, the patron saint of boys (fourth
century).

(There was also an ancient custom of choosing a boy from the cathedral
choir on St. Nicholas' Day (December 6) as a mock bishop. This boy
possessed certain privileges, and if he died during the year was
buried _in pontificalibus_. The custom was abolished by Henry VIII. In
Salisbury Cathedral visitors are shown a small sarcophagus, which the
verger says was made for a boy bishop.)

BOY BLUE _(Little)_ is the subject of a poem in Eugene Field's _Little
Book of Western Verse_.

The little toy-dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy-soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy-dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face. (1889.)

BOY CRUCIFIED. It is said that some time during the dark ages, a boy
named Werner was impiously crucified at Bacharach, on the Rhine, by
the Jews. A little chapel erected to the memory of this boy stands on
the walls of the town, close to the river. Hugh of Lincoln and William
of Norwich are instances of a similar story.

See how its currents gleam and shine ...
As if the grapes were stained with the blood
Of the innocent boy who, some years back,
Was taken and crucified by the Jews
In that ancient town of Bacharach.

Longfellow, _The Golden Legend_.

BOYET', one of the lords attending on the princess of
France.--Shakespeare, _Love's Labor's Lost_ (1594).

BOYTHORN (_Laurence_), a robust gentleman with the voice of a
Stentor; a friend of Mr. Jarndyce. He would utter the most ferocious
sentiments, while at the same time he fondled a pet canary on his
finger. Once on a time he had been in love with Miss Barbary, lady
Dedlock's sister. But "the good old times--all times when old are
good--were gone."--C. Dickens, _Bleak House_ (1853).

("Laurence Boythorn" is a caricature of W. S. Landor; as "Harold
Skimpole," in the same story, is drawn from Leigh Hunt.)

BOZ, Charles Dickens. It was the nickname of a pet brother dubbed
_Moses_, in honor of "Moses Primrose" in the _Vicar of Wakefield_.
Children called the name _Bozes_, which got shortened into _Boz_
(1812-1870).

BOZZY, James Boswell, the gossipy biog