The seven lamps of sleep. In the mansion of the Knight of the
Black Castle were seven lamps, which could be quenched only with water
from an enchanted fountain. So long as these lamps kept burning,
everyone within the room fell into a deep sleep, from which nothing
could rouse them till the lamps were extinguished. (See Rosana.) (The Seven Champions of Christendom, ii. 8.)
The Romans are said to have preserved lamps in some of their
sepulchres for centuries In the papacy of Paul III. one of these lamps
was found in the tomb of Tullia (Cicero's daughter), which had been
shut up for 1,550 years. At the dissolution of the monasteries a lamp
was found which is said to have been burning 1,200 years. Two are
preserved in Leyden museum.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
More on Lamps from Fact Monster:
- lamp - lamp lamp, originally a vessel for holding oil or some combustible substance that could be burned ...
- safety lamp - safety lamp safety lamp, oil lamp designed for safe use in mines and other places where flammable ...
- Make Your Own Lava Lamp! - Did you ever hear that "oil and water don't mix"? Here's groovy proof.
- Brachiopoda - Brachiopoda Brachiopoda , phylum of shelled sessile or sedentary marine animals, commonly known as ...
- lamp shell - lamp shell lamp shell, common name for animals of the phylum Brachiopoda.