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

GREGORIUS. GREGORIUS. 313
when, at the commencement of the service,'the sun The former was tempered by sincere and humble
burst forth and filled the church with his light, all piety, and by a deep conviction of the benefits of
the orthodox accepted it as a sign from heaven, and moderation; the latter was aggravated by his
called out to the emperor to make Gregory bishop notions of philosophic quietism, and by his conof Constantinople. The cry was with difficulty tinual encounters with difficulties above his strength.
appeased for the time, and shortly afterwards Gre- He was a perfectly honest man. His mind, though
gory was compelled to accept the office. As the highly'cultivated, was of no great power. His
]lead of the orthodox party, Gregory used their poems are not above mediocrity, and his discourses,
victory with a healing moderation, at least accord- though sometimes really eloquent, are generally
ing to the ideas of his time, for the suppression of nothing more than favourable specimens of the
the public worship of the heretics by the edicts of rhetoric of the schools. He is' more earnest than
Theodosius was not regarded by him as an act of Chrysostom, but not so ornamental. He is more
persecution. On the other hand, many of the artificial, but also, in spirit, more attractive, than
Arians regarded him with the deepest enmity, and Basil. Biblical theology has gained but little from
he relates a romantic story of an assassin, who either of these writers, whose chief aim was to
came with other visitors into his room, but was explain and enforce the dogmas of the Catholic
conscience-stricken, and confessed his guilt: Gre- church.
gory dismissed him with his benediction. The The works of Gregory Nazianzen are, 1. Oraaffairs of the church were administered by him tions or Sermons; 2. Letters; 3. Poems; 4. His
with diligence and integrity, and he paid no more Will.
court to the emperor than the etiquette of his rank'' The following are the most important editions of
required. Several of his sermons belong to the the works of Gregory Nazianzen:-An editio prinyear of his patriarchate. ceps, Basil. 1550, folio, containing the Greek text,
At the beginning of the year 381, Theodosius and the lives of Gregory by Suidas, Sophronius,
convoked the celebrated council of Constantinople, and Gregory the presbyter. A Latin version was
the second of the oecumenical councils.' One of its published at the same place and time, in a separate
earliest acts was to confirm Gregory in the patri- volume. 2. Morell's edition, after the text of
archate of. Constantinople, and soon after, in con- Billius, 2 vols. fol. Paris. 1609-1611; a new and
sequence of the sudden death of Meletius, lie became improved edition, 1630; a careless reprint, Colon.
president of the council. He soon found, however, (Lips.), 1690. 3. Another edition, after Billius,
that he had not the power to, rule it.'He was by Tollius and Muratorius, Venet. 1753. 4. The
too good and moderate, perhaps also too weak and Benedictine edition, of which only the first volume
indolent, to govern a general council in that age. was published: it was commenced by Louvart,
His health also was very infirm. He gradually continued by Maron, and finished by Clemencet.
withdrew himself from the sittings of the council, It contains only the, discourses, preceded by an
an:d showed a disposition to lay down his bishopric. excellent life of'Gregory, Paris. 1778. The disHis chief opponents, the Egyptian and Macedonian courses are placed in a new order by Clemencet,
bishops, seized the opportunity.to attack him, on The numbers used in this article are those of Bilthe ground that he could not hold the bishopric of lius. The edition of Billius only contains a part of
Constantinople, as he was already bishop of Na- Gregory's poems. The principal edition of the
zianzus, and the church did not permit translations. remainder is by Tollius, under the title of CarUpon this he gladly resigned his office. His re- mina Cygnea, in his Insignia Itinerarii Italici,
signation was accepted without hesitation by the Traj. ad Rhen. 1696, 4to., reprinted, 1709.
council and the emperor, and he took leave of the Muratori further discovered several of Gregory's
people of Constantinople in a discourse which is epigrams, which he published in his Anecdota
the noblest effort of his eloquence. He returned Graeca, Patav. 1709, 4to. These epigrams form a
to Cappadocia, and, the course of his journey lead- part of the Palatine Anthology, and are published
ing him to Caesareia, he there delivered his ad- more accurately in Jacobs's edition of the Palatine
mirable funeral oration upon Basil. Finding the Anthology, b. viii. vol. i. pp. 539-604; and in
bishopric of Nazianzus still vacant, he discharged Boissonade's Poet. Graec. Sylloge, Paris, 1824,
its duties until, in the following year, 383, he &c. There are many other editions of parts of his
found a suitable successor in his cousin Eulalius. works. (The authorities for Gregory's life, besides
He now finally'retired to his long-sought solitude, those already quoted, are the lives;of him by
at his paternal estate at Arianzus, where the enjoy- Nicetas and by Gregory the presbyter, the Ecclement of quiet philosophical meditation was mingled siastical Histories of Socrates and Sozomen, the
with the review of his past life, which he recorded works of Baronius, Tillemont' Fleury, Du Pin,
in an'Iambic poem. This work breathes a spirit Lardner, Le Clerc; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i. p. 246;
of contentment, derived from an approving con- Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. p. 383; Schrbickhb
science, but not unmixed with complaints of the C/hristliche. Kirchengeschichle, vol. xiii. p. 268; Ullingratitude and disappointment which he had en- mann, Gregorius von Nazianz, der Th/eoloye, ei.s
countered in the discharge of duties he had never Beitrag zur Kircelen. nd Dognmengeschicte des
-sought, and lamentations over the evil times on vierten Jalhrlhunderts, Darmst. 1825, 8vo.; Hoffwhich he had- fallen. He draws a melancholy mann, Lexicon Bibliographicum Scriptorum Grae-.picture of the character of the clergy of his time, cornum.) [P. aS]
derived chiefly from his experience of the couicil GREGO'RIUS NYSSE'NUS, ST., bishop of
of Constantinople. He also wrote other poems, and Nyssa, in Cappadocia, and a father of the Greek
several letters, in his retirement. He died in 389 church, was the younger brother of Basil the Great.
or 390. After the account given of his life, little He was born at Caesareia, in'Cappadocia, in'or
remains to be said of his character. His natural soon after A. D. 331. Though we.have no express'disposition partook of the two qualities, which are account of his education, there is no doubt that,
often found united, impetuosity and ilndolence. like his brother's, it was the best that the Ronltn