BIA BIBLE. 



in the wound ; when the dog becomes cmiviiUc d. 

 mitl appears dying, mix some scrapings of hezoar 

 with water, and moisten tlie animal's month with it ; 

 it he recover, the Mom- is genuine. Simpler methods, 

 perhaps, are, immersion in warm water, which neither 

 loses it own colour, nor diminishes tin- weight, of the 

 bezoar : or rubbing it over paper smeared with chalk 

 or quick-lime; the genuine stone leaves a yellow 

 hue on the first, a given one on the last. 



BIA; a name given by the Siamese to those small 

 shells which are called cuirrii-s throughout almost all 

 the other parts of the East Indies. See i',,wrin. 



BIAGIOU, Josaphat ; a learned Italian linguist. 

 Before the invasion <if Italy, by the joint forces of 

 Austria and Russia, in 17','S, he was professor of 

 Grek and Iuin literature at the university of 

 I rhino. As he had shown himself a friend to the 

 cause of liberty, he took refuge in Paris, and was 

 appointed professor of Italian literature at a pryta- 

 nettiri, and delivered lectures before a splendid 

 audience. He was editor of the Lettere del Card. 

 Bftitivoglio (Paris, 1808-12!), and author of a Gram- 

 mairc raisonnee de la Langue Jtalienne d I' Usage 

 de* Francois, tnivie d'un Traite de la Pocsie Italii-nne 

 (Paris, ISiiii). which obuiined the approbation of the 

 French institute, and has passed through four edi- 

 tions. He also prepared a Grammatica ragionata 

 deUa Lingua Francete all 1 Uso ilegC Italiani (1812). 

 His edition of the Divina Corn-media, del Dante 

 Aligkicri (Paris, 1818, 3 vols.), for the correctness of 

 the text, and the excellence of the commentary, is 

 held in great esteem ; but it has also contributed to 

 the propagation of many new errors relating to 

 Dante, partly from the editor's violent spirit or op- 

 position to Lombard!. It obtained the honour of 

 being reprinted in Italy (Milan, 1820, IGmo). B. 

 published, at Paris, Petrarca, and the poems of 

 Michael Angelo Buonarotti, with a commentary 

 similar to that of Dante. He died in 1831 . 



BIANCHIM, Francesco, born at Verona, 1662, studied 

 mathematics, physics, anatomy, and botany, at first 

 under the Jesuits, afterwards (1680) at Padua. He 

 was intended for the clerical profession, repaired to 

 Rome, and there applied himself to jurisprudence, 

 but continued at the same time the study of experi- 

 mental physics, astronomy, &c., as well as of Greek, 

 Hebrew, &c. Antiquities also became one of his 

 favourite studies. He passed whole days amidst 

 ancient monuments, was present at all the excava- 

 tions in search of them, visited all the museums, and 

 made drawings of the remains of antiquity with as 

 much taste as skill. At the death of Innocent XL, 

 cardinal Gttoboni ascended the papal throne under 

 the name of Alexander J'"IIL, and bestowed on B. a 

 rich benefice, with the appointment of tutor and 

 librarian to his nephew, the cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. 

 Pope Clement XI. also patronised him, and appointed 

 him secretary to the commission employed in the 

 correction of the calendar. B. was commissioned to 

 draw a meridian in the church of St Maria degli 

 Angeli, and to erect a sun-dial. He successfully 

 accomplished this difficult undertaking, with the 

 assistance of Maraldi. Being on a tour through 

 France, Holland, and England, he formed the idea 

 of drawing a meridian in Italy from one sea to the 

 other, in imitation of that which Cassini had drawn 

 through France. He was occupied eight years at 

 his own expense in that work ; but other employ- 

 ments withdrew his attention from it, and it remained 

 unfinished. He concluded his career with two im- 

 portant works (1727), on the planet Venus, and on 

 the sepulchre of Augustus. He died in 1729. A 

 monument was erected to his memory in the cathe- 

 dral at Verona. He united the most extensive 

 teaming with modesty and the most amiable manners. 



BIAS ; son of TeiiUnnns ; born nt Prienc, one of 

 the principal cities of Ionia, about 570 B. ('. I le wa^ 

 a practical philosopher, studied the laws of his 

 country, and emploved his knowledge in the service 

 of his friends ; defending them in the courts of 

 justice, or settling their disputes, lie made a noble 

 use of his wealth. His advice, that the lonians 

 should fly before ilie victorious Cyrus to Sardinia, 

 vas not followed, and the victory of the army of 

 ( ';, i us confirmed the correctness of his opinion. The 

 inhabitants of Prime, when besieged by Ma/.arc*, 

 resolved to abandon the city with their property. On 

 this occasion, B. replied to one of his fellow citi/.ens, 

 who expressed his astonishment that lie made no 

 preparations for his departure, " I canrytvery thing 

 with me." B. remained in his native country, where 

 he died at a very advanced age. His countrymen 

 buried him with splendour, and honoured his memory. 

 Some of his sayings and precepts are yet preserved. 

 He was numbered among the seven sages of Gn ece. 



BIBBIENA, Fernando ; a painter and architect. His 

 father, Giovanni Maria Galli (a less distinguished 

 painter and architect), named his son B. from his 

 native town in Tuscany. The son was born at 

 Bologna, 1657. Carlo Cignani (q. v.) directed his 

 studies. B. was afterwards invited to Barcelona. 

 The duke of Parma subsequently made him director 

 of his theatres. Charles VI. afterwards invited him 

 to Vienna. Several beautiful buildings were erected 

 in Austria from his plans. In his theatrical paintings, 

 he has continued the vicious style of Bornmiini and 

 others. His writings display extent and accuracy 01 

 knowledge. When considerably advanced in life, 

 his weak" sight prevented him from painting, and he 

 occupied himself with the revision of his works, 

 which he published anew at Bologna, 1725 and 

 1731, in 2 vols.; the first, under the title Direzimn 

 a' giovani Stuilenti nel Disegno dell Archtiettura 

 civile : in the second, he treats of perspective. He 

 finally became blind, and died 1743. His three 

 sons extended their father's art through all Italy and 

 Germany. Antonio succeeded to his father's place 

 at the court of the emperor Charles VI. Giuseppe 

 died at Berlin, and Alessandro in the service of the 

 elector palatine. A collection of B.'s decorations 

 has been published at Augsburg. 



BIBLE; a book, from the Greek /SijSAa;, which 

 signifies the soft bark of a tree, on which the an- 

 cients wrote. The collection of the Sacred Writings, 

 or Holy Scriptures of the Christians, is called the 

 Bible, or the Book, by way of excellence. Some of 

 these writings, which are also received by the Jews 

 as the records of their faith, are called the Old 

 Testament, or writings of the old covenant, because 

 the Jewish religion was represented as a compact or 

 covenant between God and the Jews, and the Greek 

 word for covenant Quttfati) signifies also last will, or 

 testament. The same figure was applied to the 

 Christian religion, which was considered as an exten- 

 sion of the old covenant, or a covenant between 

 God and the whole human race. The sacred writ- 

 ings peculiar to the Christians are, therefore, called 

 the Scriptures of the New Testament. (See Testa- 

 ment) The order of the books of the Old Testa- 

 ment, as they are arranged in the editions of the 

 Latin version, called the J-'iUgate (q. v.), accord- 

 ing to the decree of the council of Trent (sess. 4), 

 is as follows : Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 

 Deuteronomy. Joshua, Judges, and Ruth ; I Samuel, 

 or I Kings ; II Samuel, or II Kings ; 1 Kings, other- 

 wise called III Kings ; II Kings, otherwbe called 

 IV Kings ; I Esdras (as it is called in the Septuagint 

 (q. v.) and Vulgate), or Ezra; II Esdras (or as we 

 call it) Nehemiah ; Tobit, *Juclith, Esther, Job, 

 Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, 



