Monday, October 01, 2007
RANDOM ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA POST
BRUCE, James b 1730. african traveler. blah blah blah. appointed councilship at algiers in 1762. spent age studying arabic and oriental languages. visited Rhodes and cyprus and explored most of syria and palestine, making careful drawings of palmyra and Baalbec. these presented to the king and placed in the royal library. bruce didn't arrive in alexandria til 1768 and prepared a great expedition. from cairo he sailed as far as Syenej, then struck across the dessert to Kosseir and reached Jidda in 1769. stayed in arabia awhile and then set sail for Loheia and in sept 1769 arrived as massowah. detained for some time, but feb 1770 he made it to Gondar abyssinia. gained king's favor and stayed il oct, then set off for Bahr-el-azrek, arrived in nov. slowly made his way back thru the deserts of nubia. 1772 he reached Assonan on the nile. jan 1773 back in cairo. on way home, spent time in Paris, where he was received by buffon and other scientists. the celebrated 'travels' di not appear til 1790, when they were published. d. 1794
(why did i add him again?)
BRUGES, Belgium- dates at least to the 3rd cent AD. in the 7th, important. its corporation of weavers, up to 50,000, reknowned. in 9th c, bruges became subject to the counts of flanders, who lived there and made it populace and wealthy. inhabitants jealous of their rights and demanded more. in mid 14th c, bruges passed by marriage to the dukes of Burgandy. BURGANDY! again?!? reaching its height of prosperity. magnificent court. extravegant and charles V, obliged in 16th c to repress it by severe sumptuary laws(ooh, bring that back!) in 1430, philip the good, duke of Burgandy, instituted the chivalric order of the Goddess of Fleece, a compliment to it's woolen trade. in 14th and 15th chief emporium of the cities of hanseatic league. merchants became 'world' shipping area. excelled at tapestry. vry rich til rule of hapsburgs, for a limitation of their perogatives, they imprisoned archduke Maximillian in 1488, they were severely punished for this outrage. trade moved to Antwerp and it's ruin by religious persecutions of the bloody d¨ke of alva at the end of 16th c. many escaped to england w/ their talents. in modern times, frequently felt effects of war. 1704 besieged by dutch. 1708 and 1745 captured by french.
BRUNTON, Mrs. Mary-1778-1818. novelist of early 19th c. born in barraiorknen. nee balfour. at 20 married. 1811 published anonamously 1st novel Self-Control. very popular. 3rd edition soon needed. 2nd 'discipline pub 1814. the unfinished Emmeline published after death by her husband. (i actually sold a copy of Self-control to a canadian. was looking for the book for decades. now i wish i read it!)
BRUSHES + BROOMS-almost a full page. chimney brooms pretty new!
BRYAXIS-greek sculptor about 345 bc-5 classical figures of gods at rhodes. Bachus, a group of aescullapius and hygeia at megara etc etc etc. preference for draped and mature figures, while contemporary, praxiteles did younger nudes.
