GREG 
pol'ated in others, that it is impoinble to afcertain what 
part of them was, and what part was not, written by 
this pope. With, relpedt to the Commentaries on the 
firft book of Kings, on the feven penitential Pfalms, and 
on the Song of Solomon, which have been frequently 
afcribed to him, all the belt critics concur in giving 
‘them to other authors; Numerous have been the im- 
preflion.s of Gregory’s works, feparately and collective¬ 
ly, at Lyons, Paris, Rouen, Bafil, Antwerp, Venice, 
and Rome. The lalt and belt edition was publifhed at 
Paris in 1705, in 4 vols. folio, by father St. Marthc, 
general of the Benedictines of the congregation of St. 
Maur. 
GREG'ORY II. (pope), and alfo a faint in the Roman 
calendar, was a native of Rome, and educated from 
childhood in the Lateran palace, under pope Sergius, 
who appointed him his fub-deacon, almoner, and libra¬ 
rian. It was under the fupremacy of this pontiff' that 
the emperor Leo, furnamed the Ifaurian, iffued his fa¬ 
mous edid, forbidding the worlhip of images ; which 
tended to curtail the dominions of the pope, and oe- 
cafioned the total reparation of the Greek and Latin 
churches. He died in the beginning of the year 731. 
Fifteen of his Letters, and a Memoir tranfmitted to his 
legates in Bavaria, containing inftruCtions for their guid¬ 
ance in managing the ecclefiaftical affairs, of that coun¬ 
try, are infected in the fixth volume of the Colledio Con- 
ciliorum-, and his Liturgy, with a Greek verfion by Gre¬ 
gory Codinus, was printed by Morel at Paris, in 1595, 
and is to be found in the fecond volume of Fronton du 
Due’s /luduarium.. 
GREG'ORY III. (pope), was a Syrian by birth, 
and became a prefbyter of the Roman church. He is 
faid to have been eminently learned for his time; Ikil- 
ful as an expofitor of Scripture,, and much admired as 
an eloquent and impreffive preacher. He died in the 
year 741, after a pontificate of between ten and eleven 
years. Seven Letters of his are extant in the fourth 
volume of the Colled. Concil. 
GREG'ORY IV. (pope)., was born at Rome, and 
from a prelbyter of that church was raifed to the tiara 
on the death of pope Valentine,, in 827. He is com¬ 
mended for his extraordinary piety ; of which fome of 
the ftrongeft teftimonies are his repairing and adorning 
churches, and inftituting the feftiv.al of All Souls day. 
He died in 844, after prefiding over the Roman church 
rather more than fixteen years. Three of his Letters 
are extant in the feventh volume of the Colled. Concil. 
GREG'ORY V. (pope), whofe original name was 
Bruno, was a German by birth, and coufin to the emperor 
Otho III. He died in the beginning of 999, after a Ihort 
pontificate of two years and five month's. Four of his 
Letters are extant in the ninth volume of the Colled. 
Concil. A fifth, concerning the privileges of the abbots 
of Mons Major, may be found in.the fourth volume of 
Balzuc’s Mifcellanea. 
GREG'ORY VII. (pope), who by his abilities and 
intrepidity raifed the Roman fee to the highell pitch of 
• power, was the fon of a carpenter, born at the fmall 
town of Soano, in Tufcany. As to his literary produc¬ 
tions, three hundred and fifty-nine of his Letters have 
reached our time, which are divided into nine books, 
and inferted in the tenth volume of the Colled. Concil. 
He is alfo generally fuppofed to have been the author 
of A Commentary upon the Seven Penitential Pfalms, 
which fome writers have improperly afcribed to Gregory 
the Great ; and of A Commentary on the Gofpel of St. 
Matthew, which is faid to be preferved in manufeript 
in the archiepifcopal library at Lambeth. 
GREG'ORY VIII. (pope), originally known by the 
name of Albert de Mora, born at Benevento, and created 
cardinal by pope Adrian IV. in the year 1155. He 
died, after a pontificate of not quite two months. He 
is praifed for his learning, eloquence, humane difpofi. 
O R Y. ra¬ 
tion, and exemplary manners. Three of his Letters are 
extant in the tenth volume of the Colled: Concil. 
GREG'ORY IX. (pope), celebrated for preaching 
up the virtue of engaging in the crufacles. He prefided 
over the Roman church nearly fifteen years. Many of 
his Letters are to be found in the eleventh volume of 
the Colled. Concil. and Waddingus’s Annul. Minor, ad an. 
1228, &c. Some fragments..of his Decretal Letters are 
inferted in-the five books of Decretals, collected under 
his infpection by Raymond de Pennaforl^ which were 
ordered by Gregory to be alone read in the fchools, and 
quoted on trials. 
GREG'ORY X. (pope), defeended from the illuf- 
trious family of Vifconti, and born at Placentia. He is 
highly fpoken of for his extraordinary fanftity, and ap¬ 
pears to have been influenced by a milder fpirit than 
many of his predeceflors. Several of his Letters are 
extant in the eleventh volume of the Colled. Concil. and 
Waddingus’s Annal. Minor, ad an. 1272, &c. 
GREG'ORY XI. (pope), a native of France, and 
fon to the count de Beaufort. He died in 1378, after a 
pontificate of feven years and ‘ three months. He is 
highly praifed for his piety,, humanity, and general ex¬ 
cellence of charadter ; and is alfo commended as a ge¬ 
nerous patron of men of letters. The greateft part of 
the Letters of. this pope have been publifhed by Wad- 
dingus, in his Annal. Minor, ad an. 1372. 
GREG'ORY XII. (pope), was originally called An¬ 
gelo Corario, and defeended from an ancient and noble 
family at Venice. He died at Recanati in 1417, when 
about ninety-two years ■ of. age. Some of his Letters 
are extant in the eleventh and twelfth volumes of the 
Colled. Concil. and Waddingus’s Annal. Minor, ad ann. 
1406, &c. 
GREG'ORY XIII. (pope), born at Bologna, in 1502; 
When, in the year 1573,. intelligence arrived at Rome . 
of the infamous maffacre of the- proteftants at Paris, 
accompanied with letters from Charles IX. in which he 
pretended that it was only the punifhment of a confpi- 
racy formed by the Hugonots for the murder of himfelf 
and all the catholic princes of the royal family, Gre¬ 
gory gave public thanks for the. prefervation of the 
king from the proteftant confederacy ! And he cer¬ 
tainly gave a fandlion to. the horrible meafure, by fo- 
lemnly publifhing a jubilee over all Chriftendom; 
among other reafons, on .account of the great blow 
which had been given to the heretics. But the moft 
important event in his pontificate took place in 1582, 
namely,, the reformation of the calendar, according 
to a method fuggefted by Louis Lilio, a Calabrian af- 
tronomer, which after his death was prefented to the 
pope by his brother Antony. It was immediately re¬ 
ceived in all catholic countries ; but was rejected by 
the proteftants, and by the Greeks, who chofe rather, 
to continue in error than to be fet right by thejpope; 
and it was not admitted in this country before the year 
1752. At prefent the Ruffians and the Greeks are the 
only Europeans who oppofe its reception. Fie was a . 
great friend to the Jefuits, to whom he granted many 
privileges, and built for their ufe, and richly endowed, 
the Roman college, and no fewer than twenty-feven 
other feminaries in different parts of the world. He 
patronifed the grand Roman edition, of the Decretals 
and feveral of his Letters, Harangues, &c. are ftill pre¬ 
ferved in the cabinets of the curious. He died in the 
fourteenth year of his pontificate, aged eighty-four years. 
GREG'ORY XV. (pope), defeended from a noble 
family at Bologna, and born in 1554. He inftituted the 
famous college De propaganda Fide, and endowed it with 
ample revenues for the maintenance of perfons educating 
for foreign miflions. He died, in 1623, in the feventieth 
year of his age, having filled the papal fee two years 
and fix months. He is commended for his great piety 
and learning, and for his charity to the fick and to the 
poor, . 
