gi.S B E R 
Sanen, the Senfen, and tiie Kandel. The principal lakes 
are thole of Geneva, Neufchatel, Biel, Murte, Thun, 
Jlrien, and Halwyl, which all abound in fifh, particularly 
that of Geneva. In that of Biel, called alfo tile Nydau- 
■lake, are two final 1 iflands, one of which is very beautiful. 
■This lake is about three leagues in length, and one in 
breadth. Along the whole weft and north-weft (ides runs 
that chain of mountains called by the general name of 
Jur-a ; but the feveral mountains of which it is compofed 
have all their particular names. -The eftabliftted religion 
is Calvinifm, the fame as in Holland; nor is any other to¬ 
lerated, except in the common bailiages, and the vale of 
Frick. For the civil and military government of Berne, 
fee SlVISSERLAND. 
Berne, [derived, it is faid from taking a bear on the 
day on which the foundation of the city was laid ; hence 
it is often in Latin called Ardopolis, i. e. ‘the city of the 
bear,’ and has a bear for its coat of arms. ] A city of Swi(- 
ferland, and capital of the territory above deferibed. It 
is fituated on the Aar, which wafties three Tides, and forms 
a peninfula; on the weft it is fortified with ramparts, walls, 
and ditches. It is faid to have been built in 1190, by 
Berthold, duke of Zering ; and it was made a free city 
by the .emperor Frederic BarbaroiTa. The hotifes are 
rnoftly built of white free-done, and, in the principal 
itreets, have piazzas or arches under them, for the con- 
veniency of walking dry in wet weather. The city is 
large, and contains feveral churches, of w hich one, called 
the Great Church, founded in 1421, is efteemed a moft 
beautiful fpecimen of the Norman Gothic architecture. 
In this city is a college with eight profeifors, a large pub¬ 
lic library and a mufeutn ; a ftately granary, in which a 
great quantity of corn is always kept; a guildhall ; an ar- 
fenal ; and feveral hofpitals. In the arfenal is a ftatue of 
the famous Tell, which feprefen'ts him taking aim at the 
apple placed on the head of his Ion. In the Dominican 
chinch, a hole in the wall is always ftiewn to ftrangers, 
by means of which, it having a communication with the 
cell of a monk in an adjoining mcnaftery, the pious fraud 
of making an . image of the Virgin appear to fpeak was 
once carried on, which for a while aniwered the purpofes 
of the monks ; but they were at laft detected and punifh- 
-ed. On the eaft fide of the city is a handfome (tone 
bridge: and near the great church is a fine platform fome 
hundred feet in height, which affords a moft delightful 
walk, commanding a charming profpecT of the mountains 
of the Grifons, which are covered with fnow in the mid¬ 
dle of the fit miner. In 1654 a (Indent of the college 
being on horfeback, and in liquor, leaped from this ter¬ 
race, without receiving any other hurt than breaking a 
leg, and lived many years after; but the horfe was killed. 
In the upper part of the city are always kept a number of 
bears in two inclofures, with fir-trees for them to climb 
up and play upon. The city of Berne was taken by the 
French revolutionary army, on the 5th of March, 1798, 
by qapitulation. It is forty-five miles fouth of Bale, and 
feventy-eight north-eaft of Geneva. Lat. 46. 59. N. Ion. 
26. 59. E. Ferro. 
Berne-Machine, f. The name of an engine for root¬ 
ing up trees, invented by Peter Sommer, a native of Berne. 
It is compounded of a fingle pulley, with a levCr of the 
firft and fecond order; and, as the pufh of the engine is 
given in an oblique direction, it exerts a greater or lefs 
force againli the horizontal roots of the tree, in proportion 
to the angle formed by the machine with the plane of the 
horizon. 
BERNECK', a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Franconia, and principality of Bayreuth. 
BERNE'COURT, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Meurte, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftrict of Pont-a-Mou(lb«, three leagues fouth-weft of 
Pont-a-Moullon, and three and a quarter north of Toul. 
BERNE'RA, or Bishop’s 1st. and, one of the w'eftern 
i-flands of Scotland, about a mile long, and three quarters 
broad ; fifteen miles fouth of Barra, 
B E R 
Bernera, a town of Scotland, in the county of Inver- 
nefs, in winch are barracks : thirty-two miles north-weft 
of Fort Wil iam, 
, BERNES'SO, a town of Piedmont, in the diftridL of 
Coni : four miles and a half weft-nortli-wert of Coni. 
BERNEVII.‘EE, a town of,France, in the department 
of the Straits of Calais, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftrict of Arras : four miles fouth-weft of Arras. 
BER'NEX, a. town of Savoy : two- miles and a half 
norih-north-eaft of St. Julien. 
BERN'H ARTS, a town of Germany, in the archduchy 
of Auftria : (even miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Feldftiurg. 
BER'NIA, or Berni (Francis), canon of Florence, 
born at Lamporechio in Tufcany, of a noble family, ori¬ 
ginally from Florence, was brought up under the care <jf 
Julio de Medicis, afterwards pope Clement XII. He was 
made fecretary to Giberti bifiiop of Verona, and obtained 
a cancnicate of Florence, where he died in 1543. He.has 
given his name to a fpecies of burlefque which in Italy is 
called berniejque. He was the Scarron of the Italians. He 
had, bclides, the dangerous talent of fatire. Some au¬ 
thors have put him at the head of the Italian burlefque 
poets. In 1548 a collection was made of his Italian pieces 
of poetry, together with thofe of Varchi, of Moro, of 
Dolce, See. in 8vo. 2 vols. reprinted at London, 1721 and 
1724, after the edition of Venice. This collection is in 
great requeft. 
BER'N 1 CLE,/.-A fpecies of lepas. See Lepas. 
BERNIER' (Nicholas), an eminent mufician and conk 
pofer, was born at Mante on the Seine, in 1664. By his 
merit in his profellion he attained to be conductor of the 
mufic in the chapel of the king. The regent duke of 
Orleans admired ids works,, and patronized their author. 
This mufician died at Paris in 1734. His five books of 
Cantatas and Songs for one and two voices, the words of 
which were written by Roulfeau and Fufeler, have pro¬ 
cured him great reputation. There are befides of his com¬ 
petition Les Nuits de Sceaux, and many motets, which 
are (till in great efteem. 
Bernier (Francis), furnamed the Mogul, on account 
of his travels' and refidence in that country, was born at 
Angers in France ; and after lie had taken his degree of 
doctor of phyfic at Montpellier, left liis country in 1654, 
went to Egypt, to the Holy Land, and to the kingdom of 
Mogul, where he was phyfician to tliat monarch, attend¬ 
ed hint in his journeys, and ftayed there twelve years. 
Upon his return to France, he publiftied the hiftory of the 
countries he had vilited; and (pent the remainder of his 
life in compofing various other works, particularly an 
Abridgement of the Philo fop hy of Gaftendus, in 8 vols. 
121110. He died Sept. 22, 16S8. 
Bernier (John), a phyfician at Blois, his native place, 
and afterwards at Paris, he had the title of phyfician to 
Madame. He wrote, 1. A Hiftory of Blois. Paris, 16S2, 
4-to. very inaccurate in the opinion of Dr. Liron. 2. Me¬ 
dical Elfays, 1689, 4to. 3. Anti-Menagiana, 1693, i2mo. 
4. Critique on the works of Rabelais. Paris 1697, 121110. 
full of verbofity and falfe wit. His rank of phyfician to 
Madame did not refeue him from poverty. His difap- 
pointments gave him a ftrong tincture of melancholy, 
which is manifeft in all his writings. His erudition was 
extremely fuperficial, and lie is called by Menage, vir 
Uvis armatures 1 He died at an advanced age in 1668. 
BERN IN', a town of France, in the department of the 
Ifere, and chief place of a canton, in the diftricT of Gre¬ 
noble : eight miles north of Grenoble. 
BERNI NI (John Laurence), commonly called Cavaliero 
Bcrnin, a Neapolitan, famous for his (kill in painting, fculp- 
ture, architeHure, and mechanics. He firft began to be 
known under the pontificate of Paul V. Rome is indebt¬ 
ed to this artift for .fome of its greateft ornaments; and 
there are in the church of St. Peter no lefs than fifteen dif¬ 
ferent works of his hand. He died at Rome in 1680. 
BERNTNO, a mountain of Swiiferland, in the country 
of the Grifons; feventeen miles north-eaft of Chiavenna. 
BER'NO, 
