BIDDLE. 58 United States and China : and during the Mexi- can War served on the Pacific Coast. BIBBLE, John (1015-62). The founder of English Unitarianisni. He was born at Wotton- underEdge, in Gloucestershire, baptized January 14, 101.5, and in 1031 entered Magdalen, O.xford, where he took his degree of B.A. 1038 and M.A. 1041. In 1041 he was elected master of the free school in the town of Gloucester, the duties of which office he discharged with such zeal that the character of the institution was greatly ini- ]>roved : but having embraced certain opinions — which lie put in writing for private circulation — in regard to the personality of the Holy Spirit, at variance with those held by the majority of Christians, he was thrown into jail. December 2, 1045. but bailed out. Being in January. 1647, summoned before the Parliament at W'estmin- 'ster, on accoinit of his heresy, he was imprisoned and then published the manuscript Tirclrr Qtics- tions or Aryiimoits Draint Out of Scripture, Wherein the Commonly Reccired Opinion Touch- inp the Deitxj of the Holy Hpirit Is Clearly and Fully Refuted (London, 1647). He was for- mally tried, and condemned to imprisonment. The "famous Westminster assembly of divines undertook to 'settle' Biddle's case, but unfortu- nately their arguments — as is usual in disputa- tion—had only the effect of strengthening his previous convictions. In 1048, while still in prison, he published a Confession of Faith Con- cer)iing the Holy Trinity, etc., which was fol- lowed by another tract containing the opinions of the Church Fathers on the same question. In consequence of this attempt to combat the ortho- dox doctrine, the Westminster divines called upon the Parliament to pass an act declaring the denial of the Trinity a crime punishable by death. The army, however, strange to say, proved on this occasion less cruel than the Cliurcli, for it manifested such strong opposition that the act remained a dead letter. He was again bailed out and preached in Staffordshire; again cast into prison at Newgate, London; and on February 10, 1052, by order of Oliver Crom- well, Parliament passed a general act of oblivion, and so Biddle was released. He now commenced to gather a congregation of those whom he had converted to his opinions — namely, that there was but one person, as there was but one nature, in the Godhead. The members were first called Bidellians, then So- cinians, and finally assumed for themselves the name of Unitarian's. In December, 1654, he was again imjjrisoned, for faith's sake, released on May 28, 1655, only again to be imprisoned after a month, and Cromwell was, on October 5,1655, in order to save his life, compelled to banish liim to one of the Scilly Isles. Three years of im- prisonment having elapsed, he was iieriuitted to return, and continued to preach in London till the death of Cromwell (September 3. 16.58), and also after the Restoration, until June, 1602, when he was again apprehended and fined £100. Being unable to pay, he was committed to jail, where he died September 22. 1002. Ilis personal cliaraeter was highly esteemed by those who knew him. For biograpliv, consult Joshua Toulmin (London, 1780; new ed., 1805). BIBBIiE, Nicholas (1750-78). .
Ameri-
can naval ollioer. He was born in Philadelphia, went to sea at the age of 13, and in 1770 entered BIBPAI. the English navy as midshipman, but deserted and joined Captain Phipps's Arctic expedition as a seaman. On tlie outbreak of the Revolution he joined the Americans and was made a captain. He captured two British transports with valu- able cargoes and a battalion of Highlanders in 1776, and as commander of the Randolph took four prizes, and received command of a fleet to cruise in the West Indies. He was killed in an engagement with the Yarmouth near Charleston, 8. C. BIBBLE, NlCHor..s (1786-1844). An Ameri- can financier. He was born in Philadelphia and graduated at Princeton College in 1801. He was secretary to President ilonriie, then United States jlinister to England, returned from that country in 1807, and settled down to the practice of law. In 1810 he became a member of the Leg- islature of Pennsylvania. He was appointed a director in 1810, and president in 1823, of the United States Bank, and for the most part con- ducted its afi'airs with great skill, integrity, and prudence. On the expiration of the old charter in 1836 he became president of the new United States Bank, chartered by the I^iCgislatui'e of Pennsjdvania, Init resigned in 1830, and the bank became insolvent in 1841. Biddle had consider- able literary taste, and from 1812 to 1823 edited and contributed to the Philndclphia Portfolio. By request of the President of the United States, lie compiled from the original papers a History of Lcn-is and Clark's Expedition to the Pacific Ocean, which, however, bears the name of Paul Allen on the title-page, Allen having completed the work after Biddle's election to the Legisla- ture in 1810. Biddle also published The Com- mercial Diffcst. a volume issued under the au- thority of Congress. He was president of the board of trustees appointed to administer the fund left by Stephen Girard for the founding of a school for orphans. BIBEFORB, bid'e-ferd (from 'by the ford'). A market and seaport town of Devonshire, Eng- land, on the Torridge, near its confiuence with the estuary of the Taw, 30 miles northwest of E.veter (>iap: England, B 5). A bridge of 24 ai'ches and 077 feet long, built in the Fourteenth Century, unites the two divisions of Bideford. "The little wliite town of liidcford," as it has been called by Charles Kingsley, dates from be- fore the Norman conquest. lncor|)oiatcd in 1383, it was in the Seventeenth Century a seri- ous rival of London and Exeter as a centre of irade. It has manufactures of ropes, sails, earth- enware, and leather. In addition to its own manufactures, it exports mineral paint and black clav from a mine in the vicinity. Population, in 1891, 7800; in 1001, 8800. Vessels of 500 tons can get u)) to the quay in the centre of the town. Bideford was the birthplace of Sir K. Grenville. one of the founders of Virgini;i. whose exploit in attacking a Spanish fiei't with his single ship, the Revenge, has been celebrated by Tennyson. Con- sult Watkins, Jlistonj of Bideford (Exeter, 1792). BIBPAI, bid'pi, or PILPAI. The reputed author of a collection of tallies which have be- come famous all over Europe and Asia under his name. The earliest version of this collection which we now possess is the .rabic. (See be- low.) But this was not the original form of the fables. The researches of Colebrookc, Wilson,
