JOHN,** a famous Jesuit, born at Tillemont in the Netherlands, in 1796. He distinguished himself by writing the lives of the saints, under the title of *Acta Sanctorum*, of which he published five volumes in folio; but died while he was labouring at the sixth, in the 70th year of his age. The continuators of that work are called *Bolandists*.

**BOLBITINUM,** in Ancient Geography, the second mouth of the Nile reckoning from west to east; now very small, choked up with sand, and called *le Bras de Belin*.

**BOLENTIUM,** in Ancient Geography, a town of Pannonia Superior; now Rackerzburg in Stiria. See RACKERSBURG.

**BOLES,** are vitid earths, less coherent and more friable than clay; more readily uniting with water, and more freely subduing from it. They are soft and unctuous to the touch; adhere to the tongue; and by degrees melt in the mouth, impressing a slight sense of astringency. There is a great variety of these earths; the principal of which are the following.

1. **Armenian bole,** when pure, is of a bright red colour with a tinge of yellow: It is one of the hardest and most compact bodies of this class, and not smooth and glossy like the others, but generally of a rough and dusty surface. It does not effervesc with acids, though some part of it is dissolved by all of them.

Neuman observes, that four ounces of Armenian bole distilled in a glass retort in an open fire, yielded three drachms of a saline phlegm, which smell a little urinous, and changed syrup of violets green. In the neck of the retort was found a little powdery saline matter which had an ammoniacal taste, but it was in too small quantity to be collected or further examined. Like most other coloured earths, this kind of bole contains a portion of ferruginous matter, to which the colour is owing; and which may be separated by the magnet, after the bole has been calcined with oil or other inflammable matters. It is likewise impregnated with vitriolic acid; and hence, when mixed with nitre or sea salt, it extricates the acids of these salts in the fire.

2. **French bole** is of a pale red colour, variegated with irregular specks of white and yellow. It is much softer than the Armenian, and slightly effervesces with acids.

3. **Bole of Blois** is yellow, remarkably lighter than most of the other yellow earths, and effervesces strongly with acids.

4. **Bohemian bole** is of a yellow colour, with a cast of red, and generally of a flaky texture. It is not acted on by acids.

5. **Lemnian earth** is of a pale red colour, and slightly effervesces with acids.

6. **Sileshan bole** is of a pale yellow colour, and acids have no sensible effect upon it.

These and other earths, made into little masses, and stamped with certain impressions, are called *terra sigillata*. They have been recommended as astringent, sudorific, and alexipharmic; but these and many other virtues that have been ascribed to them appear to have no foundation. They are still, however, prescribed in fluxes and complaints of the prime via.