Ba
The Egyptian conception of the soul, which in the form of a man-headed bird left the body after death and winged its flight to the gods. It returned at intervals to the mummy for the purpose of comforting it and reassuring it concerning immortality. Sometimes it grasps the ankh (q.v.) and the mmf (q.v.) and is occasionally represented as flying down the tomb-shaft to the deceased, or perched on the breast of the mummy. It was sometimes carved on the lid of mummy cases. In the Book of the Dead a chapter promises abundance of food to the Ba, so that the conception does not appear to have been entirely spiritual.
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Baalberith
According to Wierius, a demon of the second order; master of the Infernal Alliance. He is said to be secretary and keeper of the archives of Hell . B
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Baaras
A marvellous plant known to the Arabs as the " Golden Plant," and which is supposed to grow on Mount Libanus, underneath the road which leads to Damascus. It is said to flower in the month of May, after the melting of the snow. At night it can be seen by torchlight, but through the day it is invisible. It was held to be of great assistance to alchemists in the transmutation of metals. It is alluded to by Josephus. (Lib. VIII., Chap. 25.)
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Baba
a Turkish word, signifying , father originating, like our word papa, in the first efforts of children to speak. In Persia and Turkey it is prefixed as a title of honor to the names of ecclesiastics of distinction; it is often affixed in courtesy, also, to the names of other persons, as Ali -Baba. BÁBA BÚDAN (bä-bä bö-dan'), a spur the West Ghats, of Mysore, India, which strikes E. for 15 miles, leaving a narrow opening at its W. end for the passage of the Bhadra , then S. in an unbroken line for 20 miles, inclosing between itself and the main chain of the Ghats a rich, but unhealthy valley. To this spur belong three peaks above 6,000 feet high, among these Mulaina-giri, 6,317 feet, the highest in the West Ghats. Coffee was first planted in India on another part of this spur toward the close of the 17th century, by a Mohammedan saint named Bába Búdan .
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Babau
A species of ogre with which the nurses in the central parts of France used to frighten their charges. He was supposed to devour naughty children in salad. The ending au" suggests a Celtic origin. For example, "Y Mamau," the Welsh for "fairies."
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Babbage
CHARLES, an English mathematician, born near Teignmouth, Devonshire, Dec. 26, 1792; was Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (1828- 1839), and one of the founders, secretaries, and vice-presidents of the Astronomical Soc Society. He is best known as the inventor of a calculating machine. His principal work was "On the Economy of Machinery" (1832), which was translated into several languages. He died in London, Oct. 18, 1871.
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Baber
the cal surname of Zehir-ed-din-Mohammed, historithe conqueror of Hindustan and founder of the so -called Mogul dynasty. Baber was of mixed Turkish and Mongol origin, being descended from Timour the Great on the father's side, and from Genghis Khan on the mother's. Baber was born on Feb. 14, 1483, and at the age on his father's death, ascended the inseof 12, cure throne of Ferghana in Turkestan soon after he was attacked on all sides ; by his uncles and other neighboring princes . Accordingly, at the Baber seized on Samarcand, the capital age of 15, of Timour , but, while thus engaged, a revolution at home deprived him of his sovereignty. After many years of an adventu nturous career, he raised , entered Hindustan, and was met by Ibraan army him, the ruling Sultan of that country. The two armies fought the battle at Paniput, which decided the fate of India, on April 21, 1525. Baber, with of 12,000 men, completely overthrew that his army of Ibrahim , numbering 100,000, and entered Delhi in triumph. In the battle of Sakri, in February, 1527, Baber utterly defeated the princes, and then Padishah, or Emperor After a rule of four years, he died near Agra, Dec. 26, 1530.
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Babes in the Wood
or Children in the Wood, an old English ballad of unknown authorship. The story has been thought to be a disguised account of the alleged murder of his nephews by Richard III. It has been retold many times, both in prose and verse. It appears in a form long popular in S. Baring-Gould's Nursery Songs and Rhymes. Poor babes in the wood, poor babes in the wood, So hard was the fate of the babes in the wood. When a child on the knee, how silent I'd be, While my mother related the story to me. My dear, you must know that a long time ago, Two poor little children whose names I don't know Were stolen away on a fine summer's day, And left in a wood, as I've heard people say. Poor babes in the wood, poor babes in the wood! So hard was the fate of the babes in the wood. And when it was night, so bad was their plight, The sun it went down, and the stars gave no light. They sobbed and they sighed, and they bitterly cried, And the poor little things they lay down and died. Poor babes in the wood, etc. And when they were dead, the robins so red, Brought strawberry leaves, and over them spread. And all the day long, the branches among, They mournfully whistled, and this was their song: Poor babes in the wood, etc.
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Babiagora
Certain lakes of a gloomy nature, which lie between Hungary and Poland, which have figured in various stories of witchcraft. Pools, such as these, are often used for purposes of divination, as by gazing down into clear water the mind is disposed to contemplation, often of a melancholy character. This form of divination is termed " Hydromancy " (q.v.) and is similar to crystal-gazing.
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