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 BET ( 543 ) BET corolla; the feeds are (haped like kidneys, and are fim' ing towards the top, and very irregularly hexanguJar. ated within the bafe of the calix. There are two fpe" It is of a very fine tranfparence, and naturally of a viz. the maritima or fea-beet, a native of Bri" pale brown ; and carries fo evident marks of diltinffion cies, from all brown cryftals, that our lapidaries call it, by tain which is chiefly cultivated for culinary ule. Decocway of eminence, the beryl-cryfial, or Amply the beryl, tions of the vulgaris loofen the belly ; and hence have BES, or Bessis, in Roman antiquity, two thirds of been ranked among the emollient herbs. The juice the as. See As. exprefled from the roots is a powerful errhine. Bes alfo denotes two thirds of the jugerum. See Ju- BETANCOS, a city of Gallicia in Spain, in 8° 50' GERUM. W. long, and 430 15' N. lat. BESAILE, fignifies the father of a grand-father. See Betue. Besaile, in law, a writ that lies where the great-grand- BETAW. or Betle, in botany, the trivial name of a father was feifed in fee of any lands, <bc. at the time BETEL, fpecies of piper. See Piper. of his death'; and after his- deceafe, a Granger enters BETELFAGUI, a town of Arabia Felix, about thirthereon, the fame day, and keepa out the heir. ty-five leagues from Mocha. BESANCON, the capital of Franche Comte in France, BETHLEHEM, once a flouridling city of Paledine, fituated in 6° E. long, and 470 20r N. lat. now only a poor village, is dill much frequented,, BESANT, or Bezant, a coin of pure gold, of an un- but the place of our Saviour’s birth ; it is fitucertain value, ftruck at Byzantium, in the time of the asatedbeing in 36° E. long, and 310 30' N. lat. Chriftian emperors ; from hence the gold offered by Bethlehem is alfo the name of a town of Brabant, in the king at the altar, is called befant or bifant. the Audrian Netherlands, about two miles north of Besants, in heraldry, round pieces of gold, without Louvain, fituated in 40 35' E. long, and 51 0 N. lat. any ftamp, frequently borne in coats of arms. See BETHLEHEMITES, in church-hidory, a religious Plate LI. fig. 14. BESIERS, a city of lower Languedoc in France, about order, called alfo Jlar-bearers, becaufe they were ditwo miles north of the Mediterranean, and fifteen flinguiflied by a red dar with five rays,, which they north-eaff of Narbonne, in 30 E. long, and 430 25' wore on their bread, in memory of the dar that appeared to the wife men, and conduded them to BethN. lat. BESLERIA, in botany, a genus of the didynamia an- lehem. giofpermia ciafs. The calix is divided into five parts; BETHUNE, a little fortified town of Artois, in the and the berry globular, and contains many feeds. The French Netherlands, about thirteen miles north of fpecies are three, viz. the melittifolia, the lutea, and Arras, fituated in 2° 35' E. long, and 506 32' N. lat. the criftata, all natives of America. BESORCH, a coin of tin, or Lome alloyed metal, cur- BETLIS, a city in the north of Curdidan, fituated on rent at Ormus, at the the rate of parts of a farthing a deep rock, at the fouth end of the lake0 Van, on the fterling. frontiers f>f Perfia and Turky, in 4.5 E. long. and. BESSARABIA, a province of Turky in Europe, lying and 370 30' N. lat. about the feveral mouths of the Danube. BETONY, in botany, the Englidi name of the betonica, and of feveral fpecies of veronica. See Betonica BESSIS. See Bes. BESSY, one of the0 Molucca iflands, fituated in the In- and Veronica. dian ocean, in 1 5c/ S. lat. BETROTHMENT, among civilians, the fame with; BESTAIL, or Bestial, in ancient ffatutes, all kinds- efpoufals,. of beads, or cattle, efpecially thofe purveyed for the. BETUE, or Betaw, a terriory in Dutch Guelderland,^ king’s provifion. between the rivers Maefe and Lech, fuppofed to beBESTIARII, in Roman antiquity, fuch as fought againff the ancient Batavia. beads, or thofe who were expofed to them by fentence BETULA, or Bi rch-tree,. in botany, a genus of the of the law. There were four kinds- of bediarii; the monoecia tetrandria clafs. The calix of the male flower fird were thofe who made a trade of it, and fought for has but one trifid leaf, and inclofes three flowers; the comoney; the fecond were fuch young men as,., to fhew rolla confids likewife of one leaf cut into four fegmcnts.. their drength and dexterity in managing their arms,, The calix of the female is trifid, and inclofes two fought againd beads; the third kind was, where feve- flowers ; and the feed is membranous, and alated on; ral bediarii were let loofe at once, well armed, againd: each fide. The fpecies are five, viz., tire alba or a number of beads; and the fourth kind were thofe birch-tree, a native of Britain ; the nigra, and lenta, condemned to the beads, confiding either of enemies- both natives of America; the nana, a native of Laptaken prifoners in war,, or as being flaves, and guilty land, Ruflia, and Sweden; and the alnus, likewife a of fome enormous crime; thofe were all expofed na- native of Lapland. The bark of the alba,.or common ked, and without defence. is a highly inflammable fubdance ; but its BESTRICIA, a city of Tranfylvania, remarkable for birch-tree,virtues are little known. Upon boring the the gold mines near it; it is fituated in 220 E. long, medical trunk in the the beginning of fpring, a fweetiih juice and 48° N lat. iffues forth in great BETA, the beet, in botany, a genus of the pentandria an Engliflr gallon orquantities in a day. This juice is digynia clafs. The calix has four leaves; it has no chiefly recommended inmorefcorbutio diforders, andotherr foui-
 * and the vulgaris or green beet of Bauhinus.
 * one branch will bleed: