328 
GEN 
ceiving a high opinion of his talents, admitted him as 
teacher of rhetoric into his feminary. After the death 
ot his patron, wlio confecrated him a prieft in 1736, he 
left the feminary of Salerno, and repaired to Naples to 
follow the pradticeof the law. But his turn for foiitary 
meditation being illluited to the declamation of a court 
ofjuftice, he refolved to devote lumfelf to philofophy. 
After preparing himfelf at Naples by reading andfttidy- 
ing the ancient and modern philofophers, he obtained 
the place of extraordinary-profelfor of mctaphyfics. He 
commenced a courfe of ledfures in November 1741, 
and the boldnefs of his manner, and the clearnefs with 
which he explained and illuftrated tlie principles of his 
fyftem, brought him an uncommon concourfe of fclio- 
lars. The general principles on which lie I’ounded his 
pliilofophy were as follows : Every thing that has no 
relation to the well-being of man, and for v/hich reafon 
can afiign no grounds, ought to b. entirety banidied 
from philofopliy. The greater part of the peripatetic 
ontology lie confidered as ufelefs. In regard to the 
dodlrine of the exiftence of matter, extenfion, the natui e 
of Ipace, motion, eternity, and the like, he candidly ac¬ 
knowledged his ignorance, and alferted that no philofo- 
pher had ever yet comprehended it. A fyftem of meta- 
phy/ics wiiich condudled back the mind to the ftraight 
road to truth, could not fail to Itii'up againfi: the author 
the (laves of the old empire of darknels and ignorance, 
who confounded reafon and infidelity. Scarcely had the 
firft part ot his Metapliyhcs made its appearance in 
1743, when a hod: of foes ftarted upagainft him from all 
quarters. In every page they found traces or proofs of 
Icepticilin and unbelief; and he was even accufed of 
opening a door to freethinking in Italy, becaufe here- 
commended the works of Galileo, Grotius, and New ton. 
But Galiani, the direClorof the Neapolitan univerhcies, 
fincerely rejoiced to fee fuch a light kindled up in his 
native country ; and he had nothing fo much at heart 
as to give the exalted genius of Genovefi every poliible 
opportunity tolpread infIruCtion among the people. He 
therefore perfuaded the king to beftow on him the 
vacant place of profeflbr of ethics, and thus opened to 
I'liiu a new field for combating tiie ignorance and preju¬ 
dice of the fchools. Genovefi taugltt this fcience ac¬ 
cording to a plan which vvas totally unknown in the le- 
minaries of Napjes. He interwove in his ledtures the 
hiflory of the human paiiions; and enlivened them by a 
boldnefs and fpirit which were peculiarly his own. At 
this time there were a great many works on logic ufed 
in the fchools of Italy, but none of them gave rules for 
thinking and judging of objects in a rational manner. 
To remedy tliis deficiency, Genovefi compofed a new 
fyftem of logic, which he diftated in Ids private lectures, 
and wliich was publiflied in 1745, under the title of E/e- 
mentorum Artis Logico critica, Libri qidnque. Such a fyftem 
of logic, in a ppblic fchool of Italy, was a phenomenon 
of tlie happieft influence. It put into the hands of 
young perfons the key of truth, and enabled the author 
to bring out, with more advantage, the fecond and third 
part of his Metaphyfics, in which he treated on the doc¬ 
trine of the foul and on naiural theology. This lie did 
in the years 1747 and 1751. The fame fpirit of love, 
truth, and forbearance, prevails in his Chriftiaii theo¬ 
logy, which he taught m private ledfures, under tiie 
title ot Omnigence Theologice Elementa, EUJiorico-critico-dogma- 
tica. He alio publilhed Effays on Agriculture, with 
Confiderations on the true Objedt of tlie Sciences, 
printed in 1753. In 17,54, Genovefi opened, in tlie uni- 
verfity of Naples, his hew profeflbrihip in domeftic eco¬ 
nomy, ivitli an iiitrodiidtory lechire. His chief objedl 
was, while lie taught the principles of political econo, 
my, to infpire the Neapolitan youth vvitli the focial and 
civil virtues, and above all a public fpirit of patriotifm, 
without winch no nation can attain to that height of 
Piofperity of which it is fulceplible. With this view, 
he caiifed Carey’s Hiftory of the Englilh Trade to be 
GEN 
tranflated into Italian, under his own infpedlion, and 
publilhed at Naples in 1757, with many ufeful notes. 
He alfo caufed to be republilhed at Naples the excel, 
lent Treatife on Agriculture by Cofino Trinci of Pif- 
toia, accompanied with an effay, in which he explained 
the caufes of the declin; and neglect of agriculture in 
the kingdom of Naples. In 1765, he publiflied another 
no lefs important treatife, in which he examined the 
queftion, Why countries, the molt fruitful by nature, 
are often expofed to the miferies of fcarcity and famine ? 
While employed in publicly teaching political econo¬ 
my, he had the plealure of feeing his Logic and Meta¬ 
phyfics introduced, not only into different univerfities, 
but alfo into various convents and monafteries. This 
encouraged him to turn his attention, during his leifure 
hours, to the other departments of j hilofophy, the ob- 
jeit of whicli is to improve the underftanding; and in 
1758 he publiflied, with general approbation, Medita. 
zioni filqfophiche Julia Rcligione e Julia Morale, in whicii he 
fliews the connection between natural religion and mo¬ 
rality. His humorous letters, which appeared in 1759, 
under the title of Lcttcre all Amico Provinciale, in oppo(i. 
tion to the Dijfertazini Filojophiche of Pafquale Magli, 
were read with much pleafure. In 1764, he gave to the 
public a treatife De Jure (3 Ojficiis, which he had ditifated 
to his pupils at private hours, and in which he deduced 
tlie duties and rights of man from nature. His Lcttere 
Academiche, in which he examined the celebrated quef¬ 
tion, vv hether the iciences have been of more Inirt than 
benefit to mankind? appeared alfo in 1764. He was in¬ 
duced to itndertake this work in confequence of the 
writings cf Rouffeau, who at that time made a great 
noife in the world, and by tlie inftigation of his literary 
triends. Some dialogues, added at the end, are a con¬ 
cealed fatire on the Neapolitan laws. The Conjderazioni 
Julie Scienze, added to his Logic, abounds with new and 
ingenious ideas. In the Italian metaphyfics he dif- 
penfes with tlie dark fubjedf of ontology, and begins 
with cofiiiology. But his mafter-piece was the Itali;ui 
Syftem of Morality, tJie firft part of wliicii appeared in 
1767, under the title of Dicojynq : the total derange¬ 
ment ot his health, however, prevented him from com¬ 
pleting Ills labour. The feeds of a mortal difeafe had 
been long lurking in tlie conftitutioii of this eminent 
man. In 1768 his complaints increafed fo much, that 
he v/as incapable of continuing his lectures. That he 
might not have to ftruggle at the fame time witli po¬ 
verty, the king made an addition to liis falary ; but 
he died on the 22d of September, 1769, of the dropfy 
in tlie brealt, in the fifty-feventh year of his age, la¬ 
mented by all thofe who had at heart the improvement 
of their country, and particularly by the Neapolitan 
youth, fur the lake of whofe inftruCliou he liad re- 
nouneed all locial enjoj'ment, and even facrificed liis 
life. His principal works tvere reprinted in 1764, in 
5 vols. 4ro. 
GLNOUILLA'T, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Creufe, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftridt of Boulfac ; three leagues weft of Bouffac. 
GENOUII.LE', a town of France, in the department 
of tlie Cliarente ; ten miles weft of St. Jean d’Angely. 
GENOUILLE', a town of France, in the department 
of the Vienne : one league fouth of Civray., 
GEN'SAC, a town of France, in the department of 
Gironde, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrict of 
Libourne : tiiree leagues foutli-eaft of Libounie, and 
tliree north of Caltelmoron d’Albert. 
GEN'SERIC, or Gizeric, a renowned king of the 
Goths or Vandals. See the article Goth s, in this volume. 
GENT, adj. [old French. ] Elegant; foft; gentle; 
polite, A word now djijtdi 
She, that was noble, w'ife, as fair and gent, 
Cafthow Ihe might their harmlefs livespreferve, Fairjax. 
GENTEEL', adj, Igentil, Er.J Polite; elegant in 
behavioui i 
