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

460 -HIERONYMUS. H-IERONYMUS.
docia, and Cilicia, reached Antioch, where Inno- widows, to whom he was wont to represent in the
centius died of a fever, and he himself was attacked brightest colours the celestial graces of an unwedded
by a dangerous malady. A great change seems to life. The influence exercised by Jerome over this
have taken place in the mind of Jerome during this class of persons, including many of the fairest and
illness; the religious enthusiasm first kindled upon the noblest, soon became so powerful as to excite
the banks of the Moselle, assumed a more austere strong indignation and alarm among their relations
and gloomy form in the luxurious capital of Syria. and admirers, and to arouse the jealousy of the
In obedience, as he believed or pretended, to the regular priesthood. He was assailed on every side
warnings of a heavenly vision (Ep. xxii. ad Eus- by open invective and covert insinuation; and even
toch.), which reproached him especially on account the populace were incited to insult him when he
of his excessive admiration of Cicero, he deter- appeared in public. These attacks he withstood for
mined to abandon the study of the profane writers, a while with undaunted firmness; but upon the
and to occupy himself exclusively with holy toils death of his patron and steadfast supporter Damasus
and contemplations. From this time forward a in 384, he found it necessary, or deemed it prudent
devotion to monastic habits became the ruling to withdraw from the persecution. He accordingly
principle, we might say, the ruling passion of his sailed from Rome in the month of August, 385,
life. After having listened for some time to the accompanied by several friends; and after touching
instructions of Apollinarius, bishop of Laodiceia, at Rhegium and Cyprus, where he was hospitably
whose errors with regard to the Incarnation had received by Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, reached
not yet attracted attention, he retired, in 374, to Antioch. There he was soon afterwards joined by
the desert of Chalcis, lying between Antioch and the most zealous of his penitents, the rich widow
the Euphrates, where he passed four years, ad- Paula, and her daughter Eustochium, attended by
bering strictly to the most rigid observances of a number of devout maidens, along with whom he
monkish ascetism, tortured by unceasing remorse made a tour of the Holy Land, visited Egypt, and
on account of the sinfulness of his earlier years. returning to Palestine in 386, settled at Bethlehem,
The bodily exhaustion produced by fasting and where Paula erected four monasteries, three for
mental anguish did not prevent him from pur- nuns and one for monks, she herself presiding over
suing with resolute perseverance the study of the the former until her death, in 404, when she was
Hebrew tongue, although often reduced almost succeeded by Eustochium, while Jerome directed
to despair by the difficulties he encountered; from the latter establishment. In this retreat he passed
composing annotations upon portions of Scripture; the remainder of his life, busied with his official
and from keeping up an active correspondence duties, and with the composition of his works.
with his friends. His retirement, however, was Notwithstanding the pursuits by which he was
grievously disturbed by the bitter strife which had engrossed in his solitude, the latter years of Jerome
arisen at Antioch between the partisans of Mele- did not glide smoothly away. The wars waged
tius and Paulinus; for having, in deference to the against Rufinus, against John bishop of Jerusalem,
opinion of the Western Church, espoused the cause and against the Pelagians, were prosecuted with
of the latter, he became actively involved in the great vigour, but with little meekness; and the
controversy. Accordingly, in the spring of 379, friendship formed with Augustin must have been
he found himself compelled to quit his retreat, and rudely broken off by the dispute regarding the
repair to Antioch, where he unwillingly consented nature of the difference betwen St. Peter and St.
to be ordained a presbyter by Paulinus, upon the Paul, but for the singular moderation and forbearexpress stipulation that he should not be required ance of the African bishop. At length the ranto perform the regular duties of the sacred office. corous bitterness of his attacks excited so much
Soon after he betook himself to Constantinople, wrath among the Pelagians of the East, that an
where he abode for three years, enjoying the in- armed multitude of these heretics assaulted the
structions, society, and friendship of Gregory of monastery at Bethlehem; and Jerome, having
Nazianzus, and busily employed in extending and escaped with difficulty, was forced to remain in
perfecting his knowledge of the Greek language, concealment for upwards of two years. Soon after
from which he made several translations, the most his return, in 418, both mind and body worn out
important being the Chronicle of Eusebius. In 381 by unceasing toil, privations, and anxieties, graMeletius died; but this event did not put an end dually gave way, and he expired on the 30th of
to the schism, for his partisans immediately elected September, A. D. 420.
a successor to him in the person of Flavianus, whose The principal sources of information for the life
authority was acknowledged by most of the Eastern of Jerome, of which the above is but a meagsre
prelates. The year following, Damasus, in the vain sketch, are passages collected from his works, and
hope of calming these unseemly dissensions, sum- these have been thrown into a biographical form
moned Paulinus, together with his chief adherents in the edition of Erasmus, of Marianus Victorinus,
and antagonists, to Rome, where a council was of the Benedictines, and of Vallarsi. See also
held, in which Jerome acted as secretary, and Surius, Act. Sanct. vol. v. mens. Septemb.; Sixtus
formed that close friendship with the chief pontiff Senensis, Bibl. Sacr. lib. iv. p. 302; Du Pin, Hiswhich remained firm until the death of the latter, tory of Ecclesiastical Writers, fifth century; Marat whose earnest request he now seriously com- tianay, La Vie de St. Jerome, Paris, 4to. 1706;
menced his grand work of revising the received Tillemont, Mim. Eccles. vol. xiii.; SchrOck, Kirc/lenversions of the Scriptures, while at the same time gesch. vol. xi. pp. 1-244; Sebastian Dolci, Maxihe laboured unceasingly in proclaiming the glory amus Hieronymus Vitae suae Scriptor, Ancon. 4to.
and merit of a contemplative life and monastic dis- 1750; Engelstoff, Hieronymsus Stridonensis, intercipline. His fame as a man of eloquence, learning pres, criticus, exegeta, apologeta, historicus, doctor,
and sanctity, was at this period in its zenith; but monaches, Hafn. 8vo., 1797; Biihr, Gesch. der Rom.
his most enthusiastic disciples were to be found in Litterat. Suppl. Band. II. Abtheil, ~ 82; but
the female sex, especially among maidens and perhaps none of the above will be found more gene