Chapter Moon's Men to More of More Hall of M by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Moran Son of Fithil, one of the scouts in the army of Swaran king of Lochlin (Denmark).—Ossian: Fingal.

Moran’s Collar, a collar for magistrates, which had the supernatural power of pressing the neck of the wearer if his judgments deviated from strict justice. It strangled him if he persisted in wrong-doing. Moran, surnamed “the Just,” was the wise counsellor of Feredach an early king of Ireland.

Morat, in Aurungzebe, a drama by Dryden (1675).

Edward Kynaston [1619–1687] shone with uncommon lustre in “Morat” and “Muley Moloch.” In both these parts he had a fierce, lion-like majesty in his port and utterance, that gave the spectators a kind of trembling admiration.—Colley Cibber.

Morat, in Switzerland, famous for the battle fought there in 1476, in which the Swiss defeated Charles le Téméraire, of Burgundy.

Morat and Marathon twin names shall stand.

Byron: Childe Harold, iii. 64 (1816).

Morbleu! This French oath is a corrupt contraction of Maugraby; thus, maugre bleu, mau’bleu. Maugraby was the great Arabian enchanter, and the word means “barbarous,” hence a barbarous man or a barbarian. The oath is common in Provence, Languedoc, and Gascoigne. I have often heard it used by the medical students at Paris.

(Probably it is a punning corruption of Mort de Dieu.)

Mordaunt, the secretary at Aix of queen Margaret the widow of Henry VI. of England.—Sir W. Scott: Anne of Geierstein (time, Edward IV.).

Mordecai (Beau), a rich Italian Jew, one of the suitors of Charlotte Goodchild; but, supposing the report to be true that the lady had lost her fortune, he called off and retired.—Macklin: Love à-la-Mode (1779).

The part that first brought John Quick [1748–1831] into notice was “Beau Mordecai,” in which he appeared as far back as 1770.—Records of a Stage Veteran.

Mordent, father of Joanna by a former wife. In order to marry lady Anne, he “deserts” Joanna and leaves her to be brought up by strangers. Joanna is placed under Mrs. Enfield a crimp, and Mordent consents to a proposal of Lennox to run off with her. Mordent is a spirit embittered with the world—a bad man, with a goading conscience. He sins and suffers the anguish of remorse; does wrong, and blames Providence because when he “sows the storm he reaps the whirlwind.”

Lady Anne, the wife of Mordent, daughter of the earl of Oldcrest, sister of a viscount, niece of lady Mary, and one of her uncles is a bishop. She is wholly neglected by her husband, but, like Grisilda (q.v.), bears it without complaint.—Holcroft: The Deserted Daughter (1784, altered into The Steward).

Mordred (Sir), son of Marga wse (sister of king Arthur) and Arthur her brother, while she was the wife of Lot king of Orkney (pt, i. 2, 35, 36). The sons of Lot himself and his wife were Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth, all knights of the Round Table. Out of hatred to sir Launcelot, Mordred and Agravain accuse him to the king of too great familiarity with queen Guenever, and induce the king to spend a day in hunting. During his absence, the queen sends for sir Launcelot to her private chamber, and Mordred and Agravain, with twelve other knights, putting the worst construction on the interview, clamorously assail the chamber, and call on sir Launcelot to come out. This he does, and kills Agravain with the twelve knights, but Mordred makes his escape and tells the king, who orders the queen to be burnt alive. She is brought to the stake, but is rescued by sir Launcelot, who carries her off to Joyous Guard, near Carlisle, which the king besieges. While lying before the castle, king Arthur receives a bull from the pope, commanding him to take back his queen. This he does, but as he refuses to be reconciled