G A -S 
■•f Epicurus, and defended it with great learning and 
ability. From Lucretius, Laertius, and other ancient 
writers, he undertook to frame a confiftent fcheme of 
Epicurean do6lrine, in which the phenomena of nature 
are immediately derived from the notion of primary 
atoms. But he was aware of the fundamental defetd of 
this fyftem, and added to it'the important doftrine of a 
divine fuperintending mind, from whom he conceived 
the firft motion and fubfequent arrangement to have been 
derived, and whom he regarded as the wife governor of 
the world. He ftrenuoufly maintained the atomic doc¬ 
trine in oppofition to the fiiilions of the Cartefian philo- 
fophy, which were at that time obtaining great credit j 
and particularly afferted, in oppofition to Des Cartes, 
the doiSrine of a vacuum. On the fubjeft of morals 
he explained the permanent pleafure or indolence of 
•Epicurus, in a manner perfeftly confiftent with the pur- 
eft precepts of virtue. In 1628 Gaffendi, for the fake 
of extending his acquaintance with the learned, vilited 
Holland, where his philofophical and literary merit foon 
procured him many admirers and friendri While he 
was in that country be wrote an elegant and judicious 
apology for his friend the learned Merfenne, in reply to 
the cenfures of Robert Fhidd, on the fiibjeft of the 
Mofaic philofophy. After his return to France he con¬ 
tinued his philofophical, and particularly his aftronomi- 
cal, ftudies, purfuing with great care a feries of celeftial 
obfervations, in order to complete his fyftem of the hea¬ 
vens. Being called by a law-fuit to Paris, he there 
formed an acquaintance with the men moft diftinguiftied 
for learning and fcience in that capital, and by his agree¬ 
able manners, as well as reputation, fecured the efteem 
of perfons of high rank and quality, and in particular 
of cardinal Richelieu, and of his brother the cardinal 
of Lyons. Owing to the application and intereft of the 
latter, in 1645, Gaffendi was appointed regius-profeffor 
of the mathematics at Paris. This inltitution being 
chiefly intended for aftronomy, he read lettures on that 
fcience to crowded auditories, by which lie acquired 
great popularity, and rofe to high expeftationri But 
the fatigues of that appointment were more than his 
ftrength, already reduced by too infenfe application, was 
able to bear I and having caught a cold, which brought 
an inflammation upon his lungs, he was obliged, in 1647, 
to quit Paris, and to return to Digne, for the benefit of 
his native air. After having his health in fome mea- 
fiire re-eftablifhed by the intermiffion of hi's ftudies, in 
S65J he retifmed again to Paris, where he-publiftied the 
Lives of Tycho Brahe, Copernicus, Purbach, and Re- 
giomontaniis ; and then relumed, with as much intenfe- 
nefs as ever, his aftrononiica! labours. His feeble flats 
of health, however, was now unequal to fiich exertions, 
which brought on a return of his diforder, unde’r which, 
with the aid of too copious and' nui-nerous bleedings, 
he funk in 1655, when in the fixty-third year of his age. 
A little before he expired, he defired his fecretary to 
lay his hand upon the region of his heart; which when 
he had done, and remarked on the feeble ftate of its 
pulfation, Galfendi faid to him, “You fee how frail 
Is the life of man!*’ which were the laft words that he 
tittered, 
Gaffendi was the firft perfon who obferved the trarifit 
of Mercury over the fun. Kepler had predicted that 
it would take place on the yth of November, 1631. 
Gaffendi, who was then at Paris, made due preparations 
to obferve it j and, after having for fome time miftaken 
the appearance of that planet for a folar fpot, became 
•at length fenfible of his error by the rapidity of its 
movement, and took care to calculate the time of its 
egrefs from the.fun’s dilk, as well as its diftance from 
the fun’s vertical point. From Gaffendi’s'letters it ap. 
. pears, that he was often coni'ulted by the moft celebrated 
aftroiipme'rs of his time, a's Kepler, Longomontanus, 
Vot, Vlii. No. joi, ' ■ 
GAS 2G5 
inell, Hevelius, Galileo, Kircher, Bulliald, and others; 
and his labours certainly entitle liiin to a high rank 
among the founders of the reformed philofophy. Gal¬ 
fendi poffeffed a large and valuable library, to which he 
added an aftronoinical and philofophical apparatus, 
which, on account of their accuracy and worth, were 
purchafed by the emperor Ferdinand III. and afterwards 
depofited, with other choice collections, in the imperial 
library at Vienna. The manufcripts which he left be¬ 
hind him, and the treatifes formerly piibliftied by him- 
felf, were printed together, accompanied'by the author’s 
life, and piibliihed by Sorbiere, in fix volumes, fol. 1658. 
They confift of the philol'ophy of Epicurus; the au¬ 
thor’s own philofophy; aflronomical works ; the' lives 
of Pierefc, Epicurus, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Pur¬ 
bach, Regiomontanus, John Muller, &c. a refutation of 
tlie meditations of Des Cartes; and Epiftles, and other 
treatifes. 
GAS'SION (John de), marflial of France, born in 
1609-at Pail, where his father was prefident of the par¬ 
liament. At the age of fixteen he entered into the 
gendarmes of the prince of Piedmont ; and in 1627, and 
two years after, he ferved under the duke de Rohan in 
the civil wars on the Calvinift fide, to which he was al¬ 
ways attached. When the great Guftavus entered Ger¬ 
many, Gaffion joined him, and was made captain of his 
body-guard. He was afterwards raifed to the rank of a 
field-officer in the cavalry, in which poll he performed 
effential fervices in many adtions, and efpecially at the 
battle of Leipfic. Guftavus, who highly efteemed his 
valour and fidelity, would have diftinguiflied him by 
fome fignal recompence, had he not foon after loft his 
life at Lutzen. After that event, Gaflion returned to 
France with his regiment, and entered under the marftial 
de la Force in Lorrain, where he rendered himfelf the 
terror of the enemy. He performed many remarkable 
exploits, and was prefent in feveral confiderable aftions. 
The duke d’Anguien (Conde) gave him a liberal fliare 
in the honour of the viflory at Rocroi. He received a 
dangerous wound at the fiege of Thionville, in recom¬ 
pence for which he obtained, in 1643, the marflial’s ftaff’. 
In the following year he was appointed lieutenant-gene« 
ral of the army in Flanders, nominally commanded by 
Gafton duke of Orleans. He had a great (hare in the 
capture of feveral towns in that diftricl, which -were 
formed into a government, and entrufted to him. At 
length, when at the height of his reputation, he received 
a mortal wound at the fiege of Lens, in 1647. He was 
buried in the proteftant church at Charenton. The 
marffial de Gaffion was charabterifed by a daring Cou. 
rage and fpirit of enterprife which overcame all obfta- 
cles. “Speculation (laid he) is a fine thing in-t?he 
clofet, but boldnefs and ailion are the requifites in war.’* 
Richelieu, on this account, fo much confided in him, 
that when urged with difficulties in a plan, he ufed to 
fay,.“They will' be removed by Gaflion.” The mar- 
flial himfelf, in ahfwer to fome reprefentations that were 
made him by an officer on the impoffibility of fometliing 
he was going to undertake, replied, “I have that'in 
my head 4ind at my fide which will overcome this fup. 
pofed impoffibility.” He would never marry, giving as 
a reafon, “that he valued life too little to impart it to 
any.” The hiftory of his life has been publiftied by 
the abbe de Pure in four volumes, lamo. 
GAST,y". [Saxon.] A ghoft ; terror; gaftlinefs. 
70 GAST, Via. [from ga-pt, Sax. See Aghast.] 
To make aghaft; to fright; to Ihock; tp terrify; to 
fear; to affray- s 
When he faw my beft alarm’d fpirits 
Bold in the quarrel’s right, rous’d to the encounter^ 
Or whether gajid by the noife I made, 
Full fuddenly he ileda Shakefpeare, 
3 Y GASTAX.'« 
