Sharp (Rebecca), the orphan daughter of an artist. “She was small and slight in person, pale, sandy-haired, and with green eyes, habitually cast down, but very large, odd, and attractive when they looked up.” Becky had the “dismal precocity of poverty,” and, being engaged as governess in the family of Sir Pitt Crawley, bart., contrived to marry, clandestinely, his son, Captain Rawdon Crawley, and taught him how to live in splendor “upon nothing a year.” Becky was an excellent singer and dancer, a capital talker and wheedler, and a most attractive, but unprincipled, selfish, and unscrupulous woman. Lord Steyne introduced her to court; but her conduct with this peer gave rise to a terrible scandal, which caused a separation between her and Rawdon, and made England too hot to hold her. She retired to the Continent, was reduced to a Bohemian life, but ultimately attached herself to Joseph Sedley, whom she contrived to strip of all his money, and who lived in dire terror of her, dying in six months under very suspicious circumstances.—Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1848).
Sharp (Timothy), the “lying valet” of Charles Gayless. His object is to make his master, who has not a sixpence in the world, pass for a man of wealth in the eyes of Melissa, to whom he is engaged.—Garrick, The Lying Valet (1741).
Sharp-Beak, the crow’s wife, in the beast-epic called Reynard the Fox (1498).
Sharpe (The Right Rev. James), archbishop of St. Andrew’s, murdered by John Balfour (a leader in the covenanters’ army) and his party.—Sir W. Scott, Old Mortality (time, Charles II.).
Sharper (Master), the cutler in the Strand.—Sir W. Scott, Peveril of the Peak (time, Charles II.).
Sharpitlaw (Gideon), a police officer.—Sir W. Scott, Heart of Midlothian (time, George II.).
Shawonda´see, son of Mudjekeewis, and king of the south wind. Fat and lazy, listless and easy. Shawondasee loved a prairie maiden (the Dandelion), but was too indolent to woo her.—Longfellow, Hiawatha (1855).
She Stoops to Conquer, a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith (1773). Miss Hardcastle, knowing how bashful young Marlow is before ladies, stoops to the manners and condition of a barmaid, with whom he feels quite at his ease, and by this artifice wins the man of her choice.
*** It is said that when Goldsmith was about 16 years old, he set out for Edgworthstown, and finding night coming on when at Ardagh, asked a man “which was the best house in town”—meaning the best inn. The man, who was Cornelius O’Kelly, the great fencing-master, pointed to that of Mr. Ralph Fetherstone, as being the best house in the vicinity. Oliver entered the parlor, found the master of the mansion sitting over a good fire, and said he intended to pass the night there, and should like to have supper. Mr. Fetherstone happened to know Goldsmith’s father, and, to humor the joke, pretended to be the landlord of “the public,” nor did he reveal himself till next morning at breakfast, when Oliver called for his bill. It was not Sir Ralph Fetherstone, as is generally said, but Mr. Ralph Fetherstone, whose grandson was Sir Thomas.
Sheba. The queen of Sheba, or Saba (i.e. the Sabeans) came to visit Solomon, and tested his wisdom by sundry questions, but affirmed that his wisdom and wealth exceeded even her expectations.—1 Kings x.; 2 Chron. ix.