Part 114 (1/2)

=Rig'olette= (3 _syl._), a grisette and courtezan.--Eugene Sue, _Mysteries of Paris_ (1842-3).

_Rigoletto_, an opera, describing the agony of a father obliged to witness the violation of his own daughter.--Verdi, _Rigoletto_ (1852).

? The libretto of this opera is borrowed from Victor Hugo's drama _Le Roi s'Amuse_.

=Rimegap= (_Joe_), one of the miners of Sir Geoffrey Perveril[TN-127] of the Peak.--Sir W. Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).

=Rimini= (_Francesca di_), a woman of extraordinary beauty, daughter of the lord of Ravenna. She was married to Lanciotto Malatesta, signore of Rimini, a man of great bravery, but deformed. His brother, Paolo, was extremely handsome, and with him Francesca fell in love. Lanciotto, detecting them in criminal intercourse, killed them both (1389).

This tale forms one of the episodes of Dante's _Inferno_; is the subject of a tragedy called _Francesca di Rimini_, by Silvio Pellico (1819); and Leigh Hunt, about the same time, published his _Story of Rimini_, in verse.

=Rimmon=, seventh in order of the hierarchy of h.e.l.l: (1) Satan, (2) Beelzebub, (3) Moloch, (4) Chemos, (5) Thammuz, (6) Dagon, (7) Rimmon, whose chief temple was at Damascus (2 _Kings_ v. 18).

Him [_Dagon_] followed Rimmon, whose delightful seat Was fair Damascus on the fertile banks Of A'bana and Pharpar, lucid streams.

Milton, _Paradise Lost_, i. 467, etc. (1665).

=Rinaldo=, son of the fourth Marquis d'Este, cousin of Orlando, and nephew of Charlemagne. He was the rival of Orlando in his love for Angelica, but Angelica detested him. Rinaldo brought an auxiliary force of English and Scotch to Charlemagne, which ”Silence” conducted safely into Paris.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

_Rinaldo_, the Achilles of the Christian army in the siege of Jerusalem.

He was the son of Bertoldo and Sophia, but was brought up by Matilda.

Rinaldo joined the crusaders at the age of 15. Being summoned to a public trial for the death of Gernando, he went into voluntary exile.--Ta.s.so, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).

? Pulci introduces the same character in his burlesque poem ent.i.tled _Morgante Maggiore_, which holds up to ridicule the romances of chivalry.

_Rinaldo_, steward to the countess of Rousillon--Shakespeare, _All's Well that Ends Well_ (1598).

=Rinaldo of Montalban=, a knight who had the ”honor” of being a public plunderer. His great exploit was stealing the golden idol of Mahomet.

In this same _Mirror of Knighthood_ we meet with Rinaldo de Montalban and his companions, with the twelve peers of France, and Turpin, the historian.... Rinaldo had a broad face, and a pair of large rolling eyes; his complexion was ruddy, and his disposition choleric. He was, besides, naturally profligate, and a great encourager of vagrants.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. i. 1, 6 (1605).

=Ring= (_Dame Liones's_), a ring given by Dame Liones to Sir Gareth, during a tournament.

”That ring,” said Dame Liones, ”increaseth my beauty much more than it is of itself; and this is the virtue of my ring: that which is green it will turn to red, and that which is red it will turn green; that which is blue it will turn white, and that which is white it will turn blue; and so with all other colors. Also, whoever beareth my ring can never lose blood.”--Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 146 (1470).

_Ring_ (_Luned's_). This ring rendered the wearer invisible. Luned or Lynet gave it to Owain, one of King Arthur's knights. Consequently, when men were sent to kill him he was nowhere to be found, for he was invisible.

Take this ring, and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone; and as long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee.--_The Mabinogion_ (”Lady of the Fountain,” twelfth century).

_Ring_ (_The Steel_), made by Siedel-Beckir. This ring enabled the wearer to read the secrets of another's heart.--Comte de Caylus, _Oriental Tales_ (”The Four Talismans,” 1743).

_Ring_ (_The Talking_), a ring given by Tartaro, the Basque Cyclops, to a girl whom he wished to marry. Immediately she put it on, it kept incessantly saying, ”You there, and I here;” so, to get rid of the nuisance, she cut off her finger and threw both ring and finger into a pond.--Rev. W. Webster, _Basque Legends_, 4 (1876).

The same story appears in Campbell's _Popular Tales of the West Highlands_, i. 111, and in Grimm's tale of _The Robber and His Sons_.