a small globule or ball used in necklaces; and made of different materials, as pearl, steel, garnet, coral, diamond, amber, crystal, pastes, glats, &c.—The Romanists make great use of beads in rehearsing their Ave Marias and Pater-nosters; and the like usage is found among the dervishes and other religious throughout the East, as well Mahometan as Heathen. The ancient Druids appear also to have had their beads, many of which are still found; at least if the conjecture of an ingenious author may be admitted, who takes those antique glass globules, having a snake painted round them, and called adder-beads, or snake-buttons, to have been the beads of our ancient Druids. See ANGUS.

Beads are also used in speaking of those glass globules vended to the savages on the coast of Africa; thus denominated, because they are strung together for the convenience of traffic.

The common black glass of which beads are made for necklaces, &c. is coloured with manganese only: one part of manganese is sufficient to give a black colour to near twenty of glass.

Architecture, a round moulding, commonly made upon the edge of a piece of stuff, in the Corinthian and Roman orders, cut or carved in short embossments, like beads in necklaces.

Bead-Makers, called by the French paternofriers, are those employed in the making, stringing, and selling of beads. At Paris before the revolution there were three companies of paternofriers, or bead-makers; one who made them of glass or crystal; another in wood and horn; and the third in amber, coral, jet, &c.

Bead-Proof, a term used by our distillers to express that sort of proof of the standard strength of spirituous liquors, which consists in their having, when thicken in a phial, or poured from on high into a glass, a crown of bubbles, which stand on the surface some time after. This is deemed a proof that the spirit consists of equal parts of rectified spirits and phlegm. This is a fallacious rule as to the degree of strength in the goods; because any thing that will increase the tenacity of the spirit, will give it this proof, though it be under the due strength. Our malt-distillers spoil the greater part of their goods, by leaving too much of the flinting oil of the malt in their spirit, in order to give it this proof when somewhat under the standard strength. But this is a great deceit on the purchasers of malt spirits, as they have them by this means not only weaker than they ought to be, but flinting with an oil that they are not easily cleared of afterwards. On the other hand, the dealers in brandy, who usually have the art of sophisticating it to a great nicety, are in the right when they buy it by the strongest bead-proof, as the grand mark of the best; for being a proof of the brandy containing a large quantity of its oil, it is, at the same time, a token of its high flavour, and of its being capable of bearing a very large addition of the common spirits of our own produce, without betraying their flavour, or losing its own. We value the French brandy for the quantity of this essential oil of the grape which it contains; and that with good reason, as it is with us principally used for drinking as an agreeably flavoured cordial; but the French themselves, when they want it for any curious purposes, are as careful in the rectification of it, and take as much pains to clear it from this oil, as we do to free our malt spirit from that nauseous and fetid oil which it originally contains.

**Bead-Roll**, among Papists, a list of such persons, for the rest of whose souls they are obliged to repeat a certain number of prayers, which they count by means of their beads.

**Bead-Tree.** See Melia, Botany Index.

**BEADLE,** (from the Saxon *bydel*, a messenger), a crier or messenger of a court, who cites persons to appear and answer. Called also a summoner or apparitor. — Beadle is also an officer at an university, whose chief business is to walk before the masters with a mace, at all public processions.—There are also church-beadles, whose office is well known.

**BEAGLES,** a small sort of hounds or hunting dogs. Beagles are of divers kinds; as the southern beagle, something less and shorter, but thicker, than the deep-mouthed hound; the fleet northern or cat beagle, smaller, and of a finer shape than the southern, and a harder runner. From the two, by crossing the strains, is bred a third sort held preferable to either. To these may be added a still smaller sort of beagles, scarce bigger than lap-dogs, which make pretty diversion in hunting the coney, or even the small hare in dry weather; but otherwise unserviceable, by reason of their size.

**BEAK,** the bill or nib of a bird. See Ornithology.

**Beak,** or Beak-head, of a ship, that part without the ship, before the fore-castle, which is fastened to the stem, and is supported by the main knee.

The beak, called by the Greeks *στέρνον*, by the Latins *rostrum*, was an important part in the ancient ships of war, which were hence denominated *naves rostratae*. The beak was made of wood; but fortified with brass, and fastened to the prow, serving to annoy the enemies vessels. Its invention is attributed to Piseus an Italian. The first beaks were made long and high; but afterwards a Corinthian, named *Arifto*, contrived to make them short and strong, and placed so low, as to pierce the enemies vessels under water. By the help of these great havoc was made by the Syracusians in the Athenian fleet.

**BEAKED,** in Heraldry, a term used to express the beak or bill of a bird. When the beak and legs of a fowl are of a different tincture from the body, we say beaked and membered of such a tincture.

**BEALE,** 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 Belesta. 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,** Bealtin, or Buildib, a town of Brecknockshire in South Wales, pleasantly seated on the river Wye. It consists of about 100 houses. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the manufacture of 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 proportions 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 so 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 main-mast, 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 Plough, Agriculture Index.

**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, Botany Index.

The ancients made use of beans in gathering the votes of the people, and for the election of magistrates. A white bean signified *oblation*, and a black one *condemnation*. Beans had a mysterious use in the *lemuralia* and *parentalia*, where the master of the family, after walking, was to throw a sort of black beans Beans over his head, still repeating the words, "I redeem myself and family by these beans," Ovid * gives a lively description of the whole ceremony in verse.—5:4-435.

Abstinence from beans was enjoined by Pythagoras, one of whose symbols is, κυκλος αποτροπαι, alike fine a fable. 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 undertand it of forbearing to meddle in trials and verdicts, which were then by throwing beans into an urn; others, building on the equivocal of the word κυκλος, which equally signifies a bean and a human testicle, 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.

Bean-Caper. See Zygophyllum, Botany Index.

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. 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 lomentum, 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 mida.

Bean Goose. See Anas, Ornithology Index.

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 flororum, 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 tetter, freckles, and other cutaneous deformities; which it removes only by exulcerating or excoriating the part, so that a new skin comes underneath.