Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
The original "lord Burleigh" was Irish Moody (1728-1813).--_Cornhill
Magazine_ (1867).
BURLESQUE POETRY (_Father of_), Hippo'nax of Ephesus (sixth century
B.C.).
BURLONG, a giant whose legs sir Try'amour cut off.--_Romance of Sir
Tryamour_.
BURNBILL, Henry de Londres, archbishop of Dublin and lord justice of
Ireland, in the reign of Henry III. It is said that he fraudulently
_burnt_ all the "bills" or instruments by which the tenants of the
archbishopric held their estates.
BURNS OF FRANCE (_The_), Jasmin, a barber of Gascony. Louis Philippe
presented to him a gold watch and chain, and the duke of Orléans an
emerald ring.
BUR'RIS, an honest lord, favorite of the great-duke of
Muscovia.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Loyal Subject_ (1618).
BURROUGHS (_George_), a Salem citizen whose trial for witchcraft
is recorded by Rev. Cotton Mather. The counts are many, and in the
opinion of the court are proven, George Burroughs being condemned to
die. In the story of his crimes set down by Dr. Mather, the climax
would seem to be a paper handed by the accused to the jury, "wherein
he goes to evince 'That there neither are, nor ever were, witches
that, having made a compact with the devil, can send a devil to
torment other people at a distance.'"
"When he came to die, he utterly denied the fact whereof he had been
convicted."--Cotton Mather, _The Wonders of the Invisible World_
(1693).
BU'SIRANE (3 _syl_.), an enchanter who bound Am'oret by the waist to a
brazen pillar, and, piercing her with a dart, wrote magic characters
with the dropping blood, "all for to make her love him." When
Brit'omart approached, the enchanter started up, and, running to
Amoret, was about to plunge a knife into her heart; but Britomart
intercepted the blow, overpowered the enchanter, compelled him
to "reverse his charms," and then bound him fast with his own
chain.--Spenser, _Faëry Queen_, iii. 11, 12 (1590).
BUSI'RIS, king of Egypt, was told by a foreigner that the long drought
of nine years would cease when the gods of the country were mollified
by human sacrifice. "So be it," said the king, and ordered the man
himself to be offered as the victim.--_Herod_, ii. 59-61.
'Tis said that Egypt for nine years was dry;
Nor Nile did floods nor heaven did rain supply.
A foreigner at length informed the king
That slaughtered guests would kindly moisture bring.
The king replied, "On thee the lot shall fall;
Be thou, my guest, the sacrifice for all."
Ovid, _Art of Love_, i.
_Busi'ris_, supposed by Milton to be the Pharaoh drowned in the Red
Sea.
Hath vexed the Red Sea coast, whose waves o'erthrew
Busiris and his Memphian chivalry.
Milton, _Paradise Lost_, i. 306 (1665).
BUS'NE (2 _syl._). So the gipsies call all who do not belong to their
race.
The gold of the Busnê; give me her gold. Longfellow, _The Spanish
Student_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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