GREPF1ER GREGORY. 



559 



colonnades, 115 feet asunder, supported by 300 

 double columns and pilasters; while a spacious 

 avenue through the hospital from the town, divides 

 these squares from each other, and thus also divides 

 the whole of the northern half of the building from 

 the whole of the southern. In the middle of the 

 great square is a statue of George II., sculptured by 

 Rysbrach. Extending 865 feet along the front, the 

 intervening bank of the Thames is formed into a 

 ten ace, with a double flight of steps to the river in 

 the middle. The pensioners to be received into the 

 hospital must be aged and maimed seamen of the navy, 

 or of the merchant service, if wounded in battle, and 

 marines and foreigners who have served two years 

 in the navy. The total expense of the establishment 

 is above .70,000 per annum, which is appropriated 

 to the support of about 3000 seamen on the premises, 

 and 5400 out-pensioners. Connected with this 

 establishment is a naval asylum, designed for the 

 support and education of the orphan children of sea- 

 men. On a rising ground in the park, 160 feet above 

 low water mark, and commanding a rich and varied 

 prospect, stands the royal observatory, celebrated by 

 the great names with which it is associated. The 

 private buildings are handsome, but the streets are 

 in general irregular. Population of the borough in 

 1831, 60,917. Previous to the passing of the reform 

 act, Greenwich was only a market-town, but it was 

 then created a borough, and now sends two members 

 to parliament. 1'he longitude in English geography 

 is calculated from the meridian of Greenwich. Lat. 

 51 29' N. Pop. in 1S41, 72,748. 



GREFFIER ; formerly, in the United Provinces, 

 the first secretary of state ; in France, the clerk of a 

 court of justice. For the etymology of the word, see 

 Count. 



GREGOIRE, HENRY, count, former bishop of 

 Blois, whose civil, literary, and religious career was 

 characterized by love of liberty, active philanthropy, 

 inflexible integrity, and ardent piety. He was born 

 at Vetro in 1750-; he was a member of the states- 

 general in 1789, and was one of the five ecclesiastics 

 present at the session of the Tennis Court. In the 

 constituent assembly, he was distinguished for the 

 boldness of his opinions on civil and religious liberty, 

 and for the eloquence by which he supported them. 

 At this early period, he began his efforts in favour of 

 the Jews and blacks, which place him high among 

 the friends of humanity. He was the first among the 

 clergy to take the constitutional oath. In the con- 

 vention, Gregoire advocated the abolition of royalty 

 (September, 1792), but endeavoured, at the same 

 time, to save the king, by proposing that the punish- 

 ment of death should be abolished. His absence on a 

 mission with three members of the convention, pre- 

 vented him from voting on the trial of the king ; but 

 he refused to sign the letter of his three colleagues 

 to that body, demanding the sentence of death. In 

 the reign of terror, when the bishop of Paris abdi- 

 cated his dignity, and several of the clergy abjured 

 the Christian religion in the presence of the conven- 

 tion, the bishop of Blois had the courage to resist the 

 storm of invectives from the tribunes, and threats 

 from the Mountain. "Are sacrifices demanded for 

 the country ?" he said ; " I am accustomed to make 

 them. Are the revenues of my bishopric required ? 

 I abandon them without regret. Is religion the sub- 

 ject of your deliberations ? It is an affair beyond 

 your jurisdiction. I demand the freedom of religi- 

 ous worship." At a later period, we find him in the 

 senate, forming one of the minority of five, opposing 

 the accession of the first consul to the throne, and 

 alone in opposing the obsequious address of that body 

 to the new sovereign. In 1814, he signed the act 

 deposing the emperor, and, in 1815, refused, as mem- 



ber of the institute, to sign the additional act. On 

 the restoration of the Bourbons, he was excluded 

 from the institute, and from his episcopal see ; and, 

 on his election to the chamber of deputies in 1819, he 

 was excluded from a seat by the royalist majority. 

 After this unmerited indignity, he devoted himself to 

 his literary and benevolent labours. He died kt 

 Paris in May, 1831. His works are numerous. 



GREGORIAN CALENDAR. See Calendar. 



GREGORY, bishop of Neocaesarea, in which place 

 he was born, of pagan parents, was called, on ac- 

 count of the many miracles which he is said to have 

 performed, Thaumaturgus (the worker of miracles). 

 He was distinguished for his eloquence, and was a 

 pupil of Origen. He died about 270. His works 

 were published (in Greek and Latin) by Vossius, with 

 scholia, Mayence, 1604, 4to. 



GREGORY OF NAZIANZEN, a celebrated 

 teacher of the Greek church, born about 328, at Ari. 

 anzo, near Nazianzum, in Cappadocia, was at first pres- 

 byter and afterwards bishop of Nazianzum. He was 

 the intimate friend of Basil, and a violent enemy of 

 the Arians. Among his pupils in eloquence, Jerome 

 was the most distinguished. He died about 390, and 

 left many works, of which a complete edition (Greek 

 and Latin) was published at Paris, 1609, two vols. 

 folio. 



GREGORY OF TOURS (his proper name was 

 George Florentinus) was born in Auvergne (539), 

 made bishop of Tours in 573, showed great firmness 

 in the dreadful times of Cliilperic and Fredegonde 

 (q. v.), and died Nov. 27, 593. Besides his eight 

 books on the virtues and miracles of the saints, he 

 left Histories Eccles. Francorum Libri X., which hie 

 brought down to the year 591, and which, notwith- 

 standing its marvellous tales and its want of method/ 

 has much interest, as being the only historical woik 

 of the time. 



GREGORY I., pope ; called also the Great. He 

 was born at Rome, of a noble family, about 544 ; 

 and, having received an education suitable to his 

 rank, he became a member of the senate, and filled 

 other employments in the state. Italy was then sub- 

 ject to the emperors of the East, and Justin II. ap- 

 pointed him to the important post of prefect or gov- 

 ernor of Rome ; which, after having held it for some 

 time with great reputation, he resigned. The death 

 of his father put him in possession of great wealth, 

 which he expended in the foundation of monasteries 

 and charitable institutions. Disgusted with the 

 world, he took the monastic vows himself, and be- 

 came a member of one of his own establishments. 

 Pope Pelagius II. sent him on an embassy to Con- 

 stantinople, and made him papal secretary after his 

 return to Rome. On the death of pope Pelagius, in 

 590, he was chosen his successor. He displayed 

 great zeal for the conversion of heretics, the advance- 

 ment of monachism, and the rigid enforcement of ce- 

 libacy among the clergy. His contest for ecclesiasti- 

 cal superiority with John, patriarch of Constantinople, 

 laid the foundation of the schism between the G reek 

 and Latin churches, which has subsisted to the pre- 

 sent day. The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to 

 Christianity was a project honourable to his zeal and 

 abilities. (See Augustin, St.) He died in March, 

 604. The works ascribed to this pope are very nu- 

 merous, and have been frequently published. The 

 most complete edition is that of the Benedictines of 

 St Maur (Paris, 1705, four vols. folio), under the 

 superintendence of father Denis de St Martha, who 

 in 1697, published a life of St Gregory the Great. 

 His genuine writings consist of a treatise on the Pas- 

 toral Duty, Letters, Scripture Commentaries, &c. 



GREGORY of NYSSA ; born at Nyssa, in Cap- 

 padocia, younger brother of Basil the Great, celebrafc- 



