BIG 



non was regarded by Scaliger, Cafaubon, Grqtius, Pithou, 

 <ic Thou, Le Fcvre, and otlier ernini;iit fcholars, as a pro- 

 difv of literature, and his acquaintance was eagerly culti- 

 vated. By Henry IV., who knew his extraordinary talents 

 mid attainments, lie was appointed pajje of 'honour to the 

 dauphin, aftcn^•ards Lewis XIII.; and at court his man- 

 ners were diftinpfuifhed by an ealy pohtcncfs, though he un- 

 remittingly profecuttd his literary ftudies. His next trea- 

 tife was a refutation of Valdez, a Spanifli writer, who pub- 

 liflied a folio volume to eftablifli the precedence of the kings 

 of Spain over the other fovcreign^; it was entitled " On the 

 iixcellcnce of the Kings and Kingdom of P'rance," dedi- 

 cated to Henry IV. and publiftied in 1610, Svo. Upon 

 the death of Henry, he withdrew from court, and acquiitd 

 an additional reputation by a new edition of " The Formu- 

 laries of Marculphus," publiflicd with learned notes, in 

 1613. In the following year he took a journey to Italy, 

 where he was honourably received by pope Paul V., Father 

 Paul at Venice, and other perfons, who had already heard 

 of his fame. Upon his return he devoted himfclf to the bar, 

 and, in i6iO, was appointed advocate-general to the great 

 council; and having acquitted himfelf with credit in this office, 

 he was nominated by the king a counfeilor of ftate ; and, in 

 1626, created advocate-general to the parliament. In this 

 hiijh ftation he maintained the parliamentary rights with fum- 

 nefs and vigour,a;id manilelkd the moilardetit zeal ior juflice. 

 In 1641, he rcfigned this honourable office to his fon-iii law, 

 Stephen Briquet ; nor did he refume it till after his death in 

 1645. In 1642, cardinal Richelieu, though far from being 

 his friend, appointed him royal librarian, which his tafle for 

 literature induced him to accept, wliilll he declined the lu- 

 crative poft of fuperintendant of the finances. Queen Anne 

 of Aultria, during her regency, availed herlclf of his advice 

 on many interclling occafions, and he was employed in many 

 delicate negociations. Having through life maintained a 

 chara£ler, which was uiiiverfally refpedled and cileemed, 

 lie terminated his ccurfe of ufefu! fervice in the exercife of 

 thofe fentiments of piety by which his conduft had been 

 governed, in the 67th year of his age, April 7, 1656. 

 Amongft his papers were found fome fragments of notes on 

 Gregory of Tours, and of a work on the origin of the French 

 law, which he had not kifure to fiiiilh. The abbe I'erraiilt 

 has given a good account of his life, in one volume laaio. 

 1757. Nouv. Uia. Hia. Gen. Ditl. 



BIGNONIA, fo named by Tournefort, in honour of 

 the abbe Bignon, Eiig. trumpet Jloiver, ox fcarkt jafmme, in 

 Br:!any. Lin. gen. n. 759. Reich. 817. Schreb. 1018. 

 I'ourn. 72. julf. 139. Gaertn. t. 52. Clafs and Order, 

 il'ulynamia angiofpennia. Nat. Ord. Pcrjonata. B'lgnoniir. 

 Juir. Gen. char. C«/. perianth one-leafed, erett, cup -form, 

 live-cleft. Cor. monopetalous, campanulate; tube very 

 fmall, the length of the calyx ; throat very long, ventricofe 

 beneath, oblong-campanulate ; border five-parted, the two 

 upper divifions reflex, loiver patulous. Stum, filaments four, 

 fubulate, fhorter than the corolla ; two longer than the 

 other two; another reflex, oblong, as it were doubled. 

 Pijl. germ oblong ; ftyle filiform, fituation and form of the 

 llamens ; ftigma capitate. Per. Silique two-celled, two- 

 valved ; partition membranaceous, parallel, thickened at the 

 futures. Setvls very many, imbricate, comprefled, membrane- 

 winged on both iides. ObL Cala/pa has only two perfeft 

 llamens, and three very fmall rudiments of ilamens, with a 

 five-leaved calyx. Four, however, and even all five perfeft, 

 have been obferved by CyriUi. The form of the filique in 

 this genus is indeterminate. The feeds are always winged, 

 though fome on one fide only. 



Eft Char. Cal. five-cleft, cup-form. Cor. throat bell- 



B I G 



form, five-cleft, ventricofe beneath. Si/ique two-celled,. 

 Seeds membrane-winged. 



Species, i. B, CaUilpa, common Catalpa tree. Lin. fpec. 

 868. Reich. 3. 155. hort. cliff. 317. i. Ait. hoit. KeW. 

 2- 346. DuUam. Alb. 1. 104. t. 41. Catelb. Car. i. 49.. 

 t. 29. " Leaves fimple, cordate; ilem erect ; feeds winged 

 with membrane?." A deciduous tree, with an upright 

 ilem, covered with a fmooth brown bark, 30 or 40 feet 

 high ; with lateral branches, ovate leaves placed oppofite at 

 every joint, flowers in branching panicles towards the end of 

 the branches, of a dirty white colour, with a few purple 

 fpots, and faint ftripes of yellow on their infide, which 

 flo« ers are fuccetded by long taper pods not yet produced 

 in England. Found by Mr. Catelby growing naturally on 

 the back of South Carolina, brought into England about 

 the year 1726, and now not uncommon in our nurferies and 

 plantations. In our climate the leaves come out very late ;. 

 and t!ic tree requires a fhehered fituation. It flowers in-: 

 Auguft, and is known in the nurferies by its Indian name 

 " Catalpa." The branches dye wov>l a kind of cinnamon, 

 colour. Thunberg mentionathat the Japanefe lay the leaves 

 on parts of the body affected with pains, on a fuppofition. 

 that they are beneficial to the nerves ; and that a decodiion. 

 of the pods is fcrviceable in the afflima. 2. B. tumentoj'a. 

 Lin. Syll. 563. Thunb. Jap, 252. " Leaves fimple, cor- 

 date, tomentofe beneath; flowers axillary, panicled." A 

 native of Japan. 3. V>) fempevv'irens, Carohna yellowjafmine. 

 Lin. Spec. 869. Reich. 3.155. Gelfeminum. Park. 1465. 

 n. 5. Rail hifl. 1769. Catelb. Car. I. t. 53. Syriiiga. 

 Pluk. Aim. t. 112. f. 5. " Leaves fimple, lanceolate, Ilem 

 twining." Rifing with (lender (lalks, that twill thtmfelves 

 round the neighbouring plants, and mount to a confidcrable 

 height, with fingle oppofite leaves at every joint, that remain 

 green throughout the year ; growing naturally in South 

 Carolina, where it fpreads over the hedges, and, at the fea- 

 fon of flowering, perfuming the air to a great dillauce ; and 

 alfo found in fome parts oJ Virginia : called yellow jafmine, 

 probably from the fweet odour of its flowers. Cultivated in 

 1640, m Kew garden, by Parkinfon. 4. B. unguis. Lin. 

 Spec. 869. Reich. 3. 156. Apocyno affine. Sloan, jam. i. 

 268. Clematis. Plum. Amer. t. 94. Pluk. Aim. t. 163. f. 2» 

 " Leaves conjugate ; tendril very fhort, bowed, three- 

 parted." A native of the Weil Indies. 5. B. itquinoHiaUs. 

 Lin. Spec. 869. Reich. 3. 156. Sabb. hort. 2. t. 85. 

 Plwm. Spec. 5. ic. 55. f. 1. " Leaves conjugate, cirrhole ; 

 leaflets ovate and lanceolate ; peduncles two-flowered ; fi- 

 hqiies linear." Received by Mr. Millar from La Vera Cruz, 

 in New Spain. 6. B. pan'tculata. Lin. Spec. 869. SylL 

 563. Reich. 3. 156. Jacq. amer. t. 116. Picl. 91. t. 175. 

 Plum. Spec. 5. ic. 56. f. i. " Leaves conjugate, cirrhofe ; 

 leaflets cordate-ovate ; flowers racemed ; peduncles three- 

 flowereJ." Sent to Mr. Miller from La Vera Cruz, by Dr.. 

 Houlloun. Obferved about Carthagena by Jacquin. 7. B. 

 cruclgera. Lin. Spec. 869, Rtich. 3, 157- Vir. cliff. 6c. 

 Hort. clilL 317. 3. Gron. virg. I. 73. 2. 95. Plum. ic. 48, 

 t. 58. Pfeudo-Apocynum. Mor. hill. 3. 6x2. n. 6. f. 15. t. 

 3.. f. 16. " Leaves conjugate, cirrhoie ; leaflets cordate; 

 ilem muricated :" deriving its trivial name from a fedtion of. 

 the ilem which reprefents a crofs. Sent to Mr. Miller from 

 Camptachy. 8. B. capnolata, four- leaved trumpet-flower. 

 Lin. Spec. 870. Syft. 563. Reich. 3. 157. Vir. cliff. 59. 

 Hort. cliff. 317. Bravn. ic. 33. t. 25. Duham. Arb. 1. 

 104. t. 40. Catefb, Car. 2. 82. Clematis. Bocc. fie. 31. t. 

 15,. f. 3. Zan. hift. 74. t. 2. ed. 2. 49. t. 33. Raii hill. 1329. 

 " Leaves conjugate, cirrhofe ; leaflets cordate-lanceolate ; 

 bottom-leaves fimple." Sent to Mr. Miller from Cam- 

 peachy. A native of Virginia and Ca:olina ; and cultivated 



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