15'2 GAB 
GA'BRIEL, a motintain of Ireland, in the county of 
Cork : twelve miles fouih of Bantry. 
GA'BRIEL, an iflanci in the great river La Plata, 
South America, difcovered by Sebaftian Cabot, in 1526. 
G A'BRI KT.ITES, in ecclefmflical hiftoFv, a fett of 
anabapiitts that appeared in Pomerania in 1530. They 
derive their name from Gabriel Sclterling; who, after 
having been for fome time tolerated in that country, was 
obliged to remove, and died in Poland. 
GABRl'NI (Nicholas), contmonly known under the 
name of Rknzi, born at Rome, in the fourteenth century. 
His father was a tavern keeper -in a quarter of the city 
inhabited by the lovvefl: of the populace. As his name 
wiis Lorenzo, by contradlion Rienzo, the fon was ufually 
called NicoU) di Rienzo. He received a literary educa¬ 
tion, and early ditlinguithed himfelf by the elevation of 
his fentiments. I'he glories of ancient Rome, compared 
with its prefent ahyedf ftate, deferted for Avignon by the 
ponritfs, and opprclled by tlie hiwlets fway of its nobles, 
ipipear to have e-xcited a real enthufiafisi in his breaft. 
The common people were accudomed to regard him as 
an extraordinary perfon, deflined to redrefs thofe wrongs 
of which they were deeply fenftble ; and even the fupertor 
iranks .viewed him .with refpecl for his knowledge and 
talents. .He obtained the potl of a public fcribe j and in 
■1346, he was joined in a deputation from the Romans to 
.pope Clement VI. at Avignon, for the purpofe of exhor¬ 
ting him to bring back the papal court to its original feat. 
On this Qccafioji he fpoke with fo much force and free¬ 
dom, and painted in fuch ftrong colours the infolences 
and opprellions of the nobles, tliat lie excited a high idea 
of Ills charafter. The pope created him an apoftolic no¬ 
tary, but gave no explicit reply to the deputies. Rienzi, 
upon his return, entered upon the exercife of his office, 
which he difcliarged with a probity that added to his re- 
vputation ; at the fame time he was attentive to foment 
the difcontents of tlie people by liarangues againft the 
nobility, and againft the abufesin the public adminiftra- 
tion. Having thus prepared men’s minds for a change, 
and engaged many perfons of all orders in his defigns, in 
the month of April, 1347, during the abfence of the go- 
.vernorof Rome, Stephen Colonna, he fummoned a fecret 
aft'embly upon mount Aventine, before which he made 
an energetic fpeecli, defcribing tlie wretchednefs and de¬ 
gradation into which the chriftian capital was fallen, and 
from which nothing but the efforts of its own citizens 
could raife it. He then caufed them all to fubfcribe an 
oath for the eftabliftiment of the good ej}ate. He had the 
addrefs to gain over the pope’s vicar to his purpofesj and 
at a fecond aflembly in the capitol he produced fifteen ar- 
ticle.s as the balls of tlie good eftate, wiiich were unani- 
moufly approved ; and the people conferred upon him 
t he title of tribune, with power of life and death, and all 
the other attributes of fovereignty. The governor Co¬ 
lonna, upon his return, threatened him with puniftimenr, 
but was himfelf conftrained to leave the city j and Rienzi 
banifhed with liim the principal noble families of Rome, 
after capitally puniftiing feveral who were convifted of 
opprellion and other crimes. In tlie firft exercife of his 
authority he conduced himfelf with ftriiSl regard to juf- 
tice and the public good. He placed the moft refpeft- 
able citizens at the head of the judiciary adniiniftratioii, 
and purged Rome of all thofe violences and enormities 
which had fo long difgraced it. The pope was induced 
.to fantlion his power, which, though termed an ufurpa. 
feems to have been as lawfully conferred as the con- 
fetit of tlie governed could make it. The reputation of 
the new tribute of Rome foon extended throughout Italy. 
The mellengers whom he Tent to propofe to the dift'erent 
ftates a general league, were every where received with 
high relpeft, though unarmed and only diftinguilhed by 
a lilver wand ; and libnourable embaffies were lent to him 
in return. His friendihip was courted by Louis king of 
Hungary, and the emperor Louis of France. Perfons of 
warm imagination conceived that lie was to be the in- 
G A D 
firuvnent of reftoring the ancient grandeur of Rome and- 
Italy. Among tliefe the moft confpicuous was the ce¬ 
lebrated Petearch, who had contrafted an admiration of 
his charafter, when joined with him as one of the depu¬ 
ties to the pope. There are extant fome eloquent and 
pathetic letters which he wrote to Rienzi, warmly ex¬ 
horting him to proceed in his glorious undertakings. In 
the mean, time, that intoxication which fcarcely ever fails 
to feize upon thofe who fuddenly rife to fupreme power 
fiom mean extraftion, began to betray him into extra, 
vagancies, which injured his charaeler and reputation. 
He caufed himfelf to be created a knight, with a fingular 
mixture of religious and military ceremonies. He af- 
fiimed a variety of titles; ilTued a letter declaring Rome 
the head of the world ; and cited the two rival emperors,. 
Oharles and Louis, and the eleflors, to appear before 
him, and juftify their pretentions. He difniifted the 
pope’s legate, reduced the nobles to greater humiliation, 
qnd eftablillied a reign of tei ror. He was for a time fuc- 
cefsful againft the attempts of the exiled nobles to reftore 
themfelves by force of arms; but at length, finding that 
he had loft the att'eition and confidence of the people, he 
witlidrew fecretly from Rome, and in tlie beginning of 
1348, took refuge in the kingdom of Naples. He was at 
firft received with honour by the king, but the efforts of 
his enemies brought him into fuch hazard,that he thought 
proper to retreat to a hermitage, w here he lived concealed 
till the commencement of 1350. He then took advan. 
tage of the jubilee to return fecretly to Rome, where 
being difcovered, he withdrew to the king of the Ro-' 
mant, at Prague. Thence, either voluntarily or through 
coiiftraiiit, lie came into the hands of pope Clement at 
Avignon, who put him in prifon, and appointed a com- 
niiffion of three cardinals to try him. But after the de- 
ceafe of that pope, his fuccelTor Innocent VI. in 1354, 
releafed him from confinement, and fent him to Rome, 
in order to oppofe Baroncelli, who had feized the go¬ 
vernment of that capital. The Romans received him 
again witli great demonftrations of joy, and he recovered 
his former authority. But after a turbulent adminiftra- 
tion of fome months, the nobles found means to excite a 
fedition againft liim, in which he was cruelly maftacred, 
in Oblober, 1354. His body was treated with the greateft 
indignity by the people; and liis end adds one more fad 
example to the many recorded by hiftory, of the ufual 
fate of popular leaders and reformers, whofe plans gene¬ 
rally arife from vanity, and terminate in ambition. 
GACE', a town of France, in the department of the 
Orne, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridl of I’Aigle: 
four leagues weft of I’Aigle, and four and a half eaft of 
Argentan. 
GACH'PAS, an Indian tribe, in North America, for- 
merly in alliance with the Delawares. 
GACIL'LE (La), a town of France, in the department 
of the Morbihan, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 
trieb of Rocheford: three leagues north-eaft of Roche- 
ford. 
GAD, J. [gab, Sax. gaddur, Illandic, a club.] A 
wedge or ingot of fteel.—Flemilli fteel is brought down 
the Rhine to Dort, and other parts, fome in bars, and 
fome ill gads\ and therefore called Flemilli fteel, and 
fometimes gad fteel. Mox'.n. —It feenis to be ufed by 
Skahefpearc for a ftile or graver, [from gab. Sax, a goad.] 
I will go get a leaf of brafs, 
And with a gad of fteel will write tliefe words. Skakef. 
A meafure of nine or ten feet, a geometrical perch. 
To GAD, V. n. [Derived by Skinner from gadfly, by 
Junius kom gadaw, Welfli, to forfake; thought by others 
only the preterite of the old word agaaii, to go,"} To 
ramble about without any fettled purpofe; to rove 
loofely and idly.^Give the water no palTage, neither a 
wicked woman liberty to gad abroad. Ecclefl. xxv. 15. 
-—Envy is a gadding paflioii, and walkcth the ftreets, and 
dotli.not keep home. Bacon., 
Gad 
