BEL 



BEL 



of the prophecy of Daniel, by Irenxus, Clernen? Alex., 

 Tertiillian, Origcn, Cyprian, DiJymus, Hilary, Bafil, Gre- 

 goiy Nazianzen, Amhrcfe, and Augiiftin. Sulpitius Stve- 

 lus, and the author of the Synnpfis of St. AthaiiaP.us, ail'o 

 mention thel'e Killories as part of the facred text ; and Ruf- 

 finus upbraids Jcroni tor havinir cut ofl from Daniel t!ie tbrir 

 of the three children, the hiflory of Sufanna, and that of 

 Bsl and the Dragon. Againll the truth of this latter hiilo- 

 xy, allowing it to be apocryphal, it has been alleged, that 

 the ancient title of the LXX. attributed it to Habakkuk, 

 and that Daniel mentioned in this hillory was a pritft ; and 

 that therefore he mufl have been another Daniel to whom 

 this hillory belongs. To this argument it has been replied, 

 that the charafter of priell is not given to Daniel in the ver- 

 fioD of Theodotion, and that the verfion attributed falfclv to 

 the LXX. io not exact. Agai".ll the hiftory of the Dragon 

 it has been urged that Habakkuk, who lived in the time of 

 Manaiie3, was dead when it is luppofed that he wrote thefe 

 things, and v.aa caught up by the fpirit to caiTy provifion to 

 the prophet Daniel. To this o'njeiftion it is anfwertd, that 

 there w-ere two Habakkuks ; one, who was the prophet in 

 the time of ManafTe";, and of the tribe of Simeon ; and ano- 

 ther, mentioned in this paflage of Daniel, of the tribe of Levi. 

 Againft this hi-lory it has alfo been objected, that it relates 

 the confinement of Daniel in the lion's den to have lalled 

 fix days, whereas in chap. vi. v. 22 it is faid, that he had 

 been confined only one night. The advocates of the hiltoiy 

 reply, that he was twice call into the lion's den; under Da- 

 rius, becaufe he prayed to God Sgainil the king's command- 

 ment ; and under Cyrus, on account of the dragon. Du- 

 pin's Canon, b. i. c. 3. § 21. See Apocrypha, and Da- 



MIEL. 



BELA, in Geography, a prettv large town of Upper 

 Hungary, feated in a delight lul plain, not far from the river 

 Popper, but much reduced by frequent fires. 



BsLA, or Beyla, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 

 Sennaar, near the river Rhad, or Rahad, between Deader 

 a'.id Teawa, in the route from Sennaar to Gondar. 



Bela-Benya, i.e. " the white mine," Di'n, formerly 

 Fcjor-Benya, a mean town of Lower Hungary, in the Schem- 

 nitz diftritt, and gepanichatt of Hont, whofe mines being 

 cxhaufted, the inhabitants applied themielves to tillage. 



BELABRE, a town of France, in the department of 

 the LTdre, and chief place of a canton, in the diftricl of 

 Le Elanc en Beny, 2 leagues fouth-eaft of Le Blanc, and Sf 

 (outh-weft of Chateauroux. N. kt. 46° 33'. E. long. l"^ 3'. 



BELALCA>;AN, a town of Spain, in the province of 

 Andaluiia, on tiie frontiers of Ellremadura, 9 leagues from 

 Cordova . 



BELAN. See Below. 



EELANCE Island, in Geography, one of the fmall 

 iilets or rocks which lie between the ifland of Ufnant and 

 St. Mntthew's point, at the entrance into the Brtft harbour. 



BELASAMA, formed from bd-ij-.ima, the mouth of a 

 nver, in Ancient Geography, the name given by Ptolemv to 

 the bay near Liverpool, at the mouth of the river Merfey. 



BEL AS I, in Geography, a town of Germany in the Ty- 

 rolefe, 8 miles weit of Bolzano. 



BELATUCADRUS, or Belatucardus, the name 

 of an ancient Eritifh idol, recorded in feveralold infcriptions, 

 and fuppofed by Selden (de Diis Syris) and Vofiius (de Orig. 

 & Prog. Idol. 1. 2. c. 17.) to be the fame with Belenus, 

 which fee. Bilitop Lyttelton and profeflbr Ward fuppofed 

 him to have been a local deity (fee Archreologia, vol. i. 

 p. 308.) with a fpccial reference to Apollo, who was wor- 

 ihipped, as they obftrvc, by the Druids. Mr. Pegge, (Id. 

 vol. !ii. art. 14.) contends, that it is highly abuird to look 



out for any other deity in Belatucardus, 'uLt the gad Mars- 

 This irigenious antiquary acknowledges, that he was a 

 local deity, peculiar in this ifland to the Brigai.tc3, but at 

 the fame time aflerts, that he was equivalent to Mars, 

 and that he was inverted with the fame powers as that gnd, 

 and that he had not the Icall concern with Apollo, or a.ny 

 relation to him. The opinion of Mr. Pegge is approved and 

 confirmed by Mr. Gough. (Id. vol. x.) We may add, that 

 it is rendered unqucftionable by the infcription recorded by 

 Muratori (Infcript. Thcf. 43. i.) which is as follows: 

 "Deo Marti, Belatucadro." 



BELAY, on board of Ship, fignifies the fame as fatten. 

 Thus they fay, belay the fheet or tack, that is, fallen it to 

 the kevel, by winding it feveral times round a laft, &c. 



BELAY E, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Lot, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 diilridl of Laiizerte, one league fouth-eaft of Puy I'Eveqiie. 



BELAYING-Cleats, in Naval Language, are pieces 

 of v.-ood, which have two arms, or horns, and are nailed 

 thro.igh the middle to the mafts, or elfewhere, for the pur- 

 pofe oi belaying ropes to them. 



Belayixg-Pins, are turned wooden pins, with a fnoul- 

 der near the middle ; the fmall end is driven through the 

 rough tree rails, or racks of thin plank made on pi'.rpoft. 

 Their ufe i? for belaying ropes to them. Iron belaying pir.s 

 are round, taper from the middle to each end, and are 

 driven in the rails, or racks, to belay the ropes to, by taking 

 feveral crofs turns about them. 



jjELBA, in Geography, a town of Egypt, on the coaft 

 of the Mediterranean, 19 miles eall of Tir.eh. 



BELBEIS, a town of Egypt, about 35 miles north- 

 talt of Cairo, and 45 north-welt of Suez. N, lat. 30' 22'. 

 E. lon^-.3l'55'. 



BEL BE K, a river of the Crimea, which falls into the 

 Euxine. 



BELBINA, in Ancient Geography, an idancj of Greece, 

 in the Saroiiic gulf, near the promontory of Sanium, and 

 oppofite to the Scyllosan promontory; mentioned by Pliny, 

 Strabo, S;c. — Alfo, a town of the Peloponnefus, in Laconia, 

 near which was a temple of Minerva. 



BELBO, in Geography, a river of Italy, which rifes 

 about 2 miles tail of Ceva, and runs into the Tanaro, fix 

 miles S.W. of Alexandria. 



BELBUCH, a town of Germany, in the circle of Upper 

 Saxony, in Pomerania, one mile N.E. of New Treptow. 



Belbuch, and Zejmehuch, in Mythology, were regardedl 

 among the Vandals as the good and evil genii. The forajcr 

 iiified the white god, and the latter the black gcd. They 

 were objefts of divine honours. 



BELCA, in Ancient Geography, a place of ancient Gaul, 

 between Brivodbrum and Genabum, where was an ampiii- 

 thcatre. 



BELCAIRE, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Aude, and chiif place of a canton, in the 

 dillria of Quillan, 3* leagues S. W. of (^uillau. 



BELCANIA, a town of Afia, placed by Ptolemy in the 

 greater Armenia. 



BELCASTRO, a fmall epifcopal city of Naples, in the 

 province of Calabria Llti-a ; 10 miles N. E. of St. Seve- 

 rina. 



BELCHER, a townfhip of America, in the county of 

 Hampihire, and ftate of Maffachufctts, containing 1485 in- 

 habitants, who fubfilt chiefly by farming. 



BELCHERS, a clufter of ifiands in Hudfon's bay. 

 N. lat. 56=^ 10'. W. long. 80^ 33'. 



BELCHIER, John, in Biography, a furgeon of emi- 

 nence in London, was bom at Kingllon on the Thames in 



1706. 



