BYRON, GEORGE GORDON, SIXTH LORD, an English poet, born in London, son of Captain Byron of the Guards, and Catherine Gordon of Gight, Aberdeenshire; spent his boyhood at Aberdeen under his mother, now a widow, and was educated at Harrow and Cambridge, spending, when at the latter, his vacations in London, where his mother had taken a house; wrote “Hours of Idleness,” a poor first attempt, which called forth a severe criticism in the Edinburgh Review, and which he satirised in “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” and soon afterwards left England and spent two years in foreign travel; wrote first part of “Childe Harold,” “awoke one morning and found himself famous”; produced the “Giaour,” “Bride of Abydos,” “Hebrew Melodies,” and other work.  In his school days he had fallen in love with Mary Chaworth, but she had not returned his affection, and in 1815 he married Miss Millbank, an heiress, who in a year left him never to return, when a storm raised against him on account of his private life drove him from England, and he never came back; on the Continent, moved from place to place, finished “Childe Harold,” completed several short poems, and wrote “Don Juan”; threw himself into revolutionary movements in Italy and Greece, risked his all in the emancipation of the latter, and embarking in it, died at Missolonghi in a fit, at the age of 36.  His poems, from the character of the passion that breathed in them, made a great impression on his age, but the like interest in them is happily now passing away, if not already past; the earth is looking green again once more, under the breath, it is believed, of a new spring-time, or anyhow, the promise of such.  See “Organic Filaments” in “Sartor Resartus” (1788-1824).

BYRON, HENRY JAMES, dramatist, born in Manchester, wrote “Our Boys” (1834-1884).

BYRON, JOHN, naval officer, grandfather of the poet, nicknamed from his misfortunes “Foul-weather Jack”; accompanied Anson in his voyage round the world, but was wrecked in his ship the Wager; suffered almost unexampled hardships, of which he wrote a classical account on his safe return home; he rose to the rank of admiral, and commanded the squadron in the West Indies during the American war; died in England (1723-1786).

BYRSA, a celebrated citadel of Carthage.

BYZANTINE ART, a decorative style of art patronised by the Romans after the seat of empire was removed to the East; it has been described by Mr. Fairholt as “an engraftment of Oriental elaboration of detail upon classic forms, ending in their debasement.”

BYZANTINE EMPIRE, called also the Eastern, the Lower, or the Greek Empire; dates from 395 A.D., when, by the death of Theodosius, the Roman empire was divided between his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, the Eastern section falling to the share of the former, who established the seat of his government at Byzantium; the empire included Syria, Asia Minor, Pontus, Egypt in Africa, and Ancient Greece, and it lasted with varied fortune for ten centuries after the accession of Arcadius, till Constantinople was taken by the Turks in 1453.