Part i.

A'MIN (_Prince_), son of the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid; he married Am'inê, sister of Zobeide (3 _syl_.), the caliph's wife.--_Arabian Nights' Entertainments_ ("The History of Amine").

_Am'ina_, an orphan, who walked in her sleep. She was betrothed to Elvi'no, a rich farmer, but being found the night before the wedding in the chamber of count Rodolpho, Elvino rightly refused to marry her. The count remonstrated with the young farmer, and while they were talking, the orphan was seen to get out of a window and walk along the narrow edge of a mill-roof while the great wheel was rapidly revolving; she then crossed a crazy old bridge, and came into the same chamber. Here she awoke, and, seeing Elvino, threw her arms around him so lovingly, that all his doubts vanished, and he married her.--Bellini, _La Sonnambula_ (an opera, 1831).

AM'INE (3 _syl_.), half-sister of Zobei'dè (3 _syl_.), and wife of Amin, the caliph's son. One day she went to purchase a robe, and the seller told her he would charge nothing if she would suffer him to kiss her cheek. Instead of kissing he bit it, and Amine, being asked by her husband how she came by the wound, so shuffled in her answers that he commanded her to be put to death, a sentence he afterwards commuted to scourging. One day she and her sister told the stories of their lives to the caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, when Amin became reconciled to his wife, and the caliph married her half-sister.--_Arabian Nights'Entertainments_ ("History of Zobeide and History of Amine").

AM'INE (3 _syl_.) or AM'INES (3 _syl_.), the beautiful wife of Sidi Nouman. Instead of eating her rice with a spoon, she used a bodkin for the purpose, and carried it to her mouth in infinitesimal portions. This went on for some time, till Sidi Nouman determined to ascertain on what his wife really fed, and to his horror discovered that she was a ghoul, who went stealthily by night to the cemetery, and feasted on the freshly-buried dead.--_Arabian Nights_ ("History of Sidi Nouman").

One of the Aminês' sort, who pick up their grains of food with a bodkin.--O.W. Holmes, _Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table_.

AMIN'TOR, a young nobleman, the troth-plight husband of Aspatia, but by the king's command he marries Evad'ne (3 _syl_.). This is the great event of the tragedy of which Amintor is the hero. The sad story of Evadne, the heroine, gives name to the play.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Maid's Tragedy_ (1610).

(Till the reign of Charles II., the kings of England claimed the feudal right of disposing in marriage any one who owed them feudal allegiance. In _All's Well that Ends Well_, Shakespeare makes the king of France exercise a similar right, when he commands Bertram, count of Rousillon, to marry against his will Hel'ena, the physician's daughter.)

AMIS THE PRIEST, the hero of a comic German epic of the 13th century, represented as an Englishman, a man of great wit and humor, but ignorant and hypocritical. His popularity excites the envy of the superior clergy, who seek to depose him from the priesthood by making public exposition of his ignorance, but by his quickness at repartee he always manages to turn the laugh against them.--Ascribed to Stricker of Austria.

AM'LET (_Richard_), the gamester in Vanbrugh's _Confederacy_ (1695). He is usually called "Dick."

I saw Miss Pope for the second time, in the year 1790, in the character of "Flippanta," John Palmer being "Dick Amlet," and Mrs. Jordan "Corinna."--James Smith.

_Mrs. Amlet_, a rich, vulgar tradeswoman, mother of _Dick_, of whom she is very proud, although she calls him a "sad scapegrace," and swears "he will be hanged." At last she settles on him £10,000, and he marries Corinna, daughter of Gripe the rich scrivener.

AMMO'NIAN HORN (_The_), the cornucopia. Ammon king of Lib'ya gave to his mistress Amalthe'a (mother of Bacchus) a tract of land resembling a ram's horn in shape, and hence called the "_Ammonian_ horn" (from the giver), the "_Amalthe'an_ horn" (from the receiver), and the "_Hesperian_ horn" (from its locality). Amalthea also personifies fertility. (Ammon is Ham, son of Noah, founder of the African race.) (See AMALTHEA.)

[Here] Amalthea pours, Well pleased, the wealth of that Ammonian horn, Her dower. Akenside, _Hymn to the Naiads_.

AM'MON'S SON. Alexander the Great called himself the son of the god Ammon, but others call him the son of Philip of Macedon.

Of food I think with Philip's son, or rather Ammon's (ill pleased with one world and one father). Byron, _Don Juan_, v. 31.

(Alluding to the tale that when Alexander had conquered the whole world, he wept that there was no other world to conquer.)

A'MON'S SON is Rinaldo, eldest son of Amon or Aymon marquis d'Este, and nephew of Charlemagne.--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

AM'ORET, a modest, faithful shepherdess, who plighted her troth to Per'igot (_t_ sounded) at the "Virtuous Well." The wanton shepherdess Amarillis, having by enchantment assumed her appearance and dress, so disgusted Perigot with her bold ways, that he lost his love for the true Amoret, repulsed her with indignation, and tried to kill her. The deception was revealed by Cor'in, "the faithful shepherdess," and the lovers being reconciled, were happily married.--John Fletcher, _The Faithful Shepherdess_ (before 1611).

AMORET'TA or AM'ORET, twin-born with Belphoebê (3 _syl_.), their mother being Chrysog'onê (4 _syl_.). While the mother and her two babes were asleep, Diana took one (Belphoebê) to bring up, and Venus the other. Venus committed Amoretta to the charge of Psychê (2 _syl_.), and Psychê tended her as lovingly as she tended her own daughter Pleasure, "to whom she became the companion." When grown to marriageable estate, Amoretta was brought to Fairyland, and wounded many a heart, but gave her own only to sir Scudamore (bk. iii. 6). Being seized by Bu'sirane, an enchanter, she was kept in durance by him because she would not "her true love deny;" but Britomart delivered her and bound the enchanter (bk. iii. 11, 12), after which she became the tender, loving wife of sir Scudamore.

_Amoret_ is the type of female loveliness and wifely affection, soft, warm, chaste, gentle, and ardent; not sensual nor yet platonic, but that living, breathing, warm-hearted love which fits woman for the fond mother and faithful wife.--Spenser, _Faëry Queen_, iii. (1590).

AMOUR'Y (_Sir Giles_), the Grand-Master of the Knights Templars, who conspires with the marquis of Montserrat against Richard I. Saladin cuts off the Templar's head while in the act of drinking.--Sir W. Scott, _The Talisman_ (time, Richard I.).

AM'PHIBAL (_St._), confessor of St. Alban of Verulam. When Maximia'nus Hercu'lius, general of Diocle'tian's army in Britain, pulled down the Christian churches, burnt the Holy Scriptures, and put to death the Christians with unflagging zeal, Alban hid his confessor, and offered to die for him.

A thousand other saints whom Amphibal had taught ... Were slain where Lichfield is, whose name doth rightly sound (There of those Christians slain), "Dead-field" or burying-ground.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, xxiv. (1622).

AMPHI'ON is said to have built Thebes by the music of his lute. Tennyson has a poem called _Amphion_, a skit and rhyming _jeu d'esprit_.

Amphion there the loud creating lyre Strikes, and behold a sudden Thebes aspire.

Pope, _Temple of Fame_.

AMPHIS-BAENA, a reptile which could go head foremost either way, because it had a head at each extremity. Milton uses the word in _Paradise Lost_, x. 524. (Greek, _ampi baino_, "I go both ways.")

The amphis-baena doubly armed appears, At either end a threatening head she rears.

Rowe, _Pharsalia_, ix. 696, etc. (by Lucan).

AMPHITRYON, a Theban general, husband of Alcme'nê (3 _syl._). While Amphitryon was absent at war with Pter'elas, king of the Tel'eboans, Jupiter assumed his form, and visited Alcmenê, who in due time became the mother of Her'culês. Next day Amphitryon returned, having slain Pterelas, and Alcmenê was surprised to see him so soon again. Here a great entanglement arose, Alcmenê telling her husband he visited her last night, and showing him the ring he gave her, and Amphitryon declaring he was with the army. This confusion is still further increased by his slave Sos'ia, who went to take to Alcmenê the news of victory, but was stopped at the door of the house by Mercury, who had assumed for the nonce Sosia's form, and the slave could not make out whether he was himself or not. This plot has been made a comedy by Plautus, Molière, and Dryden.

The scenes which Plautus drew, to-night we show, Touched by Molière, by Dryden taught to glow.

_Prologue to Hawksworth's version_.

As an Amphitryon _chez qui l'on dine_, no one knows better than Ouidà the uses of a _recherché_ dinner.--E. Yates, _Celebrities_, xix.

"_Amphitryon_": _Le véritable Amphitryon est l'Amphitryon où l'on dine_ ("The master of the feast is the master of the house"). While the confusion was at its height between the false and true Amphitryon, _Socie_ [Sosia] the slave is requested to decide which was which, and replied--

Je ne me trompois pas, messieurs; ce mot termine Toute l'irrésolution; Le véritable Amphitryon Est l'Amphitryon où l'on dine.

Molière, _Amphitryon_, iii. 5 (1668).

Demosthenes and Cicero Are doubtless stately names to hear, But that of good Amphitryon Sounds far more pleasant to my ear.

M.A. Désaugiers (1772-1827).

AMRAH, the faithful woman-servant of the household of Ben-Hur in Lew Wallace's novel, _Ben-Hur_. Through her heroic services, Judah, the son, finds the mother and sister from whom he has been so long separated (1880).

AM'RI, in _Absalom and Achitophel_, by Dryden and Tate, is Heneage Finch, earl of Nottingham and lord chancellor. He is called "The Father of Equity" (1621-1682).

To whom the double blessing did belong, With Moses' inspiration, Aaron's tongue.