BRAD’AMANT, daughter of Amon and Beatrice, sister of Rinaldo, and niece of Charlemagne.  She was called the Virgin Knight. Her armor was white, and her plume white.  She loved Roge’ro the Moor, but refused to marry him till he was baptized.  Her marriage with great pomp and Rogero’s victory over Rodomont form the subject of the last book of Orlando Furioso.  Bradamant possessed an irresistible spear, which unhorsed any knight with a touch.  Britomart had a similar spear.—­Bojardo, Orlando Innamorato (1495); Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (1516).

BRAD’BOURNE (Mistress Lilias), waiting-woman of lady Avenel (2 syl.), at Avenel Castle.—­Sir W. Scott, The Abbot (time, Elizabeth).

BRADWARDINE (Como Cosmyne), baron of Bradwardine and of Tully Veolan.  He is very pedantic, but brave and gallant.

Rose Bradwardine, his daughter, the heroine of the novel, which concludes with her marriage with Waverley, and the restoration of the manor-house of Tully Veolan.

Malcolm Bradwardine of Inchgrabbit, a relation of the old baron.—­Sir W. Scott, Waverley (time, George II.).

BRADY (Martha), a young “Irish widow” twenty-three years of age, and in love with William Whittle.  She was the daughter of sir Patrick O’Neale.  Old Thomas Whittle, the uncle, a man of sixty-three, wanted to oust his nephew in her affections, for he thought her “so modest, so mild, so tenderhearted, so reserved, so domestic.  Her voice was so sweet, with just a soupcon of the brogue to make it enchanting.”  In order to break off this detestable passion of the old man, the widow assumed the airs and manners of a boisterous, loud, flaunting, extravagant, low Irishwoman, deeply in debt, and abandoned to pleasure.  Old Whittle, thoroughly frightened, induced his nephew to take the widow off his hands, and gave him L5000 as a douceur for so doing.—­Garrick, The Irish Widow (1757).

BRAG (Jack), a vulgar boaster, who gets into good society, where his vulgarity stands out in strong relief.—­Theodore Hook, Jack Brag (a novel).

Brag (Sir Jack), general John Burgoyne (died 1792).

BRAGANZA (Juan duke of).  In 1580 Philip II. of Spain claimed the crown of Portugal, and governed it by a regent.  In 1640 Margaret was regent, and Velasquez her chief minister, a man exceedingly obnoxious to the Portuguese.  Don Juan and his wife Louisa of Braganza being very popular, a conspiracy was formed to shake off the Spanish yoke.  Velasquez was torn to death by the populace, and don Juan of Braganza was proclaimed king.

Louisa duchess of Braganza.  Her character is thus described: 

Bright Louisa, To all the softness of her tender sex, Unites the noblest qualities of man:  A genius to embrace the amplest schemes...  Judgment most sound, persuasive eloquence...  Pure piety without religious dross, And fortitude that shrinks at no disaster.  Robert Jephson, Braganza, i. 1 (1775).