BET 
pofleffion of the efteem and regard of his auditors, that, 
upon his entrance into every fcene, he feemed to feize up¬ 
on the eyes and ears of the-giddy and inadvertent ; to that 
to have talked or looked another way, would have been 
thought infenlibility or ignorance.” 
Endowed with inch excellencies, it is no wonder that 
Betterton attracted the notice of his fovereign, the pro¬ 
tection of the nobility, and the general refpect of all ranks 
of people. Tlie patentees however, as there was now only 
one theatre, began to conlider it as an inflrument of accu¬ 
mulating wealth to themfelves by the labours of others; 
and this had fuch an influence on their conduct, that the 
actors had many hardfliips impofed upon them, and were 
opprelfed in the mod tyrannical manner. Betterton, en¬ 
deavoured to convince the managers of the injudice and 
abfurdity of fuch a behaviour ; which language not plea¬ 
ting them, they began to give away fome of his capital 
parts to young aiftors, fuppofmg this would abate his in¬ 
fluence. This policy hurt the patentees, and proved of 
Service to Betterton ; for the public relented having plays 
ill allied, when they knew they might be added better. 
The bed players attached themfelveswholly to Betterton, 
urging him to turn his thoughts on fome method ot pro-' 
curing himfelf and them judice. Having a general ac¬ 
quaintance with people of fathion, he reprefented the af¬ 
fair in fuch a manner, that at length, by the interceflion 
of the earl of Dorfet, he procured a patent for building a 
new play-hotife in Lincoln’s-inn-fields, which lie did by 
fnbfcription. The new theatre was opened in 1695. Mr. 
Congreve accepted a fliare with this company, and the lirft 
play they added was his comedy of Love for Love. The 
king honoured it with his prefence; when Betterton fpoke 
a prologue, and Mrs. Bracegirdle an epilogue, on the oc¬ 
cafion. But, notwithdanding all the advantages this com¬ 
pany enjoyed, and the favourable reception they at fifd 
met with, they were unable to keep up their run of fuc- 
cefs above two or three feafons. Vanbrugh and Cibber, 
who wrote for the other houfe, were expeditious in their 
produddions; and the frequency of new pieces gav-e fuch 
a turn in their favour, that Betterton's company, with all 
their merit, mud have been undone, had not the Mourn¬ 
ing Bride and the Way of the World come to their relief, 
and faved them at the lad extremity. In a few years, 
-however, it appearing that they could not maintain their 
independence without fome new fupport from their friends, 
the patrons of Betterton opened a fublcription for building 
a theatre in the Haymarket, which was finiflied in 1706. 
Beiterton being grown old, and his health much impaired 
by condant application, declined the management of this 
houfe, refigning it entirely to Sir John Vanbrugh and Mr. 
Congreve; but, from the decay of Betterton, many of the 
.old players dying, and other accidents, a re-union of the 
companies feemed neceflary, and accordingly took place 
Loon after. 
When Betterton had reachedTeventy, his infirmities in- 
.creafed to a great degree, and his fits of the gout were ex¬ 
tremely fevere. His circumftances al fo grew daily worfe, yet 
he kept up a remarkable ferenity of mind, and ailed when 
his health would permit. The public, remembering the 
pleafure he had given them, would not allow fo deferving 
a man, after fifty years fervice, to withdraw without fome 
marks of their bounty. In the fpring of 1709, a benefit, 
which was then a very uncommon favour, was granted to 
him, and the play of Love for Love was ailed for this pur- 
pofe. He performed Valentine; Mrs. Bracegirdle and 
.Mrs. Barry, though they had quitted the fiage, appeared 
on this occafion; the former in the charaiter of Angelica, 
and Mrs. Barry in that of Frail. After the play was over, 
tliefe two ailrefles appeared leading on Betterton ; and 
Mrs. Barry (poke an epilogue, written by Mr. Rowe. 
Betterton got by this benefit 500I. and a promife was gi¬ 
ven him, that the favour fhould be annually repeated as 
long as he lived. In the fucceeding winter, he performed 
ihe part of Hamlet with great vivacity. This ailivity 
kept off the gout longer than ufual, but the fit returned 
/ i 
BET 935 
upon him in the fpring with greater violence, arid it was 
the more unlucky, as this was the time of his benefit. The 
play he fixed upon was, the Maid’s Tragedy, in which he 
ailed the part of Melanthus ; and notice was given there¬ 
of by his friend the Tatler. But the fit intervening, that 
he might not difappoint the town, he was obliged to fubmit 
to external applications, to reduce the fwelling of his feet, 
which enabled him to appear on the fiage, though he war 
obliged to ufe a flipper. He was obferved that day to have 
a more than an ordinary fpirit, and met with fuitable ap~ 
plaufe. Indeed, upon this occafion, the curiofity of the 
public was fo much excited, that many of the audience 
got into the playhoufe at nine o’clock in the morning, and 
carried with them provifions for the day. But the unhap¬ 
py confequence of tampering with his diftemper was, that 
the gout flew into his head, and killed him. He died 
April 28, 1710, and was interred in Wettminfier-abbey . 
Sir Richard Steele attended the ceremony, and two days 
after publiflied a paper in the Tatler to his memory. Mr. 
Booth, who knew him only in his decline, ufed to fay, that 
lie neverfaw him, off or on the fiage, without learning fome- 
thing from him ; and frequently obferved, that Betterton 
was no abtor ; that he put on his part with his clothes, and 
was the very man he undertook to be till the play was over, 
and nothing more. So exaif was he in following nature, 
that the look of furprife he aflumed in the character of 
Hamlet aftoniflied Booth (when lie firft perfonated the 
ghofi) to fuch a degree, that he was unable to proceed in 
his part for fome moments. As an author, Mr. Betterton 
had a confiderable degree of merit. His dramatic works 
are, 1. Amorous Widow, a comedy. 2. Dioclefian, a dra¬ 
matic opera. 3. Mafque in the opera of the Prophetefs, 
4. Revenge, a comedy. 5. Unjuft Judge, a tragedy. 6. 
Woman made a Juftice, a comedy. 
BF.T'TINGEN, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Weftphalia, and county of Blankenheim : three miles N. 
of Geroldflein. 
BET'TON, a town of France, in the department of the 
Ille and Vilaine, and chief place of a canton, in thediftriib 
of Rennes : one league and a half north of Rennes. 
BET'TOR, f. One that lays bets or wagers. 
BET'TY, [bcatus, Lat. blelfed.] A woman’s name. 
Betty, f. [probably a cant word, lignifying an inftru- 
ment which does what is too often done by a maid within.] 
An inftrument to break open doors.—Record the ftrata- 
gems, the arduous exploits, and the noilurnal fealades, of 
needy heroes, deferibing the powerful belly, or the artful 
picklock. Arbutknot. 
BET'TYAR, a town of Hindoftan, in the country of 
Bahar: eighty miles north-north-weft of Patna, and 124 
north-eaft of Benares. 
BE'TULA,y“. [from bitumen, according to fome; from 
batucre, i. e. ccedere, q. batula, according to others.] Birch 
and Alder. In botany, a genus of the clafs monoecia, 
order tetrandria, natural order amentaceje. The generic 
characters are—I. Male flowers in a cylindric ament. Ca¬ 
lyx : ament imbricate on every fide, loofe, cylindric ; con¬ 
fining of three-flowered feales, in each of which are two 
very minute feales, placed at the fides; three equal flof- 
cules, fixed to the dilk of each' fcale of the calyx ; peri- 
antlmim in each one-leafed, fmall, entire, three or four 
parted; divifions ovate, obtufe. Corolla: none. Sta¬ 
mina : filaments to each four (or three or two) very fmall; 
anthers? twin. II. Female flowers in an ament of the lame 
plant. Calyx : ament cylindric or ronndifh, imbricate ; 
with two-flowered feales. Corolla : none. Piftillum r 
germ proper, ovate, comprefled, very fmall, two-feeded ; 
ftyles two, fetaceous; ftigmas Ample. Pericarpium : none. 
Ament undereach fcale cherilliing the feeds of two florets. 
Seeds: folitary, ovate .—EJjential CharcRer. Male. Calyx, 
one-leafed, three-cleft, three-flowered. Corolla, four- 
parted. Female. Calyx, one-leafed, fubtrifid, two-flow*, 
ered. Seed, with a winged membrane on each lide. 
Species. 1. Betula alba, or common birch-tree : leave? 
ovate, acuminate, ferrate. The common birch-tree is 
known 
