BEN 



HoaJly, Butler, and Conybeare; Dr.Leland, and Dv. Diichal 

 ' of Ireland; Dr. [onathaii Miiyhewof New England; profcflor 

 Micliaelis of Gottingen ; Dr. \Vi(h;irt of Ediiilniri^h ; Dr. 

 Watts of London ; Dr. Taylor of Norwich ; and Mr. Bourn 

 of Birmingham. His coninitntarics and notes on the cpif- 

 tles are dekrvcjly held iu high cllimation. Tiie learned 

 John David Miclnelis, one of the profefforn in the univcrllty 

 of Gottingen, propofed tranflatint; them into Litin, and in 

 1746, pnblillied his p.iraphrafe on the epidlc of St. James, 

 with additional notes. S jvcral of his other trafts were tranf- 

 Inted into German by M. Bamber;.;ir, a protellant divi'ic at 

 Berlin. As a zealous friend to religious toleration and free 

 inquiry, and with a view of vindicalinj^ and recommending 

 them, he publilhed a defence of .Srrvctiis, anit"an account of 

 archbilhop La',:d'sperfeci:tion of Dr. I^cir>hton. T>\og. Brit. 



Benson, in Ceot;raphy, the north-weftirnmoil tovvnfliipof 

 Rutb.nd coi:nty, in tlie ftatc of Vermont, North America, 

 is fituatcd on the tail fide of lake Cluimplain, 57 miles 

 N.N.W. of Bennington, and has 658 inhabitant,^. 



BENTAVEO, in Oniithoht^y, the French name of that 

 fpccits of SifRiKF., called Latiius pitangiiii, by. Linnaeus. 



BENTENDORF Jkpi,it7,a, in Geo^^niphy, a town of 

 Hnncjarv, 4 miles north-eail of Rofcnbcrg. 



BENT-GRASS, in 5o/^ttr. SecAcRosTis. 



BENTHAM, James, in Bh-^rnpby, was born at Ely in 

 1708, and educated for the church at Trinity college, Cam- 

 bridge. After having held in fucceffion feveral livings in the 

 counties of Cambridge and Norfolk, he obtained, in i 779, a 

 prebendal ftall in the church of Ely, where he had an oppor- 

 tunity of cultivating his natural tallc for church architetlure 

 and antiquities. The refult of his obfervation and refearch was 

 publilhed under the title of " The Hiftory and Antiquities of 

 the conventual and cathedral church of I'Lly, from the foun- 

 dation of the monallery, A. D. 675, to the year 1771, 

 iltulbated with copper-plates," Cambr. 1771, 410. The 

 introduftion to thi5 work contains an account of Saxon, 

 Norman, and Gothic architefture, and has been frequently 

 cited as authority by later writers on ihefe fubjeds. The 

 grand repair of this church, entrnfted to the fuperintendance 

 of Mr. Bciitham, afforded him an opportunity of invefti- 

 gating the principles upon which edilices of this kind were 

 conftrufted, and fuggefted to him the idea of a general hif- 

 tory of ancient architefture in this kingdom ; and for this 

 purpofe he occafionally employed himfelf in collefling ma- 

 tenals almoft to the clofe of his life. He alfo interefted 

 himfelf in the improvement of his native county, by plan- 

 ning turnpike roads, and propofing the drainage and in- 

 clofure of parts of the Ely Fens ; and fome of his fchemes 

 were beneficially executed. In fuch ufeful occupations, and 

 the faithful difcharge of his profeiTional duties, he pro- 

 trafted his life, by a conrfe of temperance which his na- 

 turally tender conftitution required, to his 86th year. 

 He died Nov. 17, 1794. Gen. Biog. 



BENTHEIM, in Geogmphy, a county of Germany, in 

 the circle of Wellphalia, about 40 miles long, and from 12 

 to 15 broad. It is furrounded by the province of Ovcryf- 

 fel and the bifhopric of Munilcr, and abounds with wood, 

 quarries of (lone, game, and vtnifon. The chief part of 

 this territory is di'tributed into fertile covn-ficlds andbeauti- 

 ful meadows, which feed a great number of (heep and cattle ; 

 furnifliing the inhabitants with an ample fupply of the necef- 

 faries of life, and enabling them to make profitable export?. 

 The principal river is the Vcchte, which traverfes the 

 whole countiy. It is inhabited by Lutherans, Calvinilh, 

 and Roman catholics ; and its traffic confifls in linen, thread, 

 wool, yarn, llone, wood, cattle, and honey. Its towns are 

 Benthcim, Schuttorff, Nortli-hom, and Nienhus. In 1753, 



BEN 



count Frederic Charles Philip, mortgaged this county to tlie 

 hoiife of Hanover, for an an advance of money. The count 

 of Bentheim or Benthein, has a feat and voice in the college 

 of the Wcllp'aalian courts of the empire, and at the diets of 

 the circle. 



Benthkim, a town of Germany, and capital of the above 

 county, is feated partly on an eminence, and partly on a 

 river of the fame name. It contains Tine Calvinitl, and one 

 Roman Catholic church. The cadle or palace ftands on a 

 hicrh rock north of the town, and is furrounded with towers. 

 Benthcim is diftant 26 miles N.N.W. from Munfttr. N.lat. 

 52° 21'. E. lontr. 7" i'. 



BENTHOORN, a town of Holland, 6 miles S.S.E. of 

 Leyden. 



BENTHULUD, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 

 Fez, at the foot of mount Atlas. 



BENTHUYSEN, a town of Holland ; 6 miles fouth of 

 Ij:-vdep. 



BENTINCK, William, earl of Portland, in Bi«^j-fphy, 

 a favourite miniller of king William III, was born iu Holland, 

 and defccrded from an ancient and noble family in the pro- 

 vince of Guelderland. He accompanied the prince ot Orange 

 to England in 1670, as gentleman of his bedchamber; and 

 when the prince became ftadtholder, he was promoted to 

 the command of the favourite regiment of Dutch guards. 

 In 1675, ^^ manifcfted his attachment to this prince, by 

 deeping in the fame bed with him when he had the fmall 

 pox, in confequence of medical advice ; and by thus cxpof- 

 ing himfelf to the infection of a diftemper with which he 

 was actually fcized, he laid the prince under an obligation, of 

 which he was never unmindful. He took an active part in the 

 preparations for the revolution of 1688, and in the progrefs 

 of that event ; and upon the prince of Orange's acceiTiun to 

 the throne, he received many marks of royal favour. Suf- 

 taining feveral high offices near the king's perfon, he was 

 naturalized, and in 1689, he was advanced to the rank of an 

 Englifh nobleman, with the title of baron of Cirencefter, 

 vifcount Woodftock, and earl of Portland. In the following 

 year, he afted as envoy to king William at the grand congrefs 

 held at the Hague. The royal favour, however, by which 

 he was diftinguilhed, and particularly the grant of feveral 

 lorddiips in Denbighdiire, which were part of the demefnes 

 of the principality of Wales, occafioned, in 1695, a warm op- 

 pofition in the houfe of commons ; but though this grant 

 was revoked, in conf^'quence of an addrefs to the king, the 

 tail was rtcompenfed by other liberal grants from the crown, 

 which conftitute a great part of the prefeiit ample podef- 

 fions of the family. This nobleman attended king William 

 in his campaigns in Ireland and flanders, and didinguidicd 

 himfelf, as a military officer, on various occafions. After 

 the conclufion of the peace of Ryfwick, in the negociation 

 of which he had a principal concern, he was nominated em- 

 badador-extraordinary to the court of France, where he re- 

 ceived the highell didinftions. On occafion of a jealoufy, 

 excited by the royal favour to a young Dutchman, named 

 Keppcl, afterwards earl of Albemarle, the earl of Portland 

 refigned his pods in the king's houftiold, and withdrew 

 from affairs of date ; but he dill retained fome portion of 

 the king's efteem and confidence, and was entrudtd with the 

 adminirtration of Scotland, and with the negociation of the 

 famous treaty for the fucccffion to the crown of Spain, cal- 

 led the " partition-treaty," which was afterwards the fub- 

 jeft of an impeachment of the earl by the houfe of commons. 

 The king's death, in 1 701, terminated the earl of Portland's 

 public life, and all hodilities againd him. Of the attachment 

 of his royal mafter, however, he had the mod fatisfadory 

 evidence ; when, on his death-bed, with his lad words he 



inquired 



