553 
GIB 
Ills figure is very ftriking. He is tali, of athletic make, 
and ratlier aukward vviicn lie moves. His face forms 
one of the mofl: finguiar pliyfiognomical phenomena, 
owing to the irreguhir proportion of tlie parts to the 
wliole. 'I'he eyes are fo little as peculiarly to contrail: 
with his high and finely arched forehead ; while the 
nofe, inclining to flatnefs, alnioll vaniflies between the 
cheeks, which project exceedingly. The double chin 
hanging dowm very low renders the elliptical lhape of 
his long face flill more I'emarkable : yet, in Ipite of 
thefe irregularities, Mr. Gibbon’s countenance has an 
uncommon expreflion of dignity, whicli, at firfl light, 
befpeaks the profound and acute reafonei'. Nothing ex¬ 
ceeds the glowing animation of his eyes. In his con- 
verfation and manner', he is quite the polite gentleman; 
civil, but cold. He fpeaks French with elegance ; and, 
which is truly furpriling in an Engliflrman, pronounces 
it nearly like a Parifian man of letters. He lillens to 
his own accents with great complacency, and talks 
flovvly, as if carefully examining each phrafe before Ire 
gives it utterance. With the fame compofed counte¬ 
nance he fpeaks on agreeable and on difagreeable llib- 
jects, on joyful and on melancholy events. During the 
whole of our converfation, ihemufcles of his face i',e- 
mained unaltered ; though a very ludicrous incident, 
which he had occafion to relate, might naturally have 
drawn a fmile from him. In his houfe, tire Ihicteli: 
puniluality and order pr-evfiil; and his domellics mult 
e.xpecl to be difiirilied if they perform not their bull- 
nefs alnrofl at the dated moment. Of this exaffncls, 
lie fets them the example himfelf. His day is divided 
like that of king Alfred. As the clock llrikes, he goes 
to bulinefs, to dinner, or fees company ; always taking 
the utmolt care not to fpend one minute beyond the 
tim'e let apart for the occalion.” Upon the whole, with 
all his faults and failings, foiblesand midakes, Mr. Gib¬ 
bon might be conlidered as one of the drd literary cha¬ 
racters which illumined and adorned the eighteenth 
century. 
The mod ferious objection to Gibbon’s great work, 
is his attack upon Chridianity ; the loofe and difrefpect- 
ful manner in which he mentions many points of mora¬ 
lity regarded as important on the principles of natural 
religion; and the indecent allulions and exprellions 
which too often occur in his remarks upon Scripture 
doctrine. His particular friend Mr. Hayley, in a dne 
poetical Eday on Hiltory, after a fplendid panegyric on 
the arduous labours of Mr. Gibbon, laments the irreli¬ 
gious fpirit by which he was actuated, and his eminent 
work difgraced : 
Think not my verfe means blindly to engage 
In radi defence of thy profaner page ! 
Though keen her fpirit, her attachment fond, 
Bafe fervice cannot luit with Friendihip’s bond; 
Too firm from Duty’s facred path to turn, 
She breathes an honed figh of deep concern, 
And pities Genius, when his w'ild career 
Gives Faith a wound, or Innocence a tear. 
GIB'BONS (Grinling), an ingenious fculptor, bom 
in Holland of Engliih parents, or was the fon of a 
Dutchman fettled in England. Nothing is known of 
his education; but he brought himfelf into notice by 
his exquifiie ikiil in carving ornaments in wood. He 
w’as recommended to Charles II. who gave him a place 
in the board of works, and employed him in the deco¬ 
ration of his palaces. The foliage in the chapel at 
Windfor is by his hand, as alfo the carving of the done 
pededal of the equedrian datue of the king in the prin- 
tdpal court. Though he occafionally undertook human 
figures, he did not excel in them. Carving was his pe¬ 
culiar art, and in it he arrived at the eminence of an 
original genius. After he became known by royal pa¬ 
tronage, he was employed in a great variety of works. 
He carved the foliage in the choir of St. Paul’s and the 
VoL.VHJ. No. 525. 
G I B 
font of St. James’s church. At the lioufesof Burleigh 
and Chatfworth are a great number of his productions, 
ot extraordinary beauty and delicacy of workmandiip. 
The fined monument of his dcill occurs in a cliamber 
belonging to the carl of Egremont at Petworth, enriched 
from the ceiling between tlie picfiires w’itit fedoons of 
flowers and dead game. This artid, v/ho is one of tb.e 
lew of whom England in the lad century could boaft, 
died at London in 1721. 
GIBBONS (Orlando), an excellent mufical compofer, 
born at Cambridge i'n 1583. He was made organid of 
the Chapel-royal at the age of twenty-one, and in 1622 
liad a doiStor’S degree of mufic from Oxford, cliiefly on 
the recommendation of his friend, the learned Camden. 
Being ordered, in 1625, to attend the folemnity of tiie 
marriage of Charles I. and Henrietta of France at Can¬ 
terbury, he caught the fmall-pox, which proved fatal 
to him. He was buried in the cathedral of that city. 
Gibbons was without quedion the bed churcit compofer 
of his time, and many of his works, confilting of fer- 
vices and anthems, are dill in ufe among the bell: of (i- 
milar compolitions. They are charafterifed by pure 
harmony, fuuplicity, aird grandeur. Befides his facred 
mufic, he publifiled, Madrigals of five Parts for Voices 
and Viols, 1612. The family of the Gibbons were niu- 
fical ; his brothers Ffllis and Edward were organi'l's, 
one of Bridol, the other of Salidiiiry; and Ids fon 
Chridopher was principal organid to Charles II. 
GIB'BONS, Gibbs, or Gibson, contraeftions and 
corruptions of Gilbertfon, q.d. the fon of Gilbert. 
GIBBOS'ITY, f. \_gibbqfite', Fr.] Convexity; pro¬ 
minence; protuberance.—Wlien tliip/S, failing contrary 
ways, lofe the fight one of another, what flrould take 
away the fight of fiiips from eacii other, but the gibbo- 
fity of the interjacent water ? Ray. 
GIB'BOUS, ad], \_gibbus, Lat. gibbeux, Fr.j Convex ; 
protuberant; Iwelling into inequalities.—'I'iie bones 
will rife, and make a gibbous member. IViJeman. 
A pointed flinty rock, all bare and black. 
Grew' gibbous from behind the mountain’s back. Dryden. 
Crookbacked.—I demand how the camels of Baclria 
came to have two bunches on their back, whereas the 
camels of Arabia have but one ? How oxen, in fome 
countries, began and continue gibbous, or irauneh-back- 
ed ? Brown. 
[In adronomy.] This term is applied to reprefent 
that date or iliape of the enlightened part of tlie moon, 
being tliat in which Ihe appears more than half full 
or enlightened, which is the time between the lird quar¬ 
ter and the full moon, and from the full moon to the 
lad quarter ; appearing then gibbous, tliat is, convex on 
both fides of the enlightened ptu't; thus contradidin- 
guiihed from the date when die is lefs than half full, 
then faid to be horned, or a crefeent. 
GIB'BOUSNESS, Convexity ; prominence.-—^To 
make the convexity of the earth dilcernible, I'uppofe a 
man lilted'in the air, that he niayjiave a I'pacious hori¬ 
zon; but then, becaufe of the dillance, the convexity 
and gibboufnefs w'ould vanilh away, and he would only 
fee a great circular flat. Bentley. 
GIB'BY, one of the Papuan ifiands, fituated under 
the equator, to the fouth-ead of Patany Hook, and 
about fix leagues didant from it. Its length is near 
five leagues; but its breadth is Imall, and its appear, 
ance is like two liills divided by a low idhmus. It is 
full of inhabitants; and abounds with nutmeg-trees and 
other fpices. 
G IB-C/^ 1 ', f. An old worn-out cat.—I am' as melan¬ 
choly as a gib-cat, or a lugg’d bear. Shakejpeare. 
GIB'CLIFF, [or Guy-Cliff, from Guy of V»'^arwick, 
the famous hero, who lived as an hermit there; or from 
Guy Beauchamp, earl of Warwick.] A place in War- 
wicklhire. 
To GIBE, V, n, [_gaber, old French, to ridicule.] To 
7 B Ineer; 
