B R E 
wards retiring to Ills houfe in Little Britain, London, he 
there ended iiis days, on November 6, 1652, aged 79. 
BRENT, or South Brent, a fmall town in Devon¬ 
shire, fituate in a pleafant valley, and is a great thorough¬ 
fare from Plymouth to London. It is an ancient bo¬ 
rough ; and had a market on Wednefdays, which has. 
been long difufed. It has two fairs annually, the laft 
Tuefday in April, and laft Tuefday in September : dif- 
tant from Plymouth Sixteen miles, and from London 200 
miles. 
BRENT, a river of England, which runs into the 
Thames at Brentford in Middlefex, 
BRENT, adj. [from byiennan, Sax. to burn.] Burnt. 
Cb/olete. 
What flames, quoth he, when I thee prefent fee 
In danger rather to be drent then brent ? Fairy Queen. 
BREN'TA, a river which rifes in the country of the 
Tyrol, about feven miles eaft from Trent, paffes by Pa¬ 
dua, and runs into the Adriatic a little fouth of Venice. 
BRENTFORD, the county-town of Middlefex, Situ¬ 
ated on the north fide of the river Thames, fo called from 
the river Brent, which crofles it at the weft end. It is a 
place of confiderable trade, which is much afliited by the 
vicinity of the river. Market-boats go every tide to Lon¬ 
don. The bufinefs of di(tilling is very confiderable, as 
well as brick-making, malting, and mealing. Members 
of parliament for the county are elefted in this town, on 
which account it has often become the fcene of violent 
contention, in the year 1016,Edmund Ironfi.de attacked 
and defeated the Danes under Canute at this place, and 
compelled them to fly to Staines; and in 164.2, Charles I. 
after the battle of Edgehill, drove two regiments of the 
enemy from hence, with the lofs of their general and 500 
men. The market is held on Tuefdays for corn and pro- 
vifions : fairs, 18th of May, and 13th of September, for 
all forts of cattle. This town is only feven miles weft 
from London. . Near it is Sion Houfe, formerly a cele¬ 
brated nunnery; one of the firft fupprefled by Henry VIII. 
whole revenues amounted to 1944I. 12s. a-year. It was 
afterwards granted by Edward VI. to his uncle, the duke 
of Sornerfet; and is now the feat of the duke of Nor¬ 
thumberland. On the oppofite fide of the turnpike-road 
is Sion-hill, the elegant feat of the late counteis of Hol- 
dernefs, now of the duke of Marlborough : 'the grounds, 
which are planted with great tafte, fall with a gentle but 
beautiful defcent from the houfe to the road leading to 
Hounflow. On the oppofite fideof the Thames, and front¬ 
ing the town, is Kew, the elegant feat, and Superb gar¬ 
dens, of bis prefent majefcy. 
BRENTFORD, a town of the American States, in 
Connecticut : five miles weft of Newhaven. 
BREN’TIUS, or Brentzen (John), born in 14-99, a 
Weil in Swabia, was canon of Wittemberg, and became a 
principal agent in effecting the reformation. He differed 
however frc-rn Luther in Several particulars. Thofe who 
followed him were named UL-iquitarians, or Ubiquifls. After 
the death of Luther, Brentius fucceeded him as chief of 
that party, and in the favour of the duke of Wittemberg, 
who admitted him to his privacy, and loaded him with 
benefits. He died in 1570 at Tubingen, where he was 
profefl'or of divinity. He had been afflidted from his 
youth with perpetual watchfulnefs, or indifpofition to 
deep, which arofe from his too great application to 
Study. He publifhed eight volumes, in folio, of contro- 
verfial writings, an infallible remedy* againff the au¬ 
thor’s complaint. He was twice married ; and by his 
Second wife, who was very handfome, left twelve chil¬ 
dren. 
BREN'TOLA, a town and district of Italy, in the Vi- 
centin, at a fmall diftance from Vicenza. 
BRENTONE'GO, a town of Germany, in the country 
of Tyrol: twelve miles fouth-fouth-weft of Trent. 
BREN'TUS,yi in entomology, a genus of infects of the 
order of coleoptera; the characters of which are—An- 
Voh. III. No. 136. (706.) 
B R E ..377 
tennae moniiiform,- infected .beyond -the tniddle of the 
fnout: head projecting in.to a very long, -Straight, cylin¬ 
drical, probotcis. There are eleven. Species of this inleft, 
chaffed in two divifions, viz. \ 
I. Thighs fimple. 1. Brentus barbicornis : -black ; fnout 
very long, bearded beneath : wing-cafes elongated, fc!a- 
vate, with four rufous fpots-: found in New Zealand. 
2. Brentus aflimilis: fnout glabrous at the tip, and •black: 
wing-cafes fubfafciate with four ferruginous-Spots: found 
in New -Zealand. 3. Brentus moniljs: black 1 ; Shells 
pointed,, with a fingle Stria: found in New.Holland. 4.. 
Brentus brunneus; cliefnut; without fpots; found in Se¬ 
negal. 
II. Thighs toothed. 5. Brentus anchorage: body linear : 
wing-caSes .Striate, with yellow dots : found in the Eaft 
Indies. This curious ir.S’efi is commonly- known by the 
name of the long-necked weevil. The proboscis is very 
long, antennae ftraight ; thighs dentated ; .corfelet cylin¬ 
drical. This is Shown in the Bromelia Plate-II. p.4.25. 
at fig. 1. magnified. Fig. 2. Shows the head and probos¬ 
cis greatly, magnified : a a, the antennse; be, the head; 
beb, the probofeis ; dd, the eyes. 6. Brentus volvulus; 
wing-cafes truncate, Striate with yellow : found at Gua- 
daloupe. 7. Brentus haftilis ; deep black ; Snout very 
thin, and curved at the tip ; wing-cafes Slightly grooved, 
and pointed at the tip : found in the north of Ruliia. 
8 . Brentus nafutus ; thighs and fore-Slianks toothed ; 
thorax brafiy; wing-cafes black, with ferruginous lines: 
found in Jamaica. 9. Brentus difpar; body linear, 
black : Shells ftriate with red : found in America. 10. 
Brentus cyliridricovnis : thorax rounded, bra fly-black ; 
Shells ferruginous, Subftriate with yellow : found in.New 
Zealand. 11. Brentus bifrons; black; Shells Striate, 
with glabrous yellow fpots: found in Cayenne. 
BRENTWOOD', or Burntwood, a town in the 
county of Effex, diftant eighteen miles from London, 
and one of the four hamlets to the parish of Southwold 
cum Brent, fituate on a pleating eminence in the road 
from London to Harwich, and is a populous place, where 
the aflizes have been Several times held. It is of confider- 
abie antiquity, having been originally built by the Ro¬ 
mans. It has two annual fairs; one on the 18th of July, 
the other on the 15th of Oftober. The market was for¬ 
merly on Thursday, but is difeontinued. In the vicinity 
of this town is Thorndon-liall, the feat of Lord Petre. 
This magnificent manfion Stands upon a riling ground, in 
the centre of an avenue four miles in length. The park 
is of confiderable extent, finely timbered, and very beau¬ 
tiful. The woods are large, and, for variety as well as 
rarity of trees, are fuppofed to be unequalled. The me¬ 
nagerie is a very charming Spot. -The manfion-houfe 
contains many Splendid apartments, with a very noble 
chapel ; and the whole of the place well deleaves attention. 
BRENTWOOD', a townlhip of tire American States, 
in Rockingham county, New Hampshire, containing 971 
inhabitants : diftant Seven miles from Exeter, and nine¬ 
teen from Portfmouth. 
BRENTZ, a river of Germany, which rifes in Wir- 
temberg, and discharges itfelf into the Danube near Lau- 
gingen. 
BRE'NYING, a river of South Wales, which joins the 
Tyvv near Tregarren in Cardiganshire. 
BREPHOTRO'PHIUM, f. [from fytpoe, infant, and 
rgeCpv, I nourish.] An hofpital for foundlings, or a place 
vvherein children, expoled by their parents, are brought 
up at the public charge. 
BRE'REWOOD (Edward), a learned mathematician, 
and antiquary, bom at Chefter in 1565, where he was 
educated in grammar learning at the free-fehool, and 
afterwards admitted, in 1581, of Brazen-nofe college, Ox¬ 
ford. In 1596 he was chofen the firft profefl’or of astro¬ 
nomy in GreSham-college, being one of the two who, at 
the defire of the electors, were recommended to them by 
the univerfity of Oxford. His retired Situation at Gre¬ 
Sham-college, being agreeable, it did not appear that he 
5 D had 
