Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/451

BAT BATTIFERRI,, born at Urbino in 1525. A poetess of some renown. She was married to the famous sculptor, Ammanati, and wrote a work in one volume in 4to, entitled "Il Primo libro delle Opere Toscane." The seven penitential psalms translated by her in Italian distichs, have been reprinted several times. She died in the year 1589.—A. C. M.  BATTISHILL,, a musician, was the son of an attorney, and born in 1738. At the age of nine he was placed in the choir of St. Paul's cathedral, and received the rudiments of his musical education from Mr. Savage, at that time master of the children. After leaving the choir, he was engaged as composer to Sadler's Wells theatre, where he produced several popular ballads. He was next engaged to preside at the harpsichord at Covent Garden theatre; and not long afterwards was appointed organist, first, of the united parishes of St. Clement, Eastcheap, and St. Martin Orgar; and subsequently of Christ Church, Newgate Street. In conjunction with Michael Arne, he wrote the music to an opera entitled "Alcmena," the subject of which was taken from the history of Persia. It was performed at Drury Lane in 1764, and, excellent as the music was, the managers found it necessary, from the general insipidity of the drama, to lay it aside, after it had been performed five times. This piece was succeeded by the "Rites of Hecate," a musical drama, in which he afforded farther proofs of his superior talents.

The glees and rounds of this composer are well known to every lover of English vocal music. In 1770 he obtained the gold medal given by the noblemen's catch club, at the Thatched-house, St. James' Street, for his beautiful glee, "Underneath this myrtle shade." In 1776 he published, by subscription, two collections of three and four part songs.

Soon after his engagement at Covent Garden theatre, Battishill married Miss Davies, one of the principal vocal performers at that theatre. She died in 1775; and from this period he dissipated much of his time in convivial parties, and so far gave way to excess as gradually to undermine his constitution. He died in his apartments at Islington on the 10th of December, 1801; and, according to his dying request, was interred near Dr. Boyce, in the vaults of St. Paul's cathedral.

Battishill's music is marked with a peculiar strength of idea and clearness of construction. Four of his anthems—"Call to remembrance," "How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord?" "I will magnify thee, O Lord," and "Deliver us, O Lord our God"—are printed in Page's Harmonica Sacra; several others exist in MS. They are excellent; particularly the full anthem for seven voices, "Call to remembrance," which is a perfect model for this species of composition. It is full of that touching expression for which all Battishill's music of every class is remarkable.—E. F. R.  BATTISTA, of Ferrara, an Italian man of letters, lived about 1494. Author of a "History of Christianity;" "Chronicles of Ferrara," &c.  BATTISTA,, or BATTISTA, , from the surname of his master, Francesco Torbido, was a Veronese painter, who, during the second half of the sixteenth century, executed a great number of pictures for the churches of his native town, and for the palaces of Venice and Murano.—R. M.  BATTISTA,, a Latin poet, surnamed , born at Mantua about 1436; died in 1516. He is mentioned in terms of the highest commendation by Erasmus in one of his letters. The complete works of Battista were published at Paris, in 3 folio volumes, in 1513.  BATTLEY,, son of John Battley, born about 1770; educated at Wakefield grammar school, and subsequently for the medical profession. In London he became acquainted with John Cunningham Saunders, whom he assisted in founding the London Eye Infirmary. He afterwards entered the navy as assistant-surgeon, but soon returned to London; and about 1812 commenced business as a pharmaceutical chemist in Fore Street. He died at Reigate, March 4, 1856.—T. F.  BATTONI,, a painter, born at Lucca in 1708, died at Rome in 1786, is considered, and with great justice, as the first Italian artist who attempted to free his art from the excesses of mannerism in which in had fallen during the seventeenth century. The pupil of indifferent artists of his native place, it was only when in Rome that he was enabled to educate his taste to the purity of form and design which he ultimately adopted. His works are remarkable for a general gracefulness of composition, for the variety of types and accurate rendering of the different expressions. His colour, though not vigorous, is always brilliant, clear, and harmonious; the touch bold and steady, and, at the same time, admirably softened down; the design, if not profound, always pure. He displayed a great versatility in all subjects, and excelled in portraits. His Madonnas, in their noble gracefulness, after the distorted representations of the period that preceded him, look quite refreshing. Having been endowed with peculiar facility of execution, his works are very numerous, and it is difficult to quote amongst them. No important collection exists but some one of Battoni's literally charming pictures is to be found in it.—R. M.  BATTUS. Four kings of Cyrene, of the dynasty of the Battiadæ, bore this name—

I., born in the island of Thera. About the year 630 . He founded the colony of Cyrene, which he governed for forty years.

II., surnamed, lived about the year 570 . During his reign the colony was greatly increased by accessions of numbers from Greece. He also extended his dominions by the addition of a part of the country which he conquered from the Libyans.

III. lived about the year 544. He commenced his reign at a time when the Greeks had been roused to a love of liberty by the abuse of monarchical power; and seeing his subjects desirous of limiting his authority, found himself, after some show of resistance, compelled to restrict his prerogative.

IV., surnamed, lived about the second half of the fifth century before the Christian era. No details of his reign have reached our times.—G. M. <section end="451H" /> <section begin="451I" />BATU-KHAN, sovereign of Kaptschak, died in 1254 or 1255. He was son of Toushi, and grandson of Jenghiz-Khan, and succeeded his father, who died before Jenghiz in 1233. His dominions comprehended all the Mogul conquests to the west of the Caspian Sea. After lending his assistance to the grand Khan Oktai in the conquest of China, he overran and subjugated Russia, which remained under the dominion of the khans of Kaptschak for 250 years. In 1241, and subsequent years, he overran and wasted Poland and Hungary. He left three sons, but was succeeded in his dominions by his brother Barkah.—G. M. <section end="451I" /> <section begin="451J" />BATZ,, baron de, a French general, born 26th December, 1760; died 10th January, 1822. At the time of the outbreak of the Revolution he was grand seneschal of the duchy of Albret, and in 1789 the nobility of Nerac elected him deputy to the states-general, in which he occupied himself chiefly in matters of finance. He was a faithful adherent of Louis XVI. and exposed himself to imminent danger by his endeavours to save the royal family. On the 21st January, 1793, he attempted to carry off the king as he was being conducted to the scaffold. He next concocted a plan to liberate Louis XVII., Marie-Antoinette, and the princesses from the Temple, and subsequently to deliver the queen from the Conciergerie. His schemes, though well-concerted, all proved abortive, and although they were well known to the authorities, and he never quitted Paris during the whole period of the Reign of Terror, yet he managed to elude the vigilance of the police. During the reign of Napoleon he remained in France unmolested; and after the Restoration, his loyalty was rewarded by his being appointed a marechal-de-camp, an honour which he did not seem to value, as he spent the remainder of his days in retirement.—G. M. <section end="451J" /> <section begin="451K" />BATZONI INTZE,, a learned Hungarian, died 1735. He was professor of theology at Clausenburg, and author of a work on Polytheism. <section end="451K" /> <section begin="451L" />BAUDART,, a protestant theologian of Flanders, who executed, in conjunction with two other divines, by request of the synod of Dordrecht, a translation of the Old Testament, was born at Deinse in 1564, and died at Zutphen in 1640. He published also "Polemographia Auraico-Belgica," 1657. <section end="451L" /> <section begin="451Zcontin" />BAUDE,, an old French poet, born at Moulins about 1430. While yet a youth, he attracted the favourable notice of the king, Charles VII. The more famous Clement Marot is accused of having borrowed from Bande without acknowledgment. Upon the advent of Charles VIII., he caused to be represented a satirical play, called "A Morality," which gave offence to the court; representing the royal power under the figure of a fountain of living water, intended to represent the purity of the king's intentions, he showed how it was obstructed at its source by weeds, roots, stones, and filth. As the author spoke out with cutting plainness, the public was delighted; but the courtiers were so enraged that they had the poet thrown into <section end="451Zcontin" />