BARCLAY, ALEXANDER (1475?-1552).—Poet, probably of Scottish birth, was a priest in England. He is remembered for his satirical poem,The Ship of Fools(1509), partly a translation, which is of interest as throwing light on the manners and customs of the times to which it refers. He also translated Sallust'sBellum Jugurthinum, and theMirrour of Good Manners, from the Italian of Mancini, and wrote fiveEclogues. His style is stiff and his verse uninspired.
BARCLAY, JOHN (1582-1621).—Satirist,s.of a Scotsman, who was Professor of Law at Pont-à-Mousson, Lorraine, came with hisf.to England about 1603. He wrote several works in English and Latin, among which areEuphormionis Satyricon, against the Jesuits, andArgenis, a political romance, resembling in certain respects theArcadiaof Sidney, and theUtopiaof More.
BARCLAY, ROBERT (1648-1690).—Apologist of the Quakers,s.of Col. David B. of Ury,ed.at the Scots Coll. in Paris, of which his uncle was Rector, made such progress in study as to gain the admiration of his teachers, specially of his uncle, who offered to make him his heir if he would remain in France, and join the Roman Catholic Church. This he refused to do, and, returning to Scotland, he in 1667 adopted the principles of the Quakers as hisf.had already done. Soon afterwards he began to write indefence of his sect, bypub.in 1670Truth cleared of Calumnies, anda Catechism and Confession of Faith(1673). His great work, however, is hisApology for the Quakers,pub.in Latin in 1676, and translated into English in 1678. It is a weighty and learned work, written in a dignified style, and was eagerly read. It, however, failed to arrest the persecution to which the Quakers were exposed, and B. himself, on returning from the Continent, where he had gone with Foxe and Penn, was imprisoned, but soon regained his liberty, and was in the enjoyment of Court favour. He was one of the twelve Quakers who acquired East New Jersey, of which he was appointed nominal Governor. His latter years were spent at his estate of Ury, where hed.The essential view which B. maintained was, that Christians are illuminated by an inner light superseding even the Scriptures as the guide of life. His works have often been reprinted.
BARHAM, RICHARD HARRIS (1788-1845).—Novelist and humorous poet,s.of a country gentleman, wasb.at Canterbury,ed.at St. Paul's School and Oxford, entered the church, held various incumbencies, and was Divinity Lecturer, and minor canon of St. Paul's. It is not, however, as a churchman that he is remembered, but as the author of theIngoldsby Legends, a series of comic and serio-comic pieces in verse, sparkling with wit, and full of striking and often grotesque turns of expression, which appeared first inBentley's Miscellany. He also wrote, inBlackwood's Magazine, a novel,My Cousin Nicholas.
BARLOW, JOEL (1754-1812).—Poet,b.at Reading, Connecticut, served for a time as an army chaplain, and thereafter betook himself to law, and finally to commerce and diplomacy, in the former of which he made a fortune. He was much less successful as a poet than as a man of affairs. His writings includeVision of Columbus(1787), afterwards expanded into theColumbiad(1807),The Conspiracy of Kings(1792), andThe Hasty Pudding(1796), a mock-heroic poem, his best work. These are generally pompous and dull. In 1811 he wasapp.ambassador to France, and met his death in Poland while journeying to meet Napoleon.
BARNARD, LADY ANNE (LINDSAY) (1750-1825).—Poet,e. dau.of the 5th Earl of Balcarres, married Andrew Barnard, afterwards Colonial Secretary at Cape Town. On thed.of her husband in 1807 she settled in London. Her exquisite ballad ofAuld Robin Graywas written in 1771, andpub.anonymously. She confessed the authorship to Sir Walter Scott in 1823.
BARNES, BARNABE (1569?-1609).—Poet,s.of Dr. Richard B. Bishop, of Durham, wasb.in Yorkshire, and studied at Oxford. He wroteParthenophil, a collection of sonnets, madrigals, elegies, and odes,A Divine Centurie of Spirituall Sonnets, andThe Devil's Charter, a tragedy. When at his best he showed a true poetic vein.
BARNES, WILLIAM (1801-1886).—Poet and philologist,s.of a farmer,b.at Rushay, Dorset. After being a solicitor's clerk and a schoolmaster, he entered the Church, in which he servedvarious cures. He first contributed to a newspaper,Poems in Dorset Dialect, separatelypub.in 1844.Hwomely Rhymesfollowed in 1858, and a collected edition of his poems appeared in 1879. His philological works includePhilological Grammar(1854),Se Gefylsta, an Anglo-Saxon Delectus(1849).Tiw, or a View of Roots(1862), and aGlossary of Dorset Dialect(1863). B.'s poems are characterised by a singular sweetness and tenderness of feeling, deep insight into humble country life and character, and an exquisite feeling for local scenery.
BARNFIELD, RICHARD (1574-1627).—Poet,e.s.of Richard B., gentleman, wasb.at Norbury, Shropshire, anded.at Oxford. In 1594 hepub.The Affectionate Shepherd, a collection of variations in graceful verse of the 2nd Eclogue of Virgil. His next work wasCynthia, with certain Sonnets and the Legend of Cassandrain 1595; and in 1598 there appeared a third vol.,The Encomion of Lady Pecunia, etc., in which are two songs ("If music and sweet poetrie agree," and "As it fell upon a day") also included inThe Passionate Pilgrim, an unauthorised collection, and which were long attributed to Shakespeare. From this time, 1599, B. produced nothing else, and seems to have retired to the life of a country gentleman at Stone in Staffordshire, in the church of which he was buried in 1627. He was for long neglected; but his poetry is clear, sweet, and musical. His gift indeed is sufficiently attested by work of his having passed for that of Shakespeare.
BARROW, ISAAC (1630-1677).—Divine, scholar, and mathematician,s.of a linen-draper in London, wased.at Charterhouse, Felsted, Peterhouse, and Trinity Coll., Cambridge, where his uncle and namesake, afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph, was a Fellow. As a boy he was turbulent and pugnacious, but soon took to hard study, distinguishing himself in classics and mathematics. Intending originally to enter the Church, he was led to think of the medical profession, and engaged in scientific studies, but soon reverted to his first views. In 1655 he became candidate for the Greek Professorship at Cambridge, but was unsuccessful, and travelled for four years on the Continent as far as Turkey. On his return he took orders, and, in 1660, obtained the Greek Chair at Cambridge, and in 1662 the Gresham Professorship of Geometry, which he resigned on being appointed first Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the same university. During his tenure of this chair hepub.two mathematical works of great learning and elegance, the first on Geometry and the second on Optics. In 1669 he resigned in favour of his pupil, Isaac Newton, who was long considered his only superior among English mathematicians. About this time also he composed hisExpositions of the Creed,The Lord's Prayer,Decalogue, andSacraments. He was made a D.D. by royal mandate in 1670, and two years later Master of Trinity Coll., where he founded the library. Besides the works above mentioned, he wrote other important treatises on mathematics, but in literature his place is chiefly supported by his sermons, which are masterpieces of argumentative eloquence, while his treatise on thePope's Supremacyis regarded as one of the most perfect specimens of controversy in existence. B.'s character as a man was in all respectsworthy of his great talents, though he had a strong vein of eccentricity. Hed.unmarried in London at the early age of 47. B.'s theological works were edited by Napier, with memoir by Whewell (9 vols., 1839).
BARTON, BERNARD (1784-1849).—Poet,b.of Quaker parentage, passed nearly all his life at Woodbridge, for the most part as a clerk in a bank. He became the friend of Southey, Lamb, and other men of letters. His chief works areThe Convict's Appeal(1818), a protest against the severity of the criminal code of the time, andHousehold Verses(1845), which came under the notice of Sir R. Peel, through whom he obtained a pension of £100. With the exception of some hymns his works are now nearly forgotten, but he was a most amiable and estimable man—simple and sympathetic. Hisdau.Lucy, who married Edward Fitzgerald, the translator ofOmar Khayyam,pub.a selection of his poems and letters, to which her husband prefixed a biographical introduction.
BAYNES, THOMAS SPENCER (1823-1887).—Philosopher,s.of a Baptist minister,b.at Wellington, Somerset, intended to study for Baptist ministry, and was at a theological seminary at Bath with that view, but being strongly attracted to philosophical studies, left it and went to Edin., when he became the favourite pupil ofSir W. Hamilton(q.v.), of whose philosophical system he continued an adherent. After working as ed. of a newspaper in Edinburgh, and after an interval of rest rendered necessary by a breakdown in health, he resumed journalistic work in 1858 as assistant ed. of theDaily News. In 1864 he was appointed Prof. of Logic and English Literature at St. Andrews, in which capacity his mind was drawn to the study of Shakespeare, and he contributed to theEdinburgh ReviewandFraser's Magazinevaluable papers (chiefly relating to his vocabulary and the extent of his learning) afterwards collected asShakespeare Studies. In 1873 he was appointed to superintend the ninth ed. of theEncyclopædia Britannica, in which, after 1880, he was assisted byW. Robertson Smith(q.v.).
BAXTER, RICHARD (1615-1691).—Divine scholar and controversialist, wasb.of poor, but genteel, parents at Rowton in Shropshire, and although he became so eminent for learning, was noted.at any university. Circumstances led to his turning his attention to a career at court under the patronage of the Master of the Revels, but a short experience of this sufficed; and giving himself to the Christian ministry, he was ordained in 1638, and, after being master of a school at Dudley, exercised his ministry successively at Bridgnorth and Kidderminster. His learning and capacity for business made him the leader of the Presbyterian party. He was one of the greatest preachers of his own day, and consistently endeavoured to exert a moderating influence, with the result that he became the object of attack by extremists of opposing views. Though siding with the Parliament in the Civil War, he opposed the execution of the King and the assumption of supreme power by Cromwell. During the war he served with the army as a chaplain. On the return of Charles II., B. was made one of his chaplains, and was offered the see of Hereford, which he declined, and his subsequent request to beallowed to return to Kidderminster was refused. He subsequently suffered persecution at the hands of Judge Jeffreys. After the Revolution he had a few years of peace and quiet. His literary activity was marvellous in spite of ill-health and outward disturbance. He is said to have written 168 works, the best known of which areThe Saints' Everlasting Rest(1650), andCall to the Unconverted(1657), manuals of practical religion; and, among his controversial writings,Methodus Theologiæ(1681), andCatholic Theology(1675), in which his theological standpoint—a compromise between Arminianism and Calvinism—is set forth. Dr. Isaac Barrow says that "his practical writings were never mended, and his controversial seldom confuted," and Dean Stanley calls him "the chief English Protestant schoolman." B. left an autobiography,Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, which was a favourite book with both Johnson and Coleridge. Other works by him areThe Life of Faith(1670),Reasons of the Christian Religion(1672), andChristian Directory(1675).Practical Worksin 23 vols. (1830) edited with memoirs by W. Orme, alsoLivesby A.B. Grosart (1879), Dean Boyle (1883), and J.H. Davies (1886).
BAYLY, ADA ELLEN (d.1903).—Novelist, wrote several stories under the name of "Edna Lyall," which were very popular. They includeAutobiography of a Slander,Donovan,Hope the Hermit,In the Golden Days,To Right the Wrong,We Two, andWon by Waiting.
BAYLY, THOMAS HAYNES (1797-1839).—Miscellaneous writer,s.of a wealthy lawyer in Bath. Originally intended for the law, he changed his mind and thought of entering the Church, but abandoned this idea also, and gave himself to writing for the stage and the periodical press. He is chiefly known for his songs, of which he wrote hundreds, which, set to the music of Bishop and other eminent composers, found universal acceptance. Some were set to his own music. He also wrote several novels and a number of farces, etc. Although making a large income from his writings, in addition to that of his wife, he fell into embarrassed circumstances. Among the best known of his songs areI'd be a Butterfly,Oh, no, we never mention Her, andShe wore a Wreath of Roses. He may be regarded as, excepting Moore, the most popular song writer of his time.
BEACONSFIELD, BENJAMIN DISRAELI, 1ST EARL of (1804-1881).—Statesman and novelist, was thes.ofIsaac D.(q.v.). Belonging to a Jewish family settled first in Spain, whence in the 15th century they migrated to Italy, he wasb.in London in 1804 and privatelyed.Hisf.destined him for the law, and he was articled to a solicitor. The law was, however, uncongenial, and he had already begun to write. After some journalistic work, he brought himself into general notice by the publication, in 1827, of his first novel,Vivian Grey, which created a sensation by its brilliance, audacity, and slightly veiled portraits of living celebrities. After producing aVindication of the British Constitution, and some political pamphlets, he followed up his first success by a series of novels,The Young Duke(1831),Contarini Fleming(1832),Alroy(1833),Venetiaand Henrietta Temple(1837). During the same period he had also writtenThe Revolutionary Epicand three burlesques,Ixion,The Infernal Marriage, andPopanilla. These works had gained for him a brilliant, if not universally admitted, place in literature. But his ambition was by no means confined to literary achievement; he aimed also at fame as a man of action. After various unsuccessful attempts to enter Parliament, in which he stood, first as a Radical, and then as a Tory, he was in 1837 returned for Maidstone, having for his colleague Mr. Wyndham Lewis, whose widow he afterwards married. For some years after entering on his political career, D. ceased to write, and devoted his energies to parliamentary work. His first speech was a total failure, being received with shouts of laughter, but with characteristic courage and perseverance he pursued his course, gradually rose to a commanding position in parliament and in the country, became leader of his party, was thrice Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1852, 1858-59, and 1866-68, in which last year he became Prime Minister, which office he again held from 1874 till 1880. To return to his literary career, in 1844 he hadpub.Coningsby, followed bySybil(1845), andTancred(1847), and in 1848 he wrote a life of Lord G. Bentinck, his predecessor in the leadership of the Protectionist party. His last novels wereLothair(1870), andEndymion(1880). He was raised to the peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876, and was a Knight of the Garter. In his later years he was the intimate friend as well as the trusted minister of Queen Victoria. The career of D. is one of the most remarkable in English history. With no family or political influence, and with some personal characteristics, and the then current prejudices in regard to his race to contend with, he rose by sheer force of will and intellect to the highest honours attainable in this country. His most marked qualities were an almost infinite patience and perseverance, indomitable courage, a certain spaciousness of mind, and depth of penetration, and an absolute confidence in his own abilities, aided by great powers of debate rising occasionally to eloquence. Though the object, first of a kind of contemptuous dislike, then of an intense opposition, he rose to be universally regarded as, at all events, a great political force, and by a large part of the nation as a great statesman. As a writer he is generally interesting, and his books teem with striking thoughts, shrewd maxims, and brilliant phrases which stick in the memory. On the other hand he is often artificial, extravagant, and turgid, and his ultimate literary position is difficult to forecast.
Livesby Froude (1890), Hitchman (1885), see alsoDictionary of Nat. Biog. etc.
BEATTIE, JAMES (1735-1803).—Poet and philosophical writer,s.of a shopkeeper and small farmer at Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, anded.at Aberdeen; he was, in 1760, appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy there. In the following year hepub.a vol. of poems, which attracted attention. The two works, however, which brought him most fame were: (1) hisEssay on Truth(1770), intended as an answer to Hume, which had great immediate success, and led to an introduction to the King, a pension of £200, and the degree of LL.D. from Oxford; and (2) his poem ofTheMinstrel, of which the first book waspub.in 1771 and the second in 1774, and which constitutes his true title to remembrance. It contains much beautiful descriptive writing. TheEssay on Truthand his other philosophical works are now forgotten. B. underwent much domestic sorrow in the death of his wife and two promising sons, which broke down his own health and spirits.
BEAUMONT, FRANCIS (1584-1616), AND FLETCHER, JOHN (1579-1625).—Poets and dramatists. As they are indissolubly associated in the history of English literature, it is convenient to treat of them in one place. B. was thes.of Francis B., a Judge of the Common Pleas, and wasb.at the family seat, Grace Dieu, Leicestershire. He wased.at Oxford, but hisf.dying in 1598, he left without taking his degree. He went to London and entered the Inner Temple in 1600, and soon became acquainted with Ben Jonson, Drayton, and other poets and dramatists. His first work was a translation from Ovid, followed by commendatory verses prefixed to certain plays of Jonson. Soon afterwards his friendship with F. began. They lived in the same house and had practically a community of goods until B.'s marriage in 1613 to Ursula,dau.and co-heiress of Henry Isley of Sundridge in Kent, by whom he had twodau.Hed.in 1616, and is buried in Westminster Abbey. F. was the youngests.of Richard F., Bishop of London, who accompanied Mary Queen of Scots to the scaffold. He went to Cambridge, but it is not known whether he took a degree, though he had some reputation as a scholar. His earliest play isThe Woman Hater(1607). He is said to have died of the plague, and is buried in St. Saviour's Church, Southwark. The plays attributed to B. and F. number 52 and a masque, and much labour has been bestowed by critics in endeavouring to allocate their individual shares. It is now generally agreed that others collaborated with them to some extent—Massinger, Rowley, Shirley, and even Shakespeare. Of those believed to be the joint work of B. and F.PhilasterandThe Maid's Tragedyare considered the masterpieces, and are as dramas unmatched except by Shakespeare.The Two Noble Kinsmenis thought to contain the work of Shakespeare. As regards their respective powers, B. is held to have had the graver, solider, and more stately genius, while F. excelled in brightness, wit, and gaiety. The former was the stronger in judgment, the latter in fancy. The plays contain many very beautiful lyrics, but are often stained by gross indelicacy. The play ofHenry VIII.included in Shakespeare's works, is now held to be largely the work of F. and Massinger. Subjoined is a list of the plays with the authorship according to the latest authorities.
(1) BEAUMONT.—The Masque. (2) FLETCHER.—Woman Hater(1607),Faithful Shepherdess(1609),Bonduca(Boàdicea) (1618-19),Wit without Money(1614?),Valentinian(1618-19),Loyal Subjects(1618),Mad Lover(1618-19),Humorous Lieutenant(1618?),Women Pleased(1620?),Island Princess(1621),Pilgrim(1621),Wild Goose Chase(1621),Woman's Prize(?pub.1647),A Wife for a Month(1624),Chances(late,p.1647), perhapsMonsieur Thomas(p.1639), andSea Voyage(1622). (3) BEAUMONT and FLETCHER.—Four Plays in One(1608),King and No King(1611),Cupid's Revenge(1611?),Knight of Burning Pestle(1611),Maid's Tragedy(1611),Philaster(1611),Coxcomb(1612-13),Wits at Several Weapons(1614),Scornful Lady(1616), doubtfully,Thierry and Theodoret(1616), andLittle French Lawyer(1620) perhaps by F. and Massinger, andLaws of Candy(?) perhaps by B. and Massinger. (4) FLETCHER and OTHERS.—Honest Man's Fortune(1613), F., Mass., and Field;The Captain(1613), andNice Valour(p.1647), F. and Middleton (?);Bloody Brothers(1616-17), F., Mid., and Rowley or Fielding and B. Jonson (?);Queen of Corinth(1618-19), F. and Row. or Mass. and Mid.;Barneveld(1619), by F. and Massinger;Knight of Malta(1619),False One(1620),A Very Woman(1621?),Double Marriage(1620),Elder Brother(p.1637),Lover's Progress(p.1647),Custom of the Country(1628),Prophetess(1622),Spanish Curate(1622), by F. and Shakespeare;Henry VIII.(1617), andTwo Noble Kinsmen(p.1634), by F. and Rowley, or Massinger;Maid of the Mill(1625-6),Beggar's Bush(?) (1622), by F. and Shirley;Noble Gentleman(?)Night Walker(1633?),Lovers Pilgrimage(1623?),Fair Maid of the Inn(1625-26), also with Middleton?
The latest ed. is that of Mr. Bullen (11 vols., 1904), and A.R. Waller (7 vols.,pub.C.U.P., 1909); Dyce (11 vols., 1843-46);Francis Beaumont, G.C. Macaulay (1883);Lyric Poemsof B. and F., E. Rhys (1897);Bibliography, A.C. Potter inHarvard Bibliograph. Contributions, 1891.
BEAUMONT, SIR JOHN (1582-1627?).—Poet, elder brother ofFrancis B., the dramatist (q.v.). His poems, of which the best known isBosworth Field,pub.by hiss., 1629. Another,The Crown of Thorns, is lost.
BECKFORD, WILLIAM (c.1760-1844).—Miscellaneous writer, onlys.of William B., Lord Mayor of London, the associate and supporter of John Wilkes, inherited at the age of 9 an enormous fortune. In these circumstances he grew up wayward and extravagant, showing, however, a strong bent towards literature. His education was entrusted to a private tutor, with whom he travelled extensively on the Continent. At the age of 22 he produced his oriental romance,Vathek(c.1781), written originally in French and, as he was accustomed to boast, at a single sitting of three days and two nights. There is reason, however, to believe that this was a flight of imagination. It is an impressive work, full of fantastic and magnificent conceptions, rising occasionally to sublimity. His other principal writings areMemoirs of Extraordinary Painters(1780), a satirical work, andLetters from Italy with Sketches of Spain and Portugal(1835), full of brilliant descriptions of scenes and manners. B.'s fame, however, rests nearly as much upon his eccentric extravagances as a builder and collector as upon his literary efforts. In carrying out these he managed to dissipate his fortune of £100,000 a year, only £80,000 of his capital remaining at his death. He sat in parliament for various constituencies, and one of his twodau.became Duchess of Hamilton.
BEDDOES, THOMAS LOVELL (1803-1849).—Dramatic poet and physiologist,s.of Dr. Thos. B., an eminent physician, and nephew of Maria Edgeworth.Ed.at the Charterhouse and Oxford,hepub.in 1821The Improvisatore, which he afterwards endeavoured to suppress. His next venture wasThe Bride's Tragedy(1822), which had considerable success, and won for him the friendship of "Barry Cornwall." Thereafter he went to Göttingen and studied medicine. He then wandered about practising his profession, and expounding democratic theories which got him into trouble. Hed.at Bale in mysterious circumstances. For some time before his death he had been engaged upon a drama,Death's Jest Book, which was published in 1850 with a memoir by his friend, T.F. Kelsall. B. had not the true dramatic instinct, but his poetry is full of thought and richness of diction. Some of his short pieces,e.g.: "If there were dreams to sell," and "If thou wilt ease thine heart," are masterpieces of intense feeling exquisitely expressed.
BEDE or BÆDA (673-735).—Historian and scholar. B., who is sometimes referred to as "the father of English history," was in his youth placed under the care of Benedict Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, and of Ceolfrith, afterwards Abbot of Jarrow. Ordained deacon in 692 and priest in 703, he spent most of his days at Jarrow, where his fame as a scholar and teacher of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew brought him many disciples. Here likewise hed.and was buried, but his bones were, towards the beginning of the 11th century, removed to Durham. The well-deserved title of "Venerable" usually prefixed to his name first appears in 836. He was the most learned Englishman of his age. His industry was marvellous, and its results remain embodied in about 40 books, of which about 25 are commentaries on books of Scripture. The others are lives of saints and martyrs, and his two great works,The Ecclesiastical History of Englandand the scientific treatise,De Natura Rerum. The former of these gives the fullest and best information we have as to the history of England down to the year 731, and the latter is an encyclopædia of the sciences as then known. In the anxious care with which he sought out and selected reliable information, and referred to authorities he shows the best qualities of the modern historian, and his style is remarkable for "a pleasing artlessness."
History of Early Engl. Lit., Stopford Brooke (2 vols., 1892), etc.
BEECHER, HENRY WARD (1813-1887).—Orator and divine,s.of Lyman B. andbro.of Harriet Beecher Stowe, was one of the most popular of American preachers and platform orators, a prominent advocate of temperance and of the abolition of slavery. His writings, which had a wide popularity, includeSummer in the SoulandLife Thoughts.
BEHN, APHRA (JOHNSTON) (1640-1689).—Novelist and dramatist,dau.of a barber named Johnston, but went with a relative whom she called father to Surinam, of which he had been appointed Governor. He, however,d.on the passage thither, and her childhood and youth were passed there. She became acquainted with the celebrated slave Oronoko, afterwards the hero of one of her novels. Returning to England in 1658 shem.Behn, a Dutch merchant, but was a widow at the age of 26. She then became attached to the Court, and was employed as a political spy at Antwerp. Leaving that city she cultivated the friendship of various playwrights,and produced many plays and novels, also poems and pamphlets. The former are extremely gross, and are now happily little known. She was the first English professional authoress. Among her plays areThe Forced Marriage,Abdelazer,The Rover,The Debauchee, etc., and her novels includeOronokoandThe Nun. The former of these was the first book to bring home to the country a sense of the horrors of slavery, for which let her have credit.
BELL, HENRY GLASSFORD (1805-1874).—Poet and historian, was a member of the Scottish Bar, and became Sheriff of Lanarkshire. He wrote aLife of Mary Queen of Scots(1830), strongly in her defence, and two vols. of poetry,Summer and Winter Hours(1831), andMy Old Portfolio, the latter also containing pieces in prose.
BELLENDEN, or BALLANTYNE, JOHN (fl.1533-1587?).—Poet,b.towards the close of the 15th century, anded.at St. Andrews and Paris. At the request of James V. he translated theHistoria Gentis Scotorumof Boece. This translation,Chroniklis of Scotlandis a very free one, with a good deal of matter not in the original, so that it may be almost considered as a new work. It waspub.in 1536, and is the earliest existing specimen of Scottish literary prose. He also translated the first five books of Livy. He enjoyed the Royal favour, and was Archdeacon of Moray. He latterly, however, became involved in controversy which led to his going to Rome, where hed., according to one account, about 1550. Another authority, however, states that he was living in 1587.
BENTHAM, JEREMY (1748-1832).—Writer on jurisprudence and politics,b.in London,s.of a prosperous attorney,ed.at Westminster and Oxford, was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn, but disliking the law, he made little or no effort to practise, but devoted himself to physical science and the theory of jurisprudence. In 1776 hepub.anonymously hisFragment on Government, an able criticism of Blackstone'sCommentaries, which brought him under the notice of Lord Shelburne, and in 1780 hisIntroduction to Principles of Morals and Legislation. Other works werePanopticon, in which he suggested improvements on prison discipline,Discourse on Civil and Penal Legislation(1802),Punishments and Rewards(1811),Parliamentary Reform Catechism(1817), andA Treatise on Judicial Evidence. By the death of hisf.he inherited a competency on which he was able to live in frugal elegance, not unmixed with eccentricity. B. is the first and perhaps the greatest of the "philosophical radicals," and his fundamental principle is utilitarianism or "the greatest happiness of the greatest number," a phrase of which he is generally, though erroneously, regarded as the author. The effect of his writings on legislation and the administration of the law has been almost incalculable. He left his body to be dissected; and his skeleton, clothed in his usual attire, is preserved in University College, London.
Lifeby Bowring in collected works (J.H. Barton, 11 vols., 1844).Study of Life and Work, Atkinson, 1903.
BENTLEY, RICHARD (1662-1742).—Theologian, scholar, and critic,b.in Yorkshire of humble parentage, went at the age of 14to Camb., afterwards had charge of a school at Spalding, and then becoming tutor to thes.ofDr. Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Paul's, afterwards Bishop of Worcester (q.v.), accompanied his pupil to Oxf. After taking his degree at both universities, and entering the Church, he laid the foundation of his reputation as perhaps the greatest scholar England has produced by his letter in Mill's ed. of theChronicle of John Malelas, and hisDissertation on the Letters of Phalaris(1699), which spread his fame through Europe. After receiving various preferments, including the Boyle lectureship and the Keepership of the Royal Library, he was, in 1700, appointed Master of Trinity, and afterwards was, largely owing to his own pugnacity and rapacity, which were almost equal to his learning, involved in a succession of litigations and controversies. These lasted for 20 years, and led to the temporary loss of his academic preferments and honours. In 1717, however, he was appointed Regius Prof. of Divinity. During the contentions referred to he continued his literary activity without abatement, andpub.various ed. of the classics, including Horace and Terence. He was much less successful in certain emendations of Milton which he attempted. Having incurred the resentment of Pope he was rewarded by being assigned a niche inThe Dunciad!His style is strong and nervous, and sparkles with wit and sarcasm. His classical controversies called forth Swift'sBattle of the Books.
Lifeby Monk (1833).Lifeby Sir R. Jebb inEnglish Men of Letters(1882).
BERESFORD, JAMES (1764-1840).—Miscellaneous writer and clergyman. He made translations and wrote religious books, but was chiefly known as the author of a satirical work,The Miseries of Human Life(1806-7.)
BERKELEY, GEORGE (1685-1753).—Philosopher, eldests.of William B., a cadet of the noble family of Berkeley,b.at Kilcrin near Kilkenny, anded.at the school of his native place and at Trinity Coll., Dublin, where he graduated and took a Fellowship in 1707. His earliest publication was a mathematical one; but the first which brought him into notice was hisEssay towards a New Theory of Vision,pub.in 1709. Though giving rise to much controversy at the time, its conclusions are now accepted as an established part of the theory of optics. There next appeared in 1710 theTreatise concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, which was followed in 1713 byDialogues between HylasandPhilonous, in which he propounded his system of philosophy, the leading principle of which is that the world as represented to our senses depends for its existence on being perceived. Of this theory thePrinciplesgives the exposition and theDialoguesthe defence. One of his main objects was to combat the prevailing materialism of the time. A theory so novel was, as might be expected, received with widespread ridicule, though his genius was realised by some of the more elect spirits, such as Dr. S. Clarke. Shortly afterwards B. visited England, and was received into the circle of Addison, Pope, and Steele. He then went to the Continent in various capacities, and on his return was made Lecturer in Divinity and Greek in his university, D.D. in 1721,and Dean of Derry in 1724. In 1725 he formed the project of founding a college in Bermuda for training ministers for the colonies, and missionaries to the Indians, in pursuit of which he gave up his deanery with its income of £1100, and went to America on a salary of £100. Disappointed of promised aid from Government he returned, and was appointed Bishop of Cloyne. Soon afterwards hepub.Alciphron, or The Minute Philosopher, directed against Shaftesbury, and in 1734-37The Querist. His last publications wereSiris, a treatise on the medicinal virtues of tar-water, andFurther Thoughts on Tar-water. Hed.at Oxford in 1753. His affectionate disposition and genial manners made him much beloved. As a thinker his is the greatest name in English philosophy between Locke and Hume. His style is clear and dignified.
The best ed. of B. is Prof. A.C. Fraser's, with Life (4 vols., 1871, and new, 1902); there is also a small work by the same (1881).
BERNERS, BERNES, or BARNES, JULIANA (b.1388?).—Writer on heraldry and sports. Nothing of her real history is known, but statements more or less mythical have gathered round her name. The work attributed to her isThe Boke of St. Albans(1486). It consists of four treatises onHawking,Hunting,The Lynage of Coote Armiris, andThe Blasynge of Armis. She was said to be thedau.of Sir James B., and to have been Prioress of Sopwell Nunnery, Herts.
BERNERS, JOHN BOURCHIER, 2ND LORD (1467-1553).—Translator,b.at Sherfield, Herts anded.at Oxf., held various offices of state, including that of Chancellor of the Exchequer to Henry VIII., and Lieutenant of Calais, where hed.He translated, at the King's desire,Froissart's Chronicles(1523-25), in such a manner as to make distinct advance in English historical writing, and theGolden Book of Marcus Aurelius(1534); alsoThe History of Arthur of Lytell Brytaine(Brittany), and the romance ofHuon of Bordeaux.
BESANT, SIR WALTER (1836-1901).—Novelist and historian of London,b.at Portsmouth anded.at King's Coll., London, and Camb., was for a few years a professor at Mauritius, but a breakdown in health compelled him to resign, and he returned to England and took the duties of Secretary to the Palestine Exploration Fund, which he held 1868-85. Hepub.in 1868Studies in French Poetry. Three years later he began his collaboration withJames Rice(q.v.). Among their joint productions areReady-money Mortiboy(1872), and theGolden Butterfly(1876), both, especially the latter, very successful. This connection was brought to an end by the death of Rice in 1882. Thereafter B. continued to write voluminously at his own hand, his leading novels beingAll in a Garden Fair,Dorothy Forster(his own favourite),Children of Gibeon, andAll Sorts and Conditions of Men. The two latter belonged to a series in which he endeavoured to arouse the public conscience to a sense of the sadness of life among the poorest classes in cities. In this crusade B. had considerable success, the establishment of The People's Palace in the East of London being one result. In addition to his work in fiction B. wrote largely on the history and topography of London. His plansin this field were left unfinished: among his books on this subject isLondon in the 18th Century.
Other works among novels areMy Little Girl,With Harp and Crown,This Son of Vulcan,The Monks of Thelema,By Celia's Arbour, andThe Chaplain of the Fleet, all with Rice; andThe Ivory Gate,Beyond the Dreams of Avarice,The Master Craftsman,The Fourth Generation, etc., alone.London under the Stuarts,London under the Tudorsare historical.
BICKERSTAFFE, ISAAC (c.1735-1812?).—Dramatic writer, in early life a page to Lord Chesterfield when Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, produced between 1756 and 1771 many dramatic pieces, which had considerable popularity, the best known of which areLove in a Village(1762), andThe Maid of the Mill. Owing to misconduct he was dismissed from being an officer in the Marines, and had ultimately, in 1772, to fly the country. The remainder of his life seems to have been passed in penury and misery. The date of his death is unknown. He was alive in 1812.
BIRD, ROBERT MONTGOMERY (1803-1854).—Novelist, an American physician, wrote three tragedies,The Gladiator,Oraloosa, andThe Broker of Bogota, and several novels, includingCalavar,The Infidel,The Hawks of Hawk Hollow,Peter Pilgrim, andNick of the Woods, in the first two of which he gives graphic and accurate details and descriptions of Mexican history.
BISHOP, SAMUEL (1731-1795).—Poet,b.in London, anded.at Merchant Taylor's School and Oxf., took orders and became Headmaster of Merchant Taylor's School. His poems on miscellaneous subjects fill two quarto vols., the best of them are those to his wife anddau.He alsopub.essays.
BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898).—Novelist. After studying as a landscape painter, he took to journalism in Glasgow. In 1864 he went to London, and soon afterpub.his first novel,James Merle, which made no impression. In the Austro-Prussian War he acted as a war correspondent. Thereafter he began afresh to write fiction, and was more successful; the publication ofA Daughter of Heth(1871) at once established his popularity. He reached his highwater-mark inA Princess of Thule(1873). Many other books were added before his death in 1898, among which may be mentionedIn Silk Attire(1869),The Strange Adventures of a Phæton(1872),Macleod of Dare(1878),White Wings(1880),Shandon Bells(1882),Yolande(1883),Judith Shakespeare(1884),White Heather(1886),Stand Fast Craig-Royston!(1890),Green Pastures and Piccadilly,Three Feathers,Wild Eelin(1898).