Chapter No Song no Supper to Norna of the Fitful Head of N by Brewer's Readers Handbook

No Song no Supper to Norna of the Fitful Head

No Song no Supper, a musical drama by Prince Hoare, F.S.A. (1790). Crop the farmer has married a second wife called Dorothy, who has an amiable weakness for a rascally lawyer named Endless. During the absence of her husband, Dorothy provides a supper for Endless, consisting of roast lamb and a cake; but just as the lawyer sits down to it, Crop, with Margaretta, knocks at the door. Endless is concealed in a sack, and the supper is carried away. Presently, Robin the sweetheart of Margaretta arrives, and Crop regrets there is nothing but bread and cheese to offer him. Margaretta now volunteers a song, the first verse of which tells Crop there is roast lamb in the house, which is accordingly produced; the second verse tells him there is a cake, which is produced also; and the third verse tells him that Endless is concealed in a sack. Had there been no song there would have been no supper, but the song produced the roast lamb and new cake.

No Thoroughfare, a Christmas tale by Dickens and Collins, in All the Year Round (1867). Dramatized by the authors.

Noah’s Flood, a poem by Drayton (1627).

Noah’s Raven. (For a remarkable parallel, see Raven.)

Noah’s Wife, Wâïla, who endeavoured to persuade the people that her husband was distraught.

The wife of Noah [Wâïla] and the wife of Lot [Wâhela] were both unbelievers … and deceived their husbands … and it shall be said to them at the last day, “Enter ye into hell fire.”—Sale: Al Korân, lxvi.

Nobbs, the horse of “Dr. Dove of Doncaster.”—Southey: The Doctor (1834).

Noble (The), Charles III. of Navarre (1361, 1387–1425).

Soliman, Tchelibi, the Turk (died 1410).

Khosrou or Chosroës I. was called “The Noble Soul” (*, 531–579).

Noctes, a series of seventy-one hypothetical conversations contributed to Blackwood’s Magazine between 1822 and 1835. About half were by professor Wilson. The conversations were supposed to take place in the “blue parlour” of an inn, kept by one Ambrose, and hence were called Noctes Ambrosianæ.

Nodel, the lion, in the beast-epic called Reynard the Fox. Nodel, the lion, represents the regal element of Germany; Isengrin, the wolf, represents the baronial element; and Reynard, the fox, the Church element (1498).

Noel (Eusebe), schoolmaster of Bout du Monde. “His clothes are old and worn, and his manner vacant” (act i. 2).—Stirling: The Gold-Mine or Miller of Grenoble (1854).

Noggs (Newman), Ralph Nickleby’s clerk. A tall man of middle age, with two goggle eyes (one of which was fixed), a rubicund nose, a cadaverous face, and a suit of clothes decidedly the worse for wear. He had the gift of distorting and cracking his finger-joints. This kind-hearted, dilapidated fellow “kept his hunter and hounds once,” but ran through his fortune. He discovered a plot of old Ralph, which he confided to the Cheeryble brothers, who frustrated it and then provided for Newman.—Dickens: Nicholas Nickleby (1838).

Nokomis, mother of Wenonah, and grandmother of Hiawatha. Nikomis was the daughter of the Moon. While she was swinging one day, some of her companions, out of jealousy, cut the ropes, and she fell to earth in a meadow. The same night her first child, a daughter, was born, and was named Wenonah.

There among the ferns and mosses …
Fair Nokomis bore a daughter,
And she called her name Wenonah.
   —Longfellow: Hiawatha, iii. (1855).