BE'ZETH. A place of doubtful situation, but apparently near Jerusalem. It is mentioned in I. Mace. vii. 19, as the place where Baccbides encamped. Josephus calls it Bethzetho (Ant. xii. 10, 2).
BkZIERS, bli'zyA' (from Lat. Beterrw; see below). A city of France, formerly the seat of a bishopric, in the Department of Herault, beauti fully situated on the slope of t hill in the midst of a fertile country, at the junction of the Orb and the Canal du Midi, about 47 miles southwest of Montpellier (Map: France, K 8). It contains some interesting buildings, the principal being the Cathedral of Saint Nazaire, a noble Gothic edifice, and the ancient episcopal palace, em ployed since the removal of the see for Govern ment offices. The city has a communal college, a society of economics and archaeology, a library and museum. The old citadel has been destroyed, but the walls still remain, and are made use of as a promenade. Beziers has manufactures of silk stockings, woolens, gloves, parchment, glass, soap, leather, and famous confectioneries. It has
also extensive brandy-distilleries, and is the centre of most of the trade of the district. The town is supplied with water pumped up from the Orb. Population, in 1896, 48,012. Beziers was from immemorial times a fortress town, first Gallic, then Roman. It was during the Roman occupation named first Betel-11c, then Bcterra Septimanorum, and was the station of the Seventh Legion, and still contains Roman re mains. It is historically interesting in connection with the massacre of the Albigenses, when its in habitants were indiscriminately put to the sword to the number of over 20,000 by Simon de Mont fort and the Pope's legate, for having afforded protection to the fugitives in 1209. Beziers suf fered also in the religious wars of the Sixteenth Century.