or BEKE (Saxon, bece; Dutch, beck), a word which imports a small stream of water issuing from some till or spring. Hence hellbecks, little brooks in the rough and wild mountains about Richmond in Yorkshire, so called from their ghastliness and depth. Beck is also used in the composition of names of places originally situated on rivulets; hence Walbeck, Bournebeck, &c. The Germans use beck or bach in the same manner; as Lübeck, Griesbach.

or BEEN, DAVID, an eminent portrait-painter, born in 1621 at Araheim in Guelderland. He became a disciple of Vandyk, from whom he acquired the fine manner of pencilling and sweet style of colouring peculiar to that great master and to all the disciples trained up under his direction. He possessed likewise that freedom of hand, and readiness or rather rapidity of execution, for which Vandyk was so remarkable; insomuch that when King Charles I. observed the expeditious manner of Beck's painting, he exclaimed, "Faith! Beck, I believe you could paint riding..." Becket. He was appointed portrait-painter and chamberlain to Queen Christina of Sweden; and he executed portraits of most of the sovereigns of Europe to adorn her gallery. He lived in the highest favour with his royal mistress, and left the court of Sweden much against her inclination. He died soon after, at the Hague; and it was suspected that he had been poisoned. This happened in 1656, when Beck had only attained his thirty-fifth year. A very singular adventure happened to this artist as he travelled through Germany. Having been taken suddenly and violently ill at the inn where he lodged, he seemed to all appearance quite dead, and was laid out as a corpse. His valets expressed the strongest grief for the loss of their master, and while they sat beside his bed, drank very freely, by way of consoling themselves. At last one of them, getting much intoxicated, said to his companions, "Our master was fond of his glass while alive, and out of gratitude let us give him a glass now he is dead." The rest of the servants having assented to the proposal, he raised up the head of his master, and endeavoured to pour some of the liquor into his mouth. From the fragrance of the wine, or probably from the irritation produced by a small quantity getting down his throat, Beck revived and opened his eyes; when the drunken servant, forgetting that his master was considered as dead, compelled him to swallow the whole contents of the glass. The painter gradually recovered, and by proper care and management was soon restored to perfect health.