Chapter Brandan to Brechan of B by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Brawn. One day a little boy came into king Arthur’s court, and, drawing his wand over a boar’s head, exclaimed, “There’s never a cuckold’s knife can cut this head of brawn!” and, lo! no knight except sir Cradock was able to carve it.—Percy: Reliques, III. iii. 8. (See Boy And The Mantle, p. 141.)

Bray (Mr.), a selfish, miserly old man, who dies suddenly of heart-disease, just in time to save his daughter being sacrificed to Arthur Gride, a rich old miser.

Madeline Bray, daughter of Mr. Bray, a loving, domestic, beautiful girl, who marries Nicholas Nickleby.—Dickens: Nicholas Nickleby (1838).

Bray (Vicar of), supposed by some to be Simon Aleyn, who lived (says Fuller) “in the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth. In the first two reigns he was a protestant, in Mary’s reign a catholic, and in Elizabeth’s a protestant again.” No matter who was king, Simon Aleyn resolved to live and die “the vicar of Bray” (1540–1588).

Others think the vicar was Simon Symonds, who (according to Ray) was an independent in the protectorate, a high churchman in the reign of Charles II., a papist under James II., and a moderate churchman in the reign of William III.

Others again give the cap to one Pendleton.

The well-known song was written by an officer in colonel Fuller’s regiment, in the reign of George I., and seems to refer to some clergyman of no very distant date.

Braymore (Lady Caroline), daughter of lord Fitz-Balaam. She was to have married Frank Rochdale, but hearing that her “intended” loved Mary Thornberry, she married the hon. Tom Shuffleton.—Colman: John Bull (1805).

Braywick, the town of asses. An alderman of Braywick, having lost his donkey, went fourteen days in search of it; then meeting a brother alderman, they agreed to retire to the two opposite sides of a mountain and bray, in hopes that the donkey would answer, and thus reveal its place of concealment. This led to a public scandal, insomuch that the people of Braywick had to take up arms in order to avenge themselves on those who jeered at them.—Cervantes: Don Quixote, II, ii. 7 (1615).

Brazen (Captain), a kind of Bobadil. A boastful, tongue-doughty warrior, who pretends to know everybody; to have a liaison with very wealthy, pretty, or distinguished woman; and to have achieved in war the most amazing prodigies.

He knows everybody at first sight; his impudence were a prodigy, were not his ignorance proportionable. He has the most universal acquaintance of any man living, for he won’t be alone, and nobody will keep him company twice. Then he’s a Caesar among the women; Veni,vidi,vici, that’s all. If he has but talked with the maid, he swears he has [corrupted] the mistress; but the most surprising part of his character is his memory, which is the most prodigious and the most trifling in the world.—Farquhar: The Recruiting Officer, iii. 1 (1705).

Brazen Age, the age of war and violence. The age of innocence was the golden age; then followed the silver age; then the brazen age; and the present is the iron age, or the age of hardware and railroads.

Brazen Head. The first on record is one which Silvester II. (Gerbert) possessed. It told him he would be pope, and not die till he had sung mass at Jerusalem. When pope he was stricken with his death- sickness while performing mass in a church called Jerusalem (999–1003).

The next we hear of was made by Rob. Grosseteste (1175–1253).

The third was the famous brazan head of Albertus Magnus, which cost him thirty years’ labour, and was broken to pieces by his disciple Thomas Aquinas (1193–1280).