(ballivus) from the French word bailiff, that is, prefectus provinciae; and as the names of the office itself was answerable to that of France, where there are eight parliaments, which are high courts from whence there lies no appeal, and within the precincts of the several parts of that kingdom which belong to each parliament there are several provinces to which justice is administered by certain officers called bailiffs: and in England there are several counties in which justice hath been administered to the inhabitants by the officer who is now called sheriff or viscount (one of which names descends from the Saxons, the other from the Normans); and though the sheriff is not called bailiff, yet it is probable that was one of his names also, because the county is often called bailiwick. And in the statute of Magna Charta, cap. 28. and 14 Ed. III. c. 9, the world bailiff seems to comprise as well sheriffs as bailiffs of hundreds. As the realm is divided into counties, so every county is divided into hundreds; within which in ancient times the people had justice ministered to them by the officers of every hundred. But now the hundred courts, except certain franchises, are swallowed up in the county-courts; and the bailiff's... Bailiff's name and office is grown into contempt; they being generally officers to serve writs, &c., within their liberties. Though in other respects, the name is still in good esteem; for the chief magistrates in divers towns are called bailiffs, or bailies; and sometimes the persons to whom the king's castles are committed are termed bailiffs, as the bailiff of Dover Castle, &c.

Of the ordinary bailiffs there are several sorts, viz. sheriffs bailiffs, bailiffs of liberties, &c.

Sheriffs bailiffs, or sheriffs officers, are either bailiffs of hundreds, or special bailiffs. Bailiffs of hundreds are officers appointed over those respective districts by the sheriffs, to collect fines therein; to summon juries; to attend the judges and justices at the assises and quarter sessions; and also to execute writs and process in the several hundreds. But as these are generally plain men, and not thoroughly skilful in this latter part of their office, that of serving writs and making arrests and executions, it is now usual to join special bailiffs with them; who are generally mean persons employed by the sheriffs on account only of their adroitness and dexterity in hunting and seizing of their prey.

Bailiffs of liberties are those bailiffs who are appointed by every lord within his liberty, to execute process, and do such offices therein as the bailiff errant doth at large in the county; but bailiffs errant or itinerant, to go up and down the county to serve process, are out of use.

There are also bailiffs of forests, and bailiffs of manors, who direct husbandry, fell trees, gather rents, pay quit-rent, &c.

Water-Bailiff, an officer appointed in all ports, towns, for the searching of ships, gathering the toll for anchorage, &c., and arresting persons for debts, &c., on the water.

Bailii, David, painter of perspective views and portraits, was the son of Peter Bailii, an artist of some note; and was born at Leyden in 1584. From his father he learned to draw and design; but he was afterwards placed under the care of Adrian Verburg, and continued with him for some time; and when he quitted that master, he studied to much greater advantage with Cornelius Vandervoort, an excellent portrait painter, and with him he spent about six years. As Vandervoort possessed many capital paintings of some great masters, Bailii, for his own improvement, copied them with critical care and observation; and particularly copied one perspective view of the inside of a church, originally painted by Stenwyck, which he finished with such accuracy, that even Stenwyck himself could scarcely determine which was the original, or which the copy when both were placed before him. He travelled through several parts of Italy to see the works of the celebrated masters of that country, and for a few years resided at Rome; and abroad, as well as in his own country, the correctness of his drawing, and the delicate handling of his pictures, procured him employment, admirers, and friends. In the latter part of his life he discontinued painting, and only drew portraits on vellum with a pen, which he heightened with black lead, and gave them wonderful force and roundness. He died in 1638.

Bailiwick, that liberty which is exempted from the sheriff of the county; over which liberty the lord thereof appoints his own bailiff, with the like power within his precinct as an under sheriff exercises under the sheriff of the county: Or it signifies the precinct of a bailiff, or the place within which his jurisdiction is terminated.

Baillet, Adrian, a very learned French writer and critic, born in 1649 at the village of Neuville near Beauvais in Picardy. His parents were too poor to give him a proper education, which, however, he obtained by the favour of the bishop of Beauvais, who afterwards presented him with a small vicarage. In 1680 he was appointed librarian to M. de Lamoignon, advocate-general to the parliament of Paris; of whose library he made a copious index in 35 vols. folio, all written with his own hand. He died in 1706, after writing many works, the principal of which are, A History of Holland from 1609, to the peace of Nimeguen in 1679, 4 vols. 12mo; Lives of the Saints, 3 vols. folio, which he professed to have purged from fables; Jugemens des Savans, which he extended to 9 vols. 12mo.; and The Life of Des Cartes, 2 vols. 4to, which he abridged, and reduced to one vol. 12mo.