Chapter Bolga to Booby of B by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Bolga to Booby

Bolga, the southern parts of Ireland, so called from the Fir-bolg or Belgæ of Britain, who settled there. Bolg means a “quiver,” and Fir-bolg means “bowmen.”

The chiefs of Bolga crowd round the shield of generous Cathmor.—Ossian: Temora, ii.

Bolster, a famous Wrath, who compelled St. Agnes to gather up the boulders which infested his territory. She carried three apronfuls to the top of a hill, hence called St. Agnes’ Beacon. (See Wrath’s Hole.)

Bolton (Stawarth), an English officer in The Monastery, a novel by sir W. Scott (time, Elizabeth).

Bolton Ass. This creature is said to have chewed tobacco and taken snuff.—Dr. Doran.

Bomba (King), a nickname given to Ferdinand II. of Naples, in consequence of his cruel bombardment of Messina in 1848. His son, who bombarded Palermo in 1860, is called Bombalino (“Little Bomba”).

A young Sicilian, too, was there …
[Who] being rebellious to his liege,
After Palermo’s fatal siege,
Across the western seas he fled
In good king Bomba’s happy reign.
   —Longfellow: The Wayside Inn (prelude).

Bombardinian, the general of the forces of king Chrononhotonthologos. He invites the king to his tent, and gives him hashed pork. The king strikes him, and calls him traitor. “Traitor, in thy teeth!” replies the general. They fight, and the king is killed.—H. Carey: Chrononhotonthologos (a burlesque, 1734).

Bombastes Furioso, general of Artaxaminous (king of Utopia ). He is plighted to Distaffina, but Artaxaminous promises her “half-a-crown” if she will forsake the general for himself. “This bright reward of ever-daring minds” is irresistible. When Bombastês sees himself flouted, he goes mad, and hangs his boots on a tree, with this label duly displayed—

Who dares this pair of boots displace,
Must meet Bombastêes face to face.

The king, coming up, cuts down the boots, and Bombastêes “kills him.” Fusbos, seeing the king fallen, “kills” the general; but at the close of the farce the dead men rise one by one, and join the dance, promising, if the audience likes, “to die again to-morrow.”—Rhodes; Bombastes Furioso (1790).

This farce is a travesty of Orlando Furioso, and “Distaffina” is Angelica, beloved by Orlando, whom she flouted for Medoro a young Moor. On this Orlando went mad, and hung up his armour on a tree, with this distich attached thereto—

Orlando’s arms let none displace,
But such who’ll meet him face to face.

In The Rehearsal, by the duke of Buckingham, Bayes’ troops are killed, every man of them, by Drawcansir, but revive, and “go off on their legs.”

See the translation of Don Quixote, by C. H. Wilmot esq., ii. 363 (1764).

Bombastes Furioso (The French), capitaine Fracasse.—Théophile Gautier.

Bombastus, the family name of Paracelsus. He is said to have kept a small devil prisoner in the pommel of his sword.

Bombastus kept a devil’s bird
Shut in the pommel of his sword,
That taught him all the cunning pranks
Of past and future mountebanks.
   —S. Butler: Hudibras, ii. 3.

Bon Gaultier Ballads, parodies of modern poets, by W. E. Aytoun and [sir] Theodore Martin (1854).

Bonaparte’s Cancer. Napoleon I. and III. suffered from an internal cancer.

I … would much rather have a sound digestion
Than Buonaparte’s cancer.
   —Byron: Don Fuan, ix. 14 (1821).