Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/230

 BAN

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BAP

BANDEROLLE, a little Standard in form of a Gui- don, extended further in Length than in Breadth, hung out on the Mails of Veffcls, iS>c. ,

BANIANS, a religious Seft in the Indies, who believe a Metempfychofis ; and will therefore eat no living Crea- ture, nor even kill noxious Animals, but endeavour to re- leafe them if they -fee 'em in the hands of others; they are fo fearful of having Communication with other Nations, that they break their Cups if one of a different Religion has drank out of 'em, or even touch'd 'em 5 and empty the Water out of a Pond where he has walh'd himfelf. If they happen to touch one another, they muft wafh and purify themfelves before they drink, eat, or enter their own Houfes. They carry, hanging at their Necks, a Stone called Tam- beran, as big as an Egg, and perforated in the Middle, through which run three Strings ; this Stone, they fay, re- prefents their Great God, and upon that account they have great Refpect fhewn them by all the Indians. Banian, in their Language, fignifies, innocent Tec-file and without Guile ; for, befides their refraining to hurt any the leaft living Creature, they profefs to pardon the Injuries done to themfelves.

BANISHMENT, or Exile, among us is of two Kinds ; the one voluntary and upon Oath, the other by Compulfion, for fome Offence or Crime. This Punifhrnent is by the Civilians called Bannlmentum, and was antiently term'd lieportatio, if perpetual ; if for a Time, Relegatio.

BANK, in Commerce, a Term given to certain Societies, Cities, or Communities, who take on 'em the Charge of the Money of private Perfons, to improve it, or to keep it fecure. There are feveral of thefe Banks eftablifh'd in the feveral principal Trading Cities in Europe ; as in Venice, London, Jtmflcrdam, Hamburgh, 'Paris, &c. But of all others that of Venice is the moll considerable, as being the moft an- tient, and that whereon the others are model'd. TticBauk of Venice, commonly call'd the Banco del Giro, is properly a Board of publick Credit and Intereft; or a general and perpetual Purfe for all Merchants and Traders; eftablifhed by a folemn Edict of the Commonwealth, which enacts, That all Payments of Wholefale Merchandize, and Letters of Exchange, fhall be in Banco, or Bank Notes ; and that all Debtors and Creditors fhall be obliged, the one to carry their Money to the Bank, the other to receive their Pay- ments in Banco ; fo as Payments are perform'd by a Am- ple Transfer from the one to the other : he who was be- fore Creditor on the Bank-Books, becoming Debtor as loon as he has refign'd his Right to another, who is en- ter'd down as Creditor in his Place; fo that the Parties on- ly change a Name, without any effective Payment being made. Indeed, there are fometimes effecfive Payments made, efpecially in Matters of Retail, and when Foreigners are difpofed to have ready Money to carry it off in Specie ; or when particular Traders chufe to have a Stock by 'em to negotiate in Letters of Exchange, %$c. The Ncceffity of thefe effective Payments, has given occafion to the open- ing a Fund of ready Money ; which is found fo far from diminifhing the Stock, that this Liberty of withdrawing Money at pleafure rather augments it. By means of this Bank, the Republick, without incroaching on the Freedom of Commerce, or without paying any Intereft, is Miflrcfs of 50000CO Ducats, to which the Capital of the Bank is limited, to be in readinefs on any preffing Occafion ; the Republick being Security for the Capital.

The Word Bank originally fignified a Bench, which the firft Bankers had in the publick Places, in Markets, Fairs, i$c. on which they told their Money, wrote Bills of Exchange, fi?e. Hence when a Banker fail'd they broke his Bank, to advertize the Publick, that the Perfon to whom the Bank belong'd was no longer in a Condition to continue his Bufinefs. As this Practice was very frequent in Italy, 'tis faid the Term Bankrupt is derived from the Italian Banco rotto, broken Bench.

BANKER, a Perfon who negotiates and trafficks in Money; who receives and remits Money from Place to Place, by Commiffion or Correfpondents, by means of Bills or Letters of Exchange. See Exchange, Bank, &c. In Italy the Employment of a Banker, efpecially in Repub- licks, does not derogate from the Nobility ; and hence it is, that moll of the Cadets, or younger Sons of Condition, undertake it for the Support of their Family. The Ro- wans had two Kinds of Bankers, tho their Office was much more extenfive than that of the Bankers among us • being publick Officers, in whom were united the Func- tions of a Broker, Jlgent, Banker, and Notary ; managing the Exchange, taking in Money, affifting in Buying and Selling, and drawing the Writings neceffary on all thefe Occafions.

BANKRUPT, a Trader, who confumes his Stock, or tuns out in Trade, fo as not to be able to anfwer the De- mands of his Creditors. His abfeonding from his Place of Abode, or being denied to his Creditors, fuffering himfelf to be arretted willingly, for Debt, and fuffering hinjfelf to

lie two Months in Prifon, on any lawful Action, is by Law deemed an Act of Bankruptcy. See CommiJJion of Bank- ruptcy.

BANKRUPTCY, the Failure, Abfeonding, and Relin- quishment of Traffick in a Merchant, Banker, or other Trader. There is fome Difference however, between a' Bankruptcy and a Failure ; the firft being fuppofed volun- tary and fraudulent, and the latter conftrain'd and neceffa- ry, by means of Accidents, %$c. A Falling, or Stopping of Payment, diminifhes the Merchant's Credit, but does not note him with Infamy, as Bankruptcy does. When a Mer- chant, &c. fails fo appear at the Exchange, &c. without apparent Reafon, 'tis call'd a Failing of Vrefence ; the Bankruptcy becomes open from the Day he.abfconds, or the Seal is affix'd to his Effects. Thofe who fail are ob- lio'd to give in to their Creditors, a State or Inventory" of all their Effects and Debts, and to furrendcr their Books-; otherwife they are reputed fraudulent Bankrupts. All Payments and Transfers, as alfo all Acts, Obligations, &c. of Perfons who fall, are null unlefs made ten Days before the Failing is become publick. See Bank.

BANNERET, an antient Knight or Lord, who had a Right to carry ^Banner for affembling of his Vaffals, when a Ban was proclaim'd, and might alfo form 'em into a. Troop of Horfe ; from the Word Banner, or from Ban or Bande, which formerly fignified a Banner. Antiently there were two kinds of Knights, Great and Little ; the firft whereof were call'd Bannerets, the fecond Bqchehrs ; the firfl compofed the upper, the fecond the middle Nobility. To be qualified for ^.Banneret, one mull be a Gentleman of Family, and mull have a Right to raife a certain Num- ber of arm'd Men ; with Eflate enough to fubfift at leaft 28 or 30 Men. This muft have been very confiderable in thofe Days, in regard each Man, befides his Servant, had two Horfe-men to wait on him, armed, rhe one with a Crofs-Bow, the other with a Bow and Hatchet. The Form of the Banneret's Creation was this : On a Day of Battle the Candidate prefented his Flag to the King or General, who cutting oft the Train or Skirt thereof, and making it a Square, return'd it again, the proper Banner of Banne- rets : Hence Bannerets were fometimes call'd Knights of the Square Flag, and by this Form cf their Flag they were dillinguifh'd {romBarcns. Others will have Bannerets to have been Perfons who had fome Portion of a Barony affign'd 'em ; and enjoy 'd it under the Title of Baro \Proximus, with the fame Prerogatives as the Baron himfelf Some Authors attribute the Inflitution of Bannerets to Conan, Lieutenant of Maximus, who commanded the Roman Le- gions in England under the Empire of Gratian, in 383. This General, fay they, revolting, divided England into 40 Canton^, and in thefe Cantons dillributed 40 Knights, to whom he gave a Power of affembling, on Occafion, un- der their feveral Banners, as many of the effecfive Men as were found in their refpective Difiricls ; whence they were caWcXBanncrcts. However this be, it appears from Froif- fart, &c. that antiently fuch of the Military Men, as were rich enough to raile and fubfift a Company of arm'd Men, and had a Right to do fo, were call'd Bannerets. Nor, however, that thefe Qualifications render'd 'em Knights, but only Bannerets ; the Appellation of Knights being only added thereto, becaufe they were of the Upper Nobi- lity, or fimple Knights before. Among the Spaniards^ Bannerets are known by the Name of Rlccos hombres, Larrey will have Bannerets fo call'd, becaufe of the Banner or Standard waved in the face of the Army at the time of their Creation. Bannerets were fecond ro none but Knights- of the Garter ; but they dwindled, and at laft became ex- tinct, on the Inflitution o{ Baronets by King fames I.

BANNIMUS, is the Form of Expulfion of any Mem- ber from the Univerfity of Oxford, affixing the Sentence up in fome publick Place, as a Denunciation or Promulga- tion of it.

BANQUETTE, in Fortification, is a little Foot-Path or Elevation of Earth in Form of a Step, along a Parapet, or that by which the Mufquetters get up to difcover the Counterfcarp, or to fire on the Enemies in the Moat, or in the Covert-Way ; Thefe are generally a Foot and half high, and almoft three Foot broad.

BAPTISM, in Theology, from the Greek iS<ra-nf B », to dip at plunge, the Ceremony of Waffling ; or a Sacrament where- by a Perfon is initiated into Chriffianity, and Original Sin walh'd away in Infants, and actual Sins in Adults who receive it. The Jews practifed this Ceremony, after Circumcifion, on their Profelytes, long before the Coming of Jcfus Chrift. For the Matter of Baptifm, any natural Water is held fuf- ficient, but nothing elfe is allow'd : For this reafon Pope Stephen II. excommunicated a Prieft for baptizing a Child with Wine. In the Primitive Times this Ceremony was perform'd by Immerfion, as it is to this Day in the Oriental Churches, according to the Signification of the Word. The Practice of the Wejlem Churches, is to fpnnkle the Water on the Head or Face of the Perfon to be baptizd, except