BOS 



claims, when urged by Innocent XI. againft the indepen- 

 dence of the crown, and tlie hberties of tlicchrgy of France. 

 The confequcnce of his oppofition wus tlie Icifs of the car- 

 dinal's hat, which the pope offered him as an inducement to 

 Ins dcfilling from proftcnting this difpute. 



BoIFuet, not content with writing on general fubjefts, fuch 

 as the defence of the Chriftian religion, the cathoHc faith, 

 and the Gallican chnrch, undertook to rcfnte the notiuns of 

 the amiable Fcnelon concerning quietifni ; either btcaiife h« 

 conlidered thtfe notions as erroneous and dangerous, or be- 

 caufe lie wilhcd to degrade in the general ellimation the 

 charafter of a perfoii, whom he regarded as a rival, i'ene- 

 lon complained of the havlhnefs with which lie was treated ; 

 and fttch indeed were the inipetuolity and /.eal with whicii he 

 entered into this difpute, that being once at court he main- 

 tained ills opision with a degree of ardour, which led tlie 

 king to fay to him, " What would you have done, if I had 

 taken part with Fcnelon againil you?" Bolfuet replied 

 with great fpirit ; " I would have fpoken ten times as loud." 

 On another occaiiun, however, he was lefs difpofcd to give 

 offence ; for though he had condemned theatrical exhibi- 

 tions, to which I^ewis was addicted, yet being aiked, what 

 he thought of attending tlieni, he reph'ed with aconliderable 

 degree of addrefs, " For it there are great examples, and 

 Bgainft it ftrong arguments." 



Of his talents as a fpeaker BolTiiet exhibited a fpccimen 

 that was much admired, at the early age of i6 ; and as to his 

 llyle of preaching, it was lofty, fice, animated, and energe- 

 tic. As he poffelfed a retentive memory, he feldom wrote 

 down more than the heads of his difcoiirfes, and fupplied 

 the intervals extempore, but as the refult of previous medi- 

 tation. Hence it happens, that his printed fermons are ra- 

 ther bold and maftcrly Iketches than finillied compofitions ; 

 and however much they have been admired, they are far 

 excelled by the difcourfes of MalTillon and Bourdalone, 

 But his funeral orations are conlidered as furpaffing all others 

 with refpeft to iubJimity and pathos. Of the feven which 

 he delivered and pubhihed, the three that have claimed pre- 

 eminence are thofe for the queen of England, widow 

 of Charles I., in which is introduced a fine delineation of 

 Cromwell's charadler and pohtics ; for the duchefs of Or- 

 leans, filler to Charles II.; and for the famous prince of 

 Conde. 



In the exercife of his epifcopal and paftoral funftions 

 BolTuet was entitled to great refpett and commendation. 

 He was eminently diftinguilhed by his attention to the duties 

 of his office ; by his diligence in communicating inllruftion 

 to the ignorant, and comfort to the afflifted ; and by the 

 exercife of an exemplary hofpitality to the indigent. In his 

 clerical vifits he paid particular attention even to peafants 

 and children. Whilft he was thus amiably employed, he 

 clofed a ftudious and dignified life, in the year 1704. 

 It ought to be recorded to his honour, that, though 

 he was a zealous advocate for the doctrines of the cliitrch of 

 Rome, he was no friend to perfccution, and exprefTed his 

 difapprobation of the feverity cxercifcd toward the Hugue- 

 nots. Neverthelefs, it does not appear that he ever repre- 

 fented to the king the injuftice, cruelty, and impolicy of 

 this condiift. 



" The behaviour and manners of Boffuet always command- 

 ed refpeft, but they often betrayed haughtinefs, a domineer- 

 ing di'fpofition, and a high opinion of himfelf; and ihewed 

 he had but little of that fpirit of mecknefs and gentlenefs, 

 which in the archbilhop of Cambray was joined to every vir- 

 tue that infpires veneration. The difference of their charac- 

 ters is eaiily- difcerned in their writings. In thofe of Bof- 

 fuet, the reader admires vigour of mind and (Irength of rea- 



VOL. V. 



BOS 



foning J in thofe of Fenelon, he feels the ptrfuafive powe* 



ariling from the union of a fine genius with genuine benevo. 



lence. Accordingly, the fornu r has been faid to have dc- 



monllrated the trutli, and the latter to have exhibited the 



aniiablenefs of religion." 



Of the works of Bolfuet a colhdion was made in i 743, in 



I 2 vols. 4to. to which was added, a fnppkment of 5 vols. 

 4to. ; and the Benedictines of St. Maur have publiflud 



12 vols, of a new and improved edition. He alfo wrote in 

 Latin a defence of the declaration of the French clergy on 

 ecclefiaftical power. Bolfuet was a dilluignilhed member of 

 the French academy, into which he was admitted in 1671, 

 Eloge Academiqne par d'Alembert. Nouv. Did. Hill. 

 Moreri. Gen. Biog. 



BOST, or Bust, in Gcogniphy, a town of Perfia, in the 

 province of Segillan, or Seillan, feated on the banks of 

 the river Heermnnd, or Ilindmend ; dillant about 75 milcj 



S.W. from Candahar. N. lat. 



E. lo 



64'= 23' 



From this town Abiilfctb All B.n Mohammed al KaUbt one 

 of the moll illulbious poets who flourilhed under the dynally 

 of the Samanide.s derived the appellation of Al Bofi. Hcr- 

 belot. 



BOSTAN, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the province 

 of Room, feated in a fertile plain of the fame name, 

 \4-atered by tlie river formerly called " Sarus," and fur- 

 rounded with mountains, on the northern fide of mount 

 Taurus. The town is fmall ; and its inhabitants piefent 

 a Itriking contrail to the m( re polifhed natives of Syria. 

 Their common drefs is a fhort jacket and a fringed 

 tuiiiaa. The women, whofe complexion is fair and florid, 

 wear on their heads flat pieces of metal, fome of filver, and 

 others of copper, according to their rank, which they tie 

 under the chin, and thus fhelter their faces from the fun and 

 rain. N. lat. ,-;S^ 12'. E. long. 56° 28'. 



BOSTANGI-Baschi, or BoJlati^L-e Bach,, in theTurkijh 

 Affiiirs, an officer in the grand feignior's houlhold, who ha,5 

 the fuperintendance of all the gardens, water-works, and 

 houfes of pleafure, with the workmen employed in them. The 

 poll of bollangi-bafchi, or chief gardener, is one of the molt 

 confiderable in the Turkilh court ; and his power is very exten- , 

 five. He has the emperor's ear, and on that account is much 

 courted by all who have bufinefs depending at the Porte ; he 

 is governor of all th.e villages on the channel of the Black fea, 

 and has the command of above ten thoufand bollangis, or 

 gardeners, in the feraglio, and other places about Conllan- 

 tinople. He repreiles debauchery, and punilhes theft and 

 other offences. But that which gives him the grcateil eclat 

 is the honour he has of holding the rudder whenever the 

 grand feignior takes his pleafure on the water, and of accom- 

 panying him every w here on horfeback, v.-'. em ver he goes 

 out in Hate. This ofiicer is of the numb '■ of the four 

 " Rickab agaleri, " or officers of the court, who are obliged 

 to attend 'l.e fultan on all folemn occafions ; the other three 

 are called " Buyuk-inibrohor," or great equerry," Kurchuk- 

 imbrohor," or little equeiTy, and " Capidjilar-kiayaffi," or 

 great chambei'lain. The boftangees are generally fn •) of 

 Muffulmans ; their pay is tolerably good, and they are al- 

 moll all married. Tiiey were ellahlifhed under t'.e reign of 

 the full emperors, and for a long time fnrnilhed a nurfcryof 

 the bell folditrs. Thofe of them who difplayed the greattft 

 courage and Ihength, and more efpecially the higheft degree 

 of fanatlclfm, were transferred to the janj/.aries. 



BOSTON, in Geography, is a large comineroial borough- 

 town of Lincohifhire, in England. It tlairds in that divifion 

 of the county called Holland, and is nearly iurrounded by 

 the fens ; the greater part of which having been inclofed 

 and drair.ed, is now appropriated to arable and meadow 

 M lands, 



