Character Sketches of Romance Volume I Part 46

BLOUZELIN'DA or BLOWZELINDA, a shepherdess in love with Lobbin Clout, in _The Shepherd's Week_.

My Blouzelinda is the blithest la.s.s, Than primrose sweeter, or the clover-gra.s.s.

My Blouzelind's than gilliflower more fair, Than daisie, marygold, or kingcup rare.

Gay, _Pastoral_, i. (1714).

Sweet is my toil when Blowzelind is near, Of her bereft 'tis winter all the year ...

Come, Blowzelinda, ease thy swain's desire, My summer's shadow, and my winter's fire.

Ditto.

BLOWER (_Mrs. Margaret_), the s.h.i.+powner's widow at the Spa. She marries Dr. Quackleben, "the man of medicine" (one of the managing committee at the Spa).--Sir W. Scott, _St. Ronan's Well_ (time, George III.).

BLUCHER was nicknamed "Marshal Forward" for his dash and readiness in the campaign of 1813.

BLUE BEARD (_La Barbe Bleue_), from the _contes_ of Charles Perrault (1697). The chevalier Raoul is a merciless tyrant, with a blue beard.

His young wife is entrusted with all the keys of the castle, with strict injunctions on pain of death not to open one special room.

During the absence of her lord the "forbidden fruit" is too tempting to be resisted, the door is opened, and the young wife finds the floor covered with the dead bodies of her husband's former wives. She drops the key in her terror, and can by no means obliterate from it the stain of blood. Blue Beard, on his return, commands her to prepare for death, but by the timely arrival of her brothers her life is saved and Blue Beard put to death.

Dr. C. Taylor thinks Blue Beard is a type of the castle-lords in the days of knight-errantry. Some say Henry VIII. (the noted wife-killer) was the "academy figure." Others think it was Giles de Retz, marquis de Laval, marshal of France in 1429, who (according to Mezeray) murdered six of his seven wives, and was ultimately strangled in 1440.

Another solution is that Blue Beard was count Conomar', and the young wife Triphy'na, daughter of count Guerech. Count Conomar was lieutenant of Brittany in the reign of Childebert. M. Hippolyte Violeau a.s.sures us that in 1850, during the repairs of the chapel of St. Nicolas de Bieuzy, some ancient frescoes were discovered with scenes from the life of St. Triphyna: (1) The marriage; (2) the husband taking leave of his young wife and entrusting to her a key; (3) a room with an open door, through which are seen the corpses of seven women hanging; (4) the husband threatening his wife, while another female [_sister Anne_] is looking out of a window above; (5) the husband has placed a halter round the neck of his victim, but the friends, accompanied by St. Gildas, abbot of Rhuys in Brittany, arrive just in time to rescue the future saint.--_Pelerinages de Bretagne_.

BLUE KNIGHT (_The_), sir Persaunt of India, called by Tennyson "Morning Star" _or_ "Phosphorus." He was one of the four brothers who kept the pa.s.sages of Castle Perilous, and was overthrown by sir Gareth.--Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 131 (1470); Tennyson, _Idylls_ ("Gareth and Lynette").

[Ill.u.s.tration] It is evidently a blunder in Tennyson to call the _Blue_ Knight "Morning Star," and the _Green_ Knight "Evening Star."

The reverse is correct, and in the old romance the combat with the Green Knight was at day-break, and with the Blue Knight at sunset.

BLUE-SKIN, Joseph Blake, an English burglar, so called from his complexion. He was executed in 1723.

BLUFF (_Bachelor_), celibate philosopher upon social, domestic, and cognate themes.

"Give me," he says emphatically, "in our household, color and cheeriness--not cold art, nor cold pretensions of any kind, but warmth, brightness, animation. Bring in pleasing colors, choice pictures, _bric-a-brac_, and what-not. But let in, also, the sun; light the fires; and have everything for daily use."--Oliver Bell Bunce, _Bachelor Bluff_ (1882).

_Bluff (Captain Noll)_, a swaggering bully and boaster. He says, "I think that fighting for fighting's sake is sufficient cause for fighting. Fighting, to me, is religion and the laws."

"You must know, sir, I was resident in Flanders the last campaign ... there was scarce anything of moment done, but a humble servant of yours ... had the greatest share in't....

Well, would you think it, in all this time ...

that rascally _Gazette_ never so much as once mentioned me? Not once, by the wars! Took no more notice of Noll Bluff than if he had not been in the land of the living."--Congreve, _The Old Bachelor_ (1693).

BLUFF HAL or BLUFF HARRY, Henry VIII.

Ere yet in scorn of Peter's pence, And numbered bead and shrift, Bluff Harry broke into the spence, And turned the cowls adrift.

Tennyson, _The Talking Oak_.

BLUN'DERBORE (3 _syl._), the giant who was drowned because Jack scuttled his boat.--_Jack the Giant-killer_.

BLUNT (_Colonel_), a brusque royalist, who vows "he'd woo no woman,"

but falls in love with Arbella, an heiress, woos and wins her. T.

Knight, who has converted this comedy into a farce, with the t.i.tle of _Honest Thieves_, calls colonel Blunt "captain Manly."--Hon. sir R.

Howard, _The Committee_ (1670).

_Blunt_ (_Major-General_), an old cavalry officer, rough in speech, but brave, honest, and a true patriot.--Shadwell, _The Volunteers_.

BLUs.h.i.+NGTON (_Edward_), a bashful young gentleman of twenty-five, sent as a poor scholar to Cambridge, without any expectations, but by the death of his father and uncle, left all at once as "rich as a nabob."

At college he was called "the sensitive plant of Brazenose," because he was always blus.h.i.+ng. He dines by invitation at Friendly Hall, and commits ceaseless blunders. Next day his college chum, Frank Friendly, writes word that he and his sister Dinah, with sir Thomas and lady Friendly, will dine with him. After a few gla.s.ses of wine, he loses his bashful modesty, makes a long speech, and becomes the accepted suitor of the pretty Miss Dinah Friendly.--W.T. Moncrieff, _The Bashful Man_.

BO or _Boh_, says Warton, was a fierce Gothic chief, whose name was used to frighten children.

BOADICEA, queen of a tribe of ancient Britons. Her husband having been killed by the Romans, she took the field in person. She was defeated and committed suicide.

BOANER'GES (_4 syl._), a declamatory pet parson, who anathematizes all except his own "elect." "He preaches real rousing-up discourses, but sits down pleasantly to his tea, and makes hisself friendly."--Mrs.

Oliphant, _Salem Chapel_.

A protestant Boanerges, visiting Birmingham, sent an invitation to Dr. Newman to dispute publicly with him in the Town Hall.--E. Yates, _Celebrities_, xxii.

[Ill.u.s.tration] Boanerges or "sons of thunder" is the name given by Jesus Christ to James and John, because they wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans.--Mark iii. 17.

BOAR (_The_), Richard III., so called from his cognizance.

The bristled boar, In infant gore, Wallows beneath the th.o.r.n.y shade.

Gray, _The Bard_ (1757).

In contempt Richard III. is called _The Hog_, hence the popular distich:

The Cat, the Rat, and Lovell the dog, Rule all England, under the Hog.

("The Cat" is Catesby, and "the Rat" Ratcliffe).

_Boar (The Blue)_. This public-house sign (Westminster) is the badge of the Veres earls of Oxford.

_The Blue Boar Lane_ (St. Nicholas, Leicester) is so named from the cognizance of Richard III., because he slept there the night before the battle of Bosworth Field.

BOAR OF ARDENNES (_The Wild_), in French _Le Sanglier des Ardennes_ (_2 syl._), was Guillaume comte de la Marck, so called because he was as fierce as the wild boar he delighted to hunt. The character is introduced by sir W. Scott in _Quentin_ _Durward_, under the name of "William count of la Marck."

BOB'ADIL, an ignorant, shallow bully, thoroughly cowardly, but thought by his dupes to be an amazing hero. He lodged with Cob (the water-carrier) and his wife Tib. Master Stephen was greatly struck with his "dainty oaths," such as "By the foot of Pharaoh!" "Body of Caesar!" "As I am a gentleman and a soldier!" His device to save the expense of a standing army is inimitable for its conceit and absurdity:

"I would select 19 more to myself throughout the land; gentlemen they should be, of a good spirit and able const.i.tution. I would choose them by an instinct,... and I would teach them the special rules ... till they could play _[fence]_ very near as well as myself. This done, say the enemy were 40,000 strong, we 20 would ... challenge 20 of the enemy; ... kill them; challenge 20 more, kill them; 20 more, kill them too; ... every man his 10 a day, that's 10 score ... 200 a day; five days, a thousand; 40,000, 40 times 5,200 days; kill them all."--Ben Jonson, _Every Man in his Humour_, iv. 7 (1598).

Since his [_Henry Woodward, 1717-1777_] time the part of "Bobadil" has never been justly performed. It may be said to have died with him.

--Dr. Doran.

The name was probably suggested by Bobadilla first governor of Cuba, who superseded Columbus sent home in chains on a most frivolous charge. Similar characters are "Metamore" and "Scaramouch" (Moliere); "Parolles" and "Pistol" (Shakespeare); "Bessus" (Beaumont and Fletcher). (See also BASILISCO, BOROUGHCLIFF, CAPTAIN BRAZEN, CAPTAIN NOLL BLUFF, SIR PETRONEL FLASH, SACRIPANT, VINCENT DE LA ROSE, etc.)

BOBOLINKON. Christopher Pea.r.s.e Cranch calls the bobolink:

Still merriest of the merry birds, and Pied harlequins of June.

O, could I share without champagne Or muscadel, your frolic; The glad delirium of your joy, Your fun unapostolic; Your drunken jargon through the fields, Your bobolinkish gabble, Your fine Anacreontic glee, Your tipsy reveller's babble!