Wedding Day (The), a comedy by Mrs. Inchbald (1790). The plot is this: Sir Adam Contest lost his first wife by shipwreck, and “twelve or fourteen years” afterwards he led to the altar a young girl of 18, to whom he was always singing the praises of his first wife--a phœnix, a paragon, the ne plus ultra of wives and women. She did everything to make him happy. She loved him, obeyed him; ah! “he would never look upon her like again.” On the wedding day this pink of wives and women made her appearance, and told how she had been rescued, and Sir Adam was dumfounded. “He was happy to bewail her loss,” but to rejoice in her restoration was quite another matter.
Weeping Philosopher (The), Heraclītos, who looked at the folly of man with grief (fl. B.C. 500). (See Jeddler).
Wegg (Silas), wooden-legged ballad-monger and humbug, who “reads” for the confiding Boffins, and does his best to ruin them.--Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend.
Weir (Major), the favorite baboon of Sir Robert Redgauntlet. In the tale of “Wandering Willie,” Sir Robert’s piper went to the infernal regions to obtain the knight’s receipt of rent, which had been paid; but no receipt could be found, because the monkey had carried it to the castle turret.--Sir W. Scott, Redgauntlet (time, George III.).
Weird Sisters. The three witches in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
Weissnichtwo [Vice-neckt-vo], nowhere. The word is German for “I know not where,” and was coined by Carlyle (Sartor Resartus, 1833). Sir W. Scott has a similar Scotch compound, “Kennaquhair” (“I know not where”). Cervantes has the “island of Trapoban” (i.e., of “dish-clouts,” from trapos, the Spanish for “a dish-clout”). Sir Thomas More has “Utopia” (Greek, ou topos, “no place”). We might add the “island of Medăma” (Greek, “nowhere”), “the peninsular of Udamogês” (Greek, “nowhere on earth”), the country of “Kennahtwhar,” etc., and place them in the great “Nullibian” ocean (“nowhere”), in any degree beyond 180º long. and 90º lat.
Wel´ford, one of the suitors of “the Scornful Lady” (no name is given to the lady).--Beaumont and Fletcher, The Scornful Lady (1616).
Well. Three of the most prominent Bible characters met their wives for the first time by wells of water, viz., Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.
Eliezer met Rebekah by a well, and arranged with Bethuel for her to become Isaac’s wife.--Gen. xxiv.
Jacob met Rachel by the well of Haran.--Gen. xxix.