BASILISCO         1 
 
 
  (That is, "my boasting like Basilisco has 
made me a knight, good mother.") 
 
  Bas'ilisk, supposed to kill with its gaze 
the person who looked on it. Thus Henry 
VI. says to Suffolk, " Come, basilisk, and 
kill the innocent gazer with thy sight." 
    Natus in ardente Lydime basiliscus arena, 
    Vulnerat aspectu, luminibusque nocet. 
                             Mantuanus. 
  'Basilius, a neighbor of Quiteria, whom 
he loved from childhood, but when grown 
up the father of the lady forbade him the 
house, and promised Quiteria in marriage 
to Camacho, the richest man of the vicinity. 
On their way to church they passed Basi- 
lius, who had fallen on his sword, and all 
thought he was at the point of death. He 
prayed Quiteria to marry him, "for his 
soul's peace," and as it was deemed a mere 
ceremony, they were married in due form. 
Up then started the wounded man, and 
showed that the stabbing was only a ruse, 
and the blood that of a sheep from the 
slaughter-house. Camacho gracefully ac- 
cepted the defeat, and allowed the prepara- 
tions for the general feast to proceed. 
  Basilius is strong and active, pitches the bar 
admirably, wrestles with amazing dexterity, and 
is an excellent cricketer. He runs like a buck, 
leaps like a wild goat, and plays at skittles like 
a wizard. Then he has a fine voice for singing, 
he touches the guitar so as to make it speak, and 
handles a foil as well as any fencer in Spain.- 
Cervantes, Don Quixote, II. 1i. 4 (1615). 
 
  Basrig or Bagseeg, a Scandinavian 
king, who with Halden or Halfdene (2 syl.) 
king of Denmark, in 871, made a descent 
on Wessex. In this year Ethelred fought 
nine pitched battles with the Danes. The 
first was the battle of Englefield, in Berk- 
shire, lost by the Danes; the next was the 
battle of Reading, won by the Danes; the 
third was the famous battle of Ascesdun 
or Ashdune (now Ashton), lost by the 
 
 
Danes, and in which king Bagsecg was 
slain. 
And Ethelred with them [the Danes] nine sundry 
    fields that fought ... 
Then Reading ye regained, led by that valiant 
    lord, 
Where Basrig ye outbraved, and Halden sword 
    to sword. 
            Drayton, Polyolbion, xii. (1613). 
 
  Next year (871) the Danes for the first time 
entered Wessex. . . . The first place they came 
to was Reading .... Nine great battles, besides 
smaller skirmishes, were fought this year, in 
some of which the English won, and in others 
the Danes. First, alderman 2Ethelwulf fought 
the Danes at Englefield, and beat them. Four 
days after that there was another battle at Read- 
ing . . . where the Danes had the better of it, 
and  Mthelwulf was killed. Four days after- 
wards there was another more famous battle at 
.Escesdun... and king AEthelred fought against 
the two kings, and slew Bagsecg with his own 
hand.-E. A. Freeman, Old English History 
(1869); see Asser, Life of Alfred (ninth cen- 
tury). 
 
  Bassa'nio, the lover of Portia, success- 
ful in his choice of the three caskets, which 
awarded her to him as wife. It was for 
Bassanio that his friend Antonio borrowed 
3000 ducats of the Jew Shylock, on the 
strange condition that if he returned the 
loan within three months no interest 
should be required, but if not, the Jew 
might claim a pound of Antonio's flesh for 
forfeiture.-Shakespeare, Merchant of Ve- 
nice (1598). 
 
  Bas'set (Count), a swindler and forger, 
who assumes the title of " count" to further 
his dishonest practices.-C. Cibber, The 
Provoked Husband (1728). 
 
  Bassia'nus, brother of Satur'nius em- 
peror of Rome, in love with Lavin'ia 
daughter of Titus Andron'icus (properly 
Andronicus). He is stabbed by Deme'trius 
and Chiron, sons of Tam'ora queen of the 
 
 
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BASSIANUS