benefic 
He being equally neere to his whole Creation of Man- 
kind, and of free power to turn his benefick and fatherly 
regard to what Region or Kingdome he pleases, huth yet 
ever had this Hand under the speciall indulgent eye of 
his providence. Milton, Def. of llumu. Keinunst. 
2. In astrol., of good or favorable influence. 
The kind and truly bcncjiijue Eucolos. 
Jl. Joitson, Cynthia's Revels, v. 3. 
II. . Iii astrol., a favorable planet; Jupiter 
or Venus. 
benefice (ben'e-fis), . [< ME. benefice, bene- 
Jise, < OF. benefice, F. benefice, < LL. beneficium. 
estate granted, L. beneficium, a favor, kind- 
ness, < benffinix, kind, liberal: see bencfic.] 1. 
In feudal law, originally, a fee or an estate in 
lands granted for life only, and held ex mero 
beneficio (on the mere good pleasure) of the 
donor. Such estates afterward becoming hereditary, 
the word feud was used for grants to individuals, and 
I'f'tH'lice became restricted to church livings. 
The Beneflcium, or Raw/ice, an assignment of land by a 
conquering Teutonic king as the reward or price of mili- 
tary service, is allowed on all sides to have had much to 
do with this great change [from allodial to feudal) in the 
legal point of view. Maine, Early Law and Custom, p. 345. 
The kings gave their leading chiefs portions of con- 
quered land or of the royal domains, under the name of 
benefices. Lecky, Europ. Morals, II. 286. 
2. An ecclesiastical living; a church office 
endowed with a revenue for its proper fulfil- 
ment ; the revenue itself. The following terms 
of canon law are frequently found associated with this 
word, which is of historical importance : A benefice in- 
volving no other obligation than service in the public 
offices of the church is simple ; if the cure of souls is at- 
tached to it, double ; if with a certain rank attached, dig- 
nitary or major ; the two former without rank, minor. 
Thus, a chantry was a simple benefice; & prebend gives 
the right to only a part of the income of a canonry at- 
tached to a collegiate or cathedral church ; while the bene- 
fice is perpetual and has a charge, though there are some 
(called manual, from their being in the hands of the one 
conferring them) revocable. The benefice is said to be regu- 
lar if held by one qualified to fulfil the duties of the office ; 
secular if held by a layman ; and in commendain when 
in the charge of one commended by the proper authori- 
ties until one duly qualified to fulfil its duties is appoint- 
ed. In the last-named case the discharge of the office is 
provided for at the expense of the holder. (See abbe.) A 
benefice is received by election, for example, by a chapter, 
or from a patron, who is properly said to present to it, 
or is conferred by the proper ecclesiastical superior ; these 
nominations, in the Roman Catholic Church, regularly 
need confirmation from the pope. His action may cause 
a benefice to be reserved or affected, (which see) ; or the 
collation is made alternative, that is, to the pope and 
regular patron or superior, according to the months in 
which the benefice falls vacant, by definite system. 
Ful thredbare was his overeste courtepy, 
For he hadde geten him yet no benefice. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 291. 
The estates of a bishop or abbot came now to be looked 
on as a fief, a benefice, held personally of the King. 
E. A. Freeman, Norm. Conq., V. 87. 
One priest, being little learned, would hold ten or 
twelve benefices, and reside on none. 
Ji. W. Dixon, Hist. Church of Eng., i. 
3f. Benefit. 
Verely, this thyng by the benefice of philosophic was 
roted in hym, that he stode in drede of no man liuying. 
Udall, tr. of Erasmus's Apophthegmes, p. 70. 
Benefice de discussion, in French law, the legal right 
of a debtor who is secondarily liable to demand that the 
creditor should be required first to reach and compel 
application of the property of the principal debtor before 
discussing his property. 
beneflced (ben'e-fist), a. [< benefice + -edV.] 
Possessed of a benefice or church preferment. 
All manner persons of holy church . . . beneficed in the 
realm of France. Hall, Hen. V., an. 8. 
My Father sent me thither to one Mr. George Bradshaw 
(nomen invisum ! yet the son of an excellent father, bene- 
ficed in Surrey). Evelyn, Diary, May 10, 1637. 
Beneficed men, instead of residing, were found lying at 
the Court in lords' houses ; they took all from their parish- 
ioners, and did nothing for them. 
R. H'. Dixon, Hist. Church of Eng., i. 
beneflceless (ben'e-fis-les), a. [< benefice + 
-less.~\ Having no 'benefice: as, "beneficeless 
precisians," Sheldon, Miracles, p. 190. 
beneficence (be-nef'i-sens), . [< L. berieficen- 
tia, < *beneficen(t-)s, beneficent: see beneficent.] 
1. The practice of doing good; active good- 
ness, kindness, or charity. 
To spread abundance in the land, he [Stuyvesant] obliged 
the bakers to give thirteen loaves to the dozen a golden 
rule which remains a monument of his bene/icemx. 
Irviny, Knickerbocker, p. 403. 
True beneficence is that which helps a man to do the 
work which he is most fitted for, not that which keeps and 
encourages him in idleness. 
W. K. Clifford, Lectures, II. 202. 
2. A benefaction; a beneficent act or gift. 
=Syn. Benevolence, Beneficence, Bounty, Liberality, 
Generosity, Munificence, Charity. Benevolence literally 
well-wishing, is expressive of the disposition to do good 
hence it easily came to be applied to charitable gifts. 
Beneficence, literally well-doing, is the outcome and visi- 
ble expression of benevolence. It is a strong though 
general word for active and abundant helpfulness to those 
524 
who are in need. Benevolence may exist without the 
means or opportunity for beneficence, but beneficence al- 
ways presupposes benevolence. Bounty is expressive of 
kind feeling, but more expressive of abundant giving. 
Liberality is giving which is large in proportion to the 
means of the giver. Generosity adds to the notion of 
liberality that of largeness or nobleness of spirit in con- 
nection with the gift. Munificence is giving on a large 
scale, not restricting itself to necessary things, tint giving 
lavishly ; it is the one of these words most likely to be 
applied to ostentatious or self-seeking liberality, but not 
necessarily so. Charity, while having the best original 
meaning, has come to be a general word ; as to gifts, it is 
what is bestowed upon the poor or needy, but not always 
with warm or kindly feelings : as, official charity. 
With a bow to Hepzibah, and a degree of paternal benev- 
olence in his parting nod to Phoebe, the Judge left the 
shop, and went smiling along the street. 
Hawthorne, Seven Gables, ix. 
Few men have used the influence of a grand seigneur 
with such enlightened beneficence, with such lasting re- 
sults on human culture and civilization, with such genu- 
ine simplicity and cordial loyalty [as Maecenas]. 
Encyc, Brit., XV. 195. 
Deserted at his utmost need 
By those his former bounty fed. 
Dryden, Alexander's Feast, St. 4. 
Over and beside 
Signior Baptista's liberality, 
I'll mend it with a largess. 
Shak., T. of the S., i. 2. 
With disinterested generosity, [Byron] resolved to de- 
vote his fortune, his pen, and his sword to the [Greek] 
cause. Godwin's Biug. Cyc. 
Such were his temperance and moderation, such the 
excellence of his breeding, the purity of his life, his lib- 
erality and munificence, and such the sweetness of his 
demeanor, that no one thing seemed wanting in him 
which belongs to a true and perfect prince. 
Quoted by Prescott, in Ferd. and Isa., i. 2. 
Charity finds an extended scope for action only where 
there exists a large class of men at once independent and 
impoverished. Lecky, Europ. Morals, II. 78. 
beneficency (be-nef 'i-sen-si), n. The quality of 
being beneficent. 
beneficent (be-nef'i-sent), a. [< L. "benefi- 
cen(t-)s, compar. beneficentior, assumed from the 
noun beneficentia, but the L. adj. is beneficus : 
see benefic and beneficence.] Doing or effecting 
good ; performing acts of kindness and charity ; 
marked by or resulting from good will. 
The beneficent truths of Christianity. J'rescott. 
She longed for work which would be directly beneficent, 
like the sunshine and the rain. 
George Eliat, Middlemarch, II. 55. 
The worship of the beneficent powers of nature so per- 
vades Teutonic and Scandinavian religion, that it may 
almost be said to constitute that religion. 
faiths of the World, p. 232. 
= Syn. Beneficent, Beneficial, bountiful, bounteous, liberal, 
munificent, generous, kind. Beneficent always implies a 
kind and worthy purpose back of that to which the adjec- 
tive applies ; beneficial does not. 
Power of any kind readily appears in the manners ; and 
beneficent power . . . gives a majesty which cannot be 
concealed or resisted. Emerson, Eng. Traits, p. 187. 
That such a beech can with his very bulk 
Take up the rays o' the beneficial sun. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., i. 1. 
Iodide of potassium has been tried in large doses [in 
chyluria], and in some cases appears to have been bene- 
ficial. Quain, Med. Diet., p. 253. 
beneficential (be-nef-i-sen'shal), a. [< L. be- 
neficentia (see beneficence) + -a/.] Of or per- 
taining to beneficence; concerned with what 
is most beneficial to mankind. N. E. D. 
beneficently (be-nef'i-sent-li), adv. In a be- 
neficent manner. 
beneficia, . Plural of beneficium. 
beneficial (ben-e-ftsh'al), a. and n. [< LL. 
beneficialis, < L. 'beneficium, a benefit : see bene- 
fice.'] I. a. 1. Contributing to a valuable end; 
conferring benefit; advantageous; profitable; 
useful; helpful. 
The war which would have been most beneficial to us. 
Swift. 
That which is beneficial to the community as a whole, it 
will become the private interest of some part of the com- 
munity to accomplish. H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 443. 
2. Having or conferring the right to the use or 
benefit, as of property; pertaining or entitled 
to the usufruct : as, a beneficial owner (which 
see, below) ; a beneficial interest in an estate. 
3t. Pertaining to or having a benefice ; bene- 
ficed. 
An engagement was tendered to all civil officers and 
beneficial clergy. Hallam. 
4t. Kind; generous: as, a " beneficial foe," B. 
Jonson Beneficial owner, one who, though not hav- 
ing apparent legal title, is in equity entitled to enjoy the 
advantage of ownership. =Syn. 1. Beneficent, Beneficial 
(see beneficent), good, salutary. 
Il.t . A benefice ; a church living. 
For that the ground-worke is, and end of all, 
How to obtaiue a Beneficiall. 
Spenser, Mother Hub. Tale, 1. 486. 
benefit 
[A license for the sake of the rhyme, benefice 
being also used several times in the same pas- 
sage of the poem.] 
beneficially (ben-e-fish'al-i), adv. It. Liber- 
ally; bountifully; with open hand. Cotyrurc. 
2. In a beneficial manner; advantageously; 
profitably ; helpfully. 
beneficialness (ben-e-fish'al-nes), n. [< bene- 
ficial + -ncus.] It. Beneficence. 2. The qual- 
ity of being beneficial ; usefulness ; profitable- 
ness. 
Usefulness and beneficialness. 
Sir M. Hale, Orig. of Mankind, p. 5. 
For the eternal and inevitable law in this matter is, that 
the beiieficialnetaf of the inequality depends, first, on the 
methods by which it was accomplished. 
Ruskin, Unto this Last, ii. 
beneficiary (beu-f-fish'i-a-ri), a. and n. [< L. 
beneficiarius, < beneficium : see benefice.] I. a. 1. 
Arising from feudal tenure; feudatory; hold- 
ing under a feudal or other superior; subor- 
dinate: as, "beneficiary services," Spelman, 
Feuds and Tenures, xxv. ; "a feudatory or 
beneficiary king," Bacon. 2. Connected with 
the receipt of benefits, profits, or advantages; 
freely bestowed: as, beneficiary gifts or privi- 
leges. 
There is no reason whatever to suppose that Beneficiary 
grants and Commendation arose suddenly in the world at 
the disruption of the Roman Empire. 
Maine, Early Hist, of Insts., p. 158. 
II. n. ; pi. beneficiaries (ben-e-fish'i-a-riz). 
1. One who holds a benefice. 
The beneficiary is obliged to serve the parish church in 
his own proper person. Ayliffe, Parergon, p. 11'2. 
2. In feudal law, a feudatory or vassal. 3. 
One who is in the receipt of benefits, profits, 
or advantages ; one who receives something as 
a free gift. Specifically (a) In American colleges, a 
student supported from a fund or by a religions or edu- 
cational society. (6) One in receipt of the profits arising 
from an estate held in trust ; one for whose benefit a trust 
exists. 
The fathers and the children, the benefactors and the 
beneficiary, shall . . . bind each other in the eternal in- 
closures and circlings of immortality. 
Jer. Taylor, Works, II. xiii. 
beneficiate (ben-e-fish'i-at), v. t. ; pret. and pp. 
beneficiated, ppr. beneficiating. [< NL. "bene- 
ficiatus, pp. of beneficiare, after Sp. beneficiar, 
benefit, improve, cultivate the ground, work 
and improve mines, < L. beneficium ( > Sp. bene- 
ficio'), benefit, improvement (in Sp. of ground, 
mines, etc.).] 1. To work and improve, as a 
mine; turn to good account; utilize. 2. To 
reduce (ores); treat metallurgically. Also 
called benefit. [Little used except by writers 
on Mexican mining and metallurgy.] 
There are a great number of mines located and owned 
by natives, some of whom have arrastras, and others not 
even those, to beneficiate their minerals extracted. 
Quoted in Hamilton's Mex. Handbook, p. 230. 
beneficiation (ben-e-fish-i-a'shon), n. [< beite- 
ficiate + -ion.] The reduction or metallurgical 
treatment of the metalliferous ores. 
beneficience, beneficient. Erroneous forms of 
beneficence, beneficent. 
beneficioust (ben-e-fish'us), a. [< L. beneficium, 
benefit (see benefice), + -ous.] Beneficent. 
beneficium (ben -e -fish 'i-um), n.; pi. beneficia 
(-a). [< LL., L. : see benefice.] 1. A right or 
privilege : a term more especially of the civil 
law: as, beneficium abstinendi, that is, right of 
abstaining, the power of an heir to abstain from 
accepting the inheritance. 2. In feudal laic, a 
benefice. 
The beneficium originated partly in gifts of land made 
by the kings out of their own estates to their own kins- 
men and servants, with a special undertaking to be faith- 
ful ; partly in the surrender by landowners of their es- 
tates to churches or powerful men, to be received back 
again and held by them as tenants for rent or service. By 
the latter arrangement the weaker man obtained the pro- 
tection of the stronger, and he who felt himself insecure 
placed his title under the defence of the church. 
Stvbbs, Const. Hist., I. 275. 
benefit (ben'e-fit), n. [Early mod. E. also bent- 
fit, benyfit, etc. (also benefact, after L.) ; < ME. 
benefet, benfeet, benfet, benfait, benfeyte, etc., < 
AF. benfet, bienfet, OF. bienfait, F. bienfuit = 
It. benefatto, < LL. benefactum, a kindness, 
benefit, neut. of benefactum, pp. of benefacerc, do 
good to: see benefaction. The same terminal 
element occurs in counterfeit, forfeit, and sur- 
feit.] It. A thing well done; a good deed. 
2. An act of kindness ; a favor conferred ; good 
done to a person. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 
Ps. ciii. 2. 
3. Advantage ; profit ; concretely, anything 
that is for the good or advantage of a person 
