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 BEN BENARES X. lie was made secretary to the new pope, enjoyed the acquaintance of many distinguished men, and busied himself with composition. The beautiful Morosina, whom he loved, and who bore him three children, persuaded him upon the death of Leo X. in 1521 to retire from public aftairs, and to spend the rest of his life in literary elegance at Padua. Here he formed an extensive library and collection of medals, and enjoyed the society of his learned friends. He sometimes visited Rome, and hav- ing become a cardinal after the accession of Paul III., he determined to embrace another manner of life. He renounced profane letters, studied the fathers and theologians, was ad- vanced to several bishoprics, and died in senti- ments worthy of a prince of the church. His writings, consisting of letters, poems, dialogues, criticisms, fragments, and a history of Venice, are distinguished for elegance and gracefulness of style. BEJf, the Hebrew and Arabic word for son, often used in forming complements of names ; thus: Shelomeh ben David (Solomon son of David), Mosheh ben Maimon (Moses Maimoni- des), Ali ben Hassan. In Arabic, and after it in mediaeval Hebrew, the form ibn is used in the same way, being in rabbinical names often changed into aben. The qualifying names with the prefixed ben, &c., are also used independent- ly, thus: Ibn Batuta, Ibn Ezra, Ben Gabirol, Bendavid ; like the similar modern names Ja- cobson, Mendelssohn, and Davison. liKMM A/AK, Sebastian de, the first conqueror of Popayan, New Granada, born about the end of the 15th century at Benalcaz, in Estrema- dura, Spain, died in 1550. He set out as a common sailor in the train of Pedrarias, the newly appointed governor of Darien, in 1514. His ability and daring gained for him the con- fidence of Pizarro, who sent him against the Indian leader Euminahui. At the moment of engagement the volcano of Cochabamba suf- fered an eruption, at which the Peruvian army was more frightened than the Spaniards, and fled to Quito. Sebastian then possessed him- self of the smoking ruins of this city. Thence he passed northward and overcame Popayan, a chief whose name he transferred to the con- quered territory. Inflamed by the speeches of an Indian captive, who spoke of a chief fur- ther north who was anointed with gold pow- der, Benalcazar and his band determined to visit and conquer this el dorado, or "golden one." After traversing vast forests, he arrived in 1534 in the country afterward called New Granada, but found himself forestalled by two other Spanish adventurers. He returned to Popayan, and was made governor of that prov- mce by a decree dated 1538. But when La Gasca succeeded in supplanting Diego Pizarro, he deprived Benalcazar of his governorship, and the chagrin he felt at this slight is said to have- caused his death. BKVAKKS. a city of British India, celebrated as the ecclesiastical capital of the Hindoos, situated on the left bank of the Ganges, 390 m. N. W. of Calcutta, and 75 m. E. of Allaha- bad, in lat. 25 19' N., Ion. 82 55' E. ; pop. about 200,000. It is the metropolis of a dis- trict of the same name which forms a part of the Northwest Provinces. Although so far inland, the altitude of Benares above the sea level is only about 300 ft. The city extends over three miles along the Ganges, and one mile from it. A bridge of boats crosses the river to the railway station on the opposite bank. The width of the Ganges here varies with the season, sometimes exceeding half a mile. The ascent from the river margin to the city is very steep, and is for the most part oc- cupied by long and handsome flights of broad stone steps, called ghauts. These terraces are the favorite resort of the Hindoos in all their outdoor pursuits. Above them rise the pal- aces, mosques, towers, and temples of the city, which as seen from the Ganges, in their massive and gorgeous architecture, present a striking and impressive picture of oriental grandeur. The interior of Benares, however, is by no means so attractive, the houses being high and closely built, with no streets wide enough to permit the passage of carriages. The loftier and better class of dwellings are built of brick, and have an interior courtyard ; but many of the houses are simply cabins of dried mud roofed with tiles. Benares has been ap- propriately termed the Mecca of the Hindoos. A true Brahman regards it as the holiest spot on earth, and believes that future blessedness is secure to the worst of men who is fortunate enough to die within its precincts. Hundreds of invalids are brought here to be sanctified by so enviable a death. Even the water of the sacred Ganges is holier here than elsewhere, and quantities of it are taken from the ghauts and conveyed by pious pilgrims to every part of India. Along the terraced riverside fires are continually burning, on which smoulder the bodies of the recent dead. The sacred Brah- man bulls roam in large numbers through the narrow streets at will, frequently disputing the right of way with foot passengers. There are not fewer than 1,000 Hindoo temples in the city. The golden temple of Shiva, the reigning deity of Benares, is one of the most celebrated, but is neither very beautiful nor attractive. The Doorgha Kond, the famous temple of the sacred monkeys, although os- tensibly devoted to the worship of the goddess Doorgha, is in reality the dwelling of swarms of large yellow monkeys, who overrun a quar- ter of the city. They are maintained and carefully tended by the Brahmans, who imagine them to possess certain holy attributes. The temple overlooks one of the finest tanks in India. The Hindoos are the dominant race in Benares, constituting nine tenths of the entire population. On important religious occasions throngs of pilgrims, sometimes to the number of 100,000, come from all parts of Hindostan to visit the holy city. The Mohammedan mosques in Be-