Nicholas, a poor scholar, who boarded with John, a rich old miserly carpenter. The poor scholar fell in love with Alison, his landlord’s young wife, who joined him in duping the foolish old carpenter. Nicholas told John that such a rain would fall on the ensuing Monday as would drown every one in “less than an hour;” and he persuaded the old fool to provide three large tubs, one for himself, one for his wife, and the other for his lodger. In these tubs, said Nicholas, they would be saved; and when the flood abated, they would then be lords and masters of the whole earth. A few hours before the time of the “flood,” the old carpenter went to the top chamber of his house to repeat his pater nosters. He fell asleep over his prayers, and was roused by the cry of “Water! water! Help! help!” Supposing the rain had come, he jumped into his tub, and was let down by Nicholas and Alison into the street. A crowd soon assembled, were delighted at the joke, and pronounced the old man an idiot and fool.—Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (“The Miller’s Tale,” 1388).
Nicholas, the barber of the village in which Don Quixote lived.—Cervantes, Don Quixote, I. (1605).
Nicholas (Brother), a monk at St. Mary’s Convent.—Sir W. Scott, The Monastery (time, Elizabeth).
Nicholas (St.), patron saint of boys, parish clerks, sailors, thieves, and of Aberdeen, Russia, etc.
Nicholas (St.). The legend is, that an angel told him a father was so poor he was about to raise money by the prostitution of his three daughters. On hearing this St. Nicholas threw in at the cottage window three bags of money, sufficient to portion each of the three damsels.
The gift
Of Nicholas, which on the maidens he
Bounteous bestowed, to save their youthful prime
Unblemished.
Dantê, Purgatory, xx. (1308).
Nicholas of the Tower (The), the duke of Exeter, constable of the Tower.
Nicholas’s Clerks, highwaymen; so called by a pun on the phrase Old Nick and St. Nicholas who presided over scholars.
St. Nicholas’s Clerks, scholars; so called because St. Nicholas was the patron of scholars. The statutes of Paul’s School require the scholars to attend divine service on St. Nicholas’s Day.—Knight, Life of Dean Colet, 362 (1726).
Nicholas Minturn, hero of novel of that name, by Josiah Gilbert Holland (1876).