Orme (Victor), a poor gentleman in love with Elsie.—Wybert Reeve, Parted.
Ormond (The duke of), a privy councillor of Charles II.—Sir W. Scott, Peveril of the Peak (time, Charles II.).
Ormston (Jock), a sheriff’s officer at Fairport.—Sir W. Scott, The Antiquary (time, George III.).
Ornithol´ogy (The Father of), George Edwards (1693-1773).
Oroma´zes (4 syl.), the principle of good in Persian mythology. Same as Yezad (q.v.).
Oroonda´tes (5 syl.), only son of a Scythian king, whose love for Statīra (widow of Alexander the Great) led him into numerous dangers and difficulties, which, however, he surmounted.—La Calprenède, Cassandra (a romance).
Oroono´ko (Prince), son and heir of the king of Angola, and general of the forces. He was decoyed by Captain Driver aboard his ship; his suite of twenty men were made drunk with rum; the ship weighed anchor; and the prince, with all his men, were sold as slaves in one of the West Indian Islands. Here Oroonoko met Imoin´da (3 syl.), his wife, from whom he had been separated, and whom he thought was dead. He headed a rising of the slaves, and the lieutenant-governor tried to seduce Imoinda. The result was that Imoinda killed herself, and Oroonoko (3 syl.) slew first the lieutenant-governor and then himself. Mrs. Aphra Behn became acquainted with the prince at Surinam, and made the story of his life the basis of a novel, which Thomas Southern dramatized (1696).
Orozem´bo, a brave and dauntless old Peruvian. When captured and brought before the Spanish invaders, Orozembo openly defied them, and refused to give any answer to their questions (act i. 1).—Sheridan, Pizarro (altered from Kotzebue, 1799).
Orpas, once archbishop at Sev´ille. At the overthrow of the Gothic kingdom in Spain, Orpas joined the Moors and turned Moslem. Of all the renegades “the foulest and the falsest wretch was he that e’er renounced his baptism.” He wished to marry Florinda, daughter of Count Julian, in order to secure “her wide domains;” but Florinda loathed him. In the Moorish council Orpas advised Abulcacem to cut off Count Julian, “whose power but served him for fresh treachery; false to Roderick first, and to the caliph now.” This advice was acted on; but, as the villain left the tent, Abulcacem muttered to himself, “Look for a like reward thyself; that restless head of wickedness in the grave will brood no treason.”—Southey, Roderick, etc., xx., xxii. (1814).
Orphan of China, a drama by Murphy. Zaphimri, the sole survivor of the royal race of China, was committed in infancy to Zamti, the mandarin, that he might escape from the hand of Ti´murkan´, the Tartar conqueror. Zamti brought up Zaphimri as his son, and sent Hamet, his real son, to Corea, where he was placed under the charge of Morat. Twenty years afterwards, Hamet led a band of insurgents against Timurkan, was seized, and ordered to be put to death under the notion that he was “the orphan of China.” Zaphimri, hearing thereof, went to the Tartar and declared that he, not Hamet, was the real prince; whereupon Timurkan ordered Zamti and his wife, Mandānê, with Hamet and Zaphimri, to be seized. Zamti and Mandanê were ordered to the torture, to wring from them the truth. In the interim, a party of insurgent Chinese rushed into the palace, killed the king, and established “the orphan of China” on the throne of his fathers (1759).