A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 7

BRYANT, JACOB (1715-1804).--Scholar, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., wrote learnedly, but paradoxically, on mythological and Homeric subjects. His chief works were _A New System or a.n.a.lysis of Ancient Mythology_ (1774-76), _Observations on the Plain of Troy_ (1795), and _Dissertation concerning the Wars of Troy_ (1796). In the last two he endeavoured to show that the existence of Troy and the Greek expedition were fabulous.

Though so sceptical on these points he was an implicit believer in the authenticity of the Rowley authors.h.i.+p of Chatterton's fabrications. He also wrote on theological subjects.

BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN (1794-1878).--Poet, was _b._ at c.u.mmington, Ma.s.sachusetts, the _s._ of a doctor. His ancestors on both sides came over in the _Mayflower_. His first poem was _Thanatopsis_ (1817), which was greeted as the best poem produced in America up to that time. After being a lawyer for some time he was induced to exchange law for journalism, and acted as ed. of various periodicals. Among his best known poems are _Lines to a Water-fowl_, _The Rivulet_, _The West Wind_, _The Forest Hymn_, _The Fringed Gentian_, etc. His muse is tender and graceful, pervaded by a contemplative melancholy, and a love of solitude and the silence of the woods. Though he was brought up to admire Pope, and in his early youth imitated him, he was one of the first American poets to throw off his influence. He had a high sense of duty, was a prominent and patriotic citizen, and enjoyed the esteem and even the reverence of his fellow-countrymen. B. also produced a blank-verse translation of the _Iliad_ and the _Odyssey_.

BRYDGES, SIR SAMUEL EGERTON (1762-1837).--Bibliographer and genealogist, _ed._ at Camb., was called to the Bar in 1787. He wrote some novels and poems, now forgotten, but rendered valuable service by his bibliographical publications, _Censura Literaria, t.i.tles and Opinions of Old English Books_ (10 vols. 1805-9), his editions of E. Phillips's _Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanorum_ (1800) Collin's _Peerage of England_ (1812), and of many rare Elizabethan authors. He was made a baronet in 1814. He _d._ at Geneva.

BUCHANAN, GEORGE (1506-1582).--Historian and scholar _b._ at Killearn, Stirlings.h.i.+re, of poor parents, was sent in 1519, with the help of an uncle, to the Univ. of Paris, where he first came in contact with the two great influences of the age, the Renaissance and the Reformation. His uncle having died, he had to leave Paris, and after seeing some military service, returned to Scotland, and in 1524 went to St. Andrews, where he studied under John Major (_q.v._). Two years later he found means to return to Paris, where he graduated at the Scots Coll. in 1528, and taught grammar in the Coll. of St. Barbe. Returning to Scotland in 1536 with a great reputation for learning he was made by James V. tutor to one of his illegitimate sons, and incited by him to satirise the vices of the clergy, which he did in two Latin poems, _Somnium_ and _Francisca.n.u.s_.

This stirred the wrath of the ecclesiastical powers to such a heat that, the King withholding his protection, he was obliged in 1539 to save himself by flight first to England and then to France, where he remained until 1547 teaching Latin at Bordeaux and Paris. In the latter year he was invited to become a prof. at Coimbra, where he was imprisoned by the Inquisition as a heretic from 1549-51, and wrote the greater part of his magnificent translation of the Psalms into Latin verse, which has never been excelled by any modern. He returned to England in 1552, but soon re-crossed to France and taught in the Coll. of Boncourt. In 1561 he came back to his native country, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Hitherto, though a supporter of the new learning and a merciless exposer of the vices of the clergy, he had remained in the ancient faith, but he now openly joined the ranks of the Reformers. He held the Princ.i.p.als.h.i.+p of St. Leonard's Coll., St. Andrews, was a supporter of the party of the Regent Moray, produced in 1571 his famous _Detectio Mariae Reginae_, a scathing exposure of the Queen's relations to Darnley and the circ.u.mstances leading up to his death, was tutor, 1570-78, to James VI., whom he brought up with great strictness, and to whom he imparted the learning of which the King was afterwards so vain. His chief remaining works were _De Jure Regni apud Scotos_ (1579), against absolutism, and his _History of Scotland_, which was _pub._ immediately before his death.

Though he had borne so great a part in the affairs of his country, and was the first scholar of his age, he _d._ so poor that he left no funds to meet the expenses of his interment. His literary masterpiece is his _History_, which is remarkable for the power and richness of its style.

Its matter, however, gave so much offence that a proclamation was issued calling in all copies of it, as well as of the _De Jure Regni_, that they might be purged of the "offensive and extraordinary matters" which they contained. B. holds his great and unique place in literature not so much for his own writings as for his strong and lasting influence on subsequent writers.

BUCHANAN, ROBERT (1841-1901).--Poet and novelist, _b._ at Caverswall, Staffords.h.i.+re, the _s._ of a Scottish schoolmaster and socialist, and _ed._ at Glasgow, was the friend of David Gray (_q.v._), and with him went to London in search of fame, but had a long period of discouragement. His first work, a collection of poems, _Undertones_ (1863), had, however, some success, and was followed by _Idylls of Inverburn_ (1865), _London Poems_ (1866), and others, which gave him a growing reputation, and raised high hopes of his future. Thereafter he took up prose fiction and the drama, not always with success, and got into trouble owing to some drastic criticism of his contemporaries, culminating in his famous article on the _Fleshly School of Poetry_, which appeared in the _Contemporary Review_ (Oct. 1871), and evoked replies from Rossetti (_The Stealthy School of Criticism_), and Swinburne (_Under the Microscope_). Among his novels are _A Child of Nature_ (1879), _G.o.d and the Man_ (1881), and among his dramas _A Nine Days'

Queen_, _A Madcap Prince_, and _Alone in London_. His latest poems, _The Outcast_ and _The Wandering Jew_, were directed against certain aspects of Christianity. B. was unfortunate in his latter years; a speculation turned out ruinously; he had to sell his copyrights, and he sustained a paralytic seizure, from the effects of which he _d._ in a few months. He ultimately admitted that his criticism of Rossetti was unjustifiable.

BUCKINGHAM, GEORGE VILLIERS, 2ND DUKE of (1628-1687).--Dramatist, _s._ of the 1st Duke, who was in 1628 a.s.sa.s.sinated by Felton. His life was full of adventure and change of fortune. The Restoration gave him back his already twice lost estates, which he again squandered by a life of wild extravagance and profligacy at Court. He was a member of the "Cabal" and intrigued against Clarendon. He wrote pamphlets, lampoons, and plays, but his chief contribution to literature was _The Rehearsal_, a comedy, in which he satirised the heroic drama of Dryden and others. It is believed that S. Butler had a hand in it. Dryden had his revenge in his picture of B. as _Zimri_ in _Absalom and Achitophel_.

BUCKINGHAM AND NORMANBY, JOHN SHEFFIELD, 1ST DUKE of (1648-1721).--_S._ of the 2nd Earl of Mulgrave, served in his youth as a soldier under Prince Rupert and Turenne, and is also said to have made love to the Princess, afterwards Queen, Anne. He was a Privy Councillor under James II., William and Mary, and Anne, with the last of whom he remained a favourite. His magnificent mansion was purchased and pulled down to make way for Buckingham Palace. He wrote _An Account of the Revolution_, _An Essay on Satire_, and _An Essay on Poetry_. He also remodelled Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_.

BUCKINGHAM, JAMES SILK (1786-1855).--Journalist and traveller, wrote many books of travel, both on the Old and New World. He established, and for a year or two ed., _The Athenaeum_, and produced many pamphlets on political and social subjects.

BUCKLAND, FRANCIS TREVELYAN (1826-80).--Naturalist, _b._ and _ed._ at Oxf., where his _f._ was Dean of Christchurch. He studied medicine and was a.s.sistant-surgeon in the Life Guards. An enthusiastic lover of natural history, he wrote largely upon it, among his works being _Curiosities of Natural History_ (4 vols. 1857-72), _Log Book of a Fisherman and Zoologist_ (1876), _Natural History of British Fishes_ (1881). He also founded and ed. _Land and Water_. He was for a time Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, and served on various commissions. Though observant, he was not always strictly scientific in his methods and modes of expression, and he was a strong opponent of Darwin.

BUCKLE, HENRY THOMAS (1821-1862).--Historical writer, _s._ of a wealthy s.h.i.+powner in London, was _b._ at Lee in Kent. Though never at a univ. and little at school, he received a high degree of education privately, and inheriting an ample fortune and a large library, he devoted himself to travel and study, with the view of preparing for a great work which he had projected, _The History of Civilisation in England_. As an introduction to this he entered upon the consideration of the state of civilisation in various other countries, but this he had scarcely completed when his death took place at Damascus in 1862. The first vol.

was _pub._ in 1857, and the second in 1861. In these the results of a vast amount of reading are shown; but they are not free from one-sided views and generalisations resting on insufficient data. He has, however, the credit of having contributed a new idea of history and the method of writing it. The completed work was to have extended to 14 vols. B. was one of the greatest chess-players in Europe.

BUDGELL, EUSTACE (1686-1737).--Miscellaneous writer, _ed._ at Oxf., was a cousin of Addison, who took him to Ireland and got him appointed to a lucrative office, which, however, he was foolish enough to throw away by lampooning the Viceroy. He a.s.sisted A. in the _Spectator_, of which he wrote 37 numbers signed X. In these he imitates A.'s style with some success. B., who was vain and vindictive, fell on evil days, lost a fortune in the South Sea Bubble, was accused of forging a will, and committed suicide by throwing himself out of a boat at London Bridge.

BULL, GEORGE (1634-1710).--Theologian, _b._ at Wells, _ed._ at Tiverton and Oxf., took orders, was ordained by an ejected bishop in 1658, and received the living of Suddington near Bristol. He was a strong Royalist, and was privy to a scheme for bringing back the Royal family. After the Restoration he obtained further preferment, and became in 1704 Bishop of St. David's at an age when his strength had become unequal to any very active discharge of the duties of his see. He has a high place among Anglican theologians, and as a defender of the doctrine of the Trinity was held in high esteem even by Continental Romanist controversialists.

Among his works are _Harmonia Apostolica_ (1669-70) in which he endeavoured to reconcile alleged discrepancies between the teaching of St. Paul and St. James on the relation between faith and works, in which he a.s.signed to the latter the higher authority, _Defensio Fidei Nicaenae_ (1685) and _Corruptions of the Church of Rome_.

BULWER, E.L., (_see_ LYTTON.)

BUNYAN, JOHN (1628-1688).--_B._ at Elstow, near Bedford, the _s._ of a poor tinker, was _ed._ at a free school, after which he worked at his father's trade. At 17 he was drafted as a soldier in the Civil War, and served for two years at Newport Pagnell. At 19 he _m._ a pious young woman, whose only dowry appears to have been two books, the _Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven_ and the _Practice of Piety_, by which he was influenced towards a religious life. In his autobiographical book, _Grace Abounding_, B. describes himself as having led an abandoned life in his youth; but there appears to be no evidence that he was, outwardly at any rate, worse than the average of his neighbours: the only serious fault which he specifies is profanity, others being dancing and bell-ringing.

The overwhelming power of his imagination led him to contemplate acts of impiety and profanity, and to a vivid realisation of the dangers these involved. In particular he was hara.s.sed by a curiosity in regard to the "unpardonable sin," and a prepossession that he had already committed it.

He continually heard voices urging him to "sell Christ," and was tortured by fearful visions. After severe spiritual conflicts he escaped from this condition, and became an enthusiastic and a.s.sured believer. In 1657 he joined the Baptist Church, began to preach, and in 1660 was committed to Bedford Jail, at first for three months, but on his refusing to conform, or to desist from preaching, his confinement was extended with little interval for a period of nearly 12 years, not always, however, very rigorous. He supported his family (wife and four children, including a blind girl) by making tagged laces, and devoted all the time he could spare from this to studying his few books and writing. During this period he wrote among other things, _The Holy City_ and _Grace Abounding_. Under the Declaration of Indulgence he was released in 1672, and became a licensed preacher. In 1675 the Declaration was cancelled, and he was, under the Conventicle Act, again imprisoned for six months, during which he wrote the first part of _The Pilgrim's Progress_, which appeared in 1678, and to which considerable additions were made in subsequent editions. It was followed by the _Life and Death of Mr. Badman_ (1680), _The Holy War_ (1682), and the second part of _The Pilgrim's Progress_ (1684). B. was now widely known as a popular preacher and author, and exercised a wide influence. In 1688 he set out on a journey to mediate between a father and son, in which he was successful. On the return journey he was drenched with rain, caught a chill and _d._ in London on August 31. He is buried in Bunhill Fields. B. has the distinction of having written, in _The Pilgrim's Progress_, probably the most widely read book in the English language, and one which has been translated into more tongues than any book except the Bible. The charm of the work, which makes it the joy of old and young, learned and ignorant, and of readers of all possible schools of thought and theology, lies in the interest of a story in which the intense imagination of the writer makes characters, incidents, and scenes alike live in that of his readers as things actually known and remembered by themselves, in its touches of tenderness and quaint humour, its bursts of heart-moving eloquence, and its pure, nervous, idiomatic English, Macaulay has said, "Every reader knows the straight and narrow path as well as he knows a road on which he has been backwards and forwards a hundred times," and he adds that "In England during the latter half of the seventeenth century there were only two minds which possessed the imaginative faculty in a very eminent degree.

One of these minds produced the _Paradise Lost_, the other _The Pilgrim's Progress_." B. wrote about 60 books and tracts, of which _The Holy War_ ranks next to _The Pilgrim's Progress_ in popularity, while _Grace Abounding_ is one of the most interesting pieces of biography in existence.

There are numerous Lives, the most complete being that by Dr. John Brown of Bedford (1885 new 1888): others are Southey's (1830), on which Macaulay's _Essay_ is based, Offor (1862), Froude (1880). On _The Pilgrim's Progress, The People of the Pilgrimage_, by J. Kerr Bain, D.D.

BURCKHARDT, JOHN LEWIS (1784-1817).--Traveller, _b._ at Lausanne and _ed._ in Germany, came to England in 1806 and wrote his books of travel in English. He travelled widely in Africa and in Syria, and the adjoining countries, became a great oriental scholar, and, disguising himself, made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and obtained access to places not open to Christians. He wrote accounts of his travels, and a book on Arabic proverbs. He _d._ of dysentery at Cairo when about to start on a new journey into the interior of Africa.

BURKE, EDMUND (1729-1797).--Statesman, orator, and political philosopher, was the _s._ of an attorney in Dublin, where he was _b._ His _f._ was a Protestant, but his mother, whose maiden name was Nagle, was a Roman Catholic. He received his early _ed._ at a Quaker school at Ballitore, and in 1743 proceeded to Trinity Coll., Dublin, where he graduated in 1748. His _f._ wished him to study for the law, and with this object he, in 1750, went to London and entered the Middle Temple. He, however, disliked law and spent more time in literary pursuits than in legal study. In 1756 his first _pub._ work appeared, _A Vindication of Natural Society_, a satire on the views of Bolingbroke, but so close was the imitation of that writer's style, and so grave the irony, that its point as a satire was largely missed. In the same year he _pub._ his famous treatise _On the Sublime and Beautiful_, which attracted universal attention, and three years later (1759) he projected with Dodsley the publisher _The Annual Register_, for which he continued to write the yearly Survey of Events until 1788. About the same time he was introduced to W.G. Hamilton (known as Single-speech H.) then about to go to Ireland as Chief Sec., and accompanied him in the capacity of private sec., in which he remained for three years. In 1765 he became private sec. to the Marquis of Rockingham, the Whig statesman, then Prime Minister, who became his fast friend until his death. At the same time he entered Parliament as member for Wendover, and began his brilliant career as an orator and philosophic statesman. The first great subject in which he interested himself was the controversy with the American colonies, which soon developed into war and ultimate separation, and in 1769 he _pub._, in reply to G. Grenville, his pamphlet on _The Present State of the Nation_. In the same year he purchased the small estate of Gregories near Beaconsfield. His speeches and writings had now made him famous, and among other effects had brought about the suggestion that he was the author of the _Letters of Junius_. It was also about this time that he became one of the circle which, including Goldsmith, Garrick, etc., had Johnson for its central luminary. In 1770 appeared _Thoughts on the Causes of the Present Discontent_, directed against the growth of the Royal power on the one hand, and of faction on the other. In 1774 he was elected member for Bristol, and continued so until 1780, when differences with his const.i.tuency on the questions of Irish trade and Catholic emanc.i.p.ation led to his resignation, after which he sat for Malton until his final retirement from public life. Under the administration of Lord North (1770-1782) the American war went on from bad to worse, and it was in part owing to the splendid oratorical efforts of B. that it was at last brought to an end. To this period belong two of his most brilliant performances, his speech on _Conciliation with America_ (1775), and his _Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol_ (1777). The fall of North led to Rockingham being recalled to power, which, however, he held for a few months only, dying in the end of 1782, during which period B. held the office of Paymaster of the Forces, and was made a Privy Councillor.

Thereafter he committed the great error of his political life in supporting Fox in his coalition with North, one of the most flagitious, as it was to those concerned in it, one of the most fatal, political acts in our parliamentary history. Under this unhappy combination he continued to hold during its brief existence the office of Paymaster, and distinguished himself in connection with Fox's India Bill. The coalition fell in 1783, and was succeeded by the long administration of Pitt, which lasted until 1801. B. was accordingly for the remainder of his political life in opposition. In 1785 he made his great speech on _The Nabob of Arcot's Debts_, and in the next year (1786) he moved for papers in regard to the Indian government of Warren Hastings, the consequence of which was the impeachment of that statesman, which, beginning in 1787, lasted until 1794, and of which B. was the leading promoter. Meanwhile, the events in France were in progress which led to the Revolution, and culminated in the death of the King and Queen. By these B. was profoundly moved, and his _Reflections on the French Revolution_ (1790) electrified England, and even Europe. Its success was enormous. The same events and the differences which arose regarding them in the Whig party led to its break up, to the rupture of B's friends.h.i.+p with Fox, and to his _Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs_. In 1794 a terrible blow fell upon him in the loss of his son Richard, to whom he was tenderly attached, and in whom he saw signs of promise, which were not patent to others, and which in fact appear to have been non-existent. In the same year the Hastings trial came to an end. B. felt that his work was done and indeed that he was worn out; and he took leave of Parliament. The King, whose favour he had gained by his att.i.tude on the French Revolution, wished to make him Lord Beaconsfield, but the death of his son had deprived such an honour of all its attractions, and the only reward he would accept was a pension of 2500. Even this modest reward for services so transcendent was attacked by the Duke of Bedford, to whom B. made a crus.h.i.+ng reply in the _Letter to a n.o.ble Lord_ (1796). His last _pub._ was the _Letter on a Regicide Peace_ (1796), called forth by negotiations for peace with France. When it appeared the author was dead.

B. was one of the greatest political thinkers whom England has produced, and all his writings, like his speeches, are characterised by the welding together of knowledge, thought, and feeling. Unlike most orators he is more successful as a writer than as a speaker. He rose too far above the heads of his audience, which the continued splendour of his declamation, his inordinate copiousness, and his excessive vehemence, often pa.s.sing into fury, at length wearied, and even disgusted: but in his writings are found some of the grandest examples of a fervid and richly elaborated eloquence. Though he was never admitted to the Cabinet, he guided and influenced largely the policy of his party, while by his efforts in the direction of economy and order in administration at home, and on behalf of kindly and just government in India, as well as by his contributions to political philosophy, he laid his country and indeed the world under lasting obligations.

There are _Lives_ by Prior (1824 and 1854); J. Morley (1867), and various ed. of his works have appeared. _Select Works_ by Payne (3 vols.

1874-78).

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1729, _ed._ Trinity Coll., Dublin, enters Middle Temple 1750, _pub._ treatise _On the Sublime and Beautiful_ 1756, became friend of Rockingham 1765, enters Parliament and engages in American controversy, _pub._ speech on _Conciliation with America_ 1775, Paymaster of Forces and P.C. 1782, joined coalition of Fox and North 1782, leads in prosecution of W. Hastings 1787-94, _pub._ _Reflections on French Revolution_ 1790 and breaks with Fox party, _pub._ _Letter on a Regicide Peace_ 1796, _d._ 1797.

BURNET, GILBERT (1643-1715).--Theologian and historian, s. of a Royalist and Episcopalian lawyer, who became a judge, and of the sister of Johnston of Warristoun, a leader of the Covenanters, was _b._ in Edin., and _ed._ at Aberdeen and at Amsterdam, where he studied Hebrew under a Rabbi. Returning to Scotland, he was successively Episcopal minister at Saltoun and Prof. of Divinity in Glasgow (1669), and was then offered, but declined, a Scotch bishopric. His energetic and bustling character led him to take an active part in the controversies of the time, and he endeavoured to bring about a reconciliation between Episcopacy and Presbytery. Going to London he was in some favour with Charles II., from whom he received various preferments. His literary reputation was greatly enhanced by the publication in 1679 of the first vol. of his _History of the Reformation of the Church of England_, for which he received the thanks of Parliament, and which was completed by other two vols., in 1682 and 1714. On account of a letter of reproof which he ventured to write to the King, he lost favour at Court, and the policy pursued by James II.

being very repugnant to him, he betook himself in 1687 to Holland, where he became one of the advisers of the Prince of Orange. Returning to England at the Revolution, he was made Bishop of Salisbury, which office he adorned by liberal views and a zealous discharge of duty. The work by which his fame is chiefly sustained, his _History of my Own Times_, was, by his direction, not to be _pub._ until 6 years after his death. It appeared in 1723. It gives a sketch of the history of the Civil Wars and Commonwealth, and a detailed account of the immediately succeeding period down to 1713. While not free from egotism and some party feeling, it is written with a sincere desire for accuracy and fairness, and it has largely the authority of an eye-witness. The style, if somewhat lacking in dignity, is lively and picturesque. Among his other writings are a _History of the Dukes of Hamilton_, and an _Exposition of the 39 Articles_.

His princ.i.p.al works have been repeatedly printed. Clarendon Press ed. of _My Own Times_ by Routh (1823 and 1833).

BURNET, THOMAS (1635?-1715).--Theologian and writer on cosmogony, was _b._ at Croft near Darlington, and _ed._ at Camb., and became Master of Charterhouse and Clerk of the Closet to William III. His literary fame rests on his _Telluris Theoria Sacra, or Sacred Theory of the Earth_, _pub._ about 1692, first in Latin and afterwards in English, a work which, in absence of all scientific knowledge of the earth's structure, was necessarily a mere speculative cosmogony. It is written, however, with much eloquence. Some of the views expressed in another work, _Archaeolgiae Philosophicae_, were, however, so unacceptable to contemporary theologians that he had to resign his post at Court.

BURNS, ROBERT (1759-1796).--Poet, was _b._ near Ayr, the _s._ of William Burness or Burns, a small farmer, and a man of considerable force of character and self-culture. His youth was pa.s.sed in poverty, hards.h.i.+p, and a degree of severe manual labour which left its traces in a premature stoop and weakened const.i.tution. He had little regular schooling, and got much of what education he had from his father, who taught his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history, and also wrote for them "A Manual of Christian Belief." With all his ability and character, however, the elder B. was consistently unfortunate, and migrated with his large family from farm to farm without ever being able to improve his circ.u.mstances. In 1781 Robert went to Irvine to become a flax-dresser, but, as the result of a New Year carousal of the workmen, including himself, the shop took fire and was burned to the ground. This venture accordingly came to an end. In 1784 the _f._ died, and B. with his brother Gilbert made an ineffectual struggle to keep on the farm; failing in which they removed to Mossgiel, where they maintained an uphill fight for 4 years. Meanwhile, his love affair with Jean Armour had pa.s.sed through its first stage, and the troubles in connection therewith, combined with the want of success in farming, led him to think of going to Jamaica as bookkeeper on a plantation. From this he was dissuaded by a letter from Dr. Thomas Blacklock (_q.v._), and at the suggestion of his brother _pub._ his poems. This first ed. was brought out at Kilmarnock in June 1786, and contained much of his best work, including "The Twa Dogs,"

"The Address to the Deil," "Hallowe'en," "The Cottar's Sat.u.r.day Night,"

"The Mouse," "The Daisy," etc., many of which had been written at Mossgiel. Copies of this ed. are now extremely scarce, and as much as 550 has been paid for one. The success of the work was immediate, the poet's name rang over all Scotland, and he was induced to go to Edin. to superintend the issue of a new ed. There he was received as an equal by the brilliant circle of men of letters which the city then boasted--Dugald Stewart, Robertson, Blair, etc., and was a guest at aristocratic tables, where he bore himself with unaffected dignity. Here also Scott, then a boy of 15, saw him and describes him as of "manners rustic, not clownish. His countenance ... more ma.s.sive than it looks in any of the portraits ... a strong expression of shrewdness in his lineaments; the eye alone indicated the poetical character and temperament. It was large, and of a dark cast, and literally glowed when he spoke with feeling or interest." The results of this visit outside of its immediate and practical object, included some life-long friends.h.i.+ps, among which were those with Lord Glencairn and Mrs. Dunlop. The new ed.

brought him 400. About this time the episode of Highland Mary occurred.

On his return to Ayrs.h.i.+re he renewed his relations with Jean Armour, whom he ultimately married, took the farm of Ellisland near Dumfries, having meanwhile taken lessons in the duties of an exciseman, as a line to fall back upon should farming again prove unsuccessful. At Ellisland his society was cultivated by the local gentry. And this, together with literature and his duties in the excise, to which he had been appointed in 1789, proved too much of a distraction to admit of success on the farm, which in 1791 he gave up. Meanwhile he was writing at his best, and in 1790 had produced _Tam o' Shanter_. About this time he was offered and declined an appointment in London on the staff of the _Star_ newspaper, and refused to become a candidate for a newly-created Chair of Agriculture in the Univ. of Edin., although influential friends offered to support his claims. After giving up his farm he removed to Dumfries.

It was at this time that, being requested to furnish words for _The Melodies of Scotland_, he responded by contributing over 100 songs, on which perhaps his claim to immortality chiefly rests, and which placed him in the front rank of lyric poets. His worldly prospects were now perhaps better than they had ever been; but he was entering upon the last and darkest period of his career. He had become soured, and moreover had alienated many of his best friends by too freely expressing sympathy with the French Revolution, and the then unpopular advocates of reform at home. His health began to give way; he became prematurely old, and fell into fits of despondency; and the habits of intemperance, to which he had always been more or less addicted, grew upon him. He _d._ on July 21, 1797.

The genius of B. is marked by spontaneity, directness, and sincerity, and his variety is marvellous, ranging from the tender intensity of some of his lyrics through the rollicking humour and blazing wit of _Tam o'

Shanter_ to the blistering satire of _Holy Willie's Prayer_ and _The Holy Fair_. His life is a tragedy, and his character full of flaws. But he fought at tremendous odds, and as Carlyle in his great Essay says, "Granted the s.h.i.+p comes into harbour with shrouds and tackle damaged, the pilot is blameworthy ... but to know _how_ blameworthy, tell us first whether his voyage has been round the Globe or only to Ramsgate and the Isle of Dogs."

The books about Burns, his life and writings, are innumerable. Among the Lives are those by Currie (1800); Allan Cunningham (1834); J.G. Lockhart (1828), on which is based Carlyle's memorable _Essay_ (which _see_).

Among the famous ed. of the _Poems_ may be mentioned the first (Kilmarnock 1786), Edin. (1787), and the _Centenary_ (1896), by W.E.

Henley and T.F. Henderson.

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1759, flax-dresser at Irvine 1781, farms at Mossgiel, has love affair with Jean Armour, _pub._ first ed. of poems 1786, visits Edin. 1786, goes to Ellisland, became exciseman 1789, _pub._ songs, _c._ 1791, _d._ 1797.

BURTON, JOHN HILL (1809-1881).--Historian, was _b._ and _ed._ at Aberdeen, was in 1831 called to the Bar, but had little practice, and in 1854 was appointed Sec. to the Prison Board of Scotland, and in 1877 a Commissioner of Prisons. He became at an early period of his life a contributor to _Blackwood's Magazine_ and other periodicals, and in 1846 _pub._ a life of Hume, which attracted considerable attention, and was followed by Lives of Lord Lovat and Lord President Forbes. He began his career as an historian by the publication in 1853 of _History of Scotland from the Revolution to the Extinction of the last Jacobite Insurrection_, to which he added (1867-70) _History of Scotland from Agricola's Invasion to the Revolution_, in 7 vols., thus completing a continuous narrative.

Subsequently he _pub._ a _History of the Reign of Queen Anne_ (1880).

Other works of a lighter kind were _The Book-Hunter_ (1862), and _The Scot Abroad_ (1864). B.'s historical works display much research and a spirit of candour and honesty, and have picturesque and spirited pa.s.sages, but the style is unequal, and frequently lacks dignity. On the whole, however, his is regarded as the most generally trustworthy and valuable history of Scotland at present existing.