BEN 



thtir families, quitted Manilla in order to fettle under 

 the Englifn govcnimcnt at this place; but tl:eairof this 

 country proved fi> fatal, tliat nioft of thofe Cliinefe and 

 their families died foon after their arrival. Many Englilli 

 have alfo fallen a facrlfice to the iiitcmpcratnre of this climate; 

 and, indeed, few of them furvived until they built a fort on 

 a dry cltvuted fituation, at the dillance of about 3 miles 

 from the town. Tliis is called " Fort Marlborough," where, 

 durinjr the rage of ficknefs at Bencoolen, the garrifon is 

 fometimcs very healthv. Tame buffaloes may here be liad 

 in great plenty; but fi(h and poultry are fcarce and dear. 

 The foil is a fertile clay, producing high grafs ; but near the 

 fea it is a morafs. N. lat. 3° 49' 3". E. long. 102°. See 

 Sumatra. 



BEND, a town of Perfia, in the province of Farfiftan, 

 100 miles N. E. of Schiras. 



15 F N D Dixtfr, in Hcrali/rv. The bend was a fafh wora acrofs 

 the {houlJer from the Italian la benda ; it is one of the nine or- 

 dinaries in heraldiy, and occupies one-third part of the el- 

 cutcheou when charged, and one-fifth when plain ; it confills 

 of two equal lines drawn diagonally from the dexter chief to 

 the finiller bafe of the fliield. This ordinary hath marc fubdivi- 

 fions or dimi:mtivts than any of the others, viz. the bendlet, 

 gortier, cottifc, and ribbon, none of which diminutives can 

 properly be charged. 



Bfxd Sini/ler, denoteslines drawn diagonally from the finif- 

 ter chief, to the dexter bafe of the fliield ; it hath not the fame 

 diminutives as thofe of the bend dexter; but according to fome 

 heraldic writers, is fubdividcd into a fcrafe, or fearf, which is 

 in breadth half that of the bend finiller; and a batton, or fif- 

 fure, as Upton and Holme call it, containing half the breadth 

 of the fcarf. Here, however, arifes an objeftion to the 

 admitting the batton to be a diminutive of the bend fmiller, 

 or as any part of one of the ordinaries. According to many 

 years prafticc, the batton doth not toucli the extremities of 

 the fliield, nor the extremities of the quarter where the pa- 

 ternal arms are placed, as all the ordinaries and their dimi- 

 nutives conftantly do ; but on the contrary, is couped, that 

 is, cut (hort, and fo borne as a mark of illegitimacy, and not 

 as an ordinary or charge, or any part of tlie coat : for, al- 

 though fnme inilanccs are to be met with of ancient arms, 

 where a batton finiller is pa (Ted from the fmifter chief to the 

 dexter bale, over all ; and others, where it paiTes from cor- 

 ner to corner, over the paternal quarter, and not over the 

 other quarters ; yet, in every one of thofe inflances, the bat- 

 ton is ufed as a mark of baftardy, and not either as an ordi- 

 nary or charge. Hence, therefore, we may fairly conclude, 

 that the batton is not to be deemed as any part diminutive 

 of the bend, but as a mark of illegitimacy ; which mark or 

 batton when granted by princes to their illegitimate chil- 

 dren, may be of metal or fur, or both ; but, wheTi granted 

 to any under their degree, mull be of colour only. 

 BENDA, in ylrciiudiire. See Fascia. 

 Benra, Fr.irfc;s, in liio^ruphy, concert-mafter to the late 

 Frederick II. king of Prudia, from the year 173S to the 

 time of his death. He was one of the moll touching and 

 exprolfn-e players on the violin in Europe, during the 

 la!l century. He was a native of Alt Benatkv in Bohemia 

 1709, and a chorifter at Prague and Drcfden, till lie lo!l his 

 treble voice. Tliere is a very natural and amuliug life of 

 this excellent muiician, compofed from his oa-ii materials, by 

 M. Hiller of Lcipfig ; but as we have no room for Itories of 

 mere amufemtiit, we mull adhere to matters of fact. 



It was not, tdl he was difmilfed as a finger, that he feri- 

 oully applied to the fiddle to procure him a fubfillence ; but 

 he kne* not when or under what matter ; but remembered 

 that, as I'ooa as he was able, he joined a company of lLrol!in'» 



BEN 



[ews, in plaving danceci about the country ; in which, how- 

 ever, there was a bhnd Hebrew of the name of Lobe!, who, 

 in his way, was an extraordinary player. He drew a gooil 

 tone from his inllrumcut, and compofed his own pieces, 

 which were wild, but pretty : fome of his dances went up 

 to A ill ab'ilhno ; however, he played them with the utnioll 

 purity and ncatncfs. 



The performance of this man excited in Benda fo much 

 emulation, that he redoubled iiis diligence in trying to 

 equal him ; and not to be inferior in any part of his trade, 

 he compofed dances for his own hand, which were far from 

 eafy. He often fpeaki of his obligations to the old Jew 

 for llimulating him to excel on the violin. 



It has often excited our wonder, that in the principal capi- 

 tals of Europe, wherever there is a fynagogue, we generally 

 found a vocal performer or two, who fnng in the Italian 

 manner, and in exquilite talle, though the rell of the fmging 

 in the fervice of religion, was to the lafl degree incoherent, 

 rude, and barbarous. Where it was acquired, or by what 

 kind d3:mon thi:i tafte was infpired exclulivcly, is not eafy 

 to conjeftuie ; but fo it was at Paris, Amllerdam, Milan, 

 Venice, Rome, and Naples ; and we have had inftances at 

 home of exquilite Hebrew fiuging in our own countiy. 



After various adventures, our young violinift entered into 

 the band of count Uhlefeld at Vienna, with whom he had 

 frequently the advantage of hearing the famous Francifchello, 

 who taught the count, and of playing trios with this great 

 muficiau and his fcholar. 



Francifchello was the moll exquifite performer on the 

 bafe-viol of his time. Geminiani related of him, that in ac- 

 companving Nicolini, at Rome, in a cantata compofed by 

 Aleffaiidro Scarlatti, for the violoncello, the author, who 

 was at the harpfichord, would not believe that a mortal 

 could play fo divinely ; but faid, that it was an angel w-ho 

 had affumed the figure of Francifchello ; fo far did his per- 

 formance furpafs all that Scarlatti had conceived in com- 

 poling the cantata, or imagined poffible for man to exprefs. 



At length, Benda was invited by Quantz, the German 

 flute mailer to the late Frederick II. king of Pruflia, during 

 the time when he was only prince of Pruffia, and relided at 

 Ruppin, before his acceffion to the throne. 



It was by llealth, that this prince indulged his paffion for 

 mufic, during the life of liis father, the late king, who had 

 forbidden him, not only to fludy and pradlife mufic, but to 

 hear it. M. Qiiantz told us afterwards, that it was the late 

 queen-mother, who at this time encouraged the prince in his 

 favourite amufement, and who engaged mulicians for his 

 fervice ; but lo neceffaiy was fecrecy in all thefe negociations, 

 that if the king his father had difcovered that he was dif- 

 obeyed, all thefe fons of Apollo would have incurred the 

 danger of being hanged. The prince frequently took occa- 

 fion to meet his muficians a hunting, and had his concerts 

 either in a foreft or cavern. 



Benda ftill, in 1772, led the king of Pruflia's band at the 

 opera, and at his concerts ; and could boall of having had 

 the honour of accompanying his majefty, during the 40 

 years which he had been in his fervice, in near 50,000 dif- 

 ferent concerts. What an excellent economiil of time 

 mull his late Pruffian majelty have been ; who, though his 

 own minitter, could fpare two hours every day, when he was 

 not in the field, for mufic ! 



^Vheu we heard the admirable Benda perform, it was 

 an excellent compufition of his own, which he played rcnyir- 

 (iino ; his hand, he laid, wanted force fufficient to play with- 

 out. The gout had long enfeebled his fingers, and age, 

 perhap5. Hill more. There were, however, fine remains of 

 a great hand, though he was probably always more remark- 

 able 



