Manda´ne (3 syl.), wife of Zamti, the Chinese mandarin, and mother of Hamet. Hamet was sent to Corea to be brought up by Morat, while Mandanê brought up Zaphimri (under the name of Etan), the orphan prince and only surviving representative of the royal race of China. Hamet led a party of insurgents against Ti´murkan´, was seized, and ordered to be put to death as the supposed prince. Mandanê tried to save him, confessed he was not the prince; and Etan came forward as the real “orphan of China.” Timurkan, unable to solve the mystery, ordered both to death, and Mandanê with her husband to the torture; but Mandanê stabbed herself.—Murphy, The Orphan of China (1759).
Mandane (2 syl.), the heroine of Mdlle. Scud´eri’s romance called Cyrus the Great (1650).
Manda´ne and Stati´ra, stock names of melodramatic romance. When a romance writer hangs the world on the caprice of a woman, he chooses Mandanê or Statira for his heroine. Mandanê of classic story was the daughter of King Astyăgês, wife of Cambysês, and mother of Cyrus the Great. Statīra was daughter of Darius, the Persian, and wife of Alexander the Great.
Man´dans, an Indian tribe of Dakota, in the United States, noted for their skill in horsemanship.
Marks not the buffalo’s track, nor the Mandans’ dexterous horse-race.
Longfellow, Evangeline (1849).
Mandeville, any one who draws the long-bow; a flam. Sir John Mandeville [Man’.de.vil], an English traveller, published a narrative of his voyages, which abounds in the most extravagant fictions (1300-1372).
Oh! he is a modern Mandeville. At Oxford he was always distinguished by the facetious appellation of “The Bouncer.”—Samuel Foote, The Liar, ii. 1 (1761).
Mandeville (Bernard de), a licentious, deistical writer, author of The Virgin Unmasked (1709), Free Thoughts on Religion (1712), Fable of the Bees (1714), etc. (1670-1733).
Man´drabul’s Offering, one that decreases at every repetition. Mandrabul, of Samos, having discovered a gold-mine, offered a golden ram to Juno for the discovery. Next year he offered a silver one, the third year a brazen one, and the fourth year nothing.