Chapter Hubble to Huguenots of H by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Hubble to Huguenots

Hubble (Mr.), wheelwright; a tough, high-shouldered, stooping old man, of a sawdusty fragrance, with his legs extraordinarily wide apart.

Mrs. Hubble, a little curly, sharpedged person, who held a conventionally juvenile position, because she had married Mr. Hubble when she was much younger than he.—Dickens: Great Expectations (1860).

HUBERT, chamberlain to king John, and “keeper” of young prince Arthur. King John conspired with him to murder the young prince, and Hubert actually employed two ruffians to burn out both the boy’s eyes with red-hot irons. Arthur pleaded so lovingly with Hubert to spare his eyes, that he relented; however, the lad was found dead soon afterwards, either by accident or foul play.—Shakespeare: King John (1596). (See KINGSHIP.)

N. B.—This “Hubert” was Hubert de Burgh, justice of England and earl of Kent.

One would think, had it been possible, that Shakespeare, when he made king John excuse his intention of perpetrating the death of Arthur by his comment on Hubert’s face, by which he saw the assassin in his mind, had Sandford in idea, for he was rather deformed, and had a most forbidding countenance.—Dibdin: History of the Stage.

Hubert, an honest lord, in love with Jaculin daughter of Gerrard king of the beggars.—Fletcher: The Beggars’ Bush (1622).

Hubert, brother of prince Oswald, severely wounded by count Hurgonel in the combat provoked by Oswald against Gondibert, his rival for the love of Rhodalind the heiress of Aribert king of Lombardy.—Davenant: Gondibert (died 1668).

Hubert, an archer in the service of sir Philip de Malvoisin.—Sir W. Scott: Ivanhoe (time, Richard 1.).

Hubert (St.), patron saint of huntsmen. He was son of Bertrand duc d’ Acquitaine, and cousin of king Pepin.

Huddibras (Sir), a man “more huge in strength than wise in works,” the suitor of Perissa (extravagance).—Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. 2 (1590).

Hudibras, the hero of a rhyming political satire, in three parts, by S. Butler. Sir Hudibras is a presbyterian justice in the Commonwealth, who sets out with his squire Ralph (an independent) to reform abuses, and enforce the observance of the laws for the suppression of popular sports and amusements (1663, 1664, 1678).

The Grub Street Journal (1731) maintains that the academy figure of Hudibras was colonel Rolle of Devonshire, with whom the poet lodged for some time, and adds that the name is derived from Hugh de Bras, the patron saint of the county. Others say that sir Samuel Luke was the original, and cite the following distich in proof thereof:—

’Tis sung, there’s valiant Mameluke In foreign lands ycleped* * [Sir Luke?].

Hudibras is in octo-syllabic lines, and has given us the adjective “hudibrastic,” to signify poetry in the style and measure of Hudibras.

(It was illustrated by Hogarth in 1726; and sir George Gilfillan, in his introduction to the Works of Butler, gives us an excellent abstract of the poem.)

Edward Ward published (in 1705–1707) an imitation of Butler’s satire, which he called Hudibras Redivivus, for which he was twice set in the pillory.