No More Learning

Baggesen, Jens (bäg'e-sen). A noted Dan-
ish poet; born at Korsör, Zealand, Feb. 15,
1764; died in Hamburg, Oct. 3, 1826. He be-
came involved in a great literary feud with
Oehlenschläger. His first poetic effort, Comic
Tales) (1785), at once attracted attention; but
(The Labyrinth) (1792), afterwards entitled
(Wanderings of a Poet,' a description of his
traveling impressions, equally distinguished for
its overflowing humor and finished style, is his
most important work, a landmark in Danish
prose literature. *
Bahr, Hermann (bär). An Austrian dram-
atist, novelist, and critic; born in Linz, July 19,
1863. He took a firm stand in opposition to
the naturalism, «modernism, and (sym-
bolism of the dominant school of French
novelists, and published two collections of his
strictures on these phases of literature, under
the titles (A Critique of Modernism) (1890)
and (The Overthrow of Naturalism) (1891).
He is author of several dramas, among them
(The New Men) (1888); “The Mother) (1891);
of "The Domestic Woman) (1893), a comedy ;
and of some novels and romances, among them
(Dora, Stories of Vienna (1893).
Bähr, Johann Christian (băr). A distin-
guished German philologist; born at Darmstadt,
etc.
Baena, Antonio (bä-yı'nä). A Portuguese-
Brazilian historian and geographer; born in
Portugal about 1795; died in Pará, March 28,
1850. He was an officer in the Portuguese, after-
ward in the Brazilian, army. He studied the
geography and history of the Amazon valley.
His principal works were: (The Ages of Pará)
(1838), a historic compend stopping at 1823, and
Chorographic Essay on the Province of Pará)
(1839), a geographical and statistical work
giving the details of explorations made by him-
self.
Baer, Karl Ernst von (bãr). A noted Rus-
sian naturalist, famous especially as an embry-
ologist; born at Piep, Esthonia, Feb. 28, 1792 ;
died at Dorpat, Nov. 28, 1876. He was pro-
fessor of zoology at Königsberg (1819), and
librarian of the Academy of Sciences at St.
Petersburg (1834). His principal works were:
(History of the Development of Animals) (2
vols. , 1828–37); (Researches into the Develop-
ment of Fishes) (1835).
Baffin, William. A noted English navigator
and explorer; born probably in London, 1584;
died at the siege of Ormuz, Jan. 23, 1622. In
the second of two arctic expeditions, he dis-
covered Baffin's Bay. Of these voyages he
wrote two accounts, in the first giving a new
method of computing longitude at sea. These


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36
BAHRDT — BAILY
June 13, 1798; died at Heidelberg, Nov. 29, 1872.
He was professor of classical literature at the
University of Heidelberg. Besides editing sev-
eral of Plutarch's Lives,' making a Latin trans-
lation of Herodotus, with notes, etc. , his prin-
cipal work was History of Roman Literature)
(2 vols. , 1828; 4th ed. 1868-73).
Bahrdt, Karl Friedrich (bärt). A German
theologian; born at Bischofswerda, Saxony,
Aug. 25, 1741; died near Halle, April 23, 1792.
He was condemned to imprisonment in 1789 for
publishing (The Religious Edict: a Comedy. )
As a theologian, he was noted for extreme
rationalism. He wrote: (Letters on Systematic
Theology) (2 vols. , 1770-72); Newest Revela-
tions of God) (1773); while in prison, History
of his Life) (4 vols. , 1790), etc.
Bahya ben Joseph ben Pakoda (bä'hé-yä
ben yö'sef ben pä-kõ'dä). A noted Jewish
poet and religious writer; lived at Saragossa,
Spain, in the nth century. He is best known
by his celebrated religious work, Duties of the
Heart, written by him in Arabic and trans-
lated into Hebrew. It abounds in spiritual
meditations and exhortations, and occupies
among the Jews a position similar to that held
among Christians by the Imitation of Christ. )
It was translated into Spanish (1610) and Eng-
lish (1894).
Baïf, Jean Antoine de (bä-ef'). A French
poet (1532-89), one of the literary league known
as the “Pléiade, and the chief advocate of its
plan of reducing French poetry to the metres
of the classic tongues; also a spelling reformer,
in favor of the phonetic system. His most
meritorious works were translations of Greek
and Roman dramas. Among his original pro-
ductions, (The Mimes, Precepts, and Proverbs)
(6 editions, 1576–1619) are the most noteworthy.
Bailey, Gamaliel. An American journalist;
born at Mt. Holly, N. J. , Dec. 3, 1807 ; died at
sea, on his way to Europe, June 5, 1859. With
J. G. Birney, he founded the anti-slavery jour-
nal, the Cincinnati Philanthropist (1836), the
office of which was destroyed by a mob, though
it continued to be published till 1847. He es-
tablished the well-known newspaper, the Wash-
ington National Era (1847), in which the famous
novel (Uncle Tom's Cabin' appeared first.
Bailey, James Montgomery. An American
author; born in Albany, N. Y. , Sept. 25, 1841;
died in Danbu Conn. , March 4, 1894. He
served in the 17th Connecticut regiment during
the war; returned to Danbury, founded the Dan-
bury News in 1870. His articles in this paper
were widely quoted. He wrote: (Life in Dan-
bury) (Boston, 1873); (They All Do It) (1877);
and (The Danbury Boom (1880).
Bailey, Nathan. An English lexicographer
and classical scholar; died at Stepney, June 27,
1742. He was a school-teacher at Stepney, and
a Seventh-day Baptist. Besides educational
books, he was the author of a (Universal Ety.
blog nglish Dictionary) (1721), the first
English dictionary with any pretensions to
being complete, and the basis of Dr. Johnson's
better known work. He wrote also a (Domestic
Dictionary) (1736).
Bailey, Philip James. An English poet;
born in Basford, Nottinghamshire, April 22,
1816. He was educated in Glasgow, and stud-
ied law at Lincoln's Inn, being admitted to the
bar in 1840. In his twentieth year he began
the composition of Festus, a lyrico-dramatic
poem on the Faust legend. The poem was
published in 1839, and attracted unusual atten-
tion. The eleventh edition was published in
1889. His other works -(The Angel World)
(1850); (The Mystic) (1855); (The Age, a
colloquial satire (1858); and (The Universal
Hymn) (1867) -- have not added to his reputa-
tion. *
Bailey, Samuel. An English writer on phi.
losophy and political economy; born at Shef-
field, 1791; died there, Jan. 18, 1870. He was
chairman of the Sheffield Banking Company
and several times president of the Sheffield
Literary and Philosophical Society. Besides
works on political economy, he wrote: (On
the Formation and Publication of Opinions)
(3d ed. 1831); (The Pursuit of Truth and the
Progress of Knowledge) (2d ed. 1844); "Let-
ters from an Egyptian Kafir in Search of Re-
ligion (1837, anonymously); (Maro, or Poetic
Sensibility) (1846, anonymously); (Theory of
Reasoning (2d ed. , 1852); Philosophy of the
Human Mind' (three series, 1855, 1858, 1863);
(The Received Text of Shakespeare's Dra-
matic Writings) (2 vols. , 1861-62); etc.
Baillie, Joanna. A Scottish poet; born in
Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Sept. II, 1762; died at
Hampstead, England, Feb. 23, 1851.
At an
early age she removed to London and settled
at Hampstead, where, with her sister Agnes,
she passed the remainder of her life. The first
volume of her (Plays on the Passions) was
published in 1798; one of them, “The Family
Legend, was successfully presented at Edin-
burgh under the patronage of Sir Walter Scott.
Miss Baillie published many short poems and
songs of great beauty. She enjoyed the close
friendship of Scott, Jeffrey (who at first had
severely criticized her work), Lucy Aikin, Mrs.
Siddons, and other eminent persons. For her
benevolent deeds at Hampstead, the poor gave
her the name of "Lady Bountiful. ” *
Bailly, Jean Sylvain (bä-ye'). A distin-
guished French astronomer and statesman;
born in Paris, Sept. 15, 1736; died there, Nov.
12, 1793. The first president of the States-
General or National Assembly (1789), and
mayor of Paris (1789). He was the advocate of
order and moderation, and having offended the
Jacobins, he died on the guillotine. He wrote:
(History of Astronomy) (4 vols. , 1775-83), which
became very popular; (Memoirs of the Revolu-
tion) (3 vols. , 1804); etc.
Baily, Francis (bă'lē). An English astron-
omer;
born at Newbury, Berkshire, April 28,
174; died in London, Au 30, 1844. He re-
formed the Nautical Almanac,) and was the


## p. 37 (#53) ##############################################

BAIN -- BAKER
37
>
author of the Astronomical Society's Cata-
logue of Stars. He wrote also a Life of
Flamsteed) (1835); (Journal of a Tour in Un-
settled Parts of North America) (1856, edited
by De Morgan); etc.
Bain, Alexander (bãn). A distinguished
Scotch philosophical writer; born at Aberdeen,
1818. He became professor of natural philos-
ophy in the Andersonian University, Glasgow,
(1845); examiner in logic and moral philoso-
phy for the University of London (1857–62,
1864-69); professor of logic (1860–80) at, and
lord rector (1881) of, the University of Aber-
deen. He belongs to the Spencerian or ex-
periential school of philosophy, and teaches
physiological psychology. His chief works are:
(The Senses and the Intellect) (1855); “The
Emotions and the Will (1859), the two form-
ing a complete course of mental philosophy;
(English Composition and Rhetoric) (1866);
(Mental and Moral Science) (1868); (Logic)
(2 vols. , 1870); Mind and Body) (1873); (Ed-
ucation as a Science' (1879); James Mill and
John Stuart Mill) (1882); Practical Essays)
(1884); etc.
Baird, Charles Washington. An American
historian and religious writer, son of Robert
Baird; born at Princeton, N. J. , Aug. 28, 1828;
died in Rye, N. Y. , Feb. 10, 1881. Besides works
on the Presbyterian liturgies (which he was the
first to collect and investigate) and local his-
tories, he wrote: (History of the Huguenot
Emigration to America) (2 vols. , 1885). It is
interesting especially to the genealogist.
Baird, Henry Carey. An American writer
on political economy, nephew of Henry C.
Carey; born at Bridesburg, Pa. , 1825. He is a
publisher at Philadelphia. A protectionist, his
economical views generally are similar to those
of his distinguished uncle. He has written
numerous economic pamphlets.
Baird, Henry Martyn. An American au-
thor; born in Philadelphia, Pa. , Jan. 17, 1832.
He graduated from the University of the City
of New York in 1850, and after spending some
years in Europe, took a course in theology at
Union and Princeton. In 1859 he was appointed
professor of the Greek language and literature
in the University of the City of New York. His
principal works are the History of the Rise of
the Huguenots) (1879); (The Huguenots and
Henry of Navarre) (1886); and (The Hugue-
nots and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes)
(1895). *
Baird, Robert. An American historian and
divine; born in Fayette County, Pa. , Oct. 6,
1708; died at Yonkers, N. Y. , March 15, 1863.
Among his works were : (History of the Wal-
denses, Albigenses, and Vaudois); “History of
the Temperance Societies) (1836); Religion
in America) (1844); etc. He was correspond-
ing secretary of the American and Foreign
Christian Union (1849-55, 1861-63).
Baird, Spencer Fullerton. A distinguished
American naturalist; born at Reading, Pa. ,
Feb. 3, 1823; died at Wood's Holl, Mass. , Aug.
19, 1887. He became professor of natural sci-
ences at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. , 1845;
United States commissioner of fish and fisher-
ies, 1871; secretary of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, 1878. A very prolific writer, among his
more important works may be named : a (Cat-
alogue of North American Reptiles) (1853);
(Birds of North America) (with Cassin and
Lawrence, 1860); Mammals of North America)
(1858); History of North American Birds )
(with Brewer and Ridgeway, 1874-84) ; etc. His
writings cover nearly every branch of natural
history.
Bajza, Joseph (boy'zä). A Hungarian poet
and critic (1804-58). He devoted himself to
the field of history, and edited a Historical
Library) (1843-45) and the New Plutarch)
(1845-47). Since 1831 he was a member of the
Hungarian Academy, and since 1836 of the
Kisfaludy Society. He ranks among the best
lyric poets of Hungary. His “Poems) were
published in 1835, and his “Collected Works)
(2d ed. , in 6 vols. , by Toldy) in 1861.
Baker, George Augustus. An American
writer of verse and stories; born in New York,
N. Y. , in August 1849. He graduated from Co-
lumbia College Law School, and has written :
(Point Lace and Diamonds, light society verse
(New York, 1875); (Bad Habits of Good So-
ciety) (1876); Mrs. Hephæstus and Other
Stories) (1887); and comedies.
Baker, Mrs. Harriette Newell (Woods)
(pseudonyms “Madeline Leslie) and “Aunt
Hatty”). An American writer of juvenile
stories; born 1815; died 1893. A very vo-
luminous writer, several of her works have
been translated into French and German. She
has written : (Tim the Scissors-Grinder) (1861,
equel in 1862), her most opul work; (Up
the Ladder) (1862); (The Two Homes) (1862);
(The Organ-Grinder) (1863); “White and Black
Lies) (1864); "Worth and Wealth) (1864);
(Tim's Sister) (1864); (Wheel of Fortune)
(1865); (Courtesies of Wedded Life) (1869);
(Paul Barton) (1869); (Fashion and Folly)
(1869); "Lost but Found) (1869); (Ingleside)
(1886); (This and That) (1887); etc. She is
daughter of Rev. Leonard Woods and wife of
Rev. S. R. Baker.
Baker, Samuel White, Sir. An English
traveler and author; born June 8, 1821; died
in Newton Abbot, England, Dec. 30, 1893. At
an early age he went to Ceylon, and estab-
lished a sanitarium at Newera Ellia 6,200 feet
above sea level; in 1861 undertook to explore
the sources of the Nile, discovered and named
Lake Albert Nyanza, and reached Gondokoro
in 1865. In 1866 he was knighted.
He after-
wards traveled in India, Syria, Japan, and
America. His books include: (The Rifle and
Hound in Ceylon (1856); (Eight Years'
Wanderings in Ceylon) (1855); (The Albert
Nyanza) (1866); (The Nile Tributaries of
Abyssinia (1867); (Ismailia) (1874); (Cyprus)
(1879); (Wild Beasts and their Ways) (1890);


## p. 38 (#54) ##############################################

38
BAKER-BALFOUR
:
and "Cast up by the Sea, a popular tale of
adventure (1869). *
Baker, William Mumford. An American
descriptive and miscellaneous writer; born in
Washington, D. C. , June 27, 1825; died in South
Boston, Mass. , Aug. 20, 1883. He graduated
from Princeton in 1846, and became pastor of
churches in Texas and in South Boston, Mass.
His most important book was (Inside: A
Chronicle of Secession' (New York, 1866). He
also wrote many stories, including His Maj-
esty Myself(Boston, 1879).
Baki (bä'kē). The greatest lyric poet of
Turkey; died about 1600. His Divan) con-
tains almost exclusively odes in praise of the
Sultan.
Balaguer, Victor (bä-lä-går'). A noted
Spanish-Catalan poet, novelist, and historian;
born in Barcelona, Dec. II, 1824. As a poet
he first attracted notice by his dramas, taken
partly from antiquity, partly from Catalan his-
tory; among them are: “Sappho); Don En-
rique the Magnificent'; Juan de Padilla);
(Coriolanus. Of his lyrics the best are em-
bodied in the collection (The Troubadour of
Montserrat' (1850). He also wrote widely read
historical romances and tales, among which
(Don Juan de Serravalle) deserves especial
mention. Other works are: Historical and
Political Studies) (1876); History of Cata-
lonia) (1886-89), and Political and Literary
History of the Troubadours) (1878–80). A
complete edition of his works appears in the
"Collection of Castilian Writers. )
Balbi, Gasparo (bäl'be). A Venetian mer-
chant and writer of travels; lived in the 16th
century. He visited Aleppo, spent the years
1579-88 in India, and published Journey in the
East Indies) (1590). It contained the first Eu-
ropean description of India beyond the Ganges.
Balbo, Count Cesare (bäl’bo). An Italian
statesman, historian, and publicist; born at
Turin, Nov. 21, 1789; died there, June 3, 1853.
A moderate and liberal patriot, he became
prominent in the revolutionary disturbances of
1848, being premier of Sardinia in that year.
He wrote : Life of Dante' (1839); Hopes of
Italy) (1843), advocating Italian independence;
(History of Italy) (1849), which takes high
rank.
Balboa or Balvoa, Miguel Cabello de (bäl-
bo'ä). A Spanish historian ; born in Archi-
dona, about 1525; died, probably in Peru, after
1586. At first a soldier, he became afterward
a priest and went to America (about 1566), re-
siding at Bogota, later in Lima and Cuzco.
He left in manuscript a history, which was
published 1840, when it appeared in a French
translation entitled (History of Peru. It treats
of the origin of the Incas.
Balbuena, Don Bernardo de (bäl-bwā'nä).
A Spanish poet; born at Val de Peñas in 1568 ;
died in Porto Rico in 1627. At an early age
he went to Mexico, where he completed his
theological studies and acquired reputation as
a poet. Of his works only the following are
extant: (The Greatness of Mexico! (1604), a
poetic description of that city; (The Age of
Gold in the Forests of Eryphile (1608), a pas.
toral romance in prose, interspersed with lyrics ;
(Bernardo, or the Victory of Roncesvalles )
(1624), an epic treating of the national hero
Bernardo del Carpio.
Baldovini, Francesco (bäl-do-ve'nē). An
Italian poet; born at Florence, Feb. 27, 1635;
died Nov. 18, 1716. He wrote Lament of
Cecco of Varlungo, etc. (1694), etc.
Balducci, Francesco (bäl-dö'che). A lead-
ing Italian Anacreontic poet; born at Palermo;
died at Rome, 1642. He wrote “Sicilian Songs)
in the Sicilian dialect, etc.
Baldwin, John Denison. An American jour-
nalist, politician, poet, and writer on archæ-
ology ; born at North Stonington, Conn. , Sept.
28, 1809; died at Worcester, Mass. , July 8, 1883.
After studying law and theology, he entered
journalism, was long editor and proprietor of
the Worcester Spy, and became member of
Congress (1863-69). He wrote: (Raymond Hill
and Other Poems) (1847); Prehistoric Nations)
(1869); Ancient America) (1872).
Bale, John. An English theologian and
dramatist; born at Cove, Suffolk, Nov. 21, 1495;
died at Canterbury, probably 1563. Originally
a Catholic, he became Protestant bishop of
Ossory, Ireland (1552). Besides numerous con-
troversial works, he wrote in Latin a (Cata-
logue of the Illustrious Writers of Great
Britain (1548-59), the first history of English
literature, and a number of interludes and mo-
ralities (i. e. , religious plays) in the interest of
Protestantism, the most important of these
being the historical drama (King John. On
account of his bad temper he was known as
“ Bilious Bale. Select works, Cambridge, 1849.
Balestier, Charles Wolcott (bal-es-tēr'). An
American journalist and novelist; born in
Rochester, N. Y. , Dec. 13, 1861; died in Dres-
den, Germany, Dec. 6, 1891. He engaged in
publishing and in journalism, and
writer of much promise. His novels include:
(A Fair Device (New York, 1884); (and
posthumously) (An Average Woman' (1892);
(Benefits Forgot) (1894); and (Naulahka: a
Story of East and West,' in collaboration with
Rudyard Kipling (1892).
Balfour, Alexander (bal'för). A Scotch poet
and novelist; born at Monikie, Forfarshire,
March 1, 1767; died Sept. 12, 1829. He wrote:
(Campbell, or the Scottish Probationer (1819);
"Contemplation and Other Poems) (1820);
(Farmer's Three Daughters) (1822); (The
Foundling of Glenthorn, or the Smuggler's Cave)
(1823); "Highland Mary) (1827).
Balfour, Arthur James. An English author
and statesman; born July 25, 1848. He was
educated at Eton, and at Trinity College, Cam-
bridge, from which he graduated in 1873. He
has been lord rector of Glasgow University,
was
a
(


## p. 39 (#55) ##############################################

BALL- BANCROFT
39
and is Chancellor of the University of Edin-
burgh. He is a leader of the Conservative
party, was Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887,
and First Lord of the Treasury, 1891-92, and
again in 1895. He is the author of (A Defence
of Philosophic Doubt! (1879) ; ( Essays and Ad-
dresses (1893). His Foundations of Belief)
(1895) attracted wide-spread attention and in-
terest both in Europe and America. *
Ball, Robert Stawell, Sir. A British astron-
omer; born in Dublin, July 1, 1840. He was
educated at Trinity College, Dublin; Royal
astronomer of Ireland in 1874, and since 1892
has been Lowndean professor of astronomy at
Cambridge, England. He was knighted in 1886.
He is author of scientific works and popular
books on astronomy, including : (Story of the
Heavens) (1885); (Time and Tide: a Romance
of the Moon (1888); (Starland) (1889); and
(In Starry Realms) (1892).
Ballantine, James. A Scotch poet; born in
Edinburgh, June 11, 1808; died Dec. 18, 1877.
In addition to achieving distinction as an art-
ist, he wrote various noted poems, including
(The Gaberlunzie's Wallet) (1843); (One Hun.
dred Songs) (1865); and two or three collec-
tions of verse.
Ballantyne, Robert Michael. A Scotch
writer of juvenile literature; born in Edinburgh,
1825; died in Rome, Italy, Feb. 8, 1894. He
spent his youth in Canada in the service of the
Hudson Bay Company. In 1856 he adopted
literature as a profession. He has been very
popular in England as a writer of stories for
boys. Among the best known are: Deep
Down); “Coral Island); (The World of Ice);
(Ungava'; (The Dog Crusoe); and others.
Ballestrem, Countess Eufemia von (bäl'les-
trām). A German novelist and poet; born at
Ratibor, Aug. 18, 1859. Married to Major von
Adlersfeld in 1884, she has lived at Karlsruhe
since 1889. Of her novels may be mentioned :
(Lady Melusine) (1878); (The Falconers of
Falcon Court) (1890). A collection of lyrics,
Drops in the Ocean) (1878), and a romantic
poem, Raoul the Page) (1881), bear witness to
her poetic talent.
Ballou, Hosea (ba-lö'). An American Uni-
versalist divine, journalist, and historian; born
at Halifax, Vt. , Oct. 18, 1796; died at Somer-
ville, Mass. , May 27, 1861. He was the first
president of Tufts College (1854-61), and was
very successful as editor of the Universalist
Magazine. He wrote: (Ancient History of
Universalism (1829) and a hymn-book (1837).
Ballou, Maturin Murray. An American
journalist and miscellaneous writer, son of
Hosea Ballou ; born at Boston, April 14, 1820;
died 1895. Besides editing Ballou's Pictorial,
The Flag of Our Union, Ballou's Monthly, etc. ,
and making a valuable compilation of quota-
tions, he wrote: History of Cuba) (1854);
Biography of Hosea Ballou); "Life Work of
Hosea Ballou. ' Becoming in later life an ex-
tensive traveler, he wrote a number of books
of travel, including : Due West); (Due South
(1885); (Due North); Under the Southern
Cross); (Footprints of Travel); etc. In 1872
he became one of the founders and the editor.
in-chief of the Boston Globe.
Balucki, Michael (bä-löts'ke). A Polish
dramatist and novelist; born in Cracow, Sept.
29, 1837. He wrote at first under the pseu-
donym Elpidon, and is most popular as a
story-teller of satirical tendency, ridiculing the
shortcomings and prejudices of Polish society.
Of his novels may be mentioned : (The Awak-
ened' (1864); (The Old and the Young'
(1866); Life among Ruins) (1870); (The
Jewess) (1871); (For Sins not Committed
(1879); (250,000) (1883). The best among his
comedies are: “The Chase after a Man (1869) ;
(The Emancipated' (1873); (Amateur Theatre)
(1879); (The Open House) (1883). He also
wrote good lyric poetry, and essays on Polish
literature.
Balzac, Honoré de (bäl-zäk'). The greatest
of French novelists; born in Tours, May 16, 1799 ;
died in Paris, Aug. 18, 1850. He gave to his
works the general title (The Human Comedy,
in which are embraced the sub-series : (Scenes
of Private Life,' 27 stories and sketches (among
them: (The Woman of Thirty Years. (The
Grenadier Woman”); “Scenes of Paris Life
(among them : (Père Goriot, César Birotteau,'
(Cousin Betty'); (Scenes of Political Life);
(Scenes of Military Life); and so on. Accord-
ing to Larousse's Dictionary, Balzac's novels
amount in all to 97 titles; but this does not
include all miscellaneous studies and short sto-
ries contributed to periodicals. *
Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de. A noted
French essayist and letter-writer; born at An-
goulême in 1597 ; died on his estate (Balzac)
near there, Feb. 18, 1654. His influence upon
French prose is usually compared to that of
Malherbes upon poetry; the euphony and sym-
metry of his phraseology, the elegance of his
metaphors, served for a long time as models.
Under Richelieu he became royal councilor, and
historiographer of France, and was one of the
most influential members of the Academy from
its foundation, likewise a sort of oracle of the
Hôtel Rambouillet. Besides his ( Letters ) (1624),
which are elaborate epistles with a definite at-
tempt at style, he wrote: (The Prince) (1631),
a glorification of absolute monarchy; (The
Dotard(1648); (The Christian Socrates)
(1652); and Aristippus) (1658), the latter in-
tended to portray the ideal statesman.
Ban, Mathias (băn). A Servian dramatist;
born in Ragusa, Dec. 18, 1818. He has been a
tutor, journalist, and critic; but his best work
was done for the theatre, (Dobrila and Mi-
lenko) being a masterpiece in tragedy, as is
in a less degree (The Muscovite. His poems,
notably (Odes to the Sultan,' are virile and
correct.
Bancroft, George. An eminent American
historian and statesman; born in Worcester,
Mass. , Oct. 3, 1800; died in Washington, D. C. ,


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BANCROFT - BANVILLE
2
1
*
Jan. 17, 1891. After graduation from Harvard
in 1817, he studied at Göttingen and Heidel-
berg. He taught Greek at Harvard; founded
the Round Hill School at Northampton, Mass. ;
was collector of the port of Boston in 1838;
and in 1845 was appointed Secretary of the
Navy in Polk's Cabinet. His principal literary
work is the History of the United States, the
first volume of which appeared in 1834. The
last revised edition is in 6 volumes (New York,
1884-85). His minor publications include:
(Poems) (Cambridge, 1823); a translation of
Heeren's (Politics of Ancient Greece) (Boston,
1824); Literary and Historical Miscellanies)
(New York, 1855); and (Abraham Lincoln, an
address (Washington, 1866). *
Bancroft, Hubert Howe. An American his-
torian; born in Granville, Ohio, May 5, 1832. In
1852 he went to California to establish a book
business, and began to collect documents, maps,
books, and MSS. for a complete History of
the Pacific States) from Mexico to Alaska. In
1893 this library numbered 60,000 volumes, to
which many additions have been made. His
histories are still in preparation. Literary In-
dustries' (vol. 40, San Francisco, 1890) describes
his work.
Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse (ban-
de-lēr'). A Swiss-American archæologist; born
at Bern, Switzerland, Aug. 6, 1840. In the em-
ploy of the Archæological Institute of Amer-
ica, he has been engaged in explorations in
New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico, and Central and
South America. He has written : (The Art of
War and Mode of Warfare (1877); (Archæo-
logical Tour in Mexico) (1885); etc. ; and (The
Delight Makers,' a novel of Pueblo Indian life.
Bandello, Matteo (bän-dello). "An Italian
novelist; born at Castelnuovo, Piedmont, about
1480; died after 1561. In Rome he became a
Dominican friar, then entered a monastery in
Milan, but led on the whole a roving life,
sojourning in various cities and at several of
the petty courts of Italy until 1525, when he
went to France. Made bishop of Agen by
Henry II. in 1550, he resigned that dignity in
1555. His tales, 214 in number, present vivid
delineations of the loose manners of those
times, and have frequently served as a source
to many succeeding story-writers and dram-
atists, among them Shakespeare. Several were
translated by T. Roscoe in his Italian Novel-
ists) (vol. iii. , London, 1825).
Bangs, John Kendrick. An American hu-
morist and novelist; born in 1862.
one of the founders of Life, and he has long
been famed for his light verse and humorous
stories, among which may be mentioned : (New
Waggings of Old Tales with F. D. Sherman)
(Boston, 1887); Coffee and Repartee) (New
York, 1886); (Mr. Bonaparte of Corsica) (1895);
(Water Ghost and Other Stories) (1896); (The
Mantel-Piece Minstrels) (1896); "The Bicyclers
and Other Farces) (1896); (A Houseboat on
the Styx) (1896), (A Rebellious Heroine) (1896),
and “The Pursuit of the Houseboat! (1897).
Banim, John. An Irish novelist, dramatist,
and poet; born in Kilkenny, April 3, 1798; died
there, Aug. 13, 1842. Removed to Dublin in
1820 to devote himself to literature. His best
work is contained in the (O'Hara Tales) (2
series, London, 1825-27). His chief novels are
(The Nowlans, Boyne Water,' and (The
Croppy.