Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/177

* GRASS-TREE. 151 GRATIANUS AUGUSTUS. poses. This substance, usually called grass-tree gum, burns brightly, and has been used for can- dles. If treated with nitric acid, it is almost completely transformed into picric acid, and it was thus employed before the process of making picric from carbolic acid had been discovered. Grass-tree gum has also been used for making colored varnishes. The common grass-tree {Xan- thorrhocd hast ills) has a stem about four feet high, but sometimes a foot in diameter. It is of very slow growth, and is supposed to be several centuries old when it has reached such dimensions. Several species are found in East- ern Australia, where their leaves are used as fodder for all kinds of cattle. GRASS-TREE GUM. See Grass-Tree. GRASS VALLEY. A city in Xevada County, Cal., G9 miles north by east of Sacramento; on the Neada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (Map: California. C 2). It has a public high- school library, ilount Saint IMaiy's Academy, and Grass Valley and Saint Patrick's orphan asylums. The city is in the richest gold quartz- mining region of California, and has extensive mining interests, quartz mills, marble and gran- ite works, winery and distillery, etc. Grass Val- ley was settled in 1840. and incorporated in IS61. Population, in 1900, 4719. GRASS-WARBLER. One of the small insect- eating timaline birds of the African genus Cis- ticola. It resembles the finches in its ground- keeping habits and metallic notes, from which it has the name 'pine-pine,' sometimes used. The group is allied to the tailor-birds, and all the species build remarkable nests. See Fan- tail. grass-worm;, a common insect of the Southern United States, which injures the grass- es and small grains. It is the larva of a noctuid QBASS-WORM. moth {Laphi/gma frugiperda), and is therefore allied to the cut-worms ( q.v. ). It frequently occurs in enormous numbers, and marches in armies, from which habit it is sometimes called the 'Sovithern army-worm,' in contradistinction to the Northern army-worm (Leucania unipunc- ta). See Army-Worm. GRATE (from ML. grata, variant of crata, grating, crate, from Lat. cratis. hurdle: con- nected with Gk. KipTT], l-yrte. fishing-basket, Skt. kart, to spin). The iron bars constituting the floor of a fire-box or furnace, on which the fuel rests, and through which it receives its supply of oxygen for combustion. The iron cage which holds fuel, especially coal, in a fireplace is also called a grate. See FfRXACE and Boiler. GRATEFUL SERVANT, The. A comedy by James Shirley licensed in 1629. under the title of The Faithful Servant, and printed in 1630. It was revived in 1067. It is said eleven com- mendatory verses were written on its publication, one of which was by Jlassinger. GRATI.a;, gra'shi-e. See Charities. GRATIAN, gra'shi-un ( Lat. f/ran'oHUs). The collector of the well-known body of canon law commonly cited under the title of Decrelum Gratiani'. In spite of the fact that he was the most celebrated canonist of the iliddle .ges, and was styled 'the master,' little is known of his life. He lived in the first half of the twelft.h century, was a monk in the Monastery of Saint Felix at Bologna, and probably a teacher of canon law at Bologna. The Deerctum is his only known work. The many details which have been added to this bare outline of his life a,re legendary. Although he was uncritical in the use of his sources, his ability is clearly apparent in his works. No other private compilation has exercised so great and so enduring an influence. The otficial editio Romaim of the Decretum ( 1582 ) was prepared after the Council of Trent by a conunittee of cardinals; there is a critical edition by Friedberg in his Corpus Juris Canonici (Leip- zig, 1879). See Canon Law. GRATIANO, gia'shl-a'n6. (1) The stock 'bore' of Italian comedy. (2) The friend of Bas- sanio and lover of Nerissa in Shakespeare's Mer- chant of Venice. (3) The brother of Brabantio and uncle of Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello. He is the onl_y character who benefits by the tragedy, since he falls heir to the Moor's posses- sions. GRATIANUS, gra'shl-a'nus (?-407). A Ro- man general, whom the Roman legions in Britain proclaimed Emperor in opposition to Honorius. At the end of four months he was put to death by his soldiers, in the year 407. GRATIANUS AUGUSTUS (a.d. 359-383) (Roman Emperor A.D. 307-383). Eldest son of Valentinian I., by his first wife, Severa. He was born at Sirmium, in Pannonia. While he was still nobilissimus puer, or heir apparent, he was created consul, and in 3(37 was elevated by his father to the rank of Augu.stus (joint Em|3eror) at Arabianum (Amiens), in Gaul. In the following year he accompanied his father in his expedition against the Alemanni, in order that he might be accustomed to warfare. On the death of Valentinian, Gratianus became senior ruler of the Western Empire, taking as a colleague his half-brother Valentinian II. Gaul, Spain, and Britain fell to Gratianus's share: and as his brother was only four years old he was practi- cally the sole ruler in the West, fixing his resi- dence at Treviri (now Treves), while the East continued to be ruled by his uncle, Valens. Dur- ing the first part of his reign a fierce warfare was carried on against the tribes who possessed the Danubian Provinces and Illyricuni ; and he was on the point of marching into Thrace, to assist Valens against the Goths, when he was suddenl.y called upon to defend his dominions against the Lentienses, a tribe of the Alemanni. After the invaders had been defeated Gratianus advanced toward the Eastern Empire, but while on the way he learned that his uncle Valens had been de- feated and killed by the Goths near .4drianople (.-VugTist 9, 378). The sovereisnty of the Eastern Empire then devolved upon Gratianus, but, feel-