[1] The country of Moab is clearly visible from around Bethlehem.
BETHLEHEM, a borough of Northampton and Lehigh counties, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A., on the N. bank of the Lehigh river, opposite South Bethlehem and
55 m. N. by W. of Philadelphia. Pop. (1890) 6762; (1900) 7293 (350
foreign-born); (1910) 12,837. It is served by the Central of New Jersey,
the Lehigh & New England, the Lehigh Valley and the Philadelphia &
Reading railways, and is connected by two long bridges with South
Bethlehem. The borough lies on a ridge of ground commanding delightful
landscape scenery extending north up the course of the river to the Blue
Mountains 20 m. away. In Church Street and its vicinity still stand
several specimens of the 17th-century style of architecture of eastern
Germany. The same sect that erected these buildings, the Moravians, or
United Brethren, maintain here the Moravian College and Theological
Seminary, and a well-known school for girls (the Moravian Seminary),
founded as a church boarding school in 1749 and reorganized in 1785, for
girls of all denominations. During the War of Independence, from
December 1776 to April 1777, and from September 1777 to April 1778, the
old Colonial Hall in this seminary (built 1748) was used as a general
hospital of the continental army. From its roof the famous Moravian
trombones were long played on festal or funeral occasions, and later
summoned the people to musical festivals. The Moravians have given
Bethlehem a national reputation as a musical centre. Only a few years
after the city was founded, Benjamin Franklin was strongly impressed
with the fine music in its church, and towards the close of the 19th
century a choir under the direction of the organist, J. Frederick Wolle,
became widely known by rendering for the first time in America Bach's
_St John Passion_ (in 1888), followed after short intervals by the _St
Matthew Passion_, the _Christmas Oratorio_, the _Mass in B Minor_, and
finally by an annual Bach festival continuing for three days, which was
discontinued after Wolle's removal to the university of California in
1905. Bethlehem has often been called the American Bayreuth. Among the
borough's industrial establishments, the manufactories of iron and steel
are the most important, but it also manufactures brass, zinc, and silk
and knit goods. The municipality owns and operates its waterworks.
Bethlehem was founded by the Moravians, led by Count Nikolaus Ludwig
Zinzendorf, shortly before Christmas in 1741, and the season of the year
suggested its name; for the first century of its existence it was almost
exclusively a settlement of that sect, and it is still their American
headquarters. Bethlehem was incorporated as a borough in 1845. In 1904
the borough of West Bethlehem (pop. in 1900, 3465) was consolidated with
Bethlehem.
See J.M. Levering, _A History of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania_ (Bethlehem,
1903).
BETHLEHEMITES, a name borne at different times by three orders in the
Roman Catholic Church. (1) A community of friars at Cambridge, in 1257,
whose habit was distinguished from that of the ordinary Dominicans by a
five-rayed red star (in reference to Matt. ii. 9 f). (2) An order of
knighthood similar to the Knights of St John, established by Pius II. in
1459 to resist the inroads of the Turks. (3) The Bethlehemite Order of
Guatemala, a nursing community founded in 1650 by Pedro Betancourt (d.
1667), extended by the brothers Rodrigo and Antonio of the Cross, and
raised to an order by Innocent XI. in 1687. They wore a dress like that
of the Capuchins, and Clement XI. in 1707 gave them the privileges of
the mendicant orders. They spread throughout Central America and Mexico
and as far south as Lima, and with the order of sisters, founded in 1668
by Anna Maria del Galdo, were conspicuous for their devotion during
times of plague and other contagious diseases. This order became extinct
about 1850. The name Bethlehemites has also sometimes been given to the
Hussites of Bohemia because their leader preached in the Bethlehem
church at Prague.
BETHLEN, GABRIEL (GABOR) (1580-1629), prince of Transylvania, the most
famous representative of the Iktari branch of a very ancient Hungarian
family, was born at Illye, and educated at Szarhegy, at the castle of
his uncle Andras Lazar. Thence he was sent to the court of Prince
Zsigmond Bathory, whom he accompanied on his famous Wallachian campaign
in 1600. Subsequently he assisted Stephen Bocskay to mount the throne of
Transylvania (1605), and remained his chief counsellor. Bethlen also
supported Bocskay's successor Gabriel Bathory (1608-1613), but the
prince became jealous of Bethlen's superior abilities, and he was
obliged to take refuge with the Turks. In 1613 he led a large army
against his persecutor, on whose murder by two of his officers that year
Bethlen was placed on the throne by the Porte, in opposition to the
wishes of the emperor, who preferred a prince who would incline more
towards Vienna than towards Constantinople. On the 13th of October 1613,
the diet of Klausenburg confirmed the choice of the sultan. In 1615
Gabor was also officially recognized by the emperor Matthias. Bethlen no
sooner felt firmly seated on his throne than he seized the opportunity
presented to him by the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War to take up
arms in defence of the liberties and the constitution of the
extra-Transylvanian Hungarian provinces, with the view of more
effectually assuring his own position. While Ferdinand was occupied with
the Bohemian rebels, Bethlen led his armies into Hungary (1619), and
soon won over the whole of the northern counties, even securing
Pressburg and the Holy Crown. Nevertheless he was not averse to a peace,
nor to a preliminary suspension of hostilities, and negotiations were
opened at Pressburg, Kassa and Beszterczebanya successively, but came to
nothing because Bethlen insisted on including the Bohemians in the
peace, whereupon (20th of August 1620) the estates of North Hungary
elected him king. Bethlen accepted the title but refused to be crowned,
and war was resumed, till the defeat of the Czechs at the battle of the
White Hill gave a new turn to affairs. In Bohemia, Ferdinand II. took a
fearful revenge upon the vanquished; and Bethlen, regarding a
continuation of the war as unprofitable, concluded the peace of
Nikolsburg (31st of December 1621), renouncing the royal title on
condition that Ferdinand confirmed the peace of Vienna (which had
granted full liberty of worship to the Protestants) and engaged to
summon a general diet within six months. For himself Bethlen secured the
title of prince of the Empire, the seven counties of the Upper Theiss,
and the fortresses of Tokaj, Munkacs and Ecsed. Subsequently Bethlen
twice (1623 and 1626) took up arms against Ferdinand as the ally of the
anti-Habsburg Protestant powers. The first war was concluded by the
peace of Vienna, the second by the peace of Pressburg, both confirmatory
of the peace of Nikolsburg. After the second of these insurrections,
Bethlen attempted a rapprochement with the court of Vienna on the basis
of an alliance against the Turks and his own marriage with one of the
Austrian archduchesses; but Ferdinand had no confidence in him and
rejected his overtures. Bethlen was obliged to renounce his anti-Turkish
projects, which he had hitherto cherished as the great aim and object of
his life, and continue in the old beaten paths. Accordingly, on his
return from Vienna he wedded Catherine, the daughter of the elector of
Brandenburg, and still more closely allied himself with the Protestant
powers, especially with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, who, he hoped,
would assist him to obtain the Polish crown. He died before he could
accomplish any of his great designs (15th of November 1629), having
previously secured the election of his wife Catherine as princess. His
first wife, Susannah Karolyi, died in 1622.
Gabriel Bethlen was certainly one of the most striking and original
personages of his century. A zealous Calvinist, whose boast it was that
he had read the Bible twenty-five times, he was nevertheless no
persecutor, and even helped the Jesuit Kaldy to translate and print his
version of the Scriptures. He was in communication all his life with the
leading contemporary statesmen, so that his correspondence is one of the
most interesting and important of historical documents. He also composed
hymns.
The best editions of his correspondence are those by Sandor Szilagyi,
both published at Buda (1866 and 1879). The best life of him is that
by the Bohemian historian Anton Gindely, _Acta et documenta historiam
Gabrielis Bethleni illustrantia_ (Budapest, 1890). This work has been
largely utilized by Ignae-Acsady in his excellent _Gabriel Bethlen and
his Court_ (Hung., Budapest, 1890). (R. N. B.)
BETHNAL GREEN, an eastern metropolitan borough of London, England,
bounded N. by Hackney, E. by Poplar, S. by Stepney and W. by Shoreditch.
Pop. (1901) 129,680. It is a district of poor houses, forming part of
the area commonly known as the "East End." The working population is
employed in the making of match-boxes, boot-making, cabinet-making and
other industries; but was formerly largely devoted to silk-weaving,
which spread over the district from its centre in Spitalfields (see
STEPNEY). This industry is still maintained. The Bethnal Green museum
was opened in 1872. It contains exhibits of food and animal products,
formerly at South Kensington, entomological collections, &c.; and
various loan exhibitions are held from time to time. The Museum also
housed the Wallace collection until the opening of Hertford House, and
the pictures now in the National Portrait Gallery. It stands in public
gardens; there are several other small open spaces; and some 70 out of
the 217 acres of Victoria Park are within the borough. Close by the park
there stood, until the 19th century, a house believed to have belonged
to the notorious Bishop Bonner, the persecutor of Protestants in the
reign of Mary; his name is still attached to a street here. Among
institutions are the missionary settlement of the Oxford House, founded
in 1884, with its women's branch, St Margaret's House; the North-Eastern
hospital for children, the Craft school und the Leather Trade school.
The parliamentary borough of Bethnal Green has two divisions, each
returning one member. The borough council consists of a mayor, 5
aldermen and 30 councillors. Area, 759.3 acres.
BETHUNE (FAMILY). The _seigneurs_ of Bethune, _avoues_ (_advocati_) of
the great abbey of Saint-Vaast at Arras from the 11th century, were the
ancestors of a great French house whence sprang the dukes of Sully,
Charost, Orval, and Ancenis; the marquises of Rosny, Courville and
Chabris; the counts of Selles and the princes of Boisbelle and
Henrichemont. Conon de Bethune (q.v.), the crusader and poet, was an
early forebear. The most illustrious member of the Bethune family was
Maximilien, baron of Rosny, and afterwards duke of Sully (q.v.),
minister of Henry IV. His brother Philip, count of Selles and of
Charost, was ambassador to Scotland, Rome, Savoy and Germany, and died
in 1649. Hippolyte de Bethune, count of Selles and marquis of Chabris,
who died in 1665, bequeathed to the king a magnificent collection of
historical documents and works of art. The Charost branch of the family
gave France a number of generals during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The last duke of Charost, Armand Joseph de Bethune (1738-1800), French
economist and philanthropist, served in the army during the Seven Years'
War, after which he retired to his estates in Berry, where, and also in
Brittany and Picardy, he sought to ameliorate the lot of his peasants by
abolishing feudal dues, and introducing reforms in agriculture. During
the Terror he was arrested, but was liberated after the 9th Thermidor.
He was mayor of the 10th arrondissement of Paris under the Consulate,
and died at Paris on the 20th of October 1800, of small-pox, contracted
during a visit to a workshop for the blind which he had founded. He
published essays on the way to destroy mendicancy and to improve the
condition of the labourers, and also on the establishment of a fund for
rural relief and the organization of rural education. His life throws
light on some phases of the _ancien regime_ which are often overlooked
by historians. Louis XV. said of Charost, "Look at this man, his
appearance is insignificant, but he has put new life into three of my
provinces." His only son, Armand Louis de Bethune, marquis de Charost,
was beheaded on the 28th of April 1794.
BETHUNE, CONON or QUESNES, DE (c. 1150-1224), French _trouvere_ of
Arras, was born about the middle of the 12th century. He came about 1180
to the court of France, where he met Marie de France, countess of
Champagne. To this princess his love poems are dedicated, and much of
his time was passed at her court where the _trouveres_ were held in high
honour. At the French court he met with some criticisms from Queen Alix,
the widow of Louis VII., on the roughness of his verse and on his Picard
dialect. To these criticisms, interesting as proof of the already
preponderant influence of the dialect of the Ile de France, the poet
replied by some verses in the satirical vein that best suited his
temperament. Some of his best songs were inspired by anger at the delays
before the crusade of 1188-1192. His plain-speaking made him many
enemies, and when he returned with the rest after the fruitless capture
of Acre, these were not slow to take advantage of the opportunity for
retaliation. Conon took part with Baldwin of Flanders in the crusade
which resulted in 1204 in the capture of Constantinople, and he is said
to have been the first to plant the crusaders' standard on the walls of
the city. He held high office in the new empire and died about 1224. His
verses, of which the crusading song _Ah! amors com dure departie_ is
well known, are marked by a vigour and martial spirit which distinguish
them from the work of other _trouveres_.
The completest edition of his works is in the _Trouveres belges_ of
Aug. Scheler (1876).
BETHUNE, a town of northern France, capital of an arrondissement in the
department of Pas-de-Calais, 24 m. N.N.W. of Arras, on the Northern
railway between that town and St Omer. Pop. (1906) 12,601. Bethune is
situated on a low hill at the confluence of the Lawe with the canal from
Aire to Bauvin. Once strongly fortified, it is now surrounded by wide
boulevards, and new quarters have grown up on its outskirts. The old
town is composed of winding streets and _culs-de-sac_ bordered by old
houses in the Flemish style. In the central square stands one of the
finest belfries of northern France, a square structure surmounted by a
wooden campanile, dating from the 14th century. St Vaast, the principal
church of Bethune, belongs to the 16th century. The town is the seat of
a sub-prefect, and has a tribunal of first instance, a chamber of
commerce and a communal college among its public institutions. Bethune
lies in the midst of the richest coal mines in France. Its industries
include the distillation of oil, tanning, salt-refining, brewing, and
the manufacture of earthenware and casks. Trade is carried on in flax,
cloth, cereals, oil-seeds, &c.
The town, which dates from the 11th century, was governed by its own
lords till 1248, after which date it passed through the ownership of the
counts of Flanders, the dukes of Burgundy, and the sovereigns of Austria
and Spain. Ceded to France by the peace of Nijmwegen (1678), it was
taken by the allied forces in 1710, and restored to France by the treaty
of Utrecht.
BETROTHAL (A.S. _treowth_, "truth"), the giving "one's truth," or
pledging one's faith to marry. Although left optional by the church and
not necessary in law, betrothal was anciently a formal ceremony which in
most cases preceded the actual marriage service, usually by a period of
some weeks, but the marriage might for various reasons be delayed for
years. The canon law distinguished two types of betrothal:--(1)
_Sponsalia de praesenti_, (2) _Sponsalia de futuro_. The first was a
true though irregular marriage, and was abolished by the council of
Trent as leading to clandestine unions and therefore being inimical to
morality. The second, or betrothal properly so called, was a promise to
marry at a future date, which promise without further ceremony became a
valid marriage upon consummation. The church never precisely determined
the form of the ceremony, but demanded for its validity that it should
have been entered into freely and at a legal age, i.e. after the seventh
birthday. The church further declared that females between the ages of
seven and twelve, and males between seven and fourteen, could be
betrothed, but not married, and that all such betrothals were to be
public. The ill-defined laws as to betrothals tended to encourage
abuses; and the people, especially in the rural districts, inclined to
hold betrothal sufficient justification for cohabitation. Such
pre-contract is known to have existed in the case of Shakespeare (q.v.).
Francis Douce (_Illustrations of Shakespeare and of Antient Manners_,
1807) says that betrothal consisted of the "interchange of rings--the
kiss--the joining of hands, to which is to be added the testimony of
witnesses." In France the presence of a priest seems to have been
considered essential, and though this was not so elsewhere it was
customary for the couple to get their parish priest to witness their
promise. In England solemn betrothal was almost universally practised.
Among the peasantry the place of rings was taken by a coin which was
broken between the pair, each taking a part. But almost any gift
sufficed. A case in 1582 is recorded where the lover gave the girl a
pair of gloves, two oranges, two handkerchiefs and a red silk girdle.
Sometimes the bride-elect received a bent or crooked sixpence. At the
conclusion of the ceremony, which by no means always took place in a
church, it seems to have been usual for the couple to pledge each other
in a cup of wine, as do the Jews and Russians to-day. This drinking
together was ever the universal custom of parties in ratification of a
bargain. Joseph Strutt (1749-1802) states that by the civil law gifts
given at betrothal could be recovered by the parties, if the marriage
did not take place. But only conditionally, for if the man "had had a
kiss for his money, he should lose one half of that which he gave. Yet
with the woman it is otherwise, for, kissing or not kissing, whatever
she gave, she may ask and have it again. However, this extends only to
gloves, rings, bracelets and such-like small wares." Though the church
abstained from prescribing the form of the ceremony, it jealously
watched over the fulfilment of such contracts and punished their
violation. Betrothal, validly contracted, could be dissolved either by
mutual consent, or by the supervening of some radical physical or social
change in the parties, or by the omission to fulfil one of the
conditions of the contract. But here the church stepped in, and
endeavoured to override such law as existed in the matter by decreeing
that whoever, after betrothal, refused to marry _in facie ecclesiae_,
was liable to excommunication till relieved by public penance. In
England the law was settled by an act of 1753, which enacted that an
aggrieved party could obtain redress only by an action at common law for
breach of promise of marriage (see MARRIAGE).
Formal betrothal is no longer customary in England, but on the European
continent it retains much of its former importance. There it is either
solemn (publicly in church) or private (simply before witnesses). Such
betrothals are legal contracts. They are only valid between persons of
legal age, both of whom consent; and they are rendered void by fraud,
intimidation and duress. In Germany if the parties are under age the
consent of the parents is needed; but if this be unreasonably withheld
the couple may appeal to a magistrate, who can sanction the betrothal.
If the parents disagree, the father's wish prevails. Public betrothal
carries with it an obligation to marry, and in case of refusal an action
"lies" for the injured party. In Germany the betrothal is generally
celebrated before the relatives, and the couple are called bride and
bridegroom from that day _until_ marriage. In Russia, where it was once
as binding as marriage, it is now a mere formal part of the marriage
ceremony.
Among the ancient Jews betrothal was formal and as binding as marriage.
After the ceremony, which consisted of the handing of a ring or some
object of value to the bride and formal words of contract, and the
mutual pledging of the couple in consecrated wine, a period of twelve
months elapsed before the marriage was completed by the formal
home-taking; unless the bride was a widow or the groom a widower, when
this interval was reduced to thirty days. Latterly the ceremony of
betrothal has become a part of the marriage ceremony, and the engagement
has become the informal affair it is in England.
For betrothal customs in China, the East and elsewhere, consult L.J.
Miln, _Wooings and Weddings in Many Climes_ (London, 1900), and H.N.
Hutchinson, _Marriage Customs in Many Lands_ (London, 1897). On early
English law as to betrothals see Sir F. Pollock and Maitland, _History
of English Law before the time of Edward I._ (2nd ed., 1898). See also
J.O. Halliwell-Phillipps, _Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare_
(London, 1848, 1883).
BETTERMENT (i.e. "making better," as opposed to "worsement"), a general
term, used particularly in connexion with the increased value given to
real property by causes for which a tenant or the public, but not the
owner, is responsible; it is thus of the nature of "unearned increment."
When, for instance, some public improvement results in raising the value
of a piece of private land, and the owner is thereby "bettered" through
no merit of his own, he gains by the betterment, and many economists and
politicians have sought to arrange, by taxation or otherwise, that the
increased value shall come into the pocket of the public rather than
into his. A betterment tax would be so assessed as to divert from the
owner of the property the profit thus accruing "unearned" to him. (See
also COMPENSATION.) The whole problem is one of the incidence of
taxation and the question of land values, and various applications of
the principle of betterment have been tried in America and in England,
raising considerable controversy from time to time.
See A.A. Baumann, _Betterment, Worsement and Recoupment_ (1894).
BETTERTON, THOMAS (c. 1635-1710), English actor, son of an under-cook to
King Charles I., was born in London. He was apprenticed to John Holden
Sir William Davenant's publisher, and possibly later to a bookseller
named Rhodes, who had been wardrobe-keeper to the theatre in
Blackfriars. The latter obtained in 1659 a licence to set up a company
of players at the Cockpit in Drury Lane; and on the reopening of this
theatre in 1660, Betterton made his first appearance on the stage. His
talents at once brought him into prominence, and he was given leading
parts. On the opening of the new theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in
1661, Sir William Davenant, the patentee, engaged Betterton and all
Rhodes's company to play in his _Siege of Rhodes_. Betterton, besides
being a public favourite, was held in high esteem by Charles II., who
sent him to Paris to examine stage improvements there. According to
Cibber it was after his return that shifting scenes instead of tapestry
were first used in an English theatre. In 1692, in an unfortunate
speculation, Betterton and his friend Sir Francis Watson were ruined;
but Betterton's affection for Sir Francis was so strong that he adopted
the latter's daughter and educated her for the stage. In 1693, with the
aid of friends, he erected the New Playhouse in the tennis court in
Lincoln's Inn Fields. It was opened in 1695 with Congreve's _Love for
Love_. But in a few years the profits fell off; and Betterton, labouring
under the infirmities of age and gout, determined to quit the stage. At
his benefit performance, when the profits are said to have been over
L500, he played Valentine in _Love for Love_. In 1710 he made his last
appearance as Melantius in _The Maid's Tragedy_; he died on the 28th of
April, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
In appearance he was athletic, slightly above middle height, with a
tendency to stoutness; his voice was strong rather than melodious, but
in recitation it was used with the greatest dexterity. Pepys, Pope,
Steele and Cibber all bestow lavish praise on his acting. His repertory
included a large number of Shakespearian roles, and although many of
these were presented in the tasteless versions of Davenant, Dryden,
Shadwell and Nahum Tate, yet they could not hide the great histrionic
gifts which Betterton possessed, nor does his reputation rest on these
performances alone. The blamelessness of his life was conspicuous in an
age and a profession notorious for dissolute habits. Betterton was
author of several adaptations which were popular in their day. In 1662
he had married Mary Saunderson (d. 1712), an admirable actress, whose
Ophelia shared the honours with his Hamlet.
See Howe, _Thomas Betterton_ (1891); _The Life and Times of Thomas
Betterton_ (1886).
BETTIA, a town of British India, in the Champaran district of Bengal;
situated on a former branch of the Harha river, with a station on the
Tirhoot section of the Bengal & North-Western railway. Bettia is the
residence of one of the leading noblemen of northern Behar, who enjoys a
rent-roll of L66,000. In 1901, owing to a disputed succession, the
estate was under the management of the court of wards. It comprises land
in no fewer than ten districts, much of which is let on permanent leases
to indigo-planters. Besides the palace of the maharaja, the town
contains a middle English school and a female dispensary, entirely
supported out of the estate. There is a Roman Catholic mission, with
about 1000 converts, which was founded by an Italian priest in 1746.
BETTINELLI, SAVERIO (1718-1808), Italian Jesuit and man of letters, was
born at Mantua on the 18th of July 1718. After studying under the
Jesuits in his native city and at Bologna he entered the society in
1736. He taught the belles-lettres from 1739 to 1744 at Brescia, where
Cardinal Quirini, Count Mazzuchelli, Count Duranti and other scholars,
formed an illustrious academy. He next went to Bologna, to pursue the
study of divinity, and there he enjoyed the society of many learned and
literary men. At the age of thirty he went to Venice, where he became
professor of rhetoric, and was on friendly terms with the most
illustrious persons of that city and state. The superintendence of the
college of nobles at Parma was entrusted to him in 1751; and he had
principal charge of the studies of poetry and history, and the
entertainments of the theatre. He remained there eight years, visiting,
at intervals, other cities of Italy, either on the affairs of his order,
for pleasure or for health. In 1755 he traversed part of Germany,
proceeded as far as Strassburg and Nancy, and returned by way of Germany
into Italy, taking with him two young sons or nephews of the prince of
Hohenlohe, who had requested him to take charge of their education. He
made, the year following, another journey into France along with the
eldest of his pupils; and during this excursion he wrote his famous
_Lettere dieci di Virgilio agli Arcadi_, which were published at Venice
with his _sciolti_ verses, and those of Frugoni and Algarotti. The
opinions maintained in these letters against the two great Italian poets
and particularly against Dante, created him many enemies, and embroiled
him with Algarotti. In 1758 he went into Lorraine, to the court of King
Stanislaus, who sent him on a matter of business to visit Voltaire.
Voltaire presented him with a copy of his works, with a flattering
inscription in allusion to Bettinelli's _Letters of Virgil_. From Geneva
he returned to Parma, where he arrived in 1759. He afterwards lived for
some years at Verona and Modena, and he had just been appointed
professor of rhetoric there, when, in 1773, the order of Jesuits was
abolished in Italy. Bettinelli then returned into his own country, and
resumed his literary labours with new ardour. The siege of Mantua by the
French compelled him to leave the city, and he retired to Verona, where
he formed an intimate friendship with the chevalier Hippolito
Pindemonti. In 1797 he returned to Mantua. Though nearly eighty years
old, he resumed his labours and his customary manner of life. He
undertook in 1799 a complete edition of his works, which was published
at Venice in 24 vols. 12mo. Arrived at the age of ninety years, he still
retained his gaiety and vivacity of mind, and died on the 13th of
September 1808. The works of Bettinelli are now of little value. The
only one still deserving remembrance, perhaps, is the _Risorgimento
negli studj, nelle Arti e ne' Costumi dopo il Mille_ (1775-1786), a
sketch of the progress of literature, science, the fine arts, industry,
&c., in Italy.
BETTWS Y COED, an urban district of Carnarvonshire, North Wales, 4 m.
from Llanrwst and 16 m. from Llandudno, on a branch of the London &
North-Western railway. Pop. (1901) 1070. The name means "warm place of
the wood," according to Llyn's definition of _bettws_. The other
derivation of the word from _Abbatis_ (_domus_) agrees with its vicinity
to Yspytty[1] Ifan (Ieuan), _Hospitium Ioannis_, near Pentre'r Foelas.
The words "y coed" are added to distinguish this Bettws from several
others in Wales, especially that near Llandeilo Fawr, Carmarthenshire,
not far from the Bettws hills. Bettws y coed is a favourite village for
artists and tourists. It is a centre for excursions towards Capel Curig
and Snowdon, or towards Blaenau Festiniog, via Roman Bridge. There is
excellent fishing for salmon and trout, and in summer coaches leave
their daily loads of tourists here. The best-known streams and
waterfalls are Llugwy, Lledr, with Rhaiadr y wenol (Swallow falls),
Conwy and Machno falls. In the neighbourhood are Dolwyddelan castle and
the hill of Moel Siabod.