the Leontcs (Litany). It occupies an area about 90 miles long, has a greatest width of 20 miles, and is much used for a grazing-ground by the Arabs, the banks of the watercourses being very fertile. The name of CceleSyria was once ap- plied to the entire southern portion of Syria, embracing Phcenicia and Palestine.
BEKE, bek, Charles Tilstone (1800-74). An
English travelei', born at Stepney, Middlesex.
He first studied law at Lincoln's Inn, and de-
voted much attention to ancient history, phi-
lology, and ethnography. The results of these
studies first appeared in his works, Origines
Viblicce. Researches in Primei:al History (1834).
Supported only by private individuals, he joined
in Abyssinia the party led by Major Harris,
and distinguished himself by the exploration
of Gojam and the countries lying to the south,
which were previously almost unknown in Eu-
rope. The results of these researches appeared
partly in several journals, and in Abyssiiiia : A
Statement of Facts, etc. (2d ed., London, 1840). After returning to Europe, he published the Essay on the yile and [ts Tributaries (London, 1847) : On the Sources of the Xile (1849); Mcmoire justificatif en rehabilitation des peires
Paez et Lobo (1848) ; and On the (ieoyraphical
Distribution of the Ijanyuayes of Abyssinia
(1849). In 1861 he made a journey to Harrar,
and undertook in 180.5 a fruitless mission to
Abyssinia to obtain the release of British
captives. In 1874 Dr. Beke started for the
region at the head of the Red Sea, where he
claimed (though his views are disputed) to
li.i.ve discovered Mount Sinai east of the Gulf of
Akabaii, and not west, as generally supposed.
Other works of his are: British Captives in. Abys-
sinia (1865); King Theodore (1869); Idol in
Horeb (1871); Jesus, the Messiah (1872); and
Discoveries of Sinai in Arabia, which appeared
posthumously in 1878.
BEKES, ba'kfish. A town in Hungary, capi-
tal of a county of the same name, at the con-
fluence of the Black and White Kiiros, about 45
miles southwest of Grosswardein (Map: Hun-
gary, G 3). It is entirely agricultural in char-
acter. Wheat, flax, and vegetables are raised,
and considerable prominence is given to agricul-
ture. Population, in 1890, 25,000, mostly Prot-
estant Hungarians.
BEKKER, bek'kOr, Elisabeth (1738-1804).
A Dutch author, born at Vliessingen. During
the Revolutionary period she lived in France,
where she narrowly escaped death by the guil-
lotine. She wrote some poems and a number
of stories, mai'ked by elegance of style and by
skillful character delineation. These latter in-
clude Historie van Willem Leveml (1785) and
Abraham Blankaart (1787).
BEKKER, Immanuel (1785-1871). A Ger-
man classical scholar, born in Berlin. He
studied at Halle under F. A. Wolf (q.v.),
taking his degree in 1807; in 1811 he was ap-
pointed professor of philology at Berlin, where
he continued until his death in 1871. Bekker's
great service to classical philology consisted in
his recensions of texts on tlie basis of new colla-
tions of manuscripts, independent of printed
editions. His industry was enormous, and he
carried on his researches in Germany, France,
Italy, and England, examining in all over 400
manuscripts. Among the authors included in
his recensions were Phi to (for whose text he
collated over 30 manuscripts), Aristotle, the
Attic orators, Aristophanes, Thucydides, The-
ognis, Sextus Kmpiricus, Livy, Tacitus, and
otliers. He was also engaged on the Corpus In-
scriptionum Orwcarum, edited 25 volumes of the
Corpus Scriptoruin Hyzantinorum, and published
Anecdota Orwca, 3 vols. (Berlin, 1814-21), as
well as Studies in Old French.
BEL, bal, Karl Andreas (1717-82). A Hun-
garian historian, son of Matthias Bel. He was
born at Pressburg. and studieil at Altdorf, Jena,
and Strassburg. In 1757 he became ])rofessor of
poetry at Leipzig, where he edited the Acta
Krudiioruni and the Leipziger Gelehrte Zeitung.
He was subject to melancholia, and committed
suicide during one of his periods of depression.
He wrote De Vera Origine et Epocha Hunnorum,
Avarum, Hungarortim in Pannonia (1757); De
Maria Huiiguriw nan Kege sed Regina (1744).
BÉL, Mattiuas (1684-1749). A Hungarian
historian and savant, born at Ocsova. He
studied at Halle, was pastor at Neusohl and
rector of the Evangelical Lyceum at Pressburg'
from 1719. He wrote Hungarice Antiquce et
yovce Prodromus (Nuremberg, 1723); Notitia
Hungarice AorfE H istorieo-Geographica (incom-
plete, 1735-42), and other works, which have
proved rich sources of material for subsequent
historical workers.
BÉLA, hh'o. The name of four Hungarian
kings of the dynasty of Arpad. BiSla I. (1061-63)
suppressed the last attempts to restore heathen-
ism. By fixing a standard of weights, measures,
and coinage, he gave a permanent stinuilus to the
commerce of Hungary. He was also the first to
introduce the representative system into the Diet.
Béla II. (1131-41), surnamed 'The Blind,' was greatly influenced by his bloodthirsty wife. At the time of his marriage there was a general slaughter of the advisers in the preceding reign. He managed, however, to live on good terms with the Greek and the German emperors. His death, was due to intemperance. — Béla III. (1173-96), grandson of Bela II., was educated at Constantinople, and showed a predilection for Byzantine customs and culture, which he introduced into Hungary. He greatly increased the number of relisious houses. He married the sister of Philip Augustus of France.— Béla IV. (1235-70) was the son of Andrew II. , who granted the Golden Bull (q.v.). His great object was the humiliation of the nobles and the restoration of the royal power. His opponents appealed to Frederick II., Duke of Austria; but Bela, in 1236, overcame Frederick and forced him to pay tribute. Not long after, Bela was compelled to seek refuge with his discomfited foe from the Mongols, who in 1241 defeated him on the Sajo. Frederick robbed the King of all the treasure he had saved, and extorted from him three counties. Bela remained in Austria until the Mongols withdrew, and then returned, making it his especial care to rebuild the ruined villages and to
encourage colonization in the devastated parts. He was so successful in recruiting his strength that he vanquished Frederick at Vienna and repelled a second Mongolian invasion. He was unsuccessful in wai' against Ottocar II. of Bohemia, who defeated him in 1260.
