B E N
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BEN
were the Extremes of the longer Diameter, now become thofe of the fhorter. Thus the Circumference of the Bell undergoes alternate Changes of Figure, and by means thereof gives that tremulous Motion to the Air wherein Sound confifts. See Sound. e u r* m
yi.tPcrrault maintains, that the Sound of the lame Sell, or Chord, is a Compound of the Sounds of the feveral Parts thereof ; fo that where the Parts are homogeneous, and the Dimenfions of the Figure uniform, there is fuch 2. perfect Mixture of all thefe Sounds, as conftitutes one uni- form, fmooth, even Sound; and the contrary Circum- ftances produce Harflinefs. This he proves from the Bell's differing in Tune according to the Part you ftrikc ; and yet ftrike it any where, there is a Motion of all the Parts, He therefore confiders Sells as compofed of an in- finite Number of Rings, which, according to their diffe- rent Dimenfions, have different Tones, as Chords of diffe- rent Length have : And when {truck, the Vibrations of the Parts immediately ftruck, determine the Tone 5 being fup-
?orted by a furficicnt Number of confonant Tones in other arts. See Tune.
BELLOWS, a Machine ufed to give a brisk Agitation to the Air, by enlarging and contracting its Capacity by Turns. Bellows are of various Kinds, as Domejtick Bel- lows, Enamcllers Bellows, Smiths Bellows. See Forge. The Bellows of an Organ are fix Foot long, and four broad; each having an Aperture of four Inches, that the Valve may play eafily. There fhould likewife be a Valve at the Nofe of the Bellows, that one mayn't take the Air from the other. To blow an Organ of 16 Feet there are required four Pair of Bellows. There are fome Bellows triangular, which only move on one Side. Others call'd Laut horn-Bellows, from their refembling a Paper Lanthorn : Thefe move each way, and yet ftill con- tinue parallel to each other. The Hcffian Bcllows^ are a Contrivance for driving Air into aMine for the Refpiration of the Miners. This M. Tapin improved, changing its Cylindrical Form into a Spiral one ; and with this, working it only with his Foot, he could make a Wind to raife two Pound Weight. See the 'Rhilof. TranfaB.
BELOMANCY, a kind of Divination by Arrows; (from $i\%-, an Arrow, and ^vWia, Divination^) practifed in the Eafi, but chiefly among the Arabians. 'Twas performed in different manners : One was to mark a Parcel of Arrows, and put eleven, or more of 'cm, into a Sack ; thefe were afterwards drawn out, and according as they were mark'd, or not, they judged of future Events. Another way was to have but three Arrows, upon one of which was wrote, God orders it me ; upon another, God forbids it me ; and upon the third was wrote nothing at all. Thefe were put into a Quiver, out of which they drew one of the three at random ; if it happen'd to be that with the firft Infcription, the Thing they confultcd about was done ; if it chanced to be that with the fecond Infcription, 'twas let alone; but if it proved that without an Infcription, they draw'd over again. This was an antient Practice, and probably that which Ezekiel mentions, ch. xxi. 2 r. At leaft St. Jerome un- derstands it fo, and obferves that the Practice was frequent among the Affyrians or 'Babylonians. Something like it is alio mentioned inHoJea,ch.iv. only thatRods are there men- tioned inftead of 'Arrows, which is rather Rhabdomancy than Belomancy. Grotius, as well as Jerome, confounds the two together, and fhews that it prevail'd much among theMagi, Chaldeans and Scythians ; whence it pafled to the Sclavs- nians, and thence to the Germans, whom Tacitus obferves to make ufe of it. See Rhabdomancy.
BELTS, in Aftronomy, twoFafcice, or Girdles, obferv'd in Jupiter's Body, more lucid than the reft, and termina- ted by Parallel Lines, being fometimes broader and fome- times narrower; nor do they conftantly take up the fame Places in his Disk. Huygens obferved a Belt in Mars in 1656, much broader than thofe of Jupiter, and poffefiing the middle Part of his Disk, but very obfeure. See Ju- piter, eifc.
BEN, or Behcn, a Name given to a Medicinal Root, rank'd among the Cardiacs and Counter-Poifons ; and to an Oil exprefs'd from this Root, ufed by Perfumers, £fc. The Root of Ben is divided into white and red: The firft is infipid, leaving only a little Bitternefs behind it on the Tongue; the red is fibrous, brown without, and reddifh within. They are both brought from Syria, and have the fame Virtues, being fubitituted for each other; they muft bc chofen dry, and are of an aromatick, aftringent Tafte.
BENCHERS in an Inn of Court, the Seniors of the Houfe, who have the Government and Direction thereof; and out of whom is yearly chofen a Treafurer, &c.
BEND, in Heraldry, one of the eight ho- nourable Ordinaries ; containing a fifth when uncharged, but when charged a third part of the Efcutcheon : It is made by two Lines drawn thwartways from the Dexter-Chief to the Sinifter-Bafe Point ; thus he beareth Or, a fiend gable. A. §eni is. fuMivided into, a
Benlct which is the fixth part of the Shield, a GaYtet which is the Moiety of a Bend, a Gofi which is the fourth part of a Bend, and a Ribbon which is the Moiety of a Cojl. There is alfo aBend-Siniflcr, which is drawn from the Siniflcr Chief c Point to the Dcxter-Bafc, and this is fubdivided into the Scrape, or Scarp, and the Battoon^ which latter is the fourth part of the Bend. This Battoon is the moil ufual Mark of Illegitimacy 5 but then it never extends itfelf quite athwart the Shield, but is cut off" a little at each End : When two ftreight Lines drawn within the Bend run nearly parallel to the outward Edges of it, that is called Voiding ; and he that bears it, is faid to bear a Bend voided thus : He beareth Ermine, a Bend voided Gules.
Bend: At Sea they fay bend the Cable, when it is to be made faft to the Ring of the Anchor ; and to bend two Ca- bles, is the fame as to tie them together. To unbend the Cable, is to loofen it from the Ring of the Anchor; which is done when a Ship defigns to be long at Sea. To bend a Main-Sail, is to make it fall: to the Yard in its proper Place. The Bends in a Ship are the fame with the Wailes, or Wales., which are the outermoft Timbers of a Ship, on which Men fet their Feet in climbing up: They are rec- koned from the Water the firft, fecond, and third Bend: They help much to ftrengthen the Ship, and have the Beams, Knees, and Foot-Hcoks bolted into them.
BENDY, the Term in Blazonry for an Efcutcheon's being divided Bend-ways into an even Number of Partitions; but if they are odd, the Field muff, firft be named, and then the Number of the Bends.
BENEDICTINES, a Set of Religious, who profefs to live by the Rule of St. BenediB. The Bene dt Bines are di- vided into feveral Congregations. They wear a loofe black Gown, with large wide Sleeves, and a Capuche on their Heads, ending in a Point behind. In the Canon Law they are called Black Friars, diftinguiJhing them from the other Orders by their Habit, and not by the Name of their Patriarch St. BenediB. There is only this Difference be- tween the antient Monks and the Benedi Bines, in that the former were mere Monks, without any Attachment to a particular Order. The Lift of Saints of the Bened'iBin Order is very ample ; but they arc accufed by Barcnius y and many other Writers, of putting thofe in the Lift who were never of that Order.
BENEFICE, in an Ecclefiaftical Senfe, a Church en- dow'd with a Revenue for the Performance of Divine Ser- vice ; or, that Revenue itfelf, affign'd to an Ecclefiaftical Perfon for Life, in return for the Service he is to do to that Church. All Church-Preferments, except Bifhopricks, are called Benefices ; and all Benefices are, by the Canonifts, fometimes called Dignities : But we now ordinarily diftin- guifti between Benefice and 'Dignity, ufing the Word Dig- nity for Bijbopricks, Deanaries, Arch-Deaconries, and 'Prebends ; and Benefices for Parsonages, Vicarages, or Donatives ; which fee.
Benefices are divided by the Canonifts into Simple and Sacerdotal: In the firft there is no Obligation but to read Prayers, fing, f£c. as Canons, Chaplains, Chantors, £?c. The fecond is charg'd with a Cure of Souls, or the Direction and Guidance of Confciences, as Vicarages, Rec- tories, ecc. The Canonifts make three manners of vaca- ting a Benefice, viz. de Jure, de FaBo, and by the Sen- tence of a Judge. A Benefice is vacated de Jure, when the Perfon enjoying it is guilty of Crimes exprefs'd in thofe Laws, as Herefy, Simony, &c. A Benefice is vacated de FaBo, as well as de Jure, by the natural Death, or the Resignation of the Incumbent ; and that Refignation may be either exprefs, or tacit, as when he engages in a Srate, tS'c. inconfiftent with it; as among the Romanijis by Mar- rying, Entering a Religious Order, S?c. A Benefice is va- cant by the Sentence of a Judge, by way of Punifhment for certain Crimes, as Concubinage, Perjury, Sorcery, &e. The Romanijis, again, diftinguifh Benefices into Regular and Secular. Regular, or 'Titulary Benefices, are thofe held by a Religious, or a Regular, who has made Profefli- on of fome Religious Order, as an Abby, Priory, Conven- tual, Hf!c. Or rather, a Regular Benefice is fuch as can't be conferred on any but Religious, either by its Foundation, by the Inftitution of a Superior, or by Prefcription : For Prefcription, 40 Years PofTeflion by a Religious, without a Difpenfation, makes the Benefice Regular. Secular Be- nefices are thofe that are only to be given to Seculars ; of which kind are almoft all their Cures. All Benefices are reputed Secular, till the contrary is made appear. They ar ; called Secular Benefice i.becaufe held by Secular Trkfls* i, e. by fuch as live in the World, and are not engaged in any Monaifick Order. Some Benefices, Regular of them- felvcs, are Jccularized by the Pope's. Bull. See Regular. and Secu&ab..
1 A Bene-
