Chapter Mundungus to Mutual Friends of M by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Mundungus to Mutual Friends

Mundungus Bad tobacco.
    Mundungus, in Sterne's Sentimental Journey (1768), is meant for Samuel Sharp, a surgeon, who published Letters from Italy. Tobias Smollett, who published Travels through France and Italy (1766), “one continual snarl", was called “Smelfungus.”

Munera The daughter of Pollente, the Saracen, to whom he gave all the spoils he unjustly took from those who fell into his power. Talus, the iron page of Sir Artegal, chopped off her golden hands and silver feet, and tossed her over the castle wall into the moat. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, bk. v. 2.)

Munkar and Nakir. Two black angels of appalling aspect, the inquisitors of the dead. The Koran says that during the inquisition the soul is united to the body. If the scrutiny is satisfactory, the soul is gently drawn forth from the lips of the deceased, and the body is left to repose in peace; if not, the body is beaten about the head with iron clubs, and the soul is wrenched forth by racking torments.

Munnin Memory; one of the two ravens that sit perched on the shoulders of Odin; the other is Hugin (thought). (Scandinavian mythology.)

Muntabur [Mount Tabor ]. The royal residence of the soldan whose daughter married Otnit, King of Lombardy.

Murad Son of Hadrama and Marsillus, King of Portugal, Castile, Aragon, Leon, and Valence, when those countries were held by the Moors. He was called “Lord of the Lion,” because he always led about a lion in silken fetters. When he carried defiance to Charlemagne at Fronsac, the lion fell in love with Aude the Fair; Murad chastised it, and the lion tore him to pieces. (Croquemitaine, vii.)

Muscadins of Paris French dudes or exquisites, who aped the London mashers in the first French Revolution. Their dress was top-boots with thick soles, knee-breeches, a dress-coat with long tails, and a high stiff collar, and a thick cudgel called a constitution. It was thought to be John Bullish to assume a huskiness of voice, a discourtesy of manners, and a swaggering vulgarity of speech and behaviour. Probably so called from being “perfumed like a popinjay.”

“Cockneys of London, Muscadins of Paris.” Byron: Don Juan, viii. 124.

Muscular Christianity Healthy or strong-minded religion, which braces a man to fight the battle of life bravely and manfully. This expression has been erroneously attributed to Charles Kingsley. (See his Life, ii. 74, 75.)

Muses Nine daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, goddesses of poetry, history, and other arts and sciences. The paintings of Herculaneum show all nine in their respective attributes. In the National- Museum of Paris is the famous collection with which Pius VI. enriched the Vatican. Lesueur left a celebrated picture of the same subject.

Museum The most celebrated are the British Museum in London; the Louvre at Paris; the Vatican at Rome; the Museum of Florence; that of St. Petersburg; and those of Dresden, Vienna, Munich, and Berlin.
   A walking museum. So Longinus, author of a work on The Sublime, was called. (A.D. 213-273.)

Mushroom (an archaic form is mushrump). (French, mousseron, a white mushroom; Latin, muscus, moss.)

“Vocatur fungus muscarum, eo quod in lacte pulverizatus interficit muscas.”- Albertus Magnus, vii. 345.

Music Father of music. Giovanni Battista Pietro Aloisio da Palestrina. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was “the prince of musicians.” (1529-1594.)
   Father of Greek music. Terpander. (Flourished B.C. 676.)
   The prince of music. G. Pietro A. da Palestrina (1529-1594).
   Music hath charms, etc.; from Congreve's Mourning Bride, i. l.

Music Men of genius averse to music. The following men of genius were actually averse to music: Edmund Burke; Byron had no ear for music, and neither vocal nor instrumental music afforded him the slightest pleasure. Charles Fox, Hume, Dr. Johnson, Daniel O'Connell, Robert Peel, William Pitt; Pope preferred