James IV (1486-1513). He entered the university of Glasgow at an early age, and, after finishing his studies in belles-lettres and philosophy, applied himself specially to mathematics and kindred sciences, in which he acquired remarkable proficiency. He then travelled through the Low Countries, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Germany, and finally settled in Paris, where for several years he taught mathematics with great success. He returned to Scotland in 1562. On the way thither, according to Sir James Melville (Memoirs (Ballantyne Club), p. 203), he met Sir Robert Melville (Sir James's brother), and predicted to him as the result of his study of 'hich seyences' that there would be 'at length captivity and utter wreck ' for Mary at the Queen of England's hands, and also that the kingdom of England would at length fall of right to the crown of Scotland, but at the cost of many bloody battles, at which the Spaniards would be helpers, 'taking a part to themselves for their labours, quhilk they will be laith to leave again.' The latter part of this prediction was so belied by events as totally to discredit the astrological claims which might have obtained feasible support by the fulfilment of the earlier part, although Mary's ruin could easily have been foreseen by many other persons. Bassantin, it may be added, was a keen politician, and a supporter of the regent Murray. He is said not to have been skilled in any language except his mother tongue and French. He wrote his books in the latter language, which he spoke with difficulty, and wrote very ungrammatically; but although the Latin, Greek, and Arabic books on astronomy were shut to him, and he thus depended for his knowledge in a great degree on his own observation, he had the reputation of being one of the chief astronomers of his time. His planetary system was, however, that of Ptolemy. He died in 1568. His principal work is his 'Astronomique Discours,' Lyons, 1557, a Latin translation of which, under the title 'Astronomia Jacobi Bassantini Scoti, opus absolutissimum,' was published at Geneva in 1559 by John Tornœsius, who, in an epistle addressed to Frederick IV, count palatine of the Rhine, gives a very eulogistic account of the author. In 1555 Bassantin published at Lyons a corrected edition of the work of Jacques Focard, 'Paraphrase de l'Astrolabe,' to which he added 'Une Amplification de l'usage de l'Astrolabe.' This work, is erroneously referred to in all accounts of Bassantin as wholly his own. Another edition by Dominique Jacquinot appeared in 1598. Bassantin also wrote 'Super Mathematica Genethlinca,' or 'Calculs des Horoscops:' 'Arithmetica;' 'Musique selon Platon;' and 'De Mathesi in genere,' but probably these were never published, as their date is not given in any bibliographical work.
[Dempster's Hist. Eccl. Gent. Scot. (1627), pp. 107-8; Tanners Bibl. Brit. 79; Mackenzie's Scottish Writers, iii. 81-99; Biog. Brit. (Kippis), i. 675-7; Melville's Memoirs, ut supra; Nouvelle Biographia Génèrale, iv. 696-7; Hutton's Math. Dict. i. 216; Edinburgh Advocates' Library Catalogue; Brit. Mus. Cat.]
BASSE or BAS, WILLIAM (d. 1653?), poet, is described by Anthony à Wood in 1638 as 'of Moreton, near Thame, in Oxfordshire, sometime a retainer to [Sir Richard Wenman, afterwards] the Lord Wenman of Thame Park' (Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), iv. 222). From the references made in Basse's poems to Francis, Lord Norreys (afterwards Earl of Berkshire), it has been inferred that the poet was at one time also attached to his household at Ricot or Rycote, Oxfordshire.
In 1602 two poems by 'William Bas' were published in London. The one was entitled 'Sword and Buckler, or Serving Man's Defence;' the other 'Three Pastoral Elegies of Anander, Anetor, and Muridella.' Of the former, which the author describes as his first production, a unique perfect copy is in the Bodleian Library; it was reprinted in J. P. Collier's 'Illustrations of Early English Popular Literature,' vol. ii., in 1864. The only copy known of the latter is in Winchester College library. In 1613 an elegy on Henry, prince of Wales, called 'Great Brittaines; Sunnes-set, bewailed with a Shower of Teares, by William Basse,' was issued by Joseph Barnes at Oxford. It was dedicated by the author 'to his honourable master, Sir Richard Wenman, knight,' and was reproduced at Oxford by W. H. Allnutt from the perfect copy at the Bodleian in 1872. No other volume of Basse's poems was printed in his lifetime, but two manuscript collections, prepared for the press, are still extant. Of these one bears the title of 'Polyhymnia,' and has never been printed. The only copy of it now known belonged to Richard Heber, and afterwards to Thomas Corser; on the fly-leaf is the autograph of Francis, Lord Norreys, to whom the opening verses are addressed, and to whose sister, Bridget, countess of Lindsey, the collection is dedicated. Another manuscript of 'Polyhymnia,' described by Cole in his manuscript 'Athenæ Cantab.' and now lost, differed materially from the Corser manuscript. The second collection left by Basse in manuscript is now the property of
