Page:Imperialdictiona02eadi Brandeis.pdf/621

GEN in rapid succession, but they were not so well received as his former works. This induced him to accept the post of director of the choir in the cathedral of Novara, where he again turned his attention to church music. About this time he wrote a dramatic oratorio, "Il voto di Jefte," which was produced at Florence in 1827 with indifferent success. Generali again tried the theatre, but his style had been superseded, and nothing but ill success attended his later productions. The works of Rossini attracted all the attention of the public; their old servant was forgotten. He died at Novara in 1832.—E. F. R.  GENEST,, Abbé, born at Paris in 1639; died in 1719. Genest was of humble birth, and found employment as a clerk in one of the public offices. In company with a friend he set sail for the Indies, but the vessel was taken by the English. Genest, by this accident, found himself in London, and accepted the office of tutor to the family of a gentleman of fortune—taught the language of his own country, and learned that of England. On his return to France Genest had an ode crowned by the academy, and recited others on French victories before the king. He now thought it time to look about him for support, assumed the ecclesiastical habit, entitled himself to the style of abbé, and was given a benefice. It was the day of the Cartesian philosophy, and in some conversations with Bossuet originated the leading thought of a poem which engaged Genest for thirty years. The subject was the proof from nature of the existence of a God and the immortality of the soul. He wrote a drama, "Penelope," which Bossuet praised for its morality. It had some success: though the poetry was indifferent, the incidents and situations are not ill-conceived.—J. A. D.  GENET,, a French bishop born at Avignon on the 16th October, 1640; died 17th October, 1707. He is chiefly known by his system of "Theologie Morale," which he composed at the request of Le Camus, bishop of Grenoble. The third edition of this work appeared at Paris, 1682-1683, and was translated into Latin in 1702-1703. It recommended the author to the friendship of many of the most learned prelates of France and Italy, and procured for him from Pope Innocent XI. a canonry and prebend in the diocese of Avignon. He was afterwards appointed to the bishopric of Vaison, the duties of which he discharged till, in consequence of his taking part with Innocent against Louis XIV.—who had appropriated the county of Avignon in defiance of the pope's remonstrances—he was imprisoned in 1688 by the king in the island of Rhé. His captivity lasted fifteen months. He was accidentally drowned.—J. S., G.  GENEVA,. See VII.  GENEVIEVE, the patroness of Paris, was born in 422 at Nanterre, a small village four miles from Paris. At the age of seven years she is said to have been consecrated to perpetual virginity as the spouse of Christ, and from that time she gave herself up to devotion and penance. Various miracles are attributed to her. Her mother having one day struck St. Genevieve on the face because she wished to go to church, became suddenly blind, and only recovered her sight by washing her eyes with water which her daughter had consecrated. When Attila, with his Huns, was marching on Paris, the saint turned aside his course by her prayer and fasting. On another occasion, when visiting a church at night with her virgins, the lamp that was carried before her being extinguished by the wind and rain, was relighted when she touched it with her hands. Neither did her miraculous powers cease with her life, for in 1129, a plague which carried off fourteen thousand persons in Paris, abated when her shrine was carried in solemn procession to the cathedral. Although she practised great self-mortification and austerity—her food consisting for the most part of barley-bread and beans—she lived to the age of nearly eighty-nine years, dying on the 3rd January, 512. The ancient life of St. Genevieve is supposed to have been written about eighteen years after her death.—W. H. W.  GENGA,. See XII.  GENGA,, son of Girolamo, was born at Cesena in 1518. After receiving a liberal scholastic education, he was carefully instructed in the principles of design by his father, who then sent him for three years to Florence to study both painting and architecture, and afterwards to Rome, where he remained four years, diligently engaged in his profession. On the death of his father, Bartolommeo was appointed to succeed him as court architect, and to complete the works he had left unfinished. He restored and enlarged the palaces of Pesaro and Urbino, and designed the churches of Monte l'Abate and San Pietro in Mondania, the last regarded as one of the choicest buildings of the age. Genga accompanied the duke of Urbino to Rome, and there prepared designs for the fortification of Borgo, and other places. So great was now his celebrity in this line, that the duke had to yield to the importunities of the grandmaster of the knights of Rhodes, who begged that Genga might be allowed to make designs for fortifying Malta against the Turks, and combining the scattered villages into strong places of defence. Genga accordingly went to Malta in the beginning of 1558, and at once set to work with his usual energy. He died in August of that year. He was one of the most accomplished architects of his time.—J. T—e.  GENGA,, painter and architect, was born at Urbino in 1476, and when fifteen years old was placed with Luca Signorelli of Cortona, with whom he remained several years. Girolamo assisted Luca in the chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio at Orvieto. When this work was finished he joined Pietro Perugino, and remained with him for about three years, and at the same time he contracted a friendship with Raphael, then the pupil of Perugino. He subsequantly studied and worked in Florence, and at Siena where he was much employed by Pandolfo Petrucci till his death in 1512. Genga then returned to Urbino. He was employed later at Rome, where about 1519 he painted the "Resurrection of Christ" for the altar of the church of Santa Caterina da Siena. It is signed,. While in Rome he turned his attention to the study of ancient architecture, but was recalled to Urbino by the Duke Francesco Maria III., on the occasion of that prince's marriage with Leonora Gonzaga; and when Francesco was driven from Urbino, Girolamo followed him to Mantua, and afterwards settled in Cesena, where he painted the altarpiece of the "Annunciation," which is now in the Brera at Milan. After the return of the duke to Urbino, Girolamo was employed as an architect; and he was chiefly consulted in the fortification of Pesaro, and constructed the new palace there, besides important works at Urbino. The duke was so pleased with him that he gave him, in 1528, the estate of Castel d'Elce, a gift which was confirmed by the Duke Guidobaldo II. in 1539. He died on the 15th of July, 1551, leaving two sons, Bartolommeo and Raffaello.—(Vasari, Ed. Le Monnier.)—R. N. W. <section end="621H" /> <section begin="621Zcontin" />GENGIS KHAN, a famous Mongolian conqueror, born in 1163. The Mongolian horde of which his father was the chieftain dwelt, so far as nomad tribes can be said to have a permanent abode, somewhat to the south of Lake Baikal. His name at first was, and it was not till he had been victorious on many a battle-field that he took that of Gengis Khan (the Ruler of the most powerful). He succeeded his father at thirteen years of age, but a league was soon formed to rob him of his authority, and in consequence thereof Gengis Khan passed some weary years in exile or captivity. By one of those sudden and startling turns of fortune so common in the East, he was able to meet his enemies in a great battle; and having defeated them, he threw the leaders into caldrons filled with boiling water. His subsequent deeds harmonized perfectly with this horrible cruelty. In being the first to give to the Mongolians a historical importance, he claims our attentive study, our honest appreciation; but he comes before us as a slayer of men, and civilization owes him nothing. His preparatory and indispensable work was to unite the Mongolians under his own supreme sway. This we must regard as his most stupendous achievement. Having in his own bloody way built and blended the Mongolians into a nation, he led the wild horsemen from triumph to triumph. Passing, in 1209, the Great Wall, he subjugated in a succession of campaigns Northern China, took Pekin by storm in 1215, and destroyed innumerable cities. Leaving some of his most trusted generals to complete the conquest, Gengis Khan flew from Eastern to Western Asia where in these vast regions, extending from the Black Sea to the frontiers of Hindostan, a powerful empire had arisen on the ruins of the khalifat. Mohammed, the sultan of this realm, had ignominiously treated the ambassadors of Gengis Khan. But the latter needed no other provocation than his own fierce lust for slaughter. Passing the Djihon or Oxus, he encountered, through the neglect or incapacity of Mohammed, no effectual resistance. But the son of Mohammed was wholly unlike his father. He assumed the command on his father's death. For a season fortunate, he was at last vanquished and driven to seek refuge beyond the Indus, as far as which Gengis Khan pursued <section end="621Zcontin" />