Chapter Rab and his Friends to Raine of R by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Rab and his Friends to Raine

Rab and his Friends. Rab is a dog fond of his master and mistress, and most faithful to them. The story is contained in Dr. John Brown’s Horæ Subsecivæ (1858-60).

Rabagas, an advocate and editor of a journal called the Carmagnole. At the same office was published another radical paper, called the Crapaud Volant. Rabagas lived in the kingdom of Monaco, and was a demagogue leader of the deepest red; but was won over to the king’s party by the tact of an American lady, who got him an invitation to dine at the palace, and made him chief minister of state. From this moment he became the most strenuous opponent of the “liberal” party.—Sardou: Rabagas (1872).

Rabbi Abron of Trent, a fictitious sage and most wonderful linguist. “He knew the nature of all manner of herbs, beasts, and minerals.”—Reynard the Fox, xii. (1498).

Rabbits. Those rabbits have more nature in them than you commonly find in rabbits; i.e. my production is better than the production of other men. This was said by a conceited artist.—Foster: Life of Dickens, ii. 367.

Rabelais (The English). Dean Swift was so called by Voltaire (1667–1745).

Sterne (1713–1768) and Thomas Amory (1699–1788) have also been so called.

The Modern Rabelais, William Maginn (1794–1842).

Rabelais of Germany, J. Fischart, called “Mentzer” (1550–1614).

Rabelais’s Poison. Rabelais, being at a great distance from Paris, and without money to pay his hotel bill or his fare, made up three small packets of brick-dust. One he labelled “Poison for the king,” another “Poison for monsieur,” and the third “Poison for the dauphin.” The landlord instantly informed against this “poisoner,” and the secretary of state removed him at once to Paris. When, however, the joke was found out, it ended only in a laugh.—Spectator (“Art of Growing Rich”).

(Baker fathers this trick on Tarleton, the famous clown.—Biographia Dramatica, article “Tarleton.”)

Rabican or Rabicano, the horse of Astolpho. Its sire was Wind and its dam Fire. It fed on human food. The word means “short tail.”—Ariosto: Orlando Furioso (1516).

(Argalia’s horse is called by the same name in Orlando Innamorato, 1495.)

Rabisson, a vagabond tinker and knife-grinder. He was the only person who knew about “the gold- mine” left to the “miller of Grenoble.” Rabisson was murdered for his secret by Eusebe Noel the schoolmaster of Bout des Monde.—Stirling: The Gold-Mine or Miller of Grenoble (1854).

Rabsheka (in the Bible Rabshakeh, in the satire of Absalom and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is meant for sir Thomas Player (2 Kings xviii.).

Next him let railing Rabsheka have place—
So full of zeal, he has no need of grace.
   —Pt. ii. 297, 298(1682).

Raby (Aurora), a rich young English orphan, catholic in religion, of virgin modesty, “a rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded.” She was staying in the house of lord and lady Amundeville during the parliamentary vacation. Here don Juan, “as Russian envoy,” was also a guest, with several others. Aurora Raby is introduced in canto xv., and crops up here and there in the two remaining cantos; but, as the tale was never finished, it is not possible to divine what part the beautiful and innocent girl was designed by the poet to play. Probably don Juan, having sown his “wild oats,” might become a not unfit match for the beautiful orphan.—Byron: Don Fuan (1824).

Raby (The Rose of). (See Rose.)