Chapter Simple to Sinner Saved of S by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Simple to Sinner Saved

Simple (The), Charles III. of France (879,893–929).

Simple (Peter), the hero and title of a novel by captain Marryat (1833).

Simple Simon, a man more sinned against than sinning, whose misfortunes arose from his wife Margery’s cruelty, which began the very morning of their marriage.

We do not know whether it is necessary to seek for a Teutonic or Northern original for this once popular book.—Quarterly Review.

Simple Story (A), a novel by Elizabeth Inchbald (1791).

Simpson (Tam), the drunken barber.—Sir W. Scott: St. Ronan’s Well (time, George III.).

Simson (Jean), an old woman at Middlemas village.—Sir W. Scott: The Surgeon’s Daughter (time, George II.).

Simurgh, a fabulous Eastern bird, endowed with reason and knowing all languages. It had seen the great cycle of 7000 years twelve times, and, during that period, it declared it had seen the earth wholly without inhabitant seven times.—Beckford: Vathek (notes, 1784). This does not agree with Southey’s account (see Simorg).

Sin, twin-keeper, with Death, of Hellgate. She sprang, full-grown, from the head of Satan.

Woman to the waist, and fair,
But ending foul in many a scaly fold
Voluminous and vast, a serpent armed
With mortal sting.
   —Milton: Paradise Lost, ii.(1665)

Sinadone (The lady of), metamorphosed by enchantment into a serpent. Sir Lybius (one of Arthur’s knights) slew the enchantress, and the serpent, coiling about his neck, kissed him; whereupon the spell was broken, the serpent became a lovely princess, and sir Lybius made her his wife.—Libeaux (a romance).

Sinbad, a merchant of Bagdad, who acquired great wealth by merchandise. He went seven voyages, which he related to a poor discontented porter named Hindbad, to show him that wealth must be obtained by enterprise and personal exertion.

First Voyage. Being becalmed in the Indian Ocean, he and some others of the crew visited what they supposed to be an island, but which was in reality a huge whale asleep. They lighted a fire on the whale, and the heat woke the creature, which instantly dived under water. Sinbad was picked up by some merchants, and in due time returned home.

Second Voyage. Sinbad was left, during sleep, on a desert island, and discovered a roc’s egg, “fifty paces in circumference.” He fastened himself to the claw of the bird, and was deposited in the valley of diamonds. Next day, some merchants came to the top of the crags, and threw into the valley huge joints of raw meat, to which the diamonds stuck, and when the eagles picked up the meat, the merchants scared them from their nests, and carried off the diamonds. Sinbad then fastened himself to a piece of meat, was carried by an eagle to its nest, and being rescued by the merchants, returned home laden with diamonds.

Third Voyage is the encounter with the Cyclops. (See Ulysses and Polyphemos, where the account is given in detail.)

Fourth Voyage. Sinbad married a lady of rank in a strange island on which he was cast; and when his wife died, he was buried alive with the dead body, according to the custom of the land. He made his way out of the catacomb, and returned to Bagdad, greatly enriched by valuables rifled from the dead bodies.