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BEJAN (Fr. bejaune, from bee jaune, " yellow beak," in allusion to unfledged birds; the equivalent to Ger. Gelbschnabel, Fr. blanc-bec, a greenhorn)
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BEJAN (Fr. bejaune, from bee jaune, " yellow beak," in allusion to unfledged birds; the equivalent to Ger. Gelbschnabel, Fr. blanc-bec, a greenhorn), a term for freshmen, or undergraduates of the first year, in the Scottish universities. The phrase was introduced from the French universities, where the levying of bejaunium" footing-money " had been prohibited by the statutes of the university of Orleans in 1365 and by those of Toulouse in 1401. In 1493 the election of an Abbas Bejanorum (Abbot of the Freshmen) was forbidden in the university of Paris. In the German and Austrian universities the freshman was called beanus. In Germany the freshman was anciently called a Pennal (from Med. Lat. pennale, a box for pens), in allusion to the fact that the newly-arrived student had to carry such for the older pupils. Afterwards Fuchs (fox) was substituted for Fennel, and then Goldfuchs, because he is supposed still to have a few gold coins from home. B$JART, the name of several French actors, children of Marie Herve and Joseph Bejart (d. 1643), the holder of a small government post. The family—there were eleven children—was very poor and lived in the Marais, then the theatrical quarter of Paris. One of the sons, JOSEPH BEJART (C.1617-1659), was a strolling player and later a member of Moliere's first company (1'Illustre Theatre), accompanied him in his theatrical wanderings, and was with him when he returned permanently to Paris, dying soon after. He created the parts of Lelie in L'Elourdie, and Eraste in Le Depit amoureux, His brother Louis BEJART (c. 1630-1678) was also in Moliere's company during the last years of its travels. He created many parts in his brother-in-law's plays—Valere in Le Depit amoureux, Dubois in Le Misanthrope, Alcantor in Le Mariage force, and Don Luis in Le Festin de Pierre—and was an actor of varied talents. In consequence of a wound received when interfering in a street brawl, he became lame and retired with a pension—the first ever granted by the company to a comedian—in 1670. The more famous members of the family were two sisters.