BEN 



changed by the Romans into " Bencvcntum," in order to 

 introduce tlulr colony und»r fortunate aiifpices. Near tbu 

 place, in the 479th yjar of Rome, Pyrrhiis was doKattd by 

 Curiiis Dentatus. In tlie war againll Hannibal, I'cncven- 

 tum lignalized its attachment to Rome, by liberal tenders of 

 fncconr, and by real fervices. Its reception of Gracchus 

 after his d;;fcatof Hanno, is extolled by Livy, and from the 

 gratitude of the fenate, many folid advantages accrued to 

 the Beneventines. However, it Ihared the devaltations of 

 the Roman tmpire, attending the irruption of the northern- 

 nations. When the Lombards invaded Italy, they fixed 

 the feat of their empire at I'avia, ar.d fcnt a detachment to 

 take poffefTion of the fouthern provinces. In 571, Zotto 

 was appointed duke of Benevento, as a feudatory to the 

 king of Lombardy, and fetms to have confined his govern- 

 ment to the city alone, from which he occafionally fallied 

 forth to feek for booty. Tlie fecond dnke, called Arechis, 

 conquered alinoft the whole country that now conllitutes 

 the kingd )m of Naple?. Upon the fall of Dcfiderius, lalt 

 king of the Lombard?, the Hate of Benevsnto was not mate- 

 rially affcrted. Arechis the fecond kept pofTeirion, and 

 availing himfelf of this favourable conjimdnre, aflerted his 

 independence ; threw off all feudal fubmiflion ; aflumed 

 the title of prince ; and coined money with his own image 

 upon it ; a prerogative cxerciled by none of his predeccllors, 

 as dukes of Benevento. Afterwards, when Radelchis and 

 Siconnlph afplred to the principality, each of them invitid 

 the Saracens to his aid. For llie termination of thefe fatal 

 dilfenfions, the dominions of thcfe competitors were divided 

 into two diflinft fovereignties. In 851, R^adelchis reigned 

 as prince at Benevento ; and his adverfary fixed his court, 

 with the fame title at Salerno. From this treaty of par- 

 tition, the ruin of the Lombards became inevitable; and the 

 erection of Capua into a third principality was another def- 

 truftive operation. From this time the inroads of the Sara- 

 tens, and the attacks of the eaftcrn and wcftern emperorj, 

 together with anarc'.iy and animolity at home, reduced the 

 Lom.bards to fuch wretchednefs, that they were able to 

 make a very feeble refiUance to the Norman arms. Bene- 

 vento, however, was chiefly governed by its own dukes and 

 fovereigns, till in the year 1053, the emperor Henry III. 

 transferred it conditionally to pope Leo IX. From tiie 

 year 1054, to this day, the Roman fee, with fome fhort in- 

 terruptions of pod'eiTion, has exerciled temporal dominion 

 over this city. In a plain near the city a bloody battle was 

 lou[;ht in 1266, when Charles of Anjou defeated ai'.el killed 

 Mainfroy, his compf titorforthe lovereigiity ot the two Sicilies. 

 In !7o;5, this city iuflered greatly from an earthquake. 

 BENEVIS. See Ben A'««. 



BENEVOLENCE, in EllAcs, denotes a hearty dcfire of 

 the good of mankind, evidencing itfi If, as ability and oppor- 

 tunity offer, in the chearful and diligent pratfice of whatever 

 may promote the well-being of all. Some have traced the 

 origin of this afTeition in lelf-love : others again in fome 

 " inllinct" or determination of our nature, antecedent to ail 

 rtafon from intereil, which influences us to the love of others, 

 and they have accordingly made it the foundation of univertV.l 

 " virtue ;" others afcribe it to th.e intelligent conllltutiou of 

 human nature, and obferve, that it arifes not from inllinct, 

 but from the natures and neccflity of things. Hutchefon's 

 Iiiquii7 concerning Moral Good and Evil, p. 140, &c. 

 Price's Review, Jcc. chap. iii. 



Benevolencf. of GotI, in Theology, denotes his difpoli- 

 t;on to do good and to communicate happinefs. This per- 

 fection of the deity has been referred to the clafs of moral 

 attributes. (Sec -AxTRinuThs.) For the illuihation and 

 },r«of.of divine benevolence ; Jee.GooDNEss. 



BEN 



BENEroiENCE is ufed,both in our Ststiitrs and Chiyn'icUt, 

 for a voluntary gratuity given by the fnbjefls to their love- 

 reign, to which each pcrlon contributes in proportion to his 

 eitate. Stow (Annals, p. 701 ) fays, that it grew from tl;« 

 day of Edward IV. It may be found alfo Anno 1 1, 

 Henry VII. c. 10. yielded to that prince in regard of iiis 

 great expcnces in war, and othcrv.ife, (12 Rep. 19.) But 

 as benevolences had been extorted under many fueceediag 

 princes, v^'ithout a real and voluntary confent, it was made 

 an article in the petition of right, (3 Car. I.) that no inati 

 fliall be compelled to yield any gift, loan, or benevolence, i5ec. 

 without common confent by acl nl parliament. 



Neverthclefs, by aft of parliament, (13 Car. 2. C.4.) it 

 was given to his maj'-ily icing Charles II. with a provilo 

 that it fhould not be drawn into future example. It was, 

 therefore, declared by the ilatute I W. & M.^lh 2. c. 2. 

 that levying money for or to the ufe of the crown, by pre- 

 tence of prerogative, without grant of parliament ; or for 

 long.r time, or in other maimer, than the fame is or (ball 

 be granted, is illegal. See Am and 1'ax. 



In this fenfe, benevolence amounts to much the fame with 

 what in other nations is called " fubfidium charitativum," 

 given fometimes by tenants to their lords, by the clergy to 

 their bilhops, &c. — In France it is called /';-(r_f{//, excepting 

 that this latter is reflrained to the aft of the clergy. 



BENEVOLENT JfnH'wm, in Ethia. See Affec- 

 tion. 



BENEVOI.ENTIA R^^^is BahnJa, in La-.c, the form 

 of puichafing the king's pardon and favour, in ancient fines 

 and fubmiflions, to be rellored to eitate, title, or place. Pa- 

 roch. Antu[. p. 72. 



BENEVOLI, Orazio, in i?%;-«/>/i_)', maeftro di cape'I* 

 to the pope in 1650, and extremely applauded by his con- 

 temporaries for poliphonic compofitione. Antonio Liberatr, 

 his dilciple, in a letter which he publilhed at Rome in I6!^4, 

 in which he charatterifes all the eminent contrapuntifts of 

 that Ichool, fpeaklng of Benevoli, fays : that he furpafltd 

 all the mailers of his time in writing for four and even fix 

 choirs, in which, by the conftruftion and order of the parts, 

 the imitations of beautiful pafLiges, inverted fugue?, double 

 counterpoint, new contrivances, ligatures, preparations and 

 refolutions of difcord?, the texture, connedtion, and fluidity 

 of the whole, which, hke a river, cnjc'tt enndo ; in fl-.ort, with 

 the wonderful richnefs and beauty of his harmony, he fo 

 completely vanquilhed envy herfelf, as to obtain the ap- 

 plaufe of great matters, while he excited no ether wi(h 

 i.i the reft, than to imitate his powers in the management 

 of eccleliallical harmony ; by uniting numerous chorufes, 

 without dulneff, confufion, cr breach of ruK-. He was 

 many years maeftro di capella of the Bafilica of St. Peter 

 at Rome, and compofed his famous mafs for fix choirs of 

 four parts each, for that cathed: al, on the ccffation of the 

 plague. It was performed by a band of more than 200 

 fingers, arranged in different cii-cles of the duomo, the fixth 

 choir occupying the fumniit of the cupola. Befides this 

 mala in 24 parts, thei'e is extant a motet by the fame au- 

 thor, for twelve fopranos, or treble voices of equal ex- 

 tent. There can be little melody in any of thefe multi- 

 plied parts ; but to make them move at all, without viola- 

 tion ot rule, requires great meditation and experience- No 

 author of poliphonic compofitions, perhaps, ever equalled 

 Benevoli in this kind of fcience, except the Netherlander, 

 Ok.;nhem, the mailer of Jufqnin, ar.d our countrymen Tal- 

 lis and Bull, of wh(jfe faculties and invincible patici>ce in 

 fuch atchievements, there will be further occafion to fpcak 

 clfewherc. The eH'eCt of fuch multiplied parts can fo feU 

 pom be tried, that it feems an experiment which never can 

 7 be 



