G R I 
fighting men into the field : but their chief fecurity 
arifes from the narrow defiles and high mountains by 
which they are furrounded. 
Of the jurifpriidence, religion, &c. of the Grifons, 
the following narrative is given by Mr. Coxe, in his 
Travels in Swilferland. Throughout the three leagues 
the Roman law prevails, modified by the municipal 
cuftoms. The courts of juftice in each community are 
compofed of the chief magiftrate, who prefides, and a 
certain number of jurymen, chofen by the people : they 
have no regular falaries, but receivefor theirattendance 
a fmall Aim, afifing in fome communities from the ex- 
pences of the procefs, which are defrayed by the cri¬ 
minals; in others from a (hare of the fines. They en¬ 
joy the power of pardoning or diminifliing the penalty, 
and of receiving a compofition in money. This mode 
of proceeding fuppofes, wha.t is as abfurd in theory as 
it is contrary to experience, that judges will incline to 
mercy when it is their intereft to convidt; or will im¬ 
partially inflidt punifhment, even when injurious to 
their own private advantage. The'prifoners are ex¬ 
amined in private ; frequently tortured for the purpofe 
of forcing confeflion, when the judges either divide the 
fines, or remit the punifhment for a compofition. In 
fome di/tridts a criminal trial is a kind of feftival to the 
judges, for whom a good repaft is provided at the ex¬ 
pence of the prifoner if convidted ; and thus the fol¬ 
lowing allufion, in Garth’s Difpenfary, applied with 
more wit than truth to our courts of juftice, is literally 
fulfilled:— 
‘ And wretches hang, that jurymen may dine.' 
Capital punifliments, however, are extremely rare ; a 
circuinftance arifing not from a want of feverity in the 
penal ftatutes, or from a propenfity to mercy in the 
judges; but becaufe the latter draw more advantages 
from fining than executing an oft'ender. In a word, to 
life the expreflion of Burnet, which is as true at prefent 
as it was in his time, “ Many crimes go unpuniftied, if 
the perfons who commit them have either great credit, 
or much money.” It is remarkable, that torture is 
hiore frequently applied, and for fmaller delinquencies, 
in thefe independent republics, than in the fubjedt pro¬ 
vinces., The inflidlion of it depends entirely upon the 
arbitrary wifi of the judges ; a majority of whom nray 
order it for an offence which is not capital, nor even 
punifhable by corporal penalties. Thus it is not un¬ 
common, in thofe communities where fines are divided 
among the judges, to torture women of loofe condudt, 
for the purpofe of compelling them to confefs with 
whom they have been connected ; for, as fuch offences 
are punifhable by fines, the more perfons there are con¬ 
victed, the larger fliare of money is d'iftributed among 
the judges for the trouble of theirattendance. Even 
in the diftridts where the fines are paid to the commu¬ 
nity, torture is often no lefs wantonly inflidtpd, becaufe,, 
when the prifoner is not found guilty, 'the expehces of 
the procefs fall upon the public, and the judges receive 
little emolument. Even in the civil courts moft caufes 
are decided by bribing the judges; and appeals in 
thofe communities, wherein they are admitted, fcarcely 
ferve any other end than to enlarge the fphere of cor¬ 
ruption. Coire, and a f£j$..other places, are excepted 
from this judicial traffic. 
The religion of the Grifons is divided into catholic, 
and. reformed. The dodtrines of tin re/ormation were 
firft preached in 1524., and received;:! Flarfch, a village 
in the Ten Jurifdidtions upon the confines of Sargans ; 
from thence they were extended to Meyenfeld and 
Malantz, and foon afterwards through the whole valley 
of Pretigau. The new opinions fpread with fuch cele¬ 
rity, that before the end of the lixteenth century they 
were embraced by the whole league of the Ten Jurif¬ 
didtions, (excepting part o'f the community of Alve- 
new,) the greateft part of the Houle of God, and a few 
G R I 3i 
communities in the Grey League. The difference of 
religion nearly excited ^civil war between the two 
fedts, as well at the firft introduction of the reformation, 
as at the beginning of the troubles in the yalteline. 
In the latter inftance, the two parties rofe in arms ; but 
the catholics being overpowered by the proteftants, 
matters were amicably adjufted. Since that period, all 
religious concerns have been regulated with perfedl 
cordiality. According to the general confent of the 
three leagues, each community, being abfolute within 
its little territory, has the power of appointing its own 
particular worfhip, and the inhabitants are free to follow 
either the catholic or reformed perfuafion. In the ad- 
miniftration of civil affairs religion has no interference ; 
the deputies of the general diet may be members of 
either communion, as chofen by the communities which 
they reprefent. By this moderate and toj^rating prin¬ 
ciple, all religious diftenfions have been fuppreffed, and 
the moft perfedl amity fubfifts between the two fedts. 
In fpiritual concerns; the catholics for the moft part 
are under the jurifdidtion of the bifiiop of Coire. For 
the affairs of the reformed churches, each league is di¬ 
vided into a certain number of diftridts, the minifters 
whereof affemble twice every year: thefe affemblies 
are called colloquia. Each colloquium has its prefident, 
and each league a fuperintendant called a dean. The 
fupreme authority in fpiritual concerns is vefted in the 
fynod, which is compofed of the three deans, and the 
clergy of each league; the fynod aftembles every year 
alternately in each of the three leagues. Candidates 
for holy orders are examined*before the fynod. The 
neceffary qualifications for admiflion into the church 
ought to be the knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, and 
Latin; but this rule is not ftridtly adhered to; many 
being ordained without the lead acquaintance with ei¬ 
ther of thofe languages. Formerly Latin was folely 
ufed, as well in the debates of the fynod as for the pur¬ 
pofe of examining the candidates; but at prefent that 
tongue grows more and more into difufe, and German 
is employed in its ftead. 
The principal part of the mountains of the Grifons 
abound in metals, minerals, foifils, and mineral fprings; 
fait is obtained from Tyrol; moft of the peal'ants wear 
woollen and linen cloth of their own manufacture. 
The number of inhabitants of the Three Leagues is 
eftimated at one hundred and fifty thoufand fouls ; and 
of their fubjedt countries, the Valteline, Bormio, and 
Chiavenna, is one hundred thoufand. The Germaa 
language is chiefly made ufe of in the towns, and in all 
public acls. 
GRIS'SEL, a woman’s name. 
GRIST, f. [gpifC, Sax.] Corn to he ground : 
Much grijl from Cambridge to his lot did fall, 
And all the corn they us’d at fcholar’s hall. Miller 
Supply; provifion: 
Matter, as wife logicians fay. 
Cannot without a form fubfift ; 
And-form, fay I, as well as they, 
Muil fail, if matter brings no grijl. Swift* 
Grist to Mill, is profit; gain.—The computation of 
degrees, in all matrimonial caufes, i^ wont to be made 
according to the rules of that/ law,, becaufe it brings 
grijl to the mill. Aylijfe. 
GRISTLE, f. [gpiycle, Sax.] A cartilage; apart 
of the body next in hardnefs to a bone.—See the ar¬ 
ticle Anatomy, vol. i. p. 582-584, and the correfpon- 
dent engravings.—No living creatures, that have fhells 
very hard, as oyfters, crabs, lobfters, and efpecially the 
tortoife, have bones within them, but only little grijlles* 
Bacon. —Left the afpemy or hardnefs of cartilages lhoald 
hurt the celophagus or gullet, which is tender and of a 
fkinny fubftance, or hinder the fwallowing of our meat, 
therefore the annulary grijlles of the windpipe are not 
