Chapter Croquemitaine to Crown of the East of C by Brewer's Readers Handbook

service? (3) Are you content with your pay and rations? So he prepared his answers accordingly. But it so happened that the king began with the second question: “How long have you been in the service?” Paddy glibly replied, “Twenty years.” “Why,” said the king, “how old are you?” “Six months.” “Six months!” rejoined the king; “surely either you or I must be mad!” “Yes, both, your majesty.”

Some Highlanders, coming to England for employ, conceived they would be asked (1) Who are you? (2) Why do you come here? and that the questioner might then say, “No, I don’t want your service.” Scarcely had they crossed the border than they came to the body of a man who had been murdered. They stopped to look at it, when a constable came up and said, “Who did this?” “We three Highlanders,” was the prepared answer. “Why did you do it?” said the constable. “For the money and the silver,” was the answer they had prepared. “You scoundrels!” said the constable, “I shall hang you for this.” “If you don’t, another will,” said the men, and were preparing to go away, when they were marched off to jail.

Another story of the same kind is told of three Sclavonians who went to Hungary, and “were taught the language in three days.” Their répertoire was, however, limited to “We three,” “Cheese,” and “That’s the truth.” Coming to a dead body lying on the road, the forest-keeper asked them, “Who has murdered the man?” “We three,” was the ready answer. “What for?” was the next question, and “Cheese” was the reply. “Then,” said the keeper, “you will all be hanged;” “That’s the truth,” responded the strangers, and were about to be handcuffed when the supposed dead man jumped up with a “Ho, ho, ho!” overjoyed at his practical joke.

Crossmyloof, a lawyer.—Sir W. Scott: Heart of Midlothian (time, George II.).

Crothar, “lord of Atha,” in Connaught (then called Al necma). He was the first and most powerful chief of the Fir-bolg (“bowmen”) or Belgæ from Britain who colonized the southern parts of Ireland. Crothar carried off Conlama, daughter of Cathmin a chief of the Cael or Caledonians who had colonized the northern parts of Ireland and held their court in Ulster. As Conlama was betrothed to Turloch a Cael, he made an irruption into Connaught, slew Cormul, but was himself slain by Crothar, Cormul’s brother. The feud now became general, “Blood poured on blood, and Erin’s clouds were hung with ghosts.” The Cael being reduced to the last extremity, Trathel (the grandfather of Fingal) sent Conar (son of Trenmor) to their relief. Conar, on his arrival in Ulster, was chosen king, and the Fir-bolg being subdued, he called himself “the king of Ireland.”—Ossian: Temora, ii.

Crothar, vassal king of Croma (in Ireland), held under Artho over-lord of all Ireland. Crothar, being blind with age, was attacked by Rothmar chief of Tromlo, who resolved to annex Croma to his own dominion. Crothar sent to Fingal for aid, and Fingal sent his son Ossian with an army; but before he could arrive Fovar-Gormo, a son of Crothar, attacked the invader, but was defeated and slain. When Ossian reached Ulster, he attacked the victorious Rothmar, and both routed the army and slew the chief.—Ossian: Croma.

Crotona’s Sage, Pythagoras, so called because his first and chief school of philosophy was established at Crototna (fl. B.C. 540).

Crouchmas, from the invention of the Cross to St. Helen’s Day, i.e. from May 3 to August 18. Halliwell, in his Archaic Dictionary, says it means “Christmas,” but this is wholly impossible, as Tusser, in his “May Remembrances,” says, “From bull cow fast, till Crouchminas be past, i.e. St. Helen’s Day.” The word means “Cross-mas.”

Crow. As the crow flies, that is, straight from the point of starting to the point to be reached, without being turned from the path by houses, rivers, hills, or other obstacles, which do not divert the crow from its flight. The Americans call it “The Bee-line.”

Crowdero, one of the rabble leaders encountered by Hudibras at a bear-baiting. The academy figure of this character was Jackson or Jephson, a milliner in the New Exchange, Strand, London. He lost a leg in the service of the roundheads, and was reduced to the necessity of earning a living by playing on the crowd or crouth from ale-house to ale-house.—S. Butler: Hudibras, i. 2 (1664).