(Mary), particularly distinguished by her skill in painting, was the daughter of Mr Craddock, minister of Waltham upon Thames, and learned the rudiments of her art from Sir Peter Lely. She painted in oil, water-colours, and crayons, and had much business; her portraits were in the Italian style, which she acquired by copying pictures and drawings from Sir Peter Lely's and the royal collections. Her master, says Mr Walpole, was supposed to have had a tender attachment to her; but as he was referred in communicating to her all the resources of his pencil, it probably was a gallant rather than a successful one. Dr Woodfall wrote several pieces to her honour, under the name of Belesia. Mrs Beale died in Pall-mall, on the 28th of Dec. 1697, aged 65. Her paintings have much nature, but the colouring is stiff and heavy.

**BEALT,** BEALTH, or Bultb, a town of Brecknockshire in South Wales, pleasantly seated on the river Wye. It consists of about 100 houses, whose inhabitants have a trade in stockings. W. Long. 4. 10. N. Lat. 52. 4.

**BEAM,** in architecture, the largest piece of wood in a building, which lies across the walls, and serves to support the principal rafters of the roof, and into which the feet of these rafters are framed. No building has less than two of these beams, viz. one at each end; and into these the girders of the garret roof are also framed. The proportion of beams in or near London, are fixed by statute, as follows: a beam 15 feet long, must be 7 inches on one side its square, and 5 on the other; if it be 16 feet long, one side must be 8 inches, the other 6, and to proportionally to their lengths. In the country, where wood is more plenty, they usually make their beams stronger.

**Beams of a Ship** are the great main cross-timbers, which hold the sides of the ship from falling together, and which also support the decks and orlops: the main beam is next the mainmast, and from it they are reckoned by first, second, third beam, &c. the greatest beam of all is called the midship beam.

**Beam-Compass,** an instrument consisting of a square wooden or brass beam, having sliding sockets, that carry steel or pencil points; they are used for describing large circles, where the common compasses are useless.

**Beam-Bird,** or Petty-chaps. See Motacilla.

**Beam** also denotes the lath, or iron, of a pair of scales; sometimes the whole apparatus for weighing of goods is so called: Thus we say, it weighs so much at the king's beam.

**Beam of a Plough,** that in which all the parts of the plough-tail are fixed. See Agriculture, no 83.

**Beam,** or Roller, among weavers, a long and thick wooden cylinder, placed lengthwise on the back-part of the loom of those who work with a shuttle. That cylinder, on which the stuff is rolled as it is weaved, is also called the beam or roller, and is placed on the fore-part of the loom.

**BEAMINSTER,** a town of Dorsetshire in England, seated on the river Ber, in W. Long. 2. 50. N. Lat. 52. 45.

**BEAN,** in botany. See Vicia.

The ancients made use of beans in gathering the votes of the people, and for the election of magistrates. A white bean signified absolution, and a black one condemnation. Beans had a mysterious use in the Lemuralia and Parentalia; where the master of the family, after washing, was to throw a sort of black beans over his head, still repeating the words, "I redeem myself and family by these beans." Ovid * gives* Fasti, a lively description of the whole ceremony in verse.—v. 435.

Abstinence from beans was enjoined by Pythagoras, one of whose symbols is, ἀβιτία, abstinence a fabis. The Egyptian priests held it a crime to look at beans, judging the very sight unclean. The flamen dialis was not permitted even to mention the name. The precept of Pythagoras has been variously interpreted: some understand it of forbearing to meddle in trials and verdicts, which were then by throwing beans into an urn; others, building on the equivocation of the word ἀβιτία, which equally signifies a bean and a human sacrifice, explain it by abstaining from venery. Clemens Alexandrinus grounds the abstinence from beans on this, that they render women barren; which is confirmed by Theophrastus, who extends the effect even to plants. Cicero suggests another reason for this abstinence, viz., that beans are great enemies to tranquillity of mind. For a reason of this kind it is, that Amphiarus is said to have abstained from beans, even before Pythagoras, that he might enjoy a clearer divination by dreams.

Beans, as food for horses. See Farriery, § i. 6.

Bean-Caper. See Zygophyllum.

Bean-Cod, a small fishing vessel, or pilot-boat, common on the sea-coasts and in the rivers of Portugal. It is extremely sharp forward, having its stem bent inward above into a great curve; the stem is also plated on the fore-side with iron, into which a number of bolts are driven, to fortify it, and resist the stroke of another vessel, which may fall athwart-haute. It is commonly navigated with a large lateen sail, which extends over the whole length of the deck, and is accordingly well fitted to ply to windward.

Bean-Flour, called by the Romans lementum, was of some repute among the ancient ladies as a cosmetic, wherewith to smooth the skin, and take away wrinkles.

Bean-Fly, in natural history, the name given by authors to a very beautiful fly, of a pale purple colour, frequently found on bean-flowers. It is produced from the worm or maggot called by authors muda.

Bean-Goose, in ornithology. See Anas.

Kidney-Bean. See Phaseolus.

Malacca-Beans, or Anacardia, the fruit of a tree growing in Malabar and other parts of the East Indies, supposed by some to be the Avicennia tomentosa; by others, the Bontia germinans. The fruit is of a shining black colour, of the shape of a heart flattened, about an inch long, terminating at one end in an obtuse point, and adhering by the other to a wrinkled stalk: it contains within two shells a kernel of a sweetish taste: betwixt the shells is lodged a thick and acrid juice.

The medicinal virtues of anacardium have been greatly disputed. Many have attributed to them the faculty of comforting the brain and nerves, fortifying the memory, and quickening the intellect: and hence a confection made from them has been dignified with the title of confectio sapientum; others think it better deserves the name of confectio fulvorum, and mention instances of its continued use having rendered people maniacal. But the kernel of anacardium is not different in quality from that of almonds. The ill effects attributed to this fruit belong only to the juice contained betwixt the kernels, whose acrimony is so great, that it is said to be employed by the Indians as a caustic. This juice is recommended externally for warts, freckles, and other cutaneous deformities; which it removes only by exfoliating or exoriating the part, so that a new skin comes underneath.