E I T 



Stcph. Byr. derived tlicir name from Bilhin, a foil of 

 Mars ; but more probably from the river Billns, or Bithias, 

 nKiilionvd by Appiaii, and denominated Batlr/nvus by 

 Ptoltrmv. J. 



13n''HYI-A, a town of Greece, in the interior parts oi 

 Lncorii. l't;>Icniy. 



DITHVNIA, a province of that part of Afia, which 

 was commonly ealUd Af.a Minor. It was anciently known 

 by the ii-mc3 of Myfia, Mygdonia, Btbiycia, and Marian- 

 dynia, as well as liitliynia ; and extended fr.mi Myfia on 

 the \vcl>, to Panhla'::onia on the eal>. It was bounded on 

 the well by the'iiofporus Thracius and pait of the Propon- 

 tis, on the fouth by tlie river Rhyndacus and mourt Olym- 

 pus, on the north by the Euxine fea, and on the eall by the 

 rvtr Parlhenius. Ptolemy enlarg<;d the extent of Bithynia, 

 fo as to make it comprehend fome provinces beionfjing, ac- 

 cordinjT to other g'Oijraphers, to Galatia and Paphlagonia. 

 The chief cities of Bithynia on the coaft wore Myrlea, Daf- 

 cylos, Ciu', and NiconieJia the metropolis. On the Bof- 

 povui ilood the famous city of Chalced.)n. In the Eu.sine 

 fea were fitiiated the city and ancient repubhc of Heraclea. 

 The principal i'lland cities of Bithynia wercPnila, LibyfTa, 

 and Nicxa or Nice. Its chief rivers w:;re the Pfilhs, Colpas, 

 Sai.garlns or oa;;aris, Hipias, Rhebas, and Lyons ; all dif- 

 charjiing themfebes into the Euxine fea between Chalcedon 

 and Heraclea. As Bithynia lies between 41° and 43° of 

 north latitude, and is watered by many rivere, it once 

 8bu:i!ided with all the nt-ceflavies of life. The ancients com- 

 pare fome of the inland provinces to the fruitful and deli- 

 cious vales of Ttmpc ; but at prefent it lies in a great de- 

 gree ne^lefted and unmanured. Bithynia was anciently in- 

 habited bv various nations, differinjr in their manners, cuf- 

 toms, andlangua;;e ; namely, the BJ;ryces, the Miiriandyni, 

 the Cauconcs, -the-DoUiones, and the Cimerii. TJitfc dilfer- 

 c«.t nations were anciently governed hv their own kings ; 

 Bithynia being, in tjic earliell times, divided into as many 

 kingdoms as nations or tribes. However, in procefs of 

 time, thefe petty princes were reduced by the more power- 

 ful Kings of Bithynia. According to Diodorus Siculus, the 

 JJithynians had kings from the time of Ninns ; and, accord- 

 ing to Appian, tliey had 49 fovereisrrs before the Romans 

 ulHa'ined poifcfiions-in Alk. But this high antiquity is ren- 

 dered doubtful by the filencc of Huiser refpecting the Bi- 

 thynians. Strabo (1. xii.) fpeaks of one Prufias, who reigned 

 in Bithynia in the lime of Croefus, die lail king of J^ydia, 

 by whom he wiis conquwed. From this period, the Bithy- 

 nians continued fnbjedt firll to the Lydians, and afterwards 

 to the Perfians, till the reijrn of Alexander the Great ; for we 

 find them mentioned by Herodotus among the many nations 

 t'lat attended Xerxes in his exp.dition into Greece^ While 

 they were fubjea to the Perlians, they fee-n. d to have Ixen 

 llili governed by their own princen. Under Nieomi-dts I. the 

 Gaulo, whom he cilied to his aJTiAance, (iril paiTed into 

 Afia, and obtained a fetllcinent in that part of Afia Minor, 

 wiiich was call.d from them Galio-Gicecia and Galatia. 

 The lall king of Bithynia was Nieomedes IV., who, at his 

 dtalli, in the year befcnt Chrill 75, heqncathel his kingdom 

 to the Romans, by whom it was reduced to the form of a 

 province. 



BiTHVsiA, in Ji^oilrni Gi-ogrtif-,[<y, -foriTic one of the dif- 

 trids of Anatolia, and is the luarell province to Turkey in 

 Europe, being parted from it only by ti;e fmall llrait called 

 the Thraciaii Bofpliorus. Its principal cities are Prufa, Nice, 

 and Niconirdia. 



BYTHINIARCHIA, a fen of fuperior pi-iefthood i;i 

 the province of Bithyni?, to which belonged the fnperinten- 

 dency of the facred games, and which gav<; an cxemptian to 



B I T 



him pofTelTed of it, called bithyniarcha, from the care of 

 tutoraEce. 



BITHYNIITM, in ylncii-nt Gfogmphy, the ancient name 

 of a city of Bithynia, afterwards called CI .udioi)olis. 



BITIS, in Zoology, a fpecies of Coluber that inhabits 

 Brafil. Above, this creature is cinereous, yellow, varied 

 with white and red, and tranfverfe brown bands; beneath, 

 yellowidi, with a middle row of very minute fcales. Gmel. 

 &c. F':pcra iilis of Laurent. Aniph. 



BITON, in CoTichology, the name of the Linnsan cypr^^a 

 pediciiliis in Adanfon's Senegal, &c. 



BiTON, in EnUimohgy, a fpecies of Papilio, fo named 

 by Efper. It h papilio demon of Gmelin. 



BITONTO, in Geography, a town of Naples, in the 

 country of Bavi, about 8 miles from the Adriatic, the fee 

 of a bilhop, fuffragan of Bari. This is a tine town, con- 

 taining 16,000 iimabitants, of more eafy fortunes, and m.ore 

 polilhed manners, than thofe who dwell in tlie cities along 

 the coaft ; its markets are well fupplitd, and it has an air of 

 afilueixc. Tlie country between it and Bari, at the diftance 

 of 9 miles, is very much incloled ; and though ftony, fciiiie 

 in corn, almo-.ids, dives, wine, and fruit of all kinds. Near 

 this citv an obeliflc was erefled by the king of Spain, with 

 fome fuli'on:e infcriptiona in praife of himlelf, his father 

 Philip, liisfoldiers, and the count of Mortemar, who was ho- 

 noured v.ith the title of duke of Bitonto, for having defeated 

 the Aullrians on this ipot in 1734. The monument, how- 

 ever, v.Mch records a trivial victory, is crumbling to 

 ruin. 



BITTACLE, or BiNACLE, a fquare box, or frame of 

 timber, placed in the ftecrage of a fliip, wherein the com- 

 pafs is placed. The word is firmed, by contraflion, from 

 the I'reiieh holltacle, a /mail habitation, which llgnifies the 

 fame. 



Large vefTcls have two bittacles, a Icffer placed before the 

 pilot, and a greater before the fteerfman. 



In the fmaller vcflcls, the bittacle is divided into three 

 fpaces or apartments; in large veffels into five. One for 

 the hour-glaf-i ; another for the lamp or hgiit ; another for 

 the compafs, &i:. 



Great care is to be taken ir. the dXpofition, framing, &c. 

 of the bittacle, that it liand true, and that -it be not falleiied 

 together with iron nails, but with wooden pins, becaufe the 

 former would ai'.eft the compafs. See Compass. 



.BITTENDOKF, in Gwrnphy, a town of Silcfia, in 

 the princip ility of Neyfze, 2 miles N. of Otmuchar. 



BITTER, in S:a Language, denotes the turn of the 

 cable round tiie bitts. 



Bitter almonds. See Almond. 



Bitter apple. See Colocynthis. 



Bitter™,-/ of a cable, that end whieh remains on board 

 roimd the bitts, when the fhip is at anchor ; th: olher part 

 of tl:e cable being veered. 



ViMiTVv. gourd. See Colocynthis. 

 Bitter /i/«rf, locus amarus, a poor barren foil, by Pliny 

 called Icrra amara. Jive macra. 



'S>mv.?. purging /alt, frd calharlicum amarum. See Epsom 



iSiTT-iKfzveet, m Botany. See Solanum. 

 Bitter i<rtch. See Okobus. 

 V>\TTr.K luaters. See Water. 

 Bitter a'/Hc See AVisr. 

 Bitter wood zni afi. See (Quassia. 

 Bitter 'zuort. See Gentian \. 



BITTERFELD, in Geography, a town of Germany, 

 jn the circle of Upper Saxony, aud eledorate of Saxony, 



ieated 



