BRATHWAIT

brathwait, richard (1588-1673), english poet, son of thomas brathwait, was born in 1588 at his father's manor of burneshead, near kendal, westmorland. he entered oriel college, oxford, in 1604, and remained there for some years, pursuing the study of poetry and roman history. he removed to cambridge to study law and afterwards to london to the inns of court. thomas brathwait died in 1610, and the son went down to live on the estate he inherited from his father. in 1617 he married frances lawson of nesham, near darlington. on the death of his elder brother, sir thomas brathwait, in 1618, richard became the head of the family, and an important personage in the county, being deputy-lieutenant and justice of the peace. in 1633 his wife died, and in 1639 he married again. his only son by this second marriage, sir stafford brathwait, was killed in a sea-fight against the algerian pirates. richard brathwait's most famous work is _barnabae itinerarium or barnabees journall_ [1638], by "corymbaeus," written in english and latin rhyme. the title-page says it is written for the "travellers' solace" and is to be chanted to the old tune of "barnabe." the story of "drunken barnabee's" four journeys to the north of england contains much amusing topographical information, and its gaiety is unflagging. barnabee rarely visits a town or village without some notice of an excellent inn or a charming hostess, but he hardly deserves the epithet "drunken." at banbury he saw the puritan who has become proverbial, "hanging of his cat on monday for killing of a mouse on sunday." brathwait's identity with "corymbaeus" was first established by joseph haslewood. in his later years he removed to catterick, where he died on the 4th of may 1673. among his other works are: _the golden fleece_ (1611), with a second title-page announcing "sonnets and madrigals," and a treatise on the _art of poesy_, which is not preserved; _the poets willow; or the passionate shepheard_ (1614); _the prodigals teares_ (1614); _the schollers medley, or an intermixt discourse upon historicall and poeticall relations_ (1614), known in later editions as a _survey of history_ (1638, &c.); a collection of epigrams and satires entitled _a strappado for the divell_ (1615), with which was published incongruously _loves labyrinth_ (edited, 1878, by j.w. ebsworth); _natures embassie; or, the wildemans measures; danced naked by twelve satyres_ (1621), thirty satires finding antique parallels for modern vices; with these are bound up _the shepheards tales_ (1621), a collection of pastorals, one section of which was reprinted by sir egerton brydges in 1815; two treatises on manners, _the english gentleman_ (1630) and _the english gentlewoman_ (1631); _anniversaries upon his panarete_ (1634), a poem in memory of his wife; _essaies upon the five senses_ (1620); _the psalmes of david ... and other holy prophets, paraphras'd in english_ (1638); _a comment upon two tales of ... jeffray chaucer_ (1665; edited for the chaucer soc. by c. spurgeon, 1901). thomas hearne, on whose testimony (ms. collections for the year 1713, vol. 47, p. 127) the authorship of the _itinerarium_ chiefly rests, not inappropriately called him "the scribler of those times," and the list just given of his works, published under various pseudonyms, is by no means complete. a full bibliography is given in joseph haslewood's edition of _barnabee's journall_ (ed. w.c. hazlitt, 1876). see also j. corser, _collectanea_ (chetham soc., 1860, &c.). bratianu (or bratiano), ion c. (1821-1891), rumanian statesman, was born at pitesci in walachia on the 2nd of june 1821. he entered the walachian army in 1838, and visited paris in 1841 for purposes of study. returning to walachia, he took part, with his friend c.a. rosetti and other prominent politicians, in the rumanian rebellion of 1848, and acted as prefect of police in the provisional government formed in that year. the restoration of russian and turkish authority shortly afterwards drove him into exile. he took refuge in paris, and endeavoured to influence french opinion in favour of the proposed union and autonomy of the danubian principalities. in 1854, however, he was sentenced to a fine of l120 and three months' imprisonment for sedition, and later confined in a lunatic asylum; but in 1856 he returned home with his brother, dimitrie bratianu, afterwards one of his foremost political opponents. during the reign of prince cuza (1859-1866), bratianu figured prominently as one of the liberal leaders. he assisted in 1866 in the deposition of cuza and the election of prince charles of hohenzollern, under whom he held several ministerial appointments during the next four years. he was arrested for complicity in the revolution of 1870, but soon released. in 1876, aided by c.a. rosetti, he formed a liberal cabinet, which remained in power until 1888. for an account of his work in connexion with the russo-turkish war of 1877, the berlin congress, the establishment of the rumanian kingdom, the revision of the constitution, and other reforms, see rumania. after 1883 bratianu acted as sole leader of the liberals, owing to a quarrel with c.a. rosetti, his friend and political ally for nearly forty years. his long tenure of office, without parallel in rumanian history, rendered bratianu extremely unpopular, and at its close his impeachment appeared inevitable. but any proceedings taken against the minister would have involved charges against the king, who was largely responsible for his policy; and the impeachment was averted by a vote of parliament in february 1890. bratianu died on the 16th of may 1891. besides being the leading statesman of rumania during the critical years 1876-1888, he attained some eminence as a writer. his french political pamphlets, _memoire sur l'empire d'autriche dans la question d'orient_ (1855), _reflexions sur la situation_ (1856), _memoire sur la situation de la moldavie depuis le traite de paris_ (1857), and _la question religieuse en roumanie_ (1866), were all published in paris. for his other writings and speeches see _din scrierile si cuvintarile lui i.c. bratianu_, 1821-1891 (bucharest, 1903, &c.), edited with a biographical introduction by d.a. sturza. a brief anonymous biography, _ion c. bratianu_, appeared at bucharest in 1893. bratlandsdal (i.e. bratland valley), a gorge of southern norway in stavanger _amt_ (county), formed by the bratland river, a powerful torrent issuing into lake suldal. a remarkable road traverses the gorge by means of cuttings and a tunnel, and the scenery is among the most magnificent in norway. it is usually approached from stavanger by way of sand and lake suldal, and the road divides above the gorge, branches running north to odde and south-east through telemarken. the junction of the roads is near breifond, 13 m. above naes at the mouth of the river, on the west shore of lake roldal, which is fed by the snowfield to the west, north and east, and is drained by the bratland river.