EEC 



BEG 



nnder the maili of religion, concealed the mod abominable 

 prir.oiples, and committed the moft enormous crines. 



'The Beghards of OwVinany, deprived of the protedVion of 

 the emperor Lewis, fiifVcred extreme mifery under Charles 

 IV. who was advanced, by the iiitereft of the pope, to the 

 imperial throne in 1345. Dcfirous of gratifying the -defii'cs 

 of the court of Rome, he fupported by his edicts and by 

 his arms the papal incjiiifitors, and allowed them to appre- 

 hend and put to death all thofe that were deemed enemies ; 

 and among others the Beghards were viftims to their perfe- 

 cuting power. The emperor himfcif, wlio refided at Lucca 

 in Italy, not only approved thcfe violent mcafiires, but ifiucd 

 out in 1369 fcvere cdids, commanding all the German 

 princes to extirpate out of their dominions the Beghards and 

 Beguines, or, as he himfclf interpreted the name, " the vo- 

 luntary beggars," as enemies of the church and of the Ro- 

 man empire, and to affift the inquifitors in their proceedings 

 againll them. By another edift, publiHied not long atter, 

 he gave the houfcs of the Beghards to the tribunal of the 

 inquifition, ordering them to be converted into prifons for 

 heretics ; and at the fame time ordered all the clTefts of 

 the Beguines to be publicly fold, and the profits arifia:^ from 

 them to be equally divided between the inquifitors, the magi- 

 ftrates, and the poor of thofe towns and cities where fuch 

 fale flioiild be made. The Beghards, being reduced to 

 great llraits by this and other mandates of the emperor, and 

 by the confbitutions of the popes, fought a refuge in thofe 

 provinces of SwilTerland that border upon the Rhine, and 

 alfo in Holland, Brabant, and Pomerania. But the edifts 

 and mandates of the emperor, together with the papal bulls 

 and inquilitors, followed them wherever they went, and 

 diftrefled them in their mod dillant retreats, fo that, during 

 the reign of Charles IV., the greateil part of Germany 

 ( SwiiTerland, and thofe provinces that are contiguous to it, 

 excepted), was thoroughly purged of the Beghards, or rebel- 

 lious Francifcans, both perfeiSl and imperfeft. 



The Beghards of Flanders are a denomination by which 

 certain unmarried perfons, both bachelors and wfdowers, are 

 diflinguilhed, who firmed themfelves into communities of 

 the fame kind with thofe of the female Beguines, referving 

 to themfelves the liberty of returning to their former me- 

 thod of life. The firft focicty of thofe Beghards was efta- 

 bliihed at Antwei-p in the year 122?, and continues flill ; 

 though the brethren of which it is compofed have long fince 

 departed from their primitive rule of difciphne and manners. 

 This firll ellabiilhment was fucceeded by many others in 

 Germany, France, Holland, and Flanders. Thefe frater- 

 nities long enjoyed the toleration of the Roman pontiffs ; 

 but moil of tlie convents are now either demoliflied or con- 

 verted to other ufes. See Brethre!) of the Free Spirit, 

 Fratricelli, and Tertiaris. Mofheim's Eccl. Hilt. 

 voi.iii. p. 86. 8vo. 1758. 



BEGTA, in Geography. See Bayjau. 

 " BEG IS, in Jiicient Geography, a town of lUyria, which 

 trelonged to the Trailians. Steph. Byz. 



BEGKAWE, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the 

 circle of BrcHav,-, 3 miles wed of Melnik. 



BEGLAISEH, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro- 

 vince of Cnramania, 8 miles north of Kirfhehr. 



BEGLERBEG, a Tarkifli title for the chief governor 

 of a province, who has under Mm kvexAbeysorfangiacs, 

 that in, fubgovemors. The word is alfo written " beylerbey," 

 " iKglerbey," " bcghelerbeghi," and " beylerbcL'." It is 

 compounded of "begler," lords; the plural of "beg," lord, 

 with the word "beg," fnbjoiiied ; importing as much as 

 ierd of lords. 



The next to the vifier O'zcm, or the firfl vifier, are the 

 beglerbcgs in Turkey, who, according to Rycaut, may be 



compared to archdukoi in fome other countries, being the 

 next minifters below the prime vifier, and having under their 

 jurifdiftion many fangiacs, or provinces, and their begs, agas, 

 &c. To cvciy bcglerheg the grand fignior gives three en- 

 figns or ftaves, trimmed with a horfe-tail, to dilHnguilh 

 them from the bafhaws, who have but two, and from firr.ple 

 begs, oj-.fangiac-begs, who have but or.e. Sec Bashaw. 



The province or governm.ent of a beglerbeg is cal'ed "bcg- 

 lerbeglik," or begherbcglik." Thefe are of two forts ; the 

 firll called " bafile bcglerbeglik," which has a certain rent 

 affigned out ot the cities, countries, and fignories allotted to 

 the principality ; the fecond called " fdianai begkrbeglik," 

 for maintenance of which is annexed a certain falary or vent, 

 collecled by the grand fignior'n officers with the treafure of 

 the empire. The beglerbegs of the firft fort are in number 

 twenty-two, viz. thole of Anatolia, C.raniania, Di:ir!'e!;ir, 

 Damafcus, Aleppo, Tripoli, Trebizond, Biida, Tem.eiwar, 

 &c. The beglerbegs ot the fecond fort are in number fix, 

 viz. thofe of Cairo, Babylon, &c. Five of the beglerbegs 

 have the titles of vifiers, viz. thofe of Anatolia, Babylon, 

 Cairo, Romania, and Buda. The begltrbegs appear with 

 great (late, and a large retinue, efpecially in the camp, be- 

 ing obliged to bring a foldier for every five thoufand afpers 

 rent which they enjov. 



The bLglerbegs of Romania brought ten thoufand effecflive 

 men into the field. 



Beglerbeg is alfo a title given to the chief governors of 

 provinces in the Perlian empire, having the command over 

 all kans, fultins, &c. in their refpec\ive dillridls. 



BEGON, Michael, m Bi-jgraphy, was born of a good 

 family at Blois, in 163S. After having occupied fome law 

 offices in his native province, he was introduced by his kinf- 

 man, the marquis de Seignelai, into the marine department, 

 and became fucceffively intendant of Havre, of the French 

 colonies in America, and of the gallies. In 1688, he removed 

 to Rochefort, and pofTefTed the intendance of that poll till his 

 death, which happened in 1710. His leifure hours were af- 

 fiduonfly devoted to the cultivation of literature, and he was 

 owner of a valuable library, which was free of public accefs. 

 In moft of his books was written " Michaelis Begon et ami- 

 corum," i. e. the property of Begon and his friends ; and 

 when he was once cautioned by his librarian againll lending 

 his books for fear of lofing them, he replied, " 1 would ra- 

 ther lofe them, than feem to dillrull any honefl man." His 

 cabinet was richly llored with medn'is, antiques, prints, and 

 various curiolities, collefted from all parts of the world. 

 Having procured engravings of feveral eminent Frenchmen 

 of the feventeenth century, he collefted memoirs of their 

 lives, which furnilhed materials for Perrault's "Hommes II- 

 lullres." Of his botanical refearches in the American colo- 

 nies father Plumier availed himfclf in his publication. Nouv. 

 Dia. Hid. 



BEGONIA, fo named by Plumier after Monf. Begon, 

 in Botany. Lin. gen. n. 1156. Schreb. 1442. Dryander ia 

 Linn. Trarif. I. 158. Gffirtn. fruft. t. 31. Juff. gen. 436. 

 Clals and order, monoceia polyandria. Nat. Ord. holoraccr. 

 Jncertte, Jud". Gen. Char. * Male flowers. Ccd. none. Cor, 

 petals four (in B. odopelala fix to nine), of which two oppo- 

 fite ones are larger, commonly roundilh (in B. ferruginea all 

 nearly equal, oblong.) Stam. filaments numerous (15 to 

 100), inferted into the receptacle, very fliort, fometimes 

 united at the bafe ; anthers oblong, ereft. * Female flow- 

 ers. Cal. none. Cor. petals in mod fpecies five, in fome 

 fix, in others perhaps four, commonly unequal. Pifl. germ 

 inferior, three-fided, in very many winged ; ftyles in moll 

 three, bifid ; lligmas fix. Per. capfule in mod three-cor- 

 ntred, js-inged, three-celledi opening at the bafe by the 

 wings ; fome are two-celled, and othsrs perhaps one-celled. 



Edent. 



