7S® BAS 
It played by figures marked over the notes, on the organ, 
fpinet, harpfichord, &c. and frequently fimply and with¬ 
out figures qn the bafs-viol and balfoon. Counter-bafs is a 
fecond or double bal’s, where there are feveral in the fame 
concert. 
Bass-Viol, a mufical inftrument of the like form with 
that of a violin, but much larger. It is (truck with a bow 
as that is ; has the fame number of firings ; and has eight 
(tops, which are fubdivided into femi-fiops. Its found is 
grave, and has a noble effeft in a concert. 
Bass ( 1 1 1 e of), a rock, about a mile in circumference, 
in the mouth of the Frith of Forth, at a fmall difiance 
from the town of North Berwick in Eaft Lothian. It is 
deep and inacceffible on all (ides, except to the fouth-weft ; 
and even there it is with great difficulty that a fingle man 
can climb up with the help of a rope or ladder. It was 
formerly kept as a garrifon. A party of king James’sad- 
herents furprifed it at the revolution, and it was the laft 
place in the three kingdoms that fubmitted to the new go¬ 
vernment. In dimmer, this remarkable rock, which fear¬ 
fully overhangs the fea, and rifes to a great height in form 
of a cone, is quite covered with fea-fowl which come hi¬ 
ther to breed. The chief of thefe are the folon geefe, 
which arrive in June, and retire in September. The force 
of the tides has now almoft worn an aperture quite through 
this rock. 
BAS'SA. See Bashaw. 
B AS'SAN (James du Pont); a celebrated Venetian pain¬ 
ter, born in 1310. His fubjefts generally were peafants 
and villagers, bufy at their rural occupations, according 
to the various feafons of the year ; cattle, landfcapes, and 
hiftorical defigns. His touch is free and fpiriied ; and the 
difiances in his landfcapes are always true. His works are 
fpread all over Europe : and many of them were purchas¬ 
ed by Titian. They are more readily known than thofe of 
rnofi other painters ; from the (imilitude of chara&ers and 
countenances, in the figures and animals; from the tafie 
in the buildings, utenfils, and draperies; and, befides, 
from a violet or purple tint that predominates in every one 
of his pictures. Yet the genuine pictures of his hand are 
not fo eafily afcertair.ed ; becaule he frequently repeated 
the fame defign, and his foils were moftly employed in co¬ 
pying the works of their father, which he fometimes re¬ 
touched. As he lived to be very old, he finifiied a great 
number of pictures ; though the real pictures of Bafian are 
not commonly met with. Many of thofe which are called 
originals by purchafers as well as dealers, being at bed 
no more than copies by his fons, who were far inferior to 
him ; or perhaps by fome painters of (till meaner abilities. 
But the true pictures of Bafian always bear a confideVable 
price if they happen to be undamaged. He died, in 1592, 
aged eighty-two. Francis and Leander, his fons, both 
difiinguifiied themfelves in the fame art. 
BASSA'NI (Giovanni Battifia), of the cathedral church 
of Bologna in 1650, was a very voluminous compofer of 
mufic, having given to the world thirty-one different works. 
He is equally celebrated both as a compofer for the church 
and for concerts; and tvas befides a celebrated performer 
on the violin, and, as it sis faid, taught Corelli on that in- 
ftrument. His cornpofitions ponlifi of mafles, pfalms, 
motets with inftrumental parts, and fonatas for violins : 
his fifth opera in particular, containing twelve fonatas for 
two violins and a bafs, is much efieemed ; it is written in 
rrftyle wonderfully grave and pathetic, and abounds with 
evidences of great learning and fine invention. The firfi 
and third operas of Corelli are apparently formed after the 
model of this work. Baffani was one of the firfi who com- 
pofed motets for a fingle voice with accompaniments of 
violins. 
BASSA'NO, a town of Italy, in the Trevifano, on the 
Brenta : twelve miles north of Vicenza. A battle was 
fought near this town, between the'Aufirians and the re¬ 
publican French, in the beginning of September, 1796, 
in which the republicans were victorious, and took rive 
.hundred prifohers. 
• BAS 
Bassano, a town of Italy, near which Dolabella de¬ 
feated the Etruri and the Boij : three miles welt of Orta. 
BASSAN'TIN (James), a Scottish aftronomer of the 
fixteenth cetury, born in the reign of James IV. of Scot¬ 
land. He was a fon of the laird of Batfiantin in the Merfe. 
After finifiiing his education at the univerfity of Gl'afgow, 
he travelled through Germany and Italy, and then fettled 
in the univerfity of Paris, where he taught the mathematics 
with great appla.ufe. Having acquired fome property, he 
returned to Scotland in 1562, where he died fix years af¬ 
ter. From his writings it appears he was no inconfiderable 
aftronomer; but, according to the faftiion of the times, he 
was additfted to judicial afirology. It was doubtlefs to 
him that Sir James Melvil alludes in his Memoirs, when 
he fays that his brother Sir Robert, when he was ufing 
his endeavours to reconcile the two queens Elizabeth and 
Mary, met with one Ballantin, a man learned in the high 
fciences, who told him, “ that all his travel would be in 
vain ; for, faid he, they will never meet together; and 
next, there.will never be any thing but difiembling and 
fecret hatred fora while, and at length captivity and utter 
wreck to our queen from England.” He added, “ that 
the kingdom of England at length finall fall, of right, to 
the drown of Scotland : but it (hall coft many bloody bat¬ 
tles ; and the Spaniards (hall be helpers,' and take part to 
themfelves for their labour.” Bairantin’s works are, 1. 
AJironomia Jacobi BaJJantini Scoti, opus abjolutijfmum , &c. 
Genev. 1599, fol. T his is the title given it by Tornoefius, 
who tranflated it into Latin from the French, in which 
language it was firfi publifiied. 2. Paraphrafe de I’AJlro. 
labe. Lyons 1555. Paris 1617, 8vo. 3. A 'lathcmalica Gt. 
nethliaca. 4. Aritkmctica. 3. Mufica fecundum P/atonem. 
6 . De Mathefi in Genere, 
BASSA'RIDES, prieftelfes of Bacchus; fo called from 
Bafiarius, the furname of Bacchus. Peifus. 
BASSA'P-IUS, a furname of Bacchus. It is pretended 
that this is the cry which was heard at the feftiVals of this 
god ; but it is mod likely that this word lignifies no more 
than grape-gatherer. 
BAS'SE,/! [ baifer , Fr. bajium, Lat.] A kifs. Gbfolele. 
BASSET (La), a town of France, in the department 
of the North, and chief place of a canton, in the difiriril of 
Lille: formerly a place of confiderable ftrength, but was 
difmantled by Louis XIV. and it is fituatedon theDuele: 
two leagues eaft of Betlnine, and three and three quarters 
fouth-weft of Lille. 
B ASSEEN', a rown of I-Iindoftan, on the weftern coaft of 
the peninfula of India, in the country of Baglana ; twen¬ 
ty miles north of Bombay, and 152 fouth of Surat. 
B ASSEN'TO, a river of Italy, in the kingdom of Na¬ 
ples, which runs into the Grati, near Cofenza. 
B AS'SERSTORF, a town of Swifierland, in the can¬ 
ton of Zurich : four miles north-eaft of Zurich. 
BAS'SET, or Basette,/". A game of chancd, with 
cards, faid to have been invented by a noble Venetian, for 
which lie was baniftied. This is the game now called faro , 
fo much the vogue in England. See Faro. 
Basset (Peter), gentleman of the privy'-chamber to 
Henry V. was a conftant attendant on that brave prince, 
and an eye-witnefs of his mod glorious actions both at home 
and abroad ; all which he particularly defcribed in a vo¬ 
lume intitled ‘The Afts of King Henry V/ which remains 
in' MS. in the college of heralds. 
BASSE'TERRE, a general name given by the French 
to the low lands of the Weft-India ifiands. 
Basseterre Town, a feaport town on the fouth coaft 
of the ifland of St. Chriftopher in the Weft Indies, and 
capital of the ifland, fituated at the month of the river, 
opening into a bay, called BaJJeterre Road ■, the town con¬ 
tains about 800 houfes, and is defended by three batteries. 
Lat. 17. 2d. N. Ion. 62. 37. W. Greenwich. 
Basseterre Town, a feaport town on the fouth-weft 
coaft of the ifland of Guadaloupe, defended by a citadel. 
Lat. 16. 5. N. Ion. 61. 58. W. Greenwich. 
B AS'SETING ; yi In the coal-mines, denotes the rife 
of 
