Chapter Aquarius to Archimedes Screw of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Araf, Al [the partition]. A region, according to the Koran, between Paradise and Jehennam, for those who are neither morally good nor bad, such as infants, lunatics, and idiots. The inmates of Al Araf will be allowed to converse with the blessed and the cursed; to the former this region will appear a hell, to the latter a heaven. (See Limbo.)

Araspes (in Jerusalem Delivered), King of Alexandria, more famed for devices than courage. He joined the Egyptian armament against the Crusaders.

Aratos of Achæa, in Greece, murdered Nicocles, the tyrant, in order to restore his country to liberty, and would not allow even a picture of a king to exist. He was poisoned by Philip of Macedon.

"Aratus, who awhile relumed the soul
Of fondly-lingering liberty in Greece."
Thomson: Winter, 491, 492.

Arbaces (3 syl.). A Mede and Assyrian satrap, who conspired against Sardanapalus, and founded the empire of Media on the ruins of the Assyrian kingdom. (Byron: Sardanapalus.)

Arbor Day A day set apart in Canada and the United States for planting trees. (See Historic Note Book, p. 42.)

Arbor Judæ Said to be so called because Judas Iscariot hanged himself thereon. This is one of those word-resemblances so delusive to etymologists. Judæ is the Spanish judia (a French bean), and Arbor Judæ is a corruption of Arbol Judia (the bean-tree), so called from its bean-like pods.

Arcades Ambo [Arcades 3 syl.], both sweet innocents or simpletons, both Verdant Greens. From Virgil's Eclogue, vii. v. 4. (See below , Arcadian Youth.) Byron's translation was "blackguards both."

Arcadian A shepherd, a fancy farmer; so called because the Arcardians were a pastoral people, and hence pastoral poetry is called Arcadic.

An Arcadian youth. A dunce or blockhead; so called because the Arcardians were the least intellectual of all the Greeks. Juneval (vii. 160) uses the phrase Arcadicus juvenis for a stupid fool.

Arcadian Nightingales Asses.

"April is the month of love; and the country of Chastelleraud abounds with Arcadian nightingales." -
Rabelais: Pantagruel. v. 7 (note).

Archangels According to the Koran, there are four archangels. Gabriel. the angel of revelations, who writes down the divine decrees; Mïchael, the champion, who fights the battles of faith; Azrael, the angel of death; and Azrafil, who is commissioned to sound the trumpet of the resurrection.

Arch-monarch of the World Napoleon III. of France. (1808, 1852--1870, died 1873.)

Archers The best archers in British history and story are Robin Hood and his two comrades Little John and Will Scarlet.

The famous archers of Henry II. were Tepus his bowman of the Guards, Gilbert of the white hind, Hubert of Suffolk, and Clifton of Hampshire.

Nearly equal to these were Egbert of Kent and William of Southampton.

Domitian, the Roman emperor, we are told, could shoot four arrows between the spread fingers of a man's hand.
Tell, who shot an apple set on the head of his son, is a replica of the Scandinavian tale of Egil, who, at the command of King Nidung, performed a precisely similar feat.
Robin Hood, we are told, could shoot an arrow a mile or more.