Chapter Architect of his own Fortune to Ariel of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Architect of his own Fortune to Ariel

Architect of his own Fortune Appius says, "Fabrun suoe esse quemque fortunoe." Longfellow says, "All are architects of Fate." (The Builders.)

Archontics Heretics of the second century, who held a number of idle stories about creation, which they attributed to a number of agents called "archons." (Greek, archon , a prince or ruler.)

Arcite (2 syl.). A young Theban knight, made captive by Duke Theseus, and shut up with Palamon in a prison at Athens. Here both the captives fell in love with Emily, the duke's sister-in-law. After a time both captives gained their liberty, and Emily was promised by the duke to the victor in a tournament. Arcite was the victor, but, as he was riding to receive the prize of his prowess, he was thrown from his horse, and died. So Emily became the bride of Palamon. (Chaucer: The Knight Tale.)

The story is perhaps better known through Dryden's version, Palamon and Arcite.

Arcos Barbs War steeds of Arcos, in Andalusia, very famous in Spanish ballads. (See Barbed Steeds.)

Arctic Region means the region of Arcturos (the Bear stars). Ark in Sanskrit means "to be bright," applied to stars or anything bright. The Greeks transLated ark into arkt(os), "a bear"; hence Arcturus (the Bear Stars), and Arctic region, the region where the north star is found.

Arden (Enoch). Mr. G. R. Emerson, in a letter to the Athenæum (August 18th, 1866), points out the resemblance of this tale by Tennyson to one entitled Homeward Bound, by Adelaide Anne Procter, in a volume of Legends and Lyrics, 1858. Mr. Emerson concludes his letter thus: "At this point (i.e when the hero sees his wife "seated by the fire, whispering baby words and smiling on the father of her child") Tennyson departs from the story. Enoch goes away broken-hearted to die, without revealing his secret; but Miss Procter makes the three recognise each other, and the hero having blessed his wife, leaves her, to roam "over the restless ocean.""

Mrs. Gaskell's Manchester Marriage is a similar tale. In this tale "Frank" is made to drown himself; and his wife (then Mrs. Openshaw) never knows of his return.

Area-sneak A boy or girl who sneaks about areas to commit petty thefts.

Areopagus or Mars' Hill. The seat of a famous tribunal in Athens; so called because the first cause tried there was that of Mars or Ares, accused by Neptune of the death of his son Halirrhothius.

"Then Pan stood in the midst of Mars' Hill." - Acts xvii. 22.

Aretine (3 syl.) or rather Pietro Aretino, patronised by François I. of France. A poet noted for his disreputable life and licentious verses. (1492--1557.)

"[Shakespeare] tried his hand with Aretine on a licentious subject." - Steevens.

Aretinian Syllables Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, used by Guido d'Arezzo in the eleventh century for his system of hexachords. Hexachord means a scale of six notes. They are the first syllables of some words in the opening stanza of a hymn for St. John's Day. "Ut queant laxis re -sonare fibris," etc. Si, the seventh note, was not introduced till the seventeenth century. Originally the scale consisted of six notes only. (See Do.)

"Auparavant on ne se servait que de six notes; et on remplaçait le si au moyen de combinaisons appelées nuances." - Bouillet: Dictionaire des Sciences, p. 1523, col. 2.)

Argan a miserly hypochondriac. He reduced himself to this dilemma: if his apothecary would not charge less, he could not afford to be sick; but if he swallowed fewer drugs, he would suffer in health. (Molière's Le Malade Imaginaire.)

Argand Lamp A lamp with a circular wick, through which a current of air flows, to supply oxygen to the flame, and increase its brilliancy. Invented by Aimé Argand, 1789.