a small globule or ball used in necklaces; and made of different materials, as pearl, steel, garnet, coral, diamond, amber, crystal, pastes, glass, &c.—The Romanists make great use of beads in rehearsing their Ave-Marias, and Pater-nosters; and the like usage is found among the dervises 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 ANGUIS, OPHIOLOGY Index.

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.

**Bead**, in 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 *paternostriers*, are those employed in the making, stringing, and selling of beads. At Paris before the revolution there were three companies of paternostriers, 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 shaken 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 esteemed 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 stinking 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 stinking 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 spirits 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 beadle, 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 Index.

**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 *rostrum*, by the Latins *rostrum*, was an important part in the ancient ships of war, which were hence denominated *naves rostrata*. The beak was made of wood; but fortified with brass, and fastened to the prow, serving to annoy the enemy's vessels. Its invention is attributed to Piseus an Italian. The first beaks were made long and high; but afterwards a Corinthian, named Aristo, 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 harvock was made by the Syracusans 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 reserved 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 December 1697, aged 65. Her paintings have much nature, but the colouring is stiff and heavy.

**BEALT,** **BEALTH,** or **Builth,** a town of Brecknockshire in South Wales, pleasantly seated on the river Wye. It contained 813 inhabitants in 1811, who 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 cross 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 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.