Character Sketches of Romance Volume Iii Part 106

At one time he revels in prosperity, at another he is in utter dest.i.tution. Roderick is led into different countries (whose peculiarities are described), and falls into the society of wits, sharpers, courtiers, and harlots. Occasionally lavish, he is essentially mean; with a dash of humor, he is contemptibly revengeful; and, though generous minded when the whim jumps with his wishes, he is thoroughly selfish. His treatment of Strap is revolting to a generous mind. Strap lends him money in his necessity, but the heartless Roderick wastes the loan, treats Strap as a mere servant, fleeces him at dice, and cuffs him when the game is adverse.--T. Smollett, _Roderick Random_ (1748).

=Ranger=, the madcap cousin of Clarinda, and the leading character in Hoadly's _Suspicious Husband_ (1747).

=Ran'tipole= (3 _syl._), a madcap. One of the nicknames given to Napoleon III. (See NAPOLEON III.)

d.i.c.k, be a little rantipolish,[TN-116]

Colman, _Heir-at-Law_, i. 2 (1797).

=Raoul= [_Rawl_], the old huntsman of Sir Raymond Berenger.--Sir W. Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).

=Raoul di Nangis= (_Sir_), the Huguenot in love with Valentina (daughter of the Comte de St. Bris, governor of the Louvre). Sir Raoul is offered the hand of Valentina in marriage, but rejects it because he fancies she is betrothed to the comte de Nevers. Nevers being slain in the Bartholomew Ma.s.sacre, Raoul marries Valentina, but scarcely is the ceremony over when both are shot by the musketeers under the command of St. Bris.--Meyerbeer, _Les Huguenots_ (opera, 1836).

=Raphael= (2 or 3 _syl._), called by Milton, "The Sociable Spirit," and "The Affable Archangel." In the book of _Tobit_ it was Raphael who travelled with Tobias into Media and back again; and it is the same angel that holds discourse with Adam through two books of _Paradise Lost_, v. and vi. (1665).

_Raphael_, the guardian angel of John the Beloved.

? Longfellow calls Raphael "The Angel of the Sun," and says that he brings to man "the gift of faith."--_Golden Legend_ ("Miracle-Play,"

iii., 1851).

_Raphael_ (_The Flemish_), Frans Floris. His chief works are "St. Luke at His Easel," and the "Descent of the Fallen Angels," both in Antwerp Cathedral (1520-1570).

_Raphael_ (_The French_), Eustace Lesueur (1617-1655).

=Raphael of Cats= (_The_), G.o.defroi Mind, a Swiss painter, famous for his cats (1768-1814).

=Raphael of Holland= (_The_), Martin van Hemskerck (1498-1574).

=Raphael's Enchanter=, La Fornarina, a baker's daughter. Her likeness appears in several of his paintings. (See FORNARINA.)

=Rapier= (_The_) was introduced by Rowland York in 1587.

He [_Rowland York_] was a Londoner, famous among the cutters in his time for bringing in a new kind of fight--to run the point of a rapier into a man's body ... before that time the use was with little bucklers, and with broadswords to strike and never thrust, and it was accounted unmanly to strike under the girdle.--Carleton, _Thankful Remembrance_ (1625).

=Rare Ben.= Ben Jonson, the dramatist, was so called by Robert Herrick (1574-1637).

=Raredrench= (_Master_), apothecary.--Sir W. Scott, _Fortunes of Nigel_ (time, James I.).

=Rashleigh Osbaldistone=, called "the scholar," an hypocritical and accomplished villain, killed by Rob Roy.--Sir W. Scott, _Rob Roy_ (time, George I.).

? Surely never gentleman was plagued with such a family as Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone, of Osbaldistone Hall. (1) Percival, "the sot;"

(2) Thorncliff, "the bully;" (3) John, "the gamekeeper;" (4) Richard, "the horse-jockey;" (5) Wilfred, "the fool;" (6) Rashleigh, "the scholar and knave."

=Ras'selas=, prince of Abyssina, fourth son of the emperor. According to the custom of the country, he was confined in a private paradise, with the rest of the royal family. This paradise was in the valley of Amhara, surrounded by high mountains. It had only one entrance, which was by a cavern under a rock concealed by woods, and closed by iron gates. He escaped with his sister, Nekayah, and Imlac, the poet, and wandered about to find out what condition or rank of life was the most happy.

After careful investigation he found no lot without its drawbacks, and resolved to return to the "happy valley."--Dr. Johnson, _Ra.s.selas_ (1759).

=Rats= (_Devoured by_). Archbishop Hatto, Count Graaf, Bishop Widerolf of Strasburg, Bishop Adolph of Cologne, Freiherr von Guttingen were all devoured by rats. (See HATTO.)

=Ratcliffe= (_James_), a notorious thief.--Sir W. Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

_Ratcliffe_ (_Mr. Hubert_), a friend of Sir Edward Mauley, "the Black Dwarf."--Sir W. Scott, _The Black Dwarf_ (time, Anne).

_Ratcliffe_ (_Mrs._), the widow of "Don Carlos," who rescued Sheva at Cadiz from an _auto da fe_.

_Charles Ratcliffe_, clerk of Sir Stephen Bertram, discharged because he had a pretty sister, and Sir Stephen had a young son. Charles supported his widowed mother and his sister by his earnings. He rescued Sheva, the Jew, from a howling London mob, and was left the heir of the old man's property.

_Miss [Eliza] Ratcliffe_, sister of Charles, clandestinely married to Charles Bertram, and given 10,000 by the Jew to reconcile Sir Stephen Bertram to the alliance. She was handsome, virtuous and elegant, mild, modest and gentle.--c.u.mberland, _The Jew_ (1776).

=Rath'mor=, chief of Clutha (_the Clyde_), and father of Calthon and Colmar. Dunthalmo, lord of Teutha, "came in his pride against him," and was overcome, whereupon his anger rose, and he went by night with his warriors and slew Rathmor in his own halls, where his feasts had so often been spread for strangers.--Ossian, _Calthon and Colmal_.

=Rattlin= (_Jack_), a famous naval character in Smollett's _Roderick Random_. Tom Bowling is in the same novel (1749).

=Rattray= (_Sir Runnion_), of Runnagullion; the duelling friend of Sir Mungo Malagrowther.--Sir W. Scott, _Fortunes of Nigel_ (time, James I.).

=Raucocan'ti=, leader of a troupe of singers going to act in Sicily. The whole were captured by Lambro, the pirate, and sold in Turkey as slaves.

'Twould not become myself to dwell upon My own merits, and, tho' young, I see, sir, you [_Don Juan_]

Have got a travelled air, which shews you one To whom the opera is by no means new.

You've heard of Raucocanti--I'm that man ...

You was [_sic_] not last year at the fair of Lugo, But next, when I'm engaged to sing there--do go.

Byron, _Don Juan_, iv. 88 (1820).

=Raven= (_Barnaby's_), Grip, a large bird of most impish disposition. Its usual phrases were: "I'm a devil!" "Never say die!" "Polly, put the kettle on!" He also uttered a cluck like cork-drawing, a barking like a dog, and a crowing like a c.o.c.k. Barnaby Budge used to carry it about in a basket at his back. The bird drooped while it was in jail with his master, but after Barnaby's reprieve

It soon recovered its good looks, and became as glossy and sleek as ever ... but for a whole year it never indulged in any other sound than a grave and decorous croak.... One bright summer morning ...

the bird advanced with fantastic steps to the door of the Maypole, and then cried "I'm a devil!" three or four times, with extraordinary rapture ... and from that time constantly practised and improved himself in the vulgar tongue.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Barnaby Rudge_, ii. (1841).

_Raven_ (_The_), Edgar Allan Poe's poem bearing this caption is the best known of his works, and one of the most remarkable in the English language (1845).