BEDDOES, THOMAS. 



BEDELL, WILLIAM. 



610 



rarity. King Alfred translated this history into Saxon, and the roya 

 version, accompanied by the original Latin, was published first bj 

 Wheloe, fol. Cambr., 1644, and subsequently by Dr. Smith, canon o 

 Durham, with greater care, fol. Cambr., 1722. An English translation 

 of this history was first published at Antwerp in 1565, by Thomas 

 Stapleton, a doctor of divinity of the University of Louvain; another 

 and better translation by John Stevens was published, 8vo, Lond. 

 1723, immediately after the publication of Dr. Smith's edition ; ant 

 others have since appeared, translated by the Rev. William Hurst 

 Dr. Giles, &c. The best edition of the Latin text is that published by 

 the English Historical Society in 1838, under the care of Mr. Joseph 

 Stevenson, who added a valuable Life of Bede and Introduction to the 

 History. 



The first general collection of Bede's works was published at Paris 

 in 1544, in three volumes folio. They were printed again at the 

 same place in eight volumes folio, in 1554 ; and subsequently at Base! 

 and Cologne. The ' Complete Works of Venerable Bede,' edited by 

 Dr. Giles, with a new Life by the Editor, was published in London in 

 12 vok. Svo, 1842, &c. Those treatises of Bede's which are mentioned 

 in his own catalogue of his works were published by the learned and 

 industrious Mr. Wharton, from three manuscripts in the valuable 

 library in the archiepiscopal palace at Lambeth, under the title ol 

 ' Bedse Venerabilis Opera quxdam Theologica, nunc primum edita, 

 necnon Historica antea semel edita. Accesserunt Egbert! archiepiscopi 

 Eboracensis Dialogus de Ecclesiastica Institutione, et Adhelmi Episcopi 

 Sareburnensi Liber de Virginitate, ex codice antiquissimo emendatus,' 

 4to, Lond., 1693. 



(Stevenson, Life and Introduction, and other works already quoted ; 

 Symeon of Durham, Historia Eccletice Dunelmentis ; Gehle, Daputatio 

 Ilutorico-theologica de Bedce Venerabilis; Giles, Life and Works of 

 Venerable Bede; Wright, Bioyraphia Brilannica Litcraria, Anglo- 

 Saxon Period ; Tanner, Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibemica, &c.) 



BEDDOES, THOMAS, a distinguished physician, was born at 

 Shiffoall, in Shropshire, in April 1760. His father, who was a tanner, 

 wished to bring up bis eon to the same business, but his grandfather, 

 perceiving the abilities which he early manifested, prevailed upon his 

 father to educate him for some profession. An accident which befell 

 his grandfather, and required the attendance of a surgeon, determined 

 young Beddoes to study medicine. In 1776 he entered at Pembroke 

 College, Oxford, and soon became distinguished for his learning, and 

 his acquaintance with languages, both ancient and modern : in the 

 latter he was entirely self-instructed. During his residence at the 

 university he also devoted much of his time to botany, geology, and 

 mineralogy, and especially to chemistry. He early formed high 

 expectations of the uses of the discoveries in chemistry made by 

 Black and Priestley as applied to the treatment of diseases, and had 

 that direction given to his mind which ever afterwards induced him 

 to trust greatly to pneumatic medicine. Having, in 1781, taken his 

 Bachelor's degree, he proceeded to London to study medicine, and 

 became a pupil of the celebrated Sheldon. 



In 1784, while residing in London, he published, but without his 

 name, a translation of Spallanzaui's 'Dissertations on Natural History.' 

 In the autumn of 1784 he removed to Edinburgh, where he spent two 

 winters and one summer. He was greatly distinguished among the 

 ktudents, and attracted the notice of Dr. Cullen, by whom he was 

 employed to add notes to his translation of Bergman's ' Essays on 

 Elective Attractions,' to which work Beddoes affixed his name. 



In 1 786 he took his degree of Doctor of Medicine at Oxford ; and 

 in the course of the following summer visited France, where he 

 became acquainted with Lavoisier and other celebrated chemists. On 

 his return from the continent he was appointed reader in chemistry to 

 the University of Oxford, where he maintained the current doctrines 

 of the day with much learning, ingenuity, and eloquence. In 1790 

 he published ' Chemical Experiments and Opinions,' extracted from a 

 work published in the last century, in which he endeavoured to obtain 

 justice for the views and discoveries of Dr. Mayow in pneumatic 

 chemistry. Beddoes Iraving eagerly adopted the views of the partisans 

 of the French revolution, the freedom with which he expressed his 

 opinions gave so much offence to the superiors of the University of 

 Oxford as to render his residence there no longer agreeable. Some of 

 his religious opinions probably also contributed to determine him to 

 resign his readership in chemistry, which he gave up in 1792. 



Upon retiring from Oxford he went to reside with a friend in 

 Shropshire, where he wrote a work, entitled ' History of Isaac 

 .l.'iikins,' intended to check drunkenness; also several medical works, 

 in which he embodied his peculiar views regarding the origin and 

 treatment of several diseases. The attempts which had been made to 

 maintain the soundness of the basis of the humoral pathology as the 

 universal cause of diseases, served rather to show the inaccuracy of 

 the theory than to add to the number of believers in it. The appli- 

 cation of chemistry to the investigation of the composition of the 

 fluids of the human body, and the different condition of these fluids 

 which it demonstrated to exist in different states of disease, seemed 

 to furnish new facts in iU favour. Beddoes, with that zeal which 

 marked all his actions, stepped forward as its advocate, and referred 

 :ill diseases to the predominance or deficiency of some elementary 

 principle. The remedies which he proposed for the cure of various 

 diseases were in conformity with these views. He did not rest content 

 tioa. DIV. VOL. I. 



with writing in support of his views, but sought an opportunity of 

 testing them by experiment, and ultimately fixed on Bristol for the 

 scene of his pneumatic hospital. In 1798 a pneumatic institution 

 was established, in effecting which object Dr. Beddoes was materially 

 assisted by Mr. Richard Lovell Edgeworth, one of whose daughters 

 he had married in 1794, and Mr. Gregory Watt. His publications at 

 this time almost all refer to peculiar views respecting the possibility of 

 curing diseases by breathing a medicated atmosphere. The results did 

 not correspond with his expectations ; but the undertaking was the 

 means of bringing into notice the talents of Sir Humphry Davy, who 

 was recommended to Dr. Beddoes by Mr. Gregory Watt, as a fit person 

 to superintend the chemical laboratory connected with the institution. 

 The first discoveries of this eminent chemist were given to the world 

 in a publication which came from Beddoe's Institution. (' Contribu- 

 tions to Medical and Physical Knowledge from the West of England,' 

 Bristol, 1799.) Many publications of Dr. Beddoes about this time 

 referred to the political topics of the day, in which he always embraced 

 the liberal side of the question. His principal medical publications 

 after this date were a ' Popular Essay on Consumption,' 1779, advo- 

 cating of course the author's peculiar doctrines, but containing also 

 many valuable remarks on the predisposing causes and means of pre- 

 venting that disease ; ' Hygeia, or Essays Moral and Medical,' which is 

 a popular treatise on the ' Causes of Diseases,' and the means of 

 avoiding them, 3 vols., Svo, 1802. He also wrote at an earlier date a 

 work on ' Demonstrative Evidence," 1792. ' An Essay on Fever ' was 

 written in 1807, with many others of less note, which he continued to 

 publish in rapid succession till December 1808, when, in consequence 

 of an affection of the heart, he died, in the 48th year of his age. 

 (Stock, Life of Beddoes, 1 vol., 4to, London, 1810.) 

 BEDELL, WILLIAM, Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland, one of the 

 most exemplary prelates of the 17th century, was descended from a 

 good family, and was born in the year 1570, at Black Notley in Essex. 

 He was matriculated a pensioner of Emanuel College, Cambridge, 

 March 12, 1584. He entered early into holy orders. In 1593 he was 

 chosen Fellow of his college, and in 1599 took the degree of Bachelor 

 in Divinity. He then removed from the university to St. Edmunds- 

 bury in Suffolk, where he had a church, to the duties of which he 

 assiduously attended, till an opportunity offered, about 1604, for his 

 going as chaplain to Sir Henry Wotton, the English ambassador to 

 Venice. While in that city he became acquainted with Father Paul 

 Sarpi, who took him into his confidence, and taught him the Italian 

 language, of which Bedell became so perfect a master that he trans- 

 lated into that tongue the English ' Common Prayer Book,' which was 

 extremely well received by many of the clergy there. In return for 

 the favours he received from Father Paul, Mr. Bedell drew up an 

 ' English Grammar ' for his use. He continued eight years in Venice, 

 during which time he not only studied the Hebrew language, but 

 entered deeply into rabbinical learning, under Rabbi Leo. 



On his return to England, Mr. Bedell retired immediately to his 

 charge at St. Edmundsbury, where he continued his ministerial 

 abours, employing himself at the same time in translating into Latin. 

 ;he ' Histories of the Interdict and Inquisition,' and the last two 

 rooks of the ' History of the Council of Trent,' 'Sir Adam Newton 

 laving translated the first two. In 1615 Sir Thomas Jermyn, a 

 Suffolk gentleman, presented him to the living of Horniugsheath ; 

 jut he found difficulties in obtaining institution and induction, 

 Dr. Jegon, bishop of Norwich, requiring fees on the occasion so large, 

 ;hat Bedell considered the demand to partake of simony, and refused 

 ;o pay anything beyond the expense of parchment, writing, and wax. 

 [u a few days the bishop sent for him, and gave him institution with- 

 out the charge of fees. Here Bedell continued twelve years, and 

 during that time published and dedicated to the Prince of Wales 

 afterwards Charles I.), ' The Copies of Certain Letters which have 

 massed between Spain and England in matter of Religion, concerning 

 ,he General Motives to the Roman Obedience, between Mr. James 

 Waddesworth, a late pensioner of the Holy Inquisition in Sevi), and 

 W. Bedell, a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Suffolk,' Svo, 

 London, 1624 ; afterwards reprinted by Bishop Burnet in 1685, at the 

 end of Bishop Bedell's life. 



Various causes appear to have delayed the reward which Bedell's 

 merits deserved. He was a Calvinist, says Burnet, in the matter of 

 decrees and grace, and preferments were generally at that time 

 >estowed upon those who held opposite opinions. Bedell's fame how- 

 ever had reached Ireland, and in 1627 he was elected provost of 

 Trinity College, Dublin a charge which he refused to undertake till 

 the king laid his positive commands upon him, which he obeyed, and 

 on August 16th of that year was sworn provost. He held this office 

 about two years, when he was advanced to the united sees of Kilmore 

 and Ardagh, and consecrated on the 13th of September 1629, in the 

 i9th year of his age. During his short residence at Trinity College 

 10 did much towards the restoration of order in the college, which on 

 lis arrival he found in a very unsettled state. He also revised and 

 rnproved the college statute*, and introduced prayers in Irish, and a 

 ecture in the chapel of the university. ('Journal of Education,' 

 fos. xi. and xu.) On going to his diocese, he found it, says Burnet, 

 under so many disorders, that there was scarce a sound part remaining, 

 'he revenue was wasted by excessive dilapidations, and all sacred 

 hings had been exposed to sale in so sordid a manner that it was 



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