Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) fabliau, plural fabliaux both: fäblēōˈ [key], short comic, often bawdy tale in verse that deals realistically and satirically with middle-class or lower-class characters. Fabliaux were often direc...

(Encyclopedia) Pilgrims' Way, ancient English road that ran from Hampshire to Kent, over the Sussex Downs. It is so called because it may have been used during the Middle Ages by pilgrims who came to Canterbury to t...

(Encyclopedia) Egersund āˈgərso͝on [key], town, Rogaland co., S Norway, a modern fishing port on the North ...

(Encyclopedia) Lundy Isle, 3 mi (4.8 km) long, off Devon, SW England, at the mouth of the Bristol Channel. Granite was quarried there for centuries. Inhabited in prehistoric times, Lundy Isle was a stronghold of pir...

(Encyclopedia) Rorschach rôrˈshäkh [key], town (1990 pop. 9,535), St. Gall canton, NE Switzerland, on Lake Constance. A prosperous commercial town in the Middle Ages, Rorschach is a resort and the largest Swiss p...

(Encyclopedia) Scotia skōˈshə [key], originally the Latin name for Ireland. In the Middle Ages, it was used to refer to Scotland, to which the Scots had migrated from Ireland. Today it is used poetically. ...

(Encyclopedia) John Climax, Saint [Gr.,=ladder], d. c.649, Syrian hermit of Mt. Sinai. Little is known of his life, but his guide to the spiritual life in 30 steps, The Ladder of Paradise, was widely read in the Mid...

(Encyclopedia) Lea, Henry Charles lē [key], 1825–1909, U.S. historian, b. Philadelphia. He was associated with the family publishing business for many years, but his real interest was in historical work. Working ...

(Encyclopedia) Newbury, town (1991 pop. 31,488), West Berkshire, S central England. In a farming region, Newbury trades in wool, malt, and farm products. Paper, furniture, and metal products are also made. In the Mi...

(Encyclopedia) Horsens hôrˈsəns [key], city, Vejle co., central Denmark, a port at the head of the Horsens ...