B V Z 
5. Byflropogon origanifolium, or marjoram-leaved by- 
fh opogon : panicles dichotomous, caly xes leathered, leaves, 
ovate, quite entire, very white beneath. This is very 
nearly allied to the foregoing fort, but the leaves are quite 
entire, and fnow-white underneath. Found in the Canary 
illands by Maflbn. 
6. Byflropogon Cariarienfe, or Canary byflropogon : 
peduncles dichotomous, dowers in heads, leaves ovate, cre- 
nate, very villofe beneath. Stem woody, three or four 
feet high, dividing into many branches. Leaves on long 
peduncles, hairy, and afh-coloured, on their under livie. 
Tire flowers are produced front the lide of the branches 
on pretty long peduncles, each fuftaining four roundifli 
heads, dividing by pairs, and fpreading from each other. 
They come out in June and July, but do not produce ripe 
feeds in England. The corolla is white. 1 lie leaves, when 
bruifed, emit an agreeable odour. The gardeners have 
given it the title of Madame Maintenon. It grows naturally 
inthe Canary iflandsand in the ifland of Madeira. In 1714 
it was cultivated by the duchefs of Beaufort ; and flowers 
from June to Auguft. 
7. Byflropogon pumffatuni, or clufter-flowered byflro¬ 
pogon : panicles dichotomous, flowers in heads, leaves 
ovate, toothed, fmoot-h, finely dotted. Native of Ma¬ 
deira, and introduced here in 1775 by Sir Jofeph Banks; 
it flowers from July to September. 
Propagation and Culture. The three firft forts niufl be 
preferved in the bark-flove ; the four laft in the dry-flove 
or confervatory. They may all be propagated by cuttings 
during the fummer months. 
BYSTRZY'CA, a tow n of Lithuania, in the palatinate 
of Wilna: twenty-four miles north-eaft ofWilna. 
BY.S'ZOW, a town of the duchy of Courland, forty- 
two miles fouth-louth-weft of Goldingen. 
BY'TESCH, a town of Moravia, in the circle of Brunn : 
feventeen miles weft-north-weft of Brunn, and eighty-fix 
fouth-eaft of Prague. 
BY'TIN, a town of Lithuania, in tire palatinate of No- 
vogrodek : forty miles fouth-fouth-weft of Novogrodek. 
BYZAN'TIUM, an ancient city of Thrace, fimated on 
the Bofphorus. It was founded, according to Eufebius, 
about the 30th Olympiad,' while Tullus Hoftilius reigned 
in Rome. But, according to Diodorus Siculus, the foun¬ 
dations of this metropolis were laid in the time of the Ar¬ 
gonauts, by one Byfas, who then reigned in the neigh¬ 
bouring country, and from whom the city was called By¬ 
zantium. Byfas, according to Euftathius, arrived in 
Thrace a little before the'Argonauts came into thofe Teas, 
and fettled there with a colony of Megarcnfes. Velleius 
Paterculus aferibes the founding of Byzantium to the Mi- 
lefians, and Ammianus Marcellinus to the inhabitants of 
Attica. Some ancient medals of Byzantium, which have 
reached our times, bear the name and head of Byfas, with 
the prow of a (hip on the reverie. The year after the de- 
flruclion of Jerufalem by Titus, Byzantium was reduced 
to the form of a Roman province. In the year 193 this 
city took part with Niger againft Severus. It was ftrongly 
garrifoned by Niger, as being a,place of the utmoft impor¬ 
tance. It was foon after inverted by Severus; and, as he 
was univerfally hated on account of his cruelty, the in¬ 
habitants defended themfelves with the greateft refolution. 
They had been fupplied with a great number of warlike 
machines, molt of them invented and built by Peri feu s a 
native of Nictea, and the greateft engineer of his age, 
For a long time they baffled all the attempts of the-aflu.il* 
ants, killed great numbers of them, crulhed fuch as ap¬ 
proached the walls with largeftones; and, when ftones be¬ 
gan to fail, they ufed the ftatues of their gods and heroes. 
At laft they were obliged to ftibmit, through famine, af¬ 
ter having been reduced to the neceflity of devouring one 
another. The conqueror put all the magiftrates-and fol- 
diers to the fword ; but fipared tiie engineer Perifcus. 
Befbrt this fiege, Byzantium was the greateft, mo ft popu¬ 
lous, and wealthieft, city of Thrace. It was furrounded 
by walls of an extraordinary height and breadth ; and de- 
Vpu III. No. 148. 
B Z O 569 
fended by a great number of towers, feven of which were 
built with fuch art, that the lead nolle heard in one Of 
them was immediately conveyed to all the reft. Severus, 
however, no fooner became mailer of it, than he com. 
nuinded it to 'oe laid in allies. The inhabitants were firip- 
of all their effects, publicly fold for tlaves, and the walls 
levelled with the ground. But by the chronicle of Alex¬ 
andria we are informed, that, foon after this terrible fatal', 
troplie, Severus himfelf can fed a great part of the city to 
be rebuilt, calling it Antonina from his Ion Caracalla, who ' 
affirmed the furname of Antoninus. In 262, the tyrant G:t-> 
lienus, wreaked his fury on the inhabitants of Byzantium. 
He intended to befiege it; but was admitted tire next day 
into tiie city ; and, without any regard to the terms he had 
agreed to, caufed the foldiers and all the inhabitants to be 
put to the fword. Trebellius Pollio lays, that not a (ingle 
perfon was left alive. What the reafon was for fuch an 
extraordinary niafTacre, we are no where informed. In 
the wars between the emperors Licinius and Maxima;, 
the city of Byzantium was obliged to fubmit -to the latter, 
but was foon after recovered by Licinius. In the year 
323, it was taken from Licinius by Conftantine the Great, 
who in 328 enlarged and beautified if, and made it the ca¬ 
pital of the Eaffern Roman empire. He began with ex¬ 
tending the walls of the ancient city from fea to fea ; and, 
while fonre workmen were bulled in rearing them, others 
were employed in railing a great number of (lately build¬ 
ings, among which was a palace no way inferior in mag¬ 
nificence and extent to that of Rome. He built a capitol 
and amphitheatre, made a circus maxiinus, • feveral fo¬ 
rums, porticos, and public baths. He divided the city 
into fourteen regions, and granted the inhabitants many 
privileges and immunities. By this means Byzantium be¬ 
came one of the mod flourifhing and populous cities of the 
empire. Vaft numbers of people flocked thither from 
Pontus, Thrace, and Alia, Conftantine having by a law 
enabled that fuch as had lands in thofe countries fhould 
not be at liberty to difpofe of them, nor even leave them 
to their proper heirs at their death, unlefs they had a houfe 
in his new city. But, however delirous the emperor was 
Byzantium fhould be filled with people, he did not care 
that it fhould be inhabited by any but Chriftians. He 
therefore, caufed all tire idols to be pulled down, and their 
temples to be confecrated to the true God. Fie built be- 
fides an incredible number of churches, and caufed erodes 
to be erected in all the fquares and public places. Moll 
of the buildings being finiflied, it was folemnly dedicated 
to the Virgin Mary, according to Cedrenus, but, accord¬ 
ing to Eufebius, to the God of Martyrs. At the fame 
time Byzantium was equalled to Rome. The fame rights, 
immunities, and privileges, were granted to its-inhabitams 
as to thofe of the metropolis. He eftabliflied a fenate and 
other magiftrates, with a power and authority equal to 
thofe of old Rome. He then took up his relidence in the 
new city ; and changed its name to Constantinople, 
which fee for its hiftory from that time to the prefent. A 
number of Greek writers, who have deferved or ufurped 
the name of Byzantine-hiflorians, flouridied at Byzantium 
after the feat of the empire had been tranflated thither 
from Rome. Their works, which more particularly re¬ 
late to the time in which they flourifhed, and are feldoni 
read but by thofe who wifh to form an acquaintance with 
the revolutions of the lower empire, were pubhfhcd in 
one large collection, in 36 vols. folio, 1648, &c. at Paris, 
and recommended themfelves by the notes and fupplement 
of Du Frefne du Cange. They were likewife printed at 
Venice 1729, in 28 vols..though perhaps this edition is not 
fo valuable as that of the French. 
BY'ZEN, or Bvsma,/ [from ( 2 v£c , or | 3 vo, Gr.. to fill 
up: by fluffing, to condenfe; thus it exprelles anything 
that is fufticiently denfe.] In a heap, croud, or throng, 
Hippocrates ufes this word to exprelsthe hurry in which 
the menfes flow away in an exceffive difeharge of them. 
BZO, or Bizut, a town of Africa, fittiatcd on Mount 
Atlas, in Morocco, 
7 F BZG'VIUS, 
