Chapter Bates to Battles of B by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Bates to Battles

Bates , a soldier in the army of Henry V., under sir Thomas Erpingham. He is introduced with Court and Williams as sentinels before the English camp at Agincourt, and the king unknown comes to them during the watch, and holds with them a conversation respecting the impending battle.—Shakespeare: Henry V. act iv. sc. 1 (1599).

Bates (Charley), generally called “Master Bates,” one of F agins “pupils,” training to be a pickpocket. He is always laughing uproariously, and is almost equal in artifice and adroitness to “The Artful Dodger” himself.—C. Dickens: Oliver Twist (1837).

Bates (Frank) the friend of Whittle. A man of good plain sense, who tries to laugh the old beau out of his folly.—Garrick: The Irish Widow (1757).

BATH, called by the Romans Aquœ Solis (“waters of the sun”), and by the Anglo-Saxons Achamunnum (“city of the sick”). (See Badon, p. 81.)

Bath (Major), a poor but high-minded gentleman, who tries to conceal his poverty under a bold bearing and independent speech.—Fielding: Amelia (1751).

G. Colman the Younger has made major Bath his model for lieutenant Worthington, in his comedy entitled The Poor Gentleman (1802).

Bath (King of), Richard Nash, generally called Beau Nash (q.v., p. 100).

Bath (The Maid of), Miss Linley, a beautiful and accomplished singer, who married Richard B. Sheridan, the statesman and dramatist.

Bath (The Wife of), one of the pilgrims travelling from Southwark to Canterbury, in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. She tells her tale in turn, and chooses “Midas” for her subject (1388). Modernized by Dryden.

Bathos, or “The Art of Sinking,” by Pope, contributed to The Proceedings of the Scriblerius Club.

Bathsheba, duc hess of Portsmouth, a favourite court lady of Charles II. As Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, was criminally loved by David, so Louisa P. Keroual (duchess of Portsmouth) was criminally loved by Charles II.

My father [Charles II.], whom with reverence I name …
Is grown in Bathshebas embraces old.
   —Dryden: Absalom and Achitophel, II. 708–711.

Batra-chomyo-machia, or. “The Battle of the Frogs and Mice,” by Pigres. A Greek skit on Homer’s Iliad. The tale i s this: A Mouse having escaped from a weasel, stopped on the bank of a pond to drink, when a Frog invited the Mouse to pay him a visit. The Mouse consented, and mounted on the Frog’s back to get to Frog Castle. When in the middle of the pond an otter appeared, and so terrified Mr. Froggie that he dived under water, leaving his friend Mousie to struggle in the water till he was drowned. A comrade, who witnessed the scene, went and told the Mouse-king, who instantly declared war against the Frogs. When arrayed for battle, a band of gnats sounded the attack, and after a bloody battle the Frogs were defeated; but an army of land-crabs coming up saved the race from extermination, and the victorious Mice made the best of their way in terrible disorder. The name of the Mouse-king was Troxartes, probably a pun on Tros, a Trojan. Translated into English verse by T. Parnel (1679–1718). (See Battle of the Frogs and Mice, p. 96.)

The Mice were the Trojans, the Frogs the Greeks, who came across the sea to the siege. They won the “battle,” but immediately returned in terrible disorder.

Battar (Al), i.e. the trenchant, one of Mahomet’s swords.