Chapter Antipholus to Antony and Cleopatra of A by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Antipholus to Antony and Cleopatra

Antipholus. The name of two brothers, twins, the sons of Ægeon a merchant of Syracuse. The two brothers were shipwrecked in infancy; and, being picked up by different cruisers, one was taken to Syracuse, and the other to Ephesus. The Ephesian entered the service of the duke; and, being fortunate enough to save the duke’s life, became a great man and married well. The Syracusian Antipholus, going in search of his brother, came to Ephesus, where a series of blunders occur from the wonderful likeness of the two brothers and their two servants called Dromio. The confusion becomes so great that the Ephesian is taken up as a mad man. It so happened that both brothers appeared before the duke at the same time; and the extraordinary likeness being seen by all, the cause of the blunders was evident, and everything was satisfactorily explained.—Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors (1593).

Antiquary (The), Jonathan Oldbuck, laird of Monkbarns. He exchanged some excellent arable land for a worthless plot of barren soil, because he fancied it was the remains of a Roman camp in the time of Julius Cæsar. In confirmation of this supposition, he discovered an old stone with the letters A. D. L. L. scratched on it. This he read “Agricola Dicavit Libens Lubens.” An old beadsman, named Edie Ochiltree, here interrupted him, and said twenty years ago, at Aiken Drum’s wedding, one of the masons, for a joke, cut on a stone the letters, which stood for “Aiken Drum’s Lang Ladle.”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquary, chap. iv.

The Antiquary: a novel by sir W. Scott (1816). The third of the Waverley Novels, the subject is the marriage between William Lovel and Miss Wardour. Mr. Lovel accidentally meets the Antiquary (laird of Monkbarns) at a coach office in Edinburgh High Street, pays him a visit, and is introduced to sir Arthur Wardour and his daughter. Sir Arthur, his daughter, and Lovel meet on the sands at Halkethead, but being overtaken by a spring-tide are hauled up the cliffs by ropes. Further intimacy is obstructed by a letter, which compels Lovel to leave Monkbarns for Fairport, where the Antiquary returns his visit, taking with him his kinsman, captain M’Intyre. Lovel and the captain quarrel; and in the duel which ensues the captain receives a wound supposed to be deadly, so that Lovel flees and hides in a cave. Here he accidentally overhears Dousterswivel and sir Arthur Wardour in the ruins, searching for treasure. Sir Arthur receives a lawyer’s letter, demanding instant payment of the money thus swindled out of him, and sheriff’s officers take possession of the castle. The Antiquary comes to his rescue, and the castle is cleared. An alarm of an invasion of Fairport causes the retainers to muster in its defence. Lovel arrives, is recognized as the son of the earl of Glenallan, and marries Miss Wardour (time of George III.).

Anton (Sir). Tennyson says that Merlin gave Arthur, when an infant, to sir Anton and his lady to bring up, and they brought him up as their own son. This does not correspond with the History of Prince Arthur, which states that he was committed to the care of sir Ector and his lady, whose son, sir Key, is over and over again called the prince’s foster-brother. The History furthermore states that Arthur made sir Key his seneschal because he was his foster-brother.

So the child was delivered unto Merlin, and he bare him forth unto sir Ector, and made a holy man christen him, and named him “Arthur.” And so sir Ector’s wife nourished him with her own breast.—Part i. 3.

So sir Ector rode to the justs, and with him rode sir Key, his son, and young Arthur that was his nourished brother.—Ditto.

“Sir,” said sir Ector, “I will ask no more of you but that you will make my son, sir Key, your foster, brother, seneschal of all your lands.” “That shall be done,” said Arthur (ch. 4).—Sir T. Malory, History of Prince Arthur (1470).

Anton, one of Henry Smith’s men in The Fair Maid of Perth, by sir W. Scott (time, Henry IV.).

Antoniad, the name of Cleopatra’s ship at the battle of Actium, so named in compliment to Mark Antony.—Plutarch.

Antonio, a sea-captain who saved Sebastian (the brother of Viola) when wrecked off the Illyrian coast.—Shakespeare: Twelfth Night (1614).