B A L 



B A L 



covered relating to this fubjeft. Aatlic-fe buildings feenr 

 to have been eredcd bL-twcen the time of Ponnpey and Cara- 

 calla, it is very probable that they were the work of Anto- 

 ninus Pius. The infcriptioas which remain corroborate 

 this opiniop, which perfeftly accounts for the conftant ufe 

 of the Corinthian order, fince that order w:is not in general 

 ufe before the third age of Rome ; but we ought by no 

 means to allege as an additional proof, the bird fculptured 

 over the gate, for if his crooked beak, large claws, aud the 

 caduceus lie bears, give him the appearance of an eagle, the 

 tuft of feathers on his head, like that of certain pigeons, 

 proves that he is not the Roman eajrle : befides that the 

 fame bird is found in the temple of Palmyra, and is therefore 

 evidently an oriental eagle, confeciated to the fun, who was 

 the divinity adured in both thcie temples. His worfiiip 

 exiiled at Balbec, in the mod remote antiquity. His llatue, 

 which refembled that of Oiiris, had been brought thither 

 from the Heliopolis of Egypt, and the ceremonies vvith which 

 he was worlliipped there have been defcribed by Macrobius, 

 in his curious work, intitled, " Saturnalia." Mr. Wood 

 fnppofes, with reafon, that the name of Balbec, which in 

 Syriacfignifies City of Baal, or of the Sun, originated in this 

 worfhip. The Greeks, by naming it Heliopolis, have, in this 

 inltance, only given a literal tranflation of the oriental word, 

 a praftice to which they have not always adhered. We are 

 ignorant of the (late of this city in remote antiquity ; hut it 

 is to be prefumcd that its fituation, on the road from Tyre 

 .to Palmyra, gave it fome part of the commerce of thofe 

 opulent capitals. Under the Romans, Heliopolis was con- 

 flituted a colony by Julius Ccefar, and in the time of Auguf- 

 tu'!, it is mentioned as a garrifon town, for it received part 

 of the veterans of the fifth and eighth legions ; and there is 

 Hill remaining, on the wall of the fouthern gate on the 

 right, as we enter, an infcription which proves the truth of 

 this, the words Kcnturla Prima, in Greek eliarafters, being 

 very legible. One hundred and forty years after, Antoninus 

 fcuilt there the prefent temple, inftead of the ancient one, 

 which wr;s doubtlefs falling into ruins; but Chriftianityhaving 

 gained the afcendancy under Conflantine, the modern temple 

 was neglefted, and afterwards couvert:d into a church, a 

 wall of which is now remaining, that hid the fanftuary of 

 the idols. It continued thus lintil the invafion of the Arabs, 

 when it is probable they envied the Chrillians fo beautiful a 

 building. The church being lefs frequented, fell to decay ; 

 Ttars fuccecded, audit was converted into a place of defence ; 

 battlements were built on the wall which iurrounded it, on 

 the pavilionSj and at the angles, which dill fubCift ; and 

 from that time, the temple, expofcd to the ravages of war, 

 fell rapidly to ruin. 



The Hate of the city is not lefs deplorable : the wretched 

 government of the Emirs ot the houfe of Harfoufhe had 

 already greatly mipaired it; and the earthquake of 1759 

 confjjleted its deftruc\ion. The wars of the Emir Youfcf, 

 and Djezzar, have rendered it (till more defertcd and ruinous: 

 of 5000 inhabitants, at which number they were eftimated 

 in 175 I, not 1200 are now remaining, and all thefc poor, 

 without induftry or commerce, and cultivating nothing but 

 a little cotton, fome maize, and water-melons. 



BALDT, JoHM, in Biography, a learned Dominican 

 monk of the thirteenth century, was born at Genoa, and 

 hence called " Balbi Januenfis ;" and dillingui/hcd as the 

 author of a grammatical work, intitled " Catholicon," ii- 

 liiflied in 1286, and entitled to attention principally from it.^ 

 having been one of the tirll printed books. It was printed 

 i}\ folio at Mentz, in 1460; and this edition is become very 

 fcarce. 



BALBIAN, Justus, of Aloft, in Flanders, iluJied 



at Padua, where he was admitted dodlor in medicine, 

 wh.ich he prailiftd with confiderable reputation, toward? 

 the latter end of the fixteenth century, at Gouda. He 

 openly profeffed the CalvinilHc religion, in which faitj\ 

 he died in 1616, and was buried in the principal church of 

 that city, with the following infcription on his tomb : . 

 Singulos dies, fnigulas vitas puta, 



Julli a Balbian, [fepulchrum : 



Flandri Aloftaui, Philo-Chymici, ejufque hereduHi 



lUe heri, ego hodie, tu eras. 

 Obilt anno 1616. 

 In 1539, he publid'-ed " De Lapide Philofophico Traclatus 

 Septem," I^ugd. Bat. 8vo. It is a colletlion of the worki 

 moll efttemed among the adepts at that time, among whom 

 oui^author muft be claffed. The year following he pub- 

 liHiLd at Venice, " Nova Ratio Praxeos Medicx," Haller. 

 Bib. Med. P. Eloy. Dia. Hift. 



BALBINUS, Decimus Coelius, a Roman emperof, 

 was a dcfcendant of a noble family, founded by Cornelij.is 

 Balbns Thecphanes, originally of Cadiz in Spain, who wgs 

 the friend and hifloriographer of Poinpey, and admitted 

 into the freedom of the city under his patronage. Balbi- 

 nus was diftinguifhed both as a poet and an orator; and js 

 a niagiftrate he had governed fcveral provinces with repu- 

 tation. His fortune was affluent ; and his manners liberal 

 and affable. After the defeat and death of th_e two Gor- 

 dians, on the 3d of July, A. D. 237, Balbinus was elefted 

 emperor by the fenate in conjunction with Maximus. Their 

 eleftion was foon fucceeded by a tumult at Rome, occali- 

 oued by a licentious niultitude ; who neither loved the rigid 

 Maximus, ncn- fnfficiently feared the mild and humane Bal- 

 binus ; and who fnrrounding the temple of Jupiter, de- 

 manded, that, befides the two emperors chofen by the 

 fenate, a third (liould be added of the family of the Gor- 

 dians, as a juft return of gratitude to thofe princes who 

 had facriticed their lives for the republic. Accordingly, 

 Maximus and Balbinus being driven back into the capitol, 

 a boy, thirteen years of age, the grandfon of the elder, 

 and nephew of the younger Gordian, was prefented to 

 them, aud invelled with the title and ornaments of Casfar. 

 The tumult was appealed by this eafy condefcenfion ; and 

 the two emperors, as foon as they had been ])eaceably ac- 

 knowledged in Rome, prepared to defend Italy againll the 

 common enemy. Maximus marched againft Maximin, who 

 was then laying fiege to Aquileia ; but this tyrant having 

 been abandoned by his guards, and aflallinated in his ten{, 

 Maximus returned in triumph to Rome, and was received 

 with cordial congratulations, not only by his colleague and 

 young Gordian, but by the fenate and the people, who 

 perfuaded themitlves that a golden age would fucceed an 

 age of iron. The conduft of the two emperors corre- 

 fponded with thefe expeftations. The rigour of the one 

 was tempered by the clemency of the other: the.oppref- 

 five taxes impofed by Maximin were repealed or moderated, 

 difcipline was revived, and many falutai-y laws were enafted. 

 " What reward," faid Maximus, " may we expeft for deli- 

 vering Rome from a monller?" To which queilion Balbi- 

 nus replied, " the love of the fenate, of the people, and 

 of all mankind." " Alas!" rejoined his more penetrating 

 coUeagiie, " Alas ! I dread the hatred of the foldiers, and 

 the fatal effefts of their rcfentment." His apprehenfions 

 were jullified by the event. At length jealoufies broke out 

 between the two emperors, and they were thus prevented 

 from uniting in any vigorous mcafures of defence againft 

 their common enemies of the Prxtorian camp. Thefe 

 fierce troops, proceeding to an open revolt, fcized on both 

 the einpjrors, ftrijiped them of thtir garments, dragged 



them 



