iz B L A 
till turning projector, he laid a fcfteme before his Swedifh 
Xnajeity for draining, the fens and marfhes, which was well 
received, and many thoufands employed In profecuuiig it 
under the doctor’s direction, for which he had fome fmall 
allowance from the king. This ffheriie l’ucceeding fo well, 
die turned his thoughts to others of greater importance, 
which in the end proved fatal to him. He was ill (peeled 
■of being concerned in a plot with count Teffin, and was 
tortured ; which not producing a confefiion, lie' was be- 
headed Augult 9th, 1748; and foon after this event ap¬ 
peared A genuine Copy of a Letter from a Merchant in 
Stockholm, to his Correfpondent in London; containing 
an Impartial Account of Doctor Alexander Blackweil, 
his Plot, Trial, Charafter, and Behaviour, both under 
Examination and at the Place of Execution; together with 
a Copy of a Paper delivered to a Friend upon the Scaf¬ 
fold. lie polfflied a good natural genius, but was fome- 
wliat flighty and conceited. 
BLACK/WELL (Thomas), was a fon of a minifter at 
‘Aberdeen, where he was born Augufl, 1701. He had his 
his grammatical learning at Aberdeen, Audied Greek and 
philofopliy in the Marifchal college, and took the degree 
of M. A. in 1718. Being greatly diflinguifhed by un¬ 
common parts, and an early proficiency in letters, he was, 
December 1723, made Greek profeilor in the college, 
where lie had been educated ; and continued to teacli that 
language with applaufe, even to his death. In 1737, was 
publiflied at London, but without his name, An Enquiry 
into the Life and Writings of Homer, Svo. a fecond edi¬ 
tion of which appeared in 1736 ; and,- not long after, 
Proofs of the Enquiry into Homer’s Life and Writings J 
which Was a tranllation of t lie Greek, Latin, Spaniih, Ita¬ 
lian, and French, notes, fubjoined to the original work. 
We agree with thofe who efteeni this the bed of his per¬ 
formances. In 1748 he publiflied Letters concerning My¬ 
thology, 8vo. The fame year, he was made principal of 
the Marifchal college in Aberdeen, and is the only layman 
who lias been appointed principal of that college, fincethe 
patronage came to the crown, by the forfeiture of the Ma- 
rifchal family, in 17x6; all the other principalshaving 
been miniflers of the church of Scotland. March, 1752, 
fie took the degree of doctor of laws: and, the year fol¬ 
lowing,, canae out the firfi volume of his Memoirs of the 
Court of Atiguftus, 4to. The fecond volume appeared 
in 1755 ; and the third, which Was poflliumous, and left 
incomplete by the author, was fitted for the prefs by 
John Mills, Efq. and publiflied 1764: at which time was 
publiflied a third.edition of the two former volumes. He 
died at Edinburgh, the 8th of March, 1757, in his 56th 
year. He Was a very ingenious and very learned tnaii : 
lie had an equable flow of tqfripei-, and a truly philofophic 
fpirit, both which lie feems to have pi’eferved to the laft ; 
for, 011 the day of his death, he wrote to feveral of his 
friends. His averfion to the falhionable follies and diffi- 
pation in high life is evinced by the following patlage in 
his Court of Auguftus : “ Time was, and not very long 
ago, whenevfcry gentleman in Great Britain thought him- 
felf obliged to be good for fcimelhing, and believed that a 
knowledge and'deporfment becoming his rank was more 
neceffary to diflinguifli him than liveries or tinfel equipage. 
Cards, drefs, hunting, and trifling, did not then engrofs 
iheir time ; expenfive diverfions did not drain their eftates ; 
nor did their bills of fare occupy their underfianding. How 
inglorious (adds he) does that man go to the grave, who 
has eaten and drunk, carded, and fquandered away all his 
income ; who has centered all his wifhes, and funk all his 
revenue, in iris little felf; who has thrown away on fick- 
nefs, riot, and repentance, what plight have purchlifed a 
life of health and vigour, a life of reputation and honour, 
heightened by confcious worth, and the hopes of a glorious 
memory. Would ye then, ye expenfive purfuers of plea- 
fure, tafie real joy ! Try for once one generous benevolent 
deed. Jf fineerely done, ye will find it the highefi en¬ 
joyment, the mod co.nflant, the mofi ffrene, the fweetefl 
feafoning to every other delight.” 
B L A 
BLACKWELL-HALL, a public market and ware- 
houfe, in London, for woollen cloths, firfi eflablifhed in 
1397. The purpofe of this inftitution was to prevent fraud 
in the manufacture of woollen cloths, and is therefore re¬ 
gulated by feveral Aattites, wherein the weight of thofe 
cloths is direfled to be afeertained, and orders made to 
prevent firetching in their meafure, as well as ftiri'flking-; 
for which purpofe all kinds of vendible cloths* bays, felts, 
fays, fluffs, &c, brought for fale to London, are to be firrt 
carried to Blackwell-hall, and to be there fearclied and 
fealed, and to pay hallage ; the monies arifing from which 
are applied towards the lupport of the children in Chrift’s- 
llofpital. The flatutes alio diredt that the market'■ of 
BlaCkwell-hall isto be kept every Thurfday, Friday, and 
Saturday, at certain hours ; and the hall-keepers not to 
admit any buying or felling of woollen cloth at the faid 
hall upon any other days or hours, on penalty of iool. 
Factors felling cloth oUt'of the market, (hall forfeit 5I. 
&c. Ilegiflers of all the cloths bought and fold are to be 
weekly kept : and buyers of cloth otherwife than for 
ready money, fhall'give notes to the fellers for the money 
payable; and factors are to tranfmit fuch notes to the 
owners in twelve days; or be liable to forfeit double va¬ 
lue, 8 cc. flat. 8 and 9 Will. III. c. 9. 4 and 5 Phil, and 
Mary, c. 5. 39 F.Iiz. c. 20. 1 Geo. I. c. 15. 
BLADA'RlUS,yi Acorn-monger, meal-man, or corn- 
chandler. It is tiled in our records for fuch a retailer of 
corn. Pat. 1 Edw. III. par. 3. ni. 13. 
BLAD'DER,yi [bladdre, Sax. blader, Dut.j A thin 
expanded membranous body, found in feveral parts of an 
animal, ferving as a receptacle of fome juice, or.of (blue 
liquid excrement; from whence it takes various denomi¬ 
nations, as urine-bladder, gall-bladder, &c. That which 
ferves as a receptacle of the urine is fituated in the pelvis 
of the abdomen; in men immediately on the redlum ; in 
women on the Vagina uteri. See Anatomy. Though 
the urinary bladder be naturally Tingle, yet there have 
been infiances of nature’s varying from herfelf in this 
particular. The bladder of the famous Cafaubon, upon 
diffedting his body, was found to be double; and, in the 
PhilofophicalTranfadtions, we have an account of a triple 
bladder found in the body of a gentleman, who had long 
been ill, and no One could guefs the caufe. The urinary 
bladders of brutes are differently contrived from the hu¬ 
man bladder, and from each other, according to the flfuc- 
ture, ceconomv, and manners of living, of each creature. 
See Comparative Anatomy. 
Bladders, when below a certain magnitude, are more 
ufually denominated, by the diminutive velicles, veficulec. 
Of thefe we meet with many forts, both in the animal and 
vegetable world ; fome natural, as in the lungs, efpeci- 
ally of frogs, and, as fome alfo imagine, in the muffles ; 
others'morbid, as in all cutaneous diforders. NaturaliAs 
have diffovered bladders in the thorax and abdomen of 
birds, and there are others in the belly of fiiiies, called 
(iir-bladders, and fwims. Vegetable bladders are found 
every where in the ftrudhlre of the bark, the fruit, pit(i, 
and parenchyma or pulp ; befides thofe morbid ones railed 
on tlie (iiflace of leaves by the puncture of infedts. 
BLAD'DER-NUT. See Staphylea. 
BLAD'DER-SEN A. See Colutea. 
BLADE, f. [bleed, bled, Sax. bled, Fr.] The fpire of 
grafs before it grows to feed ; the green (hoots of corn 
which rile from the feed. This feems to be the primitive 
flgnification of the word blade ; from which tiie blade of 
a (Word was firfi named, becaufe of its fimihtude in fliape; 
and, from the blade of a fword, that of other weapons or 
tools.—If we were able to dive into her fferet receffes, we 
ffiould find that the fmalleft blade Of grafs, or molt con¬ 
temptible weed, has its particular ufe. Swift. 
Hung on every fpray, on every blade 
Of grafs, the myriad dewdrops twinkle round. Thomfon. 
BLADE, f [Matte, Ger. blad. Dut.] The Iharp or 
ftriking part of a weapon or infirument, difiindt from the 
handle. 
