Chapter Gravelled to Grecian Coffee-house of G by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Great Bullet-head George Cadoudal, leader of the Chouans, born at Brech, in Morbihan. (1769-1804.)

Great Captain (See Captain .)

Great Cham of Literature So Smollett calls Dr. Johnson. (1709-1784.)

Great Commoner (The). William Pitt (1759-1806).

Great Cry and Little Wool Much ado about nothing. (See Cry .)

Great Dauphin (See Grand .)

Great Elector (The). Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620, 1640-1688).

Great Go A familiar term for a university examination for degrees: the "previous examination" being the "Little Go."
   "Great Go" is usually shortened into "Greats."

"Since I have been reading ... for my greats. I have had to go into all sorts of deep books." - Grant Allen: The Backslider, part iii.

Great Harry (The). A man-of-war built by Henry VII., the first of any size constructed in England. It was burnt in 1553. (See Henry Grace De Dieu.)
Great Head Malcolm III., of Scotland; also called Canmore, which means the same thing. (Reigned 1057-1093.)

"Malcolm III., called Canmore or Great Head."
- Sir W. Scott: Tales of a Grandfather, i, 4.

Great Men (Social status of).
   ÆSOP, a manumitted slave.
   ARKWRIGHT (Sir Richard), a barber.
   BEACONSFIELD (Lord), a solicitor's clerk.
   BLOOMFIELD, a cobbler, son of a tailor.
   BUNYAN, a travelling tinker.
   BURNS, a gauger, son of a ploughman.
   CÆDMON, a cowherd.
   CERVANTES, a common soldier.
   CLARE, a ploughman, son of a farm labourer.
   CLAUDE LORRAINE, a pastrycook.
   COLUMBUS, son of a weaver.
   COOK (Captain), son of a husbandman.
   CROMWELL, son of a brewer.
   CUNNINGHAM (Allan), a stonemason, son of a peasant.
   DEFOE, a hosier, son of a butcher.
   DEMOSTHENES, son of a cutler.
   DICKENS, a, newspaper reporter; father the same.
   ELDON (Lord), son of a coal-broker.
   FARADAY (Michael), a bookbinder.
   FERGUSON (James), the astronomer, son of a day-labourer.
   FRANKLIN, a journeyman printer, son of a tallow-chandler.
   HARGREAVES, the machinist, a poor weaver.
   HOGG, a shepherd, son of a Scotch peasant.
   HOMER, a farmer's son (said to have begged his bread).
   HORACE, son of a manumitted slave.
   HOWARD (John), a grocer's apprentice, son of a tradesman.
   KEAN (Edmund), son of a stage-carpenter in a minor theatre.
   JONSON (Ben), a bricklayer.
   LATIMER, Bishop of Worcester, son of a small farmer.
   LUCIAN, a sculptor, son of a poor tradesman.
   MONK (General), a volunteer.
   OPIE (John), son of a poor carpenter in Cornwall.
   PAINE (Thomas), a stay-maker, son of a Quaker.
   PORSON (Richard), son of a parish clerk in Norfolk.
   RICHARDSON, a bookseller and printer, son of a joiner.
   SHAKESPEARE, son of a wool-stapler.
   STEPHENSON (George), son of a fireman at a colliery.
   VIRGIL, son of a porter.
   WATT (James), improver of the steam engine, son of a block-maker.
   WASHINGTON, a farmer.
   WOLSEY, son of a butcher.
    And hundreds more.

Great Men (Wives of). (See under Wives .)

Great Mogul The title of the chief of the Mogul Empire, which came to an end in 1806.

Great Mother The earth. When Junius Brutus and the sons of Tarquin asked the Delphic Oracle who was to succeed Superbus on the throne of Rome, they received for answer, "He who shall first kiss his mother." While the two princes hastened home to fulfil what they thought was meant, Brutus fell to the earth, and exclaimed, "Thus kiss I thee, O earth, the great mother of us all."

Great Perhaps (The). So Rabelais (1485-1553) described a future state.