Part 52 (1/2)
? The true hero of Ariosto's romance is Rogero, and not Orlando. It is with Rogero's victory over Rodomont that the poem ends. The concluding lines are:
Then at full stretch he [_Rogero_] raised his arm above The furious Rodomont, and the weapon drove Thrice in his gaping throat--so ends the strife, And leaves secure Rogero's fame and life.
=Orlando Innamora'to=, or _Orlando in love_, in three books, by Count Bojardo, of Scandiano, in Italy (1495). Bojardo supposes Charlemagne to be warring against the Saracens in France, under the walls of Paris. He represents the city to be besieged by two infidel hosts--one under Agramante, emperor of Africa, and the other under Grada.s.so, king of Sirica'na. His hero is Orlando, whom he supposes (though married at the time to Aldebella) to be in love with Angelica, a fascinating coquette from Cathay, whom Orlando had brought to France. (See ORLANDO FURIOSO.)
? Berni of Tuscany, in 1538, published a burlesque in verse on the same subject.
=Orleans=, a most pa.s.sionate innamorato, in love with Agripy'na.--Thomas Dekker, _Old Fortunatus_ (1600).
Orleans talks ”pure Biron and Romeo;” he is almost as poetical as they, quite as philosophical, only a little madder.--C. Lamb.
(”Biron,” in Shakespeare's _Love's Labor's Lost_; ”Romeo,” in his _Romeo and Juliet_.)
_Orleans_ (_Gaston, duke of_), brother of Louis XIII. He heads a conspiracy to a.s.sa.s.sinate Richelieu and dethrone the king. If the plot had been successful, Gaston was to have been made regent; but the conspiracy was discovered, and the duke was thwarted in his ambitious plans.--Lord Lytton, _Richelieu_ (1839).
_Orleans_ (_Louis, duc d'_), to whom the Princess Joan (daughter of Louis XI.) is affianced.--Sir W. Scott, _Quentin Durward_ (time, Edward IV.).
=Orlick= (_Dolge_), usually called ”Old Orlick,” though not above five and twenty, journeyman to Joe Gargery, blacksmith. Obstinate, morose, broad-shouldered, loose-limbed, swarthy, of great strength, never in a hurry, and always slouching. Being jealous of Pip, he allured him to a hut in the marshes, bound him to a ladder, and was about to kill him, when, being alarmed by approaching steps, he fled. Subsequently, he broke into Mr. Pumblechook's house, was arrested, and confined in the county jail. This surly, ill-conditioned brute was in love with Biddy, but Biddy married Joe Gargery.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Great Expectations_ (1860).
=Orloff Diamond= (_The_), the third largest cut diamond in the world, set in the top of the Russian sceptre. The weight of this magnificent diamond is 194 carats, and its size is that of a pigeon's egg. It was once one of the eyes of the idol Sheringham, in the temple of Brahma; came into the hands of the Shah Nadir; was stolen by a French grenadier and sold to an English sea-captain for 2000; the captain sold it to a Jew for 12,000; it next pa.s.sed into the hands of Shafras; and in 1775, Catherine II. of Russia gave for it 90,000. (See DIAMONDS.)
=Or'mandine= (3 _syl._), the necromancer who threw St. David into an enchanted sleep for seven years, from which he was reclaimed by St.
George.--R. Johnson, _The Seven Champions of Christendom_, i. 9 (1617).
=Orme= (_Victor_), a poor gentleman in love with Elsie.--Wybert Reeve, _Parted_.
=Ormond= (_The duke of_), a privy councillor of Charles II.--Sir W. Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).
=Ormston= (_Jock_), a sheriff's officer at Fairport.--Sir W. Scott, _The Antiquary_ (time, George III.).
=Ornithol'ogy= (_The Father of_), George Edwards (1693-1773).
=Oroma'zes= (4 _syl._), the principle of good in Persian mythology. Same as Yezad (_q.v._).
=Oroonda'tes= (5 _syl._), only son of a Scythian king, whose love for Statira (widow of Alexander the Great) led him into numerous dangers and difficulties, which, however, he surmounted.--La Calprenede, _Ca.s.sandra_ (a romance).
=Oroono'ko= (_Prince_), son and heir of the king of Angola, and general of the forces. He was decoyed by Captain Driver aboard his s.h.i.+p; his suite of twenty men were made drunk with rum; the s.h.i.+p weighed anchor; and the prince, with all his men, were sold as slaves in one of the West Indian Islands. Here Oroonoko met Imoin'da (3 _syl._), his wife, from whom he had been separated, and whom he thought was dead. He headed a rising of the slaves, and the lieutenant-governor tried to seduce Imoinda. The result was that Imoinda killed herself, and Oroonoko (3 _syl._) slew first the lieutenant-governor and then himself. Mrs. Aphra Behn became acquainted with the prince at Surinam, and made the story of his life the basis of a novel, which Thomas Southern dramatized (1696).
=Orozem'bo=, a brave and dauntless old Peruvian. When captured and brought before the Spanish invaders, Orozembo openly defied them, and refused to give any answer to their questions (act i. 1).--Sheridan, _Pizarro_ (altered from Kotzebue, 1799).