8$g B E D 
with itsis one continual fad ? and what nec’effity is there for 
us to niake the pilgrimage to Mecca, if God be prefent 
every where?” In fho'rt, every man adls and thinks as he 
pleads,'and themoft perfect toleration is edabliflied among 
them. Sec Arabia. 
BRD'POST,/ [from bed and pojf. ] The pod at the 
corner of the bed, which fupports the canopy. 
BKD'PRKS’SER, / [from bed and prefs.] A lieavy la¬ 
zy fellow.—This - fanguine coward, this bedprcjfer, this 
horfeback breaker, this huge hiil of fiefh. Shakcjpcare. 
To BEDRAG'GLE, v.a. [from be and draggle.] To 
foil the clothes, by differing them, in walking, to reach the 
dirt: 
Poor Patty Blount, no more be feen 
Bedraggled in my walks fo green. Swift. 
To BEDRENCH', v. a. [from be and drench .] To 
drench ; to foak ; to faturate with moifture: 
Far off from the mind of Bolingbroke 
It is, fuch crimfon temped fiiould bcdrcnch 
The fredi green lap of.fair king Richard’s land. Shake/. 
BEDR, a town of Arabia, fifty-fix miles, fouth-fiouth- 
wed of Medina. 
BEDRI'ACUM, anciently a village of Italy, fituated, 
according to Tacitus, between Verona and Cremona. Clu- 
verius conjedtures that the ancient Bedriacum dood in the 
place where the city of Caneto now dands. This village 
was remarkable for the defeat of the emperor Galba by 
Otlio, and afterwards of Otho by Vitellius. 
BED'RID, adj. [from bed and ride.'] Confined to the 
bed by age or ficknefs.—Infirm perfons, when they come 
to be fo weak as to be fixed to their beds, hold out many 
years; fome Isive lain bedrid twenty years. Ray. 
BED'RITE,/. [from bed and rite.] The privilege of 
the marriage-bed : 
Whofe vows are, that no bedrite fliall be paid 
. Till Hymen’s torch be lighted. Shak/pcare. 
BEDRO'LA., a tow n of Spain, in the country of Ar- 
ragon, eight leagues from Sanguefa. 
To BEDROP', v.a. [from be and drop. ] To befprinkle; 
to mark with fpots or drops; to fpeckle : 
Our plenteous dreams a various race Ripply: 
The (liver ed., in fltining volumes roll’d; 
The yellow carp, in feales bedrop’d with gold. Pope. 
BED'STA FF, / [from bed and faff. 3 A wooden pin 
duck anciently on the tides of the bedhead, to hold the 
-clothes from dipping on either fide. 
BED'STK AD, f. [horn bed andj&W.] The frame on 
which the bed is placed. 
BED'STRAW, / [from bed and /raw .] The draw laid 
tinder a bed to make it foft.—Fleas breed principally of 
draw or mats, where tliere hath been a little moidure; or 
the chamber or bed/raw kept clofe and not aired. Baron. 
BEDSWERV'ER, /. [from bed and fwerve.] One that 
is falfe to the bed ; one that ranges or fwerves from one 
bed to another: 
She’s a bed/werver, even as bad as thofe 
That vulgars give the bolded titles to. Shakcfpeare. 
BEDTIME, / [from bed and time.] The hour of red; 
deeping time.—After evening repads, till bedtime, their 
thoughts will be bed taken up on the eafy grounds of re¬ 
ligion. Milton. 
To BEDUNG 1 , v. a. [from be and dung.'] To cover or 
manure with dung. 
To B E DUST', v. a. [from be and duf.] To fprinkle 
-with dud. 
BED'WARD,a^». [from irif and ward.] Toward bed: 
As -merry as when our nuptial day was done, 
.Anri/tapers burnt to bedward. Shakefpeare. 
To BEDWARF', v. a. [from be and dwarf.] To make 
Jit tie; to hinder in growth; to ftunt . 
. . , BE E 
’Tis fin-inking, not clofe weaving, t[iat hpth thus 
In mind and body boih bedwar/d us. Donne, 
BED'WIN, or Great Bkdwin, an ancient town iry 
Wiltfhire, (ituate in the eaftern part of the bounty, on the 
borders ot Berkfhire, fixty-ninc miles from London. It’ 
is an ancient borough by prefeription ; and in the Saxon 
times was a city, with a cadle, the moats whereof are dill 
vilible. The church is a ipacious fabric, in the form of 
a crofs, built ot flints flrongly cemented, w ith a high tow¬ 
er ; and among other remarkable monuments in the church, 
is that of Sir John Seymour, father of the protestor. Dr. 
Stiiicely luppofes this tow’11 to have been the Leucomagus 
of Ravenna’s. The town is governed by a portreeve, cho- 
fen by a jury at a comt-leet, held yearly by the deward 
ot tlie lord of the borough; and the portreeve chafes a 
bailiff and other officers. Its market-day was Tuefday, 
but it has been difeontimted for many years. There are 
two fairs annually, on the 23d of April, and the 26th of 
July. About two miles from the town is the feat of the 
earl of Aylefbury, who has the royalty of the borough’ 
BED'WORK,/ [from bed and work.] Work done in 
bed ; work performed without toil of the hands: 
Why, this hath not a finger’s dignity, 
They call this bedwork, mapp’ry, clofet war. Shakefpcare. 
BEE,/ in natural hidory. See Aprs. Bees hierooly. 
phically reprefent a kingdom or fubjedls in obedience to 
their lawful fovereign. For they have amongd them a' 
mod -ingenious commonwealth, and a good government; 
for they are all obedient to their queen, and never revolt 
Trom her authority. They fubmit to her fentence, obey 
her commands, and follow her motions and conduct. 
“ Where /><*« are, there will be honey ;” that is, where 
tliere are indudrious people, there will be riches : for the 
hand of the diligent makes a nation wealthy. The truth 
of this faying is very vifible in all trading •nations, who 
live in affluence and plenty, while their indolent lazy neir-h- 
bours are ready to peridi for want. Q 
Bee-Bread. See Apis, vol.i. p. 795. 
Bee-Eater, in zoology. See Merops. 
Bee-1* lower, or Orchis,/ in botany. Ophrys. 
Bf.e-Garden,/ A place to fet hives of bees in._A 
convenient and neceilfany place ought to be made choice of 
for your apiary, or bee-garden. Mortimer. 
Bee-Glue, called by the ancients propolis, is a foft, 
unctuous, glutinous, matter, employed by bees to cement 
the combs to the hives, and- to clofe up the cells. 
Bee-Hive, the cafe, or box, in which bees are kept. 
Bee-Master, one that keeps bees.—They that are 
bce-majlers, and have not care enough of them, mud not ex- * 
petfl to reap any confiderable advantage by them. Mortimer. 
BEECH-TREE,/, in botany. See Fag us. 
Beech-Mast, the fruit of the beech-tree, faid to be 
good for fattening hogs, deer, &c. It has fometimes, even 
to men, proved an ufeful fubditute for bread. Chios is ■ 
faid to have endured a memorable fiege by means of it. 
Beech-Oil, an oil drawn by expreffion from the mad 
of the beech tree, after it has been fflelled and pounded.- 
I Iris oil is very common in Picardy, and uf'ed there and in 
other parts of France indead of butter; but mod of thofe • 
who take a great deal of it complain of pains and a hea- 
vittefs in the ftomach. 
BEECH'EN, adj. \_bucene, Sax.] Confiding of the wood 
of the beech ; belonging to the beech : 
With diligence he’ll ferve us when w ; e dine, 
And in plain beecken veffcls fill our wine. Dryden. 
BEEF,/ \_bceuf, Fr.] The fiefh of black cattle prepa¬ 
red for food. An ox, bull, or cow, confidered as fit for 
food. In this fenfe it has the plural beeves-, the fin<uilar 
is feldom found : 
On hides of beeves, before the palace gate, 
Sad fpoils of luxury! the {'tutors fate. Pope. 1 
•According to Dr. Cullen, beef, though of a more firm , 
texture 
