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 GERVASE

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GERVASE

cient consideration the superiors of the order, and which caused his final disgrace. He was obliged to interrupt its publication, and was banished by order of the king to the monastery of the Reclus, in the Dio- cese of Troyes, where he died. Until the end of his life he remained faithful to the austerities of the life of La Trappe, observing in all its rigour the rule he had embraced.

MlCHAUD, Biographie universelle; HuRTER, Nomenclator (Innsbruck, 1S93): Dubois, Histoire de I'abbe de Ranee (Paris, 1866); G.ULLARDIN, Histoire de La Trappe (Paris, 1844); Le Nain, Vie du. Rev. Ptre D. Armand Jean Le BoutiUier de Ranee (Paris, 1715); Ch.ateadbriand, Vie de Ranee (Paris, 1844). Edmond M. Obrecht.

Gervase (Jervis), George, priest and martyr; b. at Boscham, Suffolk, England, 1571 ; d. at Tyburn, 11 April, 1608. His mother's name was Shelly, and both his father's and mother's families had been long established in the County of Suffolk. Losing both parents in boyhood, he was kidnapped by pirates and carried off beyond seas, remaining in captivity over twelve years. He lost his religion during that period; but, when at last he was able to return to England, and found that his eldest brother Henry had become a voluntary exile in Flanders in order to be able to prac- tise his religion, George followed him there and was soon reconciled to the Church. He entered the Eng- lish College at Douai in 1595, and was ordained priest in 1603. He at once went on the English mission. He laboured very successfully for over two years, but was arrested in June, 160G, and banished with several other clergy. He then made a pilgrimage to Rome, and there endeavoured to enter the Society of Jesus, but, not being admitted for some unknown reason, he returned to Douai, where he received the Benedictine habit. His brother Henry had obtained for him a comfortable living near Lille, being anxious to pre- serve him from the persecution then raging in Eng- land. But George was determined to labour for the conversion of his native land, and succeeded in return- ing safely to England, but was soon arrested and incar- cerated. Refusing to take the new oath of allegiance on account of its infringing upon spiritual mat- ters where Catholics were concerned, he w'as tried, con\'icted of the offence of merely being a priest, under the statute of 27 Elizabeth, and was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. Some authorities say that he did not receive the Benedictine habit until a short time before his death from Father Augustine Brad- shaw.

GiLix)W, Bibl. Diet. Eng. Cath., s. v.; Challoner, Memoirs^ II; Snow, Benedictine Necrologii.

C. F. Wemyss Brown.

Gervase of Canterbury (Gervas us Dorobor- NENSis), English chronicler, b. about 1141; d. in, or soon after, 1210. If his brother Thomas, who like himself was a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, was identical with Thomas of Maidstone, they came of a Kentish family. St. Thomas of Canterbury received his religious profession on 16 Feb., 116.3, and also ordaineii him. He was one of the monks who buried the saint after his martyrdom, 29 Dec, 1170. Later on he took a prominent part in the disputes between the monks and Archbishop Baldwin (1185-91) and was one of the monks sent to announce to the arch- bishop an appeal to the pope. In 1189 he was again one of a deputation sent to lay the matter before King Richard I. As yet, Gervase, though one of the senior monks, had held no prominent office, but about this time he was made sacristan, for in 1193 he attended the new archbishop, Hubert Walter, in that capacity. He probal)ly ceased to hold this office in 1197 when he speaks of one I'VOix, .as sacristan. The rest of his life is obscure. He was still writing in 1199 and there are slight indications in another chronicle, the " Gesta Regum", that he continued to write till 1210, when a sutlden change in style and arrangement point to a

new chronicler. His death may therefore be assumed in or soon after that year. Gervase has occasionally been confused with otliers of the same name, notably with Gervase of S. Ceneri, and thus he is described as prior of Dover by Dom Brial (Recueil des Historiens de France, XVII, 1818), which is imnossible on chronological grounds. Sir Thomas Hardy identifies him with Gervase of Chichester, but Dr. Stubbs shows good reasons against this theory, as also against confusing him with Gervase of Melkeley.

The works of Gervase consist of: (1) "The Chroni- cle", covering the period from 1100 to 1199. It was first printed by Twysden in " Historije Angli- cana? Scriptores Decem" (London, 1652). (2) The " Gesta Regum ", which is in part an abridgment of the earlier chronicle, and from the year 1199 an independent source of great value for the early years of John's reign. (3) "Actus Pontificum Can- tuariensis Ecclesia;", a history of the archbishops of Canterbury to the death of Hubert Walter in 1205, also printed by Twysden with the chronicle. (4) "]\Iappa Mundi", a topographical work with lists of bishoprics and ecclesiastical foundations in the various counties of England, Wales, and part of Scotland. The works of Gervase were published in the " Rolls Series" in 1S79-S0 under the editorship of Dr. Stubbs, whose introduction has been the groundwork of all subsequent accounts of Gervase.

.Stubbs, Historical Works of Gervase of Canterbury in Rolls Series (2 vols., London. 1879-SO); Hardy, Descriptive Cata- logue (London, 1862-71); Warner in The Academy, XVIII, 109; XX, 250-1 (1880-Sl); Poole in Dirt. Nat. Biog. (sum- marizing Stubbs), s. v.; Chevalier, Bio-bibl., s. v. Gervais, giving list of sources.

Edwin Burton.

Gervase of Tilbury (Tilberiensis), medieval writer, b. proliably at Tilljury, in the County of Essex, England, about 11.50; d. at Arlington, about 1220. He is supposed to have been related to English royalty. During his youth he entered the service of Henry of Guienne, later he travelled in many parts of Europe, for a time studied canon law at Bologna, where for a brief period he also taught, and was afterwards at the court of King William II of Sicily till 1 189. Upon the death of King William he settled permanently in Aries and was appointed Marshal of the Kingdom of Aries in 1198 by King Otto IV; in virtue of this office he accompanied the king to Rome in 1209 on the occasion of his coronation as emperor. During the years 1210- 1214 he compn.sed the "Otia imperialia" for the in- struction ami entertainment of the emperor, who was excommunicated by the pope in the latter part of 1210, and in 1214," after his defeat at the battle of Bouvines, was forced to retire to the principiility of Brunswick. This work was also entitled "Liber de mirabilibus mundi", " Solatia imperatoris", and " De- scriptio totius orbis". It was divided into three parts, and contained all facts then known concerning his- tory, geography, nnd physics. During the Middle Ages it was much read and was twice translated into French in the fourteenth century. Opinions differ in modern times concerning its value. Leibniz calls it a "bagful of foolish old woman's tales"; while by others it is considered very important since in it this medieval teacher of jurisprudence recognizes the correctness of the papal claims in the conflict between Church and Empire.

Leibniz edited it (1744) in his "Scriptores reruin Brunsvicensium" (I, 881-1004) with variants from four Parisian manuscripts and a supplement (II, 751- 784). Its account of the Frankish and English kings is included by Duchesne in his "Histori;r Francorum scriptores co";etanei" (I, 19; III, 363-74). Mader edited the same portion in his " De Imperio Romano et Gothorum, Langobardorum, Brittonum, Franconnn Anglorumque regnis comment at io"(Helnistadt, 1673). Liebrecht edited a number of geographical and physi-