Chapter Cairbre to Calianax of C by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Calderon (Don Pedro), a Spanish poet born at Madrid (1600–1681). At the age of 52 he became an ecclesiastic, and composed religious poetry only. Altogether he wrote about 1000 dramatic pieces.

Her memory was a mine. She knew by heart
All Calderon and greater part of Lope.
   —Byron: Don Juan, 11 (1819).

(“Lope,” that is, Lopê de Vega, the Spanish poet, 1562–1635.)

Caleb, the enchantress who carried off St. George in infancy.

Caleb, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom and Achitophel, is meant for lord Grey of Wark, in Northumberland, an adherent of the duke of Monmouth.

And, therefore in the name of dulness be
The well-hung Balaam and cold Caleb free.
   —Part i. 573, 574.

“Balaam” is the earl of Hunting-don.

Caleb Williams. (See Williams.)

Caled, commander-in-chief of the Arabs in the siege of Damascus. He is brave, fierce, and revengeful. War is his delight. When Phocyas, the Syrian, deserts Eumenês, Caled asks him to point out the governor’s tent; he refuses—they fight, and Caled falls.—J. Hughes: Siege of Damascus (1720).

Caledonia, Scotland. Also called Caledon.

O Caledonia, stern and wild,
Meet nurse for a poetic child!
   —Sir W. Scott.

Not thus in ancient days of Caledon
Was thy voice mute amid the festal crowd.
   —Sir W. Scott..

Caledonians, Gauls from France who colonized South Britain, whence they journeyed to Inverness and Ross. The word is compounded of two Celtic words, Cael (“Gaul” or “Celt”), and don or dun (“a hill”), so that Cael-don means “Celts of the highlands.”

The Highlanders to this day call themselves “Cael,” and their language “Caelic” or “Gaelic,” and their country “Caeldock,” which the Romans softened into “Caledonia.”—Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian.

Calendar (The French) was devised by Fabre d’Eglantine and Romme (1792).

Calenders, a class of Mohammedans who abandoned father and mother, wife and children, relations and possessions, to wander through the world as religious devotees, living on the bounty of those whom they made their dupes.—D’Herbelot: Supplement, 204.

He diverted himself with the multitude of calenders, santons, and dervises, who had travelled from the heart of India, and halted on their way with the emir.—W. Beckford: Vathek (1786).

The Three Calenders, three royal princes, disguised as begging dervishes, each of whom had lost his right eye. Their adventures form three tales in the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments.

Tale of the First Calender. No names are given. This calender was the son of a king, and nephew of another king. While on a visit to his uncle, his father died, and the vizier usurped the throne. When the prince returned, he was seized, and the usurper pulled out his right eye. The uncle died, and the usurping vizier made himself master of this kingdom also. So the hapless young prince assumed the garb of a calender, wandered to Bagdad, and being received into the house of “the three sisters,” told his tale in the hearing of the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid.—The Arabian Nights.