Four Masters (The). (1) Michael O’Clerighe, (2) Cucoirighe O’Clerighe; (3) Maurice Conry; (4) Fearfeafa Conry. These four masters were the authors of the Annals of Donegal.
⁂ O’Clerighe is sometimes Anglicized into Clerkson, and Cucoirighe into Peregrine.
Fourberies de Scapin (Les), by Molière (1671). Scapin is the valet of Lèandre, son of seignior Gèronte (2 syl.), who falls in love with Zerbinette, supposed to be a gypsy, but in reality the daughter of seignior Argante (2 syl.), stolen by the gypsies in early childhood. Her brother Octave (2 syl.) falls in love with Hyacinthe, whom he supposes to be Hyacinthe Pandolphe of Tarentum, but who turns out to be Hyacinthe Gèronte, the sister of Lèandre. Now, the gypsies demand £1500 as the ransom of Zerbinette, and Octave requires £80 for his marriage with Hyacinthe. Scapin obtains both these sums from the fathers under false pretences, and at the end of the comedy is brought in on a litter, with his head bound as if on the point of death. He begs forgiveness, which he readily obtains; whereupon the “sick man” jumps from the litter to join the banqueters. (See Scapin.)
Fourde´lis, personification of France, called the true love of Burbon (Henri IV.), but enticed away from him by Grantorto (rebellion). Talus (power or might) rescues her, but when Burbon catches her by her “ragged weeds,” she starts back in disdain. However, the knight lifts her on his steed, and rides off with her,—Spenser, Faëry Queen, v. 2 (1596).
Fou´rierism, a communistic system; so called from François Charles Fourier of Besançon (1772-1837).
Fourolle (2 syl.), a Will-o’-the-wisp, supposed to have the power of charming sinful human beings into the same form. The charm lasted for a term of years only, unless it chanced that some good Catholic, wishing to extinguish the wandering flame, made to it the sign of the cross, in which case the sinful creature became a fourolle every night, by way of penance.
Fourteen, the name of a young man who could do the work of fourteen men, but had also the appetite of fourteen men. Like Christoph´erus, he carried our Lord across a stream, for which service the Saviour gave him a sack, saying, “Whatever you wish for will come into this sack, if you only say ‘Artchila murtchila!’” (i.e. “come (or go) into my sack”). Fourteen’s last achievement was this: He went to paradise, and being refused admission, poked his sack through the keyhole of the door; then crying out “Artchila murtchila!” (“get into the sack”), he found himself on the other side of the door, and, of course, in paradise.—Rev. W. Webster, Basque Legends, 195 (1877).
Fourteen. This number plays a very conspicuous part in French history, especially in the reigns of Henri IV. and Louis XIV. For example:
14th May, 1029, the first Henri was consecrated, and 14th May, 1610, the last Henri was assassinated.
14 letters compose the name of Henri de Bourbon, the 14th king of France and Navarre.