in an ecclesiastical sense, a church endowed with a revenue for the performance of divine service; or the revenue itself assigned to an ecclesiastical person, by way of stipend, for the service he is to do that church.

All church-preferments, except bishoprics, are called benefices; and all benefices are, by the canonists, sometimes styled dignities: But we now ordinarily distinguish between benefice and dignity, applying dignity to bishoprics, deaneries, archdeaconries, and prebendaries; and benefice to parsonages, vicarages, and donatives.

Benefices are divided by the canonists into simple and sacerdotal: In the first there is no obligation but to read prayers, sing, &c. such are canonries, chaplainships, chantries, &c.: The second are charged with the cure of souls, or the direction and guidance of consciences; such are vicarages, rectories, &c.

The Romanists again distinguish benefices into regular and secular.

Regular or titular benefices are those held by a religious, or a regular, who has made profession of some religious order; such are abbeys, priories, conventuals, &c.; or rather, a regular benefice is that which cannot be conferred on any but a religious, either by its foundation, by the institution of some superior, or by prescription: For prescription, forty years possession by a religious makes the benefice regular.

Secular benefices are only such as are to be given to secular priests, i.e. to such as live in the world, and are are not engaged in any monastic order. All benefices are reputed secular, till the contrary is made to appear. They are called secular benefices, because held by seculars; of which kind are almost all cures.

**Benefit of Clergy.** See **Clergy.**

**Beneschaw,** the name of two towns; the one in the kingdom of Bohemia, and the other in Silesia.

**Benevente,** a town of Leon, in Spain, situated on the river Elsa, about 40 miles south of the city of Leon, in 6° W. long, and 42° 10' N. lat.

**Benevento,** the capital of the Farther Principate, in the kingdom of Naples, about 34 miles north-east of the city of Naples; situated in 15° 30' E. long, and 41° 15' N. lat.

**Benevolence,** in morals, signifies the love of mankind in general, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. See **Morals.**

**Benevolentia regis habenda** is the ancient form of purchasing the king's pardon and favour, on submission, in order to be restored to place, title, or estate.

**Benfield,** a town of Alsace, in Germany, about 15 miles south of Straiburg; situated in 7° 30' E. long, and 48° 25' N. lat.

**Benga,** one of the Molucca islands. See **Molucca.**

**Bengal,** the most easterly province of the Mogul's empire, lying at the bottom of a large bay, which takes its name from this province.

It is one of the most fertile provinces in India, being yearly overflowed by the Ganges, as Egypt is by the Nile.

**Benguela,** a kingdom upon the western coast of Africa between Angola and Jaga. It is also the name of the capital of that kingdom.

**Benjamin,** the same with benzoin. See **Benzoin.**

**Benjar,** the most considerable river of the island Borneo, which, arising near the middle of that island, runs southwards, and falls into the great South Sea.

**Benin,** the capital of a country of the same name, on the coast of Guinea; situated in 5° E. long, and 7° 30' N. lat.

**Bensheim,** a town of Germany, situated on the east-side of the river Rhine, about 10 miles east of Worms, in 8° 30' E. long, and 49° 40' N. lat.

**Bentheim,** the capital of a county of the same name, in the circle of Westphalia; situated in 7° 15' E. long, and 52° 25' N. lat.

**Bentivoglio,** a town in the territory of Bologna, in Italy, about 10 miles north of that city, situated in 12° E. long, and 44° 30' N. lat.

**Benzoin,** in materia medica, a concrete resinous juice, obtained from a large tree growing naturally in both the Indies. The resin is brought from the East Indies in large masses, composed of white and light-brown pieces, with yellowish specks: it easily breaks between the hands. That which is whitest is most esteemed. It has very little taste; but its smell is very fragrant and agreeable, especially when heated. The principal use of benzoin is in perfumes, and as a cosmetic; and enters in substance only into one officinal composition, the balsamum trannaticum. But its flowers, which is a white saline concrete obtained by committing it to the fire in proper vessels, are recommended in disorders of the breast; and in this intention they are made an ingredient in the paregoric elixir, pectoral elixir, and pills, and in the troches of sulphur.

**Berams,** a coarse cloth, all made with cotton-thread, which comes from the East Indies, and particularly from Surat.

**Berar,** an inland province of India, on this side the Ganges, lying westward of Orissa.

**Beraun,** a town of Bohemia, situated in 14° E. long, and 50° 2' N. lat.

**Beray,** a town of Normandy, in France, situated in 1° 20' W. long, and 49° 6' N. lat.

**Berberii,** the Palsy, in medicine. See **Palsy.**

**Berberis,** in botany, a genus of the hexandria monogyne class. The calyx consists of five leaves or pieces; the petals are five, with two glands at the unguis; it has no stylus; and the berry contains two seeds. There are two species, viz., the vulgaris, or barberry or pipe-perch-bush, a native of Britain; and the cretica, a native of Candia. The inner bark, which is bitter, is said to be of use in the jaundice. The berries, which are grateful acid, have been given with success in bilious fluxes, and diseases proceeding from heat, acrimony, or thinness of the juices.

**Bercheroit,** or **Berkoits,** a weight used at Archangel, and in all the Russian dominions, to weigh such merchandizes as are heavy and bulky: It weighs about 364 pounds English avoirdupois weight.

**Berengarians,** a religious sect of the Xith century, which adhered to the opinion of Berengarius, who, even in those days, strenuously asserted, that the bread and wine in the Lord's supper is not really and essentially, but only figuratively, changed into the body and blood of Christ.

**Berenece,** a port-town of Egypt, now called Suez.

**Berenece's hair,** coma Berenices. See **Coma.**

**Bere-Regis,** a market-town in Dorsetshire, about 10 miles north-east of Dorchester, in 2° 20' W. long, and 50° 40' N. lat.

**Beresowa,** a town of Muscovy, in Samogitia, situated upon the river Oby.

**Berg,** a dutchy of Westphalia, in Germany, lying on the eastern shore of the river Rhine, which separates it from Cologne.

**Berg of St. Winos.** See **Winosberg.**

**Bergamo,** a town in the territories of Venice, in Italy, about 25 miles north-east of Milan, in 10° E. long, and 45° 40' N. lat.

**Bergamot,** the name of a fragrant essence extracted from a fruit which is produced by ingrafting a branch of a lemon-tree upon the stock of a bergamot-pear. It is also the denomination of a coarse tapestry, manufactured with flocks of silk, wool, cotton, hemp, ox, cow, or goats hair, and supposed to be invented by the people of Bergamo.

**Bergas,** a town of European Turkey, in Romania, in 28° E. long, and 41° 17' N. lat.

**Bergen,** the capital of a province of the same name, in Norway: It is a considerable port-town on the German ocean, in 6° E. long, and 60° N. lat. BERGEN is also the name of the capital of the isle of Rugen, on the coast of Pomerania, in 14° E. long. and 54° 15' N. lat.