G R A 



Africa, in iVie colony of the Cape of Good Hope, exlend- 

 inc- to the eaftern extremity of the colony. On the E. it is 

 divided from the Kaffers by the Great Filli river, the 

 Tiirka, the Bambarfherg, and the Zuureberg ; on the W. 

 from the diftrifts of Zwellendam and Stellenbofch by the 

 Camtoos river, the Gamka or Lion's river, and Nieuwveld 

 mountains ; on the N. from the Bosjefmaii Hottentots by 

 Plettenbero- Landmark, the great Table mountain, and the 

 Karrecbcrg ; and on the S. it is terminated by the fea- 

 coad ; the whole length and breadth of this dillrift may be 

 about 250 by 160 miles, making an area of 40,000 fquare 

 miles, which is peopled by about 7C0 families, each family 

 commanding about 57 fquare miles of territory. Great 

 part of it has been occahonally abandoned on account of 

 the incurfions of the Kaffers and Bosjefmans. The inhabit- 

 ants are a fort of Nomades, who would long ago have 

 penetrated with their flocks, and herds far beyond tlie pre- 

 fent biiundaries of the colony, if they had not been refilled 

 by the Kaffers. The boors of this dillricl are graziers ; 

 and it is entirely compofed of loan-farms, which were grants 

 made to the original fettlcrs of certain portions ot land 

 to be held on reafonable yearly leafes, on condition of 

 paving to government an annual rent of 24 rix-dollars. 

 Barrow's Travels in S. Africa, vol. ii. 



GRAAT, or GliAET B.MiKNT, in Biography, an hif- 

 torical painter, wliofe name is remembered principally upon 

 account of his clofe imitation of the works of Bambcccio, 

 and of hi» having founded an academy at Amilerdam, wliere 

 lie was born, to which the bell artills of his time rcforted 

 to ftudy after living models ; by which means much im- 

 provement was obtained, and fpread among thofe who cul- 

 tivated talle and fcience in the arts. He died in 1709, 

 aged 81. 



GRAB, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Leitmeritz ; 17 miles W. N. W. of Leitmeritz. 



GRABATAR.!!, Ghabb.vt.\RII, in Church Antiquity, 

 fuch perfor.s as deferred the receiving of baptifm till the 

 hour of death ; or who did not receive it till they were 

 dangcroufly ill, and out of hopes of life : from an opinion, 

 that baptifm abfolutely waflied away all former iinf. 



The word is formed of grabalum, bed ; and that from the 

 Greek ypiSy^lo; a hanging bed, of k;;/^.ki, I fufpeud : fuch 

 as was the bed of flaves, poor people, Cynic philofophers, 

 &c. who are enemies of luxury and eafc. 



GRABAU, in Geography, a town of the duchy of 

 Warfaw ; 12 miles S. of Kaliih. 



GRABAW, a town of Aulhian Poland, in the pala- 

 tinate of Belcz ; 28 m.iles N. N. W. of Belcz. 



GRABE, Joiim Erne.st, in Biography, a learned di- 

 vine, and editor of the Alexandrian manufcript, in the 

 Royal Library at London, was born at Koningfberg, in 

 Prufiia, in the year 1666. Here lie received his education, 

 and in due time took his degree of M. A. applying him- 

 felf with all diligence to the ftudy of divinity, and the pe- 

 rufal of the fathers. He had been brought up in the Lu- 

 theran principles, but having imbibed foine notions incon- 

 iiflent with ttie commonly received faith, refpecliiig the un- 

 interrupted fucceflion of bifliops being efTential to the ex- 

 igence of the true church, he was fummoned before his 

 fuperiorsand imprifoned. Lfpon his releafe, after a few 

 months, he chofe rather' to quit the church than abandon 

 his opinion, and determined to become a member of the Ca- 

 tholic rehgion. He delivered, in a memorial to the elec- 

 toral college at Sambia, in PruTii, in 1695, containing the 

 reafons for his change, and then left Koning-fberg, that he 

 might be at liberty to carry his plan into execution, in 

 feme place where he lliould be beyond- the reach of the 



G R A 



Pruffian jurlfdidion. While lie was on the road to Erfurt, 

 through whicii he irieant to pafs to a Cathohc Country, the 

 eleClor of Brandenburg fent three treatifes to him in anfwer 

 to his memorial, by three Prullian divines, written by order of 

 the eledlor. This great attention of his fovereign claimed 

 the rcfpecl of Grabe, who not only read them with care., 

 but felt defiious of difeulT:"g the queftion more clofely be- 

 fore he formed his ultimate determination of abandoning 

 the religion in which lie h.'.d been educated. He accord- 

 ingly wrote to one of the perfcns that had anfwered his 

 memorial, intimating a llrong wifh to return to Berlin, 

 that he might enjoy the bcnclit of a conference with him. 

 This privilege was obtained for him ; M. Grabe returned 

 and was foon prevailed on to relinquifn his purpofe ot join- 

 ing the papal communion, but ftiU he maintained the ob- 

 noxious tenet for which he had fufiered imprifonment. 

 Finding him immoveable on this point, his friend advifed 

 him to remove to England, where, faid he, " you 

 will find the outward and uninterrupted fucceflion wliich 

 you want : take then your route thither : this ftcp will 

 caufe lefs unealinefs to your friends, and, at the fame time, 

 equally fatisfy your fcruples." He gladly complied with 

 the advice, and was llrongly recommended to king Vv'^illiam, 

 who immediately granted him a penfion of loc/. per ann. 

 to enable him to purfue his ftudics. From this time he 

 confidered England as his country, becaufe he conceived 

 that its ecclefiailical conllitution approached nearer on the 

 whole, than that of any other, to tiie primitive pattern. 

 He fliewed his gratitude for the liberal patronage which he 

 received by the publication of fcveral learned works. Hav- 

 ing formed a delign of printing fome curious and fcarce 

 pieces of the fathers, in defence of his own opinions, he 

 obtained accefs to the univerfity of Oxford, to examine 

 the treafures of the Bodleian library, and, in 1698, he pub- 

 lifhed " Spicilegium S. S. Patrum, &c.'' vol. I. 8vo. ; 

 and in the following year, the fecond volum.e of the fame 

 work appeared. Shortly after this, he was ordained a 

 deacon of the church i;f England, and was appointed 

 chaplain of Chrift-church, Oxford. This promotion he 

 accepted, in order that he m.ight be entitled to the emolu- 

 ments without being required to difcharge the duties of the 

 appointment, for he had refnfed, on his ordination, to re- 

 ceive the facrament, on account of the omilhon of the prayer 

 in the communion fervice, jnentioning the facrifice, before 

 the elements were diilributed, which had been inlerted in 

 the firll common-prayer book of king Edward VI., and he 

 ever afterwards continued a non-ccnformilt in this particu- 

 lar. In the fame year in which he took orders, Mr. Grabe 

 publiflted " S. .Tullini Philofophi et Martyris Apologia 

 Prima pro Chriilianis, S;c.'' illuftrated with the notes of 

 feveral learned men, and additional remarks of his own ; 

 and in 1702 he publilhed " S. Irentei Epifcopi Lugdunenfis 

 contra omnes Hxrefes Libri quinque, &:c." with prolego- 

 mena and notes. On the acceflion of queen Anne to the 

 throne, Mr. Grabe's penfion was continued, and. her ma- 

 jelly was adviied to employ him in printing the Alexandrian 

 MS. in the royal library, of the Scptuagiiit tranflation of 

 the Old Teftament. The queen took the opportunity of 

 informing him of the appointment herfelf, and at the tame 

 time made him a handfome prefent as an encouragement to 

 his exertions. In 1705, he publiflied propofals for printing 

 that work by fubfcription, fetting fori', the fuperior vahie 

 of this copy to the Vatican MS. ; he alio gave three ipe- 

 ciniens, containing fo many different methods for the pro- 

 jected edition, in the linal choice of which he was to be 

 determined by the learned world. As a teftimony of their 

 approbation of the delign, tlie univerlity of Oxford pre- 



y fcntcj 



