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 6RASSEL

729

6RATIAN

Larousse, Grand Dictionnaire Universellc du XIX^ Si^cle ("Paria, 1872): Magazine of American History (New York, 1881); Mar- tin, History of France (tr. Boston, 1866); Shea, The opera- tions of the French fleet under the Count de Grasse in 1781-83, with sketch of life of De Grasse in Bradford Club Series, No. 3 (150 copies); Journal of Congress, Philadelphia.

John Fdrey.

Grassel, Lorenz, Coadjutor-elect of Baltimore; b. at Rueinannsfelden, Bavaria, 18 August, 1753; d. at Philadelphia, U. S. A., October, 179.3. He was a novice of the Society of Jesus at the time of its sup- pres.sion and was subsequently ordained priest. In 1787 he left his native land for the American mission at Father Farmer's invitation, and in March, 1787, he was given charge of the German members of St. Mary's congregation in Philadelphia, and of the Catholics scattered through New Jersey. He spent six years in Philadelphia and during that time became noted for his learning, zeal, and piety. When it be- came necessary, owing to the spread of the Faith, to appoint a coadjutor to Bishop Carroll of Baltimore Father Grassel was chosen for the office and the peti- tion for his appointment was formally made to Rome, 24 September, 1793. The petition was granted, Grassel thus being the first German-born Catholic appointed to a bishopric in the United States, but before the arrival of the Brief naming him titular Bishop of Samosata (8 Dec, 1793), Grassel had suc- cumbed to yellow fever contracted while attending the victims of the plague which that year ravaged Phila- delphia.

Shea. Life and Times of the Most Rev. John Carroll (New York, 1888) ; Idem, The Catholic Church in the V. S. (New Y'ork, 18.56); U. S. Cath. Hist. Mar/azine (New York, Jan., 1887); Woodstock Letters, 11, 102; Reuss, Biog. Cyclo. of the Cath. Hierarchy of U. S. (Milwaukee, 1898).

Blanche M. Kelly.

Grassis, Paris de, master of ceremonies to Julius II and Leo X; b. at Bologna, about 1470; d. at Rome, 10 June, 1528. He was the nephew of Antonio de Grassis, nuncio to Frederick III, and Bishop of Tivoli. Cardinal Achille de Grassis, his brother, one of the confidential diplomats of Julius II, was appointed Archbishop of Bologna by Leo X, and died in 1523. In 1506 Paris de Grassis succeeded the famous Burchard, master of ceremonies to Alexander VI, and continued his "Diarium" (ed. Thuasne, Paris, 1883-84). The portion of the diary written by de Grassis covers the closing years of Julius II and the pontificate of Leo X, and is a precious reference work for the historian. De Grassis was not a historian, merely a chronicler; with pedantic fidelity he jotted down the minutise of all pontifical ceremonies, trivial occurrences at the Curia, the consistories and processions, the coming and going of ambassadors, journeys, etc. He had no political prejudices, though he showsthat he had butsmall sym- pathy for France or for various curial dignitaries. His sole interest was ceremonial and court etiquette. Nevertheless his eye was alert to catch all that went on around him; in consequence we owe him quite a number of anecdotes that throw much light on the cliaracters of the two popes. Moreover, being the almost inseparable companion of both popes on their journeys, e. g. of Julius II during his campaign against the Roniagna, he supplies us with many details that fill in or set oft' the narrative of the historian. Ordinarily his work offers more to the historian of Re- naissance culture than to the student of ecclesiastico- political conditions. The sixteen manuscript copies of the "Diarium" are not all complete, the more im- portant codices being those of the Vatican, and of the Rossiana Library at Vienna. Partial abbreviated editions are owing to Dollinger (Beitrage zur Ge- schichteder letzten sechs Jahrhunderte, 1882, 363) and to Frati (Bologna, 1886). Delicati (II diario di Leone X, da P. de Grassis, Rome, 1884) edited a lengthy r^- sum6 of the work, with notes by Armellini. Some attribute to him an "Historia Leonis X" (Pott-

hast, Bibl. Hist. Med. ^vi, 2d ed., II, 894), and a treatise on papal elections, meant to combat the opinion of Barbatia that the pope was not bound by ante-election capitulations (Souchon, Die Papst- wahlen, Brunswick, 1888, 16). This treatise is in DoUinger's edition, pp. 343-346. To de Grassis also is attributed, perhaps on better groimds, a book entitled "De cajremoniis cardinalium et episcoporum in eorum dioecesibus" (Rome, 1564). In 1515 Leo X made him Bishop of Pesaro. but he retained his office of master of ceremonies until the pope's death.

Besides the sources mentionetl above see Pastor, Geschichte der Piipste (Freiburg, 1904-7), III and IV, passim.

U. Benigni.

Grass Valley. See Sacramento, Diocese of.

Gratian, Roman Emperor, son of Valentinian I; b. at Sirmium, 359; d. at Lyons, .383. Before he had attained his ninth year he received the purple robe and diadem, with the title of Augustus; and on the death of his father (375) he became Emperor of the West. His half-brother, Valentinian II, an infant, was asso- ciated with him in the title. He fixed his residence at Trier, and devoted himself to opposing the advance of the Alaraanni, whom he routed in the great battle of Colmar (378). His colleague in the east, Valens, was, however, defeated and slain by the Goths in the same year at the battle of Adrianople. Gratian, feeling himself unequal to the task of governing the whole empire alone, assigned the eastern portion to Theodo- sius I. Up to this time he had shown himself to be a wise ruler and a brave and skilful general, but now he began to neglect his duties and to devote himself to hunting and other sports. A rebellion which arose in Britain under Maximus, one of his generals, spread into Gaul. Gratian, who was residing at Paris, fled to Lyons, and was there treacherously slain (25 Aug., 383). Gratian's reign marks a distinct epoch in the transition of the empire from paganism to Christian- ity. At the time of his accession (375) he refused the insignia of pontifex maximus, which even Constantine and the other Christian emperors had always accepted. At the instance of St. Ambrose, who became his chief adviser, he caused the statue of Victory to be removed from the senate house at Rome (382). In this same year he abolished all the privileges of the pagan pon- tiffs and the grants for the support of pagan worship. Deprived of the assistance of the State, paganism rap- idly lost influence. Gratian did not go so far as to confer upon the Church the privileges and emolu- ments which he took from the pagans, but he gave proof of his zeal by undoing the effects of Valens's per- secution, and by taking measures for the suppression of various forms of heresy. Though in general his policy was one of toleration, he made apostasy a crime punishable by the State (383). It was for Gratian that St. Ambrose wrote his great treatise " De Fide".

All.\rd, Le Christianisme et V Empire Romain (Paris, 1898); DE Brogue, Saint Amhroise (Paris. 1899); Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (London, 1815), xxv-xxvii; RicHTER, Das westromische Reich, besonders unter den Kaisem Gratian, Valentinian II. und Maximus (Berlin, 1865); Tille- MONT, Hist, des Empereurs (Paris, 1701), V, 136-88, 705-26; Beugnot, Hist, de la destruction du paganisme en Occident (Paris, 1835); Boissier, La fin du paganisme (Paris, 1891). T. B. Scannell.

Gratian, Jerome, spiritual director of St. Teresa and first Provincial of the Discalced Carmelites; b. at Valladolid, 6 June, 1545; d. at Brussels, 21 Sept., 1614. The son of Diego Gracian de Aldorete, secre- tary to Charles V and Philip II, and of Jane de Antisco, daughter of the Polish ambassador at the Spanish Court, he received his early education in his native town and at the Jesuit College in Madrid. He after- wards studied philosophy and theology at Alcald where he took his degrees and was ordained priest in 1569. The position of his family, his talents and vir- tues would have opened for him the door to the high- est dignities, but, having become acquainted with