# Ambrose Meyrick — The Secret Glory character guide > Ambrose Meyrick in The Secret Glory by Arthur Machen. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Meyrick, young Meyrick, Master Meyrick, Mr. Meyrick, V Ambrose **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot A Lupton schoolboy whose father's strange incantations set his soul wandering mountain litanies and Graal quests while his body endures the valley's ugliness. ## Who they are Ambrose moves through Lupton as a boy already claimed by another world: his father drew him aside from the 'evil traffic of the valley' and set him in that endless procession singing its litanies in the mountains, so that all earth became a sanctuary and all life a rite whose end was the achieving of the Graal. The school's jargon of optatives and past participles means nothing to him beside the hidden declaration entrusted to every flower and fern. That unbridgeable distance between his inner sanctity and the ordinary cruelty around him is the engine of the book's early arc. ## Relationships ### [Mr. Horbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/mr_horbury) _rivalry_ Ambrose is locked in a bitter, antagonistic struggle with his cruel and oppressive headmaster, Mr. Horbury. ### [Pelly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/pelly) _friendship_ Ambrose and Pelly are close schoolmates and allies, sharing adventures and a bond of loyalty against the school's authorities. ### [Rawson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/rawson) _friendship_ Rawson is a fellow student and companion to Ambrose, often involved in his schemes and escapades. ### [Nelly Foran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/nelly_foran) _romantic_ Ambrose shares a deep, tender romantic connection with Nelly Foran, his love interest and source of emotional refuge. ### [Bates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/bates) _friendship_ Bates is a fellow student who associates with Ambrose, though their bond is less intense than with Pelly or Rawson. ### [Little Phipps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/little_phipps) _social_ Ambrose interacts with Little Phipps as a younger or more junior student, likely in a protective or mentoring capacity. ### [Toby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/toby) _friendship_ Toby is a friend or companion to Ambrose, sharing in his youthful exploits and loyalties. ### [Mr. Cradock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/mr_cradock) _professional_ Mr. Cradock is a teacher or authority figure who interacts with Ambrose in a formal educational setting. ### [Charles Horbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/charles_horbury) _rivalry_ Ambrose and Charles Horbury are antagonists, with Charles often acting as an extension of his father's hostility. ### [Madame Sophia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/madame_sophia) _social_ Ambrose knows Madame Sophia as an acquaintance, possibly through her connection to the school or local community. ### [Nelly Foran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/nelly_foran) _romantic_ Ambrose shares a deep, tender romantic connection with Nelly Foran, his love interest and source of emotional refuge. ### [Mr. Horbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/mr_horbury) _rivalry_ Ambrose is locked in a bitter, antagonistic struggle with his cruel and oppressive headmaster, Mr. Horbury. ## In the story ### [The Secret Glory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/the-secret-glory) The protagonist, a sensitive and rebellious schoolboy who receives a Celtic cup and a secret tradition from his uncle, and experiences a mystic vision. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, a sensitive and imaginative boy who feels alienated from the harsh realities of boarding school. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i) Returns late from a walk, is brutally caned by his uncle, and endures both physical pain and emotional anguish. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii) Left Mr. Horbury's study in a white fury after being caned; meditates murder; later jeers at Horbury's memoir and song. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii) The protagonist, a student at the Old Grange, who is punished for returning late and endures a severe beating from Mr. Horbury. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, experiencing a mystical vision of exile and spiritual renewal. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii) Resolves to resist the school system internally, plans to learn languages secretly, and reflects on his beating and his fights with Pelly and Rawson. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iii) Receives the mystic vision of the Grail and the Celtic cup; later suffers mockery at school for revealing the secret. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv) Experiences a mystical vision that transforms his perception of reality; appears radiant and detached, leading others to suspect madness. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/v) Ambrose is the victim of the beating that triggers Nelly's revenge; he hears Nelly's vow but takes little note of it at the time. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iii) The protagonist, a sensitive and rebellious boy who suffers a brutal beating from Mr. Horbury. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, a boy steeped in his father's mystical teachings, who endures life at Lupton school while dreaming of returning to his native Wales. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii) Appears to have reformed after being beaten by Horbury; plays rocker well, does excellent schoolwork, and is popular, but secretly laughs without reason and nurses inner strangeness. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iii) Referred to as N. in Palmer's account; described as a dark, dreamy boy who lived a double life, outwardly conforming while secretly hating the school. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv) Narrator of the notebook entries; experiences visions and mystical encounters. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv) The protagonist who is severely beaten by Mr. Horbury for returning late. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i) Narrator and protagonist, reflecting on his dual life and spiritual crisis at age eighteen. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii) Experiences London as a wonderland, smokes black cigarettes in bed, and dines at the Château de Chinon with Nelly. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iii) Works on his 'Defence of Taverns' manuscript in London, enjoys freedom from Lupton, and encounters a Frenchman who warns him about the artist's fate. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv) Recounts the Panurge story and reflects on visions of Avalon and martyrdom while wandering London. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/v) Undergoes a sudden moral awakening upon hearing Nelly's story, realizing his relationship with her was a grievous sin despite his innocent intentions. ### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/epilogue) Protagonist whose later life is sketched: becomes a strolling player, writes books, journeys East, and is martyred by crucifixion. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/ambrose_meyrick - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters