BRISTOL BOY (The), Thomas Chatterton, the poet, born at Bristol.  Also called “The Marvellous Boy.”  Byron calls him “The wondrous boy who perished in his pride” (1752-1770).

BRITAN’NIA.  The Romans represented the island of Great Britain by the figure of a woman seated on a rock, from a fanciful resemblance thereto in the general outline of the island.  The idea is less poetically expressed by “An old witch on a broomstick.”

The effigy of Britannia on British copper coin dates from the reign of Charles II. (1672), and was engraved by Roetier from a drawing by Evelyn.  It is meant for one of the king’s court favorites, some say Frances Theresa Stuart, duchess of Richmond, and others Barbara Villiers, duchess of Cleveland.

BRITISH HISTORY of Geoffrey of Monmouth, is a translation of a Welsh Chronicle.  It is in nine books, and contains a “history” of the Britons and Welsh from Brutus, great-grandson of Trojan AEneas to the death of Cadwallo or Cadwallader in 688.  This Geoffrey was first archdeacon of Monmouth and then bishop of St. Asaph.  The general outline of the work is the same as that given by Nennius three centuries previously.  Geoffrey’s Chronicle, published about 1143, formed a basis for many subsequent historical works.  A compendium by Diceto is published in Gale’s Chronicles.

BRIT’OMART, the representative of chastity.  She was the daughter and heiress of king Ryence of Wales, and her legend forms the third book of the Faery Queen.  One day, looking into Venus’s looking-glass, given by Merlin to her father, she saw therein sir Artegal, and fell in love with him.  Her nurse Glauce (2 syl.) tried by charms “to undo her love,” but love that is in gentle heart begun no idle charm can remove.  Finding her “charms” ineffectual, she took her to Merlin’s cave in Caermarthen, and the magician told her she would be the mother of a line of kings (the Tudors), and after twice 400 years one of her offspring, “a royal virgin,” would shake the power of Spain.  Glauce now suggested that they should start in quest of sir Artegal, and Britomart donned the armor of An’gela (queen of the Angles), which she found in her father’s armory, and taking a magic spear which “nothing could resist,” she sallied forth.  Her adventures allegorize the triumph of chastity over impurity:  Thus in Castle Joyous, Malacasta (lust), not knowing her sex, tried to seduce her, “but she flees youthful lust, which wars against the soul.”  She next overthrew Marinel, son of Cym’oent.  Then made her appearance as the Squire of Dames.  Her last achievement was the deliverance of Am’oret (wifely love) from the enchanter Busirane.  Her marriage is deferred to bk. v. 6, when she tilted with sir Artegal, who “shares away the ventail of her helmet with his sword,” and was about to strike again when he became so amazed at her beauty that he thought she must be a goddess.  She bade the knight remove his helmet, at once recognized him, consented “to be his love, and to take him for her lord.”—­Spenser, Faery Queen, iii. (1590).