Brewer's: Margaret

Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, called the “Northern Semiramis” (1353, 1387-1412). Margaret. A simple, uncultured girl of wonderful witchery, seduced, at the age of fifteen, by Faust. She drowns in a pool the infant of her shame, was sent to prison, where she lost her reason, and was ultimately condemned to death. Faust (whom she calls Henry) visits her in prison, and urges her to make her escape with him; but she refuses, dies, and is taken to heaven; but Mephistopheles carried off Faust to the Inferno.

(Goethe: Faust.)

Ladye Margaret.

“The Flower of Teviot,” daughter of the Duchess Margaret and Lord Walter Scott, of Branksome Hall. She was beloved by Baron Henry of Cranstown, whose family had a deadly feud with that of Scott. One day the elfin page of Lord Cranstown inveigled the heir of Branksome Hall, then a lad, into the woods, where he fell into the hands of the Southerners; whereupon 3,000 of the English marched against the castle of the widowed duchess; but, being told by a spy that Douglas with 10,000 men was coming to the rescue, they agreed to decide by single combat whether the boy was to become King Edward's page, or be delivered up to his mother. The champions to decide this question were to be Sir Richard Musgrave on the side of the English, and Sir William Deloraine on the side of the Scotch. In the combat the English champion was slain, and the boy was delivered to the widow; but it then appeared that the antagonist was not William of Deloraine, but Lord Cranstown, who claimed and received the hand of fair Margaret as his reward. (Scott: Lay of the Last Minstrel.

Lady Margaret's preacher.

A preacher who has to preach a Concio ad clerum before the University, on the day preceding Easter Term. This preachership was founded in 1503 by Lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII.

Lady Margaret professor.

A professor of divinity in the University of Cambridge. This professorship was founded in 1502 by Lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII. These lectures are given for the “voluntary theological examination,” and treat upon the Fathers, the Liturgy, and the priestly duties. (See Norrisian.)

Margaret

(St.). The chosen type of female innocence and meekness. In Christian art she is represented as a young woman of great beauty, bearing the martyr's palm and crown, or with the dragon as an attribute. Sometimes she is delineated as coming from the dragon's mouth, for the legend says that the monster swallowed her, but on making the sign of the cross he suffered her to quit his maw.

St. Margaret and the dragon. Olybius, Governor of Antioch, captivated by the beauty of St. Margaret, wanted to marry her, and, as she rejected him with scorn, threw her into a dungeon, where the devil came to her in the form of a dragon. Margaret held up the cross, and the dragon fled.

St. Margaret

is the patron saint of the ancient borough of Lynn Regis, and on the corporation seal she is represented as standing on a dragon and wounding it with the cross. The inscription of the seal is “SVB MARGARETA TERITUR DBACO STAT CRUCE L&AE;TA.”