Strange all this difference should be
’Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
J. Byrom (1691-1763).
Twelfth Night, a drama by Shakespeare. The story came originally from a novellette by Bandello (who died 1555), reproduced by Belleforest in his Histoires Tragiques, from which Shakespeare obtained his story. The tale is this: Viola and Sebastian were twins, and exactly alike. When grown up, they were ship-wrecked off the coast of Illyria, and both were saved. Viola, being separated from her brother, in order to obtain a livelihood, dressed like her brother, and took the situation of page under the duke Orsino. The duke, at the time, happened to be in love with Olivia, and as the lady looked coldly on his suit, he sent Viola to advance it, but the willful Olivia, instead of melting towards the duke, fell in love with his beautiful page. One day Sebastian, the twin-brother of Viola, being attacked in a street brawl, before Olivia’s house, the lady, thinking him to be the page, invited him in, and they soon grew to such familiar terms that they agreed to become man and wife. About the same time, the duke discovered his page to be a beautiful woman, and as he could not marry his first love, he made Viola his wife, and the duchess of Illyria.
Twelve Apostles of Ireland (The), twelve Irish prelates of the sixth century, disciples of St. Finnian of Clonard.
1. Ciaran or Keiran, bishop and abbot of Saighir (now Seir-Keiran, King’s County).
2. Ciaran or Keiran, abbot of Clomnacnois.
3. Columcille of Hy (now Iona). This prelate is also called St. Columba.
4. Brendan, bishop and abbot of Clonfort.
5. Brendan, bishop and abbot of Birr (now Parsonstown, King’s County).