BfcN 



een the German ocean and the Bal- 

 tic. The belts belong to the King- of 

 Denmark, who exacts a toll from all ships 

 which pass through them, excepting 

 those of Sweden, which are exempted. 



BELVIDERE, in the Italian architec- 

 ture, &c. denotes either a pavilion on the 

 top of a building-, or an artificial eminence 

 in a garden : the word literally signifying 

 a fine prospect. 



BEND, in heraldry, one of the nine 

 honourable ordinaries, containing a third 

 of the field when charged, and a fifth 

 when plain. It is sometimes, like other 

 ordinaries, indented, ingrailed, &c. and 

 is either dexter or sinister. 



BEND dexter is formed by two lines 

 drawn from the upper part of the shield 

 on the rig'ht to the lower part of the left, 

 diagonally. It is supposed to represent a, 

 shoulder belt, or a scarf, when worn over 

 the shoulder. 



BEND sinister is that which comes from 

 the left side of the shield to the right: 

 this the French heralds call a barre. 



BEND in, is when any things borne in 

 arms are placed obliquely from the upper 

 corner to the opposite lower, as the bend 

 lies. 



BENDING, in a general sense, the re- 

 ducing a straight body into a curve, or 

 giving it a crooked form. 



The bending of timber, boards, &c. is 

 effected by means of heat or steam, 

 whereby their fibres are so relaxed that 

 you may bend them into any figure. 



BENDING, in the sea-language, the tying 

 two ropes or cables together ; thus they 

 say, bend the cable, that is, make it fast 

 to the ring of the anchor; bend the sail, 

 make it fast to the yard. 



BENDS, in a ship, the same with what 

 is called wails or wales ; the outmost tim- 

 bers of a ship's side, on which men set 

 their feet in climbing up. They are 

 reckoned from the water, and are called 

 the first, second, or third bend. They 

 are the chief strength of a ship's sides, 

 and have the beams, knees, and foot- 

 hooks bolted to them. 



BENDY, in heraldry, is the field di- 

 vided into four, six, or more parts, diago- 

 nally, and varying in metal and colour. 



The general custom of England is to 

 make an even number, but in other coun- 

 tries they regard it not, whether even or 

 odd. 



BENEFICE is generally taken for all 

 ecclesiastical livings, be they dignities or 

 not: all church preferments are bene- 

 fices; but they must be given for life, 

 and not for a term of years, or at will. 



BEN 



BENEFIT of clergy. By stat. 3 Ed. 1. 

 c. 3, it is enacted, that for the scarcity of 

 clergy in the realm of England, to be dis- 

 posed of in religious houses, or for priests, 

 deacons, and clerks of parishes, there 

 should be a prerogative allowed to the 

 clergy, that if any man that could read 

 as a clerk were to be condemned to 

 death, the bishop of the diocese might, 

 if he would, claim him as a clerk ; and he 

 was to see him tried in the face of the 

 court if he could read or not ; if the pri- 

 soner could read, then he was to be de- 

 livered over to the bishop, who should 

 dispose of him in some places of the cler- 

 gy, as he should think meet ; but if either 

 the bishop would not demand him, or the 

 prisoner could not read, then he was to 

 be put to death. 



By the common law, a woman was not 

 entitled to the benefit of clergy; but 

 by 3 W. c. 9, s. 6, a woman convicted, or 

 out-lawed, for any felony for which a man 

 might have his clergy, shall, upon her 

 prayer to have the benefit of this statute, 

 be subject only to such punishment as a 

 man would in a like case. 



But every person, (not being within or- 

 ders) who has been once admitted lo his 

 clergy, shall not be admitted to it a second 

 time, 4 Hen. VII. c. 13 ; and against the 

 defendant's plea of clergy, the prosecutor 

 may file a counter plea, alleging some 

 fact, which in law deprives the defendant 

 of the privilege he claims ; as he was be* 

 fore convicted of an offence, and there- 

 fore not entitled to the benefit of the 

 statute. 



In case of high treason against the king, 

 clergy was never allowable. 



When a person is admitted to his cler- 

 gy, he forfeits all the goods he possessed 

 at the time of the conviction. 2 H. H. 

 388. But immediately on his burning in 

 the hand, he ought to be restored to the 

 possession of his land, 2 H. H. 388. It 

 also restores him to his credit, and conse- 

 quently enables him to be a good wit- 

 ness. 



BENEVOLENCE is used in the sta- 

 tutes of this realm for a voluntarv gratui- 

 ty given by the subjects to the king*. 

 This, instead of a gift, is an extortion and 

 imposition, that has been guarded against 

 by the declaration of rights, 1 Wm. 2 st. 

 where it is insisted, that levying money 

 for or to the use of the crown, bv pre- 

 tence of prerogative, without grant of 

 parliament, is illegal. 



BENZOATS, salts formed of the ben- 

 zoic acid and alkalies and most of the 

 earths. They are all soluble, and from 

 them the acid may be separated by means 



