1745, 8vo. 27. "Popery in its proper colours, with a list of Saints invocated in England before the Reformation," 17-, 8vo. 28. "Remarks upon a late edition of Shakspeare, with a long string of emendations borrowed by the celebrated editor from the Oxford edition without acknowledgement. To which is prefixed, a Defence of the late sir Thomas Hanmer, bart. addressed to the rev. Mr. Warburton, preacher of Lincoln's-Inn," 8vo, no date, but about 1745. 29. "A word or two of Advice to William Warburton, a dealer in many words; by a friend. With an Appendix, containing a taste of William's Spirit of Railing," 1746, 8vo. 30. "A free and familiar Letter to that great refiner of Pope and Shakspeare, the rev. William Warburton, preacher at Lincoln's-Inn. With Remarks upon the epistle of friend W. E. (query? if not T. E. i. e. Thomas Edwards). In which his unhandsome treatment of this celebrated writer is exposed in the manner it deserves. By a Country Curate," 1750, 8vo. 31. "A Supplement to Hudibras," 1752, 8vo. 32. "Critical, historical, and explanatory notes on Shakspeare, with emendations on the text and metre," 1755, 2 vols. 8vo. 33. "Chronological account of Earthquakes," 1757, 8vo. In 1756 he assisted Mr. Whalley in his edition of Shakspeare; he had also contributed to Mr. Peck's "Desiderata," and "Life of Cromwell," and collected some materials for a Life of Baker, the Cambridge antiquary, which were afterwards enlarged and published by the rev. Robert Masters. Dr. Grey left some other MSS. and a collection of letters, now in Mr. Nichols's possession.

From this copious account of Dr. Grey's literary employments, an idea may be formed of his character and sentiments. It would appear that in early life he had studied the history of the church to which he belonged, particularly during the seventeenth century when she suffered the severest shock; and having examined into the personal history of the artful agents, as well as the more artful means by which the hierarchy and civil government were overthrown, conceived an implacable dislike to the whole body of non-conformists, which by an easy transition, he continued towards their immediate successors, the dissenters. Finding the latter frequently employed in vindicating the cause of republican church-government, and bestowing all their pity on those who suffered by the restoration, without any notice of those whom they made

to suffer by the previous revolution, he directed his powers of controversy to some of those advocates, and by his laborious researches into the private history, annals, and pamphlets of the Cromwell period, was enabled to become a very formidable antagonist. His Examinations of Neal are, in this respect, the most valuable of his writings, and strict impartiality will be found to require a close attention, in the readers of Neal, to what Dr. Grey and his precursor bishop Madox have advanced. The same researches which Dr. Grey had occasion to pursue in answering Neal and others of that party, seem to have furnished him with the matter of the notes by which he afterwards illustrated his edition of Butler's Hudibras, a work which will probably preserve his memory to a very long date, as his plan was entirely new. Yet, he did not escape attacks, both serious and jocular on this publication. Warburton, in his preface to Shakspeare, "hardly thinks there ever appeared, in any learned language, so execrable an heap of nonsense, under the name of Commentaries, as hath lately been given us on this satiric poet:" and Fielding, in the preface to his "Voyage to Lisbon," has introduced the laborious much-read Dr. Zachary Grey, of whose redundant notes on Hudibras he shall only say, that it is, he is confident, the single book extant, in which above 500 authors are quoted, not one of which could be found in the collection of the late Dr. Mead." But Dr. Warton has very well observed, that, "if Butler is worth reading, he is worth explaining; and the researches used for so valuable and elegant a purpose merit the thanks of genius and candor, not the satire of prejudice and ignorance."

The above attack by Warburton produced, from Dr. Grey, the pamphlets mentioned above, No. 28, 29, and 30, in which there is much of the grossness as well as the acuteness of the controversial spirit. Warburton's conduct, however, appears wanton and unprovoked, for he not only was at one time on good terms with Grey, and had himself some thoughts of illustrating Hudibras, but had actually supplied Grey with the result of his own inquiries, and was therefore a contributor to "so execrable an heap of nonsense;" for which Grey makes very grateful acknowledgment in his preface. To account for Warburton's contempt for a commentator whom he had thus assisted, and for a plan which he meant to have executed (perhaps as he executed his plan on Shakspeare), we are inclined to prefer the conjec

ture of a gentleman whom extensive reading, reflection, and taste have constituted an able umpire in literary quarrels. Mr. D'Israeli thinks that Warburton's motive was jealousy, and that "though he had half reluctantly yielded the few notes he had prepared, his proud heart sickened when he beheld the amazing subscription Grey obtained for his first edition of Hudibras; he received for that work 1500l.; a proof that this publication was felt as a want by the public." Grey, however, may be entitled to a higher merit than that of gratifying the public taste by his edition of Hudibras. He was unquestionably the founder of that species of commentary which has since been so successfully employed in illustrating Shakspeare, by bringing together all the information, the contemporary writing, and the style, manners, prejudices, and peculiarities of the age, however distant, in which the author to be explained wrote. And although this example has been followed, perhaps in some instances, to a degree of minuteness that exposes the commentator to the ridicule of the wits, and although it must be allowed that some of the Shakspeare commentators have "bestowed ́all their tediousness" upon us with a too liberal hand, yet it cannot be controverted, that they have pursued the only just and legitimate process for elucidating the writings of distant ages. The merit of this example, therefore, is due to Grey, and is that on which his fame as a writer and literary antiquary will rest, long after his other publications, with the exception per baps of his Examinations of Neal, are forgotten. He had also made some progress in an edition of Shakspeare upon the plan of his Hudibras, which we presume his advanced age prevented his completing. What he had collected, however, appeared in his "Critical, historical, and explanatory notes" above-mentioned. Of this work Dr.

Johnson says that "what Dr. Grey undertook he has well enough performed, but as he neither attempts judicial nor emendatory criticism, he employs rather his memory than his sagacity;" and he adds, "It were to be wished that all would endeavour to imitate his modesty, who have not been able to surpass his knowledge."

GRIBALDUS (MATTHEW), surnamed Mofa, was a learned civilian of Padua, who, after being a law professor

1 Nichols's Bowyer,—D'Israeli's Calamities of Authors.-Cole's MS Athenæ in Brit. Museum.

at Padua, Pisa, and Pavia, as far as 1557, left Italy, in order to make a public profession of the Protestant religion; but who, like some other Italian converts, imbibed the heresy of the Antitrinitarians. After having been professor of civil law at Tubingen for some time, he quitted the employment, in order to escape the punishment he would have incurred, had he been convicted of his errors. He was seized at Bern, where he feigned to renounce his opinions, in order to escape very severe treatment; but, as he relapsed again, and openly favoured the heretics, who had been driven from Geneva, he would, as Beza intimates, certainly have been put to death, if he had not died of the plague in September 1567, or as others say in 1564. In a journey to Geneva, during the trial of Servetus, he desired to have a conference with Calvin, which Calvin at first refused, but afterwards granted; and then Gribaldus, though he came according to the appointed time and place, refused to confer, because Calvin would not give him his hand, till they should be agreed on the articles of the Trinity. He was afterwards cited to appear before the magistrates, in order to give an account of his faith; but, his answers not being satisfactory, he was commanded to leave the city. He wrote several works, which are esteemed by the public; as "Commentarii in legem de rerum mistura, & de jure fisci," printed in Italy. "Commentarii in pandectas juris," at Lyons. "Commentarii in aliquot præcipuos Digesti," &c. Francfort, 1577, fol. toria Francisci Spiræ, cui anno 1548, familiaris aderat, secundum quæ ipse vidit & audivit," Basil, 1550. Sleidan declares, that Gribaldus was a spectator of the sad condition of the apostate Spira, and that he wrote and published an account of his case and sufferings. "De methodo ac ratione studendi in jure civili libri tres," Lyons, 1544 and 1556. He is said to have written this last book in a week.1

"His

GRIBNER (MICHAEL HENRY), an eminent professor of law, was born in 1682, at Leipsic. His father, who was minister in that city, dying in 1685, the celebrated Mencke married the widow, and took great care of her son's education. Gribner assisted in the " Leipsic Journal," was professor of law at Wittenburgh, then at Dresden, and finally at Leipsic, where he was chosen to succeed M. Mencke. He died in 1734. Besides several academical dissertations,

Gen. Dict.-Moreri.-Dupin.-Saxii Onomast.

he left "Principia processûs Judiciarii ;” “ Principia Juris prudentiæ naturalis;" a small work much esteemed; "Opuscula Juris publici et privati." He was also a benefactor to the university of Leipsic, by leaving a considerable legacy to the library, a sum of money as a provision for the widows of the professors, and an annual sum as an exhibition for a law student.'

GRIERSON (CONSTANTIA), a very extraordinary woman, (whose maiden name is nowhere mentioned), was born in the county of Kilkenny in Ireland, and married to Mr. George Grierson, printer in Dublin. She died in 1733, at the age of twenty-seven; and was allowed to be an excellent scholar, not only in Greek and Roman literature, but in history, divinity, philosophy, and mathematics. She gave a proof of her knowledge in the Latin tongue by her dedication of the Dublin edition of Tacitus to lord Carteret; and by that of Terence to his son, to whom she likewise wrote a Greek epigram. Dr. Harwood esteems her Tacitus one of the best edited books ever published. Among the editions of her husband's press, is a very fine one of Dupin's Ecclesiastical History, 1724, 3 vols. folio, a rare book in this country. Mrs. Grierson composed some poems in English, several of which are inserted by Mrs. Barber amongst her own. When lord Carteret was lordlieutenant of Ireland, he obtained a patent for Mr. Grier, son, her husband, to be the king's printer; and, to distinguish and reward her uncommon merit, had her life inserted in it. Besides her parts and learning, she was also a woman of great virtue and piety. Mrs. Pilkington has recorded some particulars of her, and tells us, that, "when about eighteen years of age, she was brought to her father, to be instructed in midwifery; that she was mistress of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French, and understood the mathematics as well as most men: and what," says Mrs. Pilkington, "made these extraordinary talents yet more surprising was, that her parents were poor illiterate country people; so that her learning appeared like the gift poured out on the apostles, of speaking all the languages without the pains of study." Mrs. Pilkington inquired of ber, where she had gained this prodigious knowledge: to which Mrs. Grierson said, that "she had received some little instruction from the minister of the parish, when she

Bibl. Germanique, vol. XXIX.-Moreri.-Saxii Onomast.