a. He wrote a series of thirteen legends of holy
maidens and women. These are written chiefly in seven-and eight-lined
stanzas, and nine of them are preceded by prologues. Bokenam was a
follower of Chaucer and Lydgate, and doubtless had in mind Chaucer's
_Legend of Good Women_. His chief, but by no means his only, source was
the _Legenda Aurea_ of Jacobus de Voragine, archbishop of Genoa, whom he
cites as "Januence." The first of the legends, _Vita Scae Margaretae,
virginis et martiris_, was written for his friend, Thomas Burgh, a
Cambridge monk; others are dedicated to pious ladies who desired the
history of their name-saints. The Arundel MS. 327 (British Museum) is a
unique copy of Bokenam's work; it was finished, according to the
concluding note, in 1447, and presented by the scribe, Thomas Burgh, to
a convent unnamed "that the nuns may remember him and his sister, Dame
Betrice Burgh." The poems were edited (1835) for the Roxburghe Club with
the title _Lyvys of Seyntys_ ..., and by Dr Carl Horstmann as _Osbern
Bokenams Legenden_ (Heilbronn, 1883), in E. Kolbing's _Altengl.
Bibliothek_, vol. i. Both editions include a dialogue written in Latin
and English taken from Dugdale's _Monasticon Anglicanum_ (ed. 1846, vol.
vi. p. 1600); "this dialogue betwixt a Secular asking and a Frere
answerynge at the grave of Dame Johan of Acres shewith the lyneal
descent of the lordis of the honoure of Clare fro ... MCCXLVIII to ...
MCCCLVI". Bokenam wrote, as he tells us, plainly, in the Suffolk speech.
He explains his lack of decoration on the plea that the finest flowers
had been already plucked by Chaucer, Gower and Lydgate.

BOKHARA, or BUKHARA (the common central Asian pronunciation is Bukhara),
a state of central Asia, under the protection of Russia. It lies on the
right bank of the middle Oxus, between 37 deg. and 41 deg. N., and
between 62 deg. and 72 deg. E., and is bounded by the Russian
governments of Syr-darya, Samarkand and Ferghana on the N., the Pamirs
on the E., Afghanistan on the S., and the Transcaspian territory and
Khiva on the W. Its south-eastern frontier on the Pamirs is undetermined
except where it touches the Russian dominions. Including the khanates of
Karateghin and Darvaz the area is about 85,000 sq. m. The western
portion of the state is a plain watered by the Zarafshan and by
countless irrigation canals drawn from it. It has in the east the
Karnap-chul steppe, covered with grass in early summer, and i