CROPLAND (Sir Charles), an extravagant, heartless libertine and man of fashion, who hates the country except for hunting, and looks on his estates and tenants only as the means of supplying money for his personal indulgence.  Knowing that Emily Worthington is the daughter of a “poor gentleman,” he offers her “a house in town, the run of his estate in the country, a chariot, two footmen, and L600 a year;” but the lieutenant’s daughter rejects with scorn such “splendid infamy.”  At the end Sir Charles is made to see his own baseness, and offers the most ample apologies to all whom he has offended.—­G.  Colman, The Poor Gentleman (1802).

CROQUEMITAINE [Croak.mit.tain], the bogie raised by fear.  Somewhere near Saragossa was a terrible castle called Fear Fortress, which appeared quite impregnable; but as the bold approached it, the difficulties of access gradually gave way and even the fortress itself vanished into thin air.

Croquemitaine is a romance in three parts; the first part is a tournament between the knights of Marsillus, a Moorish king, and the paladins of Charlemagne; the second part is the siege of Saragossa by Charlemagne; and the third part is the allegory of Fear Fortress.  Mitaine is the godchild of Charlemagne, who goes in search of Fear Fortress.

CROQUIS (Alfred), Daniel Maclise, R.A.  This pseudonym was attached to a series of character-portraits in Frazer’s Magazine between the years 1830 and 1838.  Maclise was born 1811, and died 1870.

CROS’BIE (William), provost of Dumfries, a friend of Mr. Fairford the lawyer.

Mrs. Crosbie, wife of the provost, and a cousin of Eedgauntlet.—­Sir W. Scott. Redgauntlet, (time, George III.).

CROSBITE (2 syl.), a barrister.—­Sir W. Scott, Redgauntlet (time George III.).

CROSS PURPOSES, a farce by O’Brien.  There are three brothers named Bevil—­Francis, an M.P., Harry, a lawyer, and George, in the Guards.  They all, unknown to each other, wish to marry Emily Grub, the handsome daughter of a rich stockbroker.  Francis pays court to the father, and obtains his consent; Harry to the mother, and obtains her consent; and George to the daughter, whose consent he obtains, and the two elder brothers retire from the field.  The fun of the farce is the contention of the Grubs about a suitable husband, their joy at finding they have all selected Mr. Bevil, and their amazement at discovering that there are three of the same name.

CROSS’MYLOOF, a lawyer.—­Sir W. Scott, Heart of Midlothian (time, George II.).