BEN 
8vo. 3.' F. pi file to M. Parker; manufcrript. 4. The 
Pfalms, Ezekiel, and Daniel, tranllated into/ Englilh in 
queen Elizabeth’s Bible. 
Bentham (Edward), canon of Chrift-church, Oxford, 
and king’s profeffor of divinity in that univerfity, was born 
in tiie college at Ely, July 23, 1707. Efis father, Mr. 
Samuel Bentham, was vicar of Witchford, near that city; 
who having a numerous family, his fon Edward, on the 
recommendation of Dr. Smalridge, dean of Chrift-church, 
was fent in 1717 to the fchool of that college. Having 
there received the rudiments of clqdical education, he was 
in Lent term, 1723, admitted of the univerfity of Oxford, 
and placed at Corpus Chridi college under his relation Dr. 
John Burton. In this fituation, his ferious and regular 
deportment, and his great proficiency in all kinds of aca¬ 
demical learning, recommended him to the friend fit i p of fe- 
veral eminent men. Having taken the degree of B. A. he 
was invited by Dr. Cotes, principal of Magdalen-hall, to 
be his vice-principal ; and was admitted to that fociety, 
March 6, 1730. Here he continued only a fiiort time; 
for, on the 23d of April in the year following, he was 
elected fellow of Oriel college. In ait term, 1732, he 
proceeded to the degree of M. A. and, about the fame 
time, was appointed tutor in the college ; in which capa¬ 
city he difcharged his duty, in the mod laborious and con- 
fcientious manner, for more than twenty years. March 26, 
1743, Mr. Bentham took the degreeof B. D. and April 22, 
in the fame year, was collated to the prebend of Hundre- 
ton, in the cathedral church of Hereford. July 8, 1749, 
he proceeded to the degree of D. D. and in April 1754 
was promoted to the fifth dall in that cathedral. Here he 
continued the fame active and ufefttl courfe of life for 
which he had always been didinguifhed. He ferved the 
offices of fub-dean and treafurer, for himfelf and others, 
above twelve years. Being appointed by the king to fill 
the divinity chair, vacant by the death of Dr. Fanfhawe, 
Dr. Bentham was, with much reluctance, and after hav¬ 
ing repeatedly declined it, perfuaded, by archbifhop Seeker, 
to accept of it; and, on the 9th of May, 1763, he was 
removed to the eighth Hall in the cathedral. He fet him¬ 
felf immediately to draw out a courfe of *kctures for the 
benefit of young (Indents in divinity, which he conftantly 
read at his houfe at Chrift-church, gratis , three times a 
week during term-time, till his deceafe. Dr. Bentham 
was a very early rifer, and had tranfafted half a day’s bu- 
finefs before many others begin their day. Of himfelf he 
sever was heard to fpeak; and, if his own merits were touch¬ 
ed upon in the flighted manner, he felt a real uneaflnefs. 
He was conftantly engaged in writing, or in fome laborious 
ftudy ; and it was not till he was abfolutely forbidden by 
his phyficians, that he gave over a particular courfe of 
reading, that had been undertaken by him with a view of 
making remarks on Mr. Gibbon’s Roman Hiftory. After 
a few days illnefs, a quiet figh put a period to his tempo¬ 
ral exiflence, on the 1 ft of Auguft, 1776, when he had en¬ 
tered into the 69th year of his age. Dr. Bentham, for the 
laft thirty years of his life, feldom failed carrying all his 
family once a year, to meet all his brothers and lifters at 
Ely, amongft whom the greateft harmony and affedtion 
prevailed. 
Bentham (James), prebendary of Ely, and domeftic 
chaplain to lord Cadogan, was the brother of the above- 
mentidned Edward. Having received the rudiments of 
claflicar learning in the grammar-fchool of Ely, he was 
admitted of Trinity-college, Cambridge,' March 26, 1727, 
where he proceeded B. A. 1730, and M. A. 1738, and 
was elected F. A. S. 1767. I a' the fame year he was pre- 
fented to the vicarage of Wymondham in Norfolk, which 
he refigned in the year following for the reCtory of Felt- 
well St. Nicholas, in the fame county. This he refigned 
in 1774 for the redtory of Northwold, which in 1779 he 
was induced to change fora prebendal flail in the church 
of Ely, though he was far from improving his income by 
the change. But his attachment to his native place, with 
which church the family had been eennedled without 
Vol. II. No. 109. 
BEN 853 
any intermiffion for more than 100 years, furmottnted every 
other confideration. In 1783 he was prefented to the rec¬ 
tory of Bow-brick-hill, by the Rev. Edward Gueliaume. 
From his firft appointment to an office in the church of 
Ely, he feems to have directed his attention to the ftudy 
of church architcdlure. The hiftory of the church with 
which he was connected afforded him full fcope for the ex- 
ercife of his talents. It abounds with almoft all the vari¬ 
ous fpecimens of church architedhire ufed in England to 
the time of the reformation. Having previoufly examined 
with great attention every hiftorical monument and autho¬ 
rity, he publifhed The Hiftory and Antiquities of the 
conventual and cathedral Church of Ely, from the foun¬ 
dation of the monaftery, A. D. 675, to the year 1771, il- 
luftrated with copper-plates, ’Cambridge, 1771, 4to. He 
died Nov. 17, 1794, in the 86th year of his age. 
BENT'IIEIM, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Weftphalia, and capital of a county, to which it gives 
name, fituated on an eminence ; it contains one Roman 
Catholic, and one Proteftant, church. The caftle, or 
palace, is flanked with towers: twenty-fix miles north- 
north-weft of Munfter, twenty-four weft of Ofnabruck, 
and forty-four eaft-north-eaft of Zutphen. Lat. 32. 21. N. 
Ion. 24. 47• E. Ferro. 
Bentheim, a county of Germany, in the circle of Weft, 
phalia, bounded on the north and weft by Overiffel, on the 
eaft and fouth by the bifhopric of Munfter, about forty 
mile‘s in length, and from three to twelve in breadth ; the 
foil is in general fertile* and produces more than is fiifn- 
cient for the inhabitants. In the mountains are found 
quarries of excellent (lone, and the plains are divided into 
fertile corn-fields, and beautiful meadows, where they 
feed great quantities of flteep and cattle ; the forefts abound 
with game : the principal commerce confifts in thread, 
wool, linen cloth, honey, cattle, ftone for building, wood, 
&c. The principal river is the Vechte, which runs 
through the county, and is navigable for boats. The 
principal towns are Bentheim, Schuttorf, Northorn, and 
Nienhus. The county of Bentheim is rated at 132 florins 
a month, or fix horfe and twenty foot; and for each, cham¬ 
ber term, at i2i rixdollars and fixtv-fix kruitzers. 
BENT'HOORN, a town of Holland : fix miles fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Leyden. 
BENTHULUD', a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 
Fez, at the foot of the Atlas Mountain. 
BENTHUY'SEN, a town of Holland : fix miles fouth 
of Leyden. 
BENTIVO'GLIO (Guy), born at Ferrara, in 1579. 
He went to ftudy at Padua, where he made a confiderable 
proficiency in polite literature. Upon his leaving the uni- 
verfity, he went to refide at Rome, where he became uni- 
verfally efteemed. He was fent nuncio to Flanders, and 
then to France ; in both which employments his behaviour 
was ftiQh as gave great fatisfadlion to Paul V. who made 
him a -cardinal. Bentivoglio was at this time in France, 
where Louis XIII. congratulated him on his new dignity; 
and, when he returned to Rome, the king entrufted him 
with the management of the French affairs at that court. 
Pope Urban VII. had a high regard for him on account 
of his fidelity, difintereftednefs, and confummate know¬ 
ledge. He was beloved by the people, and efteemed by 
the cardinals ; and his qualities were fuch, that in all pro¬ 
bability he would have been railed to the pontificate on 
the death -of Urban, had he not fallen into a fever, of 
which he died the 7th of September 1644, aged fixty-five. 
He has left feveral works ; the moll remarkable of which 
are, A Hiftory of the Civil Wars of Flanders, An Ac¬ 
count of Flanders, with Letters and Memoirs. 
Bentivoglio, a town of Italy, and principality of 
Bologna : ten miles north of Bologna. 
BENT'LEY (Richard), an eminent critic and divine, 
wasthe fon of a mechanic at Wakefield inYorkfliire, where 
he was born in 1662, and probably received the firft part 
of his education. Being removed to St. John’s college, 
Cambridge, he followed his ftudies with indefatigable in- 
10 S duftry; 
