SIGISMONDA 
 
 
   Sigismonda, daughter of Tancred, 
 king of Salerno. She fell in love with 
 Guiscardo, her father's squire, revealed to 
 him her love, and married him in a cavern 
 attached to the palace. Tancred discovered 
 them in each other's embrace, and gave 
 secret orders to waylay the bridegroom 
 and strangle him. He then went to Sigis- 
 monda, and reproved her for her degrad- 
 ing choice, which she boldly justified. 
 Next day, she received a human heart in 
 a gold casket, knew instinctively that it 
 was Guiscardo's, and poisoned herseif. 
 Her father being sent for, she survived 
 just long enough to request that she might 
 be buried in the same grave as her young 
 husband, and Tancred: 
 Too late repenting of his cruel deed, 
 One common sepulchre for both decreed; 
 Intombed the wretched pair in royal state, 
 And on their monument inscribed their fate. 
 Dryden, Sigismonda and Guiscardo (from Boc- 
 caccio). 
 
 Sigismund, emperor of Austria.-Sir 
 W. Scott, Anne of Geierstein (time, Ed- 
 ward IV.). 
 
 Sigismunda, daughter of Siffrfdi, lord 
 high chancellor of Sicily, and betrothed to 
 Count Tancred. When King Roger died, 
 he left the crown of Sicily to Tancred, on 
 condition that he married Constantia, by 
 which means the rival lines would be 
 united, and the country saved from civil 
 war. Tancred gave a tacit consent, in- 
 tending to obtain a dispensation; but 
 Sigismunda, in a moment of wounded 
 pride, consented to marry Earl Osmond. 
 When King Tancred obtained an inter- 
view with Sigismunda, to explain his con- 
duct, Osmond challenged him, and they 
fought. Osmond fell, and when his wife 
ran to him, he thrust his sword into her 
and killed her.-J. Thomson, Tancred and 
Sigismunda (1745). 
 
 
      This tragedy is based on "The Bane- 
 ful Marriage," an episode in Gil Blas, 
 founded on fact. 
 
   Sigismunda, the heroine of Cervantes's 
 last work of fiction. This tale is a tissue 
 of episodes, full of most incredible adven- 
 tures, astounding prodigies, impossible 
 characters, and extravagant sentiments. 
 It is said that Cervantes himself preferred 
 it to his Don Quixote, just as Corneille pre- 
 ferred Nicomede to his Cid, and Milton 
 Paradise Regained to his Paradise Lost.- 
 Encyc. Brit., Art. "Romance." 
 
   Sigurd, the hero of an old Scandina- 
vian legend. Sigurd discovered Brynhild, 
encased in a complete armor, lying in a' 
death-like sleep, to which she had been 
condemned by Odin. Sigurd woke her 
by opening her corselet, fell in love with 
her, promised to marry her, but deserted 
her for Gudrun. This ill-starred union 
was the cause of an Iliad of woes. 
  An analysis of this romance was pub- 
lished by Weber in his Illustrations of 
Northern Antiquities (1810). 
 
  Sijil (Al), the recording angel. 
  On that day we will roll up the heavens as 
the angel Al Sijil rolleth up the scroll wherein 
every man's actions are recorded.-Al Kordn, 
XXr. 
  Sikes (Bill), a burglar, and one of 
Fagin's associates. Bill Sikes was a hard- 
ened, irreclaimable villian, but had a con- 
science which almost drove him mad after 
the murder of Nancy, who really loved 
him (ch. xlviii.) Bill Sikes (1 syl.) had an 
ill-conditioned savage dog, the beast-image 
of his master, which he kicked and loved, 
ill-treated and fondled.-C. Dickens, Oliver 
Twist (1837). 
  The French "Bill Sikes" is "Jean Hi- 
roux," a creation of Henry Monnier. 
 
 
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SIKES