Part 233 (2/2)
HARIRI, Arabic philologist and poet of the 11th century, born at Ba.s.sorah; celebrated far and wide as the author of ”Makameat,” a collection of tales in verse, the central figure in which is one Abu Seid, a clever and amusing production, and evincing a unique mastery of Arabic.
HARLAW, BATTLE OF, a battle fought at Harlaw, 18 m. NW. of Aberdeen, on 24th July 1411, which decided the supremacy of the Lowland Scots over the Highland.
HARLECH, an old Welsh town in Merioneths.h.i.+re, facing the sea, 10 m.
N. of Barmouth; its grim old castle by the sh.o.r.e was a Lancastrian fortress during the Wars of the Roses, and its capture by the Yorkists in 1468 was the occasion of the well-known song, ”The March of the Men of Harlech.”
HARLEQUIN, a character in a Christmas pantomime, in love with Columbine, presumed to be invisible, and deft at tricks to frustrate those of the clown, who is his rival lover.
HARLEY, ROBERT, EARL OF OXFORD, a celebrated English politician, born of good family; entered Parliament shortly after the Revolution (1688) as a Whig, but after a period of vacillation threw in his lot with Tories and in 1701 became Speaker of the House; in 1704 he was a.s.sociated with St. John (Bolingbroke) in the Cabinet as Secretary of State, and set about undermining the influence of G.o.dolphin and Marlborough; he became Chancellor of the Exchequer and head of the Government; was created Earl of Oxford and Lord High Treasurer; from this point his power began to wane; was displaced by Bolingbroke at last in 1715; was impeached for intriguing with the Jacobites and sent to the Tower; two years later he was released, and the remainder of his life was spent in the pursuit of letters and in the building up of his famous collection of MSS., now deposited in the British Museum (1661-1724).
HARMATTAN, a hot withering wind blowing over the coast of Guinea to the Atlantic from the interior of Africa, more or less from December to February.
HARMODIUS, an Athenian who in 514 B.C. conspired with Aristogeiton, his friend, against Hipparchus and his brother Hippias, the tyrant, but being betrayed were put to death; they figured in the traditions of Athens as political martyrs, and as such were honoured with statues.
HARNACK, ADOLF, a German theologian, born at Dorpat; professor successively at Giessen, Marburg, and Berlin; has written on the history of dogma in the Christian Church, on Gnosticism, early Christian literature, and the Apostles' Creed, on the latter offensively to the orthodox; B. 1851.
HAROLD I., king of England from 1035 to 1040, younger son of c.n.u.t; the kingdom was practically divided between him and his brother Harthac.n.u.t; but the latter remaining in Denmark to protect his possessions there, England pa.s.sed into Harold's hands.
HAROLD II., the last of the Saxon kings of England, held the crown for a few months in 1066, was the second son of the great EARL G.o.dWIN (q. v.); in 1053 he succeeded his father in the earldom of the West Saxons, and during the later years of Edward's feeble rule was virtual administrator of the kingdom; on his accession to the throne his t.i.tle was immediately challenged by his brother Tostig, and William, Duke of Normandy; having crushed his brother's invasion at Stamford Bridge, he immediately hurried S. to meet the forces of William at Hastings. Norman strategy won the day, and Harold fell in the battle pierced through the eye by an arrow; historians unite in ascribing to him every kingly quality--a n.o.ble presence, sagacity, and a brave yet gentle nature.
HAROLD I. OF NORWAY, surnamed _Haarf.a.ger_ (fair-haired), by him the petty kingdoms of Norway were all conquered and knit into one compact realm; the story goes that he undertook this work to win the hand of his lady-love, and that he swore an oath neither to cut nor comb his hair till his task was done; _d_. 930.
HAROUN-AL-RASCHID (”Aaron the Orthodox or Just”), the most renowned of the Abbaside caliphs; succeeded to the caliphate in 786 on the death of his elder brother, El Hadi, and had for grand-vizier the Barmacide Yahya, to whom with his four sons he committed the administration of affairs, he the while making his court a centre of attraction to wise men, scholars, and artists, so that under him Bagdad became the capital of the civilised world; his glory was tarnished by one foul blot towards the end of his reign, and that was the ma.s.sacre out of jealousy of the Barmacide family, members of which had contributed so much to his fame, an act which he had soon occasion to repent, for it was followed by an insurrection which cost him his life; the halo that invests his memory otherwise was, however, more fabulous than real, and history shows him at his best to have been avaricious, resentful, and cruel.
HARPIES, fabulous ravenous creatures, living in filth and defiling everything they touch, with the head and breast of a woman, the wings and claws of a bird, and a face pale with hunger, the personification of whirlwinds and storms, conceived of as merely ravening, wasting powers.
HARRINGTON, JAMES, political writer; author of a political romance ent.i.tled ”The Commonwealth of Oceana,” in which he argued that all secure government must be based on property, and for a democracy on this basis (1611-1677).
HARRIS, HOWEL, a noted Welsh Methodist, born at Trevecca, Brecon; embracing Calvinism, he at the age of 21 became an itinerant preacher, confining himself chiefly to Wales; in 1752 he took up his abode at Trevecca, where he erected a large house to accommodate those who sought his ministrations (1714-1773).
HARRIS, JOEL CHANDLER, American writer, born in Georgia, U.S.; author of ”Uncle Remus,” his chief work a study of negro folk-lore, followed by interesting sketches and stories; _b_. 1848.
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