Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/551

BEN BENWELL, J. H., son of the steward to the duke of Marlborough; he became portrait painter, and taught drawing at Bath. He had a plan of combining crayons with water colours, then all but unknown. Some of his drawings were engraved, particularly his "Children in the Wood," by Sharp. Died in 1785.—W. T.  BENZEL-STERNAU,, was born of a noble family of Swedish origin, at Mentz, 9th April, 1767, and died at his estate of Mariahalden on the lake of Zurich, 18th August, 1849. He held several high posts in the administrative services of the electorate of Mentz, 1791-1806, and the grand-duchy of Baden, 1806-1812, and in 1812 was appointed prime minister to the grand-duke of Frankfort. After the dissolution of the latter grand-duchy, he lived in retirement on his estates, embraced protestantism in 1827, and was a member of the Bavarian diet in 1825 and 1828. Benzel-Sternau occupies a conspicuous place among the German humorists, his works are deficient in form, and his style is extravagant, full of conceits, and sometimes even of contortions. His most admired novels are—"Das goldene Kalb;" "Der Steinerne Gast;" "Der alte Adam," &c. Among his dramatic writings we mention "Das Hoftheater zu Barataria," a series of dramatic pieces which excel by sprightly wit and brilliant jeux d'esprit. As a politician, he was a steady and enlightened partisan of constitutional government, and has exercised a consequent influence by his political writings, especially by his "Bayernbriefe," and his periodical, Der Verfassungs-Freund.—K. E.  BENZELIUS,, a Swedish theologian, born at Benzeby in 1642; died in 1709. Charles XII., by whose orders he superintended an edition of the bible in Swedish, gave him the archbishopric of Upsal. His principal works are—"De viris Prophetarum" and "Brev. Hist. Eccles. Vet. et Novi Test."  BENZELIUS,, a learned Swedish writer, son of the preceding, born at Upsal in 1675, travelled in France, Germany, England, and other countries of Europe, and on his return to Sweden became in succession professor of theology, bishop of Gothenburg, and archbishop of Upsal. Besides a work on the history of his native country, and editions of various northern chronicles, he published "Monumenta Sueco-Gothica," and "Ulphilas Illustratus." He supplied an amended text, a Latin version, and annotations for the Gothic Gospels, published by Lye at Oxford in 1750. Died in 1743, leaving a reputation for extensive scholarship in theology, languages, and antiquities.—J. S., G.  BENZELIUS,, brother of Eric the younger, was one of the learned men whom Charles XII. sent from his retreat at Bender to explore the Holy Land and adjacent countries. He visited the Archipelago, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and, on his return to Europe, Italy, Germany, and Holland. The result of his observations are still in MS., with the exception of slight notices published in his "Syntagma Dissertationum," 1745. He was advanced to the see of Lund in 1740, and became archbishop of Upsal in 1747. Born 1689; died 1758.—J. S., G.  BENZENBERG,, a learned German physicist and politician, born in 1777; died in 1846. Benzenberg was a true German, and therefore a deadly enemy of the first Napoleon. The events of 1815 alone defeated a conspiracy organized by him, the object of which was a rising en masse, in several of the German states. He wrote a great many flying essays, alike on physics and public affairs. His pamphlet on falling stars is still replete with interest.—J. P. N.  BENZIE,, a French nobleman, sent to Rome to study under Ferri and Ferrati; more ambitious than most rich men are, he executed five medals for the queen of Sweden, one for Innocent XI., and one for Louis XIV. Flourished about 1700.  BENZON,, was born at Kioge on the 7th of May, 1791, and was educated for the profession of the law at Copenhagen. He devoted himself to the study of history, and was appointed secretary to the Royal Historical Society of Denmark. He has left a work on the Danish nobility. <section end="551H" /> <section begin="551I" />BENZONI,, an Italian traveller, born at Milan about the year 1519. He visited France, Spain, and Germany, and afterwards resided a number of years in America. Author of an account of the New World published at Venice in 1565. <section end="551I" /> <section begin="551J" />BEORN or BIORN, a historian, native of Iceland, lived in the seventeenth century; author of "Annales Groenlandiæ, ab A.C. 1400, usque ad sua tempera," and a work "De Novitiis Groenlandorum Indiciis. <section end="551J" /> <section begin="551K" />BEOWULF, the hero of a very old Anglo-Saxon poem, a MS. of which, supposed to belong to the tenth century, is preserved in the British Museum. It was published in London in 1833. Suhm, the Danish historian, supposes that Beowulf was a real person living in the fourth century; but it is more likely that he belongs to the region of mythology.—J. B. <section end="551K" /> <section begin="551L" />BEQUET,, born at Paris, 1800, was one of that distinguished staff of political writers, whose talents and spirit served to raise the Journal des Debats to that leading place it held during the reign of Charles X., whose fall it helped very much to precipitate. Bequet might probably have been only known as a lenient and elegant critic, had he not contributed a political article destined to produce an extraordinary effect. A prosecution for libel ensued, which, ending in defeat, exposed the true feeling of the middle class, and the words "unhappy France, unfortunate king," with which the acquitted libel terminated, were caught up as a watch-word, which sounded like the knell of the falling dynasty. Bequet died in 1834.—J. F. C. <section end="551L" /> <section begin="551M" />BERAB, ., ended his agitated life in the year 1546, at Ssefath (or Zephath) in Galilee, at the age of seventy-two. His birthplace was Maqueda, near Toledo, in Spain. After having received a careful education under Rabbi J. Aboab, he left his native country, in his nineteenth year; although he was so young, his great abilities attracted attention at Fez, where he resided for some time. He subsequently travelled eastward, passed through Egypt, and at length settled as chief of the Hebrew community in Ssefath, in the Holy Land. Here he laboured with extraordinary energy for the revival of learning among the Jews in the east; he longed to restore to their ancient activity the then long closed academies of Palestine; but he coupled with this laudable aspiration the ambitious design of resuscitating, in his own person, the dignity of Nassí or Patriarch of the Holy Land, which had been extinct for upwards of a thousand years. He convoked, for the elaboration of his plan, a synod which was attended by twenty-five rabbis, whose concurrence he secured. Had he fully succeeded, he would have raised himself to the position of universal religious chief of the Jewish people. But his plan was frustrated by the unwearied opposition of Rabbi Levi Chabib, at that time at the head of the Hebrews at Jerusalem. Neither advantageous proposals of confederacy, nor threatening denunciations had any influence on Chabib; he successfully overthrew Berab's centralizing scheme. The interesting documents which the controversy between the two rabbis called forth, have happily been preserved.—T. T. <section end="551M" /> <section begin="551N" />BERAIN,, a French historian, lived in the first part of the eighteenth century; author of "Historical Memoirs of the three Dagoberts," Strasburg, 1717, 8vo. <section end="551N" /> <section begin="551Zcontin" />BERANGER,, a poet, was born the 19th August, 1780, in Paris. While yet a boy of twelve years of age he went to live with his aunt, an innkeeper at Peronne. So far from denying his humble origin, the poet in his song "Le Vilain," boasts that his ancestors had never harassed poor serfs, nor supported absolute power, nor committed any of those crimes with which history has covered French nobility. His only title was love of country; as for the rest, he was vilain et très vilain. As we proceed in our notice of this illustrious poet's life, we shall find at each step convincing proof that his acknowledgment of his birth, parentage, and education was simple and sincere. We have, in fact, to deal with not only an original genius, but an honest, independent character, one of those noblemen of nature's own making. 'While with his aunt, chance threw in his way Telemachus, Racine, and Voltaire. It may be presumed that the writings of the philosopher of Ferney, were not those he least enjoyed, by a circumstance which occurred about the period in question. His aunt, terrified by a thunder-storm, sprinkled the house with holy water; but, as it did not save her hopeful nephew from being struck down and stunned by the electric fluid, the lad on recovering his senses, satirically asked her what good did the holy water do him? At fourteen he was bound apprentice to a printer, and it is told as a fact, that it was through his master's correction of his faults of grammar, that he learnt to write correctly. An educational establishment was formed at Peronne, called the Institut Patriotique, which is described to have been something of a half camp and half club, in accordance with the spirit of the time; and here it was the poet finished his education, in the ordinary sense of the term. At sixteen he returned to Paris, where he wrote a comedy not destined for success. what is more remarkable as <section end="551Zcontin" />