B E S 



Henry II. The gold befant was pure, or twenty-four carats 

 fine; but writers are not generally agreed with relpeft to its 

 value. Out of the Greek pound of g.jld, which was the fame 

 with our Tower pound, 72 byzantincs were coined, each 

 weighing 73 troy grains, and worth 40 Saxon pennies, 8 

 Saxon (hillings, and 9 Shillings and four pence halfpenny of 

 our prefent money. (Henry's Hift. vol. iv. p. 275.) The 

 fdver befant, in the 12th century, was rated at two (hillings 

 Englifh. (Lyttelton's Hift. of Henry 11. vol. i. p.411.) 

 Hence the gold offered by the king at the altar, on feft;ivals, 

 is lliU called befant, or bifant. Thirteen bcfants, or bi- 

 fantins, were preftnted at the mafs at the coronation of 

 the kings of France. Henry II. had that number coined on 

 purpofe. 



Bfsants, in Heraldry. See Bezants. 



BESARABA, in Geography, a towni of European 

 Turkey, in the province of Bulgaria, 48 miles north of 

 Ternova. 



BESBICUS, in Anchnt Geography, a fmall ifland of the 

 Propontis, now the feaof Marraora, fituate between Cyzicum 

 and the mouth of the Rhyndacus. This, according to Pliny 

 (N. H. l.ii. c. 8.), is one of thofe iflaiids which, being firft. 

 joined to the continent, were feparatcd from it by the violence 

 of the fea, or by earthquakes. 



BESBOROUGH, in Geography, an ifland in Norton 

 found, on the weft coaft of North America. N. lat. 64° 10'. 

 W.long. 161° 15'. 



BESBRE, a river of France, in Nivernois. 



BESERGHENLU,atown of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro- 

 vince of Caramania ; 24 miles north of Akferai. 



BESHARRAI, a village of Syria, fituate among the 

 mountains in the pachalic of Tripoli, on the road to the 

 Cedars, and diftant from them 3 leagues, which is frequented 

 by the Europeans, and where the miffionaries have a houfe. 

 During the winter, many of the inhabitants leave their houfes 

 under the fnow, with iome perfon to guard them, and remove 

 to the fea-coaft. 



BESHETZK, or Bezetzk, a diftrift in the government 

 of Tver in the Ruflian empire, fituate on the Mologa. N. lat. 

 58* 30'. E. long. 34° 44'. 



BESIEGERS, and Besieged, in the Military Art, de- 

 note thofe who lay fiege to a fortified place, and thofe who 

 defend it. See Siege. 



BESISHEIM, in Geography. See Bessigdeim. 



BESILLUS, in Ancient Geography, a river of Spain in 

 Bsetica. 



BESISTAN, or Berstein, a name given to thofe places 

 at Conflantinople, Adrianople, and fome other towns in the 

 dominions of the Grand Seignior, where the merchants have 

 their (hops, and expofe their goods to fale. A particular be- 

 fiilan belongs to each clafs of merchants and workmen. 

 Thefe befiftans are commonly large galleries vaulted over, 

 whofe gates are fhut every night. The wardens, or keepers, 

 will fometimes be anfwerable for the merchandife, on being 

 paid a moderate perquifite for each (hop. See Bazar. 



BESLER, JEROM, in Biography, born at Nuremberg, 

 Sept. 29th 1566, and created doftor in medicine at Bade in 

 1592, was in fuch reputation for his learning, and ability in 

 his profcffion, that he was feven times appointed dean of 

 the college at Nuremberg, and infpeftor of the medicines 

 ufed by the apothecaries there. He died November 1632. 



Be SLER, Basil, brother to Jerom, was born at Nuremberg 

 in 1 56 1, where he fettled as an apothecary. Applying to 

 the ftudy of botany, he foon became confpicuous in that 

 branch of natural hi llory. In 1613, he piiblilhed " Hortus 

 eyftettenfis, five diligens et acctuata omnium plantarum ex 

 »arii3 orbis terrse partibus, fingulari ftudiio colledarum, (jux ia 



B E S 



celeberrlmis viridariis arcem epifcopalem ibidem cingentibus> 

 hoc tempore confpiciuntur, dthneatio, et ad viviim repre- 

 fentatio," Nuremb. 1613, in 4 vols. Atlas folio. The moft 

 fplendid botanical work, Hallcr fays, that had then appeared. 

 The plates, 356 in number, and dtlineatmg 1533 plants vrere 

 engraved at the expence of Conrad, bi(hc-p of the diocefe. 

 The work is unequal in its execution, as befideo the errors 

 committed in the defcription of many of the plants, fome of 

 the delineations are (Iftitious, taken from fancy, or from the 

 rude accounts of ignorant travellers. But the far greater 

 part of them are correctly drawn, and beautifully executed. 

 As Bafil was ignorant of the I^atin language, his brother 

 Jerom furnifhed the preface. He alfo publifned " Fafciculus 

 rariorum, et adfpefta dignorum varii generis, q'lse ceri incidi 

 curavit," Norib. 16 16, 410. Max. co:itaining fome marine 

 plants and fruits ; alfo, " Icones florum et htrbarum, &c." 

 fol. 1622. It is a continuation of tlie hortus eyftettenfis, 

 which have been feveral times reprinted. The time of his 

 death is not known. Haller. Bib. Bot. 



Beslkr,MichaelRupert, fon of Baril,wasborn in 1 607. 

 Having paffed fome years at Altdorf, where he was admitted 

 doftor in medicine, he returned to Nuremberg, and was ad- 

 vanced to the fame offices that had been enjoyed by his uncle. 

 In 1631, he publifhed, in 4to. " De fanguine fecunc^um et 

 pra:ter naturam ;" and in 1 640, folio, " Admiranda: fabricae 

 humanas mulicbris partium generationi potilTimum infervien- 

 tium, et foetus fidehs quinque tabuhs hattenus nunquam vifa 

 delineatio." The work is ingenious, but the plates, which 

 are copied from Fabricius, are ill executed. This work was 

 followed, in 1642, by " Gazophylacium rerum naturahum 

 ex regno vegetabili, animali et minerali de promptarum fidelis 

 reprefentatio," fol. and the fame year, by " Obfcrvatio me- 

 dica fingularis, mulieris tres filios enixre," 4to. 



BESLERIA, in Botany, fo named by Plumier after Bafil 

 Beflcr, an apothecary at Nuremberg, editor, with the affill- 

 ance of Jungermann, of a fumptuous work, entitled " Hortua- 

 eyftettenfis," 1613. Lin. gen. n. 755. Reich. 813. Schreb. 

 1012. Plum. 5. Jacq. Amcr. 187. JulT. 121. Gaertn. t. 52. 

 Clafs and Order, dielynamia angtofperm'ta. Nat. OrA. perfonatx. 

 Schrophular'i£ ,}\\{[. Gen. Char. 6W. perianth one-leafed, five- 

 parted, acuminate, erett, loofe, with rcflefted tops. Cor. 

 monopctalous, ringent ; tube the length of the calyx, roundilh, 

 gibbous on one fide at the bafe, and at the lop ; border five- 

 cleft, divifions roundifh, the lowermoft largeft, and the twO' 

 upper lefs div-ded. Stam. filaments four, within the tube of 

 the corolla, of which two are a little fhorter ; anthers oblong, 

 twin, hanging down on each fide. P//?. germ globular, 

 fitting on a giandulous body, which embraces it, and is per- 

 manent, cordate where the corolla is gibbous ; ftvle fnbu!ate> 

 ereft ; ftigma bifid, obtufc. Per. berry fubglobular, one- 

 celled ; partition, two oppofite femi-ovate laminas, not co- 

 hering. G. Seetls, numerous, round, very fmall, neftling, fixed 

 to the inner furface of the berry. 



Eff. Char. Cal. five-parted ; lerry fubglobular, many, 

 feeded. 



Species, 1. B. meUtl'ifolla. " Peduncles brandling; leaves 

 ovate." It has a fmooth, woody, jointed flalk ; with two- 

 ovate nerved leaves oppofite at each joint, v/hich are crenate 

 at their edges ; the flowers proceeding from the wings of the 

 leaves upon fhort branching footftalks, each fullaining fix or 

 eight flowers. A native of South America. 2.YS.lutea. 

 Eriphia, Brown, Jam. 270. /3. B. &c. (1. luteo, major. Plum, 

 gen. 29. " Peduncles f'mp'e, crowded ; leaves lanceolate." 

 Rifing with a hgneuus item, fix or feven feet high, divided 

 towards the top into many irregular branches, with fpear- 

 (liaped ferrate leaves, having many tranfverfe veins ; the 

 flowers iffuing at the wings of the leaves in large clufters, each 



