ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

not to intermix a vast deal of false, and even ridiculous matter in his writings, on the virtuous aspects, and influences of the planets; yet in other respects he shews much good sense and industry, which render his works worth reading, and ought to secure both them and his memory from oblivion. As to his religion, he is reported to have been a zealous Protestant; and, with regard to his political principles, he is said to have adhered to the famous earl of Murray, then struggling for that power which he afterwards obtained. The works published by our author were: 1. "Astronomia, Jacobi Bassantini Scoti, opus absolutissimum," &c. in which the observations of the most expert mathematicians on the heavens are digested into order and method, Latin and French, Geneva, 1599, fol. 2. "Paraphrase de l'Astrolabe, avec une amplification de l'usage de l'astrolabe," Lyons, 1555; and again at Paris, 1617, 8vo. 3. "Super mathematica genethliaca;" i. e. of the calculation of nativities. 4. "Arithmetica." 5. "Mu

sica secundum Platonem." 6. "De Mathesi in genere.' The very titles of his works, joined to the age in which he flourished, sufficiently justify his right to a place in this work; and, though he might have foibles, yet, without doubt his practical skill was great, and the pains he took contributed not a little to bring in that accuracy and correctness in observations, which have effectually exploded those superstitions to which, with other great men, he was too much addicted.1

BASSET (FULK), bishop of London in the reign of king Henry III. was brother of Gilbert Basset, one of the barons, who died by a fall from his horse, leaving behind him one only son, an infant, by whose death soon after, the inheritance devolved to Fulk. In 1225, he was made provost of the collegiate church of St. John of Beverly, and in 1230, dean of York. In December 1241, he was elected by the chapter of London, bishop of that see, in the room of Roger Niger, both in regard of his family and his great virtues, and notwithstanding the king's recommendation of Peter de Egueblanche, bishop of Hereford. The see of Canterbury being vacant at the time of this prelate's election, he was not consecrated till the 9th of October, 1244, at which time the solemnity

1 Biog. Brit.-Mackenzie's Scotch writers, vol. III, p. 81,-Hutton's Math. Dictionary.

was performed at London in the church of the Holy Trinity. In the year 1250, bishop Basset began to have a warm dispute with archbishop Boniface, concerning the right of metropolitical visitation. The see of Canterbury had from the beginning an undoubted authority over all the churches of that province, received appeals, censured offenders, and occasionally exercised a jurisdiction over the bishops and canons of the cathedral churches. But hitherto solemn metropolitical visitations at stated times were not in use. Boniface was the first who introduced them, and loaded the bishops and chapters with a prodigious expence, under the name of procurations. On the 12th of May, 1250, he visited the bishop of London, and, being intolerably insolent, as well as avaricious, treated the good prelate with the grossest indignities, and most opprobrious language. Designing to visit the chapter of St. Paul's, and the priory of St. Bartholomew, he was opposed by the canons of both places, alleging that they had a learned and diligent bishop, who was their proper visitor, and that they neither ought, nor would submit to any other visitatorial power. The archbishop on hearing this, excommunicated the canons, and involved the bishop, as favouring their obstinacy, in the same sentence. Both sides appealed to Rome, where the archbishop, supported by money and the royal favour, pleaded his cause in person; and, notwithstanding the English clergy, by their proctors, offered the pope four thousand marks to be exempted from the archiepiscopal visitation, he obtained a confirmation of his visitatorial power, with this restriction only, that he should be moderate in his demand of procurations.

But Basset succeeded better in opposing Rustand, the pope's legate. The king and the pope had agreed to extort a large sum of money from the English clergy, and to share the plunder. For this purpose Rustand summoned a council at London in October 1255, in which he produced a commission from the pope to demand a certain sum of them; but the bishop of London rising up, said: "Before I will submit to such great servitude, injury, and intolerable oppression of the church, I will lose my head." The rest of the prelates, encouraged by his firmness, unanimously decreed, that the pope's demand should not be complied with, nor any regard paid to Rustand's authority or censures. The legate carried his complaints to the king, who, sending for the bishop of London, reviled him

Το

and threatened him with the severest papal censures. which Fulk replied, "The king and the pope, though they cannot justly, yet, as being stronger than me, may force my bishopric from me; they may take away the mitre, but the helmet will remain :" and this steadiness, and the decree of the council, totally disconcerted the scheme.

In 1256, this prelate began to build the church of St. Faith, near St. Paul's, on the spot which king John had formerly given to the bishops and chapter of London for a market. In the latter part of his life he is said to have inclined to the side of the barons. But we have only the authority of Matthew Paris for this, while bishop Godwin informs us that our other historians, who acknowledge Basset to have been a good man, and a wise, pious, and vigilant pastor, censure him for not joining the barons, but remaining faithful to his prince. He died of the plague in 1259, having sat near fifteen years from the time of his consecration, and was buried May 25, in St. Paul's church. Bishop Basset founded two chantries in his cathedral church, near the altar of the blessed virgin, for himself and his father and mother. He also bequeathed to his church a golden apple, two rich chests for relics, some ecclesiastical vestments, and several books relating to church matters.1

BASSET (PETER), esq. a gentleman of a good family, and a writer in the fifteenth century, was chamberlain, or gentleman of the privy chamber, to king Henry V. on whom he was a constant attendant and an eye-witness of most of his glorious actions both at home and abroad; all which he particularly described. Beginning at his tenderest years, he gave a full and exact account of Henry's several expeditions into France; his glorious victories, large conquests, and illustrious triumphs in that kingdom; his advantageous and honourable peace with Charles VI. his marriage with the princess Catherine, his coronation at Paris: and, finally, his death, and the coronation of king Henry VI. his son and successor. These several remark

able events Peter Basset comprized in one volume, which he entitled "The Actes of king Henry V." This book was never printed; and was said to be extant in manuscript in the college of heralds, and perhaps in some other

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

places; but upon the closest examination it appears that he is originally quoted only by Edward Hall, in his Chronicle, and perhaps by Bale. What has been quoted out of his writings, either by Mr. Thomas Goodwin in his History of the reign of Henry the Fifth," or by other historians within that period, is visibly borrowed from Hall. Dr. Nicolson mentions Basset only upon the authority of Pits, who had taken his account from Bale.

66

:

In one particular he differs from the rest of king Henry the Fifth's historians for whereas Monstrelet says that that prince died of a St. Anthony's fire; others, of a fever and dysentery; or of the disease of St. Fiacre, which is a flux accompanied with the hæmorrhoids; Basset, who was with him at the time of his decease, affirms that he died of a pleurisy. Basset flourished about the year 1430, under the reign of Henry VI.1

BASSEVILLE (N. I. HUGON DE), a Frenchman, who was, unfortunately for him, sent to Rome as ambassador. At the commencement of the revolution, he was editor of the journal called the "Mercure," with Mallet-Dupan, and afterwards of the "Journal d'etat et du citoyen," begun by Carra. Having made diplomatic affairs his particular study, he was sent to Rome, in 1792, as envoy extraordinary, but was so unpopular as to be insulted in that city whenever he made his appearance. At length, on Jan. 13, 1793, the populace, irritated at his wearing the French cockade, pelted him with stones until he reached the house of the banker, Monette, where he received a wound from one of the mob, which proved fatal in about twenty-four hours. Not content with this murder, the insurgents set fire to the French academy des eleves in Rome, and insulted many of the students. It is said that this insurrection was occasioned by the substitution of a new coat of arms, probably in the taste of the French revolutionists. Basseville was a member of several academies, and wrote: 1. "Elemens de Mythologie," 8vo. 2. "Precis historique sur la vie du Genevois Lefort, principal ministre de Pierre-le-Grand, grand amiral de Russie," 1786. 3. "Memoires historiques et politiques sur la Revolution de France," 1790, 2 vols. 8vo.2

BASSI. See POLIZIANO.

BASSI (LAURA MARIA CATHERINA), the wife of Dr. Joseph Verati, a very ingenious lady, was born in 1712,

[blocks in formation]

and died at Bologna, of which she was a native, in 1778. Such were her acknowledged talents and learning, that, in 1732, she was honoured with a Doctor's degree, after having disputed publicly in Latin, and her reputation became afterwards completely established by a course of lectures on experimental philosophy, which she delivered from 1745 to the time of her death. Madame de Bocage, in her "Letters on Italy," informs us that she attended one of those lectures, in which Madame Bassi developed the phenomena of irritability, with precision and depth. The greater part of the literati of Europe, to whom she was well known, bore testimony to her learning, particularly in the Greek, Latin, French, and Italian; nor was she less distinguished for her numerous exertions of charity to the poor and the orphan. We do not find that she published anything, but was the theme of much poetical praise. A collection of these tributes of applause appeared in 1732, with her portrait, and an inscription, "L. M. C. Bassi, Phil. Doct. Coll. Academ. Institut. Scientiar. Societ. Etat. Ann. xx." and with the following allusion to Petrarch's Laura:

“Laura, vale, ingenio quæ et carmine nota Petrarcha.

Laura hæc eloquio, et mente Petrarcha sibi."

BASSIANUS. See LANDUS.

BASSIUS (HENRY), a surgeon and anatomist of considerable reputation, was born at Bremen in 1690, whence, in 1713, he went to Halle, and studied medicine under the ablest professors. In 1715 he removed to Strasburgh, and afterwards to Basle, where he confined his researches entirely to anatomy and surgery. In 1718 he took his doctor's degree at Halle, and some time after was appointed professor extraordinary of anatomy and surgery, which office he held until his death, in 1754. He published: 1. "Disputatio de Fistula ani feliciter curanda," Halle, 1718. This was his inaugural thesis, and Haller thought it so excellent a performance that he inserted it among his "Theses," and Macquart translated it into French, Paris, 1759, 12mo. In this treatise he discovers a considerable degree of conformity between the practice of the ancients and moderus in the cure of the fistula. 2. "Grundlicher Beritcht oon bandagen," Leipsic, 1720, and 1723, 8vo, and translated into Dutch. 3. "Obser

1 Dict Historique.-Republic of Letters, vol. XII, p. 318.

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »