BEOWULF 
 
 
ceived its name from Beowulf, who deliv- 
ered Hrothgar king of Denmark from the 
monster Grendel. This Grendel was half 
monster and half man, and night after 
night stole into the king's palace called 
Heorot, and slew sometimes as many as 
thirty of the sleepers at a time. Beowulf 
put himself at the head of a mixed band 
of warriors, went against the monster and 
slew it. This epic is very Ossianic in 
style, is full of beauties, and is most inter- 
esting.-Kemble's Translation. 
  (A. D. Wackerbarth published in 1849 a 
metrical translation of this Anglo-Saxon 
poem, of considerable merit.) 
 
  Beppo. Byron's Beppo is the husband 
of Laura, a Venetian lady. He was taken 
captive in Troy, turned Turk, joined a 
band of pirates, grew rich, and after several 
years returned to his native land. He 
found his wife at a carnival ball with a 
cavaliero, made himself known to her, and 
they lived together again as man and wife. 
(Beppo is a contraction of Guiseppe, as Joe 
is of Joseph, 1820.) 
  Beppo, in Fra Diavolo, an opera by Auber 
(1836). 
 
  Beralde (2 syl.), brother of Argan the 
malade imaginaire. He tells Argan that 
his doctors will confess this much, that the 
cure of a patient is a very minor consider- 
ation with them, " toute l'excellence de leur 
art consiste en un pompeux galimatias, en 
un specieux babil, qui vous donne des mots 
pour des raisons, et des promesses pour 
des effets." Again he says, "presque tous 
les hommes meurent de leur rem~des et non 
pas de leurs maladies." He then proves 
that Argan's wife is a mere hypocrite, while 
his daughter is a true-hearted, loving girl; 
and he makes the invalid join in the danc- 
ing and singing provided for his cure.- 
Moli6re, Le Malade Imaginaire (1673). 
 
 
  Berch'ta (" the white lady "1), a fairy of 
southern Germany, answering to Hulda 
(" the gracious lady") of northern Ger- 
many. After the introduction of Chris- 
tianity, Berchta lost her first estate and 
lapsed into a bogie. 
  Berecynthian Goddess (The). CybMl 
is so called from mount Berecyntus, in 
Phrygia, where she was held in especial 
adoration. She is represented as crowned 
with turrets, and holding keys in her hand. 
             Her helmed head 
 Rose like the Berecynthian goddess crowned 
 With towers. 
           Southey, Roderick, etc., ii. (1814). 
 
  Berecyn'thian Hero (The), Midas king 
of Phyrgia, so called from mount Berecyn'- 
tus (4 syl.), in Phrygia. 
 
  Berenga'ria, queen-consort of Richard 
Cceur de Lion, introduced in The Talisman, 
a novel by sir W. Scott (1825). Berenga- 
ria died 1230. 
 
  Berenger (Sir Raymond), an old Nor- 
man warrior, living at the castle of Garde 
Doloureuse. 
  The lady Eveline, sir Raymond's daugh- 
ter, betrothed to sir Hugo de Lacy. Sir 
Hugo cancels his own betrothal in fa- 
vor of his nephew (sir Damian de Lacy), 
who marries the lady Eveline, "the be- 
trothed."-Sir W. Scott, The Betrothed 
(time, Henry II.). 
 
  Bereni'ee (4 syl.), sister-wife of Ptolemy 
III. She vowed to sacrifice her hair to 
the gods if her husband returned home the 
vanquisher of Asia. On his return, she 
suspended her hair in the temple of the 
war-god, but it was stolen the first night, 
and Conon of Samos told the king that 
the winds had carried it to heaven, where 
it still forms the seven stars near the tail 
of Leo, called Coma Berenices. 
 
 
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BERENICE