BODENHAM, JOHN (_fl._ 1600).--Anthologist, is stated to have been the ed. of some of the Elizabethan anthologies, viz., _Politeuphuia_ (_Wits' Commonwealth_) (1597), _Wits' Theater_ (1598), _Belvidere, or the Garden of the Muses_ (1600), and _England's Helicon_ (1600). Mr. Bullen says that B. did not himself ed. any of the Elizabethan miscellanies attributed to him by bibliographers: but that he projected their publication, and he befriended the editors. BOECE, or BOETHIUS, HECTOR (1465?-1536).--Historian, probably _b._ at Dundee, and _ed._ there and at Paris, where he was a regent or professor, 1492 to 1498. While there he made the acquaintance of Erasmus. Returning to Scotland he co-operated with Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, in founding the univ. there of which he was the first Principal. His literary fame rests on two works, his _Lives of the Bishops of Mortlach and Aberdeen_, in which his friend Elphinstone figures prominently, and his _History of Scotland_ to the accession of James III. These works were, of course, composed in Latin, but the _History_ was translated into Scottish prose by John Bellenden, 1530 to 1533, and into English for Hollinshed's _Chronicle_. The only predecessor of the work was the compendium of Major, and as it was written in a flowing and pleasing style it became very popular, and led to ecclesiastical preferment and Royal favour. B. shared in the credulity of his age, but the charge of inventing his authorities formerly brought against him has been shown to be, to some extent at any rate, unfounded. BOKER, GEORGE HENRY (1823-90).--Poet, was in the American Diplomatic Service. Among his dramas, generally tragedies, are _Anne Boleyn_, _The Betrothed_, and _Francesca da Rimini_, and among his books of poetry, _Street Lyrics_, _Königsmark_, and _The Book of the Dead_. His dramas combine poetic merit with adaptability for acting.