Chapter Giralda to Glass Slipper of G by Brewer's Readers Handbook

In Bewdley church, near Ribbesford manor, on the door north of the aisle, is the effigy of a young huntsman shooting a buck, and a salmon. The legend is as follows: The daughter of lord Ribbesford was in love with a young huntsman named John de Horsell, to whom she gave a valuable ring. When her father asked her what had become of her ring, she told him she had lost it while bathing. Lord Ribbesford promised, if any one found it and brought it to the manor, he might claim in reward his daughter in marriage. While John de Horsell was hunting, a salmon leaped out of a stream and was accidentally shot by an arrow aimed at a buck. The young lover inserted the ring in the salmon’s mouth, and sent the fish as a present to his lordship, who, in compliance with his word, gave him his daughter for his bride.

Glass (Mrs.), a tobacconist, in London, who befriended Jeanie Deans while she sojourned in town, whither she had come to crave pardon from the queen for Effie Deans, her half-sister, lying under sentence of death for the murder of her infant born before wedlock.—Sir W. Scott: Heart of Midlothian (time, George II.).

Glass Armour. When Chery went to encounter the dragon that guarded the singing apple, he arrayed himself in glass armour, which reflected objects like a mirror. Consequently, when the monster came against him, seeing its reflection in every part of the armour, it fancied hundreds of dragons were coming against it, and ran away in alarm into a cave, which Chery instantly closed up, and thus became master of the situation.—Comtesse D’Aulnoy: Fairy Tales (“Princess Fairstar,” 1682).

Glass Slipper. Cinderella’s “glass” slipper (souliers de verre) is probably a blunder for “fur” slippers (souliers de vair). At least so Littré thinks—

C’est parcequ’ on n’a pas compris ce mot, maintenant pur usité, qu’on a imprimé dans plasieurs editions du conte de Cendrillon souliers de verre (ce qui est absurde) au lieu de souliers de vair, c. à d. souliers fourrés de vair.—Littré.

All the earliest editions, however, have pantoufles en verre, not vair. (See Notes and Queries, October 24, 1896, p. 331.)