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in matters of small importance; or else, upon a bill of conse-quence, the house resolves itself into a committee of the wholehouse. A committee ot the whole house is composed of everymember; and, to form it, the speaker quits the chair (anothermember being appointed chairman,) and may sit and debate as arivate member. In these committees the bill is debated clausey clause, amendments made, the blanks filled up, and sometimesthe bill entirely new modelled. After it has gone through thecommittee, the chairman reports it to the house with such amend-ments as the committee have made ; and then the house recon-siders the whole bill again, and the question is repeatedly putupon every clause and amendment. When the house has agreedor disagreed to the amendments of the committee, and sometimes•dded new amendments of its own, the biil is then ordered to beengrossed, or written in a strong gross hand, on one or more longrolls of parchment sewed together. When this is finished, it isl ead a third time, and amendments are sometimes then made toit; and if a new clause be added it is done by tacking a separatepiece of parchment on the bill, which is called a rydcr. Thespeaker then again opens the contents ; and holding it up in hishands, puts the question, Whether the biil shall pass? If this isagreed to, the title to it is then settled ; w'hich used to be a ge-neral one for all the acts passed in the session, till the Mh year ofHenry VIII . distinct titles were introduced for each chapter. Af-ter this, one of the members is directed to carry it to the lords,and desire their concurrence ; who, attended by several more,carries it to the bar of the house of peers, and there delivers it totheir speaker, who comes down from fils woolsack to receive it. Itthere passes through the same forms as in the other house, (exceptengrossing, which is already done;) and, if rejected, no more no-tice is taken, but it passes sub silentio, to prevent unbecoming al-tercations. Hut if it is agreed to, the lords send a message bytwo masters in chancery (or sometimes two of the judges) that theyhave agreed to the same : and the bill remains with the lords, ifthey have made no amendment to it. But if any amendments bemade, such amendments are sent down with the bill to receive tiieconcurrence of the commons. If the commons disagree to theamendments, a conference usually follows between members de-puted from each house ; who for the most part settle and adjustthe difference: but if both houses remain inflexible, the bill isdropped. If the commons agree to the amendments, the bill issent back to the lords by one of the members, with a message toacquaint them therewith. The same forms are observed, mutatismutandis, when the bill begins in the house of lords. But whenan act of grace or pardon is passed, it is first signed by his majesty,.and then read once only in eacli of the houses, without any newengrossing or amendment. And when both houses have donewith any bill, it is deposited in the house of peers, to wait theroyal assent; except in the case of a bill of supply, which, afterreceiving the concurrence of the lords, is sent back to the house ofcommons . The royal assent may be given two ways; 1. In per-son : when the king comes to the house of peers, in his crown androyal robes, and sending for the commons to the bar, the titles ofall the bills that have passed both houses are read ; and the king’sanswer is declared by the clerk of the parliament in NormanFrench ; a badge, it must be owned (now the only one remaining,)of conquest; and which one could wish to see fall into total ob-livion ; unless it be reserved as a solemn memento to remind us,that our liberties are mortal, having been once destroyed by aforeign force, and to stimulate us to the greater zeal in preservingthem. If the king consent to a public bill, the clerk usually de-clares, Le roy le veut, “ The king wills it so to be ;” if to a pri-vate bill, Suit fait comine il est desire, “ Be it as it is desired.” Ifthe king refuse his assent, it is in the gentlest language of Le roys' avisera, “ The king will advise upon it.” When a bill of sup-ply is passed, it is carried up and presented to the king by thespeaker of the house of commons; and the royal assent is 11msexpressed. Lc roy remercie sen loyal subjects, accepts leur bene-volence, et aitss'i k veut; The king thanks his loyal subjects,accepts their benevolence, and wills it so to be.” In case of anact of grace, which originally proceeds from the crown, and hasthe royal assent in the first stage of it, the clerk of the parliamentthus pronounces the gratitude of the subject: Lcs prelats, seig-neurs, et commons, en ce present parliament assembles, au nomde touts vous autres subjects, remcrcient ires humblcment votremujeste, et prient a Dieu vous doyner en suntc bone vie et longue;

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“ The prelates, lords, and commons, in this present parliamentassembled, in the name of all your other subjects, most humblythank your majesty, and pray to God to grant you in health anriwealth long to live.” 2. By the statute 33 lien. VIII. c. 21.the king may give his assent by letters patent under his great seal,signed with his hand, and notified in his absence, to both housesassembled together in the upper house. When the bill has receivedthe royal assent either way, it is then, and not before, a statute oract of parliament. This statute is placed among the records ofthe kingdom; there needing no formal promulgation to give itthe force of a law, as was necessary by the civil law with regardto the emperor’s edicts: because every man in Britain is, in judge-ment of law, party to the making of an edict of parliament, beingpresent thereat by his representatives. However, a copy thereofis usually printed at Hie king’s press for the information of thewhole land. And formerly, before the invention of printing, itwas published by the sheriff of every county ; the king's writ beingsent to him at the end of every session, together with a transcriptof all the acts made at that session, commanding him, “ utstalutailia, et omnes articulos in eisdem contentos, iu singulis locis ubiexpedire viderit, publice prociamari, et firmiter teneri, et obser-vari faciat.” Ami the usage was to proclaim them at his countycourt, and there to keep them, that whoever would might read ortake copies thereof; which custom continued till the reign ofII enry VII. An act of parliament thus made is the exercise of thehighest authority that this kingdom acknowledges upon earth , Ithath power to bind every subject iu the land, and the dominionsthereunto belonging; nay, even the king himself, if particularlynamed therein. And it cannot he altered, amended, dispensedwith, suspended, or repealed, but in the same forms and by thesame authority of parliament: for it is a maxim in law, that it re-quires the same strength to dissolve as to create an obligation. Itwas formerly held, that the king might, in many cases, dispensewith penal statutes; but now by statute 1 Wil. and M. st. 2. c. 2. itis declared, that the suspending or dispensing with laws by royalauthority, without consent of parliament, is illegal.

BILLET, in heraldry, a bearing in form of a long square.They are supposed to represent pieces of cloth of gold or silverbutGuillim thinks they represent a letter sealed up, and other au-thors take them for bricks,

Billkte, in heraldry, having the coat or field full of billets.

BILLETING, in military affairs, is the quartering of soldiersin the houses of a town cr village.

BILE! ARDS, a game at which a ball is forced against anotheron a table. This game is played on a rectangular table, with littleivory balls, which are driven into hazards or holes, according tocertain rules. It was invented by the French , but was plaved ina dilferent manner from what it is at present; having a pass ironfixed on the table, through which the balls at particular periodsof the game used to be played ; but now this method is quite laidaside. The French, Germans, Dutch, and Italians , brought thisgame into vogue throughout most parts of Europe , and in a tewyears it became a favourite diversion iu many parts of England,particularly with persons of the first rank. It has however of lateyears been'in a great measure prostituted by the designing amongall classes. Should the curious reader wish for farther informationon this game, he may consult any or all of the Encyclopedias ,where, he will receive'ample instructions.

B1LLINGHAM, a town in Northumberland on the Tyne.

BILLIONS, in arithmetic, [contraction of bimillions, ortwicemillions, the word millions occurring twice in explaining themeaning of the word,] millions of millions. See Arithmetic,Index.

B1LLOM, or BILLON, a town of France in the departmentof Buy de Dome.

Billon, or Billto, [from bulla, bullion, Lat.] in coinage, acomposition of precious and base metals, where there are mostof the latter, Thus,

Billon or Gold signifies gold under 12 carats fine; and

Billon or Silver, silver under six-penny weights.

B1LSON, Thomas, Bp. of Winchester,'the place of his hirthand education. In 15flb> lie was consecrated bishop of Worces-ter; and about a year alter, translated to the see of Winchester,and sworn of queen Elizabeth's privy council. He was one ofthe principal managers of the Hampton-court conference in 1604;and the Eughsh Laudation of the Bible iu the reign of king

James.