COTTON COUGH. 



485 



COTTON, CHARLES, a burlesque poet of the 

 17th century, was born in 1630, and received his 

 education at Cambridge, after which he travelled in 

 France. Not being of a very provident disposition, 

 he was subject to frequent embarrassments, and, at 

 one time, was confined in prison for debt. He died 

 at Westminster in 1687. His works are numerous, 

 including Scarronides, or Virgil Travestie, being the 

 first book of Virgil's ^Eneid, in English burlesque, 

 and a translation of Montaigne's Essays. After the 

 death of Cotton, a volume was published, entitled 

 Poems on several Occasions (8vo), which contains 

 some pieces of considerable merit, chiefly of the 

 light and humorous kind. He also translated the 

 Horaces, a tragedy of Corneille ; and his pen was 

 often employed to relieve his pecuniary difficulties. 



COTTON, SIR ROBERT BRUCE ; a celebrated 

 English antiquary and collector of literary relics. 

 He was born at Denton, in Huntingdonshire, in 

 1570, and, after having been at Westminster school, 

 completed his studies at Trinity college, Cambridge. 

 He then settled in London, devoting much of nis 

 time to antiquarian pursuits, and employing himself 

 especially in collecting ancient deeds, charters, 

 letters, and other manuscripts of various kinds, 

 illustrative of the history of England. He was 

 one of the earliest members of the antiquarian 

 society; and he not only promoted the general 

 objects of that learned association, but also assisted 

 with his literary treasures, as well as with his purse, 

 Speed, Camden, and other writers on British archae- 

 ology. In the reign of James I., he was knighted ; 

 and, on the institution of the order of baronets, he 

 was promoted to that rank. He died in May, 1631. 

 He is chiefly memorable as the founder of the valu- 

 able Cottonian library, which collection was long 

 preserved at Cotton-house, Westminster. In 1700, 

 it was appropriated to the public use; and, after 

 having been partly destroyed by fire in 1731, it was 

 removed, in 1753, to the British museum, where it 

 now remains. 



COTTONIAN LIBRARY, in London, was 

 collected by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, secured to 

 the public by a statute, in 1700, after which it was 

 several times removed, and, after being injured by 

 conflagrations and political disturbances, was at last 

 placed in the British museum, where it remains. 

 COTTUS. See Briareus. 

 COTYS, or COTYTTO; a goddess of de- 

 bauchery, worshipped at Corinth and Chios. Her 

 festival was called Cotyttia, or Cotyttis, and was 

 celebrated during the night (in what way is easily to 

 be inferred from the character of the goddess), at 

 Athens, Corinth, Chios, in Thrace, &c. Cotys 

 probably the same with the goddess of the Edoni in 

 Thrace. Koruot dxturnt, follower of Cotys ; i 

 common term for a profligate person. 



COUCHING ; a surgical operation, that consist: 

 in removing the opaque lens out of the axis o: 

 vision, by means of a needle constructed for the 

 purpose. 



COUCY, RENAUD, CASTELLAN OF, was the hero 

 of a tragical occurrence, which has been often 

 celebrated in ancient ballads and songs. He i 

 supposed to have been the nephew, or at least the 

 kinsman, of Raoul, lord of Coucy, who accompaniec 

 Philip Augustus to the Holy Land, and with whom 

 he has been sometimes confounded. A manuscrip 

 in French verse, in the royal library at Paris, entitle* 

 Romance of the castellan of Coucy, and the Lady of 

 Fayel, written about 1228, and a chronicle on the 

 same subject, in 1380, in the possession of Fauchet, 

 relate the following story : Renaud, castellan of 

 Coucy, was smitten with the charms of Gabrielle de 

 Vergy. lady of Aubert de Fayel. The castle of 



7 ayel was situated not far from Coucy, in the 

 neighbourhood of St Quentin. Renaud threw him- 

 self at the feet of Gabrielle, confessed his passion, 

 and was at first repulsed, but not for ever. The 

 overs often saw each other in private. Assurances 

 of the most ardent love, and unceasing precautions 

 against the jealousy of the husband, gave occasion 

 o the songs of Renaud, of which a collection has 

 aeen preserved to us, breathing the language of the 

 most glowing passion. The happiness of the 

 Darties was interrupted by the summoning of Coucy 

 jo the crusade. He embarked with Richard of 

 England at Marseilles. With him he fought at 

 Cajsarea, and conquered at Ascalon. But, in 

 defending a castle where the king was quartered, 

 he was wounded by a poisoned arrow. The wound 

 proved incurable, and Renaud requested leave to 

 return to his country, which was granted. But, in 

 a few days, he felt sensible that his end was ap- 

 proaching ; and, giving to his faithful squire a silver 

 casket, with the presents of his mistress, " Take it," 

 tie said, " and guard it well ; when I am dead, 

 enclose my heart in this casket, and bear the whole 

 to the lady of Fayel." He also added a letter, 

 which he was hardly able to sign. He died, and 

 his faithful squire hastened to the castle of Fayel. 

 He was surprised by the lord of the castle, who, 

 suspecting his appearance, ordered him to be 

 searched, and found on him the gifts and the letter 

 of Coucy. Burning with rage, he determined on 

 revenge. He ordered the heart to be served at 

 table. It was done, and Gabrielle ate of it. " Have 

 you found the dish to your taste, madam ?" he asked. 



Excellent !" answered his victim. " I doubt it not," 

 he replied ; "it must have been a dainty morsel for 

 you, for it was the heart of the castellan of Coucy." 

 In fearful confirmation of his words, he gives her the 

 letter of the dying Renaud. The unhappy woman, 

 after this horrible meal, refused all sustenance, and 

 died of voluntary starvation. The love-songs of the 

 castellan of Coucy are in the Memoires historiques sur 

 Raoul de Coney, Paris, 1781, in the ancient dialect, 

 with a translation subjoined, and old music. 

 Uhland has made this story the subject of a fine 

 ballad. 



COUGH, in medicine; a deep inspiration of 

 air, followed by a sudden, violent, and sonorous ex- 

 piration, in a great measure involuntary, and excited 

 by a sensation of the presence of some irritating 

 cause in the lungs or windpipe. The organs of 

 respiration are so constructed, that every foreign 

 substance, except atmospheric air, offends them. 

 The smallest drop of water, entering the windpipe, 

 is sufficient to produce a violent coughing, by which 

 the organs labour to expel the irritating substance. 

 A simflar effect is produced by inhaling smoke, dust, 

 &c. The sudden expulsion of air from the lungs is 

 produced by the violent contraction of the diaphragm 

 and the muscles of the breast and ribs. These parts 

 are thus affected by a sympathy with the organs of 

 respiration, which sympathy springs from the con- 

 nexion of the nerves of the different parts. The 

 sensation of obstruction or irritation, which gives 

 rise to cough, though sometimes perceived in the 

 chest, especially near the pit of the stomach, is most 

 commonly confined to the trachea, or windpipe, and 

 especially to its aperture in the throat, termed the 

 glottis. Yet this is seldom the seat of the irritating 

 cause, which is generally situated at some distance 

 from it, and often in parts unconnected by structure 

 or proximity with the organs of respiration. Of the 

 various irritations which give rise to cough, some 

 occur within the cavity of the chest; others are 

 external to that cavity ; some exist even in the 

 viscera of the pelvis. Of those causes of cough 



