A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 3

BARCLAY, JOHN (1582-1621).--Satirist, _s._ of a Scotsman, who was Professor of Law at Pont-a-Mousson, Lorraine, came with his _f._ to England about 1603. He wrote several works in English and Latin, among which are _Euphormionis Satyricon_, against the Jesuits, and _Argenis_, a political romance, resembling in certain respects the _Arcadia_ of Sidney, and the _Utopia_ of 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 his _f._ had already done. Soon afterwards he began to write in defence of his sect, by _pub._ in 1670 _Truth cleared of Calumnies_, and _a Catechism and Confession of Faith_ (1673).

His great work, however, is his _Apology 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 he _d._ 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, was _b._ at Canterbury, _ed._ at St. Paul's School and Oxford, entered the church, held various inc.u.mbencies, 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 the _Ingoldsby 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 in _Bentley's Miscellany_. He also wrote, in _Blackwood'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 include _Vision of Columbus_ (1787), afterwards expanded into the _Columbiad_ (1807), _The Conspiracy of Kings_ (1792), and _The Hasty Pudding_ (1796), a mock-heroic poem, his best work. These are generally pompous and dull. In 1811 he was _app._ amba.s.sador 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 the _d._ of her husband in 1807 she settled in London.

Her exquisite ballad of _Auld Robin Gray_ was written in 1771, and _pub._ anonymously. She confessed the authorship to Sir Walter Scott in 1823.

BARNES, BARNABE (1569?-1609).--Poet, _s._ of Dr. Richard B. Bishop, of Durham, was _b._ in Yorkshire, and studied at Oxford. He wrote _Parthenophil_, a collection of sonnets, madrigals, elegies, and odes, _A Divine Centurie of Spirituall Sonnets_, and _The 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 served various cures.

He first contributed to a newspaper, _Poems in Dorset Dialect_, separately _pub._ in 1844. _Hwomely Rhymes_ followed in 1858, and a collected edition of his poems appeared in 1879. His philological works include _Philological Grammar_ (1854), _Se Gefylsta, an Anglo-Saxon Delectus_ (1849). _Tiw, or a View of Roots_ (1862), and a _Glossary 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, was _b._ at Norbury, Shropshire, and _ed._ at Oxford. In 1594 he _pub._ _The Affectionate Shepherd_, a collection of variations in graceful verse of the 2nd Eclogue of Virgil. His next work was _Cynthia, with certain Sonnets and the Legend of Ca.s.sandra_ in 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 in _The Pa.s.sionate 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 pa.s.sed for that of Shakespeare.

BARROW, ISAAC (1630-1677).--Divine, scholar, and mathematician, _s._ of a linen-draper in London, was _ed._ 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 cla.s.sics 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 he _pub._ 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 his _Expositions of the Creed_, _The Lord's Prayer_, _Decalogue_, and _Sacraments_. 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 the _Pope's Supremacy_ is regarded as one of the most perfect specimens of controversy in existence. B.'s character as a man was in all respects worthy of his great talents, though he had a strong vein of eccentricity. He _d._ 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, pa.s.sed 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 are _The Convict's Appeal_ (1818), a protest against the severity of the criminal code of the time, and _Household 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. His _dau._ Lucy, who married Edward Fitzgerald, the translator of _Omar 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 of Sir 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 a.s.sistant ed. of the _Daily 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 the _Edinburgh Review_ and _Fraser's Magazine_ valuable papers (chiefly relating to his vocabulary and the extent of his learning) afterwards collected as _Shakespeare Studies_. In 1873 he was appointed to superintend the ninth ed. of the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, in which, after 1880, he was a.s.sisted by W. Robertson Smith (_q.v._).

BAXTER, RICHARD (1615-1691).--Divine scholar and controversialist, was _b._ of poor, but genteel, parents at Rowton in Shropshire, and although he became so eminent for learning, was not _ed._ at any university.

Circ.u.mstances 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 a.s.sumption 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 be allowed 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 are _The Saints' Everlasting Rest_ (1650), and _Call to the Unconverted_ (1657), manuals of practical religion; and, among his controversial writings, _Methodus Theologiae_ (1681), and _Catholic 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, _Reliquiae Baxterianae_, which was a favourite book with both Johnson and Coleridge. Other works by him are _The Life of Faith_ (1670), _Reasons of the Christian Religion_ (1672), and _Christian Directory_ (1675). _Practical Works_ in 23 vols. (1830) edited with memoirs by W. Orme, also _Lives_ by 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 include _Autobiography of a Slander_, _Donovan_, _Hope the Hermit_, _In the Golden Days_, _To Right the Wrong_, _We Two_, and _Won 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 embarra.s.sed circ.u.mstances. Among the best known of his songs are _I'd be a b.u.t.terfly_, _Oh, no, we never mention Her_, and _She 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 the _s._ of Isaac D. (_q.v._). Belonging to a Jewish family settled first in Spain, whence in the 15th century they migrated to Italy, he was _b._ in London in 1804 and privately _ed._ His _f._ 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 a _Vindication of the British Const.i.tution_, and some political pamphlets, he followed up his first success by a series of novels, _The Young Duke_ (1831), _Contarini Fleming_ (1832), _Alroy_ (1833), _Venetia and Henrietta Temple_ (1837).

During the same period he had also written _The Revolutionary Epic_ and three burlesques, _Ixion_, _The Infernal Marriage_, and _Popanilla_.

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 had _pub._ _Coningsby_, followed by _Sybil_ (1845), and _Tancred_ (1847), and in 1848 he wrote a life of Lord G. Bentinck, his predecessor in the leadership of the Protectionist party. His last novels were _Lothair_ (1870), and _Endymion_ (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 s.p.a.ciousness 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.

_Lives_ by Froude (1890), Hitchman (1885), see also _Dictionary of Nat.

Biog. etc._

BEATTIE, JAMES (1735-1803).--Poet and philosophical writer, _s._ of a shopkeeper and small farmer at Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, and _ed._ at Aberdeen; he was, in 1760, appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy there. In the following year he _pub._ a vol. of poems, which attracted attention. The two works, however, which brought him most fame were: (1) his _Essay 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 of _The Minstrel_, of which the first book was _pub._ in 1771 and the second in 1774, and which const.i.tutes his true t.i.tle to remembrance. It contains much beautiful descriptive writing. The _Essay on Truth_ and 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 a.s.sociated in the history of English literature, it is convenient to treat of them in one place. B. was the _s._ of Francis B., a Judge of the Common Pleas, and was _b._ at the family seat, Grace Dieu, Leicestershire. He was _ed._ at Oxford, but his _f._ 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 two _dau._ He _d._ in 1616, and is buried in Westminster Abbey. F. was the youngest _s._ 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 is _The 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--Ma.s.singer, Rowley, Shirley, and even Shakespeare. Of those believed to be the joint work of B. and F. _Philaster_ and _The Maid's Tragedy_ are considered the masterpieces, and are as dramas unmatched except by Shakespeare. _The Two n.o.ble Kinsmen_ is 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 of _Henry VIII._ included in Shakespeare's works, is now held to be largely the work of F. and Ma.s.singer. 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_ (_Boadicea_) (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), perhaps _Monsieur Thomas_ (_p._ 1639), and _Sea 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), _c.o.xcomb_ (1612-13), _Wits at Several Weapons_ (1614), _Scornful Lady_ (1616), doubtfully, _Thierry and Theodoret_ (1616), and _Little French Lawyer_ (1620) perhaps by F. and Ma.s.singer, and _Laws of Candy_ (?) perhaps by B. and Ma.s.singer. (4) FLETCHER and OTHERS.--_Honest Man's Fortune_ (1613), F., Ma.s.s., and Field; _The Captain_ (1613), and _Nice Valour_ (_p._ 1647), F. and Middleton (?); _b.l.o.o.d.y Brothers_ (1616-17), F., Mid., and Rowley or Fielding and B. Jonson (?); _Queen of Corinth_ (1618-19), F. and Row. or Ma.s.s. and Mid.; _Barneveld_ (1619), by F. and Ma.s.singer; _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), and _Two n.o.ble Kinsmen_ (_p._ 1634), by F. and Rowley, or Ma.s.singer; _Maid of the Mill_ (1625-6), _Beggar's Bush_ (?) (1622), by F.

and Shirley; _n.o.ble 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 Poems_ of B. and F., E. Rhys (1897); _Bibliography_, A.C. Potter in _Harvard Bibliograph.

Contributions_, 1891.

BEAUMONT, SIR JOHN (1582-1627?).--Poet, elder brother of Francis B., the dramatist (_q.v._). His poems, of which the best known is _Bosworth Field_, _pub._ by his _s._, 1629. Another, _The Crown of Thorns_, is lost.

BECKFORD, WILLIAM (_c._ 1760-1844).--Miscellaneous writer, only _s._ of William B., Lord Mayor of London, the a.s.sociate and supporter of John Wilkes, inherited at the age of 9 an enormous fortune. In these circ.u.mstances 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 princ.i.p.al writings are _Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters_ (1780), a satirical work, and _Letters 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 const.i.tuencies, and one of his two _dau._ became d.u.c.h.ess 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, he _pub._ in 1821 _The Improvisatore_, which he afterwards endeavoured to suppress. His next venture was _The Bride's Tragedy_ (1822), which had considerable success, and won for him the friendship of "Barry Cornwall." Thereafter he went to Gottingen and studied medicine. He then wandered about practising his profession, and expounding democratic theories which got him into trouble. He _d._ at Bale in mysterious circ.u.mstances. 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 BaeDA (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 he _d._ and was buried, but his bones were, towards the beginning of the 11th century, removed to Durham. The well-deserved t.i.tle 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 England_ and 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 encyclopaedia 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. and _bro._ 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, include _Summer in the Soul_ and _Life 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 pa.s.sage thither, and her childhood and youth were pa.s.sed there. She became acquainted with the celebrated slave Oronoko, afterwards the hero of one of her novels. Returning to England in 1658 she _m._ 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 auth.o.r.ess. Among her plays are _The Forced Marriage_, _Abdelazer_, _The Rover_, _The Debauchee_, etc., and her novels include _Oronoko_ and _The 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.