Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama Part 48

_Jessamy_, son of the colonel and Lady Mary. An insufferable prig.--Bickerstaff, _Lionel and Clarissa_.

=Oldbuck= (_Jonathan_), the antiquary, devoted to the study and acc.u.mulation of old coins and medals, etc. He is sarcastic, irritable, and a woman-hater; but kind-hearted, faithful to his friends, and a humorist.--Sir W. Scott, _The Antiquary_ (time, George III.).

An excellent temper, with a slight degree of subacid humor; learning, wit, and drollery, the more poignant that they were a little marked by the peculiarities of an old bachelor; a soundness of thought, rendered more forcible by an occasional quaintness of expression--these were the qualities in which the creature of my imagintion[TN-46] resembled my benevolent and excellent friend.--Sir W. Scott.

The merit of _The Antiquary_ as a novel rests on the inimitable delineation of Oldbuck, that model of black-letter and Roman-camp antiquaries, whose oddities and conversation are rich and racy as any of the old crusted port that John of the Girnel might have held in his monastic cellars.--Chambers, _English Literature_, ii. 586.

=Oldcastle= (_Sir John_), a drama by Anthony Munday (1600). This play appeared with the name of Shakespeare on the t.i.tle-page.

=Old Sledge.= Game of cards that, played at the "Settlemint"--(a group of log huts) among the Tennessee mountains, has a fatal fascination for Josiah Tait, who loses to a former suitor of the woman he has married everything he owns. The property is restored through the unexpected magnanimity of the winner, and the playing of Old Sledge becomes a lost art at the "Settlemint."--Charles Egbert Craddock, _In the Tennessee Mountains_ (1884).

=Oldworth=, of Oldworth Oaks, a wealthy squire, liberally educated, very hospitable, benevolent, humorous, and whimsical. He brings up Maria, "the maid of the Oaks" as his ward, but she is his daughter and heiress.--J Burgoyne, _The Maid of the Oaks_ (1779).

=Ole 'Stracted=, a superannuated negro, formerly a slave, whose fancy is to wait in a hut on the old plantation for his master's return. He was "sold South" forty years before, and his young master promised to go down next summer and buy him back. The poor fellow has saved in these years twelve hundred dollars to pay for his freedom. Unknown to himself or to them, his son and daughter-in-law minister to him in his last moments. He has put on his clean s.h.i.+rt, sure that "young marster" will come to-day. Rising to his feet he cries out:

"Heah de one you lookin' for, Marster! Mymy--heah's Little Ephrum!"

And with a smile on his face he sank back into his son's arms.--Thomas Nelson Page, _In Ole Virginia_ (1887).

=Olifant=, the horn of Roland or Orlando. This horn and the sword "Durinda'na" were buried with the hero. Turpin tells us in his _Chronicle_ that Charlemagne heard the blare of this horn at a distance of eight miles.

_Olifant_ (_Basil_), a kinsman of Lady Margaret b.e.l.l.e.n.den, of the Tower of Tillietudlem.--Sir W. Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).

=Olifaunt= (_Lord Nigel_), of Glenvarloch. On going to court to present a pet.i.tion to James I. he aroused the dislike of the duke of Buckingham.

Lord Dalgarno gave him the cut direct, and Nigel struck him, but was obliged to seek refuge in Alsatia. After various adventures he married Margaret Ramsay, the watch-maker's daughter, and obtained the t.i.tle-deeds of his estates.--Sir W. Scott, _The Fortunes of Nigel_ (time, James I.).

=Olim'pia=, the wife of Bireno, uncompromising in love, and relentless in hate.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

_Olimpia_, a proud Roman lady of high rank. When Rome was sacked by Bourbon, she flew for refuge to the high altar of St. Peter's, where she clung to a golden cross. On the advance of certain soldiers in the army of Bourbon to seize her, she cast the huge cross from its stand, and as it fell it crushed to death the foremost soldier. Others then attempted to seize her, when Arnold dispersed them and rescued the lady; but the proud beauty would not allow the foe of her country to touch her, and flung herself from the high altar on the pavement. Apparently lifeless, she was borne off; but whether she recovered or not we are not informed, as the drama was never finished.--Byron, _The Deformed Transformed_ (1821).

=Olindo=, the lover of Sophronia. Aladine, king of Jerusalem, at the advice of his magicians, stole an image of the Virgin, and set it up as a palladium in the chief mosque. During the night it was carried off, and the king, unable to discover the thief, ordered all his Christian subjects to be put to death. To prevent this ma.s.sacre, Sophronia delivered up herself as the perpetrator of the deed, and Olindo, hearing thereof, went to the king and declared Sophronia innocent, as he himself had stolen the image. The king commanded both to be put to death, but, by the intercession of Clorinda, they were both set free.--Ta.s.so, _Jerusalem Delivered_, ii. (1575).

=Oliphant= or =Ollyphant=, the twin-brother of Argan'te, the giantess.

Their father was Typhaeus, and their mother Earth.--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, iii. 7, 11 (1590).

=Olive Litchfield=, young woman married to an elderly man, whose fatherly kindness wins her grateful esteem. With her knowledge and sanction he leaves the bulk of his property to charitable objects, thereby disappointing her rapacious relatives. She is quite willing, as a widow, to marry the man her mother dismissed in order to wed her to a millionaire, but James Merion, the cured suitor, prefers a fresh love.--Ellen Olney Kirk, _A Daughter of Eve_.

=Olive Tree= (_The_), emblem of Athens, in memory of the famous dispute between Minerva (the patron G.o.ddess of Athens) and Neptune. Both deities wished to found a city on the same spot; and, referring the matter to Jove, the king of G.o.ds and men decreed that the privilege should be granted to whichever would bestow the most useful gift on the future inhabitants. Neptune struck the earth with his trident, and forth came a war-horse; Minerva produced an olive tree, emblem of peace; and Jove gave the verdict in favor of Minerva.

=Olive Carraze=, beautiful quadroon, virtuous and accomplished, whose mother, _Madame Delphine_, swears Olive is not her child, that she may secure the girl's legal marriage with a white man who loves her honorably. On the afternoon of the marriage-day, when the wedded pair have taken their departure, Madame Delphine seeks her confessor, owns the perjury, receives absolution, and falls dead in the confessional.--George W. Cable, _Madame Delphine_ (1879).

=Oliver=, the elder son of Sir Rowland de Bois [_Bwor_], left in charge of his younger brother, Orlando, whom he hated and tried indirectly to murder. Orlando, finding it impossible to live in his brother's house, fled to the forest of Arden, where he joined the society of the banished duke. One morning he saw a man sleeping, and a serpent and lioness bent on making him their prey. He slew both the serpent and lioness, and then found that the sleeper was his brother Oliver. Oliver's disposition from this moment underwent a complete change, and he loved his brother as much as he had before hated him. In the forest the two brothers met Rosalind and Celia. The former, who was the daughter of the banished duke, married Orlando; and the latter, who was the daughter of the usurping duke, married Oliver.--Shakespeare, _As You Like It_ (1598).

=Oliver and Rowland=, the two chief paladins of Charlemagne. Shakespeare makes the duke of Alencon say:

Froissart, a countryman of ours, records, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred During the time Edward the Third did reign.

1 _Henry VI._ act i. sc. 2 (1589).

_Oliver's Horse_, Ferrant d'Espagne.

_Oliver's Sword_, Haute-claire.

=Oliver le Dain= or _Oliver le Diable_, court barber, and favorite minister of Louis XI. Introduced by Sir W. Scott in _Quentin Durward_ and _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

=Oliver Floyd=, a das.h.i.+ng lawyer, with iron-gray hair, and separated from his wife. His guardianly attention to Carol Lester set village and town gossip to talking.--Charlotte Dunning, _Upon a Cast_ (1885).

=Oliv'ia=, a rich countess, whose love was sought by Orsino, duke of Illyria; but having lost her brother, Olivia lived for a time in entire seclusion, and in no wise reciprocated the duke's love; in consequence of which Viola nicknamed her "Fair Cruelty." Strange as it may seem, Olivia fell desperately in love with Viola, who was dressed as the duke's page, and sent her a ring. Mistaking Sebastian (Viola's brother) for Viola, she married him out of hand.--Shakespeare, _Twelfth Night_ (1614).

Never were Shakespeare's words more finely given than by Miss M.

Tree [1802-1862] in the speech to "Olivia," beginning, "Make me a willow cabin at thy gate."--Talfourd (1821).

_Olivia_, a female Tartuffe (2 _syl._), and consummate hypocrite of most unblus.h.i.+ng effrontery.--Wycherly, _The Plain Dealer_ (1677).

The duc de Montausier was the prototype of Wycherly's "Mr. Manly," the "plain dealer," and of Moliere's "Misanthrope."

_Olivia_, daughter of Sir James Woodville, left in charge of a mercenary wretch, who, to secure to himself her fortune, shut her up in a convent in Paris. She was rescued by Leontine Croaker, brought to England, and became his bride.--Goldsmith, _The Good-natured Man_ (1768).

_Olivia_, the tool of Ludovico. She loved Vicentio, but Vicentio was plighted to Evadne, sister of Colonna. Ludovico induced Evadne to subst.i.tute the king's miniature for that of Vicentio, which she was accustomed to wear. When Vicentio returned, and found Evadne with the king's miniature, he believed what Ludovico had told him that she was the king's wanton, and he cast her off. Olivia repented of her duplicity, and explained it all to Vicentio, whereby a reconciliation took place, and Vicentio married his troth-plighted lady, "more sinned against than sinning."--s.h.i.+el, _Evadne_ or _The Statue_ (1820).

_Olivia_, "the rose of Aragon," was the daughter of Ruphi'no, a peasant, and bride of Prince Alonzo of Aragon. The king refused to recognize the marriage, and, sending his son to the army, compelled the cortez to pa.s.s an act of divorce. This brought to a head a general revolt. The king was dethroned, and Almagro made regent. Almagro tried to make Olivia marry him; ordered her father to the rack, and her brother to death. Meanwhile the prince returned at the head of his army, made himself master of the city, put down the revolt, and had his marriage duly recognized. Almagro took poison and died.--S. Knowles, _The Rose of Aragon_ (1842).

_Olivia_ [PRIMROSE], the elder daughter of the vicar of Wakefield. She was a sort of a Hebe in beauty, open, sprightly, and commanding. Olivia Primrose "wished for many lovers," and eloped with Squire Thornhill. Her father went in search of her, and on his return homeward, stopped at a roadside inn, called the Harrow, and there found her turned out of the house by the landlady. It was ultimately discovered that she was legally married to the squire.--Goldsmith, _Vicar of Wakefield_ (1765).

_Olivia_, young girl who hearkens to _The Talking Oak_ in Tennyson's poem of that name (1842).

=Olivia de Zenuga=, daughter of Don Caesar. She fixed her heart on having Julio de Melessina for her husband, and so behaved to all other suitors as to drive them away. Thus to Don Garcia, she pretended to be a termagant; to Don Vincentio, who was music-mad, she professed to love a Jew's-harp above every other instrument. At last Julio appeared, and her "bold stroke" obtained as its reward "the husband of her choice."--Mrs.

Cowley, _A Bold Stroke for a Husband_ (1782).