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 GREGORY 245 the credit of having put an end to what was called the captivity of Babylon, meaning the residence of the popes at Avignon. Yield- ing to the solicitations of many of the most eminent persons in Christendom, he quitted Avignon in 1376, and returned to Rome at the beginning of 1377. This pope was the first who condemned the teachings of Wyc- liffe. XII. Angelo Corario, born in Venice about 1325, elected pope in 1406, died at Re- canati, Oct. 18, 1417. For an account of him see CONSTANCE, COUNCIL OF. XIII. Ugo Buon- eompagni, born in Bologna, Feb. 7, 1502, elected pope May 13, 1572, died April 10, 1585. Dis- tinguished as a lawyer and professor of civil and canonical jurisprudence, he appeared with success at the great council of Trent. His pontificate is remarkable as the epoch of the reformation of the calendar. (See CALENDAR.) The Decretum Gratiani (see CANON LAW) was published by him in splendid style, and with copious notes, some of which were from the pope's own hand. The end of his pontificate was signalized by the appearance in Rome of an imposing embassy from Japan, sent by some of the princes who had been recently converted to the Christian faith. XIV. Nicolo Sfondrati, born in Cremona, elected pope Oct. 8, 1590, died in 1591. XV. Alessandro Lndovisio, born in Bologna in 1554, elected pope Feb. 9, 1621, died July 8, 1623. He founded the celebrated congregation de propaganda fide, a sort of foreign office for the disposing and arranging of ecclesiastical affairs of missionary countries throughout the world. He canonized four celebrated saints of the Catholic church, Ig- natius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Philip Neri, and Teresa. He enacted that the balloting for the election of new popes should be done secretly. XVI. Bartolommeo Alberto Capellari, born in Bel- luno, Sept. 18, 1765, died in Rome, June 1, 1846. He assumed the name of Mauro on making his profession in the order of Camal- dolese monks in 1783, became proficient in the oriental languages, taught theology with much distinction, published in 1799 11 trionfo della Santa Sede e della Chiesa, and in 1801 was elected a member of the academy of the Catho- lic religion in Rome, where he annually lec- tured on subjects bearing on the relations be- tween science and revelation. In 1807 he was appointed one of the censors of the academy, and elected vice procurator general of his or- der, and abbot of his monastery in Rome. In 1809 the violent abduction of Pius VII. was followed by the dispersion of the religious or- ders. Capellari withdrew to his native coun- try, and taught theology in the monastery of St. Michael at Murano. In his island solitude he remained comparatively quiet till 1812, when the ancient and magnificent library of the monastery was seized, and either sold at auction or sent to enrich the libraries of Ven- ice. In the beginning of 1814 he and his pupils and fellow professors took refuge in Padua. Recalled to Rome after the return of Pius VII., he was made procurator general of his order, consultor of the Propaganda, examiner of bish- ops, commissary for examining works on ori- ental liturgical literature, and vicar general of the Camaldolese. He was preconized cardinal M#rch 13, 1826, and became prefect of the Propaganda. He was charged soon after with negotiating a concordat with the government of the Netherlands in favor of the Catholic citizens, and with regulating the ecclesiastical aft'airs of the United States, and obtained from the Turkish government the emancipation of the Armenian Catholics. On Feb. 2, 1831, after 50 days of conclave, he was elected pope. The secret societies which aimed both at Italian unity and at secularizing the administration of the States of the Church, made some insurrec- tionary movements at the beginning of his pon- tificate. With Prussia a long controversy arose about mixed marriages, the government claim- ing to regulate them as belonging solely to the civil administration. The archbishop of Cologne was imprisoned for his resistance, and the pope energetically interfered in his favor. The Catholics of Russian Poland were also subjected to oppression to induce them to join the Greek church ; and the pope used no less energy in protesting against this violence through his representative in St. Petersburg. He solemnly, condemned the innovations of Hermes in theology, and the extreme political radicalism of Lamennais. He spared no effort to spread the Catholic religion in both hemi- spheres, and to stimulate at home the zeal of all ranks of the priesthood for the attainment of solid learning and purity of life. In Rome he gave a great impulse to the study of the sci- ences and fine arts, created several museums, and founded a number of establishments of public beneficence and utility. During the 15 years of his reign he gave hospitality to more than one royal exile. In December, 1845, the emperor Nicholas visited Rome, and during his interview with the pope he was bitterly re- proached for his cruelty toward the Poles. It is said that Gregory spoke to him as would one on whom the shadow of death had already fallen, threatening the autocrat with that judg- ment for which he was himself preparing. The emperor was much moved, and returned again to visit his venerable host. It is certain that the Poles experienced less harsh treat- ment for some years after that. GREGORY. I. James, a Scottish astronomer and mathematician, born at Drumoak, Aber- deenshire, in November, 1638, died in Edin- burgh in October, 1675. He was educated at Marischal college, Aberdeen, and at the age of 24 published his Optica Promota (London, 1663), which formed an era in the history of science in the 17th century, and in which he described the reflecting telescope invented by him. In the same work he pointed out the method of employing the transits of Mercury and Venus to determine the sun's parallax. In 1667 he went to the university of Padua, and