ssistance_. Germany:--Reports and Proceedings of the _Deutsche
Vereine fur Armenpflege und Wohltatigkeit; Die Armenpflege_, a
practical handbook, by Dr E. Munsterberg (1897).
Austria:--_Osterreichs Wohlfahrtseinrichtungen, 1848-1898_, by Dr
Ernest Mischler (1899). (C. S. L.)

CHARIVARI, a French term of uncertain origin, but probably onomatopoeic,
for a mock serenade "rough music," made by beating on kettles,
fire-irons, tea-trays or what not. The charivari was anciently in France
a regular wedding custom, all bridal couples being thus serenaded. Later
it was reserved for ill-assorted and unpopular marriages, for widows or
widowers who remarried too soon, and generally as a mockery for all who
were unpopular. At the beginning of the 17th century, wedding charivaris
were forbidden by the Council of Tours under pain of excommunication,
but the custom still lingers in rural districts. The French of Louisiana
and Canada introduced the charivari into America, where it became known
under the corrupted name of "shivaree."

CHARKHARI, a native state in the Bundelkhand agency of Central India.
Area, 745 sq. m.; pop. (1901) 123,594; estimated revenue L33,000. It is
surrounded on all sides by other states of Central India, except near
Charkhari town, where it meets the United Provinces. It was founded by
Bijai Bahadur (vikramaditya), a _sanad_ being granted him in 1804 and
another in 1811. The chief, whose title is maharaja, is a Rajput of the
Bundela clan, descended from Chhatar Sal, the champion of the
independence of Bundelkhand in the 18th century. In 1857 Raja Ratan
Singh received a hereditary salute of 11 guns, a _khilat_ and a
perpetual _jagir_ of L1300 a year in recognition of his services during
the Mutiny. The town of Charkhari (locally _Maharajnagar_) is 40 m. W.
of Banda; pop. (1901) 11,718.

CHARLATAN (Ital. _ciarlatano_, from _ciarlare_, to chatter), originally
one who "patters" to a crowd to sell his wares, like a "cheap-jack" or
"quack" doctor--"quack" being similarly derived from the noise made by a
duck; so an impostor who pretends to have some special skill or
knowledge.

CHARLEMAGNE [CHARLES THE GREAT] (c. 742-814), Roman emperor, and king of
the Franks, was the elder son of Pippin the Short, king of the Franks,
and Bertha, or Bertrada, daughter of Charibert, count of Laon. The place
of his birth is unknown and its date uncertain, although some
authorities give it as the