Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 57

BURCh.e.l.l (_Mr._), _alias_ sir William Thornhill, about thirty years of age. When Dr. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, loses 1400, Mr.

Burch.e.l.l presents himself as a broken-down gentleman, and the doctor offers him his purse. He turns his back on the two flash ladies who talked of their high-life doings, and cried "Fudge!" after all their boastings and remarks. Mr. Burch.e.l.l twice rescues Sophia Primrose, and ultimately marries her.--Goldsmith, _Vicar of Wakefield_ (1765).

BURGUNDY (_Charles the Bold, duke of_) introduced by sir W. Scott in _Quentin Durward_ and in _Anne of Geierstein_. The latter novel contains the duke's defeat at Nancy', and his death (time, Edward IV.).

BU'RIDAN'S a.s.s. A man of indecision is so called from the hypothetical a.s.s of Buridan, the Greek sophist. Buridan maintained that "if an a.s.s could be placed between two hay-stacks in such a way that its choice was evenly balanced between them, it would starve to death, for there would be no motive why he should choose the one and reject the other."

BURLEIGH (_William Cecil, lord_), lord treasurer to queen Elizabeth (1520-1598), introduced by sir W. Scott in his historical novel called _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

He is one the princ.i.p.al characters in _The Earl of Ess.e.x_, a tragedy by Henry Jones (1745).

_Burleigh (Lord)_, a parliamentary leader in _The Legend of Montrose_, a novel by sir W. Scott (time, Charles I.).

_A lord Burleigh shake of the head_, a great deal meant by a look or movement, though little or nothing is said. Puff, in his tragedy of the "Spanish Armada," introduces lord Burleigh, "who has the affairs of the whole nation in his head, and has no time to talk;" but his lords.h.i.+p comes on the stage and shakes his head, by which he means far more than words could utter. Puff says:

Why, by that shake of the head he gave you to understand that even though they had more justice in their cause and wisdom in their measures, yet, if there was not a greater spirit shown on the part of the people, the country would at last fall a sacrifice to the hostile ambition of the Spanish monarchy.

_Sneer_. Did he mean all that by shaking his head?

_Puff_. Every word of it.--Sheridan, _The Critic_, ii. 1 (1779).

The original "lord Burleigh" was Irish Moody (1728-1813).--_Cornhill Magazine_ (1867).

BURLESQUE POETRY (_Father of_), Hippo'nax of Ephesus (sixth century B.C.).

BURLONG, a giant whose legs sir Try'amour cut off.--_Romance of Sir Tryamour_.

BURNBILL, Henry de Londres, archbishop of Dublin and lord justice of Ireland, in the reign of Henry III. It is said that he fraudulently _burnt_ all the "bills" or instruments by which the tenants of the archbishopric held their estates.

BURNS OF FRANCE (_The_), Jasmin, a barber of Gascony. Louis Philippe presented to him a gold watch and chain, and the duke of Orleans an emerald ring.

BUR'RIS, an honest lord, favorite of the great-duke of Muscovia.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Loyal Subject_ (1618).

BURROUGHS (_George_), a Salem citizen whose trial for witchcraft is recorded by Rev. Cotton Mather. The counts are many, and in the opinion of the court are proven, George Burroughs being condemned to die. In the story of his crimes set down by Dr. Mather, the climax would seem to be a paper handed by the accused to the jury, "wherein he goes to evince 'That there neither are, nor ever were, witches that, having made a compact with the devil, can send a devil to torment other people at a distance.'"

"When he came to die, he utterly denied the fact whereof he had been convicted."--Cotton Mather, _The Wonders of the Invisible World_ (1693).

BU'SIRANE (3 _syl_.), an enchanter who bound Am'oret by the waist to a brazen pillar, and, piercing her with a dart, wrote magic characters with the dropping blood, "all for to make her love him." When Brit'omart approached, the enchanter started up, and, running to Amoret, was about to plunge a knife into her heart; but Britomart intercepted the blow, overpowered the enchanter, compelled him to "reverse his charms," and then bound him fast with his own chain.--Spenser, _Faery Queen_, iii. 11, 12 (1590).

BUSI'RIS, king of Egypt, was told by a foreigner that the long drought of nine years would cease when the G.o.ds of the country were mollified by human sacrifice. "So be it," said the king, and ordered the man himself to be offered as the victim.--_Herod_, ii. 59-61.

'Tis said that Egypt for nine years was dry; Nor Nile did floods nor heaven did rain supply.

A foreigner at length informed the king That slaughtered guests would kindly moisture bring.

The king replied, "On thee the lot shall fall; Be thou, my guest, the sacrifice for all."

Ovid, _Art of Love_, i.

_Busi'ris_, supposed by Milton to be the Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea.

Hath vexed the Red Sea coast, whose waves o'erthrew Busiris and his Memphian chivalry.

Milton, _Paradise Lost_, i. 306 (1665).

BUS'NE (2 _syl._). So the gipsies call all who do not belong to their race.

The gold of the Busne; give me her gold. Longfellow, _The Spanish Student_.

BUSQUEUE (_Lord_), plaintiff in the great Pantagruelian lawsuit known as "lord Busqueue _v._ lord Suckfist," in which the parties concerned pleaded for themselves. Lord Busqueue stated his grievance and spoke so learnedly and at such length, that no one understood one word about the matter; then lord Suckfist replied, and the bench declared "We have not understood one iota of the defence." Pantag'ruel, however, gave judgment, and as both plaintiff and defendant considered he had got the verdict, both were fully satisfied, "a thing without parallel in all the annals of the court."--Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, ii. (1533).

BUSY BODY (_The_), a comedy by Mrs. Centlivre (1709). Sir Francis Gripe (guardian of Miranda, an heiress, and father of Charles), a man sixty-five years old, wishes to marry his ward for the sake of her money, but Miranda loves and is beloved by sir George Airy, a man of twenty-four. She pretends to love "Gardy," and dupes him into yielding up her money, and giving his consent to her marriage with "the man of her choice," believing himself to be the person. Charles is in love with Isabinda, daughter of sir Jealous Traffick, who has made up his mind that she shall marry a Spaniard named don Diego Babinetto, expected to arrive forthwith. Charles dresses in a Spanish costume, pa.s.ses himself off as the expected don, and is married to the lady of his choice; so both the old men are duped, and all the young people wed according to their wishes.

BUTCHER (_The_), Achmet pasha, who struck off the heads of seven of his wives at once. He defended Acre against Napoleon I.

John ninth lord Clifford, called "The Black Clifford" (died 1461).

Oliver de Clisson, constable of France (1320-1407).

_Butcher (The b.l.o.o.d.y_), the duke of c.u.mberland, second son of Gleorge II.; so called for his great barbarities in suppressing the rebellion of Charles Edward, the young pretender (1726-1765).

BUTCHER OF ENGLAND, John Tiptoft, earl of Worcester, a man of great learning and a patron of learning (died 1470).

On one occasion in the reign of Edward IV. he ordered Clapham (a squire to lord Warwick) and nineteen others, all gentlemen, to be impaled.--Stow, _Warkworth Chronicle_ ("Cont. Croyl.")

Yet so barbarous was the age, that this same learned man impaled forty Lancastrian prisoners at Southampton, put to death the infant children of the Irish chief Desmond, and acquired the nickname of "The Butcher of England."--_Old and New London_, ii. 21.

BUTLER (_Reuben_), a presbyterian minister, married to Jeanie Deans.

_Benjamin Butler_, father of Reuben.

_Stephen Butler_, generally called "Bible Butler," grandfather of Reuben and father of Benjamin.

_Widow Judith Butler_, Reuben's grandmother and Stephen's wife.

_Euphemia_ or _Femie Butler_, Reuben's daughter.

_David_ and _Reuben Butler_, Reuben's sons.--Sir W. Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

_Butler (The Rev. Mr.)_, military chaplain at Madras.--Sir W. Scott, _The Surgeon's Daughter_ (time, George II.).

b.u.t.tERCUP (_John_), a milkman.--W. Brough, _A Phenomenon in a Smock Frock_.

_b.u.t.tercup (Little_), b.u.mboat woman, who in her youth, took to baby-farming, and "mixed those babies up," _i.e._ Ralph Rackstraw and the Captain of the _Pinafore_.--W.S. Gilbert, _Pinafore_ (1877).

BUXO'MA, a shepherdess with whom Cuddy is in love.

My Brown Buxoma is the featest maid That e'er at wake delightsome gambol played ...

And neither lamb, nor kid, nor calf, nor Tray, Dance like Buxoma on the first of May.

Gay, _Pastoral_, i. (1714).