Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/102

LEFT BOCCACCIO 80 BODE prison. Here Cranmer was incarcerated, and through it went Ridley and Latimer to meet death by fire in 1555. The term was used generally to denote any prison. BOCCACCIO, GIOVANNI (bo-katch'- yo), an Italian novelist and poet, son of a Florentine merchant, was bom in 1313, in Certaldo, a small town in the valley of the Elsa, 20 miles from Florence. He spent some years unprofitably in lit- erary pursuits and the study of the can- on law, but in the end devoted himself entirely to literature. In 1341 Boccaccio fell in love with Maria, an illegitimate daughter of King Robert of Naples, who returned his passion and is immortalized as Fiammetta in many of his best crea- tions. His first work, a romantic love GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO tale in prose, "Filocopo," was written at her command; as was also the "Teseide," the first heroic epic in the Italian lan- guage, and the first example of the ot- tava rima. In 1341 he returned to Flor- ence at his father's command, and dur- ing a three years' stay produced three important works, "Ameto," "L'amorosa Visione" and "L'amorosa Fiammetta," all of them connected with his mistress in Naples. In 1344 he returned to Na- ples, where Giovanna, the granddaughter of Robert, who had succeeded to the throne, received him with distinction. Between 1344 and 1350 most of the stories of the "Decameron" were com- posed at her desire or at that of Fiam- metta. This work, on which his fame rests, consists of 100 tales represented to have been related in equal portions in 10 days by a party of ladies and gentle- men at a country house near Florence while the plague was raging in that city. On the death of his father, Boccaccio returned to Florence, where he was greatly honored. He was sent to Padua to communicate to Petrarch the tidings of his recall from exile and the restora- tion of his property. From this time an intimate friendship grew up between them. They both contributed greatly to the revival of the study of classical literature. In 1373 he was chosen by the Florentines to occupy the chair which was established for the exposition of Dante's "Divina Commedia." His lectures continued till his death. Among his other works may be mentioned "Fi- lostrato," a narrative poem; "II Nin- fale Fiesolano," a love story; and sev- eral Latin works. The first edition of the "Decameron" appeared without date or place, but is believed to have been printed at Florence in 1469 or 1470. The first edition with a date is that of Valdarfer, Venice, 1471; what is, per- haps, the only existing perfect copy of this was sold in London, in 1812, for £2,260. He died in Certaldo, in 1375. BOCCAGE (bok-azh'), MARIE ANNE FIQUET DTT {nee Le Page), a French poetess, bom in Rouen, Oct. 22, 1710. She published a small volume of verse in 1746; next an imitation of Milton, "Par- adis Terrestre," in 1748; and, in 1756, her most important work, "La Colombiade." Her letters to her sister, written while traveling through England, Holland and Italy, are her most interesting work. During her lifetime she was excessively bepraised by men so great as Voltaire and Fontenelle; but modem readers can- not help thinking that her beauty must have recommended her verses. She was elected a member of many learned acad- emies, and died Aug. 8, 1802. BOCHE, a slang term born of the World War and used by the French, and later by others of the Allies, in referring contemptuously to their German ene- mies. Various explanations have been given of its origin, but the most plau- sible is that it comes from the French word caboche, used familiarly for head, especially a big thick head (slow-pate). It had at times been used by Parisian printers before the war in speaking of their German assistants, because of their reputed slowness of comprehension. The next step was to apply it to Germans in general. BOCK BEEB, a kind of strong beer, the first drawn from the vats in the spring when the winter's brew of lager beer is broached. BODE, JOHANN ELEBT, a German astronomer, born in Hamburg, Jan. 19,