Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 28

Milton, _Paradise Lost_, i. 422 (1665).

BAB (_Lady_), a waiting maid on a lady so called, who a.s.sumes the airs with the name and address of her mistress. Her fellow-servants and other servants address her as "lady Bab," or "Your ladyship." She is a fine wench, "but by no means particular in keeping her teeth clean."

She says she never reads but one "book, which is Shikspur." And she calls Lovel and Freeman, two gentlemen of fortune, "downright hottenpots."--Rev. J. Townley, _High Life Below Stairs_ (1763).

BA'BA, chief of the eunuchs in the court of the sultana Gulbey'az.--Byron, _Don Juan_, v. 82, etc. (1820).

BABA (_Ali_), who relates the story of the "Forty Thieves" in the _Arabian Nights' Entertainments_. He discovered the thieves' cave while hiding in a tree, and heard the magic word "Ses'ame," at which the door of the cave opened and shut.

_Ca.s.sim Baba_, brother of Ali Baba, who entered the cave of the forty thieves, but forgot the pa.s.s-word, and stood crying "Open Wheat!"

"Open Barley!" to the door, which obeyed to no sound but "Open Sesame!"

BABA MUS'TAPHA, a cobbler who sewed together the four pieces into which Ca.s.sim's body had been cleft by the forty thieves. When the thieves discovered that the body had been taken away, they sent one of the band into the city, to ascertain who had died of late. The man happened to enter the cobbler's stall, and falling into a gossip heard about the body which the cobbler had sewed together. Mustapha pointed out to him the house of Ca.s.sim Baba's widow, and the thief marked it with a piece of white chalk. Next day the cobbler pointed out the house to another, who marked it with red chalk. And the day following he pointed it out to the captain of the band, who instead of marking the door studied the house till he felt sure of recognizing it.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Ali Baba, or The Forty Thieves").

BABABALOUK, chief of the black eunuchs, whose duty it was to wait on the sultan, to guard the sultanas, and to superintend the harem.--Habesci, _State of the Ottoman Empire_, 155-6.

BABES IN THE WOOD, insurrectionary hordes that infested the mountains of Wicklow and the woods of Enniscarthy towards the close of the eighteenth century. (See CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.)

BABIE, old Alice Gray's servant-girl.--Sir W. Scott, _Bride of Lammermoor_ (time, William III.).

BABIE'CA (3 _syl._), the Cid's horse.

I learnt to prize Babieca from his head unto his hoof.

_The Cid_ (1128).

BABOON (_Philip_), Philippe Bourbon, duc d'Anjou.

_Lewis Baboon_, Louis XIV., "a false loon of a grandfather to Philip, and one that might justly be called a Jack-of-all-trades."

Sometimes you would see this Lewis Baboon behind his counter, selling broad-cloth, sometimes measuring linen; next day he would be dealing in mercery-ware; high heads, ribbons, gloves, fans, and lace, he understood to a nicety ... nay, he would descend to the selling of tapes, garters, and s...o...b..ckles. When shop was shut up he would go about the neighborhood, and earn half-a-crown, by teaching the young men and maidens to dance. By these means he had acquired immense riches, which he used to squander away at back-sword [_in war_], quarter-staff, and cudgel-play, in which he took great pleasure.--Dr. Arbuthnot, _History of John Bull_, ii. (1712).

BABY BELL, the infant whose brief beautiful life is given in the poem that first drew the eyes of the world to the young American poet, T.B.

Aldrich, then but nineteen years of age.

Have you not heard the poets tell How came the dainty Baby Bell Into this World of ours?

The gates of heaven were left ajar: With folded hands and dreamy eyes, Wandering out of Paradise, She saw this planet like a star Hung in the glistening depths of even,-- Its bridges, running to and fro, O'er which the white-winged angels go, Bearing the holy dead to heaven.

She touched a bridge of flowers--those feet So light they did not bend the bells Of the celestial asphodels, They fell like dew upon the flowers; Then all the air grew strangely sweet!

And thus came dainty Baby Bell Into this world of ours. (1854.)

BACCHAN'TES (3 _syl._), priestesses of Bacchus.

Round about him _Bacchus_ fair Bacchantes, Bearing cymbals, flutes, and thyrses, Wild from Naxian groves, or Zante's Vineyards, sing delirious verses.

Longfellow, _Drinking Song_.

BACCHUS, in the _Lusiad_, an epic poem by Camoens (1569), is the personification of the evil principle which acts in opposition to Jupiter, the lord of Destiny. Mars is made by the poet the guardian power of Christianity, and Bacchus of Mohammedanism.

BACKBITE (_Sir Benjamin_), nephew of Crabtree, very conceited, and very censorious. His friends called him a great poet and wit, but he never published anything, because "'twas very vulgar to print;"

besides, as he said, his little productions circulated more "by giving copies in confidence to friends."--Sheridan, _School for Scandal_ (1777).

When I first saw Miss Pope she was performing "Mrs. Candour," to Miss Farren's "lady Teazle," King as "sir Peter," Parsons "Crab-tree,"

Dodd "Backbite," Baddeley "Moses,"

Smith "Charles," and John Palmer "Joseph"

[Surface].--James Smith, _Memoirs, etc_.

BACTRIAN SAGE _(The)_, Zoroas'ter or Zerdusht, a native of Bactria, now Balkh (B.C. 589-513).

BADE'BEC (2 _syl_.), wife of Gargantua and mother of Pantag'ruel. She died in giving him birth, or rather in giving birth at the same time to nine dromedaries laden with ham and smoked tongues, 7 camels laden with eels, and 25 wagons full of leeks, garlic, onions, and shallots.--Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, ii. 2 (1533).

BADGER _(Will)_, sir Hugh Robsart's favorite domestic.--Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

_Bad'ger (Mr. Bayham_), medical pract.i.tioner at Chelsea, under whom Richard Carstone pursues his studies. Mr. Badger is a crisp-looking gentleman, with "surprised eyes;" very proud of being Mrs. Badger's "third," and always referring to her former two husbands, captain Swosser and professor Dingo.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Bleak House_ (1853).

BADINGUET [_Bad'.en.gay_] one of the many nicknames of Napoleon III.

It was the name of the mason in whose clothes he escaped from the fortress of Ham (1808, 1851-1873).

BADOU'RA, daughter of Gaiour (2 _syl._), king of China, the "most beautiful woman ever seen upon earth." The emperor Gaiour wished her to marry, but she expressed an aversion to wedlock. However, one night by fairy influence she was shown prince Camaral'zaman asleep, fell in love with him, and exchanged rings. Next day she inquired for the prince, but her inquiry was thought so absurd that she was confined as a madwoman. At length her foster-brother solved the difficulty thus: The emperor having proclaimed that whoever cured the princess of her [supposed] madness should have her for his wife, he sent Camaralzaman to play the magician, and imparted the secret to the princess by sending her the ring she had left with the sleeping prince. The cure was instantly effected, and the marriage solemnized with due pomp.

When the emperor was informed that his son-in-law was a prince, whose father was sultan of the "Island of the Children of Khal'edan, some twenty days' sail from the coast of Persia," he was delighted with the alliance.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Camaralzaman and Badoura").

BADROUL'BOUDOUR, daughter of the sultan of China, a beautiful brunette. "Her eyes were large and sparkling, her expression modest, her mouth small, her lips vermilion, and her figure perfect." She became the wife of Aladdin, but twice nearly caused his death; once by exchanging "the wonderful lamp" for a new copper one, and once by giving hospitality to the false Fatima. Aladdin killed both these magicians.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp").

BAG DAD. A hermit told the caliph Almanzor that one Moclas was destined to found a city on the spot where he was standing. "I am that man," said the caliph, and he then informed the hermit how in his boyhood he once stole a bracelet, and his nurse ever after called him "Moclas," the name of a well-known thief.--Marigny.

BAGSHOT, one of a gang of thieves who conspire to break into the house of lady Bountiful.--Farquhar, _The Beaux' Stratagem_ (1705).

BAGSTOCK (_Major Joe_), an apoplectic retired military officer, living in Princess's Place, opposite to Miss Tox. The major has a covert kindness for Miss Tox, and is jealous of Mr. Dombey. He speaks of himself as "Old Joe Bagstock," "Old Joey," "Old J.," "Old Josh,"

"Rough and tough old Jo," "J.B.," "Old J.B.," and so on. He is also given to over-eating, and to abusing his poor native servant.--C.

d.i.c.kens, _Dombey and Son_ (1846).

BAH'ADAR, master of the horse to the king of the Magi. Prince Am'giad was enticed by a collet to enter the minister's house, and when Bahadar returned, he was not a little surprised at the sight of his uninvited guest. The prince, however, explained to him in private how the matter stood, and Bahadar, entering into the fun of the thing, a.s.sumed for the nonce the place of a slave. The collet would have murdered him, but Amgiad, to save the minister, cut off her head.

Bahadar, being arrested for murder, was condemned to death, but Amgiad came forward and told the whole truth, whereupon Bahadar was instantly released, and Amgiad created vizier.--_Arabian Nights_ ("Amgiad and a.s.sad").

BAHMAN (_Prince_), eldest son of the sultan Khrossou-schah of Persia.

In infancy he was taken from the palace by the sultana's sisters, and set adrift on a ca.n.a.l, but being rescued by the superintendent of the sultan's gardens, he was brought up, and afterwards restored to the sultan. It was the "talking bird" that told the sultan the tale of the young prince's abduction.

_Prince Bahman's Knife_. When prince Bahman started on his exploits, he gave to his sister Parazade (4 _syl._) a knife, saying, "As long as you find this knife clean and bright, you may feel a.s.sured that I am alive and well; but if a drop of blood falls from it, you may know that I am no longer alive."--_Arabian Nights_ ("The Two Sisters," the last tale).

BAILEY, a sharp lad in the service of Todger's boarding-house. His ambition was to appear quite a full-grown man. On leaving Mrs.

Todgers's, he became the servant of Montague Tigg, manager of the "Anglo-Bengalee Company."--C. d.i.c.kens, _Martin Chuzzlewit_ (1844).

BAILIE (_General_), a parliamentary leader.--Sir W. Scott, _Legend of Montrose_ (time, Charles I.).

_Bailie (Giles)_, a gipsy; father of Gabrael Faa (nephew to Meg Merrilies).--Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George II.).

BAILLY, (_Henry or Harry_), the host of the Tabard Inn, in Southwerk, London, where the nine and twenty companions of Chaucer put up before starting on their pilgrimage to Canterbury.

A semely man our hoste was withal For to han been a marshal in an halle, A fairer burgeis is ther non in Chepe.

Chaucer, _Canterbury Tales, Prologue_.