B L A 



tlic Spanifli pricrts refcnteil this iiifiilt, fell upon tV.em, and 

 beat llicin fevtrcly. When they returned to their fliip, they 

 compl.iined of this iifagc ; upon whicli Diake f'Jiit to the 

 vijcrov, dtniandinjT the furrender of the ofiending priell. 

 Th- viceroy rcphtd tii?t he had no power ovor th ' pricfts ; 

 to which B!ake rttnntd for anf.ver, that he would net en- 

 qnire who liad the power to dthvtr up the priell, bitt il he 

 were not fcnt within three hours, lie would b\irn their town. 

 The viceroy fent the prieft to Blake, wlio jullificd hinifelf on 

 account of the petulant behaviour of the feniner. Blake 

 anfwered, that if complaint had been made to h.im, he would 

 have Mifliifted jnil pnnifhment, for he would not fufter his men 

 to affro.it the eiliiblifhtd religion of any plate, at wliich he 

 touched ; but he wilhed to have it known to the whole world, 

 that an En.ililh:nan was only to be punilhed by an Englifh- 

 nian. He then treated the prieft civilly, and fent hiin back. 

 When Croniuell received this intcllli{ence, he was higldy 

 delijjlited, and faid lie hoped that he Ihcnild make the name 

 of an Eni^liflnnan as great as evertliatofa Roman had been. 

 It is faid, that when Bhkt was cruiiing in the Mediter- 

 ranean, he net with a French (hip of confidcrable force, and 

 commanded the captaiii to come on board, no war having 

 been declared between the French and Enghfh. The cap- 

 tain, being alked whether " he was willing to lay down his 

 fword and yield," gallantly refufed, though in his enemy's 

 power. Blake, feorniiig to take the advantajfe of an artifice, 

 and detelling the appearance of treachery, told him, " that 

 he was at liberty to go back to liis Ihip, and defend it as 

 Ion/ as he could." The captain did fo, and after an engage- 

 ment of two honrs, confeded himfelf conquered, kifled his 

 fword, and furrendered it. Mr. Granger, fpeaking of 

 Blake's naval exploits, fays, " that the very temerity of his 

 enterprifes llruck terror into his enemies, and greatly con- 

 tributed to his fucctfs. He not only improved the method 

 of attack, but carried the naval power of Cromwell to a 

 greater height than had been known in any age or nation. 

 " Never man," fays Mr. Hume, " fo zealous for a faftion, 

 was fo much relpecled and elteemedby the oppofite faftions. 

 He was by principle an inflexible republican ; and the late 

 ufurpatiuns, amidll all the trull and cartffes which he re- 

 ceived from the ruling powers, wera thought to be very little 

 grateful to him. " It is ftill our duty," he faid to the 

 feamen, " to fight for our country, into whatever hands the 

 government may fall." Difmterelled, generous, liberal ; 

 ambitious only of true glory, dreadful only to his avowed 

 enemies; he foi-ms one of the mod perfeft characters of that 

 age, and the kail llained with thole errors and violences, 

 which were then fo predominant. The Protetlor ordered 

 him a pompous funeral at the public charge ; but the tears 

 of his countrymen were the moll honourable panegyric on 

 his memory." To the above tellimonies we fliall add 

 the foil- wing lines from Mr. Glover's poem, entitled 

 " London." 



" Thy name 



Was heard in thunder through th' affrighted (hores 



Of pale Iberia, of fubmllnve Ganl, 



And Tagus trembling to his utmoft fource. 



O ! ever faithful, vigilant, and brave. 



Thou bold aff^rtor of Britannia's fame. 



Unconquerable Blake!" 

 Biog. Brit. 



BLA KF.A. in Bolaiiy, fo named by Dr. Patrick Browne, 

 from Mr. M.rrtin Blake of Antigua, a great promoter of na- 

 tural knowli.d;;e, iind patron ot the doftor's natural hiftory 

 of Jamaica. Lin. gen. 593. Reicli. 647. Schreb. 810. 

 Brown, t. 35. Juir. 32S. Clafs and order, Jw/tr.inrt'rw ;n<3- 

 no^nia. Gen. Char. Cal. perianth of the fruit inferior, fix- 



B L A 



leaved ; leaflets ovate, concave, expanding, the fize of the 

 flower :— perianth of the flower fuperior ; margin quite 

 entir-e, hcKangnlar, m.embranaccous. Cor. petals fix, ovate, 

 expanding, eqnal. Si.im. lilaments twelve, fubvilate, ere ft ; 

 anthers triangular, deprefled, concatenated into a ring. PiJ}. 

 germ inferior, obovate, crowned with the margin of the calyx, 

 ilylt fubulate, the length of the flower ; ftigma acute. Per. 

 capfule obovate, fix-celled. Seeds very many. 



Efl". Char. C<i/. inferior, fix leaved ; fuperior entire. Pet. 

 fix. CtJpf. fix-celled, many-feedcd. 



Species, i. B. triiiervia. " Two-calycled ; leaves ncrve- 

 Icfs, very finely ftriated acrofs." Leaves oblong-ovatc, 

 petioltd, quite entire, coriaceous, oppofite ; the three nerves 

 undtmeath protuberant, blackifli ; flowers oppofite, folitary. 

 Generally rifing to the height of 10 or 14 feet ; one of the 

 moll beautiful produftioui of America ; at firil a chmber, 

 but gradually acquiring a more robull ftem, which divides 

 into many weak declini;ig branches, well fupplicd on all fides 

 with beautiful rofy bloffoms. A native of Jamaica, in cool, 

 moill, fiiai-!y places. 2. B. tripUtiervia. " Uncalycled ; 

 leaves triple- nerved." A tree growing to the height of 16 

 feet ; leaves oppolite, petiolcd, fix or feven inches long, 

 ribbed underneath, and having a nerve running along the 

 edge ; peduncles three-flowered ; flowers diftincl, without 

 any lower perianth ; upper perianth three or five-cleft, cori- 

 aceous, permanent ; petals about ieven ; filaments twelve or 

 fifteen ; anthers ovate, parallel, flattilli at the back, fhorter 

 than the corolla, truncated, not concatenated ; ftyle club- 

 fliaped ; ftigma capitate, flreaked ; fruit a roundifli, many- 

 celled berry, crowned with the calyx ; feeds minute ; fruit 

 of a yellow colour, and fapid. A native of Surinam, where 

 it was obferved by Dalberg ; alfo of Guiana, where it flowers 

 and fruits in May. 



Propagation and Culture. Thefe trees have not been yet 

 cultivated in Europe. In the Weft Indies, the firft fpecies 

 thrives bcft on the fides of ponds or rivulets ; and when 

 planted in gardens, where its appearance is elegant, it ought 

 to be fupplied with fome fupports, vvhilft it continues young 

 and weakly. 



BLAKENEY, in Geography, a harbour on the coaft of 

 Norfolk, between Cromer at eaft by foutli, and Wells at 

 weft by north nearly, diftant from the former 2 leagues, and- 

 from the latter 3 leagues. 



BLAMONT, a town of France, and principal place of a 

 diftrift in the department of the Meurt'ne ; containing 1863 

 inhabitants, and the population of the canton is 10,(195. 

 The territory comprehends 2I2| kiliometres and 30 com- 

 mmics; 4^ leagues eaft of Luneville. N. lat. 48° 35'. 

 E. long. 6° 44'. — Alfo, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Doubs, and chief place of a canton ; containing 

 400 peifons, and the canton contains 35^9; the territory 

 comprehends i&7j kiliometres and 14 communes ; li league 

 north of St. Hippolyte. 



BLAMPIN, Thomas, in Biography, a Benc'diftine of 

 St. Maur, was born at Noyon in Picardy in 1(^40, and taught 

 philofophy and theology in his own congregation. He is 

 chiefly known as editor of the works of St.Augnftin, in 

 which he difplaycd much critical erudition and fagacity, 

 and great accuracy in his collation of MSS. Befides other 

 preferments in the church, he was appointed in 1708 vifitor 

 of the pi-ovince of Burgundy, and in eonfequence of the 

 auftcrities exercifed in this office he died in 1710. 

 Morcri. 



BLANC. See Bl-vsk. 



Bl.anc, Frakcis Le, in Biography, diflinguiflied himfelf 

 by the ftudy of belles-lettres, hiftory, and medals, and was 

 appointed by Louis XIV. to draw up an account of the 



monies 



