Upon the sterrês, what ther shuld befall,
Til he was in a marlê pit i-fall,
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, (1388).
Genna´ro the natural son of Lucrezia di Borgia (daughter of Pope Alexander VI.) before her marriage with Alfonso, duke of Ferra´ra. He was brought up by a Neapolitan fisherman. In early manhood he went to Venice, heard of the scandalous cruelty of Lucrezia, and with the heedless petulance of youth, mutilated the duke’s escutcheon by striking out the B, thus converting Borgia into Orgia (orgies). Lucrezia demanded vengeance, and Gennaro was condemned to death by poison. When Lucrezia discovered that the offender was her own son, she gave him an antidote to the poison, and set him free. Not long after this, at a banquet given by Negro´ni Lucrezia revealed herself to Gennaro as his mother, and both expired of poison in the banquet hall.—Donizetti, Lucrezia di Borgia (1834).
Gennil (Ralph), a veteran in the troop of Sir Hugo de Lacy.—Sir W. Scott, The Betrothed (time, Henry II.).
Genove´va, wife of Siegfried, count palatine of Brabant. Being suspected of infidelity, she was driven into the forest of Ardennes, where she gave birth to a son, who was suckled by a white doe. After a time Siegfried discovered his error, and both mother and child were restored to their proper home.—German Popular Stories.
Tieck and Müller have popularized the tradition, and Raupach has made it the subject of a drama.
Gentle Shepherd (The), George Grenville. In one of his speeches he exclaimed in the House, “Tell me where!” when Pitt hummed the line of a popular song, “Gentle Shepherd, tell me where!” and the House was convulsed with laughter (1712-1770).
Gentle Shepherd (The), the title and chief character of Allan Ramsay’s pastoral (1725).
Gentleman of Europe (The First), George IV. (1762, 1820-1830).