Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 33

In exile with his G.o.d-like prince he mourned, For him he suffered, and with him returned.

Dryden, _Absalom and Achitophel_, i.

BASA-ANDRE, the wild woman, a sorceress, married to Basa-Jaun, a sort of vampire. Basa-Andre sometimes is a sort of land mermaid (a beautiful lady who sits in a cave combing her locks with a golden comb). She hates church bells. (See BASA-JAUN.)

BASA-JAUN, a wood-sprite, married to Basa-Andre, a sorceress. Both hated the sound of church bells. Three brothers and their sister agreed to serve him, but the wood-sprite used to suck blood from the finger of the girl, and the brothers resolved to kill him. This they accomplished. The Basa-Andre induced the girl to put a tooth into each of the footbaths of her brothers, and lo! they became oxen. The girl crossing a bridge saw Basa-Andre, and said if she did not restore her brothers she would put her into a red-hot oven, so Basa-Andre told the girl to give each brother three blows on the back with a hazel wand, and on so doing they were restored to their proper forms.--Rev. W.

Webster, _Basque Legends_, 49 (1877).

BAS BLEU, nickname applied to literary women in the days succeeding the French Revolution, made familiar in America by J. K. Paulding's _Azure Hose_.

BASHABA, sachem in J. G.L. Whittier's poem, _The Bridal of Pennac.o.c.k_.

His beautiful daughter, scorned by the chief to whom Bashaba gave her in marriage, and detained against her will by her angry father, steals away by night in a canoe and IS drowned in a vain attempt

To seek the wigwam of her chief once more.

BASHFUL MAN (_The_), a comic drama by

W. T. Moncrieff. Edward Blus.h.i.+ngton, a young man just come into a large fortune, is so bashful and shy that life is a misery to him. He dines at Friendly Hall, and makes all sorts of ridiculous blunders.

His college chum, Frank Friendly, sends word to say that he and his sister Dinah, with sir Thomas and lady Friendly, will dine with him at Blus.h.i.+ngton House. After a few gla.s.ses of wine, Edward loses his shyness, makes a long speech, and becomes the accepted suitor of Dinah Friendly.

BASIL, the blacksmith of Grand Pre, in Acadia (now _Nova Scotia_), and father of Gabriel the betrothed of Evangeline. When, the colony was driven into exile in 1713 by George II., Basil settled in Louisiana, and greatly prospered; but his son led a wandering life, looking for Evangeline, and died in Pennsylvania of the plague.--Longfellow, _Evangeline_ (1849).

BASIL MARCH, a clever, cynical, and altogether charming man of letters who takes one of the leading parts in William Dean Howells's _Their Wedding Journey. A Chance Acquaintance_, and _A Hazard of New Fortunes_.

BA'SILE (2 _syl_.), a calumniating, n.i.g.g.ardly bigot in _Le Mariage de Figaro_, and again in _Le Barbier de Seville_, both by Beaumarchais.

Basile and Tartuffe are the two French incarnations of religious hypocrisy. The former is the clerical humbug, and the latter the lay religious hypocrite. Both deal largely in calumny, and trade in slander.

BASILIS'CO, a bully and a braggart, in _Solyman and Perseda_ (1592).

Shakespeare has made Pistol the counterpart of Basilisco.

Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco-like.

Shakespeare, _King John_, act i. sc. 1 (1596).

(That is, "my boasting like Basilisco has made me a knight, good mother.")

BASILISK, supposed to kill with its gaze the person who looked on it.

Thus Henry VI. says to Suffolk, "Come, basilisk, and kill the innocent gazer with thy sight."

Natus in ardente Lydiae basiliscus arena, Vulnerat aspectu, luminibusque nocet.

Mantua.n.u.s.

BASILIUS, a neighbor of Quiteria, whom he loved from childhood, but when grown up the father of the lady forbade him the house, and promised Quiteria in marriage to Camacho, the richest man of the vicinity. On their way to church they pa.s.sed Basilius, who had fallen on his sword, and all thought he was at the point of death. He prayed Quiteria to marry him, "for his soul's peace," and as it was deemed a mere ceremony, they were married in due form. Up then started the wounded man, and showed that the stabbing was only a ruse, and the blood that of a sheep from the slaughter-house. Camacho gracefully accepted the defeat, and allowed the preparations for the general feast to proceed.

Basilius is strong and active, pitches the bar admirably, wrestles with amazing dexterity, and is an excellent cricketer. He runs like a buck, leaps like a wild goat, and plays at skittles like a wizard. Then he has a fine voice for singing, he touches the guitar so as to make it speak, and handles a foil as well as any fencer in Spain.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. ii. 4 (1615).

BASRIG or BAGSECG, a Scandinavian king, who with Halden or Halfdene (2 _syl_.) king of Denmark, in 871, made a descent on Wess.e.x. In this year Ethelred fought nine pitched battles with the Danes. The first was the battle of Englefield, in Berks.h.i.+re, lost by the Danes; the next was the battle of Beading, won by the Danes; the third was the famous battle of aescesdun or Ashdune (now _Ashton_), lost by the Danes, and in which king Bagsecg was slain.

And Ethelred with them [_the Danes_] nine sundry fields that fought ...

Then Reading ye regained, led by that valiant lord, Where Basrig ye outbraved, and Halden sword to sword.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, xii. (1613).

Next year (871) the Danes for the first time entered Wess.e.x.... The first place they came to was Reading.... Nine great battles, besides smaller skirmishes, were fought this year, in some of which the English won, and in others the Danes. First, alderman aethelwulf fought the Danes at Englefield, and beat them. Four days after that there was another battle at Reading ... where the Danes had the better of it, and aethelwulf was killed. Four days afterwards there was another more famous battle at aescesdun ... and king aethelred fought against the two kings, and slew Bagsecg with his own hand.--E. A. Freeman, _Old English History_ (1869); see a.s.ser, _Life of Alfred_ (ninth century).

Ba.s.sA'NIO, the lover of Portia, successful in his choice of the three caskets, which awarded her to him as wife. It was for Ba.s.sanio that his friend Antonio borrowed 3000 ducats of the Jew Shylock, on the strange condition that if he returned the loan within three months no interest should be required, but if not, the Jew might claim a pound of Antonio's flesh for forfeiture.--Shakespeare, _Merchant of Venice_ (1598).

BAS'SET _(Count)_, a swindler and forger, who a.s.sumes the t.i.tle of "count" to further his dishonest practices.--C. Cibber, _The Provoked Husband_ (1728).

Ba.s.sIA'NUS, brother of Satur'nius emperor of Rome, in love with Lavin'ia daughter of t.i.tus Andron'icus (properly _Andronicus_). He is stabbed by Deme'trius and Chiron, sons of Tam'ora queen of the Goths.--(?) Shakespeare, _t.i.tus Andronicus_ (1593).

Ba.s.sI'NO _(Count)_, the "perjured husband of Aurelia" slain by Alonzo.--Mrs. Centlivre, _The Perjured Husband_ (1700).

Ba.s.sANIO, a youth of n.o.ble birth but crippled fortunes, whose desire to win the hand of Portia, a rich heiress, is the moving spring of the action of Shakespeare's _The Merchant of Venice_. Portia's father has left three caskets, and has ordered in his will that his daughter is to marry only the man who chooses the casket that holds her portrait.

That Ba.s.sanio may enter the list of Portia's suitors, his friend Antonio borrows money of Shylock, a Jew, who, out of hatred to the merchant, entraps him into pledging a pound of his flesh as surety for the loan. Ba.s.sanio marries Portia, but misfortune overtakes Antonio, he forfeits his bond, and his life is only saved by a quibble devised by Portia.

b.a.s.t.a.r.d OF ORLEANS, in Shakespeare's _Henry VI_ Part 1, is Jean Dunois a natural son of Louis of Orleans, brother of Charles VI.

BAT (_Dr_.), naturalist in Cooper's _Prairie_, who mistakes his a.s.s at night for a monster described in his note-book.

BATES (1 _syl_.), a soldier in the army of Henry V. He with Court and Williams are sentinals before the English camp at Agincourt, and the king disguised comes to them during the watch, and talks with them respecting the impending battle,--Shakespeare, _Henry V_.

_Bates (Charley)_, generally called "Master Bates," one of f.a.gin's "pupils," training to be a pickpocket. He is always laughing uproariously, and is almost equal in artifice and adroitness to "The Artful Dodger" himself.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Oliver Twist_ (1837).

_Bates (Frank)_, the friend of Whittle. A man of good plain sense, who tries to laugh the old beau out of his folly.--Garrick, _The Irish Widow_ (1757).

BATH (_King of_), Richard Nash, generally called _Beau_ Nash, master of-the ceremonies for fifteen years in that fas.h.i.+onable city (1674-1761).

_Bath (The Maid of_), Miss Linley, a beautiful and accomplished singer, who married Richard B. Sheridan, the statesman and dramatist.

_Bath (The Wife of_), one of the pilgrims travelling from Southwark to Canterbury, in Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_. She tells her tale in turn, and chooses "Midas" for her subject (1388).

BATHSHEBA in Dryden's _Absalom and Achitophel_ is Louisa de Queronailles, a young French lady brought into England by the d.u.c.h.ess of Orleans, and who became the mistress of Charles II. The King made her d.u.c.h.ess of Portsmouth.

My father [_Charles II._] whom with reverence I name ...

Is grown in Bathsheba's embraces old.

Dryden, _Absalom and Achitophel_, ii.

BATHSHEBA EVERDEIIE, handsome heiress of an English farmstead, beloved by two honest men and one knave. She marries the knave in haste, and repents it at leisure for years thereafter. Released by his death, she marries Gabriel Oak.--Thomas Hardy, _Far from the Madding Crowd_ (1874).

BATTAR _(Al), i.e. the trenchant_, one of Mahomet's swords.

BATTUS, a shepherd of Arcadia. Having witnessed Mercury's theft of Apollo's oxen, he received a cow from the thief to ensure his secrecy; but, in order to test his fidelity, Mercury re-appeared soon afterwards, and offered him an ox and a cow if he would blab. Battus fell into the trap, and was instantly changed into a touchstone.

When Tantalus in h.e.l.l sees store and starves; And senseless Battus for a touchstone serves.