B I R 
Oxford Bines, and a party of light-Ijorfe. By eleven 
o'clock the whole town was completely illuminated, in 
order to give effect to the troops. During the night, 
more troops came in from every quarter ; and they lay on 
their arms till ten the next forenoon, when a regular 
guard was eftablilhed. The terror and diftref's which per¬ 
vaded the whole town, while thefe dreadful fcenes were 
afling, will be better conceived than delcribed. The 
magiftnites had tried every means of perfuafion, to no ef¬ 
fect ; nothing certain wa> known refpeiTing the approach 
of the military ; and numbers of the rioters, joined by 
thieves, and drunken proftitutes from every quarter, were 
with blue cockades in their hats, in all parts of the town, 
and in fmall bodies, levying contributions on the inhabi¬ 
tants. There was fcarcely an houfe-keeper that dared re- 
fufe them meat, drink, money, or whatever they de¬ 
manded. The (hops were (lint up, bufinels at a (land, 
and every body employed in fecreting and removing their 
valuables. But the arrival of the troops exhilarated the 
fpirits of every peaceable individual, and foon contributed 
to the entire difperfion of the banditti. As an acknow¬ 
ledgement for the expedition and good behaviour of thefe 
troops, the difTenters, on the re-efrablifhment of order, 
preiented them with one hundred pounds; and, at a town’s 
meeting, the like funr was given by the inhabitants, and 
dillributed among tire privates ; alfo, a handfome (word 
to each officer; and a piece of plate, value one hundred 
guineas, to each of the magiflrates. Four men were af¬ 
terwards capitally convifled of being concerned in thefe 
riots ; two of them fuffered the fentence of the law on 
the 8th of September : the other two received his ma- 
jefly’s pardon. 
BI'RON (Armand de), was grand marfhal and matter of 
the artillery of France. He was no lels a man of learning 
than a great general. “ He loft (fays Brotier) no op¬ 
portunity of inftru-Cting himfelf, and wrote down in his 
common-place book whatever he heard or met with that 
was worthy of his notice. Thefe were called, Les Devines 
Tablettes de Biron.” No lefs liberal than brave, when his 
maitre d’hotel advifed him to make a reform in his houfe- 
liold, and get rid of fome of his fupermimerary fervants ; 
giving as a reafon, that he could do without them ; “ Per¬ 
haps fo, (replied Biron ;) but let me know firft if they can 
do without me.” At the battle of Ivry, Henry IV. joined 
the Walloon troops at the rilk of his life, and left Biron 
with a corps de rei'erve, to prevent the enemy from rally¬ 
ing. When the engagement was over, Biron told his fo- 
vereign, “ Sire, this is not fair : you have done to-day 
what Biron fhould have done, and he has done what the 
king ought to have done.” Yet he had the weaknefs too 
commonly incident to generals, that of continuing, rather 
than terminating, a war. Biron wrote fomc Commentaries 
on his Military Expeditions ; of which Brantome laments 
the lofs. He boafted that he had palled from the loweft 
rank in the army to that of general ; and faid, that was 
the only legitimate way to become a marlhal of Fiance. 
He had been wounded in feven different engagements. 
When he was made a knight of the Holy Ghoft, being re¬ 
quired to produce his letters of nobility, he contented him¬ 
felf with exhibiting a few pieces of parchment to the fo¬ 
vereign and the commiftioners, faying, Sire, voila ma no- 
blejfe bien comprize. Then putting his hand upon his fword, 
he added, Mais, fire, la voila mieux. His device was a 
match burning, with thefe words : Peril fed in armis. He 
gave Henry IV. the wife advice to remain in France, and 
not to fly into England or Swifferland, on the death of 
Henry III. He was killed by a mufquet-ball, at the liege 
of Epernay, in 1562. Biron was godfather to the cele¬ 
brated cardinal de Richelieu, to whom he gave his own 
baptifmal name of Armand. 
BI'RON (Charles Gontautde), fon of the marfhal Bi¬ 
ron above-mentioned, was fo early an excellent officer, 
that at the age fifteen he was chofen, by the common con- 
ferrt of the army commanded by his father, to fupply his 
Vol. III. No. 1x6. 
B I R 61 
place as general, when the latter was prevented by his 
wounds from a Homing that diftinguifhed lituation. Biron 
ufed to fay, that fometimes prudence was unneceftary in 
war. He conipired again!! his fovereign Henry IV. who 
would have pardoned him, had he relied fufficiently upon 
his clemency, and had gratitude to have confefled his trea- 
fon to him. He who .had fo often looked upon death with 
intrepidity in the field, beheld it upon the Icaffold with 
the utmoft fear and emotion ; and the executioner was 
obliged to do his fad office as by Health. Birpn’had ridi¬ 
culed the quiet and refigned manner with which the ami¬ 
able but unfortunate earl of Eft’ex met his fate, as bor¬ 
dering upon pulillanimity and cowardice, Nemefis is but 
too often upon the watch to avenge obloquy upon it felt, 
and to render thole perfons juftly obnoxious to its attacks, 
who have not been lparing of them upon other perfons. 
Henry has been much blamed for not (paring the life of 
his fellow-foldier and companion, and occafionaliy the 
caufe of his victories. Biron was, however, fo violent, 
fo expenfive, fo diffatisfied with his fovereign’s behaviour 
to him, that he would perhaps have ever looked up to a 
revolution to gratify his revenge, ox - to latisfy his necefii- 
ties. He was extremely addidled to play, at which he loft 
Rich confiderable fums, that he ufed to fay, Je ne jqais ft 
je mourraifur n'n cchajfaut, mais je Jjais bien que je ne mourrai 
pas a I’Hopital. “Fatal alternative, (fays u’Anquetil,) 
that but too often attends thofe who rilk their fortunes on 
a die or card.” Brotier fays, that when Biron’s friends 
folicited his pardon from Henry ; by way of palliating his 
crime, they faid that his pride had made him oppofc his 
fovereign. Henry replied, “ It is always agreeable to me 
to pardon, but my device is that of my kingdom : Parcerc 
fubjeBis, etdebellare fuperbos ; To fpafe the conquer’d, and 
fubdue the proud.” Biron was fo confcious of the fate 
which awaited him, that, upon being told when he was in 
prifon that he would foon be releafed, he replied, “ Alas! 
I am not one of thofe birds who are put into a cage to be 
let go again.” 
BI'RON, a town of France, in the department of the 
Dordogne, feven leagues and a half fouth-weft of Sarlat, 
and three and a half fouth of Belvez. 
BI'RON, an ifland in the gulf of St. Lawrence: twen¬ 
ty-fix leagues weft of Cape Anguilla. Lat. 47. 50. N. Ion. 
61.5. W. Greenwich. 
BIRO'TA, or Birotum,/! in Roman antiquity, a 
vehicle, fo denominated from its moving upon two w heels. 
It carried about two hundred pounds weight, and was 
drawn by three mules. 
BIRR, a town of Ireland, in the King’s County, fitu- 
ated near the borders of Tipperary, on a riVer which runs 
into the Shannon. It was formerly called Parfons Town, 
from the family of Parfons, who had a caftle here, which 
wasbefieged by Sarsfield, general of the Irilh, but relieved 
by general Kirk : thirty-four miles north-eaft of Limeric, 
and thirty-four north-north-weft of Kilkenny. 
BlRRET'TUM,yi A thin cap fitted clofe to the Ihape 
of the head : and is alfo ufed for the cap or coif of a judge, 
or ferjeant at law. Spelman. 
BIR'RUS,yl in Roman antiquity, a cloak, made of 
woollen cloth, worn by the foldiers. Alloa robe anci¬ 
ently worn by the priefts or bilhops. 
BIRS, a river of Swilferland, which runs into the 
Rhine, near Bale. 
BIR'SEN,/i [pro^Vzw, pi. of na baraz, an aperture.] 
A deep, ulcer or impofthume in the bread. 
BIR'SKA, a river of Siberia, which runs into the Lena, 
twenty-eight miles fouth-weft of Olekminlk. 
BIR'STEIN, a town of Germany, in the circle of the 
Upper Rhine, and county of Ifenburg : feven miles eaft 
of Bndingen, and twenty-fix eaft-north-eaft of Francfort on 
the Maine. 
BIR'TERBY BAY, a bay on the weft coaft of Ireland, 
open to the Atlantic. Lat, 53. 20. N, Ion. 9.50. W. Green¬ 
wich. 
R BIRTH, 
