A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 2

AUBREY, JOHN (1626-1697).--Antiquary, was a country gentleman who inherited estates in several counties in England, which he lost by litigation and otherwise. He devoted himself to the collection of antiquarian and miscellaneous observations, and gave a.s.sistance to Dugdale and Anthony a-Wood in their researches. His own investigations were extensive and minute, but their value is much diminished by his credulity, and want of capacity to weigh evidence. His only publication is his _Miscellanies_, a collection of popular superst.i.tions, etc., but he left various collections, which were edited and _publ._ in the 19th century.

AUSTEN, JANE (1775-1817).--Novelist, _dau._ of a clergyman, was _b._ at the rectory of Steventon near Basingstoke. She received an education superior to that generally given to girls of her time, and took early to writing, her first tale being begun in 1798. Her life was a singularly uneventful one, and, but for a disappointment in love, tranquil and happy. In 1801 the family went to Bath, the scene of many episodes in her writings, and after the death of her _f._ in 1805 to Southampton, and later to Chawton, a village in Hants, where most of her novels were written. A tendency to consumption having manifested itself, she removed in May, 1817, to Winchester for the advantage of skilled medical attendance, but so rapid was the progress of her malady that she died there two months later. Of her six novels, four--_Sense and Sensibility_ (1811), _Pride and Prejudice_ (1813), _Mansfield Park_ (1814) and _Emma_ (1816)--were _pub._ anonymously during her life-time; and the others, _Northanger Abbey_--written in 1798--and _Persuasion_, finished in 1816, appeared a few months after her death, when the name of the auth.o.r.ess was divulged. Although her novels were from the first well received, it is only of comparatively late years that her genius has gained the wide appreciation which it deserves. Her strength lies in the delineation of character, especially of persons of her own s.e.x, by a number of minute and delicate touches arising out of the most natural and everyday incidents in the life of the middle and upper cla.s.ses, from which her subjects are generally taken. Her characters, though of quite ordinary types, are drawn with such wonderful firmness and precision, and with such significant detail as to retain their individuality absolutely intact through their entire development, and they are never coloured by her own personality. Her view of life is genial in the main, with a strong dash of gentle but keen satire: she appeals rarely and slightly to the deeper feelings; and the enforcement of the excellent lessons she teaches is left altogether to the story, without a word of formal moralising. Among her admirers was Sir W. Scott, who said, "That young lady has a talent for describing the involvements of feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with;" others were Macaulay (who thought that in the world there were no compositions which approached nearer to perfection), Coleridge, Southey, Sydney Smith, and E. FitzGerald.

AUSTIN, JOHN (1790-1859).--Jurist, served in the army in Sicily and Malta, but, selling his commission, studied law, and was called to the Bar 1818. He did not long continue to practise, but devoted himself to the study of law as a science, and became Professor of Jurisprudence in London University 1826-32. Thereafter he served on various Royal Commissions. By his works he exercised a profound influence on the views of jurisprudence held in England. These include _The Province of Jurisprudence Determined_ (1832), and his _Lectures on Jurisprudence_.

AYTON, SIR ROBERT (1570-1638).--Poet, _s._ of A. of Kinaldie in Fife.

After _grad._ at St. Andrews, he studied law at Paris, became amba.s.sador to the Emperor, and held other court offices. He appears to have been well-known to his literary contemporaries in England. He wrote poems in Latin, Greek, and English, and was one of the first Scotsmen to write in the last. His chief poem is _Diophantus and Charidora; Inconstancy Upbraided_ is perhaps the best of his short poems. He is credited with a little poem, _Old Long Syne_, which probably suggested Burns's famous _Auld Lang Syne_.

AYTOUN, WILLIAM EDMONSTONE (1813-1865).--Poet and humorist, _s._ of Roger A., a Writer to the Signet, was _b._ in Edinburgh and _ed._ there, and was brought up to the law, which, however, as he said, he "followed but could never overtake." He became a contributor to _Blackwood's Magazine_ in 1836, and continued his connection with it until his death. In it appeared most of his humorous prose pieces, such as _The Glenmutchkin Railway_, _How I Became a Yeoman_, and _How I Stood for the Dreepdaily Burghs_, all full of vigorous fun. In the same pages began to appear his chief poetical work, the _Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers_, and a novel, partly autobiographical, _Norman Sinclair_. Other works were _The Bon Gaultier Ballads_, jointly with Theodore Martin, and _Firmilian, a Spasmodic Tragedy_, under the _nom-de-plume_ of T. Percy Jones, intended to satirise a group of poets and critics, including Gilfillan, Dobell, Bailey, and Alexander Smith. In 1845 A. obtained the Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres in Edinburgh University, which he filled with great success, raising the attendance from 30 to 150, and in 1852 he was appointed sheriff of Orkney and Shetland. He was married to a _dau._ of Professor Wilson (Christopher North).

BACON, FRANCIS, LORD VERULAM, AND VISCOUNT ST. ALBAN'S (1561-1626).--Philosopher and statesman, was the youngest _s._ of Sir Nicholas B., Lord Keeper, by his second wife, a _dau._ of Sir Anthony Cooke, whose sister married William Cecil, Lord Burghley, the great minister of Queen Elizabeth. He was _b._ at York House in the Strand on Jan. 22, 1561, and in his 13th year was sent with his elder brother Anthony to Trinity Coll., Cambridge. Here he first met the Queen, who was impressed by his precocious intellect, and was accustomed to call him "the young Lord Keeper." Here also he became dissatisfied with the Aristotelian philosophy as being unfruitful and leading only to resultless disputation. In 1576 he entered Gray's Inn, and in the same year joined the emba.s.sy of Sir Amyas Paulet to France, where he remained until 1579. The death of his _f._ in that year, before he had completed an intended provision for him, gave an adverse turn to his fortunes, and rendered it necessary that he should decide upon a profession. He accordingly returned to Gray's Inn, and, after an unsuccessful attempt to induce Burghley to give him a post at court, and thus enable him to devote himself to a life of learning, he gave himself seriously to the study of law, and was called to the Bar in 1582. He did not, however, desert philosophy, and _pub._ a Latin tract, _Temporis Partus Maximus_ (the Greatest Birth of Time), the first rough draft of his own system.

Two years later, in 1584, he entered the House of Commons as member for Melcombe, sitting subsequently for Taunton (1586), Liverpool (1589), Middles.e.x (1593), and Southampton (1597). In the Parliament of 1586 he took a prominent part in urging the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

About this time he seems again to have approached his powerful uncle, the result of which may possibly be traced in his rapid progress at the Bar, and in his receiving, in 1589, the reversion to the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, a valuable appointment, into the enjoyment of which, however, he did not enter until 1608. About 1591 he formed a friendship with the Earl of Ess.e.x, from whom he received many tokens of kindness ill requited. In 1593 the offices of Attorney-general, and subsequently of Solicitor-general became vacant, and Ess.e.x used his influence on B.'s behalf, but unsuccessfully, the former being given to c.o.ke, the famous lawyer. These disappointments may have been owing to a speech made by B.

on a question of subsidies. To console him for them Ess.e.x presented him with a property at Twickenham, which he subsequently sold for 1800, equivalent to a much larger sum now. In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel, but missed the appointment of Master of the Rolls, and in the next year (1597), he _pub._ the first edition of his _Essays_, ten in number, combined with _Sacred Meditations_ and the _Colours of Good and Evil_. By 1601 Ess.e.x had lost the Queen's favour, and had raised his rebellion, and B. was one of those appointed to investigate the charges against him, and examine witnesses, in connection with which he showed an ungrateful and indecent eagerness in pressing the case against his former friend and benefactor, who was executed on Feb. 25, 1601. This act B.

endeavoured to justify in _A Declaration of the Practices and Treasons, etc., of ... the Earl of Ess.e.x, etc._ His circ.u.mstances had for some time been bad, and he had been arrested for debt: he had, however, received a gift of a fine of 1200 on one of Ess.e.x's accomplices. The accession of James VI. in 1603 gave a favourable turn to his fortunes: he was knighted, and endeavoured to set himself right with the new powers by writing his _Apologie_ (defence) of his proceedings in the case of Ess.e.x, who had favoured the succession of James. In the first Parliament of the new king he sat for St. Alban's, and was appointed a Commissioner for Union with Scotland. In 1605 he _pub._ _The Advancement of Learning_, dedicated, with fulsome flattery, to the king. The following year he married Alice Barnham, the _dau._ of a London merchant, and in 1607 he was made Solicitor-General, and wrote _Cogita et Visa_, a first sketch of the _Novum Organum_, followed in 1609 by _The Wisdom of the Ancients_.

Meanwhile (in 1608), he had entered upon the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, and was in the enjoyment of a large income; but old debts and present extravagance kept him embarra.s.sed, and he endeavoured to obtain further promotion and wealth by supporting the king in his arbitrary policy. In 1613 he became Attorney-General, and in this capacity prosecuted Somerset in 1616. The year 1618 saw him Lord Keeper, and the next Lord Chancellor and Baron Verulam, a t.i.tle which, in 1621, he exchanged for that of Viscount St. Albans. Meanwhile he had written the _New Atlantis_, a political romance, and in 1620 he presented to the king the _Novum Organum_, on which he had been engaged for 30 years, and which ultimately formed the main part of the _Instauratio Magna_. In his great office B. showed a failure of character in striking contrast with the majesty of his intellect. He was corrupt alike politically and judicially, and now the hour of retribution arrived. In 1621 a Parliamentary Committee on the administration of the law charged him with corruption under 23 counts; and so clear was the evidence that he made no attempt at defence. To the lords, who sent a committee to inquire whether the confession was really his, he replied, "My lords, it is my act, my hand, and my heart; I beseech your lordships to be merciful to a broken reed." He was sentenced to a fine of 40,000, remitted by the king, to be committed to the Tower during the king's pleasure (which was that he should be released in a few days), and to be incapable of holding office or sitting in parliament. He narrowly escaped being deprived of his t.i.tles. Thenceforth he devoted himself to study and writing. In 1622 appeared his _History of Henry VII._, and the 3rd part of the _Instauratio_; in 1623, _History of Life and Death_, the _De Augmentis Scientarum_, a Latin translation of the _Advancement_, and in 1625 the 3rd edition of the _Essays_, now 58 in number. He also _pub._ _Apophthegms_, and a translation of some of the _Psalms_. His life was now approaching its close. In March, 1626, he came to London, and shortly after, when driving on a snowy day, the idea struck him of making an experiment as to the antiseptic properties of snow, in consequence of which he caught a chill, which ended in his death on 9th April 1626. He left debts to the amount of 22,000. At the time of his death he was engaged upon _Sylva Sylvarum_. The intellect of B. was one of the most powerful and searching ever possessed by man, and his developments of the inductive philosophy revolutionised the future thought of the human race.

The most popular of his works is the _Essays_, which convey profound and condensed thought in a style that is at once clear and rich. His moral character was singularly mixed and complex, and bears no comparison with his intellect. It exhibits a singular coldness and lack of enthusiasm, and indeed a bluntness of moral perception and an absence of attractiveness rarely combined with such extraordinary mental endowments.

All that was possible to be done in defence of his character and public conduct has been done by his accomplished biographer and editor, Mr.

Spedding (_q.v._). Singular, though of course futile, attempts, supported sometimes with much ingenuity, have been made to claim for B. the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, and have indeed been extended so as to include those of Marlowe, and even the _Essays_ of Montaigne.

SUMMARY.--_B._ London 1561, _ed._ Trinity Coll., Cambridge, dissatisfied with Aristotelean philosophy, entered Gray's Inn 1576, in France 1576-79, called to Bar 1582, enters Parliament 1584, became friend of Ess.e.x 1591, who presents him with estate 1593, _pub._ 1st ed. of _Essays_ 1597, prosecutes Ess.e.x 1601, _pub._ _Advancement of Learning_ 1605, Solicitor-Gen. 1607, _pub._ _Wisdom of the Ancients_ 1609, Attorney-Gen.

1613, prosecuted Somerset 1616, Lord Keeper 1618, Lord Chancellor with t.i.tle of Verulam 1619, Visc. St. Albans 1621, _pub._ _Novum Organum_ 1620, charged with corruption, and retires from public life 1621, _pub._ _Henry VII._ and 3rd part of _Instauratio_ 1622, _d._ 1626.

The standard edition of B.'s works is that of Spedding, Ellis, and Heath (14 vols. 1857-74), including _Life and Letters_ by Spedding. See also Macaulay's _Essays_; Dean Church in _Men of Letters Series_; Dr. Abbott's _Life_ (1885), etc. For philosophy Fowler's _Novum Organum_ (1878).

BACON, ROGER (1214?-1294).--Philosopher, studied at Oxford and Paris. His scientific acquirements, regarded in that age as savouring of witchcraft, and doubtless also his protests against the ignorance and immorality of the clergy, excited the jealousy and hatred of the Franciscans, and he was in consequence imprisoned at Paris for ten years.

Clement IV., who had been a sympathiser, desired on his accession to see his works, and in response B. sent him _Opus Majus_, a treatise on the sciences (grammar, logic, mathematics, physics, and philosophy), followed by _Opus Secundum_ and _Opus Tertium_. Clement, however, was near death when they arrived. B. was comparatively free from persecution for the next ten years. But in 1278 he was again imprisoned for upwards of ten years. At the intercession of some English n.o.blemen he was at last released, and spent his remaining years at Oxford. He possessed one of the most commanding intellects of his own, or perhaps of any, age, and, notwithstanding all the disadvantages and discouragements to which he was subjected, made many discoveries, and came near to many more. There is still preserved at Oxford a rectified calendar in which he approximates closely to the truth. He received the sobriquet of the "Doctor Mirabilis."

BAGE, ROBERT (1728-1801).--Novelist, _b._ in Derbyshire, was the _s._ of a paper-maker. It was not until he was 53 that he took to literature; but in the 15 years following he produced 6 novels, of which Sir Walter Scott says that "strong mind, playful fancy, and extensive knowledge are everywhere apparent." B., though brought up as a Quaker, imbibed the principles of the French Revolution. He was an amiable and benevolent man, and highly esteemed. _Hermsp.r.o.ng; or, Man as He is Not_ (1796) is considered the best of his novels, of which it was the last. The names of the others are _Mount Kenneth_ (1781), _Barham Downs_ (1784), _The Fair Syrian_ (1787), _James Wallace_ (1788), and _Man as He is_ (1792).

BAGEHOT, WALTER (1826-1877).--Economist, _s._ of a banker, _b._ at Langport, Somerset, _ed._ at University Coll., London, and called to the Bar, but did not practise, and joined his _f._ in business. He wrote for various periodicals, and from 1860 was editor of _The Economist_. He was the author of _The English Const.i.tution_ (1867), a standard work which was translated into several languages; _Physics and Politics_ (1872), and _Lombard Street_ (1873), a valuable financial work. A collection of essays, biographical and economic, was _pub._ after his death.

BAILEY, PHILIP JAMES (1816-1902).--Poet, _s._ of a journalist, _b._ at Nottingham, and _ed._ there and at Glasgow, of which he was made an LL.D.

in 1891. His life was a singularly uneventful one. He lived at Nottingham, Jersey, Ilfracombe, London, and again at Nottingham, where he _d._ He travelled a good deal on the Continent. He was by profession a barrister, but never practised, and devoted his whole energies to poetry.

His first poem, _Festus_ (1839), is, for the daring of its theme and the imaginative power and moral alt.i.tude which it displays, one of the most notable of the century; as the work of one little past boyhood it is a prodigy of intellectual precocity. Along with its great qualities it has many faults in execution, and its final place in literature remains to be determined. It was _pub._ anonymously, and had great success, but has fallen into unmerited, but perhaps temporary, neglect. Among its greatest admirers was Tennyson. The subsequent poems of B., _The Angel World_ (1850), _The Mystic_ (1855), _The Age_ (1858), and _The Universal Hymn_ (1867), were failures, and the author adopted the unfortunate expedient of endeavouring to buoy them up by incorporating large extracts in the later editions of _Festus_, with the effect only of sinking the latter, which ultimately extended to over 40,000 lines. B. was a man of strikingly handsome appearance, and gentle and amiable character.

BAILLIE, JOANNA (1762-1851).--Dramatist and poetess, _dau._ of the minister of Bothwell, afterwards Professor of Divinity at Glasgow. Her mother was a sister of the great anatomists, William and John Hunter, and her brother was the celebrated physician, Matthew B., of London. She received a thorough education at Glasgow, and at an early age went to London, where the remainder of her long, happy, and honoured, though uneventful, life was pa.s.sed. In 1798, when she was 36, the first vol. of her _Plays on the Pa.s.sions_ appeared, and was received with much favour, other two vols. followed in 1802 and 1812, and she also produced _Miscellaneous Plays_ in 1804, and 3 vols. of _Dramatic Poetry_ in 1836.

In all her works there are many pa.s.sages of true and impressive poetry, but the idea underlying her _Plays on the Pa.s.sions_, that, namely, of exhibiting the princ.i.p.al character as acting under the exclusive influence of one pa.s.sion, is artificial and untrue to nature.

BAILLIE, LADY GRIZEL (1665-1746).--Poetess, _dau._ of Sir Patrick Home or Hume, afterwards Earl of Marchmont, was married to George Baillie of Jerviswoode. In her childhood she showed remarkable courage and address in the services she rendered to her father and his friend, Robert Baillie of Jerviswoode, the eminent Scottish patriot, when under persecution. She left many pieces both prose and verse in MS., some of which were _pub._ The best known is the beautiful song, _Were na my heart licht I wad die_.

BAILLIE, ROBERT (1599-1662).--Historical writer, _s._ of B. of Jerviston, _ed._ at Glasgow, he entered the Church of Scotland and became minister of Kilwinning in Ayrshire. His abilities soon made him a leading man. He was a member of the historic a.s.sembly of 1638, when Presbyterianism was re-established in Scotland, and also of the Westminster a.s.sembly, 1643.

In 1651 he was made Professor of Divinity in Glasgow, and 10 years later Princ.i.p.al. His _Letters and Journals_, edited for the Bannatyne Club by D. Laing (_q.v._), are of the greatest value for the interesting light they throw on a period of great importance in Scottish history. He was one of the wisest and most temperate churchmen of his time.

BAIN, ALEXANDER (1818-1903).--Philosopher, _b._ at Aberdeen, and graduated at Marischal Coll. there, became in 1860 Professor of Logic in his university, and wrote a number of works on philosophy and psychology, including _The Senses and the Intellect_ (1855), _The Emotions and the Will_, _Mental and Moral Science_ (1868), _Logic_ (1870), and _Education as a Science_ (1879). In 1881 he was elected Lord Rector of Aberdeen University.

BAKER, SIR RICHARD (1568-1645).--Historian and religious writer, studied law, was knighted in 1603, and was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire 1620. B.

was the author of _The Chronicle of the Kings of England_ (1643), which was for long held as a great authority among the country gentlemen. It has, however, many errors. B. fell on evil days, was thrown into the Fleet for debt incurred by others, for which he had made himself responsible, and _d._ there. It was during his durance that the _Chronicle_ and some religious treatises were composed. The _Chronicle_ was continued by Edward Phillips, Milton's nephew, who became a strong Royalist.

BAKER, SIR SAMUEL WHITE (1821-1893).--Traveller, _b._ in London, and after being a planter in Ceylon, and superintending the construction of a railway between the Danube and the Black Sea, went with his wife, a Hungarian lady, in search of the sources of the Nile, and discovered the great lake, Albert Nyanza. B. was knighted in 1866, and was for 4 years Governor-General of the Equatorial Nile Basin. His books, which are all on travel and sport, are well written and include _Albert Nyanza_ (1866), _Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia_ (1867).

BALE, JOHN (1495-1563).--Historian and controversialist, _b._ at Cove, Suffolk, and _ed._ as a Carmelite friar, but becoming a Protestant, engaged in violent controversy with the Roman Catholics. After undergoing persecution and flying to Flanders, he was brought back by Edward VI. and made Bishop of Ossory. On the death of Edward he was again persecuted, and had to escape from Ireland to Holland, but returned on the accession of Elizabeth, who made him a Prebendary of Canterbury. His chief work is a Latin _Account of the Lives of Eminent Writers of Great Britain_.

Besides this he wrote some dramas on scriptural subjects, and an account of the trial and death of Sir John Oldcastle. He wrote in all 22 plays, of which only 5 have come down, the names of certain of which give some idea of their nature, _e.g._, _The Three Leaves of Nature_, _Moses and Christ_, and _The Temptacyon of Our Lord_.

BALLANTINE, JAMES (1808-1877).--Artist and author, _b._ in Edinburgh, began life as a house painter. He studied art, and became one of the first to revive the art of gla.s.s-painting, on which subject he wrote a treatise. He was the author of _The Gaberlunzie's Wallet_ (1843), _Miller of Deanhaugh_ (1845), _Poems_ (1856), _100 Songs with Music_ (1865), and a _Life of David Roberts, R.A._ (1866).

BALLANTYNE, ROBERT MICHAEL (1825-1894).--Writer of tales for boys, _b._ in Edinburgh, was a connection of the well-known printers. As a youth he spent some years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Co., and was then a member of Constable's printing firm. In 1856 he took to literature as a profession, and _pub._ about 80 tales, which, abounding in interesting adventure and information, and characterised by a thoroughly healthy tone, had great popularity. Among them are _The Young Fur Traders_ (1856), _The Coral Island_, _Fighting the Flames_, _Martin Rattler_, _The World of Ice_, _The Dog Crusoe_, _Erling the Bold_, and _Black Ivory_. B.

was also an accomplished water-colour artist, and in all respects lived up to the ideals he sought to instil into his readers. He _d._ at Rome.

BANCROFT, GEORGE (1800-1891).--American historian, _b._ at Worcester, Ma.s.sachusetts, and after _grad._ at Harvard, studied in Germany, where he became acquainted and corresponded with Goethe, Hegel, and other leaders of German thought. Returning to America he began his _History of the United States_ (1834-74). The work covers the period from the discovery of the Continent to the conclusion of the Revolutionary War in 1782. His other great work is _The History of the Formation of the Const.i.tution of the United States_ (1882). B. filled various political offices, and was in 1846 Minister Plenipotentiary to England, and in 1867 Minister to Prussia. His writing is clear and vigorous, and his facts generally accurate, but he is a good deal of a partisan.

BANIM, JOHN (1798-1842).--Novelist, began life as a miniature painter, but was led by the success of his first book, _Tales of the O'Hara Family_, to devote himself to literature. The object which he set before himself was to become to Ireland what Scott has been to Scotland, and the influence of his model is distinctly traceable in his writings. His strength lies in the delineation of the characters of the Irish lower cla.s.ses, and the impulses, often misguided and criminal, by which they are influenced, and in this he has shown remarkable power. The first series of the _O'Hara Tales_ appeared in 1825, the second in 1826. Other works are _The Croppy_ (1828), _The Denounced_ (1830), _The Smuggler_ (1831), _The Mayor of Windgap_, and his last, _Father Connell_. Most of these deal with the darker and more painful phases of life, but the feeling shown in the last-named is brighter and tenderer. B. latterly suffered from illness and consequent poverty, which were alleviated by a pension from Government. He also wrote some poems, including _The Celt's Paradise_, and one or two plays. In the _O'Hara Tales_, he was a.s.sisted by his brother, MICHAEL BANIM (1796-1874), and there is difficulty in allocating their respective contributions. After the death of John, Michael wrote _Clough Fionn_ (1852), and _The Town of the Cascades_ (1864).

BANNATYNE, RICHARD (_d._ 1605).--Secretary to John Knox, compiled _Memorials of Transactions in Scotland from 1569 to 1573_.

BARBAULD, ANNA LEt.i.tIA (1743-1825).--Poetess, etc., _dau._ of Dr. John Aikin (_q.v._), was _b._ at Kibworth-Hencourt, Leicestershire. Her _f._ kept an academy for boys, whose education she shared, and thus became acquainted with the cla.s.sics. In 1773 she _pub._ a collection of miscellaneous poems, which was well received, and in the following year she married the Rev. R. Barbauld, a French Protestant and dissenting minister, who also conducted a school near Palgrave in Suffolk. Into this enterprise Mrs. B. threw herself with great energy, and, mainly owing to her talents and reputation, it proved a success and was afterwards carried on at Hampstead and Newington Green. Meantime, she continued her literary occupations, and brought out various devotional works, including her _Hymns in Prose for Children_. These were followed by _Evenings at Home_, _Selections from the English Essayists_, _The Letters of Samuel Richardson_, with a life prefixed, and a selection from the British novelists with introductory essay.

BARBOUR, JOHN (1316?-1395).--Poet. Of B.'s youth nothing is certainly known, but it is believed that he was _b._ near Aberdeen, and studied at Oxford and Paris. He entered the Church, and rose to ecclesiastical preferment and Royal favour. He is known to have been Archdeacon of Aberdeen in 1357, when, and again in 1364, he went with some young scholars to Oxford, and he also held various civil offices in connection with the exchequer and the King's household. His princ.i.p.al poem, _The Bruce_, was in progress in 1376. It consists of 14,000 octosyllabic lines, and celebrates the praises of Robert the Bruce and James Douglas, the flowers of Scottish chivalry. This poem is almost the sole authority on the history it deals with, but is much more than a rhyming chronicle; it contains many fine descriptive pa.s.sages, and sings the praises of freedom. Its style is somewhat bald and severe. Other poems ascribed to B. are _The Legend of Troy_, and _Legends of the Saints_, probably translations. B. devoted a perpetual annuity of 20 shillings, bestowed upon him by the King, to provide for a ma.s.s to be sung for himself and his parents, and this was duly done in the church of St. Machar until the Reformation.

_The Bruce_, edited by C. Innes for Spalding Club (1856), and for Early Engl. Text Soc. by W.W. Skeat, 1870-77; and for Scott. Text Soc. (1894); _The Wallace_ and _The Bruce_ re-studied, J.T.T. Brown, 1900; G. Neilson in Chambers' Cyc. Eng. Lit. (1903).

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 Sall.u.s.t's _Bellum Jugurthinum_, and the _Mirrour of Good Manners_, from the Italian of Mancini, and wrote five _Eclogues_. His style is stiff and his verse uninspired.