BRUCE
BRUNN
and afterward returned to Alexandria by way of Senaar and the desert of Assuan. He published so many strange things about the manners and customs of the Abyssinians, that they were not believed at the time; but recent explorations have proved their truth. His Travels to Discover the Sources of the Nile was published in 1790.
Bruce, Robert, the most heroic of the Scottish kings, son of the Earl of Carriek, was born July n, 1274. One of the several claimants to the throne of Scotland, Bruce at first took no part in the struggles of William Wallace to free his country from the English power. At last, however, he joined the final rising against the English king, Edward I, beginning his career by the murder of the Red Comyn, one of his rivals, in a fit of passion, because he suspected, him of betraying their plans. He laid claim to the throne and was crowned king, but for many years he was an outlaw in his own kingdom, taking refuge in the fastnesses of the mountains, and hiding at one time in an island off the coast of Ireland, while he was thought to be dead. The story is told of him that one day, while lying in bed in a wretched hut, he saw a spider trying to spin its web from beam to beam over his head. Six times it tried and failed, just as many times as Bruce had been beaten by the English. " If the spider tries again," l.e thought, "so will I." The spider tried once more, and was at last successful. So Bruce determined to try again. He landed once more in Scotland, won several victories, and the death of the energetic Edward I, and the accession of his unwar-like son gave him a chance to recover his lost ground. He won back one castle after another, and at last the great battle of Bannockburn, which was to decide the liberty of Scotland, was fought June 24, 1314. The Scotch spent the night before the battle in fasting, and in the morning Bruce opened the battle by a single combat with a powerful English knight. His victory fired the hearts of his men, and, although less than a third the number of their enemies, they utterly routed them. Later he attacked the English on their own ground and compelled them to recognize him as lawful king of an independent Scotland. He died in 1329, at the age of 55, of leprosy. James Douglas tried to carry his heart to Jerusalem and bury it there, as King Robert had requested, but was killed in Spain while fighting against the Moors. The heart was brought back to Scotland and buried in the monastery of Melrose. The king's body was buried in the abbey church of Dun-fermline, where his bones were discovered in 1818, when the foundations were being cleared out for a new church. His son, David II, succeeded him.
Bruchesi, The Most Reverend Louis Paul Napoleon, Archbishop of Montreal,
born in Montreal in 1855. Studied theology in Paris and Rome. Ordained in Rome in 1878. Became a professor in Laval University. For years chairman of the Catholic school-board of Montreal. Appointed archbishop in 1897.
Bruges (bru'jez—Fr. bruzk), a city of Belgium, capital of West Flanders, is situated about eight miles from the sea, with which it is connected by three canals. Named from its many bridges, it is famous more for its ancient prominence than for its present prosperity. It dates from the 3rd century, and in the i2th century it was the center of the world's traffic. Commercial agents from seventeen kingdoms resided here, and no less than twenty ministers from foreign courts had mansions within its walls. At this period its population numbered upward of 200,000. Political troubles and religious persecutions subsequently ruined its prosperity. Many of its traders and manufacturers settled in England, and it is only during the present century that its greatness has begun to return. Its population is now about 54,015. It has a number of manufactures of lace, woolens, etc. Among its btiildings is Les Halles, a market, with a famous belfry, 353 feet high, and possessing a chime of forty-eight bells regarded as the finest in Europe. Longfellow's poem has made this belfry well known. The church of Notre Dame has a spire 442 feet high and many valuable paintings, carvings and statues. Caxton, the famous printer, lived thirty-five years in Bruges.
Brumaire (bru'mdr), (meaning, foggy winter month—November), The Eighteenth, in the year VII, according to the calendar of the French Revolution, was a day famous in French history. It corresponds to November 9, 1799. On that day was begun the movement which overthrew the government of the Directory, which had been set up five years before, and made Napoleon Bonaparte first consul and finally emperor of France.
Brunelleschi (broo'nel-lds'ke-), Filippo, (born 1377, died 1446), one of the greatest Italian architects, was a native of Florence. His most famous work is the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiori at Florence. It is the largest dome in the world, and was used by Michael Angelo as a model for that of St. Peter's. He made the designs for the Pitti Palace, which gave rise to the beautiful style of Tuscan palace architecture in the ijth century.
Brunhilde. See NIBELUNGENLIED.
Brunn (brun), a city of the Austrian empire, capital of Moravia, stands at the junction of the Schwarzawa and the Zwit-tawa. Though its appearance is in many respects like an ancient city, yet it has numerous modern improvements. The state theater, opened in 1882, was the first theater
