same with yest. See Yest.—Barm is said to have been first used by the Celts in the composition of bread. About the time of Agricola's entrance into Lancashire, a new sort of loaf had been introduced at Rome; which was formed only of water and flour, and much esteemed for its lightness; and it was called the water cake from its simple composition, and the Parthian roll from its original inventors. But even this was not comparable to the French or Spanish bread for its lightness. The use of curmi, and the knowledge of brewing, had acquainted the Celts with an ingredient for their bread, which was much better calculated to render it light and pleasing, than the leaven, the eggs, the milk, or the wine and honey, of other nations. This was the spume which arose on the surface of their curw in fermentation, and which the Welch denominate barns, and we barns. The Celtes of Gaul, of Spain, and most probably therefore of South-Britain, had long used it; and their bread was, in consequence of this, superior in lightness to that of any other nation in the world*. See the articles Barking and Bread.

Barmas, an East Indian people, who in 1515 possessed all the coast extending from Bengal to Pegu. It appears also, that they were formerly masters of Ava, the dominions of which extended as far as China; and of consequence the Barmas were masters of most of the northern part of the peninsula beyond the Ganges. Their dominions, however, were afterwards reduced to very narrow bounds, and their king became tributary to him of Pegu; but by degrees they not only recovered their former empire, but conquered the kingdoms of Pegu, Siam, and several others. By the latest accounts, their kingdom extends from the province of Yun-nan in China, about 800 miles in length from north to south, and 250 in breadth from east to west. See the article Pegu.

St Barnabas's Day, a Christian festival, celebrated on the 11th of June.—St Barnabas was born at Cyprus, and descended of the tribe of Levi, whose Jewish ancestors are thought to have retired thither to secure themselves from violence during the troublesome times in Judea. His proper name was Joseph; to which, after his conversion to Christianity, the apostles added that of Barnabas, signifying either the son of prophecy, or the son of consolation; the first respecting his eminent prophetic gifts, the other his great charity in selling his estate for the comfort and relief of the poor Christians. He was educated at Jerusalem, under the great Jewish doctor Gamaliel; which might probably lay the foundation of that intimate friendship which was afterwards contracted between this apostle and St Paul. The time of his conversion is uncertain; but he is generally esteemed one of the seventy disciples chosen by our Saviour himself*. See further Acts ix, xi, xiii.

At Antioch, St Paul and St Barnabas had a conflict, which ended in their separation: but what followed it, with respect to St Barnabas, is not related in the Acts of the Apostles. Some say, he went into Italy, and founded a church at Milan. At Salamis, we are told, he suffered martyrdom; whether some Jews, being come out of Syria, set upon him, as he was disputing in the synagogue, and stoned him to death. He was buried, by his kinsman Mark, whom he had taken with him, in a cave near that city. The remains of his body are said to have been discovered in the reign of the emperor Zeno, together with a copy of St Matthew's gospel, written with his own hand, and lying on his breast.

St Barnabas's Epistle, an apocryphal work ascribed to St Barnabas, and frequently cited by St Clement of Alexandria and Origen.—It was first published in Greek, from a copy of father Hugh Menard a Benedictine monk. An ancient version of it was found in a manuscript of the abbey of Coebery, near a thousand years old. Vossius published it, in the year 1656, together with the epistles of St Ignatius.

St Barnabas's Gospel, another apocryphal work, ascribed to St Barnabas the apostle, wherein the history of Jesus Christ is related in a manner very different from the account given us by the four Evangelists. The Mahometans have this gospel in Arabic, and it corresponds very well with those traditions which Mahomet followed in his Koran. It was, probably, a forgery of some nominal Christians; and afterwards altered and interpolated by the Mahometans, the better to serve their purpose.