Chapter Colein to Colossos of C by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Colkitto (Young), or “Vich Alister More,” or “Alister M’Donnell,” a Highland chief in the army of Montrose.—Sir W. Scott: Legend of Montrose (time, Charles I.).

Collean (May), the heroine of a Scotch ballad, which relates how “fause sir John” carried her to a rock for the purpose of throwing her down into the sea; but May outwitted him, and subjected him to the same fate as he had designed for her.

Colleen, i.e. “girl;” Colleen bawn (“the blond girl”); Colleen rhue (“the red-haired girl”), etc.

(Dion Boucicault has a drama entitled The Colleen Bawn, 1860.)

Collier (Jem), a smuggler.—Sir W. Scott: Redgauntlet (time, George III.).

Collingbourne’s Rhyme. The rhyme for which Collingbourne was executed was—

A cat, a rat, and Lovel the dog,
Rule all England under the hog.
For where I meant the king [Richard III.] by name of hog,
I only alluded to the badge he bore [a boar];
To Lovel’s name I added more—our dog—
Because most dogs have borne that name of yore.
These metaphors I used with other more,
As cat and rat, the half-names [Catesbye, Ratcliffe] of the rest,
To hide the sense that they so wrongly wrest.
   —Sackville: A Mirrour for Magistraytes (“Complaynt of Collingbourne”).

Collingwood and the Acorns. Collingwood never saw a vacant place in his estate, but he took an acorn out of his pocket and popped it in.—Thackeray: Vanity Fair (1848).

Colmal, daughter of Dunthalmo. (See Calthon, p. 170.)

Colmar, brother of Calthon. (See Calthon.)

Colmes-kill, now called Icolmkill, the famous Iona, one of the Western islands. It is I-colm-kill; “I” = island, “colm” = Columb (St.), and “kill” = burying-place (“the burying-ground in St. Columb’s Isle”).

Rosse. Where is Duncan’s body?
Macduff. Carried to Colmes-kill;
The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,
And guardian of their bones.
   —Shakespeare: Macbeth, act ii. sc. 4 (1606).

Colna-Dona [“love of heroes”], daughter of king Carul. Fingal sent Ossian and Toscar to raise a memorial on the banks of the Crona, to perpetuate the memory of a victory he had obtained there. Carul invited the two young men to his hall, and Toscar fell in love with Colna-Dona. The passion being mutual, the father consented to their espousals.—Ossian: Colna-Dona.

Cologne (The three kings of), the three Magi, called Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Gasper means “the white one;” Melchior, “king of light;” Balthazar, “lord of treasures.” Klopstock, in The Messiah, says there were six Magi, whom he calls Hadad, Selima, Zimri, Mirja, Beled, and Sunith.

The “three” Mag i are variously named; thus one tradition gives them as Apellius, Amerus, and Damascus; another calls them Magalath, Galgalath, and Sarasin; a third says they were Ator, Sator, and Peratoras. They are furthermore said to be descendants of Balaam the Mesopotamian prophet.

Colon, one of the rabble leaders in Hudibras, is meant for Noel Perryan or Ned Perry, an ostler. He was a rigid puritan “of low morals,” and very fond of bear-baiting (seventeenth century).

Colonna (The marquis of), a high-minded, incorr uptible noble of Naples. He tells the young king bluntly that his oily courtiers are vipers who would suck his life’s blood, and that Ludovico, his chief minister and favourite, is a traitor. Of course he is not believed, and Ludovico marks him out for vengeance. His scheme is to get Colonna, of his own free will, to murder his sister’s lover and the king. With this view he artfully persuades Vicentio, the lover, that Evadne (the sister of Colonna) is the king’s wanton. Vicentio indignantly discards Evadne, is challenged to fight by Colonna, and is supposed to be killed.