Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 126

Better we had thro' mire and bush Been lantern-led by Friar Rush.

_Marmion_ (1808).

=Rusil'la=, mother of Roderick, the last of the Goths, and wife of Theodofred, rightful heir to the Spanish throne.--Southey, _Roderick, etc._ (1814).

=Rusport= (_Lady_), second wife of Sir Stephen Rusport, a City knight, and step-mother of Charlotte Rusport. Very proud, very mean, very dogmatical, and very vain. Without one spark of generosity or loving charity in her composition. She bribes her lawyer to destroy a will, but is thwarted in her dishonesty. Lady Rusport has a _tendresse_ for Major O'Flaherty; but the major discovers the villainy of the old woman, and escapes from this Scylla.

_Charlotte Rusport_, step-daughter of Lady Rusport. An amiable, ingenuous, animated, handsome girl, in love with her cousin, Charles Dudley, whom she marries.--R. c.u.mberland, _The West Indian_ (1771).

=Russet= (_Mr._), the choleric old father of Harriot, on whom he dotes. He is so self-willed that he will not listen to reason, and has set his mind on his daughter marrying Sir Harry Beagle. She marries, however, Mr. Oakly.--(See HARRIOT.)--George Colman, _The Jealous Wife_ (1761).

=Russian Byron= (_The_), Alexander Sergeiwitch Pushkin (1799-1837).

=Russian History= (_The Father of_), Nestor, a monk of Kiev. His _Chronicle_ includes the years between 862 and 1116 (twelfth century).

=Russian Murat= (_The_), Michael Miloradowith (1770-1820).

=Rust= (_Martin_), an absurd old antiquary. "He likes no coins but those which have no head on them." He took a fancy to Juliet, the niece of Sir Thomas Lofty, but preferred his "aeneas, his precious relic of Troy," to the living beauty; and Juliet preferred Richard Bever to Mr. Rust; so matters were soon amicably adjusted.--Foote, _The Patron_ (1764).

=Rustam=, chief of the Persian mythical heroes, son of Zal "the Fair,"

king of India, and regular descendant of Benjamin, the beloved son of Jacob, the patriarch. He delivered King Cacaus (4 _syl._) from prison, but afterwards fell into disgrace because he refused to embrace the religious system of Zoroaster. Cacaus sent his son, Asfendiar (or Isfendiar) to convert him, and, as persuasion availed nothing, the logic of single combat was resorted to. The fight lasted two days, and then Rustam discovered that Asfendiar bore a "charmed life," proof against all wounds. The valor of these two heroes is proverbial, and the Persian romances are full of their deeds of fight.

_Rustam's Horse_, Reksh.--Chardin, _Travels_ (1686-1711).

In Matthew Arnold's poem, _Sohrab and Rustum_, Rustum fights with and overcomes Sohrab, and finds too late that he has slain his own son.

_Rustam_, son of Tamur, king of Persia. He had a trial of strength with Rustam, son of Zal, which was to pull away from his adversary an iron ring. The combat was never decided, for Rustam could no more conquer Rustam than Roland could overcome Oliver.--Chardin, _Travels_ (1686-1711).

=Rusticus's Pig=, the pig on which Rusticus fed daily, but which never diminished.

Two Christians, travelling in Poland, ... came to the door of Rusticus, a heathen peasant, who had killed a fat hog to celebrate the birth of a son. The pilgrims, being invited to partake of the feast, p.r.o.nounced a blessing on what was left, which _never diminished in size or weight_ from that moment, though all the family fed on it freely every day.--J. Brady, _Clavis Calendaria_, 183.

This, of course, is a parallelism to Elijah's miracle (1 _Kings_ xvii.

11-16).

=Rut= (_Doctor_), in _The Magnetic Lady_, by Ben Jonson (1632).

=Ruth=, the friend of Arabella, an heiress, and ward of Justice Day. Ruth also is an orphan, the daughter of Sir Basil Thoroughgood, who died when she was two years old, leaving Justice Day trustee. Justice Day takes the estates, and brings up Ruth as his own daughter. Colonel Careless is her accepted _ame de cur_.--T. Knight, _The Honest Thieves_.

=Ruthven= (_Lord_), one of the emba.s.sy from Queen Elizabeth to Mary Queen of Scots.--Sir W. Scott, _The Abbot_ (time, Elizabeth).

=Rutil'io=, a merry gentleman, brother of Arnoldo.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Custom of the Country_ (1647).

=Rutland= (_The Countess of_), wife of the earl of Ess.e.x, whom he married when he started for Ireland. The queen knew not of the marriage, and was heart-broken when she heard of it.--Henry Jones, _The Earl of Ess.e.x_ (1745).

_Rutland_ (_The d.u.c.h.ess of_), of the court of Queen Elizabeth.--Sir W.

Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time Elizabeth).

=Rutledge= (_Archie_), constable at Osbaldistone Hall. Sir W. Scott, _Rob Roy_ (time, George I.).

_Rutledge_ (_Job_), a smuggler.--Sir W. Scott, _Redgauntlet_ (time, George III.).

=Rut'terkin=, name of a cat, the spirit of a witch, sent at one time to torment the countess of Rutland (sixteenth century).

=Ruy'dera=, a duenna who had seven daughters and two nieces. They were imprisoned for 500 years in the cavern of Montesi'nos, in La Mancha, of Spain. Their ceaseless weeping stirred the compa.s.sion of Merlin, who converted them into lakes in the same province.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. ii. 6 (1615).

=Ryence= (_Sir_), king of Wales, Ireland, and many of the isles. When Arthur first mounted the throne, King Ryence, in scorn, sent a messenger to say "he had purfled a mantel with the beards of kings; but the mantel lacked one more beard to complete the lining, and he requested Arthur to send his beard by the messenger, or else he would come and take head and beard too." Part of the insolence was in this: Arthur at the time was too young to have a beard at all; and he made answer, "Tell your master, my beard at present is all too young for purfling; but I have an arm quite strong enough to drag him hither, unless he comes without delay to do me homage." By the advice of Merlin, the two brothers, Balin and Balan, set upon the insolent king, on his way to Lady De Vauce, overthrew him, slew "more than forty of his men, and the remnant fled."

King Ryence craved for mercy; so "they laid him on a horse-litter, and sent him captive to King Arthur."--Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 24, 34 (1470).

=Rymar= (_Mr. Robert_), poet at the Spa.--Sir W. Scott, _St. Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

=Ryno=, youngest of the sons of Fingal, king of Morven. He fell in the battle of Lena between the Nors.e.m.e.n led by Swaran and the Irish led by Fingal.

"Rest!" said Fingal; "youngest of my sons, rest! Rest, O Ryno, on Lena! We, too, shall be no more. Warriors must one day fall."--Ossian, _Fingal_, v.

=Ryparog'rapher of Wits=, Rabelais (1495-1553).

? Greek, _ruparos_ ("foul, nasty"). Pliny calls Pyricus the painter a "ryparographer."

=Rython=, a giant of Brittany, slain by King Arthur. (See RITHO.)

Rython, the mighty giant, slain, By his good brand relieved Bretagne.

Sir W. Scott, _Bridal of Triermain_, ii. 11 (1813).