B E C 



■wliich runs into the Severn, 3 miles W. S.W. of Mont- 

 go rrcr)'. 



BECHER, John Joachim, in Bio^i-fiphy, an iiiduflrions 

 and fuccefsfiil cultis'ator and improver of cliemiflry, and an 

 inirenious mtclianift, was bom at Spires in 1645. -^^fter p.ifT- 

 ing through the ufnal preHminary 11 tidies, he was made profef- 

 for of medicine at Mentz, and foou alter phyficinn to the elec- 

 tor there, and to the elector of Bavaria. Acquiring conlidcr- 

 able rep'jtation in thefe honourablepoils, he was calitd to Vien- 

 ra by the emperor Leopold, where, befides attending to his 

 medical duties, he was inftrumental in forming a chamber of 

 commerce, and in improving their manufaftures. He isalfo 

 faid to have projefted the plan of an Eafl India company 

 there. But getting into difputes with fome of the officers 

 about the court, he loft his influence, and was obliged to 

 leave Vienna. He then went to Mayenne, Munich, and 

 XVurtzburg. From Wurtzburg he was driven away, Hailer 

 fays, on being detected dilkcting an human body, with the 

 view probably of profecuting fome chemical experiments on 

 fome of the humours, as he did not cu'tivate anatomy. At 

 Hatrlem, where he now went, he invented a machine for 

 throwing filk ; and, as he tells us in his " La folic fage, et 

 la folie fagclTe," printed at Francfort 1682, made fome im- 

 provement in the art of printing ; in what it confilted, is not 

 however known. In the mean while he was not unmindful 

 of the principal objeft of his itudies, the advancement of the 

 knowledge of chtmillry, as appears bv a rapid fucceffion of 

 publications on that fubjeft. Getting again involved in dif- 

 putes with fome principal perfons at Hacrlem, and compelled 

 to quit that place, he came to London, where he died in 

 1683. That he was of a turbulent and relllefs difpofition is 

 evident by his frequent migrations, and by his conllantly 

 lofing the favour and protection of his patrons, whom he had 

 made his debtors by his abilities and fervices. Bccher gave 

 a new turn to chemiftry, which he employed in analyfing 

 and finding out the principles of natural bodies, and thence 

 laid the foundation of the great improvements that have been 

 made in that art. But he was fond of mylleries, and em- 

 ployed no fmall part of his time and labour in his attempts 

 to trarfmute metals. That he thought this practicable, ap- 

 pears by his " Expcrimentum chymicum novum, quo arti- 

 ■ficialis et inftantanea metallorum generetio et tranfmutatio 

 ad oculum demonltratur ;"' and his " Thefes chymics, 

 veritatem et pofiibilitatem traiilmutationis metallorum in 

 aurum evincentes :" but he was confcious of having done 

 more in the art than had ever been done before, and therefore 

 probably thought hardly any thing impofiiblc. He had 

 a proj.-ct Tor an univerial language, by which all men migiit 

 make themfclves intelligible to each other : " Cl'.arafter pro 

 notitia linguarum imiveriali." On this fi hjecl he publidied, 

 hi 1 66 1, a Latin folio ; and as he was the iirll ptrfon who 

 gave a complete treatife on this art, fir.ce known under the 

 name of pHfigraphv, he may therefore be coniidered as the 

 inventor. (See Umverfal Character, and Pasigraphy.) 

 His principal works are his " Phyhca fuhterranea," which 

 has paiftd throni;h fcvcral editions; " Inilitutiones chy- 

 rr>icts," Mogunt. 4to. 1662 ; " Panialfns medicinalis," Ulm. 

 1663, fol. For the titles of the relt of his works, fee Eloy's 

 Diet. Hilt. 



BECHERE GoL, in Geography, a lake of Caramania in 

 Ari?.tio Turkey, 40 miles W. ot Co^ni. 



£ECHERELE, atown of Fiance, ij the department of 

 the lUe and Villaine, and chief place of a canton in the 

 dillriift of ^Tontfol•t, 3 leagues N. of Montfort. 



BECHHOFEN, a fmall market town of Germany, in 

 the principality cf Oaolzbach, ftated on the liver Wiefct, 

 and having a fmall calllc. 



Vol. IV. 



B E C 



BECHICS, formed of the Greek /Sr|, B'y®; a nv^h, i» 

 the ALi.'cria Jllai'ica, medicines proper for relieving coughi, 

 but ihele being of various kinds, the geueral term may mif- 

 Icad, and is therefore improper. 



Br.cmc Pil/s. See Pills. 



BECHIN, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, and capital 

 of a circle cf the fame name. It is featcd on the river Lun- 

 nice, and its citadel lies on a ftecp rotk. The circle was 

 miferably ravaged and laid waftc in the 30 years' war, and the 

 town was taken and burnt by general Bequoi iu 1619, 

 N.lat. 49^ 14'. E. long. 15=' 12'. 



BECHTOLSHEIM, a market town of Swabia, in the 

 Rhcnifh circle of nobility, belonging to four co-heirs, two ot" 

 whom are Roman Catholics, and two Lutherans. 



BECK, a little river or brook, called alfo rivulet or rill. 



According to Verftegan, the original word is beke, which 

 properly imports a fmall ftream of water ilfuing from forae 

 bourn or fpring. 



Hence, hell-heels, little brooks fo called, on account of 

 their ghalHinefs and deptii, or rather from their being co- 

 vered, or much concealed. See Hell. 



Beck is chiefly uftd among us in the compofition of name* 

 of places originally iituate on rivuUts ; hence \\ elbeck, 

 Bournbeck, &c. 



The Germans ufe leek in the fame manner. 



Beck, David, in Biography, an eminent portrait painter, 

 was born at Amheini in Guelderland in 162 1, and became 

 a difciple of Vandyck, from whom he acqiftred a fine man- 

 ner of penciUing, and that fweet ftyls of colouring in which 

 tills mailer excelled, together with that rapidity of execution 

 for which he was fo famou?. He was appointed portrait 

 painter to Chriltina queen of Sweden ; and by her recom- 

 mendation, moft of the illullrious perfons in Europe fat to 

 him for their pictures. In his perfon and behaviour he was 

 handfome, agreeable, and pohte ; and though he was much 

 favoured by his royal miftrefs, he wilhed to vifit his friend* 

 in Holland, veiy much againft the queen's inclination ; but 

 as he foon after died in Holland, at the early age of 35, it 

 was fufpeited that he was poifoiied. As he travelled through. 

 Germany, he was inddenly taken ill at an irn, where he 

 lodged, and the iilnefs terminated in his apparent death, fo 

 that he was laid out as a corpfe. His valets, who attended, 

 regretted the event, and as they fat by his bed-lide, relieved 

 their forrow by drinking freely. One of them, in a ftate of 

 intoxication, fviggelled, that their mafl:erwas fond of a glafs 

 while he was alive, and propofed to teflify their gratitude by 

 giving him a glafs, though he were dead. Accordingly, they 

 raifed his head, and endeavoured to put fome liquor into his 

 mouth. Upon this B.-ck opened his eyes, and the fervant 

 compelled him to fwaliow what remained in the glals. The 

 painter revived, and, by due attention, not only efcaped inter, 

 ment, but perfectly recovered. In teftimony of his rurit as 

 an artift, he received from different princes nine gold chains, 

 and feveral medals of gold of a large fize. Pilkington. 



BECKEM, or Beckum, in Geography, a fmall town of 

 Germanv, in the circle of Wcftphali^ and biihopric of Mnn- 

 ftcr, featcd on the AVerfe, I 7 miles S. S. E. of Munfter. Iu 

 I7?4 it was almoil wholly confumed by fire. 



BECKER, Daniel, in Biography, was born atDantzicli, 

 in December i ,94. He took his degree cf dodtor in medi- 

 cine at Konigfj^rg, and w as made profelTor of medicine there, 

 and rector a\ the us iverlity. Becker was author of various 

 medical works, but that which principally contributed to prc- 

 fci-ve his name, is his " Dc cultrivoro Pruniaco, ohfervatio 

 ct curatlc) fingularis," or the extraordinary cure of the PiTif- 

 fran knifc-fwallov.-tr ; ftril pablilhcd in l^^*^, and fince fre- 

 quently rcpihittd. Thii lubj.'ct of the hillory i; a young 

 M man. 



