BAT 
it fignifies one of the wardens of the Fleet’s fervants or of¬ 
ficers, who attend the king's courts with a red Half, for 
taking fuch into cuftody who are committed by the court. 
Stats, i Rich. II. c. 12. 5 Eliz. c. 23. See Tipstaff. 
BastoA, or Batoon,/ in architefture, a moulding in 
the bafe of a column, called alio a tore or torus. 
Baston (Robert), a Carmelite monk, afterwards prior 
of the convent of that order at Scarborough, and alfo 
poet laureat and public orator at Oxford, flourifhed in the 
fourteenth century. King Edward I. in his expedition 
into Scotland in 1304, took Ballon with him, to celebrate 
his viiftories over the Scots; but the poet, being taken pri- 
foner, was obliged to ling the fucceffes of Robert Bruce. 
He wrote feveral books in Latin, on the Wars of Scotland, 
the Luxury ot Prjefts, Synodical Sermons, &c. and alio a 
volume of tragedies and comedies, in Englilh. He died 
in 1310. 
BASTO'VA, a town of European Turkey, in Albania : 
eighteen miles lbutli of Duraxzo. 
BAST'WICK (Dr. John), born at Writtle in Elfex, 
in 1593 j practifed phyfic at Colcheffer ; but, being a* man 
of warm imagination, applied himfelf to religious contro- 
verfy. About 1633, he printed in Holland a Latin trea- 
tile intitled, Eknchus religionis Papifiiccs, with Flagellum 
pontijicis ct epifeoporum La halt um, in which the Englilh pre¬ 
lates thinking themfelves aimed at, he was fined ioool. in 
the high commilfion court, excommunicated, prohibited 
practiling phyfic, his books ordered to be burnt, and him- 
ielf to remain in prifon until he made a recantation. In- 
ftead of recanting, he wrote in prifon, Apologeticus adpree- 
Julcs.Inglicanos ; wherein he feverely exclaimed againft the 
proceedings of that court. Pyrenne and Burton coming 
under the lafh of the (far-chamber court at the fame time, 
they were all cenfured as fcandalous feditious perfons, con¬ 
demned to a fine of 5000I. each, to be pilloried, to lofe 
their ears, and to perpetual iinprifonment in three remote 
parts ot the kingdom. The parliament in 1640 reverfed 
thefe proceedings;. and ordered Dr. Baffwick a reparation 
of 5000I. out of the eftates of the commillioners and lords 
who had profecuted him, which the enfuing confulions 
prevented his receiving : however, hisw’ifehad, in 1644, 
an allowance ordered for her and her hulband’s mainte¬ 
nance. What became of him afterwards is not known. 
BASZE'U, a river of European Turkey, which runs 
into the Prnth, near Stephanowze, in Moldavia. 
BAT,/ [to, Sax. This word feems to have given 
rife to a great number of words in many languages; as, 
batlre, Fr. to beat; baton, battle , beat, batty, and others. 
It probably (ignified a weapon that did execution by its 
weight, in oppofition to a (harp edge ; whence whirlbat 
and brickbat. ] A heavy flick or club. Alfo the inflrument 
tiled to flrike the ball, in the game of cricket. 
Bat, Bate, or Btiz, a fmall copper coin, (nixed 
with a little (ilver, current in feveral cities of Germany : 
it is worth four crutzers, It is alfo a coin in Switzerland, 
current at five livres, or 100 fols, French money. The 
bat or fladermoufe, at Nurembtirg, "is equal to four trut- 
zers; at Zurich, to ^ of the French crown"; at Bafil, 
Scltaffhaufen, Sc c. to ; and at Bern and Friburg to -> 6 
of the fame crown. Ihefe iaft are called Jhort bats. 
Bat,/, in zoology. See Vespertit.io. 
Bat-fovvi.ing,/ [from bat and fowl.] A particular 
manner of bird-catching in the night-time, while they 
are at rooft upon perches, trees, or hedges. They light 
tprehes or- draw, and then beat the bufnes ; upon which 
the birds, flying to the flames, are caught either with 
nets, or otherwise.—Bodies lighted at night by fire, mult 
have a brighter Iuflre than by day ; as lacking of cities, 
bat-fowling , &c. Peacham. 
BA'TA,/ in botany. See Cai.ycanthus. 
BA'TABLE GROUND,/ jLand that lay between Eng¬ 
land and Scotland, heretofore in queflion, when they were 
diftinff kingdoms, to. which it belonged ; litigious or de¬ 
batable ground, i. e. land about which there is debate ; 
and by that name-Skene.calls ground that isincontroverfy. 
BAT 
BATACO'LA, a feaport town of India, on the coaft 
of Malabar, where the Englilh had once a fettlement', but 
they were all maffacred by the natives in 1670: twenty 
miles north of Barcelor. 
BATAHA'NO, a town of the ifland of Cuba, on the 
weftern coaft, oppofite the ifland of Pines. 
BATAL'HA, a village in the province of EAremadura, 
in Portugal, remarkably environed with mountains, fixty 
miles north of I.ilbon. This village is enriched with a 
noble church and monaflery, which affords one of the belt 
fpecimens of Gothic architeflure now exifting. Mr. Mur¬ 
phy, an Jrifh architect of great celebrity, made a journey 
on purpofe to invefligate this building, with a view to re- 
flore the principles of Gothic architecture, ]fi this he has 
completely fucCeeded ; and his work, entitled Batalha, has 
been received with'every mark of diftinguilhed approba- 
bation. See Architecture, p. 78, of this volume. 
BAT AN', a town of A liatic Turkey, in the province 
of Natoiia : twenty miles foutli of Kutaia. 
BA'TANISTS. See Batenites. 
B ATASF.K', a town of lower Hungary, feated on the 
Danube. Lat.46.30. N. Ion. 19.50. E. 
BATA'TAS,/ in botany. See Convolvulus. 
BAT A'VI A, a feaport on the north coaft of the ifland 
of Java, in the kingdom of Jacatra, and capital of the 
Dutch fettlements in the Eaft Indies. It is lituated in a 
low and marlhy plain, at the union of fbme fmall rivers, 
which defeend from mountains, and render the internal 
navigation eafy : in molt of the ftreets are canals filled 
with almoft ftagnant water ; fome of which canals extend- 
into the country. The city occupies a great fpace, becaufe 
the lioules are large, convenient, and airy; the ftreets are 
very wide and ftraight. The borders of the canals are 
lliaded with large trees, which flop the exhalations of the 
marlhy land, hinder a free circulation of air, and render 
it unwholefome ; this unwholefomenefs is much increafed 
by the cuftoin of depofiting the black and putrid mud on 
the lides of the canal to dry. The public buildings are 
without elegance ; the church of the Crofs is large and 
handfome: the town-hotife is well lituated ; the hofpital 
is convenient and large. It is furrounded with a rampart 
of Hones or bricks, at the foot of which runs a rapid ri¬ 
ver. At the end of the town is a caftle, with lofty and 
thick walls, well furnilhed with artillery, which commands 
the place of landing, and contains large apartments, ma¬ 
gazines, worklhops, &c. At fome diltance from the town 
are forts and redoubts, to command the canals and the 
roads; but the chief defence is from its marlhy fituation. 
The harbour is the molt beautiful in India ; it is large, 
and the bottom fecure. Round the harbour and in the 
bay are feveral illands, among which are Edam, rvhether 
they fend criminals to hard labour; it is about one league 
and a half in circumference : Purmerent, in which is an 
hofpital: Kuyper, or Cooper, in which are magazines of 
rice and other merchandize : Onruft ; this ifland is two 
leagues from the town, and well fortified ; here is a tim¬ 
ber-yard, where three or four hundred carpenters are kept 
conltantly employed, with magazines of ftores to furnilh 
veflels with whateyerthey may want. Batavia is faid to 
contain within the walls 1.242 Dutch honfes, and 20a Cht- 
nefe, and nearly as many in the fuburbs; the population 
is fuppofed to be 60,000 fouls, of which 17,000 are Eu¬ 
ropeans, or the defendants of Europeans. The heat is 
moderated during the day by a wind which blows from 
the fea, and during the night the air is cooled by winds 
blowing from the land. The environs are fpread with 
country houfrf; and large gardens, covered with lofty trees, 
and interfecled with rivers and canals; but in the midftof 
cultivated lands are found marfties, bogs, and brackilh wa¬ 
ters, which produce fevers and epidemic diforders; info- 
much that every countenance announces debility and lan¬ 
guor. The following inftance of the precarious tenure by 
which life is holden at Batavia, is given by Dr. Thun- 
berg, in his Travels through Alia, publifhed in 1795, 
Shortly before the author’s departure for Japan, he fat 
,t down 
