of his are recorded—"Cleopatra," "The Death of Achilles," and some three or four others. There are also twenty-four ballets. It is amusing to think that excitement arises occasionally from the most trifling causes. The historians of French literature tell us, that in 1651 a controversy raged in Paris on the relative merits of two sonnets—one by Voiture on Urania, the other on Job, by Benserade. Society was divided, as in political parties, into "Uranians" and "Jobelins." At the head of the first was Madame de Longueville—the second was led by the Prince de Conti. A good many amusing epigrams were circulated on the subject, one by Corneille, who decides the question by saying, that one is the best written, but that he prefers the other. Benserade published some "rondeaux" on the Metamorphoses of Ovid. The king gave him a thousand louis-d'ors to pay for engravings. Mademoiselle Scuderi wrote some good verses, praising the paper, printing, gilding, all—
" Hormis les vers, qu' il falloit laisser faire,
A la Fontaine."
Benserade was a member of the Academy, and a speech of his, in which he described his brother savans, created some amusement and gave great offence. Benserade became weary of court life, and retired to Chatilly—passed into devotion, and paraphrased the psalms. His garden was ornamented in the style of his day, with statues and inscriptions, in which he bids fortune and love a formal farewell. His death at seventy-eight cannot be called premature.—J. A., D.
BENSI, Giulio, pupil of Vaggi at Genoa about 1668. Painted history and subjects of architectural perspective, more learned than inventive. His best work in the sea-terrace city is a fresco of "the Coronation of the Virgin," an old traditional subject, at St. Domenico.—W. T.
BENSLEY, Thomas, a celebrated English printer, who died in 1833. He did much to advance typography in England, and has won for himself an honourable place in the annals of the art.
BENSON, George, D.D., an English dissenting minister, born at Great Salkeld in Cumberland in 1699. His reputation for learning procured him the notice of Hoadly, Butler, and Conybeare. He latterly became an Arian. Besides a considerable number of sermons, some commentaries, and occasional tracts, he published a "History of the First Planting of Christianity;" "The Reasonableness of the Christian Religion," &c.; and a "History of the Life of Jesus Christ;" the last published in 1764, a year after the death of its author.—J. S., G.
BENSON, Joseph, Wesleyan minister and theological writer, born 25th Jan., 1748, at Melmerby, in the county of Cumberland, and being designed by his father for the ministry in the established church, received a respectable classical and mathematical education. When about sixteen years of age, he united himself to the Wesleyan Methodist Society, and was in 1766 appointed by the Rev. John Wesley to the classical mastership of Kingswood school. In 1770, with the concurrence of Mr. Wesley, he accepted the office of head-master of the countess of Huntingdon's seminary at Trevecca in South Wales, which, in nine months, he resigned, in consequence of his theological opinions not being acceptable to her ladyship and her coadjutors. Meanwhile he had been keeping terms at St. Edmund's hall, university of Oxford; but as his occasional religious services proved to be obstacles in the way of his receiving orders in the established church, he left the university, and was, in August, 1771, received into the Wesleyan ministry, and appointed to the London circuit. In succession, he exercised his ministry in the principal towns of England, enjoying, during the lifetime of Mr. Wesley, no small share of his confidence, and after his death, taking a leading part in the government of the Wesleyan connection. In 1798, and again in 1810, he filled the office of president of the conference; and was, from 1803, editor of the Wesleyan Magazine. His literary labours were unremitted, and were for the most part carried on in connection with the duties of his public ministry. Besides editing the works of the Rev. John Wesley (17 vols. 8vo), and those of the Rev. John Fletcher (9 vols. 8vo), and the first 11 vols. of the Christian Library, he wrote several treatises in defence of the orthodox faith against Priestley and others; tracts in defence of Methodism; a Life of Fletcher (an admirable piece of biography); and sundry sermons: but his greatest work is his "Commentary on the Holy Scriptures," in 6 vols. 4to, which has been adopted by the Wesleyan conference as a standard work, and has by them been characterized as marked "by solid learning, soundness of theological opinion, and an edifying attention to experimental and practical religion." He died in London, February 16, 1821. After his death, two volumes of sermons, and three volumes of sketches and skeletons of sermons were published by his executors. It would be an injustice to his memory if we were not to make especial mention of his extraordinary power as a preacher. He was remarkable for the scriptural character of his discourses, and for his irresistible applications to the consciences of his hearers. The Rev. Robert Hall of Leicester observed to a friend after hearing him—"His sermon reminds me more of Demosthenes than any preaching I ever heard before."—W. B. B.
BENSON, Martin, D.D, bishop of Gloucester from 1734 to 1752. The life of Bishop Benson has not been written, but the following facts concerning one who well deserves to be remembered, are gathered from his monument in Gloucester cathedral, and from Bishop Porteus's life of Archbishop Seeker. He was the son of John Benson, prebendary, and grandson of George Benson, dean, of Hereford, his grandmother being a daughter of Dr. Samuel Fell, dean of Christ church, Oxford. He was born at Cradley, Herefordshire, April 23, 1689; and educated at the Charterhouse, and at Christ church. Having been ordained deacon, February 21, 1713, and priest, March 13, 1715, he became successively archdeacon of Berkshire, January 1720; prebendary of Salisbury, August, 1720; prebendary of Durham, February, 1723-4; chaplain to King George II, October, 1727; rector of Bletchley, Bucks, January, 1727. His first patron was Bishop Talbot of Durham, whose son, when on his death-bed, recommended to his notice his three friends, Benson, Butler, afterwards bishop of Durham, and Seeker, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury. The latter of these married Benson's sister. In 1734-5, the sees of Bristol and Gloucester being vacant. Seeker was consecrated to the former, and Benson to the latter. From this post he refused to be translated, and to the close of his life devoted all his energies to the faithful discharge of his sacred duties. He was one of the first to recognize the talents and piety of George Whitfield, afterwards so celebrated as a nonconformist preacher, whom he ordained both deacon and priest. Porteus speaks of him as "one of the most agreeable and virtuous men of his time;" and one, who was well qualified to judge, says, "he was from his youth to his latest age the delight of all who knew him. Wherever he went, he carried cheerfulness and improvement along with him." "He was well skilled in mathematics, painting, architecture, and the other fine arts." His worth may, in a great degree, be inferred from his most intimate friends, among whom, besides Butler and Seeker, was the celebrated Dr. Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne, whom in conjunction with him, even the satirical Pope felt bound to praise—
" Manners with candour are to Benson given.
To Berkeley every virtue under heaven."
The united church of England and Ireland has seldom sustained a severer loss than in the year 1752, in the short space of which, Benson, Berkeley, and Butler, were all called to their rest. In life they were united in all holy works; and in death, doubtless, they found the same peace through the same Redeemer.—T. S. P.
BENT, J. van de, a landscape painter, died in 1650. He studied under Wouvermans, A. Vandevelde, and Berchem. He must have had a large share of the Dutch commercial spirit of acquisitiveness, for he died of grief at having 4000 guilders stolen from him.—W. T.
BENT-AICHAM, daughter of Ahmed, an Arabian poetess of Cordova; died in 1009, equally distinguished by her virtues and poetic talents.
* BENTHAM, George, F.L.S., a distinguished botanist, who has made many contributions to the cause of science. He is the author of "A Catalogue of the Plants indigenous to the Pyrenees and the Lower Languedoc;" "A Synopsis of East Indian Scaphularineæ;" "A Description of the Genera and Species of Labiatæ;" "Commentaries on the Leguminosæ;" "Description of the Plants of Hartweg, Spruce, and others;" and "Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur." His valuable herbarium has been presented to the Kew collection.—J. H. B.
BENTHAM, Jeremy, was born in London, in the year 1748. His father, Jeremiah Bentham, was in good practice as a solicitor, and he took care to give his son the noblest of all inheritances—a sound and comprehensive education. At eight years of age, Jeremy was sent to Westminster school, where he not merely learned the rudiments of Latin and Greek, but got a rough initiation into human life, that early turned his attention
