In 1777, on the nomination of his Sardinian majesty, Gerdil was made a cardinal, and consequently left Turin for Rome, where, however, he lived in a state of comparative retirement, and is said to have been dissatisfied with the political conduct of the court of Rome, from which he foresaw many evils to the church. In 1801 he warmly opposed the intended negociations with the French consular government, and treated Buonaparte's proposal for a concordate as an impudent hypocritical farce, and therefore openly dissented from it. It was generally reported that he told the late pope, Pius VI. that "by the signature of the concordate he had signed the destruction of religion," which in one sense was probably true. Gerdil was a catholic of the old school, and with him there was no religion but that of the church, and no power but that of the court of Rome. These predominant sentiments of his mind are not unfrequently discoverable in his works. He died at Rome, Aug. 17, 1802, much regretted by his admirers, by his colleagues, and by the public at large. He was buried by his own desire in the plainest manner, in the church of his convent of St. Charles, at Cattinari. The year after his death a complete edition of his works was published at Bologna, in 6 vols. 4to. They are written in Latin, Italian, and French.'

GEREE (JOHN), an English divine of the puritan cast, was born in Yorkshire in 1600, and in 1615 entered as a servitor of Magdalen-hall. In 1621 he took his degree of M. A. and being ordained, became minister of Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, where he was afterwards silenced by bishop Goodman for objecting to certain ceremonies of the church. In 1641 this suspension was removed by one of the parliamentary committees which took upon them to new-model the church. In 1645 he became by the saine interest minister of St. Albans, and about four years afterwards that of St. Faith's, under St. Paul's, London. Although a puritan in matters of the ceremonies and discipline, he appears soon to have penetrated into the designs of the reformers of his age, and opposed the civil war, and especially the murder of the king, the barbarity of which is said to have hastened his death. He died at his house in Ivy-lane, Paternoster-row, in February 1649. Wood

Athenæum, vol. V. from his Eloge, published at Rome.-Dict. Hist.

gives a long list of sermons and tracts published by this author, against the baptists and independents; one of them is entitled "An exercise, wherein the evil of Health-drinking is by clear and solid arguments convinced," 1648, 4to. Another, more useful in that age, was his "AstrologoMastix; or, the vanity of judicial astrology," 1646. He had an elder brother, Stephen, also a puritan divine, who wrote against Dr. Crisp, in the Antinomian controversy.'

In

GERHARD (JOHN), an eminent German Lutheran divine, was born at Quedlinburgh, in Saxony, Oct. 17, 1582, where he was partly educated, but in 1599, was sent to Wittemberg, and studied philosophy and divinity under the ablest masters. In 1601, by the advice of Rauchbach, a counsellor and vice-chancellor of Saxony (for his father died in 1598) he went through a course of medical studies, but about two years after, recollecting a vow he had made during a fit of sickness, he returned again to divinity, the study of which he farther prosecuted at Jena, to which he first went as tutor to his friend Rauchbach's son. 1603 he took his master's degree here, and in 1604 removing with his pupil to Marpurg, he continued his theological studies, and learned Hebrew. In 1605 he returned to Jena, took his degree in philosophy, and having been ordained, was appointed by John Casimir, duke of Saxony, to a church in Franconia, and at the same time to be professor of divinity in the Casimirian college of Cobourg. In 1616 by consent of his liberal patron, he accepted the professorship of divinity at Jena, and continued in that office during the remainder of his life. He was four times chosen rector of the university, and encreased his reputation by a vast variety of publications which made him known to all the literati of Europe, many of whom, both protestants and catholics, bore testimony to his extensive learning, piety, and usefulness, both as a divine and teacher. He died of a fever, Aug. 17, 1637. His works, which are written in Latin and German, consist of treatises on various theological subjects, critical and polemical; commentaries on various books of the Old and New Testament; common-places, &c. &c. One only of these, his "Meditations," is well known in this country, having gone through many editions, and having also been translated into most European languages and into Greek. He left a

Ath. Ox. vol. II.

numerous family, some of whom became distinguished as divines, particularly his eldest son, JOHN ERNEST, who was born at Jena in 1621, and studied at Altdorf. He was appointed professor of philosophy at Wittemberg in 1646, and in 1652 was nominated professor of history at Jena, Like his father he devoted much of his time to biblical and theological learning. He died in 1688. Among his works are, "Harmonia Linguarum Orientalium;" "Disputationum theologicarum Fasciculus;" "De Ecclesiæ Coptica Ortu, Progressu, et Doctrina." There is a very minute and curious history of this family in the work from which these particulars have been taken, with much collateral information respecting the theological writers and controversies during the life of the elder Gerhard. '

GERLACH (STEPHEN), a Lutheran divine, was born at Knitlingen, a village in Suabia, Dec. 26, 1546. He laid the foundation of a learned education at Stutgard, and became distinguished for his diligence at the university of Tubingen, where, in 1566, he took his degree of B. A. with great applause. Shortly after this he withdrew from the university to Eslingen on account of the plague, and there he was admitted to the degree of doctor in philosophy in 1567, and in 1573 he accompanied David Ungnad, who was sent on an embassy from the emperor Maximilian II. to the Turkish court. He continued at Constantinople about five years, acquainting himself with the manners and religion of the Turks and Greeks, cultivating an acquaintance with the most eminent men in the latter communion, and collecting many Greek MSS. which he purchased for Crusius. Upon his return to Tubingen he was made professor, dean of the church, and a member of the senatus academicus, but engaged in the duties of his profession with so much zeal and assiduity, as to injure his health. He died Jan. 30, 1612. He was author of various controversial writings against Daneau and Buseus on the subject of the divinity of Jesus Christ; two volumes of "Disputationes Theologica de præcipuis horum temporum controversiis," Tubingen, 1610, 4to, and of what may now probably be thought the most important of his works, “A Journal (in German) of the embassy to the Porte," published at Francfort, in 1674, fol.2

Historia ecclesiastica Seculi XVII. in vita Jo. Gerhardi, Leipsic, 1727, 8vo.
Melchior Adam.-Freheri Theatrum.-Niceron, vol. XXVI,

GERMANICUS (CESAR), son of Drusus and of Antonia the virtuous niece of Augustus, inherited the excellent qualities of his mother. Tiberius, who was his paternal uncle, adopted him, and he was gradually raised to the consulship, the twelfth year of the Christian æra. When Augustus died, he was in Germany, where the soldiers would have raised him to the empire, had he not declined it. He recalled the rebellious to their duty, defeated the Germans under Arminius, and retook a Roman eagle which the Marsi had kept from the defeat of Varus. Being recalled to Rome, he obtained the honours of a triumph, and was appointed commander in the East, whither he returned soon after, to quell the enemies of Rome in that quarter. He was there so successful, that he defeated the king of Armenia, and placed another on his throne. But the splendor of his victories is supposed to have cost him his life; for Tiberius became jealous of him, and if he did not actually poison him, as many thought, contrived to wear out his life with fatigue and vexation. He died at Daphne of Antioch, aged 34, in the 29th year of the Christian æra. His widow, Agrippina, by whom he had nine children, received his ashes with sincerity, as well as solemnity of grief, in which all Rome, except the tyrant, deeply partook. One of his sons was Caligula, who proved so dreadfully unworthy of his excellent father. Germanicus had all the qualities and talents which could conciliate universal affection and esteem: courage, probity, military skill, pleasing manners in society, fidelity in friendship, and even abilities for literature, eloquence, and composition. Some specimens of his Latin poetry are still extant; and he wrote comedies in Greek, and a version of Aratus. In the midst of arms he cultivated polite studies. It is seldom that so many admirable qualities unite in a person of such rank; and it must have been, therefore, with the most poignant regret, that the Romans saw him so early cut off by the dark suspicions, or unfeeling treatment, of Tiberius.

His "Arati Phenomena, Latinis versibus tradita," was published at Venice, 1488, 4to, and reprinted by Morellus at Paris, 1559, 4to. Some epigrams attributed to him are among the "Poematia Vetera," Paris, 1590, 12mo, and Cobourg, 1715, 1716, 8vo.1

1 Roman and Universal Hist.-Tacitus, lib. I and II-Saxii Onoma it,

GERMON, or GERMONIO (ANASTASIUS), an eminent lawyer, whose writings are much valued both for matter and manner, was born at Turin in 1551, of a noble Piedmontese family. For some reasons, not explained, his education was neglected until he had attained the age of twenty-two, but he then applied with great diligence to the study of the law, and after taking his degrees at Turin, was appointed professor of the canon-law. This was so much to his inclination, that he continued in the office, although promoted to be archdeacon of Turin, and apostolical prothonotary. As archdeacon he accompanied the archbishop of Turin to Rome, and acquired the esteem of the popes Sixtus V. Urban VII. Gregory XIV. and Clement VIII. By the last he was employed in compiling part of the Decretals, with notes and illustrations. After other honours and preferments had been bestowed on him, he was made archbishop of Tarantesia in Savoy. He died on an embassy at the court of Madrid in 1627. Besides his notes on the decretals, and other smaller pieces on the digest and code, he published "De Sacrorum immunitatibus lib. tres, &c." Rome, 1591, folio. "Pomeridianæ sessiones in quibus Latinæ Linguæ dignitas defenditur," Turin, 1580, 4to. There is also an edition of his "Opera Omnia ab ipso recognita," Rome, 1623, fol.'

GERMON (BARTHOLOMEW), a celebrated Jesuit, was born at Orleans June 17, 1663, and entered the society of Jesuits in 1680. Much of his life appears to have passed in controversy. He was a man of unquestionable learning, and an elegant Latin writer, but not so much admired as a critic. He entered the lists of controversy, with two men of great abilities, Mabillon and Coustant, in consequence of father Mabillon's work on diplomas, in which he thought he discovered that Mabillon had advanced some things on the authority of forgeries. This produced Germon's first work, "De veteribus regum Francorum Diplomatibus, e arte secernendi antiqua diplomata vera à falsis," Paris, 1703, 12mo, which was followed by two other treatises on the same subject. Mabillon answered in his "Supplement à la Diplomatique," 1704, but without naming Germon; and the controversy employed other pens, but appears to have ended at last in favour of Mabillon. Germon afterwards engaged in the disputes on grace, &c. and is

Moreri.--Saxii Onomast.