724 



HIERARCHY IIIERO 1. 



Celibacy.) Gregory did not wholly accomplish his 

 objivt ; but his successors pursued his plan with per- 

 severance and success, and their efforts were favoured 

 by the crusades, which were undertaken at the close 

 of the eleventh century, and prosecuted for two cen- 

 turies. These wars promoted a tone of public senti- 

 ment favourable to the claims of the church, and, as 

 they were deemed of a religious character, they 

 afforded the popes numerous opportunities to take 

 part in the general affairs of the European nations, 

 and to direct the undertakings of the princes. Amid 

 these wars was developed the idea of the unity of the 

 Christian church, with the vicar of Christ at its 

 head. 



Thus, from the end of the eleventh to the middle 

 of the thirteenth century, the idea of a hierarchy was 

 accomplished. The church became an institution 

 elevated above the state, and its head, endowed with 

 a supernatural fulness of grace, stood, in public 

 opinion, above all secular princes. The highest 

 dignities of Europe were the papal and imperial, but 

 the papal tiara was the sun, the imperial crown, the 

 moon. At this time, the popes were generally vic- 

 torious in the disputes with the princes. Urban II., 

 Paschal II., and Innocent III. and IV., in particular, 

 knew how to maintain their superiority over the 

 princes, and to exercise a powerful influence on the 

 affairs of the European nations. The popes, however, 

 were no more ambitious than the princes, and only 

 acted in conformity with their character and relations, 

 when they attempted to render the church indepen- 

 dent of the political power, and to elevate it above 

 the state. Since the hierarchy rested on public opi- 

 nion, it was necessary for it to preserve this public 

 opinion by every means, and to suppress whatever 

 tlireatened to change it. It has, therefore, exerted a 

 pernicious influence by establishing inquisitions, and 

 restricting the freedom of the mind. But, on the 

 other hand, it was, in early times productive of much 

 good, by serving as a point of union to the European 

 nations ; by constituting a balance to the military 

 political power ; by frequently composing the diffe- 

 rences of the princes, checking the eruption of wars, 

 and giving religion an influence over the barbarous 

 nations of the middle ages. 



From the fourteenth century, the papacy, and with 

 it the hierarchy, began gradually to decline. This is 

 manifested by the disputes of the popes with Philip 

 the Fair and Louis the Bavarian, which did not ter- 

 minate to their advantage, as had been the case 

 before. To this must be added the removal of the 

 popes to Avignon, and the great schism which resulted 

 in the councils of Pisa (1409), Constance (1414), and 

 Basle (1431), where the popes appeared as parties 

 before a higher tribunal, and it was proclaimed that 

 the councils are superior to the popes. But what 

 was of yet greater importance, public opinion gra- 

 dually began to alter ; and, in many places, the 

 doubts started by Wickliffe and Huss found adherents. 

 Meanwhile, the popedom and the hierarchical system 

 stood uninjured in its outward forms till the beginning 

 of the sixteenth century. But, at this time, the 

 edifice, already tottering, was vehemently agitated 

 by the reformation. In that portion of Western 

 Christendom which separated from Rome, the hier- 

 archy altogether ceased. The Catholic church con- 

 tinued, indeed, even after the reformation, to assert 

 its hierarchical pretensions, but it was obliged to re- 

 nounce one privilege after another: the papal power 

 declined, and, in practice, became more and more 

 dependent on the civil authorities. 



Hierarchy is also used to denote a division of the 

 angels, prevalent in the middle ages. This seems 

 to have originated with Dionysius the Areopagite 

 (Ceelest. Hierarch. vii.). The number of hierarchies 



was tlirer, each subdivided into three orders : hence 

 Tasso (Jerusalem Del. xviii. 96) marshals his angels 

 in three squadrons, and each squadron in three or- 

 ders, and Spenser repeatedly mentions the " trinal 

 triplicities." The first hierarchy consisted of c-hern- 

 bim, seraphim, and thrones ; the second, of dominions, 

 virtues, and powers ; and the third, of principalities, 

 angels, and archangels. Milton, to whose machinery, 

 in his divine poem, many of the popular opinions on 

 the subject may be traced, often alludes to this 

 classification ; as for instance, 



Thrones, dominations, princedom?, virtues, powers, 



Hear my decree. 



HIERES, also HYERES, ISLANDS OF; in 

 Mediterranean, on the southern coast of France, 

 the department of the Var ; lat. 43 N. They 

 four in number Porteros, in the centre of the group, 

 the island of Levant or Titan, of Porquerolles, and 

 of Bagneaux. Around them lie some islets and 

 rocks. Porquerolles and the island of Levant are 

 the most important of the group. They are generally 

 sterile and little cultivated. The Romans called 

 them the golden islands, on account, it is said, of 

 their producing fine fruits, particularly oranges. They 

 contain about 1000 inhabitants. All the islands are 

 defended by forts and batteries. 



HIERES ; a town of France, department of the 

 Var; 3| leagues from Toulon, l from the Mediter- 

 ranean ; situated in a delicious country, where an 

 almost constant spring prevails. The air is not 

 healthy during summer, on account of the neighbour- 

 ing marshes. Lat. 43 T 2" N.; Ion. 6 8' 3" E. 

 Hieres has 7844 inhabitants, and carries on consider- 

 able commerce in olives, wine, oranges, pomegran- 

 ates, lemons. There are also salt-works in the 

 vicinity. The beauty of the place attracts many 

 strangers. The Romans called the place Ariee ; in 

 the middle ages it was called Ahires. In the thir- 

 teenth century, many crusaders sailed from the port 

 of Hie" res. 



HIERO I.; brother and successor of Gelon. On 

 his accession to the throne of Syracuse, Gelon con- 

 ferred on Hiero the government of Gela, his native 

 place, and, on his death, left him (B. C. 478) a scep- 

 tre, which he had (so to speak) rendered legitimate 

 by his virtues. Hiero's reign, though less glorious 

 than the preceding, was marked by a peculiar splen- 

 dour on account of his generous encouragement of 

 learning. But the recollection of his predecessor, 

 whose memory was highly revered, exposed the faults 

 of Hiero in a strong light, in the beginning of his 

 reign, when he conducted, according to some histori- 

 ans, in a tyrannical manner. Veneration for the 

 memory of his brother alone repressed the discontents 

 of his subjects. Dazzled by greatness, corrupted by 

 flattery, and suspicious in the extreme, Hiero at first 

 surrounded himself with foreigners and mercenaries, 

 fearing a rival in every one more virtuous and able 

 than himself. His brother Polyzelus was particularly 

 an object of his jealousy. He was a prince beloved 

 by the people who were accustomed to compare him 

 with Gelon. Hiero, therefore, wished to get rid of 

 him, and gave him the command of the troops sent 

 to aid Sybaris against Crotona. But Polyzelus, 

 penetrating his intentions, fled to the court of his 

 father-in law, Theron, king of Agrigentum. The 

 protection that he enjoyed here, was the cause of a 

 war, which Hiero terminated by doing a service to 

 his enemy. The inhabitants of Himera had been 

 governed tyrannically by Thrasydseus, son of Theron. 

 Wearied with oppression, they proposed to Hiero to 

 deliver him their city. The king of Syracuse informed 

 Theron of it, who, in consequence, made a proposal to 

 terminate the differences subsisting between them by 

 a permanent peace. Hiero received the sister of the 



