lowest in the four parts of music: of uncertain etymology; whether from the Greek word βάσις, "a foundation;" or from the Italian adjective basso, signifying "low." Of all the parts it is the most important, and it is upon this that the chords proper to constitute a particular harmony are determined. Hence the maxim among musicians, that when the bass is properly formed, the harmony can scarcely be bad.

Basques are of different kinds. Of which in their order.

Thorough-Bass is the harmony made by the bass-viol, or theorbo, continuing to play both while the voices sing and the other instruments perform their parts, and also filling up the intervals when any of the other parts stop. It is played by figures marked over the notes, on the organ, spinet, harpsichord, &c. and frequently simply and without figures on the bass-viol and bassoon.

Counter-Bass is a second or double bass, where there are several in the same concert.

Bass-Viol, a musical instrument of the like form with that of a violin, but much larger. It is struck with a bow as that is; has the same number of strings; and has eight stops, which are subdivided into semi-stops. Its sound is grave, and has a much nobler effect in a concert than that of the violin.

Bass, Isle of, a rock, about a mile in circumference, in the mouth of the Firth of Forth, at a small distance from the town of North Berwick in East Lothian. It is steep and inaccessible on all sides, except to the south-west; and even there it is with great difficulty that a single man can climb up with the help of a rope or ladder. It was formerly kept as a garrison. A party of King James's adherents surprised it at the Revolution, and it was the last place in the three kingdoms that submitted to the new government; upon which its fortifications were ordered to be neglected. In summer, this remarkable rock, which rises to a great height above the water, in form of a cone, is quite covered with sea-fowl which come hither to breed. The chief of these are the feral gulls*, which arrive in June,* See Peli- and retire in September. It also contains a small war-camp, Orren for rabbits, and affords pasture for a few sheep, mythology. The force of the tides has now almost worn a hole quite through this rock. W. Long. 2. 15. N. Lat. 56. 3.

Bassan, Giacomo de Pont, or Le Bassan, a celebrated Venetian painter, was born in 1510. His subjects generally were peasants and villagers, busy at their different rural occupations, according to the various seasons of the year; cattle, landscapes, and horticultural designs; and in all these subjects the figures were well designed, and the animals and landscapes have an agreeable resemblance of simple nature. His compositions cannot boast of much elegance or grandeur of taste, not even those which are historical; but they have abundance of force and truth. His local colours are very well observed, his carnations are fresh and brilliant, and the chiaro-fumo and perspective well understood. His touch is free and spirited; and the distances in his landscapes are always true, if not sometimes too dark in the nearer parts. His works are spread all over Europe; many of them were purchased by Titian; and there are several in the French king's cabinet, the royal palace, and the Hotel de Toulouse. They are more readily known than those of most other painters; from the similitude of characters and countenances in the figures and animals; from the taste in the buildings, utensils, and draperies; and, besides, Bassani, from a violet or purple tint that predominates in every one of his pictures. But the genuine pictures of his hand are not so easily ascertained; because he frequently repeated the same design, and his sons were mostly employed in copying the works of their father, which he sometimes retouched. As he lived to be very old, he finished a great number of pictures; yet notwithstanding his application and years, the real pictures of Giacomo are not commonly met with. Many of those which are called originals by purchasers as well as dealers, being at best no more than copies by the sons of Bassan, who were far inferior to him; or perhaps by some painter of still meaner abilities. But the true pictures of Giacomo always bear a considerable price if they happen to be undamaged. He died in 1592, aged 82.—Francis and Leander, his sons, distinguished themselves in the same art; but inheriting a species of lunacy from their mother, both came to an untimely end.

Bassani, Giovanni Battista, maestro di cappella of the cathedral church of Bologna about the middle of the last century, was a very voluminous composer of music, having given to the world no fewer than 31 different works. He is equally celebrated both as a composer for the church and for concerts; and was besides a celebrated performer on the violin, and, as it is said, taught Corelli on that instrument. His compositions consist of masses, psalms, motets with instrumental parts, and sonatas for violins: his fifth opera in particular, containing 12 sonatas for two violins and a bass, is most esteemed; it is written in a style wonderfully grave and pathetic, and abounds with evidences of great learning and fine invention. The first and third operas of Corelli are apparently formed after the model of this work. Bassani was one of the first who composed motets for a single voice, with accompaniments of violins; a practice which is liable to objection, as it assimilates church-music too nearly to that of the chamber; and of his solo-motets it must be confessed that they differ in style but little from opera airs and cantatas: two operas of them, viz. the eighth and thirteenth, were printed in London by Pearson above 50 years ago, with the title of Harmonia Fugitiva.

Bassantin, James, a Scotch astronomer, son of the laird of Bassantin in Mers, was born in the reign of James IV. He was educated at the university of Glasgow, travelled through Germany and Italy, and then fixed his abode in the university of Paris, where he taught mathematics with great applause. Having acquired some fortune in this occupation, in 1562 he returned to Scotland, where he died in the year 1568. From his writings, he appears to have been no contemptible astronomer, considering the times; but, like most of the mathematicians of that age, he was not a little addicted to judicial astrology. Sir James Melvil, in his Memoirs, says that his brother Sir Robert, when he was exerting his abilities to reconcile the two queens Elizabeth and Mary, met with one Bassantin, a man learned in the high sciences, who told him, "that all his travel would be in vain; for, said he, they will never meet together; and next, there will never be anything but dissembling and secret hatred for a while, and at length captivity and utter wreck to our queen from England." He added, "that the kingdom of England at length shall fall, of right, to the crown of Scot-

land: but it shall cost many bloody battles; and the Spaniards shall be helpers, and take a part to themselves for their labour." Sir James Melvil is an author of credit; therefore it is probable that our astrologer ventured to utter his prediction; but, as it proved true only in part, either he misunderstood the stars, or they deceived the astrologer. His works are, 1. Astronomia Jacobi Bassantini Scotti, opus absolutissimum, &c., editum Latine et Gallice. Genev. 1599. fol. This is the title given it by Tornaeus, who translated it into Latin from the French, in which language it was first published. 2. Paraphrase de l'Afrolabe, avec un amplification de l'afroge de l'Afrolabe. Lyons 1555. Paris 1617, 8vo. 3. Mathematica genethliaca. 4. Arithmetica. 5. Mysha secundum Platonem. 6. De Mathefi in genere.