Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 42

Not that [_fountain_] where Biblis dropt, too fondly light, Her tears and self may dare compare with this.

Phin. Fletcher, _The Purple Island_, v. (1633).

BIB'ULUS, a colleague of Julius Caesar, but a mere cipher in office; hence his name became a household word for a nonent.i.ty.

BIC'KERSTAFF (_Isaac_), a pseudonym of dean Swift, a.s.sumed in the paper-war with Partridge, the almanac-maker, and subsequently adopted by Steele in _The Tatler_, which was announced as edited by "Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq., astrologer."

BICKERTON (_Mrs._), landlady of the Seven Stars inn of York, where Jeanie Deans stops on her way to London, whither she is going to plead for her sister's pardon.--Sir W. Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

BID'DENDEN MAIDS (_The_), two sisters named Mary and Elizabeth Chulkhurst, born at Biddenden in 1100. They were joined together by the shoulders and hips, and lived to the age of thirty-four. Some say that it was Mary and Elizabeth Chulkhurst who left twenty acres of land to the poor of Biddenden. This tenement called "Bread and Cheese Land," because the rent derived from it is distributed on Easter Sunday in doles of bread and cheese. Halstead says, in his _History of Kent_, that it was the gift of two maidens named Preston, and not of the Biddenden Maids.

BIDDY, servant to Wopsle's great-aunt, who kept an "educational inst.i.tution." A good, honest girl who falls in love with Pip, is loved by Dolge Orlick, but marries Joe Grargery.--C. d.i.c.kens, _Great Expectations_ (1860).

BIDDY [BELLAIR] (_Miss_), "Miss in her teens," in love with captain Loveit. She was promised in marriage by her aunt and guardian to an elderly man whom she detested; and during the absence of captain Loveit in the Flanders war, she coquetted with Mr. Fribble and captain Flash. On the return of her "Strephon," she set Fribble and Flash together by the ears; and while they stood menacing each other, but afraid to fight, captain Loveit entered and sent them both to the right-about.--D. Garrick, _Miss in Her Teens_ (1753).

BIDeFORD POSTMAN (_The_), Edward Capern, a poet, at one time a letter-carrier in Bideford (3 _syl_).

BIDE-THE-BENT (_Mr. Peter_), minister of Wolf's Hope village.--Sir W.

Scott, _Bride of Lammermoor_ (time, William III.).

BID'MORE (_Lord_), patron of the Rev Josiah Cargill, minister of St.

Ronan's.

_The Hon. Augustus Bidmore_, son of lord Bidmore, and pupil of the Rev. Josiah Cargill.

_Miss Augusta Bidmore_, daughter of lord

Bidmore, beloved by the Rev. Josiah Cargill--Sir W. Scott, _St.

Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

BIE'DERMAN (_Arnold_), _alias_ count Arnold of Geierstein [_Gi'.er.stine_], landamman of Unterwalden. Anne of Geierstein, his brother's daughter, is under his charge.

_Bertha Biederman_, Arnold's late wife.

_Ru'diger Biederman_, Arnold Biederman's son.

_Ernest Biederman_, brother of Rudiger.

_Sigismund Biederman_, nicknamed "The Simple," another brother.

_Ulrick Biedermen_, youngest of the four brothers.--Sir W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

BIG-EN'DIANS (_The_), a hypothetical religious party of Lilliput, who made it a matter of "faith" to break their eggs at the "big end."

Those who broke them at the other end were considered heretics, and called _Little-endians_.--Dean Swift, _Gulliver's Travels_ (1726).

BIG'LOW (_Hosea_), the feigned author of _The Biglow Papers_ (1848), really written by Professor James Russell Lowell of Boston, Ma.s.s.

(1819-1891).

BIG'OT (_De_), seneschal of prince John.--Sir W. Scott, _Ivanhoe_ (time, Richard I.).

_Big'ot_, in C. Lamb's _Essays_, is John Fenwick, editor of the _Albion_ newspaper.

BIL'DAI (2 _syl_.), a seraph and the tutelar guardian of Matthew the apostle, the son of wealthy parents and brought up in great luxury.--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).

BILLINGS (_Josh_). A.W. Shaw so signs _His Book of Sayings_ (1866).

Ef a man hezn't a well-balanced mind I _du_ admire to see him part his hair in the middle.

Ef thar iz wun sayin' trewer than anuther it is that the devil iz allwaies ready fur k.u.mpany.

_Josh Billings's Alminax_ (1870).

BILLINGSGATE (3 _syl_.). Beling was a friend of "Brennus" the Gaul, who owned a wharf called Beling's-gate. Geoffrey of Momnouth derives the word from Belin, a mythical king of the ancient Britons, who "built a gate there," B.C. 400 (1142).

BILLY BARLOW, a merry Andrew, so-called from a semi-idiot, who fancied himself "a great potentate." He was well known in the east of London, and died in Whitechapel workhouse. Some of his sayings were really witty, and some of his att.i.tudes truly farcical.

BILLY BLACK, the conundrum-maker.--_The Hundred-pound Note_.

When Keeley was playing "Billy Black" at Chelmsford, he advanced to the lights at the close of the piece, and said, "I've one more, and this is a good un. Why is Chelmsford Theatre like a half-moon? D'ye give it up? Because it is never full."--_Records of a Stage Veteran_.

BIMATER ("_two-mother_"). Bacchus was so called because at the death of his mother during gestation, Jupiter put the foetus into his own thigh for the rest of the time, when the infant Bacchus was duly brought forth.

BIMBISTER (_Margery_), the old Ranzelman's spouse.--Sir W. Scott, _The Pirate_ (time, William III.).

BIND'LOOSE (_John_), sheriff's clerk and banker at Marchthorn.--Sir W.

Scott, _St. Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

BINGEN (_Bishop of_), generally called bishop Hatto. The tale is that during a famine, he invited the poor to his barn on a certain day, under the plea of distributing corn to them; but when the barn was crowded he locked the door and set fire to the building; for which iniquity he was himself devoured by an army of mice or rats. His castle is the Mouse-tower on the Rhine.

They almost devour me with kisses, Their arms about me entwine, Till I think of the bishop of Bingen, In his Mouse-tower on the Rhine.

Longfellow, _Birds of Pa.s.sage_.

BINKS (_Sir Bingo_), a fox-hunting baronet, and visitor at the Spa.

_Lady Binks_, wife of sir Bingo, but before marriage Miss Rachael Bonnyrigg. Visitor at the Spa with her husband.--Sir W. Scott, _St.

Ronan's Well_ (time, Greorge III.).

BI'ON, the rhetorician, noted for his acrimonious and sharp sayings.

Bioneis sermonibus et sale nigro.

Horace, _Epist_. ii. 2, 60.

BIONDEL'LO, one of the servants of Lucentio the future husband of Bianca (sister of "the shrew"). His fellow-servant is Tra'nio.--Shakespeare, _Taming of the Shrew_ (1594).

BIORN, the son of Heriulf, a Northman, who first touched the sh.o.r.es of the New World.