J. C. Powys' Autobiography: A Reader's Companion - Site POWYS

12 Autobiography
Brunswick Terrace (15, 18) — A terrace on the
Esplanade at Weymouth, where JCP’s paternal
grandmother used to live (see “Penn House”). It
appears in Wood and Stone (575, 702), Wolf
Solent (26, 502), and Weymouth Sands (25, etc.).
“brutish sting” — See “the brutish sting.”
Brutus (122) — One of the conspirators who
assassinated Julius Caesar, best known through
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. See also Dante’s
Inferno (Canto 34).
Bruton (333) — A small town in Somerset, some
fifteen miles northeast of Montacute.
Brympton House (116) — Almost six miles
southeast of Montacute. The owner of Montacute
House in JCP’s time had married a daughter of
the Ponsonbys of Brympton; see an unpublished
letter from JCP to Constance Vulliamy (16 April
1959) in the Fisher Rare Book Library, University
of Toronto.
Buck, Dr. (632) — In fact, R. M. Bucke (1837–1902),
student of mysticism, admirer of Walt Whitman,
and author of Cosmic Consciousness (1901).
Buddha (628, 630, 639) — Popular name for
Sidhartha Gautama (c.553–483 BC), founder of
Buddhism. Buddha means “the Enlightened
One.” So, “Buddhistic” (642).
Budge-Fudge (196) — Clearly a slang term,
probably with a sexual meaning, but not traced.
Bulwer-Lytton (104) — Edward Robert Bulwer-
Lytton (1831–1891), English author, best known for
The Last Days of Pompeii (1834).
“bum-gut” (410) — The expression occurs five
times in Rabelais (Book1), referring to the rectum
or anus, according to the context.
“bundling” (365) — Sleeping in the same bed for
warmth. Sir John Rhys mentions this as an old
Welsh custom (Studies [175]). See also Maiden
Castle (231).
Burdon Hotel (187) — Once an extremely
fashionable hotel on the Esplanade at Weymouth,
mentioned in Wolf Solent (551, where it is
incorrectly spelt “Burden”) and Weymouth Sands
(33). JCP and Phyllis Playter stayed there for one
night—which they did not enjoy—in August 1934;
see The Dorset Year (66). The “Burdon bus” (646)
transferred passengers and/or luggage to and
from the railway-station.
Burpham (175) — Village near Arundel in Sussex
where JCP lived after his marriage (ch.8). For
photos of house and church, see Powys Review
24 (1989), 40, and Powys Journal 4 (1994), 92.
Burton, Thomas (348) — In fact, Robert Burton
(1577–1640), English prose-writer best known for
The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621). “Thomas” is a
slip on JCP’s part.
“But all the same ...” — See “all the same ...”
But not in this soil (386) — From Milton’s Comus
(l.633).
But the lecture fell flat (342) — Not according to
Louis Wilkinson, who described it as “one of the
most eloquent that I ever heard him give” (Welsh
Ambassadors [63]).
Butcher (387) — S. H. Butcher, who translated
Homer’s Odyssey with Andrew Lang (q.v.) in 1879.
This is the translation recommended by JCP in
One Hundred Best Books (19).
“By Gis and by St. Charity” (341) — From
Shakespeare’s Hamlet (IV v 58), also quoted in
Suspended Judgments (209) and In Spite Of (179).
The first part of the line also seems to be quoted
in Owen Glendower (207). In Letters to Ross (13),
it occurs as “by Chrish and by St. Charity.”
Bynner, Witter (648) — American poet (1881–1968)
who sometimes collaborated with A. D. Ficke
(q.v.).
Byron (305, 392, 407) — George Gordon, Lord
Byron (1784–1824), British poet best known for his
romantic lyrics and for his satiric comic epic Don
Juan. “Byron’s Pool” (166) is a popular bathingplace
near Cambridge. JCP wrote an essay on
Byron in Suspended Judgments.
C
Cabell, Mr. (511) — James Branch Cabell
(1879–1958), American novelist best known for
Jurgen (1919).
Cadbury Camp, Cadbury Castle (89, 462) — An
encampment northeast of Montacute, also
mentioned in Wood and Stone (133), where it is
called “the authentic site of the Arthurian
Camelot.”
Cader Idris (189) — A Welsh mountain in modern
Gwynedd.
Cadmus (223) — A legendary Greek hero who,
after slaying a monster, flung its teeth behind
him; from them sprang up armed men.
Caerleon [-upon-Usk] (208, 291) — A place where
King Arthur is said to have held court in southeast
Wales.
Caesar (393, 502) — Julius Caesar (q.v.). So,
“Caesarian” (369).
Caesar Augustus (122) — The first Roman
Emperor (63 to14 BC), Emperor from 27 BC.
Caesar Borgia (284) — More correctly Cesare
Borgia (c.1476–1507), Italian churchman, soldier
and statesman, the model for Machiavelli’s The
Prince despite his dubious political career.
Cagliostro (339, 366, 410, 447, 484, 489, 519; cf.
261) — Alessandro Cagliostro (1743–95), an Italian
impostor who dealt in elixirs and love-potions.
He was also involved in the Diamond Necklace