of Europe, and the
political news of the day."

[Asterism] The prototype of this town politician was the father of Dr.
Arne (see _The Tatler_, No. 155).

_Harriet Quidnunc_, his daughter, rescued by Belmour from the flames of
a burning house, and adored by him.

_John Quidnunc_, under the assumed name of Rovewell, having married a
rich planter's widow, returns to England, pays his father's debts, and
gives his sister to Mr. Belmour for wife.--Murphy, _The Upholsterer_
(1758).

=Quidnuncs=, a name given to the ancient members of certain political
clubs, who were constantly inquiring, "Quidnunc? What news?"

This the Great Mother dearer held than all
The clubs of Quidnuncs, or her own Guildhall.

Pope, _The Dunciad_, i. 269 (1728).

=Quidnunkis=, a monkey which climbed higher than its neighbors, and fell
into a river. For a few moments the monkey-race stood panic-struck, but
the stream flowed on, and in a minute or two the monkeys continued their
gambols as if nothing had happened.--Gay, _The Quidnunkis_ (a fable,
1726).

=Quildrive= (2 _syl._), clerk to old Philpot "the citizen."--Murphy, _The
Citizen_ (1761).

=Quilp= (_Daniel_), a hideous dwarf, cunning, malicious, and a perfect
master in tormenting. Of hard, forbidding features, with head and face
large enough for a giant. His black eyes were restless, sly, and
cunning; his mouth and chin bristly with a coarse, hard beard; his face
never clean, but always distorted with a ghastly grin, which showed the
few discolored fangs that supplied the place of teeth. His dress
consisted of a large high-crowned hat, a worn-out dark suit, a pair of
most capacious shoes, and a huge crumpled dirty white neck-cloth. Such
hair as he had was a grizzled black, cut short but hanging about his
ears in fringes. His hands were coarse and dirty; his fingernails
crooked, long, and yellow. He lived on Tower Hill, collected rents,
advanced money to seamen, and kept a sort of wharf, containing rusty
anchors, huge iron rings, piles of rotten wood, and sheets of old
copper, calling himself a ship-breaker. He was on the point of being
arrested for felony, when he drowned himself.

He ate hard eggs, shell and all, for his breakfast, devoured
gigantic prawns with their heads and tails on, chewed tobacco and
water-cresses at the same time, drank scalding hot tea without
winking, bit his fork and spoon till they bent again, and performed
so man