Chapter Drac to Driver of D by Brewer's Readers Handbook

La Gargouille, the dragon which ravaged the Seine, slain by St. Romain of Rouen.

Python, the dragon slain by Apollo.—Greek Mythology.

Tarasque, the dragon slain at Aix-la-Chapelle by St. Martha.

Zohak, the dragon slain by Feridun.

N.B.—Numerous dragons have no special name. Many are denoted Red, White, Black, Great, etc.

Drama. The earliest European drama since the fall of the Western empire appeared in the middle of the fifteenth century. It is called La Celestina, and is divided into twenty-one acts. The first act, which runs through fifty pages, was composed by Rodrigo Cota; the other twenty are ascribed to Fernando de Rojas. The whole was published in 1510.

The earliest English drama is entitled Ralph Roister Doister, a comedy by Nicholas Udal (before 1551, because mentioned by T. Wilson, in his Rule of Reason, which appeared in 1551).

The second English drama was Gammer Gurton’s Needle, by Mr. S., Master of Arts. Warton, in his History of English Poetry (iv. 32), gives 1551 as the date of this comedy; and Wright, in his Historia Histrionica, says it appeared in the reign of Edward VI., who died 1553. It is generally ascribed to bishop Still, but he was only eight years old in 1551.

Father of the French Drama, Etienne Jodelle (1532–1573).

Father of the Modern German Drama, Andreos Greif (1616–1664).

Father of the Greek Drama, Thespis (sixth century B.C.).

Father of the Spanish Drama, Lopê de Vega (1562–1635).

Drama of Exiles (The), a poem by Mrs. Browning (1844). The “exiles” are Adam and Eve from Paradise, and the poem depicts the anguish of Eve when driven into the wilderness, “And must I leave thee, Paradise?”

Drap, one of queen Mab’s maids of honour.—Drayton: Nymphidia.

Drapier’s Letters, a series of letters written by dean Swift, and signed “M. D. Drapier,” advising the Irish not to take the copper money coined by William Wood, to whom George I. had given a patent. These letters (1724) stamped out this infamous job, and caused the patent to be cancelled. The patent was obtained by the duchess of Kendal (mistress of the king), who was to share the profits.

Can we the Drapier then forget?
Is not our nation in his debt?
’Twas he that writ the “Drapier’s Letters.”
   —Dean Swift: Verses on his own death.

Drawcansir, a bragging, blustering bully, who took part in a battle, and killed every one on both sides, “sparing neither friend nor foe.”—Villiers duke of Buckingham: The Rehearsal (1671).

Juan, who was a little superficial,
And not in literature a great Drawcansir.
   —Byron: Don Juan, xi. 51 (1824).

At length my enemy appeared, and I went forward some yards like a Drawcansir, but found myself seized with a panic as Paris was when he presented himself to fight with Menelaus.—Lesage: Gil Blas, vii. 1 (1735).

Dream Luthorship. It is said that Coleridge wrote his Kubla Khan from his recollection of a dream.

Condillac (says Cabanis) concluded in his dreams the reasonings left incomplete at bed-time.