BEL 



BEL 



Zaphorin, where he died January loth 154'^. He was 

 buried in the church of Mans, and a noble inoimment was 

 ereftcd to his memory. He was the author of fevcral works ; 

 of which the principal was " TheHiftory of his own Times," 

 in Latin and French, which he divided into ogdoades, or 

 different parts, each conl'ifting of eight book?. Of this 

 work fome few fragments only remain, preferved by his bro- 

 ther Martin Du Bellay, in his" Memoirs from 1513 to 1543." 

 They are written in a fimple and lively manner, but are 

 fomewhat partial in favour of Francis I. 



Bellay was one of the firll French writers who expreffed 

 a doubt of the miraculous fafts recorded of Joan of Arc. 

 Gen. Dic5\. 



Bei.i.av, John du, a cardinal, younger brother of the 

 preceding, was born in 1492 ; and having made confiderable 

 prolicicncy in literature, was highly elleemed by Francis I. 

 By him lie was employed in fevcral embalTies, particularly in 

 negociating a reconciliation betwcn Henry VIII. of Eng- 

 land and the fee of Rome ; and he was advanced by him to 

 ftveral confiderable preferments. Bi;llay, in the bufmefs of 

 kintr Henry, vifited the pope at Rome, where he continued, 

 and in ly^J, he was made cardinal by Paul III. Asfoon as 

 he received intelligence of the hoftile defigns of Charles V. he 

 returned to France, and refilled that prince's invafion of 

 Provence in 153'^, as the lieutenant-general of Francis, with 

 as much military vigour as prudence, and he exerted himfelf 

 in putting the metropolis, and other places in Picardy and 

 Champagne in a formidable ftate of defence. After the death 

 of Francis I. his credit declined by the intrigues of the car- 

 din;d of Lorraine, and retiring to Rome, he refigned his pre- 

 Jerments in F" ranee, and was made bilhop of Oftia. He was 

 j'o much refpecled by his brother cardinals, that they had 

 thoughts of raiting him to the pontificate, when he died in 

 1560 at Rome, aged 6S years. Bellay was dillinguifhed as 

 a patron of literature ; and by his advice, in concurrence 

 with that of Budseus, Francis I. founded the royal college 

 in 1529. He was an elegant writer, both in Latin and in 

 French. In the Latin language he wrote fome harangues, 

 2nd an apology for Francis I. and in the latter three books 

 of poems, confifting of elegies, odes, and epigrams, pub- 

 lifhed by R. Stephens, in 1546. Gen. Dift. 



Bellay, foachm du, a French poet, was born at Lire 

 in Anjou, about the year 1524; and srrndft various domeftic 

 misfortunes, which marked his earlier years, he direfted his 

 attention to the ftudy of the ancient and modern poets. At 

 length his own performances in verfe made him known at 

 court, and he became the dehght of Francis I. Henry II. 

 and Margaret queen of Navarre. He was charafterifed by 

 the appellation of the " Frencii Ovid," which feemed to 

 liave not improperly been bellowed upon him, on account, 

 partly, of the fweetnefs and facility of his mufe, and partly 

 of the licentioufnefs of fome of his piecef. In the fonnet he 

 particularly excelled, and a rank has been afligned to him as a 

 poet next to that of Ronfard. He followed his relation the 

 cardinal to Rome ; and on returning with him to France as 

 his agent, he loll his favour in confcquence of charges of ir- 

 religion and immorality that were alleged againft him. But 

 another relation, who was biiliop of Paris, gave him a ca- 

 noni-y in his church in IJ55, and he had the profpeft of 

 further preferment ; but was carried off by an apoplexy, 

 January i, 1561. His French poems were publilhed in 1561, 

 and his Latin ones in 1569. Nouv. Di61. Hill. 



BELLE uE NuiT, in Botany, a name which the French 

 give to the flower of the Jalap. 



BtLLF. hay, in Geography, a harbour on the N. E. part of 

 •«he great bay, called Fortune bay, on the fouth coaft of the 



idand of Xewfoundland, in the Atlantic ocean. Alfo, ano- 

 ther bay im the N. W. fide of the fame ifland, 6 or 8 leagues 

 N. W. from the bar of lilts, and about as much S. W. 

 from the finall bay of Higournajhet. 



Bf.lle Dune, La, ov Handfome Toiun, a long projedl- 

 ing barren point, on the fouth fide of Chaleur bay in North 

 America, about 8 leagues N. N. W. of Nipifiguit, where 

 temporary cod and herring filheries are carried on by dif- 

 ferent people; no trade being ellabliflied at the place. 



Belle ijle, DellciJle-cn-Mer, or Bellijli, an ifland in the bay 

 of Bii'cay, near the W. coaft of France ; about 9 miles long, 

 and from 2 to 4 broad, funounded by fteep rocks, which, 

 together with the fortifications, render the conqueil of it 

 difTicult. It was taken by 'he Englifh in 1 761, but reflored 

 at the peace in 1763. The foil is various, rocky, with fait 

 marfhes, and fome fertile grounds. Belides Palais, the ca- 

 pital, it contains three other fmall towns, and about twenty 

 villages. N. Int. 47' 17' 30". W. long. 3° 6' 30" — Alfo, a 

 fmall ifland of France, in the river Loire, in the department 

 of the Mayenne, half a league weft of St. Mathurin. — Alfo, 

 an ifland on the eail fide of ihe northern part of Newfound- 

 land, call of Canada-head between 50° 42'. and 50° 50'. 

 N. lat. and between 55° 39'. and 55' 46'. W. long. — Alfo, 

 an ifland of North America, at the mouth of the flraits of 

 this name, between the country of the Efquimaux, or New 

 Britain, and the north end of Newfoundland. The ifland 

 is about 7 leagues in circuit, and lies 16 miles from the 

 nearell land on the coaft of Labrador, or New Britain. On 

 the north-well fide it has a harbour for fifhing veffels, or 

 fmall craft, called " Lark harbour;" and, on the E. point, 

 it has another fmall harbour or cove, which will admit fhal- 

 lops. The narrow channel betwixt Newfoundland and 

 the coaft of Labrador, called the " Straits of Belle Ifle," 

 receive feveral rivers from the coaft of Labrador. Thefe 

 ftraits lead into the gulf of St. Lawrence from the N. E. 

 and are diftant 5 leagues N. from Newfoundland. The 

 north point of the ifland is in N. lat. 51° 57'. and the fouth 

 point in N. lat. 5 1 "48'. and W. long. 55° 40'. — Alfo, an ifland 

 of Ireland in lough Erne, in the county of Fermanagh, 6 

 miles S. E. of Enniflcillen. 



Belle ijle en Terre, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Northern coaft, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 diftri(fl of Guingamp. Seated on an ifland in the river 

 Guer ; 3 leagues weft of Guingamp, 



Belle /)/(;;nf, a valley of Piedmont, in the Alps, fituatc 

 partly in the county of Nice, partly in the county of Tenda, 

 a few miles N. W. of Saorgio. 



Belleforest, Francis du, in Biography, was born at a 

 village called Sarzan, in the province of Guienne in IJ30, 

 and after an early education in the court of Navarre, was 

 fent to ftudy the law at Touloufe. But employing himfelf 

 in writing panegyrics in bad verfes, on all the nobleffc in and 

 about Touloufe, by whom he was rewarded with praife aiKi 

 entertainment, he removed to the capital ; and by attention 

 and induftry attained to fome reputation in the reigns of 

 CharleslX. and Henry III. fo that he gained the poft of hif- 

 toriographer-royal, which he afterwards loft for want of pay- 

 ing due regard to faft in his produftions. He is faid to have 

 compofed more than 50 works on different fubjefts, during 

 a life of 53 years, as he died at Paris in 1583. It is related 

 of him, that there was neither tongue nor fcience which he 

 did not profane. His moft fertile topic was hiftory ; and he 

 puWilhcd compilations of " Tragical Hiftories;" and "Won- 

 derful Hiftories." The only two works worth recording are, 

 " The Hiftory of the nine Kings of l" ranee, of the Name of 

 Charles," foUo.; and *' The Annals of general Hiftory of 



France," 



