BRACCIOLINI, Francis, an Italian poet, a native of Pistoja, and the friend of Pope Urban VIII. was born about the year 1566. Removing to Florence, he was admitted into the academy there, and devoted himself to literature. At Rome he entered into the service of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, with whom he afterwards went to France. After the death of Clement VIII. he returned to his own country, and for some years prosecuted his studies in retirement. When his patron Barberini was elected pope, under the name of Urban VIII., Bracciolini repaired to Rome, where he was well received, and made secretary to the pope’s brother, Cardinal Antonio. He had also the honour conferred on him of taking a surname from the arms of the Barberini family, which were bees; and he was afterwards known by the name of Bracciolini delľApi. He resided in Rome during the whole of Urban’s pontificate, frequenting the most illustrious academies, and listened to with general applause, but, at the same time, censured for his sordid avarice. On the death of this pontiff he returned to his native city, where he died in the year 1645. Bracciolini, was a copious writer. There is scarcely any species of poetry, epic, dramatic, pastoral, lyric, or burlesque, which he did not attempt. He is principally noted for his mock-heroic poem entitled Sclιerno degli Dei, which disputes priority of date with Tassoni’s Sccchia Rapita. In merit, indeed, its inferiority is acknowledged, yet it obtained considerable applause. Of his serious heroic poems, the most celebrated is the Croce Racquistata, which by some is placed next to the great works of Ariosto and Tasso, sed magno intervallo. He celebrated the elevation of his patron Urban VIII. in a poem of twenty-three books, which shows with what facility he could write verses. His dramatic pastoral, entitled E Amoroso Sdcgno, is accounted one of the best productions of the age in which it was written; and some of his tragedies met with much applause, particularly his Evandro. The following is a pretty correct list of his acknowledged works: 1. La Croce Raquistata, poema eroico, canti XV. Paris, Rueles, 1605, 8vo; 2. Lo Scherno degli Dei, poema eroico-giocoso, canti xiii. Florence, 1618,4to; 3. L’Elezione di Papa Urbano VIII. Rome, 1628, 4to; 4. La Rocella espugnata, Rome, 1630, 12mo; 5. La Bul-gheria Convertita, poema eroico in xx. canti, Rome, 1637, 12mo; 6. L’Evandro, l’Arpalice, la Pentesilea, tragedies, Rome, 1612, 1613, and 1615, 8vo; 7. L’Amoroso Sdegnο, favola Pastorale, Venice, 1597; 8. Ero e Leandro, favola Marittima congli intermed; Apparenti, Rome, 1630,12mo; and II Monserrato, a drama, Rome, 1629,12mo. The titles of his other and less considerable performances may be found in Mazzuchelli.

Brace is commonly taken for a couple or pair, and applied by huntsmen to several kinds of game, as a brace of bucks, foxes, hares, grouse, and the like.

Brace, in writing or printing, a crooked line inclosing a passage, as in a triplet.

Braces, in the sea-language, are ropes belonging to all the yards of a ship except the mizen, two on each yard, reeved through blocks that are fastened to pennants, seized to the yard-arms. Their use is either to square or traverse the yards. Hence t<rbrace the yard is to bring it to either side. All braces come aftward on. Thus the main brace comes to the poop; the main-top-sail brace comes to the mizen-top, and thence to the main shrouds; the fore and fore-top-sail braces come down by the main and main-top-sail stays; and so of the rest. But the mizen-bowline serves to brace to the yard, and the cross-jack braces are brought forwards to the main-shrouds, when the ship sails close on a wind.