Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/584

BER After the revolution of July, Berryer, acting independently of all parties in the chamber, argued frequently, and always with increasing reputation as an orator in favour of popular government, thus laying himself open to suspicions of insincerity, which in the case of a less eminent man would have been fatal to political influence. Events connected with the duchess de Berry's attempt to assert by force the rights of her son to the throne of France, interrupted for a while his parliamentary career. Although properly reputed the chief of the legitimist party in Paris, he protested in presence of the duchess against all insurrectionary measures, and to be rid of the suspicion of having been implicated in those which had already been taken by her advisers, he determined to leave France, and was on his way to Switzerland when he was arrested by order of the government. Triumphantly acquitted on his trial, he resumed his seat in the chamber, and boldly availed himself of his privileges to demand pardon for the duchess. In 1834, called to the defence of two of his colleagues, he argued in favour of the right of deputies to connect themselves with secret societies. The following year the legitimist party, to testify their admiration of the brilliant orator whose talents alone gave them political significance, purchased for him by subscription the estate of Angerville. Always in opposition, he acted as a confederate with Thiers and Guizot, and leader of the opposition when Thiers and Guizot were ministers. After the elevation of Louis Napoleon, he occasionally took part in public affairs, generally in opposition to government. In 1858, he defended Montalembert when prosecuted for publishing his Debate on India in the British House of Commons, and was counsel for Miss Paterson in her suit against the representatives of Jerome Bonaparte in 1861. In the chamber of deputies he spoke, in 1867, in favour of the French intervention in Rome; and his last public act was subscribing to the fund for erecting a monument to Baudin, one of the victims of the coup d'état. He was admitted a member of the Academy in 1852. He died 29th November 1868.—J. S., G.  BERRYER,, a French magistrate, who, according to Duclos, transacted much better the affairs of Madame Pompadour than those of the state, born in 1703, became, in 1747, lieutenant of police in Paris, and in that character busied himself in detecting intrigues against the king's mistress, and in ruining the authors of libels against her character. A rising of the populace caused his dismissal from the post of lieutenant, but he was immediately after named councillor of state. He was latterly keeper of the seals.—J. S., G.  BERRYER,, a French barrister, born at Sainte-Menehould in 1757; died in 1841. An admirable jurist, and an eloquent pleader, his celebrity rests chiefly on his defence of Marshal Ney before the chamber of peers. In that famous case he was assisted by Dupin, and his son Antoine. His "Traité complet du Droit Commercial de terre et de mer, tel qu'il est observé en France, et dans les pays etrangers," is the work of a consummate jurist, skilled in commercial law.  BERSALA,, so Latinized by Erasmus, who speaks of her in terms of the highest eulogy, the daughter and heiress of Wolfard de Borselle, and of Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier, was wife of Philip of Burgundy, the grandson of Duke Philip the Good. Her father's first wife was the daughter of James I. of Scotland. Her family was wealthy and conspicuous. She was a generous patron of pious and learned men. The exact dates of her birth and death are not known.—T. J.  BERTANA,, an Italian poetess, died in 1567. She cultivated letters, and was in correspondence with several poets, especially Vincent Martelli and Annibal Caro. Her poems are in the collections indicated by Mazzuchelli, Scrittor d'Italia.  BERTANI,, a musician, was born at Brescia in 1520, and died in 1600. His first appointment was that of mæstro di capella in his native town; afterwards he held the same office under Alfonso, duke of Ferrara. He was then offered an engagement by the Emperor Rudolf, but preferred an honourable post at Padua, where he was much favoured by the archbishop. He was a fertile composer both for the church and chamber, though comparatively little of his music was printed; of this a set of sonnets for five voices, published at Venice in 1584 is most praised, besides which, there are extant some sets of madrigals and some of his pieces in miscellaneous collections.—G. A. M.  BERTANO,, an Italian poet, born at Venice in the 17th century; author of some tragedies and pastorals.  BERTAUT,, a French litterateur, born at Vesoul, 1782; died 1834. He was a man of brilliant talent, and at the age of eighteen filled the chair of mathematics in the college of Besançon. His work entitled "Le Vrai considéré comme source du bien," is valuable for its remarks on style. <section end="584H" /> <section begin="584I" />BERTAUT,, a French litterateur, born at Paris, 1621; died in the beginning of the eighteenth century. He was younger brother of madam de Motteville, through whose influence he procured an appointment at the court of Louis XIII. In 1669 he published an account of a journey to Spain, a work curious for its remarks on Spanish antiquities.—J. G. <section end="584I" /> <section begin="584J" />BERTAUT,, born in 1552 at Caen in Normandy. He was principal almoner of Queen Catherine de Medici. He was made private secretary and reader to Henry III., and was councillor of state. He was with Henry III. when that prince was assassinated. He was one of the divines engaged in reconciling Henry IV. to the established religion of France, and he had his reward, first in the abbacy of Aulnai, and afterwards in the bishopric of Sèes in Normandy. He died in 1611. The bishop wrote a good many professional books, the names of which are still sometimes mentioned; a translation of parts of St. Ambrose's Tracts on the controversies of his day; sermons on the fasts and festivals of the church, and funeral orations on dead potentates—among others on his patron, Henri Quatre. These things are now forgotten, while some of his verses may be said still to live. The bishop, on his promotion, abandoned all lighter subjects, as unsuitable to his dignified position, and occupied himself, when the poetic spirit was raging, with versifying the psalms. He, however, collected and published the poems of his youth, and among them are some singularly graceful. He also translated the second book of the Æneid. His fines, known by the stanza commencing "Felicité passée," were so much admired, that the Port-Royal fathers printed them in their commentary on Job. They have the more valuable fame of being still popular with many who do not know the name of the author, or that he was a bishop. In a poem on the death of Ronsard are some pleasing passages, in which Bertaut describes his first impulses to poetry. He tells us that at the age of sixteen he was first inspired by his admiration of Ronsard, with the desire of imitating him—that the attempt was too ambitious, and the lighter vein of Des Portes seemed for a while a something more attainable. He soon, however, returned to his first love—and the image of the poet whom he adored, but whom he had not yet seen, was for ever present to his mind. At last they met, and the encouragement given by Ronsard to the young poet influenced him through life. Of his "Œuvres Poetiques," there are two volumes; the second contains his love-poems. Bertaut has been fortunate in a translator. Extracts from his works, with English translations, were published by Cary, the translator of Dante, in the London Magazine, between the years 1821 and 1825, and they were reprinted by his son in 1848. Bertaut was uncle to Française, countess de Motteville, to whom we owe the Memoires pour servir a l'histoire d'Anne d'Autriche.—J. A. D. <section end="584J" /> <section begin="584K" />BERTAUT,, a French historian, born at Autun, at the commencement of the seventeenth century; died 1682. He entered the religious order of Minorites at an early age, and devoted all his leisure to collecting materials for the history of Burgundy. <section end="584K" /> <section begin="584L" />BERTEL or BERTELS,, a Flemish Benedictine, abbot of Echternach, was born in Louvain in 1559, and died in 1607. He wrote "Historia Luxemburgensis," &c. <section end="584L" /> <section begin="584M" />BERTHA, wife of Robert, king of Paris, lived in the last half of the tenth century. She was a daughter of Conrad, king of Burgundy. Her marriage with Robert was dissolved in 998 by a bull of Pope Gregory V., which declared the union incestuous, the parties being related in the fourth degree.—J. S., G. <section end="584M" /> <section begin="584N" />BERTHAULT,, a French monk, professor of rhetoric at Marseilles, and afterwards deacon of the chapter of Chartres, lived about the beginning of the seventeenth century. He wrote "Florus Gallicus, sive rerum a veteribus Gallis bello gestarum Epitome," 1632, and "Florus Francicus," &c., 1630. <section end="584N" /> <section begin="584Zcontin" />BERTHEGÈNE,, baron, a distinguished French general, was born in 1775. He entered the army in 1793, and after passing through the various inferior grades, was made colonel by Napoleon in 1807. He was rewarded for his behaviour at Wagram by being created general of brigade. He acted as adjutant-general of the grenadiers of the guard throughout the <section end="584Zcontin" />