Still will he hold his lantern up to scan
The face of monarchs for an honest man.
Byron, Age of Bronze, x. (1821).
Honest Thieves (The). The “thieves” are Ruth and Arabella, two heiresses, brought up by Justice Day, trustee of the estates of Ruth and guardian of Arabella. The two girls wish to marry Colonel Careless and Captain Manly, but do not know how to get possession of their property, which is in the hands of Justice Day. It so happens that Day goes to pay a visit, and the two girls, finding the key of his strong box, help themselves to the deeds, etc., to which they are respectively entitled. Mrs. Day, on her return, accuses them of robbery; but Manly says, “Madam, they have taken nothing but what is their own. They are honest thieves, I assure you.”—T. Knight (a farce).
⁂ This is a mere rifacimento of The Committee (1670), by the Hon. Sir R. Howard. Most of the names are identical, but “Captain Manly” is substituted for Colonel Blunt.
Honey. Glaucus, son of Minos, was smothered in a cask of honey.
Honeycomb (Will), a fine gentleman, the great authority on the fashions of the day. He was one of the members of the imaginary club from which the Spectator issued.—The Spectator (1711-1713).
Honeycombe (Mr.), the uxorious husband of Mrs. Honeycombe, and father of Polly. Self-willed, passionate, and tyrannical. He thinks to bully Polly out of her love-nonsense, and by locking her in her chamber to keep her safe, forgetting that “love laughs at locksmiths,” and “where there’s a will there’s a way.”
Mrs. Honeycombe, the dram-drinking, maudling, foolish wife of Mr. Honeycombe, always ogling him, calling him “lovey,” “sweeting,” or “dearie,” but generally muzzy, and obfuscated with cordials or other messes.
Polly Honeycombe, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Honeycombe; educated by novels, and as full of romance as Don Quixote. Mr. Ledger, a stock broker, pays his addresses to her; but she hates him, and determines to elope with Mr. Scribble, an attorney’s clerk, and nephew of her nurse. This folly, however, is happily interrupted.—G. Colman, the elder, Polly Honeycombe (1760).