pnugues/EB7 huggingface dataset:
BETHARAN, in Ancient Geography, a town of the Peraea, or on the other side Jordan. It is said to have been called Livias or Libias, in the Greek manner, by Herod, in honour of Livia (Eusebius, Jerome); it wa≡ *y the same latitude with Jerusalem (Ptolemy); and it is called Julias by Josephus, who always denominates the Livia of Augustus Julia.
BETHAVEN, in Ancient Geography, a town in the tribe of Ephraim, and a name given to Bethel by Hosea after the establishment of the idolatry of Jeroboam there, but Bethaven was a distinct town to the south-east o Bethel.
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BETHEL, in Ancient Geography, a city of Samaria, on the borders of the tribe of Benjamin, anciently called Luz. Bethel was properly the place of Jacob’s vision; and Luz, or Lus, an adjoining town, afterwards called Bethel, the former name being lost in that of Bethel. It was twelve miles to the north-east of Jerusalem.
BETHESDA, called in the Greek κoλu∕A⅛>1^α πgoCa- <r∕xtj, and thence in the Vulgate piscina, probatica, was the Hebrew name for a pool or public bath, which had five portico, piazzas, or covered walks, around it. This bath, on account of its singular usefulness, was called Bethesda, γ∏dπ n*3, or Beth-Chesda, or the “House of Mercy,” probably because the erection of baths was an act of great kindness to the common people, the preservation of whose health, in hot countries, required frequent bathing. Some, however, will have the word Bethesda to be rrrox n + Eeth-asda, the “sink-house,” or “drain,” because the waters which came from the temple, and the place where the victims were washed, flowed thither. From the Greek word κoλυ l αC^gα being used by Josephus to denote the baths at Jericho, Dr Macknight, in his Harmony of the Gospels, concludes against the opinion of those who affirm that this pool served for washing the sheep designed for sacrifice before they were driven into the temple, and for cleansing the entrails of the beasts sacrificed there; and, besides, he thinks it inconsistent with the situation of Bethesda, near the sheep-gate or market in the south-east wall of the city. With regard to the precise nature of the miracle performed here, there has been considerable diversity of opinion. Dr Mill contends that the text of the evangelist has been interpolated, and proposes to omit a verse not to be found in the Cambridge manuscript, which originally belonged to Beza. Dr Macknight strenuously opposes this unceremonious method of interpretation; and while he maintains the integrity of the text, shows that Dr Mill’s expedient leaves the difficulty which had staggered him exactly where it was. Grotius thinks that the angel is said to have descended, not because he was ever seen to do so, but because the Jews were persuaded that God brought such things to pass by the ministration of angels. And Dr Hammond supposes that the waters became medicinal by being impregnated with a healing warmth from the blood and entrails of the beasts offered in sacrifice that were washed there; and that the aγγt∖ος, “angel,” or “messenger,” mentioned in the text, is not to be understood of those celestial beings who are usually distinguished by that name, but only of a common messenger or servant of the priest, who at a proper season was sent by him to trouble the pool.
BETHLEHEM, a town of Palestine, famous as the birth-place of our Saviour. It was once a flourishing place, but is now only a paltry village. It is situated on an eminence two leagues south-east of Jerusalem, in a country full of hills and valleys, and might be rendered very agreeable, as the soil is fertile, and fruits, vines, and olives are produced in abundance. Several antique remains are found at this place; but most of them have been built by the Turks into their mosques.
BETHLEHEMITES, or Bethlemites, in Ecclesiastical History, a s0r t 0 f m onks introduced into England in the year 1257, habited like the Dominicans, except that on their breast they wore a star with five rays, in memory °f the star or comet which appeared over Bethlehem at the nativity of our Saviour. They were celled at Cambridge, and had only one house in England.
BETHORON, Upper and Nether, in Ancient Geogra- P^ĬJì a town of Samaria, in the tribe of Ephraim, built by bhera, grand-daughter of Ephraim, and restored by Solomon. We know more of the nether than of the upper town; 1 t was situated on a mountain, and stood on the public road to Lydda and Caesarea, distant an hundred stadia, or twelve miles, from Jerusalem.
BETH-PEOR, in Ancient Geography, a town of the Reubenites, on the other side Jordan, at Mount Fogor, over against Jericho, six miles above Livias. It had a temple sacred to the idol Baal-Peor, called Beel-Phegor by the Vulgate, and interpreted Priapus by Jerome.
BETHPHAGE, in Ancient Geography, a place on the western declivity of Mount Olivet. -
BETHSAIDA is supposed to be identical with Betii-aramphtha, to which the reader is accordingly referred.
BETHSAN, or Bethsean, in Ancient Geography, a town of Samaria, in the half-tribe of Manassch, on the borders of Galilee, about half a league'from Jordan, and having a considerable part: of its territory in the Peraea. It was afterwards called Scythopolis; and was distant from Tiberias, on the lake Genesareth, 120 stadia, or fifteen miles; and from Jerusalem b00 stadia, or seventy-five miles. It was the largest city of the Decapolis.
BETHUNE, Maximilian de, Duke of Sully. See SULLY, Maximilian de Bethune, Duke of. Bethune, an arrondissement of the department of the Pas de Calais, in France, extending over 346 square miles, comprehending ’ eight cantons and 144 communes, and containing 119,850 inhabitants. The capital city, of the same name, is on the Brette, and is strongly fortified. It contains 1042 houses, and 6046 inhabitants, who trade in oil, linen, and cheese. Long. 1. 50. E. Lat. 5u. 51. N.
BETIS, governor of Gaza under Darius, celebrated for his valour and loyalty. He defended a place of consequence with a few men against Alexander, who was there wounded in the shoulder, Betis thinking the Macedonian slain, returned triumphantly to the city; but in a second assault he was wounded and brought before Alexander, who cruelly ordered him to be put to death.
BETLIS, a town of Armenia, in Kurdistan, situated in a fine and highly-cultivated valley, producing fruit, grain, and honey. Here the Armenians have four churches and as many monasteries, and they enjoy more courteous treatment than usually falls to their lot in Mahommedan countries. The houses are scattered over the valley, through which runs an extremely narrow road. The castle is situated on an eminence, so steep on all sides that it is only accessible by a road winding round it. Betlis is an ancient city, founded, according to the Armenians, by Alexander the Great. The population of the town and neighbourhood is computed at 26.000 Kurds, Turks, Armenians, and Syrians. Long. 42. 31. E. Lat. 37. 45. N.
BETROTHMENT, a mutual promise or compact between two parties for a future marriage. Betrothment amounts to what is called by civilians and canonists sponsalia, or espousals.
BETTIAH, a district of Hindostan, in the province of Bahar, situated between the 27 th and 28th degrees of north latitude. It contains an area of 2546 square miles, and is bounded on the north by the Terriani, on the east by Moc-wanny and Tirhoot, and on the west by the river Gunduck. The chief towns are Bettiah and Boggah, and the principal river the Gunduck, the banks of which, and the district generally, are covered with large timber trees for ship-building and for masts. A considerable portion o the country is uncultivated, and still remains covered with wood. The town of Bettiah is 90 miles N. N. W. from Patna. Long. 84. 40. E. Lat. 26. 47. N.
BETTOORIAH, a district in the province of Bengal, situated principally between the 24th and 25th degrees of north latitude, now comprehended, with its capital Nat-tore, in the larger division of Raujeshy. It is fertile, and well adapted for the cultivation of rice; being watered bythe Ganges, which is the principal river, and being besides intersected in all directions by smaller rivers, watercourses, and internal lakes, which in the height of the rains join and form one sheet of water.
BETULEIUS, Sixtus, a grammarian, Latin poet, and philosopher, born at Memmingen in the year 1500. His real name was Birck. He taught the belles lettres and philosophy with reputation, and became principal of the college of Augsburg, where he died on the 16th of June 1554. He published several works in prose; and dramatic pieces entitled Joseph, Susannah, and Judith.
BETWAH, a river of Hindostan, in the province of Malwah, which, from its source south of Bopal to its confluence with the Jumna, runs a course of 340 miles in a north-easterly direction.
BEUTELSPACH, a town in the circle of Jaxt, of the kingdom of Wirtemburg. It stands on the river Beutel, and is remarkable as containing the ancient monastery and church, in which are buried the old family of Wirtemburg. It contains 1789 inhabitants, whose labour is chiefly applied to produce wine, which is highly esteemed.
BEUTHEN, a circle in the Prussian government of Oppeln, in Silesia, extending over 306 square miles, or 195,840 acres, containing two cities, one market-town, and sixty-eight villages, with 4851 houses, and 36,439 inhabitants. Though hilly, it is a fertile district, with the exception of some sandy portions. The capital of the district, of the same name, is on a small river that runs into the Oder, and has considerable fabrics of linen and woollen cloth, and some earthenware. It contains three churches for Catholics, 349 dwelling-houses, and 2426 inhabitants.
BEVEL, among masons, carpenters, &c. a kind of square, one leg whereof is frequently crooked, according to the sweep of an arch or vault. It is movable on a centre, and so may be set to any angle.

lÌRVEr-Arigle, any angle excepting those of 45° or 90°.
BEVELAND, North and South, the name of two Zealand islands, formed by the divided branches of the Scheldt. North Beveland is about six miles in length by four in breadth. It lies to the east of the island of Walcheren, and is separated from South Beveland by the island Wolfersdyke. The inundation of 1532 completely ruined it. For many years it remained immersed in water, and was only again formed into an island by the gradual deposits of the sea. South Beveland is twenty-four miles long by from five to eight broad. It contains the town of Goes, and several forts and villages. An active trade in corn is carried on here, and the place is considered one of the most agreeable of the Zealand islands.
BEVELLING, in ship-building, the art of hewing a timber with a proper and regular curve, according to a mould which is laid on one side of its surface. In order to hew any piece of timber to its proper bevel, says a writer on ship-building, it will be necessary, first, to make one side fair and out of winding; a term used to signify that the side of a timber should be a plane. If this side be uppermost, and placed horizontally, or upon a level, it is plain, if the timber is to be hewed square, it may be done by a plummet and line; but if the timber is not hewed square, the line will not touch both the upper and lower edge of the piece; or if a square be applied to it, there will be wood wanting either at the upper or lower side. This is called within or without a square. When the wood is deficient at the under side, it is called under-bevelling; and when it is deficient on the upper side, it is called standing-bevelling; and this deficiency will be more or less according to the depth of the piece: so that, before the proper bevellings of the timbers are found, it will be sometimes very convenient to assign the breadth of the timbers; nay, in most cases it will be absolutely necessary, especially afore and abaft; though the breadth of two timbers, or the timber and room, whic includes the two timbers and the space between them> may be taken without any sensible error, as far as t e square body goes. For as one line represents the mou ing side of two timbers, the foreside of the one being sup posed to unite with the aft-side of the other, the two nW be considered as one entire piece of timber.
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BEVERAGE, in a general sense, signifies a drink; and hence nectar is said to be the beverage of the gods. In writers of the middle ages, beverage, beveragium, or bibe-rαgiurn, denotes money given to an artificer or other person, to drink, over and above his hire or wages.
BEVERIDGE, William, a learned English bishop in the beginning of the eighteenth century, was born in the year 1638, and educated in St John’s College, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself very early by his extensive learning, and particularly by his knowledge of the oriental languages. Upon the deprivation of Dr Thomas Ken, bishop of Bath and Wells, for not taking the oaths to the government in 1691, he refused the offer of that see, although he was then chaplain to King William and Queen Mary. In 1704 he was consecrated to the bishopric of St Asaph, and in his high function he discharged his duty in so exemplary a manner, that he approved himself a truly primitive prelate. He died at his lodgings in the Cloisters in Westminster Abbey in 1707, aged sixty-nine. As his whole life was spent in acts of piety and charity, so he gave remarkable instances of both at his death, leaving the bulk of his estate for the propagation of the gospe; and the promotion of Christian knowledge, at home as well as abroad. His Private Thoughts upon a Christian Life is a very popular, though in some points a very exceptionable, book. He wrote several other works on various subjects, particularly on the oriental tongues.
BEVERLAND, Hadrian, a man of considerable genius, who flourished in the end of the seventeenth century, but prostituted his powers in the study and composition of books of a very obnoxious kind. He was a perfect master of Ovid, Catullus, Petronius, and authors of that stamp. In his infamous book on original sin, he maintained that Adam’s sin consisted in his commerce with his wife, and that original sin is nothing more than the inclination of the sexes to each other. This insane abomination was justly condemned to undergo cremation under the auspices of the hangman. Beverland led a scandalous life, but seems to have repented of his evil manners and lewd writings; for towards the end of his life he published a treatise De Fornicatione Cavenda, in which there are some indications of a better spirit. He is said to have died mad; a natural catastrophe of such opinions and such conduct.
BEVERLEY, a market and borough-town in the east riding of the county of York, 182 miles from London, on the river Hull. It has a considerable trade in malt and corn at its markets, which are held on Wednesday and Saturday. It has two churches; that of St John, or the Minster, founded by King Athelstane, being of a collegiate kind, and a fine building. It returns two members to the House of Commons, who are chosen by a numerous body of resident and non-resident freemen, from which cause much money is usually expended at the elections. The number of inhabitants amounted in 1801 to 6100, in 1811 to 6235, and in 1821 to 7503.

Beverley, a sea-port of Massachusetts in North America, separated from Salem by a bridge. It is twenty miles north-east of Boston. Long. 70. 50. W. Lat. 42. 31. N.

Beverley, John of, in Latin Joannes Beverlacius, archbishop of York in the eighth century, was descended of a noble family at Harpham, in Northumberland, and was justly esteemed one of the best scholars of his time. He "' as first a monk, and afterwards abbot of the monastery °f St Hilda; when his merit recommended him to the favour of Alfred, king of Northumberland, who, in the year 685, advanced him to the see of Hagustald or Hexham, and, in 687, translated him to the archbishopric of York. 1his prelate was tutor to the famous Bede, and lived in the strictest friendship with Acca and other Anglo-Saxon doctors, several of whom he engaged to write comments on the Holy Scriptures. In 704 he founded a college at Beverley for secular priests; and after he had governed the see of York thirty-four years, being wearied with the tumults and confusions which then prevailed in the church, he divested himself of his episcopal character, and retired to Beverley, where he died four years after, on the 7th of May 721. Bede and other monkish writers ascribe several miracles to him. This prelate wrote some pieces, which are mentioned by Bale and Pitts, namely, 1. Pro Luce exponenda; 2. Homiliae in Evangelica; 3. Epistolae ad Hildam Abbatissam; Epistolae ad Herebaldum, Ande-num, et Bertinum.
BEVERUNGEN, a town of Germany, in the diocese of Paderborn, seated at the confluence of the rivers Beve and Weser, in long. 9. 30. E. lat. 51. 40. N.
BEVILE, in Heraldry, a thing broken, or opening like a carpenter’s rule.
BEVIN, Elway, a musician eminently skilled in the knowledge of practical composition, who flourished towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. He was of Welsh extraction, and had been educated under Tallis, upon whose recommendation he was in 1589 sworn in gentleman extraordinary of the chapel; but from this situation he was expelled in 1637, it being discovered that he adhered to the Romish communion. He was also organist of Bristol cathedral, but forfeited that employment at the same time with his place in the chapel. He composed several services, and a few anthems.
BEWDLEY, a market and borough-town in the parish of Ribbesford and hundred of Doddingtree, in the county of Worcester, 132 miles from London, and situated o‘n the river Severn. It is a trading town of some consideration, and has a good market on Saturday. In the centre of the bridge is a wooden erection, which serves the double purpose of a toll-house and a corporation prison. It is governed by a mayor and twelve aldermen, and returns one member to parliament, chosen by the corporation under the influ-of Mr Roberts. The inhabitants amounted in 1801 to 3671, in 1811 to 3454,’and in 1821 to 3725.
BEWITS, in falconry, pieces of leather, to which a hawk’s bells are fastened, and buttoned to his legs.
BEY, among the Turks, signifies a governor of a country or town.
BEYAH, a river of Hindostan, which rises in the province of Lahore, near the mountains of Cashmere, and not far from the source of the Sutledge, which it afterwards joins. It pursues for the first 200 miles of its course a southerly direction, after which it turns to the west. The whole length of its course may be estimated at 350 miles. This is the fourth river of the Punjab, and is the Hyphasis of Alexander.
BEYHAR, a town of Bengal, and capital of Cooch Behar, on the Toresha river. It was taken in 1661 by the Mahommedans, who destroyed a number of the Hindoo temples, and changed its name. Long. 89. 22. E. Lat. 26. 18. N.
BEYRAMICH, a city of Asia Minor, the capital of the district called Troas, which belongs to the pasha of the Dardanelles. It is an extensive place, and the houses are better built and more regularly disposed than in Constantinople. Many antiquities are to be seen in this place and the vicinity; amongst which are several sarcophagi, consisting of entire blocks of granite, converted to ordinary purposes in the street. It is distant about sixty miles from the Dardanelles.
BEYRA or Beira, a province of the kingdom of Portugal, bounded on the north by Tras os Montes, on the east by the Spanish province of Estremadura, on the south by Alentejo and Portuguese Estremadura, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It extends over 7710 square miles, and contains 1,129,200 inhabitants. It is chiefly a mountainous district, some of its highest points reaching to 7000 or 8000 feet. The Duero is the main river, which receives the waters of the smaller streams in their way to the ocean. Agriculture is in a neglected state, and, before the general introduction of potatoes, required an annual importation of foreign corn. The chief employment is the cultivation of vines, oranges, and chestnuts.
BEYS, Giles, a celebrated printer at Paris, in the sixteenth century, who first introduced the consonants j and v.
BEZIERS, an arrondissement in the department of Hérault, in France. It extends over 260 square miles, and contains twelve cantons, ninety-seven communes, and 107,804 inhabitants. The capital, a city of the same name, considered one of the most beautiful spots in the kingdom, is elevated along the banks of the Orke. It contains a population of 14,360 persons, employed chiefly in the silk trade, and in cultivating vines, almonds, olives, and the other fruits of a southern climate. Long. 3. 6. 45. E. Lat. 43. 20. 4L N.
BEZOAR. This name, which is derived from a Persian word implying an antidote to poison, was given to a con? cretion found in the stomach of an animal of the goat kind, and once very highly valued for this imaginary quality; and hence it has been extended to all concretions found in the intestines of animals. Of these there are several kinds; first, superphosphate of lime, which forms concretions in the intestines of many mammalia; secondly, phosphate of ammonia and magnesia, a concretion of a gray or brown colour, composed of radiations from a centre, and found in the intestines of herbivorous animals, such as the elephant, the horse, &c.; thirdly, biliary concretions, of a reddish brown colour, and frequently met with in the intestines and gall bladders of oxen. This kind is composed of inspissated bile, and is used by painters as an orangeyellow pigment. Besides the above, they also occur hairy, resinous, and ligniform.
BEZOARDIC, an appellation given to whatever partakes of the nature of bezoar; also compound medicines of which bezoar forms an ingredient.
BHADRINATH, a town and celebrated temple in Hindostan, in the province of Serinaghur, situated on the west bank of the Alcanunda river, in the middle of a valley nearly four miles in length and one in breadth. The town is small, containing only twenty or thirty huts, in which reside the Brahmins and the attendants on the temple, which is considered a place of high sanctity. The building, however, by no means corresponds to its great celebrity. It is about forty or fifty feet in height, built in the foιm of a cone, with a small cupola, on the top of which is a gilt ball and spire. I he image is of the human form, of black stone, and about three feet in height. It is called Bhadruath; the Lord of Purity, and is resorted to by pil grims from all parts of India. The concourse of persons is said to be 50,000 annually, all of whom make their offerings at the shrine; besides which it is said to possess 700 villages. The temple has been shattered by anearth-^ quake, which has left it in a ruinous condition. This place is situated among mountains elevated 22,000 feet above the level of the sea, and in May 1808 the road to it was still encumbered by masses of snow. Long. 79 38. E. Lat. 30. 43. N. "
BHAGMUTTY, a river of Hindostan, which rises in a mountain near Catman doo, and enters the valley of Nepaul. At a short distance below Catmandoo it is joined by the Bishenutty, and loses its name. It falls into the Ganges a few miles below Monghir, after a course of 400 miles.
BHATGAN, or Bhatgong, a town of Northern Hindostan, in the valley of Nepaul, and a celebrated place of Hindoo superstition. It is the favourite residence of the Brahmins of Nepaul, and contains many more families of that order than either Catmandoo or Patu. It contains 12,000 houses, and its palace and the buildings in general are of a more striking appearance than those in the other. Nepaulese towns, owing chiefly to the excellent quality of the bricks. The town is said to contain many valuable Sanscrit libraries. Long. 85. 45. E. Lat. 27. 32. N.
BHATTIA, a town of Hindostan, in the western extremity of Gujerat, near Oaka. It contains 500 houses, chiefly inhabited by Aheens, an industrious and useful class of peasantry, who, from being shepherds, have of late years applied themselves to the cultivation of land.