denus, attribute all thefe works to Nebuchadnezzar; but Herodotus tells us, the bridge, the banks, and the lake, were the work of a queen after him, called NATOCRIS, who may have finithed what Nebuchadnezzar left imperfect, and thence have had the honour this hiftorian gives her of the whole. Such is the description ancient hiftorians give of the grandeur of that city; which, if these accounts are not exaggerated, must have exceeded every piece of human grandeur that hath yet appeared. Many of the moderns, however, are of opinion that these magnificent defcriptions are exaggerated; although it is certain that few other arguments can be brought against the reality of them, than that we do not fee things of a fimilar kind executed in our own days. (4) BABYLON, HANGING GARDENS, CANALS, c. OF. Nothing was more wonderful at Babylon than the hanging gardens, which Nebuchadnezzar made in compliafance to his wife Amyitis; who, being a Mede, and retaining a strong inclination for the mountains and forefts of her own country, was defirous of having fomething like them at Babylon. They are faid to have contain. ed a square of four plethra, or 400 flet, on each fide; and to have confifted of terraces one above another, carried up to the height of the wall of the city, the afcent from terrace to terrace being by steps ten feet wide. The whole pile confifted of fubitantial arches upon arches, and was ftrengthened by a wall furrounding it on every fide, 22 feet thick; and the floors on each of them were aid in this order: firft, on the tops of the arches was laid a pavement of ftones 16 feet long, and 4 feet broad; over this was a layer of reeds, mixed with a great quantity of bitumen; over this two courses of brick, closely cemented together with plafter; over all these were thick fheets of lead, and on these the earth or mould of the garden. This floorage was defigned to retain the moisture of the mould; which was fo deep as to give root to the greatest trees which were planted upon every terrace, together with great variety of other vegetables pleafing to the eye. Upon the uppermoft of thefe terraces was a refervoir, fupplied by a certain engine with water from the river, from whence the gardens on the other terraces were upplied. The other works attributed to Nebuchadnezzar by Berofus and Abydenus, were the banks of the river, the artificial canals, and the great artificial lake faid to have been funk by Semiramis. The canals were cut out on the E. fide of the Euphrates, to convey its waters, when it overflowed its banks, into the Tigris, before they reached Babylon. The lake was on the W. fide of Babylon; and, according to the lowest computation, 40 miles fquare, 160 in compafs, and in depth 35 feet, as Herodotus, or 75, as Megaf. thenes will have it; the former, perhaps, meafured from the furface of the fides, and the latter from the tops of the banks that were caft up upon them. This lake was dug to receive the waters of the river, while the banks were building on each fide of it. But both the lake, and the canal which led to it, were preferved after that work was completed, being found of great ufe, not on ly to prevent all overflowings, but to keep water all the year, as a common refervoir, to be let out, on proper occations, by fluices, for the improvement of the land. The banks were built of brick and bitumen, on both fides of the river, to keep it within its channel; and extended on each fide throughout the whole length of the city, and even farther, according to fome, who reckon they extended 160 furlongs, or 20 miles; whence it is concluded they must have begun two miles and an half above the city being no more than 15 miles. Within the city they were built from the bottom of the river, and of the fame thicknefs with the walls of the city itfelf. Oppofite to each street, on either fide of the river, was a brazen gate in the wall, with ftairs leading down from it to the river: thefe gates were open by day, and thut by night. Berofus, Megafthenes, and Aby (5.) BABYLON, OBJECTIONS TO THE DESCRIPTION OF. To the credibility of the above magnificent defcriptions, (§ 2-4.) M. Goguet has advanced the following objections.-" Authors have greatly extolled the public works and edifices which once rendered Babylon one of the wonders of the world. We may reduce all these objects to five principal heads: 1. the height of its walls; 2. the temple of Belus; 3. the hanging gardens; 4. The bridge built over the river Euphrates, and the quays which lined that river; 5. the lake and canals dug by the hand of man to distribute the waters of the Euphrates. All these works, fo marvellous in the judgment of antiquity, appear to me to have been extremely exaggerated by the authors who have spoke of them. How can we conceive, in effect, that the walls of Babylon could have been 318 feet high, and 81 in thicknefs, in a compafs of near ten leagues? I fall fay the fame of that fquare building, known under the name of the temple of Belus. It was com pofed of eight towers placed one above another, diminifling always as they went up. Herodotus does not tell us what was the height of this mo nument. Diodorus fays, that it furpaffed all belief. Strabo fixes it to one ftadium, a measure which anfwers nearly to 600 of our feet. For in the time of this geographer the ftadia were much more confiderable than in the firft ages. The entire mafs of this building ought to have been anfwerable to its exceffive height; and this is alfo the idea that the ancients defigned to give us of it. We may judge by the following fact. Xerxes had entirely demolished this temple. Alexander undertook to rebuild it. Ile defigned to begin by clearing the place and removing the ruins: 10,000 workmen who were employed two months in this work, were not, fay they, able to finish it. The riches inclofed in the temple of Belus were proportioned to its immenfity. Without fpeaking of the tables and cenfers, the cups and other facred vafes, of mafly gold, there was a ftatue 40 feet high, which alone weighed 1000 Babylonish talents. In fhort, according to the inventory that the ancients have given us of the riches contained in this temple, the total fum would amount to 220 millions and a half of French livres. Exaggerations like thefe deftroy themselves. As to the hanging gardens, according, to all appearance they never exifted. The filence of Herodotus on a work fo fingular and so remarkable, determines me BAE 151 me to place in the rank of fables all that the other writers have delivered upon this pretended wonder. Herodotus had carefully viited Babylon. He enters into fuch details as prove that he has omitted none of the rarities of that city. Can we prefume, that he would have paffed over in filence fuch a work as the hanging gardens? All the authors who have fpoken of it are of much later date than this great hiftorian. None of them except Berofus fpeaks on his own teftimony. It is always on the report of others. Diodorus had Extracted from Ctelias what he says of thofe famous gardens. There is alfo great appearance that Strabo had drawn from the fame fource. In a word, the manner in which Quintus Curtius expreffes himself, sufficiently shows how much the exiflence of thefe gardens appeared to him infpicious. He judged they owed the greatest part of it to the imagination of the Greeks. Let us now ipeak of the bridge of Babylon, which the ancients have placed in the number of the most marvellous works of the eaft. It was near roo fathoms in length, and almost 4 in breadth. We cannot deny but that a great deal of art and labour was neceflary to lay the foundations, which it could not be eafy to fettle in the bed of an extremely deep and rapid river, which alfo rolls along a prodigious quantity of mud, and whofe bottom is entirely fandy. They had therefore taken many precautions to fecure the piers of the tridge of Babylon. They were built of ftones joined and faftened together with cramps of iron, and their joints filled with melted lead. The front of the piers, turned towards the current of the Euphrates, was defended by butreffes extremely advanced, which diminished the weight and force of the water, by cutting it at a great distance. Such was the bridge of Babylon. While we do justice to the skill of the Babylonians, in conducting thefe works, we cannot help remarking the bad tafte which at all times reigned in the works of the eastern nations. The bridge of Babylon furnishes a ftriking inftance of it. abfolutely without grace, or any air of majefThis edifice The breadth of it was in no fort of proporton to its length. The diftance between the pers was alfo very ill contrived. They were difant from each other only 11 feet and a half. Finally, this bridge was not arched. We may judge of its effect on the view. The Babylonians, however, were not the only people who were igaorant of the art of turning an arch. This fecret, far as I can find, was unknown to all the peope of remote antiquity, who, generally fpeaking, do not appear to have been very skilful in ftoneCatting. As for the quays which lined the Eupirates, we may believe that they were grand and magnificent: but I fhall not eafily believe that Hey furpaffed thofe which we have daily under eyes. In this refpect, I believe Paris may difPate it for magnificence, and for the extent of the k, with all the cities of the univerfe." BABYLON, a town of Egypt, near the eaftbranch of the Nile, fuppofed to have tood the prefent fite of GRAND CAIRO. Lon. 31. 12. E. Lat. 30. 5. N. 1. BYBALONIA, ANCIENT HISTORY OF. BAB ) Babylonia or CHALDÆA, a kingdom of Afia, and Nimrod the grandfon of Ham, who alfo is faid to the most ancient in the world, was founded be have founded Nineveh the capital of the kingdom have always continued in fuch a ftate of friendship of Affyria. Indeed, these two kingdoms feem to either the fame, or that Babylonia was for fome that we can fearce help thinking that they were known concerning either of them, except what time a province of Affyria. Nothing certain is learn, that in the days of Abraham there was a may be gathered from Scripture. From thence we king of Shinar, called AMRAPHEL, who, under Chedarlaomer, the king of Elam or Perfia, made war upon the Canaanites. From this time we have nothing that can be depended upon till the days of Nabonaffer, the first king of Babylon mentioned in Ptolemy's canon. both from Scripture and profane hiftory, that Babylonia fubfifted as a diftinét kingdom from AffyIt is plain indeed, ria even when the latter was in all its glory. The empire of Affyria was founded by Pul, on the moft probable account of the matter is this: The ruins of that of Damafcus or Syria, in the days Tiglath-Pilefer, and Nabonaffer. To the former of Menahem king of Judah. Pul left two fons, latter that of Babylon. Tiglath-Pilefer refided at he bequeathed the empire of Affyria, and to the Nineveh, the original feat of the Affyrian empire; while Nabonaifer, who was the younger brother held his refidence at Babylon. As the two kingdoms were governed by princes of the fame family, we may fuppofe harmony to have reigned between them, for fome time at leaft; branch at Babylon acknowledging a kind of fubjection to the elder at Nineveh. That the Baby-younger lonian empire was of Affyrian origin, we are af fured by Ifaiah. "Behold the land of the Chal deans: this people was not till the Affyrian founded it, for them that dwelt in the wilderness; they thereof." As to the kingdom of Affyria, the fet up the towers thereof; they built the palace lath-Pilefer, Shalmanafer, Sennacherib, and Eter Scripture mentions only five ki gs, viz. Pul, Tighaddon; whofe hiftory, as related by the facred writers, it is unneceffary to relate here. the days of Nabonaffer to Nabopolatier, that is from A. A. C. 747 to 626, the kings of Babylon From made no figure, and were therefore probably in a ftate of dependence on the kings of Affyria but at that time, in the reign of Chynalidan, the Sardanapalus of the Greeks, Nineveh was taken and deftroyed by the Medes and Babylonians, and the feat of the empire transferred to Ba y'on.— This Nebopolaffer was the father of the famous NEBUCHADNEZZAR, who raised the Babylonian empire to its highest pitch of what is commonly called glory. His conquefts extended from Media W. comprehending Alyria, Perfia, Syria, Phoon the NE. to Ethiopia beyond Egypt on the S. nicia, Canaan, N Arabia, Idumæa, and Egypt.. fon of Nebuchadnezzar, and the BLSHAZZAR OF From his time to that of NA BONADIUS, the grandScripture, the hiftory of Babylon is little better than a blank. We know little more than the names of Nebuchadnezzar's fucceflor's, v:; his fon Evilmefrodach and his widow Nitocris, his f in-law the in law Nerigliffar, Laborofoarchod, the fon of the latter, and Nabonadius the son of Evil-merodach. Of the reduction of Babylon by Cyrus, which happened under the last monarch, we have the following account. fufion, the Perfians rushed in, took the palace, and killed the king, who came out to meet them fword in hand. Thus an end was put to the Ba bylonian empire; and Cyrus took poffeffion of Babylon, in name of his uncle Cyaxares, II. cal led in Scripture Darius the Mede: A. M. 3468. From this time Babylonia never was erected into a diftinct kingdom, but always followed the fortune of thofe great conquerors who at different times have appeared in Afia. It is now called Irac Arabia, and is frequently the object of contention between the Turks and Perfians. See ASSYRIA, 2, and IRAC-ARABIA. (2.) BABYLONIA, CONQUEST OF. War had been begun betwixt the Medes, Perfians, and Babylonians, in the reign of Nerigliffar, and had been carried on with very bad fuccefs on the fide of the Babylonians. Cyrus, who commanded the Median and Perfian army, having fubdued the feveral nations inhabiting the great continent from the Ægean fea to the Euphrates, bent his march towards Babylon. Nabonadius, hearing of his (3.) BABYLONIA, PRODUCE, &C. OF. Of the march, immediately advanced against him with climate and produce of this country, M. Sabbathier an army. In the engagement which enfued, the gives the following account. "It rained very felBabylonians were defeated; and the king, re- dom according to Herodotus. The earth was treating to his metropolis, was blocked up and watered by the river, which was here diffufed by clofely belieged by Cyrus. The reduction of this human industry, as the Nile is over Egypt by nacity was no eafy enterprize. The walls were of ture: for all the country of Babylon was divided a prodigious height, the number of men to de- by canals, the greatest of which was navigable, fend them very great, and the place flored with and flowed from S. to N. from the Euphrates to all forts of provifions for 20 years. Cyrus, def- the Tigris. In fhort, it was one of the fineft pairing of being able to take fuch a city by ftorm, countries for corn in the world; but for producaufed a line of circumvallation to be drawn quite cing trees, the fig-tree, the vine and the olive, it round it, with a large and deep ditch; reckoning, was not famous. It was fo luxuriant in grain, that if all communication with the country were that it commonly yielded a hundred times more cut off, the belieged would be obliged to furren- than what was fown; and in its good years it der through famine. That his troops might not yielded three hundred times more than it received. be too much fatigued, he divided his army into The leaves of its wheat and barley were four inch 12 bodies, appointing each body its month to es broad. Though I know,' fays Herodotus guard the trenches; but the befieged, looking u-that the millet and the fefame of that country pon themselves to be out of danger by reafon of their high wails and magazines, infulted him from the ramparts, and looked upon all the trouble he gave himself as fo much unprofitable labour. After Cyrus had spent two whole years before Babylon, without making any progrefs in the fiege, he at last thought of the following ftratagem, which put him in poffeffion of it. He was informed that a great annual folemnity was to be held at Babylon; and that the inhabitants on that occafion were accustomed to spend the whole night in drinking and debauchery. This he therefore thought a proper time for furprifing them; and accordingly fent a strong detachment to the head of the canal leading to the great lake, with orders at a certain time, to break down the great bank which was between the lake and the canal, and to turn the whole current into the lake. At the fame time he appointed one body of troops at the place where the river entered the city, and another where it came out; ordering them to march in by the bed of the river as foon as they fhould find it fordable. Towards the evening he opened the head of the trenches on both fides of the river above the city, that the water might difcharge itfelf into them; by which means, and the breaking down of the great dam, the river was foon drained. Then the two bodies of troops entered the channel; the one commanded by Gobryas and the other by Gadates: and finding the gates all left open by reafon of the diforders of that riotous night, they penetrated into the heart of the city without oppofition; and meeting, according to agreement at the palace, they furprifed the guards, and cut them in pieces. Thofe who were in the palace opening the gates to know the caule of this con grow to the fize of trees, I will not defcribe then particularly; left those who have not been in Ba bylonia fhould think my account fabulous. They had no oil but what they made from Indian corn The country abounded with palm trees, which grew fpontaneously; and most of them bore fruit of which the inhabitants made bread, wine, and honey. They cultivated these trees and their fi trees in the fame manner. Some of them, as o other trees, the Greeks called male ones. They tied the fruit of the male to the trees which bor dates; that the mosquito, leaving the male, migh caufe the date to ripen, by penetrating it; fo without that affistance it came not to maturity Mosquitos bred in the male palms as in the wil fig trees." BABYLONIA CURA, the art of cafting nativitie BABYLONIAN, [BABYLONIUS,] adj. is ufe in ancient writers for an aftrologer, or any thin related to astrology. (1.) BABYLONIANS, the inhabitants of ar cient Babylon, and the country around it calle Babylon. M. Sabbathier has collected feveral c rious particulars refpecting this ancient peopl from which we give the following extracts. (2.) BABYLONIANS, MARRIAGE LAWS OF THỊ When the girls were marriageable, they were dered to meet in a certain place, where the your men likewife aflembled. They were then fold the public crier; but he first fold the most bea tiful one. When he had fold her at an immen price, he put up others to fale, according to the degrees of beauty. The rich Babylonians we emulous to carry off the finest women, who we fold to the highest bidders. But as the your men who were poor could not afpire to have fi women, they were content to take the ugliest with the money which was given them: for when the crier had fold the handsomeft, he ordered the ugliest of all the women to be brought; and afked, if any one was willing to take her with a small fum of money. Thus the became the wife of him who was moft eafily fatisfied; and thus the fineft women were fold; and from the money which they brought, fmall fortunes were given to the uglieft, and to those who had any bodily in firmity. A father could not give his daughter in marriage as he pleafed; nor was he who bought her allowed to take her home, without giving fecurity that he would marry her. But, after the fale, if the parties were not agreeable to each other, the law enjoined that the money should be reftored. The inhabitants of any of their towns were permitted to marry wives at thefe auctions. Such were the early cuftoms of the Babylonians. But they afterwards made a law, which prohibited the inhabitants of different towns to intermarry, and by which hufbands were punithed for treat ing their wives ill. THE. (3.) BABYLONIANS, PECULIAR CUSTOMS OF "We must not here omit to give an account of the peculiar and furprifing conftruction of their boats of fkins, in which they failed along the river to Babylon. These boats were invented by the Armenians, whofe country lay north from Babylonia. They made them with poles of wil low, which they bent, and covered with skins: the bare fide of the skins they put outwards; and they made them fo tight, that they refembled boards. The boats had neither prow nor ftern, but were of a round form like a buckler. They put ftraw on the bottom. Two men, each with an oar, rowed them down the river, laden with different wares, but chiefly with palm wine. Of thefe boats fome were very large, and fome very fmall. The largest carried the weight of 500 talets. There was room for an afs in one of their fmall boats; they put many into a large one. When they had unloaded, after their arrival at Babylon, they fold the poles of their boats and the ftraw; and loading their affes with the skins, returned to Armenia: for they could not fail up the river, its current was fo rapid. For this reafon they made their boats of skins, instead of wood; and on their return to Armenia with their Tes, they applied their skins to their former ufe. As to their drefs, they wore a linen fhirt, which come down to their feet. Over it they wore a woollen robe; their outer garment was a white yet. Their fhoes refembled thofe of the The bans. They let their hair grow. On their heads they wore a turban. They rubbed their bodies all over with fragrant liquors. Each man had a ag on his finger, and an elegant cane in his Land, with an apple at the top, or a rofe, a lily, ur an eagle, or fome other figure; for they were not fuffered to ufe canes without devices. When the Babylonians had become poor by the ruin of their metropolis, fathers ufed to prostitute their Caughters for gain. There was one cuftom among the Babylonians, worthy to be related. They brought their fick into the forum, to confult thofe who paffed on their difcafes; for they had no VOL. III. PART I. phyficians. They afked those who approached the fick, if they ever had the fame distemper? if they knew any one who had it? and how he was cured? Hence, in this country, every one who faw a fick perfon was obliged to go to him, and inquire into his distemper. They embalmed their dead with honey; and their mourning was like that of the Egyptians. There were three Babylonian tribes, who lived only upon fish, and prepared them, by drying them in the fun, and then beating them in a kind of mortar to a kind of flour, which after they had fifted through a linen, they baked in rolls.” (4.) BABYLONIANS, RELIGION, &C. OF THE. "The Babylonians at first worshipped only the fun and moon; but they foon multiplied their divinities. They deified Baal, Bel, or Belus, one of their kings, and Merodach-Baladan. They alfo worshipped Venus, under the name of Myleta. She and Belus were the principal deities of the Babylonians. They counted their day from fun-rife to fún-rife. They folemnifed five days of the year with great magnificence, and almoft the fame ceremonies with which the Romans celebrated their Saturnalia. The Babylonians were very much addicted to Judicial aftrology. Their priefts, who openly profeffed that art, were obli ged to commit to writing all the events of the lives of their illuftrious men; and on a fancied connection between thofe events and the motions of the heavenly bodies, the principles of their art were founded. They pretended that fome of their books, in which their hiftorical transactions and revolutions were accurately compared with the courfes of the ftars, were thousands of years old. This affertion of their judicial astrologers we may reafonably difpute; but that their aftronomers had made a long fyftem of obfervations, is inconteftibly true. It is certain that fome of thofe obfervations were extant in the days of Ariftotle, and that they were older than the empire of the Babylonians. See ASTRONOMY, Index. (5.) BABYLONIANS, TAXATIONS OF THE. "AS all the nations under the dominion of Cyrus, befides the ordinary tributes, were obliged to maintain him and his army, the monarch and his troops were fupported by all Afia. The country of Babylon was obliged to maintain him four months of the year; its fertility, therefore, yielded a third of the produce of Afia. The govern ment of this country, which the Perfians termed fatrapy, was richer and more extenfive than any of the reft. It maintained for the king, befides the war horfes, a stud of 800 ftallions, and.16,000 mares. So great a number of Indian dogs were likewife bred in this province for the king, that four of its cities kept thofe animals; and in return, they were exempted from all taxes and tributes." (1.) BABYLONICA. See BABYLONICS." (2.) BABYLONICA SOLANA, Coverings laid over couches, &c. painted with gold, purple, and other colours. (3.) BABYLONICA TEXTA, a rich fort of weavings, or hangings, denominated from the city of Babylon, where their practice of interweaving diU vers vers colours in their hangings first obtained. Hence alfo Babylonic garments, Babylonic skins, Babylonic carpets, houlings, &c. BABYLONICS, BABYLONICA, in literary his tory, a fragment of the ancient hiftory of the world, ending at 267 years before Chrift; and compofed by Berofus, a prieft of Babylon, about the time of Alexander. Babylonics are sometimes alfo cited in ancient writers by the title of Chaldaics. The Babylonics were very confonant with fcripture, as Jofephus and the ancient Chriftian chronologers affure us; whence the author is ufually fuppofed to have confulted the Jewith writers. Berofus fpeaks of an universal deluge, an ark, &c. He reckons ten generations between the first man and the deluge; and marks the du ration of the feveral generations by faroi, or periods of 223 lunar months; which, reduced to years, differ not much from the chronology of Mofes.The Babylonics confifted of three books, including the ancient Babylonians, Medes, &c. But only a few imperfect extracts are now remaining of the work; preferved chiefly by Jofephus and Syncellus, where all the paffages of citations of ancient authors out of Berofus are collected with great exactness. Annius of Viterbo, to fupply the lofs, forged a complete Berofus out of his own head. The world has not thanked him for the impofture. BABYLONII NUMERI, Babylonican numbers, or the computation of aftrologers. BABYLONISH, adj. of or belonging to Ba bylon. BABYLONIUS. See BABYLONIAN, BABYROUSSA, in zoology, a fynonime of a fpecies of fus. See Sus. (1.) BAC, [Fr. a ferryboat,] in brewing, a large flat kind of tub, or vellel, wherein the wort is put to ftand and cool before boiling. The ingredients of beer pass through three kinds of velfels. They are marked in one, worked in another, and cooled in a third called bacs or coolers. See BACMAKER. (2.) BAC, in diftillery, veffels into which the liquor to be fermented is pumped from the cooler, in order to be worked with yeft. (3.) BAC, in navigation, is used for a praam, or ferry-boat. (1.) BACA, an ancient valley in Palestine. Some commentators fuppofe it to be the fame with the valley of REPHAIM, where the Jews, in journeying to their folemn feftivals, ftopped for refrethment; as it abounded with fprings, and was well thaded with mulberry trees, which the name Baca fignifies. (2.) BACA, or BAZA, a town of Spain in Granada, fituated in a valley called HOYA DE BAZA. It is encompaffed with old walls, and has a castle half ruined. It contains about 4000 houfes, and a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The land about it is well cultivated for half a league round, and is fertile in wheat, wine, honey, hemp, and flax, being watered by the Guadalantin. It is 15 miles NE. of Guadix, and 35 NW. of Al. meira. Lon. 2. 42. W. Lat. 37. 18. N. BACACUM, a town of the Nervii in Gallia Belgica; now called BAVAY, in Hainault. Lon. 3. 30. E. Lat. 50. 25. N. BACAIM, or BAZAIM, a fea-port town of the Deccan of Hindooftan, on the Malabar coaft. Lon. 72. 40. E. Lat. 37. 18. N. (1.) BACANO, a lake of Italy in the pope's territories from which iffues the river VARCA. (2, 3.) BACANO, 1. a river; and, 2. a village of Italy, both near the above lake, No 1. BACANORA, a town of N. America, in New Mexico, feated on the river Hiagra. Lon. 112. 2. W. Lat. 30. o. N. BACANTIBI, in ecclefiaftical hiftory, wandering clerks, who ftrolled from church to church. The word feems formed by corruption from vacantivi. See B. § 1 & 2. BACASERAY, a town in the peninfula of Crim Tartary; and, as the khan ufually takes up his refidence there, it may be confidered as the capital of the country. It was taken from the Turks by the Ruffians, in 1736. It is 70 miles S. of Precop. Lon. 35. 40. Lat. 45. 30. N. BACCA, BERRY, in botany, is ufed to fignify fuch fruits as confift of pericarpium full of juice and feeds, without any valves. BACCA BERMUDIENSES, in the materia medica the berries of the SAPINDUS, or soap-berry tree. (1.) BACCALARIA, in middle age writers, a kind of country farms, confifting of several manfes (2.) BACCALARIA DOMINICARIA, were more BACCALARIA INDOMINICATA, S particularly used for a farm belonging to the lord, and kept in his own hands. BACCALARII BIBLICI; See BACHE LORS, N° 5 SS II. BACCALAUREATE, a bachelor's degree BACCALAUREATUS, the first degree in art and sciences in an univerfity. See next article. BACCALAUREUS, (Lat. from bacca laurea, bay berry,] a bachelor in an univerfity; fo-calle becaufe anciently their heads, at graduation, wer adorned with a garland of bay berries. BACCARACH, a town of Germany in the low er Palatinate; formerly imperial and free, but now fubject to the elector Palatine. It is famous fo excellent wine; and is fituated on the W. fhor of the Rhine, 10 miles E. of Sinneren, and 20. W of Mentz. Lon. 7. 52. E. Lat. 49. 55. N. BACCASERY. See BACA SERAY. * BACCATED. adj. [baccalus, Lat.] Befet wit pearls; having many berries. Lið. BACCEM, or BACIAIM, a port of Cambaia, i India, belonging to the Portuguese. Lon. 72. 1 E. Lat. 19. 20. N. BACCHE, in antiquity, 1. the priestesses Bacchus, who celebrated the myfteries of th god: 2. the ivy crowns or garlands worn by ti priefts of Bacchus, in offering facrifices to him. (1.) BACCHANALIA, BACCHANALS, religio feafts, in honour of Bacchus, celebrated wi much folemnity among the ancients, particular the Athenians, who even computed their yea by them, till the commencement of Olympiad They are fometimes also called ORGIA, from t Greek of, fury; on account of the madness a enthufiafm, wherewith the people appeared to poffeffed at the time of their celebration. Th were held in autumn, and took their rife fre Egyp |