B A S 



*ol. i. What other changes await the Swifi cantons, time 

 tnuft develope. See Swisserland. 



Basil, or Basle, the capital of the canton of the fame 

 name, is tiie largeft, and feems formerly to have been one of 

 the moll populous towns i*.i SwifTeiland. Its extent is capable 

 of containing above ioo,ooG inhabitants, and it is laid to have 

 220 ftrfets, and fix market-places or fquarcs ; whereas it 

 can now fcarcely number more than 1.^,000. Among the 

 caufcs which have contributed to its decreafe, Mr. Coxe 

 mentions the jealoufy of the citizens with regard to the 

 burgherfliip, which they feldom deign to confer upon fo- 

 reigners ; and, on this account, no fupply can be obtained 

 to balance that gradual wade of people which takes place 

 in great cities, from an influx of flrangers, who are not per- 

 mitted to carry on commerce, or to follow any trades. The 

 late lavv that allows the freedom of the town and the right 

 of burgherfliip to be conferred upon ftrangers, is clogged 

 with lo many reftriclions, that it by no means anlwers the 

 purpole for which it was intended. 



Bade is beautifully (ituated on the banks of the Rhine, 

 ■ear the point where the river, which is here broad, 

 deep, and tapid, after flowing for fome way from eafl 

 to weft, turns fuddenly to the north. It coniifts of two 

 towns, joined together by a long bridge ; the large 

 town lying on the fide of Swiflerland, and the fmali 

 town on the oppofite bank of the river. Its environs are 

 »ery beautiful, confifting of a fine level traft of fields and 

 meadows. It was anciently called Bafilea, as we learn from 

 Ammianus Marcellinus ; and in the middle ages, Bafula : 

 and it appears in hillory, foon after the reign of Charle- 

 magne ; having fucceeded Augst, or the Augufta Raura- 

 eorum. Bafle is very favourably fituafed for commerce; 

 jind of this advantage the inhabitants have availed them- 

 felves, by eftabU(hini»a great variety of manufactures, par- 

 ticularly of ribbands and cottons ; and by the extenfive 

 trade that is can-icd on by the principal merchants. The 

 cathedral is an elegant Gothic building, and contains the 

 marble tomb of the famous Erafmus, who chofe this city as 

 his favourite place of refidence, a:id publiflied from hence 

 the greatcft part of his valuable works. Bafle has, befides 

 the cathedral, fix parochial churches, and feveral other pub- 

 lic buildings ; fuch as a public granary and an avfenal, a 

 town-houfe, and a ftately palace belonging to the margrave 

 of Baden Doarlach, a chamber of curiofities, feveral hofpi- 

 tals, &c. In the town-houfe is an exquifite piece of the 

 fnfferings of Chrift, by Holbein, who was a native of this 

 place ; and a ftatue of Mun-atius Plancus, the Roman gene- 

 ral, who founded Auguila Rauraconmi. In the arfenal 

 )8 (hewn the armour in which Charlts the Bald loll his life, 

 with the furniture of his horfe, and the kettle drums and 

 trumpets of his army. On the ftsiir-cafe of the council- 

 houfe is a pitlure of the lall judgment, in which, though 

 painted before the reformation, popes, cardinals, monks, and 

 priefts, are reprefcnted in the torments of hell. Upon a 

 v/all that inclofes the burial-ground of the church of the 

 Froteftants in the fuburbs of St.John, is painted, in oil colours, 

 the "dance of death," erroneoufly attributed to Holbein, as 

 it was painted before he was born, in which the king of terrors 

 is reprclentcd as mixing with all ranks and ages, and compli- 

 menting them in German verfes on their arrival at the grave. 

 From this ancient painting, it is thought, that Holbeia 

 took the firll hint towards compofing his famous drawings on 

 the " dance of death." Prints were taken from fome of 

 thefe drawings, by Hollar, which are now very fcarce. The 

 univerfity of Bafle, founded by pope Pius II. in 1459 or 

 1460, was formerly eminent in the literary hillory of Eu- 

 rope. It was honoured by the celebrated names of Oecolam- 

 padiu8, Amerbach, the three Baulunt, Grynsuj, Bustorf, 



Vol. III. 



B A S 



Wctileln, Ifelin, the Bernouillis, and Euler; and it ftill 

 boalls of feveral members who are ornaments to their n--tivc 

 town by their learning and talents. The publ.'c !ibra.-y con- 

 tains a fmall coUedtion of books, remarkable for feveral rare 

 and valuable editions, particularly of thofe printed in tht 

 15th century. i'.fidcs books, this library contains fome 

 valuable MSS. In a fuite of rooms belonging to it, are a 

 cabinet of pctrifadlions, fome ancient medals and gems, a 

 few antiquities found at Augft, a large number of prints, 

 and fome fine drawings and paintings, conufting chiefly of 

 originals by Holbein, moll of v.-hicli are in the highell pre- 

 fervation. Bafle is famous for tiie excellence of its police, 

 and the ilridlnefs of its fumptuary laws. Although the ufe 

 of coaches is not pruhibited, yet no citiien or inhabitant is 

 allowed to have a fervant behind his carriage. No perfon, 

 it is faid, without the city, mud wear lace of gold or filver ; 

 and all young women are prohibited from wearing Clks. 

 By fuch regulations, a dillinguiftiing fimplicity of manner* 

 prevails even in the richeft families. It was formerly a fin- 

 gularity belonging to this town, that all its elocks were an 

 hour faller than the real time, which, according to fome, 

 was introduced during the council of Bafle, in order to fum- 

 mon the cardinals and bifhops in due feafon for the difpateh 

 of bufinefs : others fay that they were put forward, ill 

 order to defeat a confpiracy, by one of the burgomafters, 

 who had notice of the defign ; by which the confpirators, 

 thinking that they had mifled the time and were too late, 

 were induced to retire : others fay, that the fun-dial on the 

 cathedral, which regulates the clocks, declines fomewhat 

 from the call, and this circumftance, according to Bernouilli, 

 occafions a variation from tlie true time of about 4J minutes. 

 The inhabitants have long tenacioufly maintained this an- 

 cient cuftom, and refilled every change; tiU in the late new- 

 order of things, a revolutionary change has taken place with 

 regard to the clocks as well as the government, and they 

 have been altered to the true time. Bafle was formerly the 

 fee of a bilhop ; but though there is one that now bears the 

 title, he lives at Porentru near Alface, and has no jurifdic- 

 tion in this city. 



The famous council of Bafle began its fittings iu 

 143 1, continued its deliberations, and proceeded iu en- 

 afting laws and pubhfliing edicts, until tlie year 1443, 

 notwithftanding the efforts of pope Eugenius, who had 

 been depofed from the papacy by the council in 1439, 

 and his adherents, to put a flop to their proceedings. 

 And though in that year the members of the council retired 

 to their refpeftive places of abode, yet they declared pub- 

 licly that the council was not diflblved, but would refume it* 

 deliberations at Bafle, Lyons, or Laufaiine, as fooa as a 

 proper opportunity occurred. Accordingly, in the year 

 I.J49, when Felix V. refigned the papal chair, the fathers 

 of the council of Bxfle afTcinbled at Laufanne, ratified his 

 voluntary abdication, and, by a folcmn decree, ordered the 

 univerfal church te fubmit to the jurifdiftion of Nicholas as 

 their lawful pontiff. Nicholas fet the feal of his approba- 

 tion and authority to the afts and decrees of the council of 

 Bafle. The two grand points that were propofed to the de- 

 liberation of the famous council of Bafle, were the union 

 of the Greek and Latin churches, and the refonnatica of 

 the church univerfal, both in its head and iu its merabera, 

 according to the refolulion that had been taken at the coun- 

 cil of Confliance. In X435, this council publicly aboliflied 

 the " annats ;" and in 1436, a confelTion of faith was read, 

 which eveiy pontiff was to fubfcribe on the day of his elec- 

 tion ; the number of cardinals was reduced to twenty-four ; 

 and the papal impofitions called " expedtatives," " refer- 

 vations," and " provilions," were annulled. Mofli. Eel. 

 Hjit. vol, jii. p. 420, &c. N. lat. 47"= 35'. E. long. 7° 29' 30'. 

 5 S h&iiv, 



