Gru´dar and Bras´solis. Cairbar and Grudar both strove for a spotted bull “that lowed on Golbun Heath,” in Ulster. Each claimed it as his own, and at length fought, when Grudar fell. Cairbar took the shield of Grudar to Brassolis, and said to her, “Fix it on high within my hall; ’tis the armor of my foe;” but the maiden, “distracted, flew to the spot, where she found the youth in his blood,” and died.
Fair was Brassolis on the plain. Stately was Grudar on the hill.—Ossian, Fingal, I.
Grueby (John), servant to Lord George Gordon. An honest fellow, who remained faithful to his master to the bitter end. He twice saved Haredale’s life; and, although living under Lord Gordon and loving him, detested the crimes into which his master was betrayed by bad advice and false zeal.—C. Dickens, Barnaby Rudge (1841).
Grugeon, one of Fortunio’s seven attendants. His gift was that he could eat any amount of food without satiety. When Fortunio first saw him, he was eating 60,000 loaves for his breakfast.—Comtesse D’Aunoy, Fairy Tales (“Fortunio,” 1682).
Grum´ball (The Rev. Dr.), from Oxford, a papist conspirator with Redgauntlet.—Sir W. Scott, Redgauntlet (time, George III.)
Grumbo, a giant in the tale of Tom Thumb. A raven having picked up Tom Thumb, dropped him on the flat roof of the giant’s castle. When old Grumbo went there to sniff the air, Tom crept up his sleeve; the giant, feeling tickled, shook his sleeve, and Tom fell into the sea below. Here he was swallowed by a fish, and the fish, being caught, was sold for King Arthur’s table. It was thus that Tom got introduced to the great king, by whom he was knighted.
Grumio, one of the servants of Petruchio.—Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew (1594).
Grundy (Mrs.). Dame Ashfield, a farmer’s wife, is jealous of a neighboring farmer named Grundy. She tells her husband that Farmer Grundy got five shillings a quarter more for his wheat than they did; that the sun seemed to shine on purpose for Farmer Grundy; that Dame Grundy’s butter was the crack butter of the market. She then goes into her day-dreams, and says, “If our Nelly were to marry a great baronet, I wonder what Mrs. Grundy would say?” Her husband makes answer:
“Why dan’t thee letten Mrs. Grundy alone? I do verily think when thee goest to t’other world, the vurst question thee’ll ax ’ill be, if Mrs. Grundy’s there?”—Th. Morton, Speed the Plough, i. 1 (1798).
Gryll, one of those changed by Acras´ia into a hog. He abused Sir Guyon for disenchanting him; whereupon the palmer said to the knight, “Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish mind.”—Spenser, Faëry Queen, ii. 12 (1590).