GRA.TIA'NUS, a Benedictine monk of the 12th century, a native of Tuscany, according to some, and resident at Bologna. Ile is chiefly known for his 'Collection of the Canons, or Docretals, of the Church,' which occupied him during twenty-four years, and which he published at Rome about the middle of the 12th century. The ()enaction, which has become known by the name of 'Decretum Gratiani,' was first printed at Mainz, in folio, 1472, and forms part of the 'Corpus June Canonici.' Gratianus improved on the collectors of Deeretals who had preceded him, especially Indorsers Mercator, who had heaped up indis criminately and without order a number of decisions and canons, which were often discordant Gmtianus ranged them in order, and distributed them under distinct heads, endeavouring to explain the obscurities and reconcile the contradictions which appeared in some of them; but he retained at the same timo, through want of authentic authorities and of enlightened criticism, many apocryphal canons, and many erroneous textual readings : he appears indeed to have felt his own deficiencies, for he honestly cautions his readere not to place implicit faith in his writiugs, but to scan them by the light of reason and by the test of moral evidence. (‘ Deeret. Dietinetio,' ix. eh. 3.5.) As a proof of his honesty, and that, whatever may have been the effect of his authority, he had no intention to flatter the pretensions of the Roman ace, one Las only to read his ' Distinctio,' Wit, ch. 22, 23, and 25, in which ho says that the election of the pope is subordi nate to the will of the emperor, as well as that of tho bishops is to the choice of the various sovereigns ; while in chapter 31 he even asserts that the clergy and the people) ought. to participate in the election of their respective bishops. And yet in another place, tinctio,' x., ch. 1, &e., he asserts as a fundamental axiom that the imperial laws ought to yield to the ecclesiastical canons, without distinguishing between the canons which concern matters of dogma and those which relate merely to discipline or jurisdiction. The Abb6 Fleury, in his "rroisieme Diem:Pure sur l'Histoire ssys that "Oratianus, besides so consolidating the authority of the fates demetnle that for three centuries after no other canons were referred to but those of his collection, went even farther iu extending the authority of the pope by maintaining that he was not himself subject to the canons ; an arbitrary oeseertiou destitute of evidence, but which contributed to establish in the Latin, or Western, church a confused notion that the authority of the pope was without bounds. Gratieuns
also maintained, upon apocryphal or mutilated authority, that clergy men are not subject to aoeular jurisdiction. This principle is illustrated iu a celebrated answer of Innocent III. to the Eastern emperor, in which that pope contends that the temporal sovereign has the juris diction of the sword over those who bear a sword, that is to say, over laymen only, as no one can be the judge of the servants of another." The grosser errors and the apocrypha of the 'Decretuor' were corrected and expurgated in an improved edition executed by order of Gregory XIIL, 1582; but still many assertions favourable to the absolute supremacy as well as to the temporal authority of the pollee were allowed to remain in it, as being sanctioned by ages, though contrary to the ancient discipline of the church. These are what aro styled in France, and other countries north of the Alps, the ultra montane doctrines of the Roman Curia. Antonius Augustiuus has written a treatise, 'Do Emendatione Gratiini,' which forms a useful supplement to the Decretum.' GItATTAN, HENRY, was born in Dublin in 1750. His father, a barrister and a Protestant, was recorder of Dublin and also its repre sentative in the Irish parliament Young Grattan entered at the usual age as a fellow-commoner at Trinity College, Dublin; and haviug there distinguished himself considerably, Ire proceeded to London, after taking his degree, for the purpose of keeping terms at the Middle Temple, and of studying law. He was called to the Irish bar in 1772. In 1775 he was returned to the Irish parliament, under Lord Charle Infant's auspices, as representative of the borough of Charlemout.