B I E 
BIEN'NE, a river which runs into the SamUre, near 
Thuin, in the bifhopric of Liege. 
Bienne, a town of Swiflerland, lituated on the river 
Scheufs, or Suze, near a large lake r to which it gives 
iiame,' on an eminence, at the foot of mount Jura; the 
Germans call it Bid. The country about it is pleafant, 
and commodious for fupplying the induftrious inhabitants 
with all their wants. The inhabitants are Calvinifts, 
and the molt common language is German. The lake is 
to the north-ealt of that of Neufchatel, with which it runs 
almoft parallel from north-eait to fouth-weft, and they 
communicate by the Tiel canal,/which feparates the coun¬ 
try of Neufchatel from the canton of Berne: fifteen miles 
north-weft of Berne. Lat.47. n. N. Ion. 24. 45. E. Ferro. 
BIEN'NIAL, adj. [biennis, Lat.] Of the continuance 
of two years. Numerous plants are of this tribe, which 
being railed one year from feed, generally attain perfection 
cither the fame, or in about the period of a twelvemonth, 
or a little lefs or more, and the following fpring or rum¬ 
mer fhoot up (talks, flower, and perfedt feeds ; foon after 
which they commonly perifh ; or, if any particular fort fur- 
vive another year, they aflame a dwindling and draggling 
growth, and gradually die off; fo that biennials are always 
in their prime the firft or fecond fummer. See Botany. 
BIENTI'NA, a town of Italy, in the duchy of Tufcany, 
on the fide of a lake, called the Lake of Bientina , or the 
Lake ofSejfo ; the lake is about fix miles long and five wide: 
twelve miles eaft of Pifa, and twenty-eight weft of Florence. 
BIER,jft [from to bear, as feretrum, in Latin, from/ere.] 
A carriage, or frame of wood, on which the dead are car¬ 
ried to the grave. Among the Romans the common bier, 
whereon the poorer fort were carried, was called fandapila\ 
that ufed for the richer fort ledlica, leclica funebris, fonte- 
times leElus. The former was only a fort of wooden cheft, 
z tilis area, which was burnt with the body ; the latter was 
enriched and gilded for pomp. It was carried bare, or un¬ 
covered, when the perfon died a natural and eafy death ; 
when he was much disfigured or diftorted, it was veiled 
or covered over. 
BIER'VLIET, a town of Flanders, on the weft fide of 
the Scheldt, which has been much reduced by frequent 
inundations: the fortifications have been deftroyed. Wil¬ 
liam Beukelfzoon, who taught the Dutch the art of curing 
herrings, was born and died in this town: feven leagues 
north of Ghent, and four eaft-north-eaft of Sluys. 
BIES'BOS, a large lake in the Merwe, between Dort 
and Gertrudenburg, formed by the burfting of the banks 
or dikes. See Dort. 
BIE'SE, a river of Germany, which rifes eight miles 
fouth-weft from Stendal, in the Old Mark of Brandenburg, 
and running to Seehaufen, changes its name to Aland. 
BIESEN'THAL, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Upper Saxony, and Middle Mark of Brandenburg: twenty 
miles north-eaft of Berlin. 
BIES'MES, a place of France, where is a pafs acrofs 
the river Aine, from the department of the Meufe to the 
department of the Marne. Here general Dillon formed a 
camp in the month of September, 1792, to ftop the pto- 
grefs of the combined armies of Auftria and Pruffia : three 
miles from St. Menehold, and twelve from Grand Pre. 
BI'ESTINGS,^ [byfling, Sax.] The firft milk given by 
a cow after calving, which is very thick. See B nesting s. 
BIET 1 GHIEM', a town of Germany, hi the circle of 
Swabia, and duchy of Wurtemberg, at the conflux of the 
Metterbach and the Ens : ten miles north of Stutgart, and 
thirty fouth-l'outh-eaft of Heidelberg. 
BIE'VRE, a river of France, which rifes a little to the 
fouth of Verfailles, and pafling towards Paris, changes its 
name for that of Gobelins, on account of its water being 
ufed in that manufaflure, and foon after joins the Seine. 
BIEUZI', a town of France, in the department of Mor- 
fcihan, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridf of Pon- 
tivy : two leagues fouth-fouth-weft of Pontivy. 
BIEZOW', or BiPschow, a town of Bohemia, in the 
circle of Konigingratz : three miles eaft of Konigingratz. 
Vql. III. No, 114. 
BIG 
B!F'A‘B, 10 US, ctdj. [bfqrius, Lat.] Two-foldj what 
may be underftood two way’s, 
BIFER'NO, a 1 river of Italy, which runs into the Adri¬ 
atic, not far from Termini. 
BITEROUS, adj. [ biferats, Lat.] Bearing fruit twice 
a-year, in fpring and autumn, as is common between the 
tropics. 
BPF 1 D, or Bifidated, adj. [ bifidus, Lat, a botanical 
term.] Divided into two; fplit in two; opening with a cleft. 
BI'FGLD, adj. [binus, Lat. and fold.] Twofold ; double. 
BIFO'LIUM, J. in botany. See Ophrys. 
BI'FORMED, adj. [ biformis, Lat.] Compounded of 
two forms, or bodies. 
BIFOR'MIS, a lurname of Bacchus, becaufe he was 
reprefented fometimes as an old and fometimes as a young 
man; or, becaufe wine, of which he is the emblem, makes 
people fometimes cheerful and fometimes peevifh. 
BI'FRONS, a perfon double-fronted, or two-faced. This 
is peculiarly an appellation of Janus, who was reprefented 
by the ancients with two faces, as being fuppofed to look 
both backwards and forwards: though other reafons are 
recited by Plutarch. Sometimes he was painted with four 
faces, quadrifrons, as refpeffing the four feafons. 
BIFUR'CATED, adj. [from bin us, two, and furca, a 
fork, Lat.] Shooting out, by a divifion, into two heads. 
BIFURC A'TION,y. [from binus and furca , Lat.] Di¬ 
vifion into two; opening into two parts. 
B IG, adj. [This word is of uncertain or unknown ety¬ 
mology. Junius derives it from /Sayan©-; Skinner from 
bug, which, in Danifli, fignifies the belly.] Having compa¬ 
rative bulk, greater or lefs.—A troubled ocean, to a man 
who fails in it, is, I think, the biggejl objeft that he can 
fee in motion. Addifon. —Great in bulk ; large.—Both in 
addition and divifion, either of (pace or duration, when 
the idea under confideration becomes very big, or very 
fmall, its precife bulk becomes oblcure and confufed. 
Locke. —Teeming; pregnant; great with young; with the 
particle with. —A bear big with young hath leldom bees 
feen. Bacon. —Sometimes with of, but rarely : 
His gentle lady, 
Big of this gentleman, our theme, deceas’d 
As he was born. Skakefpeare. 
Full of fomething; and defirous, or about, to give it vent: 
Now big with knowledge of approaching woes, 
The prince of augurs, Halithrefes, rofe.. Pope. 
Diftended ; fwoln ; ready to burftt: ufed often of the ef¬ 
fects of paflion ; as grief, rage : ' 
Thy heart is big ; get thee apart, and weep. Skakefpeare. 
Great in air and mien; proud; fwelling; tumid; haughty.; 
furly. Great in fpirit; lofty; brave: 
What art thou ? have not I 
An arm as big as thine ? a heart as big? 
Thy words, I grant, are bigger : for I wear not 
My dagger in my mouth. Skakefpeare. 
BI'GA, f. in antiquity, a chariot drawn by two horfes 
abreaft. Chariot-races, with two horfes, were introduced 
into the Olympic games in the 93d Olympiad: but the in¬ 
vention was much more ancient, as we find that the heroes 
in the Iliad fight from chariots of that kind. The moon, 
night, and the morning, are by mythologifts fuppofed to 
be carried in bigoe, the fun in quadriga:. Statues in bigse 
were at firft only allowed to the gods, then to conquerors 
in the Grecian games; under the Roman emperors, the 
like ftatues, with bigee, were decreed and granted to great 
and well-deferving men, as a kind of half triumph, bein^ 
eredled in moft public places of the city. Figure’s of biga: 
were alio ftruck on their coins. The driversfef ligcc were 
called bigarii-, a marble bull of one Fl or us, a bigarius, is 
ftill feen at Rome. 
Biga, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the province of 
Natolia : fixteen miles fouth of Artaki. 
Biga, a river of North Wales, which joins the Severn,, 
in the county of Montgomery. 
G BI'GAMIST, 
