Braga

See Bragi. Bragança (brä-gän ́sä), or Braganza (brä-gän'zä). A town in the district of Bragança, province of Traz-os-Montes, northern Portugal, in lat. 41° 50′ N., long. 6° 45′ W. It gives name to the house of Bragança. It contains a castle, a splendid medieval fortre , in great part ruinous, with an isolated cen. tral keep inacce ible except by a flying-bridge. Bragança, or Braganza, House of. The reigning family of Portugal and, until 1889, of Brazil. In 1385 the Portuguese crown was seized by João, bastard of Pedro the First, and his illegitimate son Al fon so was created duke of Bragança in 1442. In 1640 a duke of this house headed the revolution by which Portugal was separated from Spain: he a umed the crown as João IV., and it has been retained by the family, though with some changes in the line, until the present time. Pedro I. of Brazil was son of João VI., and heir to the Portuguese throne; Pedro II. of Brazil was his son; and a daughter became queen of Portugal in 1834. Braganza. See Bragança . Bragelonne (bräzh'e-lon), Le Vicomte de, ou Dix ans après (The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or Ten Years After). A novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is the third part of the trilogy of which "Les Trois Mousquetaires" ("The Three Musketeers") was the first, and "Vingt ans après" ("Twenty Years After") the second. Bragg (brag), Braxton. Born in Warren County, N. C., 1817: died at Galveston, Texas, Sept. 27, 1876. An American officer, distinguished in the Mexican war, and a general in the Confederate service. He invaded Kentucky in 1862; commanded at Murfreesboro 1862-63, and at Chick am aug a and Chattanooga in 1863. IMG:content-0266.png:[blocks in formation] or Asia, probably the ancient Dyardanes or Lake Manisa honthies (Brahmaputra) is sometimes given to the stream formed by the main river, the Dihong, with the Dibong and Brahmakunda. It sends part of its water to the Ganges, and forms with the Ganges a vast delta at the head of the brugarh, about 800 miles. bay of Bengal. Length, 1,800 miles. Navigable to Di ( Tsan - pu , etc.); A am Dihong . It near at Knudstrup, in Scania, Sweden, Dec. 14 (O. S.), 1546: died at Prague, Bohemia, Oct. 24 (N. S.), 1601. A celebrated Danish astronomer. mark, an observatory, the Uranienborg, completed 1580, He built, under the patronage of Frederick II. of Den on the island of Hven; and, entering the service of the emperor Rudolph II., settled at Prague in 1599. He discovered a new star in Ca iopeia in 1572, discovered the variation of the moon and the fourth inequality of Brahma sabha (bräh"ma-sa'bhä), or Brahmi- the motion of the moon, and is said never to have been the Copernican system. Brahma Brahma (brama), Brahman (brä'man). [The ed by the Hindu religious and social reformer Sanskrit has a neuter word brahman (nom- i native brahma), and a masculine brahmán Brahmasamaj (bräh-ma-sa-mäj'); in Bengal, (nominative brahma ); from the root brh , 'be Brahmosomaj (brähmo-so-mäj'). "The so- thick, great, strong, causative 'make great, strengthen.'] 1. The neuter word brahman means: (a) Devotion. (b) A sacred formula; especially, a spell. Hence the designation Brahmaveda for the collection usually known as the Atharvaveda. (c) The Brah man (neuter), the highest object of theosophy, God thought of as impersonal, the Absolute. (d) The cla that are po e ors and fosterers of sacred knowledge theologians, Brahmans. 2. The masculine word brahman (nominative brahma ) means: (a) A prayer, worshiper, and then a prayer by profe ion, a priest, a Brahman; also one who knows the sacred formulæ or spells, or sacred knowledge in general. (b) He who knows sacred science in the narrower sense; the chief priest, who conducts the sacrifice and is obliged to know the three Vedas. (c) A particular priest, the a istant of the Brahman in the soma sacrifice. (d) Brahma, i. e., the neuter Brahman conceived as a person, etc. Brahma is a product of theological abstraction, not a god of popular origin. He is not known in the older books. In many pa ages the word that the native commentators regard as masculine is to be taken as neuter. Brahmanism has no Creator in the Christian sense. The personal god Brahma (masculine), who is called "the Creator," is himself evolved out of the impersonal, self-existent Being, Brahma (neuter). The personal Brahma then becomes the Evolver of the Universe, while Vishnu is a ociated with him as its maintainer, and Shiva as its destroyer. These three gods constitute the well-known Hindu Triad (Trimurti). There are believed to be only two temples of Brahma in India: one at Pushkara (Pokhar), the other about 15 miles from Idar. The reason lies in the fact that the functions of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are interchangeable, and that both Vishnu and Shiva may be identified with Brahma, or be worshiped as Brahma. The image at Pushkara has four black faces, each of which is supposed to be directed toward one of the four quarters of the compa . In fact three look at the observers, each having two great gla eyes. The four-faced head is covered by a broad red turban, and over that hang umbrella-shaped ornaments. The image is dre ed in red clothes. Brahmagupta (bräh-ma-göp'ta). A Hindu astronomer whose date, according to Albiruni, is A. D. 664. Albiruni gives a notice of his recast of an earlier Brahmasiddhanta. To him also belongs, ac cording to the same ne author, a work named "Ahargana," corrupted by the Arabs into Arkand . This Arkand, the Sindhends (i. e. the five Siddhantas), and the system of Arjabahr (Aryabhata) were the works which were principally studied and in part translated by the Arabs in the 8th and 9th centuries. Brahman a (bräh'ma-na). [Skt. brahman a , apparently 'relating to the brahman or worship.'] Dicta on matters of faith and worship; especially "a Brahman a," as designation of one of a cla of Vedic writings which contain these dicta. Their object is to connect the songs and sacrifi cial formulæ of the Vedas with the rites. They contain the oldest rituals, linguistic explanations, traditional narratives, and philosophical speculations we have. They originated from the opinions of individual sages, imparted by oral tradition, and preserved as well as supplemented in their families and by their disciples. A comparatively large number of Brahman as is extant, being each annexed to a particular Veda, as well as to a sort of jealousy among the families in which the study of the different Vedas was hereditarily transmitted. The Brahman as of the Rigveda treat especially of the duties of the Hotri, who recites the verses; those of the Yajur veda to the sacrifices by the Adhvaryu; and those of the Samaveda to the chanting by the Udgatri. The Bra hUp an is hads. manas embrace also the treatises called Aranyakas and Brahma purana (bräh"ma-pö-rä'na). In Sanskrit literature, one of the eighteen Puranas: so called as revealed by Brahma to Daksha. This Purana is sometimes placed first, and therefore called Adipurana. Its main object appears to be the promotion of the worship of Krishna. It describes the creation, the Man van taras or the life or period of a Manu, the history of the solar and lunar dynasties to the time of Krishna, Ori a with its temples groves, the life of Krishna, and the mode of Yoga or contemplative devotion. It was not compiled earlier than the 13th or 14th century. Brahmandapurana (bräh-män da-pö-ra'na). In Sanskrit literature, one of the eighteen Puranas: so called as revealed by Brahma, and containing an account of "the egg of Brahma," the mundane egg, and the future Kalpas or days of Brahn ciety of believers in God": the later name of the Brahma sabha of Rammohun Roy. It was joined in 1841 by Debendranath Tagore, who undertook the task of organizing it with properly appointed officers and teachers, a settled form of worship, and a fixed standard of faith and practice. This was completed by the end of 1843. The year 1844 may be given as the date of the real commencement of the first organized theistic church of India. Its history has been marked by various schisms, but it has exercised a powerful influence against idolatry and greatly promoted social reform. Brahmins (brä'minz), also Brahmans (brä'manz). Hindus of the highest or priestly caste. See Brahma . Brahms (brämz), Johannes. Born at Hamburg, May 7, 1833: died at Vienna, April 3, 1897. A noted German composer of choral and chamber music, and pianist. He went to Vienna in 1862, where he directed the famous concerts of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde," and filled other similar positions. His numbered works in 1887 were 102; his most representative compositions are his symphonies. Among his other works are "Deutsches Requiem" (1868), "Schicksalslied," "Triumph lied," etc. Braid (brad), James. Born in Fifes hire, Scotland, about 1795: died at Manchester, England, March 25, 1860. A British medical writer, especially noted for his investigation of hypnotism (named by him originally "neurohypnotism"). Braila (brä-ē'lä), or Braïlov (brä-e-lov'), or Ibraïl (ē-brä-ēl'). A city in Wall a chia, Rumania, situated on the Danube in lat. 45° 17′ N., long. 27° 55′ E. It was formerly a fortre . It was taken by the Ru ians in 1770 and in 1828. Population, 46,715. Brainard (bra'närd), John Gardiner Calkins. Born at New London, Conn., Oct. 21, 1796: died there, Sept. 26, 1828. An American poet and journalist. He was editor of the "Connecticut Mirror" (1822-27). He published a volume of poems (1825), a second enlarged edition of which appeared (1832), with a sketch of the author by John G. Whittier, under the title of "Literary Remains." Braine-l'Alleud, or Braine-la-Leude (brānla-lėd'), Flem. Eigen-Brakel. A manufacturing town in the province of Brabant, Belgium, 12 miles south of Bru els. It was the scene of part of the operations of the battle of Waterloo. Population (1890), 7,296. Braine-le-Comte (brān-lė-kônt'), Flem. 's Graven Brakel. A town in the province of Hainaut, Belgium, 14 miles northeast of Mons. Population (1890), 8,790. Brainerd (bra'nerd), David. Born at Haddam, Conn., April 20, 1718: died at North amp ton, Ma ., Oct. 9, 1747. An American mi ionary among the Indians. His biography was written by Jonathan Edwards (1749: enlarged edition 1822). Brain tree (brān'trē). A town in E ex, England, 11 miles northeast of Chelmsford. Population (1891), 5,303. Brain tree. A town in Norfolk County, Ma achusetts, 10 miles south of Boston. Population (1900), 5,981. Brain worm (brān'werm). In Ben Jonson's "Every Man in his Humour," a servant of old Knowell, witty and shrewd, whose various disguises contribute to the perplexities and elaboration of the plot. Brake (brä'ke). A town of Oldenburg, Germany, until 1888 a free port, situated on the Weser 22 miles northwest of Bremen. Braklond (brak'lond), Long and Little. Two ancient streets in St. Edmundsbury, England. See Jocelin de Brakelonde . Bramah (bra'ma), Joseph. Born at Stain borough, Yorkshire, England, April 2, 1749: died at Pimlico, Dec. 9, 1814. An English mechanician and engineer. He patented the Bramah lock in 1784, and the hydraulic pre in 1796. Bramante Bramante (brä-män'te), Donato d'Angnolo. Born at Monti Asdrualdo, near Urbino, about 1444: died March 11, 1514. A celebrated Italian architect. He studied painting before architec ture. About 1472 he established himself in Milan, and lived in northern Italy the greater part of his life. He abandoned Milan for Rome in 1499, and became the great est master of the Roman style growing up about the antique ruins. His works in Rome are: autoritardinal Raffaello Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV., his first work in Rome. The columns in the famous courtyard were taken from the old Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso, and were originally taken from the Portico of Pompey. (6) The Tempietto (1502). (c) Palazzo Giraud-Torlonia (1503). (d) The cloisters of Santa Maria dell a Pace (1504). He was employed by Popes Alexander VI. and Julius II. His works at the Vatican were the long gallery connecting the old palace with the Belvedere, the court of the Loggia finished by Raphael, containing the frescos of Raphael, and the first plan of St. Peter's. (See St. Peter's .) Bramante's design has been considered by Michelangelo and all architectural critics as the best of the many which were made for this church. It was a Greek cro with a dome and two spires, and instead of the single great order of the interior employed two orders superimposed as in the Ospidali Maggiori. The first stone was laid on April 18, 1506. As a military engineer Bramante a isted Julius II. in the sieges of Bologna and Mirandola, and built the fine old fort at Cività Vecchia near Rome. Brambanan (bräm-bänän). A village in southern Java, 10 miles east of Djokjo-kart a, noted for ruins of temples. Bramble (bram'bl), Frederick. The nephew of Sir Robert in Colman's play “The Poor Gentleman." He is generous, enthusiastic, and the preserver of Emily. He insults her abductor "with all the civility imaginable." Bramble, Matthew. In Smollett's novel "Humphrey Clinker," a hot-tempered, kindhearted, gouty squire, whose opinions are supposed to represent Smollett's. Bramble, Sir Robert. In Colman's play "The Poor Gentleman," a character of the same stamp as Matthew Bramble. Bramble, Tabitha. The sister of Matthew Bramble, a prying and ugly old maid, "exceedingly starched, vain and ridiculous," who finally insnares "the immortal Lismahago." Bramhall (bram'hal), John. Born at Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, 1594: died in Ireland, June, 1663. An English prelate in Ireland, and controversialist. He became bishop of Derry in 1634; was impeached by the Irish House of Commons, March 4, 1641, and arrested on the charge of compli city in the alleged treason of Str afford; was liberated, without acquittal, through the exertions of U her with the king, 1641; retired to Hamburg after the battle of Marston Moor, 1644; became archbishop of Armagh 1661; and in the same year became speaker of the Irish House of Lords. He induced the Church of Ireland to embrace the Thirty-nine Articles, and disputed with Hobbes on liberty and nece ity. Brampton (bramp'ton), Lady. A character in Steele's play "The Funeral." Bran. The name of Fingal's dog. Bran, surnamed "The Ble ed." A knight whose history is given in Taliesin's poem "Myvyrian." He discovered a wonderful and mystic ve el which was adorned like the San Graal and had traditions resembling it. Brancaleone (brän-kä-lā-ō'ne), Dandolo. Died at Rome, 1258. An Italian statesman of Bolognese origin, elected by the people podestà, or senator, of Rome in 1253, with the power of enforcing justice, and the command of the military forces. He repre ed the nobles and forced the Pope (Innocent IV.) to recognize the power of the people, but he exercised his power with such severity that he was driven from the city. Two years later, however, he was recalled. Branchidæ (brang'ki-dē). [Gr. Βραγχίδαι , descendants of Branch us ( Βράγχος ), and the name of their seat near Miletus, Asia Minor.] In ancient geography, a small town in Sogdiana, said to have been built by the priests of Apollo Didymæus near Miletus: it was destroyed by Alexander the Great. Temple of Apollo Didymæus , a very ancient sanctuary rebuilt at a late date on so great a by 362 feet, Ionic, decastyle, dipteral, with twenty-one colseale that it was never finished. The temple was in plan 168 umns on each flank, and four between antæ in the pronaos. The columns are 63 feet high. A sacred way, bordered with archaic seated statues, the best of which are now in the British Museum, led from the sea-shore to the temple.