Chapter Beauty and the Beast to Bees of B by Brewer's Readers Handbook

These “Bees,” immensely popular at first, rapidly subsided.

Bee-line, the straightest or shortest distance between two points. This is an American expression, equivalent to “As the crow files;” but crows do not always fly in a direct line, as bees do when they seek their home.

Sinners, you are making a bee-line from time to eternity, and what you have once passed over you will never pass over again.—Dow: Lay Sermons.

Bee of Attica, Sophoclês the dramatist (B. C. 495-405).

The Bee of Attica rivalled Æschylus when in possession of the stage.—Sir W. Scott: The Drama.

The Athenian Bee, Plato the philosopher (B.C. 428-347). It is said that when Plato was in his cradle a swarm of bees lighted on his mouth.

A similar tale is told of St. Ambrose; but, not to be outdone by a pagan, the Christian biographer says that the bees flew in and out of his mouth, and that the event prognosticated his great eloquence. The same is said of St. Dominick.

Bee Painted (A) by Quintin Matsys on the outstretched leg of a fallen angel painted by Mandyn. It was so life-like that when the old artist returned to his studio he tried to frighten it away with his pocket-handkerchief. (See Fly Painted.)

Hans Holbein, journeying to England, and finding himself at Strasburg without money, dashed off a picture, and on a conspicuous part thereof painted a bee. He sold his picture to a native dealer, who was both surprised and delighted on discovering the conceit.

Bees (The Fable of the), or “The Grumbling Hive.” First published in octo-syllabic rhyme, running to the length of 400 lines, and afterwards produced in prose. The object of the fable is to show that opposition and difference of opinion tends to elicit good results. A dead calm is certainly undesirable.—Bernard de Mandeville (1714).