Here fome benighted angel in his way, Might eafe his wings; and, feing heav'n appear In its beft work of mercy, think it there. Dryd. 3. To debar from intellectual light; to cloud with ignorance.

But what fo long in vain, and yet unknown By poor mankind's benighted wit, is fought, Shall in this age to Britain first be fhown. Dryd. (1.) * BENIGN. adj. [benignus, Lat. It is pronounced without the g, as if written benine ;, but the g is preferved in benignity.] 1. Kind; generous; liberal; actually good. See BENEFICENT——— This turn hath made amends! Thon haft fulfilled

Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign!
Giver of all things fair.

Milton. -They who delight in the fuffering of inferiour creatures, will not be very compaflionate or benign. Locke. 2. Wholefome; not malignant.-Thefe falts are of a benign mild nature, in healthy perfons; but, in others, retain their original qualities, which they difcover in cachexes. Arbuthnot.

(2.) BENIGN DISEASE, is when all the ufual fymptoms appear in the small-pox, or any acute difeafe, favourably, and without any irregulari ties, or unexpected changes. Quincy.

* BENIGNITY. n. f. [from benin.] 1. Gracioufnefs.--Although he enjoys the good that is done him, he is unconcerned to value the benignity of him that does it. South. 2. A&tual kinduefs. He which ufeth the benefit of any fpecial benignity, may enjoy it with good confcience. Hooker. 3. Salubrity; wholefome quality; friendliness to vital nature.-Bones receive a quicker agglutination in fanguine than in cholerick bodies, by reafon of the benignity of the ferum, which fendeth out better matter for a callus. Wifeman.

* BENIGNLY. adv. [from benign.] Favourably kindly; graciously.

Oh truly good, and truly great! For glorious as he rofe, benignly fo he fet. Prior. BENI KHALED, one of the moft powerful tribes in all Arabia on account of their conquefts their wealth, and the number of other tribes fubject to them." From the defart of Nedsjed, (fays Niebuhr,) they have advanced to the fea, and have conquered the country of Lachfa. The fchiech of this tribe does not live always in the city of Lachfa, but sometimes in tents in the defart."

BENI LAM, a great tribe of Bedouin Arabs, between Korne and Bagdad, upon the banks of the Trigris, the name of which, among the inhabitants, is DIDSJELE. They receive duties upon goods carried between Bafra and Bagdad. Thefe Arabs fometimes pillage caravans. The pacha of Bagdad then fends troops against them, and fometimes chaftifes them by beheading their chiefs. But the fucceffors of the fchiechs, who have been beheaded, are always as great enemies to the Turks, and as zealous to maintain their liberty, as their predeceffors have been.

(1.) BENIN, a kingdom of Guinea, in Africa, bounded by part of the gulph called the Bite of Benin, and the Slave Coaft, on the W. part of Gago and Biafara, on the N. Myjac and Makoko on the E. and Congo on the S. where it extends about one degree beyond the equinoctial line; the

length from E. to W. is about 600 miles; but its N. and S boundaries are not fo well determined. The land in general is low and woody; in fume parts it has rivers and lakes, but in others there is a fcarcity of water. It has a great number of wild beafts, particularly elephants, lions, tygers, leopards, baboons, monkeys, wild boars, deer, &c. The birds are partridges, of which fome are blue and fome green, turtles, wild ducks, woodcocks, &c. Indian corn and yams are the ordinary food of the natives, and ferve in the room of bread; they have two forts of beans, like horse-beans, but not near fo good. Their fruits are cocoa-nuts, cormantine apples, bananas, wild figs, &c. The negroes have feveral colours which might ferve for painting, and a good fort of foap made with palm-cil and wood afhes; they have a great deal of cotton, which not only ferves for their own ufe, but is exported to distant places. A little above Arebo, (See N° 2.) the country is very low and marshy, and feems to be divided into iflands; and yet there are trees of all fizes grow. ing on the banks; this renders the country very unhealthy, as many of our British failors have found to their coft; it is alfo incommoded with vaft numbers of mufquitoes, which sting terribly, and render the fkin full of puftules. There are 3 principal villages, to which the negroes come from the inland countries to traffic. One is called BOODADOU, and confifts of about 55 houses, or huts, for they are made with reeds and covered with leaves. The 2d called Arebo, is much larger than the former, and pretty well stocked with inhabitants; and the houfes have much more room, but they are built after the fame manner. The 3d is named Agaton, and was built upon a hill it was almoft ruined by the wars; but the negroes lately rebuilt it on account of its agree able fituation. Great Benin (N° 3.) is the capital and refidence of the king. The inhabitants of Benin are very exact in their trading, and will not recede from any of their old cuftoms; this renders them very flow in their dealings, and backward to pay their debts, which fometimes obliges the traders to fail before they receive fatisfaction but then they are paid fo foon as they return. Some of the merchants are appointed by the govern ment, which demands a fort of cuftom; but it is very trifling. There are three forts of officers under the king; the first are always near him, and none can addrefs him but by their means: there are feveral of the 2d fort; one takes care of the flaves another of the cattle, another of the streets, another of war, and fo on. Children go almost naked till they are 14, when they wrap a cotton cloth round their middles: the richer fort put on a fort of callico gowns, when they go abroad, with a kind of drawers; but within they are con tented with their ufual cloth: the women of the fuperior rank wear their cotton cloths like petti coats, and have a covering round their fhoulders, but keep it open before. The rich inhabitants of Benin live upon beef, mutton, and poultry; their drink is water, and brandy when they can get it. The poor fort live upon dried fifh, bananas, and beans; their drink is water and palm-wine. Their chief handicrafts-menre, fmiths, carpenters, and curriers; but they perform all their work in a

Very

hill in Aberdeenshire, nearly 1oco feet above the level of the sea, and 750 above that of the river Gady. Its bate covers about 4000 acres. It was formerly fortified, and the remains of a stone wal are still standing near its highest pinnacle.

BEN-LAOCHAL, a mountain in the county of Sutherland, almost perpendicular, deeply fur. rowed, and about half a mile high. It is famed in the fongs of the Highland bards, for being the fcene of Diarmid's death, which other bards place upon Bein-Ghulbhuinn. See BEIN-GHULBHUINN. They differ in the tradition too, as well as in the fcene: for here they tell us, that Diarmid, being an Abfalom in beauty, and little better in virtue, feduced Fingal's wife; which made that hero contrive the plan of getting him killed by the boar. They add, that he and the lady, or the boar, for it is not certain which, lie buried at the foot of Ben-Laochal.

BENLEDI, [Gae!. Ben-le-Dia, i. e. the hill of God,] a mountain of Scotland, in Perthfhire, in the parish of Callander, about 2009 feet above the level of the fea. From the top of it there is a very extenfive profpect; particularly eastward down the tract of the Forth,to the German Ocean, as no other mountain of half that altitude intercepts the view. It is of a conical figure, and the fummit is fmoothed by art, having been employed, tradition fays, in the days of Druidifm as a place of worship.

BENLOJA, in ichthyology, the name by which the Swedes call that species of CYPRINUS, which we call the BLEAK, and fome authors the ALBURNUS.

BEN-LOMOND, [Gael. contraction for BinLoch Lomond, i. e. [the hill of the lake full of islands, a lofty mountain in Stirlingshire, 3240 feet above the level of Loch-Lomond, along the fide of which it ftretches for feveral miles. Its height is furpaffed by BEN-NEVIS, BEIN-LAWERS, and fome other mountains; but the difference is more than compenfated by the magnificence of its infulated fi. tuation with respect to the neighbouring hills. Its form is a truncated cone, and its fides, particularly towards the lake, are finely covered with natural wood. The afcent is eafy on the SW. fide; but the N. fide is exceedingly fteep, having at one place a perpendicular precipice nearly 300 foms decp. The view from the fummit is moft extenfive. On the N. fide is the fource of the river Forth; here an inconfiderable rill, but very foon augmented to a river, by the numerous streams which join its waters as it paffes through the valley. Ben-Lomond is chiefly compofed of granite, interfperfed with immenfe malies of quartz. Confiderable quantities of micaceous fchiftus are found even at the top, and many rocks near the afe of the mountain are entirely compofed of that mineral. From the number of rare plants it produces, Ben-Lomond affords a fertile field for the ingenious botanist..

(1.) BENMORE, [Gael. i. e. the great hill,] or BEINMORE, a high mountain of Scotland, in the Ile of Mull.

(2.) BEN-MORE, or BENMOIR, a lofty mountain in Perthhite, in the parish of Kilfin, of a conical figure, and according to Stobie's map of that country, 3903 feet above level of the fea. It is ftuated by the fide of Loch Dochart, between Glendochart and Strathfillan, and affords good pafture for theep.

BENNAVENTA, or BENNAVENNA, an an cient town of Britain, on the Aufona Major, or the Antona of Tacitus: fuppofed to be North. ampton on the Nen; but according to Camden. Wedog, a village 6 miles to the W. of North ampton.

(1.) BENNET, Chriftopher, an eminent phy fician in the 16th century, was the fon of John Bennet, of Raynton, in Somerfctthire. He was educated at Lincoln college, Oxford; and pub lifhed a treatise on consumptions, entitled, Theatri Tabidorum Veftibulum, &c. alfo Exercitatiomes Diognoflice, cum Hiflorijs demonftrativis, quibus Alimentorum et Sanguinis vitia deteguntur in ple rifque morbis, &c.

(2.) BENNET, Henry, carl of Arlington, was born of an ancient family in Middlefex. In the beginning of the civil war, he was appointed under fecretary to George Lord Digby, fecretary of ftate; alterward entered volunteer for the royal caufe and did the king fervice at Andover, were he received feveral wounds. When the wars were ended, he continued faithful to the royal in terest in foreign parts He was made fecretary to the duke of York; was knighted by Charles II at Bruges, in 1658; and was sent envoy to the court of Spain. K. Charles, upon his reftoration caltd him home, made him keeper of his privy purfe, and principal feeretary of state. He had always a peculiar hatred to the lord chancellor Hyde, who condered him as a concealed Papift. a 1670, he was one of the council, entitied the Cobal, and one of those who advised shutting up the exchequer. In 1672, he was made earl of Arlington and Viscount Thetford, and foon after K. G. In 1673, he was appointed one of the 3 plenipotentiaries to Cologn, to mediate a perce between the emperor and the king of FranceThe House of Commons, in 1673, drew up ar ticies of impeachment against him. In 164, he was made chamberlain of the king's househoid, in recompenfe of his long and faithful fervice, as principal fecretary of state for the space of 12 years, to his majefty's great fatisfaction. But afterward his intereit began to decline, while that of the earl of Danby increafed; tor upon his return from his unfuccefsful journey to Holland in 1675, credit was fo much funk, that feveral perions at court diverted the king with mimicking his per fon and behaviour; yet he held the chamberlainhip to his death, in 1685. His letters to S William Temple were published after bis deat and much efcemed.

H

is perhaps the beft, and most, beautiful in the word; and there is enough of it, to ferve all the kingdoms of the univerfe, though they were all as fond of granite, as ancient Egypt."

He wrote, 1. An anfwer to the Diffenters Plea for Separation. 2. A Confutation of Popery. 3. A Difcovery of Schifm. 4 An Answer to a book Fentitled Thomas againft Bennet. 5. A Confutation of Quakerifm. 6. A brief History of the joint Ufe of pre-conceived Forms of Prayer. 7. An Anfwer to Dr Clark's Scripture doctrine of the Trinity. 8. A Paraphrafe, with Annotations, on the Book of Common Prayer. 9. An Hebrew Grammar; and other pieces. He died October 9th, 1728, aged 56.

(4.) BENNI. n. f. An herb; the fame with

avens.

(5.) BENNET, in botany. See CARYOPHYLLUS. BENNETS, a village in Shropih. near Shrewf

bury.

BENNET'S BRIDGE, a village of Ireland, 3 miles from Kilkenny, Leinfter, and 57 from Dublin. BENNETS, ST, in the Hulme, i. e. a river Ifland, in Nortolkfhire, SE. of Repeham.

BEN-NEVIS, or BENEVIS, a lofty mountain of Scotland, in Invernefs-thire, 4370 feet above the level of the fea. The fummit of this mountain affords one of the moft cxtcntive profpects in Scotland. One fees at once across the ifland, eastward to the German Ocean, and weftward to the Atlantic. The extent of view on the horizon of the fea is about 85 miles; and from the Murray Frith on the NE. to the island of Colonfay on the SW. it reaches 170 miles. Mr Frafer, minifter of Kilmalie, has given a most beautiful defcription of all the various prospects it affords; for which we muft refer the reader to Sir J. Sinclair's Stat. Acc. Vol. VIII. p. 414-418; and content ourselves with quoting his conclufion: "In a word (fays he,) the number, the extent, and the variety of the feveral profpects, the irregular wildness of the hills, of the rocks, and of the precipices, the noife of rivulets, and of torrents, breaking and foaming among the ftones, in fuch a diverity of fhapes and colours, the thining fmoothness of the feas, and of the lakes,-the rapidity and rumbling of the rivers, falling from ihelve to fhelve, and forcing their ftreams through a multitude of obftructions,-the ferenity of the azure kies, and the splendour of the glorious fun riding in the brightness of his majefty-have fomething fo charmingly wild and romantic, and fo congenial to the contemplative mind, as furpaifes all defcription, and prefents a fcene, of which the molt fervid imagination can fcarcely form an idea.” Mr Williams in his Nat. Hift. of the Mineral Kingdom, mentions, that "A great part of the hill of Benevis, is compofed of porphyry. It is a remarkably fine, beautiful, and elegant ftone, of a redith caft, in which the pale role, the bluh, and the yellowith white colours are finely blended, and fhaded, ough the body of the ftone, which is of a jelly nike texture, and is, undoubtedly, one of the finest and most clegant ftones in the world. About three fourths of the way up this hill, upon the NW. fide, there is found a porphyry, of a greenish colour, with a tinge of brownish red. This ftone is fmooth, compact, hard, and heavy, of a clofe uniform texture, but of no brightness, when broken. It s fpotted with angular specks, of a white quartzy ubftance. The elegant redith granite, of Renevis

(1.) BENNINGTON, a county of the State of Vermont, in North America, bounded N. by Rutland, E. by Windham S. by the State of Mallachutts, W. by a due N. and S. line which divides it from the State of New York. It is 34 miles from N. to S. and 19 from E. to W. It is divid ed into 19 townthips, viz. Arlington, Bennington, Bromley, Dorfet, Glastonbury, Langrove, Manchefter, Pownell, Reedfborough, Kuper, Shafti bury, Stamford, Sunderland, Sundgate, Woodford, and Windhal; and contains 12,238 free inhabitants, and 16 flaves. In the mountains are found large quantites of iron ore; for the manufacturing of which, a furnace and two forges have been erected.

(2.) BENNINGTON, a poft and chief town of the county, (N° r.) and formerly the leat of government. It is fituated near the S. fide of the Hoofack river, and contains about 150 houfes, a congregational church, a court-houfe, and jail. A battie was fought near this town in 1777, between brigadier-general Starke, at the head of 8co militia, and a detachment of general Burgoyne's army commanded by col. Baum; in which the latter were defeated and their commander taken; but col. Breyman coming up with a reinforcement of British troops, for a time turned the fortune of the day, by driving the Americans off the field; after which col. Warner reinforcing them with a continental regiment, the battle was renewed, and owing to a want of ammunition, the Britifh were again defeated, with a confiderable loss of men in killed and prifoners, betides 4 brafs field pieces and other military ftores. A fupreme court fits here the 1ft Tuef, in December. It is 203 miles NNE. of New York, and 298 from Philadelphia. Lon. 1. 19. E. Lat. 42. 42. N.

(3, 4.) BENNINGTON, two English villages, viz. 1. in Lincolnshire, near Bolton; 2. in Yorkshire, near Leicester.

(5.) BENNINGTON, LONG, a town in Lincolnfhire, near Licefterihire.

(1) BENOIT, Renatus, a famous Doctor of the Sorbonne, and curate of Euftathius at Paris, in the 16th century. He was a fecret favourer of the Proteftant religion; and that his countrymen might be able to read the bible in their own tongue, he published at Paris the French translation, which had been made by the reformed minifters at Ge neva. This tranflation was approved of by feveral doctors of the Sorbonne before it went to the prefs, and Charles IX. had granted a privilege for printing of it. Yet when it was published, it was immediately condemned. He had been before that time confeffor to our unfortunate Queen Mary, during her ftay in France, and attended her when the returned to Scotland. Some time before the death of Henry III. Dr Benoit, or some of his friends with his affiftance, published a book, intitled, Apoth logie Catholique, i. e. The Catholic, Apology: in which it was fhowed, that the Protef tant religion, which Henry king of Navarre profelled, was not a fufficient reafon to deprive him of his right of fucceeding to the crown of France.

When