A Brief Handbook of English Authors. Oscar Fay Adams
Harris. 1788–1845. Humorous poet. Author of the Ingoldsby Legends, a witty volume of facile rhymes. Pub. Por. Wid.
Baring-Gould, Sabine. 1834——. Author Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, Lives of the Saints, etc. See Lit. World, Jan. 13, 1883. Pub. Apl. Lip. Rob.
Barnard, Lady Anne. 1750–1825. Scotch poet. Author of Auld Robin Gray.
Barnfield, Richard. 1574-c. 1605. Poet. His ode "As it fell upon a day" was once ascribed to Shakespeare. See Warton's Eng. Poetry.
Barrow, Isaac. 1630–1677. Theologian and mathematician. Author of Sermons and Mathematical works of almost equal renown. See Selections from, pub. 1866. Pub. Mac.
Barton, Bernard. 1784–1849. A Friend of Lamb's. "The Quaker Poet." Author of Poetic Vigils, Devotional Verses, etc., the literary merit of which is but slight.
Baxter, Richard. 1615–1691. Theologian. A voluminous writer, but now best known by his Saints' Rest, and Call to the Unconverted. See edition of 1850 in 23 vols. with Life. Pub. Clx.
Bayley, Thos. Haynes. 1797–1839. Song writer. Author of I'd be a Butterfly, She wore a Wreath of Roses, We met, 't was in a Crowd, etc.
Bayne, Peter. 1830——. Essayist and biographer. Author of Christian Life, Essays in Biographical Criticism, Life of Hugh Miller, etc. Pub. Har. Rou.
Beale, Lionel Smith. 1828——. Scientific writer of note. Author of How to Work with the Microscope, Protoplasm, The Mystery of Life, etc.
Beattie [bee´tĭ1; or bā´tĭ], James. 1735–1803. Scotch poet. Author of The Minstrel, a long, prosy poem in Spenserian stanza, and a prose Essay on Truth. See Ward's Eng. Poets, vol. 3. Pub. Hou.
Beaumont, Francis. 1586–1615. Dramatist. Colleague of John Fletcher. Their collected plays amount to 52, of which 14 were in part the work of B., but his separate authorship is not easy to trace. B. and F. in their day were more popular than Shakespeare, but none of their plays now keep the stage. Their blank verse is melodious and their wit and humor sparkling, but their plays reflect the full coarseness of the time. Among plays written by them jointly are Philaster, Thierry and Theodoret, A King and No King, and the comedy of The Knight of the Burning Pestle. See Fletcher, John. See Schlegel's Dramatic Lit., Hazlitt's Dramatic Lit. and Hallam's Lit. of Europe. Pub. Apl.
Beaumont, Sir John. 1582–1628. Bro. to F. B. Author Bosworth Field, a poem in heroic verse.
Beckford, Wm. 1760–1844. Author of Vathek, an Oriental romance. Style luxuriant. See Chambers' Cyc. Eng. Lit.
Beddoes, Thos. Lovell. 1803–1849. Poet. Author The Bride's Tragedy, Death's Jest-Book, etc. See Ward's Eng. Poets, vol. 4.
Bede, Cuthbert. See Bradley, Edward.
Bede, Beda, or Bæda, The Venerable. 673–735. "First among Eng. scholars, first among Eng. theologians, first among Eng. historians." His whole life was passed in the monastery of Yarrow, where he composed more than 40 Latin works, the greatest of which is the Eccl. Hist. of the Eng. Nation. On the day of his death was finished his translation of St. John's Gospel into Eng., being the earliest example of Eng. prose. See edition of Bede by Dr. Giles, 6 vols. 1843–4. See Green's Short Hist. of the Eng. People, also Green's Making of England. Pub. Dut.
Behn [bĕn], Mrs. Aphra. 1642–1689. Novelist and dramatist. Known in her day as Astræa. Author of The Forced Marriage, Oronooko, etc. A lively, immoral writer. See edition of 1871. See Miss Kavanagh's Eng. Women of Letters, and Ward's Eng. Poets, vol. 2.
Bellenden, Wm. fl. c. 1615. Scotch classical writer. Author De Statu.
Bentham, Jeremy. 1748–1832. Philosopher and political economist. Founder of the Utilitarian school of thought, and a valued authority upon jurisprudence. Many reforms in Eng. jurisprudence are traceable to his influence. See edition of 1843 in 11 vols. See Edinburgh Rev. Oct. 1843.
Bentley, Richard. 1662–1742. Classical writer. Author Dissertations on the Epistles of Phalaris, works provoked by his famous controversy with Boyle, and which rank as masterpieces of argument. They display great learning, a rapid, concise style, and a sarcastic wit. See Bentley, by R. C. Jebb, in Eng. Men of Letters.
Berkeley, George. 1684–1753. Bp. Cloyne. Irish metaphysician. An eccentric but pure-minded thinker, in whose Principles of Human Knowledge is denied the existence of matter. Other works of B. are Alciphron or the Minute Philosopher, Theory of Vision, Siris, etc. Also the poem in which occurs the famous line, "Westward the course of empire takes its way." See edition of Berkeley, by Fraser, 4 vols. Oxford, 1871.
Berners, Lord. 1469–1532. Translator of Froissart's Chronicle. The translation is faithful and is a masterpiece of picturesque and spirited English.
Berners, Juliana. c. 1388-c. 1461. Author of the Bokys of Hunting and Hawking. See Warton's Hist. Eng. Poetry.
Besant, Walter. 1838——. Novelist. Colleague of James Rice, and with him author of The Seamy Side, Ready Money Mortiboy, the Chaplain of the Fleet, Shepherds All and Maidens Fair, etc. Sole author of The Revolt of Man, Life of E. H. Palmer, etc. See Rice, James. Pub. Har. Rob. Dut.
Beveridge, Wm. 1638–1708. Bp. St. Asaph. Theologian. Thesaurus Theologicus, Expositions of the Catechism and 39 Articles, and Private Thoughts are some of his chief works.
Bickerstaff, Isaac. 1735-c. 1788. Dramatist. Author of Maid of the Mill, Love in a Village, etc. See Hazlitt's Essays on the Comic Writers.
Bickersteth, Edward. 1786–1850. Religious writer. Author of The Scripture Help, etc. See edition of his Works in 17 vols. 1853. See Memoir of, by T. R. Birks, 1851.
Bickersteth, Edward Henry. 1825——. Son to E. B. Religious Poet. Author of Yesterday, To-Day and Forever, The Two Brothers, etc. Pub. Ca. Dut.
Bickersteth, Rob't. 1816——. Bp. Ripon. Religious writer. Author of Lent Lectures, Bible Landmarks, etc.
Birch, Thomas. 1705–1766. Historian and biographer. Author of a General Dictionary, Historical and Critical.
Black, Wm. 1841——. Novelist. A prolific writer, the best of whose works are A Daughter of Heth, Princess of Thule, Strange Adventures of a Phaeton, and Macleod of Dare. They evince rare powers of description and much constructive skill. See Harper's Mag. Dec. 1882. Pub. Har.
Blackie, John Stuart. 1809——. Scotch poet and scholar. For 30 years Greek Professor at Edinburgh Univ. His numerous works include Greek, Latin, and German translations, several vols. of poems, and a famous work on Self-Culture which has been translated into every European language. Pub. Scr.
Blackmore, Sir Richard. 1650–1729. Poet. Author of the epics The Creation, and Prince Arthur.
Blackmore, Richard Doddridge. 1825——. Novelist. Author Lorna Doone, Maid of Sker, Alice Lorraine, Erema, Mary Anerly, Christowell, etc. A vigorous and original writer. Lorna Doone is his finest work. Pub. Har. Lip.
Blackstone, Sir Wm. 1723–1780. Jurist. Author of Commentaries on the Laws of England, an authoritative work. See Campbell's Lives of the Chief Justices. Pub. Har. Lip.
Blair, Hugh. 1718–1800. Author of the once famous Lectures on Rhetoric. Pub. Por.
Blair, Robert. 1699–1747. Poet. Author of The Grave,