LITERATURE 



373 



Odyssey. Homer's epic, recording the adventures 

 of Odysseus ("Ulysses") in his voyage home from Troy. 

 The poem opens in the island of Calypso, with a com- 

 plaint against Neptune and Calypso for preventing the 

 return of Odysseus to Ithaca. Telemachos, the son of 

 Odysseus, starts in search of his father, accompanied 

 by Pallas in the guise of Mentor. He goes to Pylos, 

 to consult old Nestor, and is sent by him to Sparta; 

 where he is told by Menelaus that Odysseus is detained 

 in the island of Calypso. In the meantime, Odysseus 

 leaves the island, and, being shipwrecked, is cast on the 

 shore of Phaacia. After twenty years' absence Odys- 

 seus returns to his home. Penelope is tormented by 

 suitors. To excuse herself, Penelope tells her suitors 

 he only shall be her husband who can bend Odysseus's 

 None can do so but the stranger, who bends it 

 with ease. Odysseus is recognized by his wife, and the 

 false suitors are all slain and peace is restored to Ithaca. 



Offertory. In the Roman Catholic Church a form 

 of words, in the first part of the Mass, by which the 

 priest offers the elements previously to their eonsecra- 

 !M the Krmlish communion service, the sentences 

 read by the officiating clergyman, while the people are 

 making their offerings. 



o uier the Dane. One of the paladins of the Charle- 



'l>och. Also made the hero of an ancient 

 romance, and the subject of a ballad, whose story is 



Organon. The name given to the first work on logic 

 by Aristotle. He is said to have created the science of 

 logic. The "Organon" has been enlarged and recast 

 by some modern authors, especially by Mr. John Stuart 

 Mill in his "System of Logic," into a structure commen- 

 surate with the vast increase of knowledge and exten- 

 sion of positive method belonging to the present day. 



Orlando Furioso. An epic poem in forty-six cantos, 

 by Ariosto, which occupied his leisure for eleven years, 

 and was published in 1516. This poem, which celebrate* 

 the semi-mythical achievements of the paladins of 

 Charlemagne, in the wars between the Christians and 

 the Moors, became immediately popular, and has since 

 been translated into all European languages, and passed 

 through innumerable edit 



Ormiilum. The "Ormulum" is a collection of met- 

 rical homilies, <ne for each day of the year, but the 

 single existing copy gives the nomilies for thirty-two 

 days only. There an- very few French words in the 

 poem, but Scandinavian words and constructions abound. 

 The writer, Orm. or Ormin. belonged to the East 

 land, and he and his brother Walter were Aucustininn 

 monks. He makes no use of rhyme, but his verses are 

 smooth and regular. 



Osbald'iton. . Kob Roy, Scott. A family 



probably a contribution from the stores of Norman tra- 

 dition. Holder, or ( Hger Danske, being the national hei 

 of Denmark. He figures in Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso. 



O*Gn>f. A name often alluded to in early English 

 parables or sayings coming from the legend of "John 

 O'Groat's House. This ancient building was supposed 

 to stand on the most northerly point in Great Britain. 

 John of Groat and his brothers were originally from 

 Holland. According to tradition, the house was of an 

 octagonal shape, being one room with eight windows 

 and eight doors, to admit eight members of the family, 

 the heads of eight different branches of it, to prevent 

 their quarrels for precedence at table, which, on a pre- 

 vious occasion, had well-nigh proved fatal. 



Oldhuck, Jonathan. Antiquary, Scott. The char- 

 acter whose whimsies gave name to the novel. He is 

 represented as devoted to the study and accumulation 

 of old coins, medals, and relics. He is irritable, sar- 

 castic, and cynical from an early disappointment in 

 love, but full of humor and a faithful friend. 



old Man of the Sea. In the "Arabian Nights." a 

 monster encountered by Sindbad the sailor in his fifth 

 voyage. After carrying him upon his shoulders a long 

 tidbad at last succeeds in intoxicating him, and 

 effects his escape. The " Old Man of the Sea*' was also 

 made the title of a humorous and well-known poem by 

 O. W. Holmes. 



(Hd Ited Sandstone. One of the most noted of 

 Hugh Miller's famous writings on geological subjects. 

 It revealed his discovery of fossils in a formation whirh, 

 up to that time, had been deemed almost destitute of 

 them. 



<Hi\,-r. As You Like It, Shak. -p. " Son and 

 heir of Sir Rowland di> HOIS, who hated his youngest 

 brother, Orlando, and whom be planned to murder by 

 ".d-. <>rl:ind. finding it impossible to 

 I:M brother's hou-c. fled to the fore-t of Arden. 

 where he joined the soeietv of the banished du! 

 ver punoed him. and as he slept m the forest, a snake 

 and a lioness lurked near to make him their ]:< 

 lando chanced to be pawing, slew the two 

 and then found that the sleeper watt his brother Oliver, 

 leehngs underwent a changf. and he loved his 

 ns much as he had before hated him In t In- 

 terest, the two brothers met Rosalind and Celia. The 

 who was the daughter of the banished duke, 

 married Orlando; nnd the latter, who waa the daughter 

 usurping duke, married (diver. 



nii\ it, NIL:!, r, Khakespeir, A rich 



countess, whose love was sought ! Duke of 



but having lout her brother. <>| iv ,a laed for 11 



entire seclusion, and in no wise reciprocated the 



i fell in love with Viola, who was 



dressed as the duke's page, and Mnt her a ring. Min- 



-ebantian (Viola'sbrother) for Viola, she married 



him on? .,| i, 



M.,,Ml,.|.x h; , kl . M p erp . Dau K hterof Po- 

 lo'niu*. the ch ,let fell in love with her. 



but aft* .v,t)i the (ihot. 1,11,1.. that his 



plans must lead away from her. During hi* real or 

 assumed marine**, he treat* her with 



angry rudeness, and afterward, in a fit of 

 . kills her father, the old Polonius. 

 shock given to her mind by these r 

 intellect, and lead* to bar 

 by drowning. 



in the story which tells of nine of the members: < 1 ) the 

 London merchant and Sir Hildebrand. the heads of two 

 familie-; i L' > the -on of the merchant is Francis; (3) the 

 offspring of the brother are Percival. the sot: Thorn- 

 cliffe, the bully; John, the gamekeeper; Richard, the 

 , horse-jockey ; Wilfred, the fool; and Ra.shlcigh. the 

 ; scholar, by far the worst of all. This las? 

 slain by Rob Roy, and dies cursing his cousin Frank, 

 1 whom he had injured. 



O'Shanter. See "Tarn O' Shan t 



Osman. Sultan of the East, conqueror of the Chris- 

 tians, a magnanimous man. He loved Yara. a young 

 Christian captive. 1 his forms the subject of a once- 

 famous ballad. 



Osriek. A court fop in Shakespere's " Hamlet." He 

 is made umpire by Claudius in the combat b ; 

 Hamlet and l^aertes. 



O-- '(. Hiawatha, Longfellow. Son oft), 

 ing Star. When broken with age. he married Oweenee, 

 one of ten daughters of a North hunter. She loved him 

 in spite of his ugliness and decrepitude, because "all waa 

 beautiful within him." As he was walking with his nine" 

 si-tors-in-law and their husbands, he leaped int 

 hollow of an oak tree and came out strong and hand- 

 some; but Oweenee at the same moment was changed 

 int. a weak old woman. But the love of, Osaeo was not 

 weakened. The nine brothers and sisters-in-law were 

 t ransformed into birds. Oweenee, recovering her be: 

 had a son. whose delight was to shoot the birds that 

 mocked his father and mother. An Algonquin legend 

 gave the foundation of the story. 



Othel'lo. A Moor of Venice, in Shakespere's plav of 

 the same name. He marries Desdemqna, the daughter 

 of a Venetian senator, and is led by hi- ensign. lago. a 

 consummate villain, to distrust her fidelity and \ 

 Iao hated the Moor both bocaii-o Ca--:o. a Florentine, 

 was preferred to the lieutenancy instead of himself. 

 j also from a suspicion that the Moor had tampered with 

 hi- wife: but he concealed his hatred so well that 

 othello wholly tru-ted him. lago persuaded Othello 

 that De-.lemona intrigued with Cassio. and urged him 

 (in till he murdered hi- bride. 



Othello'- Occupation*! <.one. A phrase much 

 ciuot.-d from the play "Othello." moaning "the tank U 



I," or that i 



Out re->lor. A " Pilgrimage !'. -ea." This 



title was KIVOII to the \..ik b\ II \\ I ... ; M ! u . pub- 

 lished in IV;:,. and written before I waa 

 much known to Ann is a poetical prose 

 work, not unlike the "Sketch-Book" of Washington 

 Irving. 

 Pac'olet. In "Valentino and Orson." an old m- 



a character who owned an enchanted 

 often alluded to by early writers. The name of Pacolet 

 by Steele for his famihnr spirit in the 

 iv a proved). " It i the hon* 



Page. M.-rr> VMxes of \Mm|s,,r. 8 

 Name of n fam.lv ..f Windsor. roi.sp,,.,io.m ,n 



When Sir John Fabtaff made love to Mr*. ~ 

 himself assumed the name of Brook. .Sir 



\N I M 



love to her, ahe Joined with Mr*. 

 to dune him and MMM him. 



\ - with 



Fenton. Slender calbher " the sweet Anne Page." 



