G O R 



it a gors, or gulf; but this feems to be a miftake, for in 

 Doonifday it is called gourt and gcrt, the old French word 

 for a zudr, 



GORCHWICH, in Geography, a town of Saxony, in 

 the Vogtir.iid, 1 8 miles S.S.W. of Gera. N. lat. 5o''22'. 

 E. long, u 53'. 



GORCUM, probably a corruption of Goiichcm, a 

 town of Holland, fituated on the river Linge, at its union 

 with the Wahal. From the ileeple of the principal church 

 may be feen 22 walled cities, beiides a great number of 

 towns and villages ; before the revolution it had one parifn- 

 church, and three rehgious houfes ; 12 miles E. of Dort. 

 N. lat. 51^ 5-2'. E. long. 4" 50'. 



GORDENE', in ylnclent Geography, a country of the 

 Greater Armenia, according to Ptolemy ; which country 

 is called " Gordyenc" by Strabo and by Plutarch in his life 

 of LucuUus. 



GORDES, in G(ojn:/i/i)', a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of Vaucluft, and chief place of a canton in the 

 dillritl of Apt ; 9 miles \V. of Apt. The place contains 

 2812, and the canton 6430 inhabitant';, on a territory of 

 167^ kiliometres, in 8 communes. 



GORDEWARE Point, a cape of Hindooftan, on 

 the coall of Rajamundry, at the mouth of the Godavery. 

 N.lat. 16- 42'. E. long. 82' 28'. 



GORDIiEUS Mo.N-s, in ylncient Geography, -a, mountain 

 of the Greater Armenia. Ptol. 



GORDIANI, M. A-N-TONlusGoRDlANLS, mBiography, 

 Roman emperor, born A.D. 157, was fon of Metius Ma- 

 rullus, a fenator defcendcd from the Gracchi, by Ulpia 

 Gardiana, of the family of the emperor Trajan. He became 

 pofTeiTed of a great eftatc, with which he lived in a ftyle of 

 magnificence, but without palling the bounds of moderation. 

 He was a patron of literature and literary men, and a pro- 

 iicient in eloquence and poetry. He wrote a poem in thirty 

 books, to celebrate the reigns of Titus and M. Aurelius An- 

 toninus. \Vhen he fcrved the office of edile, he enter- 

 tained tlie people with a fplendour which no private perfon 

 had for a long time exhibited, and his (hows were exhibited 

 every month in the year while he was in office. There is, 

 however, no reafon for fuppofmg that he was over ambitious 

 of coming forwards into public life, for it was not till his 

 fifty-fifth year that he was elefted conful in conjunclion with 

 the emperor Caracalla. He might, perhaps, be unwilling 

 to rifque the fafety of his perfon in thofe turbulent times ; 

 and it has been thought extraordinary that under fo jealous a 

 tyrant he fhould venture upon the profufe expences wliich 

 diftinguiflied his confullliip not only in the imperial city, but 

 in various parts of Italy alfo. He enjoyed the fame honour 

 a fecond time in the reign of Alexander Sevcrus, wlio ex- 

 prefTed his high efteem for him by confirming his nomination 

 to the government of Africa asproconful. In this import- 

 ant poll he difplayed fo much equity and beneficence, that he 

 was more beloved in the province than any of his predecefTors. 

 Under the emperor Maximin, in the year 237. a fedition was 

 excited againft the rapacity of an officer in the government 

 of Africa, and the perpetrators, to avoid the venge;mce of 

 a cruel and incenfed fovereign, appeared in open rebellion 

 and infifted upon Gordian's afluming the purple. He re- 

 monftrated with the confpirators, but their refolutioii was 

 formed, and at the age of fourfcore he was forced to ap- 

 pear in a character, after which he had never afpirrd. They 

 afTociated with him, to alleviate his cares, the younger Gor- 

 dian, a man of voluptuous habits, but wlio was ot a mild 

 difpofition, and attached to letters. A library of fixty-thou- 



G O R 



Lnd volumes, bequeathed liim by his tutor Sercnus Sammo- 

 nicus, gave him rcputatiosi in the literary world, which he 

 maintained by writing both in profu and verfe. Tins young 

 man had been elevated to the office of quellor by the defpi- 

 cable Heliogabalus ; nevcrthclefs, the confidence placed in 

 his integrity, and knowledge of the law?, by Alexa/ider, 

 who created him prefect of Rome, and who always paid 

 great deference to his advice, was much in his praife. He 

 Ihared in the elevation of his father, and they were declared 

 joint emperors. The Gordians removed to Carthage, whence 

 tlity fent letters to Rome, announcing their eleftion. Maxi- 

 min was at that time abfent, and the fenatc willingly fanc- 

 tioned the choice of the Africans, and dtclared Mjximin a 

 public enem.y. In tlie mean time, a change took place in 

 Africa, which annulled all their projects. Captlianus, go- 

 vernor of Mauritania, v.ho had been always upon ill terms 

 with Gordian, affemblcd a body of veterans, declared for 

 the reigning emperor, and marched to Carthage. The 

 younger Gordian fallied out to oppofe him wiili his guards, 

 but he was foon defeated and flain. Capelianus entered ibc 

 city, which fo much alarmed the eUler Gordian, that to 

 prevent his faUing into the hands of liis enemy, he ftranglcd 

 him.felf in his apartment with his girdle. This event hap- 

 j'cned in June 237, and within a few weeks of bis afluming 

 the office of eraperor. Gibbon. 



GoRDI.^^■ III., Roman emperor, grandfon of the elder 

 Gordian, was but thirteen years old when he was chofen 

 emperor, in conneftion with Maximns aid Balbinus. He 

 was created Cifar, and afTuTned the family name. His two 

 colleagues were in a few months murdered by the Pretorian 

 bands, and the youthful Gordian remained folc crrperor. 

 His perfon and manners excited univcrfal favour, and the 

 fenate, people, and army united in giving him the endearing 

 appellation of their fon. In the commencement of hu 

 reign l;e was governed by his mother's euniichs,who abufcd his 

 authority, andfet the honours andofficcsoflheempircuptofale. 

 He ivas, however, happily refcued from this difgraccful con- 

 dition by Mifitheus, a n^an of learning, to v.hom he was 

 alfo indebted for literary inilruction and advice. In the 

 year 241 he married the daughter of Mifilhcus ; and rai- 

 fing his father-in-law to the poll of prxfiCt-pnEtorio, com- 

 mitted to him the principal direction of public aifairs. He 

 proved himfelf worthy of the important trull confided in hiir, 

 and difcliarged the duties of a llalefman and gener:;!, as well 

 as he had maintained thofe of a more private ftation. By 

 his perfuafion, the your.g emperor accompanied him in 242, in 

 an expedition to the Eall, for the purpofe of repelling an in- 

 vafion from Sapor king of Perfia. Under his guidance, Gor- 

 dian relieved A ntioch, crofii'd the Euphrates, defeated Sa- 

 por, ar.d recovered the wl.ole i^f Mcfopotamia. The young 

 er.iperor did not affinne the glory of the deeds, but, in a 

 letter to the fenate, announcing tlie fuccefles, he niodeillT 

 afcribes them to the conduct, the experience, and wildomof 

 Mifitheus, who fliortly after died. l"*uring t!ie whole ex- 

 pedition Mifitheus had watched over the fafcly and difciphn." 

 of the army, while he prevented their murmurs by maintain- 

 ing a regular plenty in the camp, and by e'l'ahlilhiiig ar;plc 

 magazines of vinegar, bacon, llraw, barley and wlitat, iu 

 all the citi'S of the frontiers. The proiperity o( the empe- 

 ror expired with Mifitheus ; he w as' fucceoded in the office of 

 prefect by Philip, an Arab by birth, and confequentiy, fa> s 

 Gibbon, in the earlier part of his hfe, a rt.bbcr by profoffion. 

 He was a man of conlider<ible ir.ilitury talentf, but ambi. 

 tious, and dellitlite oi true moral principle. His energy 

 and boldnefs prompted liim to alpire to the throne, aijd hit 

 abilities were employed to 'fuppiam, not to fervc Iiis induU 

 gent mailer, liv his arts difeontents were fomentrd among 

 :; N 2 'b' 



