Chapter Anvil to Apostolic Fathers of A by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Anvil to Apostolic Fathers

Anvil (The Literary). Dr. Mayo was so called, because he bore the hardest blows of Dr. Johnson without flinching.

Aodh, la st of the Culdees, or primitive clergy of Iona, an island south of Staffa. His wife was Reullura. Ulvfagre the Dane, having landed on the island and put-many to the sword, bound Aodh in chains of iron; then, dragging him to the church, demanded where the “treasures were concealed.” A mysterious figure now appeared, which not only released the priest, but took the Dane by the arm to the statue of St. Columb, which fell on him and crushed him to death. After this the “saint” gathered the remnant of the islanders together, and went to Ireland.—Campbell: Reullura.

Aonian Mount (The) in Bœotia, the haunt of the Muses. Milton says his Muse is to soar above “the Aonian mount,” i.e. above the flight of fable and classic themes, because his subject was “Jehovah, lord of all.”—Paradise Lost, i. 15 (1665).

Ape (I syl.), the pseudonym of M. Pellegrini, the caricaturist of Vanity Fair. Dr. Johnson says “to ape is to imitate ludicrously;” whence the adoption of the name.

Apes. To lead Apes in Hell, to die an old maid. Thus Fadladinida says to Tatlanthe —

Pity that you who’ve served so long and well
Should die a virgin, and lead apes in hell;
Choose for yourself, dear girl, our empire round,
Your portion is twelve hundred thousand pound.
   —H. Carey: Chrononhotonthologos.

Women, dying maids, lead apes in hell.
   —The London Prodigal, i.z.

Apelles , a character in Lyly’s drama of Alexander and Campaspe , noted for the song beginning thus—

Cupid and my Campaspe played
At cards for kisses.

Apelles. When his famous painting of Venus rising out of the sea (hung by Augus tus in the temple of Julius Cæsar) was greatly injured by time, Nero replaced it by a copy done by Dorotheus . This Venus by Apelles is called “Venus Anadyomenê,” his model (according to tradition) being Campaspê (afterwards his wife).

Apelles and the Cobbler. A cobbler found fault with the shoe-latchet of one of Apelles’ painting, and the artist rectified the fault. The cobbler, thinking himself very wise, next ventured to criticize the legs; but Apelles said, Ne sutor supra crepidum (“Let not the cobbler go beyond his last”).

Within that range of criticism where all are equally judges, and where Crispin is entitled to dictate to Apelles.—Encyclopædia Britannica (article “Romance”).

Apelles of his Age (The). Samuel Cooper is so called in his epitaph, in old St. Pancras’ Church (1609–1672).

Apemantus, a churlish Athenian philosopher, who snarled at men systematically, but showed his cynicism to be mere affectation, when Timon attacked him with his own weapons.—Shakespeare: Timon of Athens (1600).

Their affected melancholy showed like the cynicism of Apemantus, contrasted with the real misanthropy of Timon.—Sir W. Scott.

Apicius, an epicure in the time of Tiberius. He wrote a book on the ways of provoking an appetite. Having spent £800,000 in supplying the delicacies of the table, and having only £80,000 left, he hanged himself, not thinking it possible to exist on such a wretched pittance. Apicia, however, became a stock name for certain cakes and sauces, and his name is still proverbial in all matters of gastronomy. (See Ralph.)