King, drowned in sailing from
England to Ireland.

LYING. The proverb, p. 65, condenses into
a few words a volume of exhortation
against running in debt; the most de-
basing effect of which is, that it surely
leads to equivocation and lying.

LYRICAL. A lyric, or a lyrical poem, was
formerly one composed to be sung to the
music of the lyre. The word now applies
to a large class of poems, adapted either
to singing or recitation, and distinguished,
both in their structure and their brevity,
from epic and didactic poems. See Ode.
LYTTON, SIR EDWARD BULWER, an English
baronet, and well-known author, b. 1800.
His surname was changed from Bulwer.
Is Knowledge Power, 240.
Mary Stuart, 247.

The Treasures by the Way, 423.
The Souls of Books, 425.
Translation from Sophocles, 436.

M'CARTHY, D. F., a young Irish poet, 179.
MCLEAN, JOHN, a judge of the Supreme
Court of the United States. Extract
from, 289.

MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON, distin-
guished as a critic, poet, and historian,
was born in England in 1800.
The Puffers, 162.

Death of Addison, 245.

Progress of Civilization, 338.
MACE, a club or staff, being an ensign of
office, gilt, and surmounted with a crown
or globe.

MACEDON (pronounced Mass'e-don), the
name by which ancient Macedonia. a
country in Europe, north of Greece, is
sometimes called.

MACKAY, CHARLES, 156, 336.
MADISON, JAMES, President ef the United
States for two terms, was born in Virginia
March 16th, 1751. He took a leading
part in the convention which adopted the
Federal Constitution, was a member of
Congress from 1789 to 1797, was ap-
pointed by Jefferson Secretary of State in
1801, and was first elected to the Presi-
dency in 1809. He died, much respected-
in 1836. See Wirt's vindication of him,
p. 431.

MANITOU (pronounced Ma-nee'too), an In-
dian name for the Great Spirit.
MANKIND. Man kinned, or related, is the
original Saxon meaning of this word.
What a lesson of human brotherhood is
lodged in it!

MANOEUVRE. Pronounced ma-nu'-vůr.
MANSFIELD, WM. MURRAY, a celebrated
Scottish lawyer, b. 1705, d. 1783. He
was Chief-justice of the King's Bench, and
was made an earl.

MAR'ATHON, a plain in Greece where a cele-
brated battle was fought B. C. 490, in
which ten thousand Athenians routed an
army of one hundred and ten thousand
Persians.

MARCH, the first month of the Roman year,
and the third of the English. It has its
name from Mars.

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MARS, the god of war among the ancient Romans.

MARTYRDOM (Gr. martur, a witness), literally, the suffering of death on account of one's adherence to the truth. MARY STUART. See pp. 244, 247. MASSANIEL'LO, a poor fisherman of Naples, who, in 1647, headed a rebellion against the Spanish viceroy, became governor of Naples, and caused sixty of the principal palaces to be reduced to ashes. He was treacherously induced to lay down his arms, and was finally shot dead by four conspirators, formerly his friends. MATERIALIST, one who believes that all existence may be resolved into modifications of matter, independent of spirit. MATHEMATICS (Gr. mathesis, learning), the science which treats of whatever can be numbered or measured.

MAUDLIN, stupid, fuddled. The derivation of this word is singular; it being a corruption of Magdalen, the penitent, who is generally drawn by painters with eyes red and swelled with weeping. MAUGRE (maw'ger), in spite of. MAY, the fifth month of our year, but the third of the Roman. The derivation of the name is uncertain.

MAYER, BRANTZ, an American writer, formerly secretary of legation in Mexico, and author of an excellent work on that country, 205.

MEDICINE (měd-de-sin). The Latin root is medeor, I heal. MEDITERRANEAN (Lat. medius, middle, and terra, land), enclosed or nearly enclosed with land; as the Mediterranean Sea, between Europe and Africa. The English translation may be Midland. MELODY (Gr. meli, honey, and ōde, song or tune), sweet song or sound. In music, it differs from harmony in being an arrangement of sounds for a single voice or instrument.

MEMBER. The Latin root of this word is membrum, a limb of the animal body. MEMENTO MORI. Two Latin words, signifying be mindful of death.

MENTOR, a wise friend and counsellor, so called from Mentor, the faithful adviser of Ulysses, who, during his absence at the siege of Troy, intrusted to him the care of his domestic affairs, and the education of his son Telemachus. MENTZ, a city of Germany, at the conflux of the Rhine and Maine. John Faust and John Guttenberg are believed to have invented printing here, about the year 1442. MERCURY, a Roman divinity of commerce and gain. His mercantile character is clear from his name, said to be formed from mercor, I traffic. In the Solar System, Mercury is the name of the planet nearest the sun. MERRICK, JAMES, an English divine and poet, b. 1720, d. 1766. His capital fable of the Chameleon (p. 413) has been superseded by nothing better of its kind.

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METAPHYSICS (Gr. meta, after, and phusis, nature), the science of mind or intelli gence.

MEXICO, VALLEY of, 205. MICROSCOPE (Gr. mikros, little, and skopeo, I view), an optical instrument which enables us to see objects too minute to be seen by the naked eye, 406. MIDLAND SEA. See Mediterranean. MILKY WAY. See Galaxy. MILMAN, REV. HENRY HART, an English poet and historian, b. 1791. See p. 385. MILTON, JOHN, ranked with Shakspeare as the foremost of English poets, author of that immortal poem, Paradise Lost, was born in London in 1608, died 1674. An affection of the eyes, brought on by intense study, terminated in blindness, to which he makes touching allusions in his poems.

Eulogy on, 146.

Extracts from, 348, 410.

MINISTER. In politics, a servant of the sovereign executive power in a state; generally speaking, the head of a department or branch of government. In G. Britain, the responsible head is called prime minister.

MIRABEAU (pronounced meer-ah-bo^), the most eloquent of the political orators of France; b. 1749, d. 1791. His contemporaries speak of the effects of his eloquence as surprising and irresistible. Extracts from, 270.

MISOCAP'NOS. From two Greek words, sig
nifying a smoke-hater.
MITCHELL, Professor O. M., a distinguished
American astronomer, director of the
Observatory at Cincinnati.

First Predictor of an Eclipse, 174. MITHRIDATES (Mithri-da'tēs), a King of Pontus, who, to evade designs against his life, accustomed himself to poisons, by the aid of antidotes. He was conquered by Pompey, 66 B. C. Seeing that death or captivity was inevitable, he took poison; but his constitution had been so inured to it, that it failed of effect, and he called in one of his men to despatch him by the sword. MOD'ICUM (Lat.), a pittance, a small quantity.

Mor'ETY, the half of a thing. MON'AD (Gr., monas, unity, from mŏnos, alone), an indivisible particle; atom. MONDAY, the second day of the week, means literally moon-day, or the day of the

moon.

MONOPOLY (Gr. monos, alone, and poleo, I sell), the exclusive right of selling or possessing a thing.

MONTGOMERY, JAMES, an English devotional poet, b. 1771. He is the author of "Leo. tures on Poetry." See p. 160.

MONUMENT (Lat. meneo, I admonish), a

memorial for perpetuating the remembrance of an event; a tomb or pillar. MOORE, THOMAS, an Irish poet and songwriter, b. 1780, d. 1852. He was a great master of elegant diction, and elaborated his productions highly. Adoration, 76.

The Carrier-Pigeon, 137.
The Flying-Fish, 217.

The Banyan-Tree, 311.
MOORS; a class of the inhabitants of West-

ern Africa, particularly of the States of Fez and Morocco. They are of Arabian origin, and strict Mahometans. Moor. The root of this word is the same as that of to meet. Moot-points are points to be mooted or debated ; dis'putable points.

MORE RICHER (p. 372). The double comparison, often used in Shakspeare's time, is now regarded as ungrammatical. MORE, SIR THOMAS, a celebrated chancellor of England, who succeeded Cardinal Wolsey as lord high chancellor in 1530, and filled the office three years with scrupulous integrity. For his conscientious refusal to take the oath of supremacy in favor of that brutal and bloody-minded king, Henry VIII., he was beheaded, July 6, 1535, at the age of fifty-five. He was the author of the celebrated political romance of "Utopia."

MOSES, the great legislator of the Hebrews, was born in Egypt about 1600 B. C. The moral law, embraced in the ten commandments, as given to him from Mount Sinai, continues to find its response in the inmost conscience and highest convictions of the pure in heart.

MOULT, to shed the feathers. MOUNTFORD, WM., Extract from, 367. MULTIFORM, having various forms. Multi, in Lat., is the plural of multus, many. MULTIFA'RIOUS, having great diversity. MUN'DANE (Lat. mundus, the world), belonging to this world; earthly. MUNICIPAL, pertaining to a town, city or district; to a state or kingdom; municipality, the government of a city, or it may mean a district corresponding to a ward.

MURAT (Murah'), Joachim, one of the brav

est of Napoleon's generals; b. in France in 1771. Raised to the throne of Naples in 1808, subsequent reverses placed him in the power of a court-martial, by whose order he was shot, Oct. 13, 1815. MUSES. In the Greek and Roman mythology, nymphs or inferior divinities, supposed to preside over literature, science and the liberal arts. Originally these were supposed to be only three: Memory, Meditation and Song. Their number was ultimately extended to nine. See Amuse.

MYSORE', a principality of South India, the Rajah of which is tributary to the British.

MYTHOLOGY (Gr. muthos, fable, and logos, discourse). By the mythology of a people,

we understand the collective body of its

traditions respecting its gods and other fabulous preternatural beings.

NAPO'LEON. See Bonaparte. NATURALIST, one versed in the science of nature, or of the laws impressed on bodies or beings by divine power.

NEEDLE. The small pointed piece of steel, touched with a loadstone, used in the mariner's compass, is thus called. Mod ern science has explained the variation which surprised Columbus and his men. NEIGHBOR. The Saxon original simply means a boor, or countryman, living nigh; a nigh-boor.

NEPTUNE, in Roman mythology, the deity who presided over the sea.

NEWTON, SIR ISAAC, the greatest of English philosophers, was born in Lincolnshire, Dec. 25th, 1642; died 1727. His three great discoveries, of fluxions, the nature of light and colors, and the laws of gravitation, were conceived before the com pletion of his twenty-fourth year, By witnessing the fall of an apple in his garden, he was led into a train of reflection, which resulted in his theory of gravitation. He was a sincere Christian, as well as a profound mathematician. Certain passages in the prophecies of the Bible led him to infer that men would one day be able to travel at the rate of fifty miles an hour. Voltaire, the French scoffer, who did not believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures, sneered at Newton for this, as a credulous "old dōtard." But who is the dotard now, when to travel fifty miles an hour on our railroads is a common achievement !

NICHT GUT. As nearly as the pronunciation of these words can be expressed in English, it is, neekht goot. See p. 181. NIEBUHR, BARTHOLD GEORGE, the historian of Rome, was born in Denmark, 1776; died 1830.

Perseverance under Failure, 369. NIEMEN (Nemen), a river of Russian Po

land.

NIEPCI, a French artist, who preceded Da guerre in certain experiments, which were preliminary to the invention of the Da guerreotype. See p. 379.

NILE, a large river of Africa, which flows through Nubia and Egypt; supposed to rise in the Mountains of the Moon; but its source has not yet been fixed with certainty. The proverb, p. 65, Fling him into the Nile, &c., is meant to charac terize those brave spirits who even from adversity extract something good; who are never so baffled by misfortune as not to make it surrender something for their benefit, if not to the body, to the soul. NODE (Lat. nodus, a knot), in Astronomy, the point where the orbit of a planet in tersects the ecliptic.

NOR DID NOT. In English this use of a double negative is ungrammatical, except when an affirmative meaning is intended. In Shakspeare's time the rule was often unheeded.

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