Roman des Romans (Le), a series of prose romances connected with Am´adis, of Gaul. So called by Gilbert Saunier.
Romans (Last of the), Rienzi, the tribune (1310-1354).
Charles James Fox (1749-1806).
Horace Walpole, Ultimus Romanorum (1717-1797).
Caius Cassius was so called by Brutus.
The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!
It is impossible that ever Rome
Should breed thy fellow.
Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar, act v. sc. 3. (1607).
Romans (Most Learned of the), Marcus Terentius Varro (B.C. 116-28).
Romance of the Rose, a poetical allegory, begun by Guillaume di Lorris in the latter part of the thirteenth century, and continued by Jean de Meung in the former half of the fourteenth century. The poet dreams that Dame Idleness conducts him to the palace of Pleasure, where he meets Love, whose attendant maidens are Sweet-looks, Courtesy, Youth, Joy, and Competence, by whom he is conducted to a bed of roses. He singles out one, when an arrow from Love’s bow stretches him fainting on the ground, and he is carried off. When he comes to himself, he resolves, if possible, to find his rose, and Welcome promises to aid him; Shyness, Fear, and Slander obstruct him; and Reason advises him to give up the quest. Pity and Kindness show him the object of his search; but Jealousy seizes Welcome, and locks her in Fear Castle. Here the original poem ends. The sequel, somewhat longer than the twenty-four books of Homer’s Iliad, takes up the tale from this point.
Roma´no, the old monk who took pity on Roderick in his flight (viii.), and went with him for refuge to a small hermitage on the sea-coast, where they remained for twelve months, when the old monk died.—Southey, Roderick, The Last of the Goths, i., ii. (1841).
Rome Does (Do as). The saying originated with Saint Ambrose (fourth century). It arose from the following diversity in the observance of Saturday:—The Milanese make it a feast, the Romans a fast. St. Ambrose, being asked what should be done in such a case, replied, “In matters of indifference, it is better to be guided by the general usage. When I am at Milan, I do not fast on Saturdays, but when I am at Rome, I do as they do at Rome.”