824 /B E : A ' 
bles, which ftand on the fuvface fome time after. This is 
efteemed a proof that the fpirit conlifls of equal parts of 
rectified fpirits and phlegm ; but it is a fallacious rule as 
to the degree of ftrength in the goods ; becaufe any thing 
that will increafe the tenacity of the, fpirit will give it 
this proof, though it be under the due ftrength. Our 
malt-diftillers fpoil the. greater part of their goods, by 
leaving too much of the (linking oil of the malt in their 
fpirit, in order to give it this proof when fomewhat under 
the ftaridard ftrength. This is a great deceit on the pur- 
chafers of malt fpirits, as they have them by this means 
not only weaker than they ought to be, but (linking with 
an oil that they are not eafily cleared of afterwards. On 
the other hand, the dealers in brandy, who ufually have 
the art of fophifticating it to a great nicety, are in the 
right when they buy it by the ftronge.ft bead-proof, as 
the grand mark of the beft ; for, being a proof of the 
brandy containing a large quantity of oil, it is, at the fame 
time, a token of its high flavour, and of its being capable 
of bearing a very large addition of the common fpirits of 
our own produce, without betraying their flavour, or lof- 
ing its own. We value the French brandy for the quan¬ 
tity of this eflential oil of the grape which it contains ; 
but the French themfelves, when they want it for any cu¬ 
rious purpofes, are as careful in the rectifications of it, 
and take as much pains to clear it from this oil, as we do 
to free our malt fpirit from that naufeous and'fetid oil 
which it originally contains. 
Bead-Roll,/! among Roman catholics, a lift of fuch 
perfons, for the reft of vvhofe fouls they are obliged to re¬ 
peat a certain number of prayers, which they count by 
means of their beads. 
Bead-Tree,/! in botany. See Melia. 
BEA'DLE, f [ bydcl, Sax. a meftenger ; bedeav, Fr. 
bedel, Span, bedelle, Dutch.] A meftenger or (ervitor be¬ 
longing to a court. A petty officer in parilhes, whole bu- 
iinefs it is to punifh petty offenders. 
BEA'GLE,/! [bigle, Fr.J A fmall hound with which 
, hares are hunted : 
To plains with well-bred beagles we repair, 
And trace the mazes of the circling hare. Pope. 
BEAK,/! [bee, Fr. pig, Welftt.] The bill or horny 
mouth of a bird : 
The magpye, lighting on the (lock, 
Stood chatt’ring with inceftant din, 
And with her beak gave many a knock. Swift. 
A piece of brafs like a beak, fixed at the end of the an¬ 
cient gallies, with which they pierced their enemies. It 
was called by the Greeks e/LtSoXo*, by the Latins rojlrum, 
and was an important part in the ancient (hips of war, 
which were hence denominated naves rojlratce. Its inven¬ 
tion is attributed to Pifasus an Italian. The firft beaks 
were made long and high ; hut afterwards a Corinthian, 
named Arijlo, contributed to make them Ihort and ftrong, 
and placed fo low, as to pierce the enemies veflels under 
water. By the help of thefe, great havock was made by 
the Syracufians in the Athenian fleet. ’ See Attica. 
BE AK'ED, adj. Having a beak; having the form of a 
beak. 
BE AK'ER,/! A cup with a fpout in the form of a bird’s 
beak : 
With dulcet bev’rage this the beaker crown’d, 
Fair in the midft, with gilded cups around. Pope. 
BEAL,/! [bol/a, Ital.] A whelk or pimple. 
To Beal, v. a. To ripen; to gather matter, or come 
to a head, as a lore,does. 
Beal, a river of Ireland, which runs into the Shannon, 
near Afketon, in the county of Limerick. 
BEALE (Mary), diftinguifhed by her drill in painting, 
was the daughter of Mr. Craddock, minifter of Waltham 
upon Thames, and learned the rudiments of her art from 
Sir Peter Lely. She painted in oil, water-colours, and 
B E A 
crayons; her portraits were in the -Italian ftyle, which 
flie acquired by copying pictures and drawings from Sir 
Peter Lely’s and the royal collections. Her mailer, fays Mr. 
Walpole, was fuppofed to have had a tender attachment 
to her; but, as he was refervea in communicating to her 
all the refources of his pencil, it probably was a gallant 
rather than a fuccefsful one. Dr. Woodtall wrote leveral 
pieces to her honour, under the name of Bclefia. Mrs. 
Beale died in Pall-mall in 1697, aged lixty-five. Her 
paintings have much nature, but the colouring is heavy. 
BE AL'N ABRACH, a river of Ireland which runs into 
Lough Korrib, in the county of Galway. 
BEALT, B|alth,- or Builth, a towm of South 
Wales, in the county of Brecknock, fituated on the river 
Wye. It is a place of great antiquity, though the learned 
are not agreed whether it was the Ballceum Sylurum of the 
Romans, or not ; however, that it was one of their na¬ 
tions is evident, from there being dill fome remains of a 
camp ; and pavements, with other pieces of antiquity., 
have been discovered at different periods. The Britons, 
when they fled into thefe parts from the fuperior power 
of the Saxons, built a ftrong caftle here, to prevent the 
incurfions of their niercilefs enemies. But, the Englijh 
having taken poffeflion of it loon after the Norman con- 
queft, one of the Wei fit princes feized upon it, and laid 
the whole in allies. It was-however afterwards rebuilt by 
the Mortimers earls of March ; but, a fire having acci¬ 
dently broke out in that part of the town next the river in 
in the year 1690, the remains of the caftle and many houfes 
were totally demolilhed. The pleafant (ituation of this 
town has induced many people to fettle in it, and of late 
years a manufactory of dockings has been eftablilhed in it, 
by which many hands are employed. The houfes in ge¬ 
neral are neat, and the ftreets regular and well paved. It 
has two markets weekly, on Mondays and Saturdays, and 
three fairs annually on the 27th of June, 2d of -October, 
and 6th of December.: twenty-one miles fouth-weft of 
Prefteign, and 171 weft-north-weft ef London. 
BEAM,/, [beam, Sax. a tree.] The main piece of tim¬ 
ber that fupports the houfe.—A beam is the larged piece 
of wood in a building, which always lies acrofs the build¬ 
ing or the walls, lerving to fupport the principal rafters 
of the roof, and into which the feet of the principal rafters 
are framed. Builder's Diet. —Any large and long piece of 
timber : a beam muft have more length than thicknefs, by 
which it is diftinguiftied from a block. That part of a ba¬ 
lance, at the end of which the feales are fufpended : 
Poife the caufe in juftice’.equal feales, 
Whofe beam ftands lure, vvhofe rightful caufe prevails. 
Bhakefpeare, 
The horn of a ftag : 
And taught the woods to echo to the dream 
His dreadful challenge, and his clalhing beam. Denham. 
The pole of a chariot; that piece of wood w hich runs be¬ 
tween the horfes. Among weavers, a cylindrical piece of 
wood belonging to the loom, on which the web is gradu¬ 
ally rolled as it is wove.—T lie duff of his (pear was like a 
weaver’s beam. 1 Citron v 
Beam,/ [funnebcam, Sax. a ray of the fun.] The rav 
of light emitted from.fome luminous body, or received by 
the eye: 
Pleafng, yet cold, like Cynthia’s filver beam. Dryden. 
Beam of an Anchor,/ The ftraight part or (hank of 
an anchor, to which the hooks are faftened. 
Beam-Bird, or Petty Chaps. See Motacilla. 
Beam Compasses,/ A wooden or bra(s inftrument, 
with Hiding dockets, to carry feveral Ihifting points, in 
order to draw circles with very long radii ; and ufeful in 
large projections, for drawing the furniture on wall dials. 
Be ams of a Ship are the main crofs-timbers which hold 
the tides of the (hip from falling together, and which alfo 
lhpport the decks and orlops : the main beam is next the 
main-mad, and from it they are reckoned by firft, fecond, 
third. 
