B A S 



Acacians, in tlie prLrence of Conftartius. However, the 

 Acacians prevailed againll him in the council of Conilaiiti- 

 noplc, A. D. 360, and procured his depofition ; neveithelefs 

 he kept pofTcffion of his fee, and was ackr.owlcdtred as bi- 

 Ihop by the orthodox prelates. Balil is fuppofcd to have 

 died, either at the end of Jovian's reign, or the beginning 

 of tiiat of Valcns. Cave, Hill. torn. i. p. 3 10. Lardner's 

 Works, vol. iv. p. 125. 



Basil, in Botany. See Ocymi'm. 



Basil, Fhtd. See Clinopodium. 



Basil, American Field. SccMonarda. 



Basil, Syrian FieU. See Ziziphora. 



Basil Stone, and Wild. See Thymvs. 



Basil, Order of St., in F.cchjinjtical Hif.ory, is the mod 

 ancient of all the religious orders. It takes its name from 

 St. Bafil, b;(hop of Crcfarea, in Cappadocia, about the mid- 

 dle of the fourth century ; who ii fnppofed to have been 

 the author of the rales obferved by this onler, though 

 fonie difpute it. The order of St. Bafil was anciently very 

 famous in the Eatl, ai;d ilill continues in Greece. The ha- 

 bit of the monks is black, and plain, confiiling of a long 

 calTock, and a great gown with large fleeves ; on their head, 

 they wear a hood, which reaches to the Ihoulders ; they 

 wear no linen ; Deep without fheets, on ilraw ; eat no flefli ; 

 fad often ; and till the ground with their own hands. The 

 hiftorians of this order inform us, that it has produced 1S05 

 bilhops, and beatified, or acknowledged as faints, 3010 ab- 

 .bots, 11,805 martyrs, and an infinite number of confeffors 

 and virgins. They likewife place among the religious of 

 this order of St. Bafil 14 popes, feveral cardinals, and many 

 patriarchs, archbilhops, and bilTiops. It likewife boafls of 

 leveral emperors and emprefies, kings and queens, princes 

 and princeffes, who have embraced the rule of St.Balll. 



This order was introduced in the Weft in 1057, and was 

 reformed in 1579 by pope Gregory XIII. who united the 

 religious of this order in Italy, Spain, and Sicily, into one 

 congregation ; of which the monaftery of St. Saviour, at 

 Meiriiia, is the chief, and enjoys pre-eminence over the 

 reft. Each community has its particular rule, befidcs the 

 rule of St. Bafil ; which is very general, and prefcribes little 

 more than the common duties of a Chriftian life. 



Basil, Bajle, or Bale, in Geography, one of the new 

 cantons of Swificrland, which joined the Helvetic confede- 

 racy in 1501. It is bounded on the fouth-wcll and fouth 

 by the canton of Soleure, on the ealt by Lower Argow and 

 the canton of Baden, on the north-ealt by the territory of 

 Rheinfelden, one of the forefl towns, and on the north- 

 well by Alface, ai:d on the weft by the biftiopric of Bade. 

 Its extent is about lOofquare miles, and its population is 

 cftimated at 40,000 perfons. The lower parts of this can- 

 ton are fertile in corn and wine, and alfo fit for pafture ; but 

 the mountains are extremely barren. It has many medicinal 

 fprings and baths, and the air is temperate and falubrious. 

 The religion of this canton is the reformed, or Proteftant. 

 As to its ancient government, the biHiops of Bafle oncenof- 

 feffed the fovereignty over the city and canton ; but w'hen 

 they quitted this town in 1 501, and retired, firft to Friburg 

 in Brifgau, and afterwards cilabliihed their refidence at Po- 

 rentru, tliey loft the inconfiderable authority and few prero- 

 gatives that belonged to tliem. Ifpon the introduttion of 

 the reformation in 1525, the conftitution was in feme mea- 

 fure changed, and the power of the ariftocracy limited. 

 Before the late revolution, the government was anftocratic, 

 inclining towards a democracy. The fupreme iegiflative 

 power refided in the great and little councils, confifting of 

 about 300 members, and the authority of thefe two councils 

 »vas without controul ; they enaded laws, declared war and 



B A S 



peace, eontrafted alliances, and impofed taxes ; they elected 

 the feveral maciftrates, appointed their own members, nom.i- 

 nated to all employments, and conferred the right of burgh- 

 erfliip. The gen;ii.l adminiftration of government was com- 

 mitted, by the great council, to the fenate or little council ; 

 that is, to a part of its own body. This fenate, conipofed 

 of fixty members, together with the four chiefs of the re- 

 public, two burgomafters, and two great tribunes, wag di- 

 vid' d into two bodies, which adled by rotation ; the afling 

 divifion continued in office one year, decided finally in all 

 criminal caufes, fuperintended the police, and exercifed fe- 

 veral other powers fubordinate to the fovereign council. 

 The coUeftive body of citizens afTembled only once a year, 

 when the magiftrates publicly took an oath to maintain the 

 conftitution, and to preferve the liberties and immunities of 

 the people inviolate. The reciprocal oath ol obedience to 

 the laws was adminiftered to the citizens in their refpeftive 

 tribes. But, notwithftanding the boundlefs prerogatives of 

 the great council, the meanell citizen was legally capable of 

 being admitted into that body, and, by the fiugular method 

 of eleftion, might poflibly be chofen ; for the vacancies iu 

 the two councils were fupplied from all ranks of citizens, 

 the members of the univerlity only excepted. Thefe citizens 

 were divided into eighteen tribes, fifteen of which belonged 

 to the larger towns, and three to the fmaller ; each of the 

 fifteen tribes returned four members to the fenate, and each 

 of the eighteen fent twelve to the great council. As thefe 

 elections were formerly determined by a plurality of voices, 

 the richeft perfon was always almoft certain of beifig chofen ; 

 to prevent which, a regulation, called a " ternaire," was 

 eftabhftied ; that is, three candidates were nominated, and 

 from thefe the fucceflbr was appointed bv lot. In 1740, 

 an aft was paffcd, by which the " ternaire" was changed 

 into a " fenaire," by which fix candidates were put in no-, 

 mination, and drew lots for the charge ; fix tickets, con- 

 taining the names of the refpeftive candidates, and feparately 

 placed in filver eggs, were put into one bag, and the fame 

 num.ber of tickets, five being blanks, and one marked with 

 the vacant employment, were put into another bag : the 

 reigning burgomafter and the great tribune, appointed to 

 be the drawers of this official lottery, both at the fame in- 

 ftant took a ticket from each bag, and the candidate whofe 

 name came out with the ticket on which the employment 

 was written, obtained the poft. — But it is now needlefs to 

 purfue the detail — In 1798, the Htlvctit confederacy was 

 dift'tilved by the invading power of France, and, according 

 to the diftribution of that year, Bafle was conttituted one 

 of the eighteen departments into which Swifierland was di- 

 vided : but according to the conftitution of 1801, Bafle 

 was made one of the departments, with the addition of the 

 lower part of the Frickthal to Seckingen, with the right of 

 deputing three reprefentatives to the diet. 



Bade was the firft canton which feparated from the old 

 Helvetic confederacy, and adopted the new conftitution fa- 

 bricated in France. Its fituation near the frontiers, expofed 

 it to the intrigues of the French agents, and without foreign 

 fupport, rendered it incapable of refiftance. The peafants of 

 the canton were likewife dilTatisfied with the monopoly of 

 power and commerce vefled in the burghers of the town. 

 Encouraged by the French, and excited by their own tur- 

 bulent dem.agogues, they peremptorily required emancipation 

 and independence. The progrefs of the revolution in this 

 canton was almoll infl;antaneou3 ; the magiilrates were inca- 

 pable of refiftante, and obliged to refign their authority ; 

 and fixty delegates, appointed by the people, were inverted 

 with a provifional government, until the new conftitution 

 fhould be confolidated, Coxe's Travels in Switzerland, 



vol. 



