Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/386

BAL BALCANQUAL,, D.D., accompanied James I. to England, and was sent as representative of the church of Scotland to the synod of Dort. He afterwards became dean of Rochester, then of Durham, and died in 1645.  BALDASSARI,, an Italian naturalist, born at Monte-Oliveto Maggiore, occupied the chair of natural history in the university of Sienna, about the middle of the 18th century. His writings are principally on geological subjects, the chief of them being "Osservazioni sopra il sale della Creta," published at Sienna in 1750, in which he first proved chalk to be a salt; a treatise, "Delle acque minerali de Chianciano nel Senese," Sienna, 1756. He also published a work of a theological nature, containing dissertations on the first man, the virtues of the tree of life, the food of the antediluvian men, and the universality of the deluge. This appeared at Venice in 1757. The Transactions of the Academy of Sciences of Sienna contain several memoirs by Baldassari.—W. S. D.  BALDASSERONI,, a Tuscan statesman, born at Livourne in 1790. At first employed in the custom-house of Pisa, he evinced so much talent in the execution of the duties of his office, that in 1845 he was nominated councillor of state, and in 1847 obtained the chief direction of the administration of finance.  BALDASSINI,, an Italian naturalist of the present century. His writings, which consist principally of scattered papers, are devoted to the study of the mollusca; his only independent work, "Considerations upon the mode in which it is supposed that the Lithophagous Mollusca perforate Rocks," was published at Bologna in 1830.  BALDE,, one of the most remarkable of modern Latin poets, was born in Ensisheim, a small town of Alsace, in 1603. He left his native country for Bavaria, where he entered the society of jesuits in 1624. The jesuits, discovering his talents, made him professor of rhetoric, an office which he held for six years. After this he entered a monastery, and had intrusted to him by Maximilian, the elector of Bavaria, the finishing of a history of Bavaria, which had been begun by Andrew Brunner. He gave more attention, however, to his poems than to his history, which he never finished. He died at Nuremberg in 1668. Balde left behind him a very illustrious name; but as his works were exceedingly voluminous, they were soon forgotten, and remained utterly disregarded until Herder took the trouble of wading through his poems, and presenting the best of them to the German world. Since that time he has had a prominent place in German literature. He was one of the most successful imitators of Horace. There have been several editions of his works, including those poems which are half German and half Latin. The best is said to be the edition of Cologne of 1660-64, in four volumes, but it is very rare. In more modern times, selections from his poems have been published, giving the cream of the poet's works, by John Conrad, Orelli, and others.—J. D.  BALDE or BALDÆUS,, a Dutch missionary, chaplain of the states-general on the island of Ceylon, is the author of an interesting Book of travels, entitled "Description of the East Indian Countries of Malabar, Coromandel, Ceylon, &c.," Amsterdam, 1671  BALDELLI,, a learned Italian of Tortona, who lived in the sixteenth century. He is only known by the great quantity of works on various subjects which he has given to the world.  BALDELLI,, born at Cortona in 1766. After extensive travel he was elected president of the academy Della Crusca in 1815. He wrote many works. He was also a man of science. He died April, 1831. <section end="386H" /> <section begin="386I" />BALDERIC or BAUDRY, born about the middle of the eleventh century at Meuse-sur-Loire. This distinguished ecclesiastic, who rose to be bishop of Dol, was at once a historian, a poet, and, for those days, a traveller, and withal a great reformer of the abuses of monasteries. His history of the first crusade is the more valuable, as it was written after the accounts of crusaders who had taken part in the expedition. His biographical history of one of his own friends, Robert d'Arbrïssel, throws light on the manners of the time. He also wrote a history of Philippe I. An account of a tour in England is one of the most curious productions of his pen. He visited Rome frequently, and was present at all the most important councils held during his life, which terminated in 1130.—J. F. C. <section end="386I" /> <section begin="386J" />BALDESCHI,, or, as he was known by his Latinized name,, an eminent scholar, particularly distinguished as a legist, was born at Perugia in 1325. Devoting himself to the study of law, he soon acquired a high reputation in his native city; and his fame spreading throughout Italy, he afterwards visited Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Ferrara, delivering lectures, and expounding the principles of that science. In the year 1380 he was invited to visit Padua, a request with which he complied; after which he appears to have settled at Florence, where he died in 1400. Baldeschi left many works, principally professional, though he did not omit to cultivate lighter literature. He acquired not only fame, but the more substantial fruit of his labour, considerable wealth, a great part of which he spent in works of piety and charity. Pirro says that he was "acri et solido judicio præditum," and he obtained the honourable appellations of "il dottore de'giudici," and "il padre del la practica legale." The atmosphere of Perugia seems to have been peculiarly favourable to the production of lawyers, and the family of Baldeschi, prolific in them, as Mazzuchelli gives notices of over twenty of the name and town who were all more or less distinguished as legists.—J. F. W. <section end="386J" /> <section begin="386K" />BALDI,, an Italian sculptor, native of Sansovino in Tuscany, executed important works in 1584 for the church of Santa Maria della Scala at Sienna.—R. M. <section end="386K" /> <section begin="386L" />BALDI,, born of a noble family at Urbino, on the 6th of June, 1553. He is considered by Tiraboschi, "a man to whom there was scarcely anything unknown in literature and science." A profound mathematician, he has translated various works of Eron Alexandrinus, Ctesibius, Aristotle's treatise on mechanics, and collected in a chronicle, still unpublished, and forming two large volumes, the names of more than two hundred ancient and modern mathematicians, with their lives and works; his manuscripts on archeology, philosophy, history, and philology, are numerous; and Italy deservedly has granted him a conspicuous place amongst her literary celebrities. His "Lexicon Vitruvianum" is a work of great merit. Count Giulio Perticari published in the year 1823 "The Life of Guidobaldo I., Duke of Urbino," written by Baldi. His style, whilst simple and clear, is at the same time full of strength and harmony, and has been compared to that of Guicciardini. He died on the 10th October, 1617.—A. C. M. <section end="386L" /> <section begin="386M" />BALDI,, an Italian historical painter, born at Pistoja in 1623 or 1624, died in Rome in 1703; studied under Pietro da Cortona, whose manner he entirely adopted. He was employed by Pope Alexander VI. to decorate the Quirinal palace. <section end="386M" /> <section begin="386N" />BALDINGER,, a celebrated German physician, was born on 13th May, 1738, at Gross-Vargula, near Erfurt, and died at Marburg, 21st January, 1804. He prosecuted his early classical studies at Gotha and Langensalza, and his medical curriculum at the universities of Erfurt, Halle, and Jena. He graduated as doctor of medicine at Jena in 1760. He at first acted as surgeon in the Prussian army, and in 1768 was elected to the chair of medicine and botany at Jena. In 1773 he occupied a similar chair at Gottingen. He became physician to Frederick II., margrave of Hesse Cassel, and he was intrusted with the reorganization of the university of Marburg. He published various medical and botanical works. Among the latter are works on the study of botany, on the seeds of ferns, on medicinal plants, and a catalogue of the plants in the botanic garden of Jena.—J. H. B. <section end="386N" /> <section begin="386O" />BALDINI,, a Florentine silversmith, fellow-labourer and pupil of Sandro Botticello, whom he equalled in merit. He was also an engraver, having produced several prints, the earliest of which dates from 1477.—R. M. <section end="386O" /> <section begin="386P" />BALDINI,, a Florentine painter, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, was the first teacher of Garofalo. <section end="386P" /> <section begin="386Q" />BALDINI,, an Italian landscape painter of the seventeenth century, was a successful imitator of Salvator Rosa. <section end="386Q" /> <section begin="386R" />BALDINO,, a Bolognese painter, established at Brescia about 1611, was an artist of great imagination, and excelled in architectonic display.—R. M. <section end="386R" /> <section begin="386S" />BALDINUCCI,, a learned Florentine, born in 1624, who undertook, at the instance of Leopold de Medici and Cosmo III., his great work upon the history of celebrated artists. It has been several times republished, and is a standard work. He died on the 1st of January, 1696.—A. C. M. <section end="386S" /> <section begin="386Zcontin" />BALDOCK,, Bishop, was educated at Merton college, Oxford, and became dean of St. Paul's in 1294. In 1304 he was elected bishop of London, but, from an informality <section end="386Zcontin" />