A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

GREGORAS. GREGORAS. 305
ducted by John, archbishop of Heraclela, but, condemned by the synod of 1545, the victorious
having -been sent to Constantinople, he was placed Acindynites were going to sacrifice Gregoras to
under the care of John Glycis, patriarch of Con- their suspicions, but he was protected by John
stantinople. [GLYCIS.] He learned mathematics Cantacuzenus, afterwards emperor, w.ho during a
and astronomy from Theodorus Metochita, the long time had professed a sincere friendship for
writer. At an early age Gregoras, who. had taken him. A short time afterwards the Acindvnites
orders, became acquainted with the emperor An- were condemned in their turn, and the Palamites
dronicus I., the elder, who took a great fancy to became the ruling party; they were joined by
him, and offered him the important place of Char- John Cantacuzenus, and this time Gregoras did
tophylax, or keeper of the imperial archives, but the not escape the resentment of the victors, though
modest young priest declined the office, on the plea of his only crime was neutrality. Abandoned by
youth. He afterwards, however, accepted several Cantacuzenus, he was imprisoned in 1351. He
offices of importance, and in 1326 was sent as am- was afterwards released; but his enemies, among
bassador to the Kral, that is, the king of Servia. whom his former friend Cantacuzenus was most
Gregoras was -still very young, when he became active, rendered him odious to- the people, and
celebrated for his learning. A dispute having when he died, in, or probably after, 1359, his rearisen as to the day on which Easter was to be ce- mains were insulted by the mob.
lebrated, Gregoras, in an excellent dissertation, Gregoras wrote a prodigious number of works on
proved that the system then adopted for computing history, divinity, philosophy, astronomy, several
that day was erroneous, and proposed another me- panegyrics, some poems, and a considerable number
thod. If it had not been for the fear which the of essays on miscellaneous subjects: a list of them
clergy entertained of exciting the superstitious mob is given by Schopen in the Bonn edition of the
of Constantinople by a reform of the calendar, the History of Gregoras, and by Fabricius, who also
computation of Gregoras would have been adopted gives a list of several hundred authors perused and
by the Greek church. When pope Gregory XIII., quoted by Gregoras. The principal work of our
300 years. afterwards, reformed the calendar, it author is his'PwolaKucjs'Ir'oplas Aoyol, comwas found that the computation of Gregoras was monly called Historia Byzcntina, in thirty-eight
quite right: the treatise which he wrote on the books, of which, as yet, only twenty-four are
subject is still extant, -and highly appreciated by printed. It begins with the capture of Constanastronomers. Being a staunch adherent of the tinople by the Latins in 1204, and goes down to
elder Andronicus, Gregoras was involved in the 1359; the twenty-four printed books contain the
fate of this unfortunate emperor, when he was de- period from 1204 to 1351. The earlier part of
posed, in 1328, by his grandson, Andronicus III., that period is treated with comparative brevity;
the younger, who punished the learned favourite of but as the author approaches his own time, he
his grandfather by confiscating his property. For enters more into detail, and is often diffuse. This
a few years after that event Gregoras led a retired history ought to be read together with that of John
life, only appearing in public for the purpose of de- Cantacuzenus:they were at first friends, but afterlivering lectures on various subjects, which were wards enemies, and each of them charges the other
crowned with extraordinary success. The violence with falsehood and calumnies. Each of them reof his language, however, caused him many ene- presents events according to his own views, and
mies. In 1332 he pronounced funeral orations on their exaggerated praises of their partizans deserve
the emperor Andronicus the elder, and the Magnus as little credit as their violent attacks of their eneLogotheta, Theodorus Metochita, mentioned above. mies. Gregoras was more learned than John CanHe opposed the union of the Greek and Latin tacuzenus, but the latter was better able to pass a
churches proposed by pope John XXII., who had judgment upon great historical facts. One cannot
sent commissioners for that object to Constanti- help smiling at seeing Gregoras, who was ambitious
nople. An excellent opportunity for exhibiting his of nothing more than the name of a great philolearning and oratorical qualities presented itself to sopher, forget all impartiality and moderation as
Gregoras, when the notorious Latin monk Barlaam soon as the presumed interest of his party is at
came over from Calabria to Constantinople, for the stake: his philosophy was in his head, not in his
purpose of exciting dissensions among the Greek heart. His style is, generally speaking, bombasclergy. Barlaam had reason to expect complete tic, diffuse, full of repetitions of facts as well as of
success, when his career was stopped short by Gre- favourite expressions: he is fond of narrating
goras, who challenged the disturber to a public matters of little importance with a sort of artificial
disputation, in which Barlaam was so completely elegance, and he cannot inform the reader of great
defeated, that, in his shame and confusion, he events without an additional display of pompous
retired to Thessaloneica, and never more appeared words spun out into endless periods. Like most
in the capital. The dissensions, however, occasioned of his contemporaries, he mixes politics with theoby Barlaam had a most injurious influence upon logy. These are his defects. We are indebted to
the peace of the Greek church, and caused a revo- him,'iowever, for the care he has taken in making
lution, which ended most unfortunately for Gre- posterity acquainted with an immense number of
goras. Gregorius Palamas, afterwards archbishop facts referring to that period of Byzantine history
of Thessalonica, espoused the dogmas of Barlaanm when the Greek empire was still to be saved from
he was opposed by Gregorius Acindynus, and hence ruin by a cordial understanding, both in pblitical
arose the famous controversy between the Palamites and religious matters, with the inhabitants of
and Acindynites. This quarrel, like most disputes Europe.
on religious matters in the Byzantine empire, as- It is said that Frederic Rostgaard published the
sumed a political character. Gregoras resolved to History of Gregoras, with a Latin translation, ill
remain neutral: his prudence ruined him, because, 1559, but this is a mistake; at least, nobody has
as his violent temper was known, be became sus- seen this edition. The editio princeps is the one
pected by both parties. Palamas, having been published by Hieronymus Wolf, Basel, 1562, fol.,
VOL. IL X