(Gregoras), a Greek historian, was born about the close of the 13th century, and flourished in the 14th, under the emperors Andronicus, John Paleologus, and John Cantacuzenus. He was a great favourite of the elder Andronicus, who made him librarian of the church of Constantinople, and sent him ambassador to the prince of Servia. He accompanied this emperor in his misfortunes, and assisted at his death; after which he repaired to the court of the younger Andronicus, where he seems to have been well received; and it is certain that, by his influence over the Greeks, that church was prevailed on to refuse entering into any conference with the legates of pope John XXII. But in the dispute which arose between Barlaam and Palamos, taking the part of the former, he maintained it zealously in the council that was held at Constantinople in 1351, for which he was cast into prison, and continued there till the return of John Paleologus, who released him; after which he held a disputation with Palamos, in the presence of that emperor. He compiled a history, which in 11 books contains all that passed from 1204, when Constantinople was taken by the French, to the death of Andronicus Paleologus the younger, in 1341.—The best edition of this work is that of the Louvre, in Greek and Latin, in 1702.

(Calilus), a Greek historian, who flourished in the 14th century under the emperor Andronicus Paleologus the elder, wrote an ecclesiastical history in 23 books; 18 of which are still extant, containing the transactions of the church from the birth of Christ. Christ to the death of the emperor Phocas in 610. We have nothing else but the arguments of the other five books from the commencement of the reign of the emperor Heraclius to the end of that of Leo the philosopher, who died in the year 911. Nicephorus dedicated his history to Andronicus Palaeologus the elder. It was translated into Latin by John Langius; and has gone through several editions, the best of which is that of Paris, in 1630.

Nicephorus (Blemmidas), a priest and monk of Mount Athos, flourished in the 13th century. He refused the patriarchate of Constantinople, being favourable to the Latin church, and more inclined to peace than any of the Greeks of his time. In this spirit he composed two treatises concerning The Propagation of the Holy Ghost: one addressed to James patriarch of Bulgaria, and the other to the emperor Theodore Lascaris. In both these he refutes those who maintain, that one cannot say the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. These two tracts are printed in Greek and Latin by Allatius, who has also given us a letter written by Blemmidas on his expelling from the church of her convent Marchesinos, mistrels of the emperor John Ducas. There are several other pieces of our author in the Vatican library.

Niceron (John Francis), was born at Paris in 1613. Having finished his academical studies, with a success which raised the greatest hopes of him, he entered into the order of the Minims, and took the habit in 1632; whereupon, as is usual, he changed the name given him at his baptism for that of Francis, the name of his paternal uncle, who was also a Minim, or Franciscan. The inclination and taste which he had for mathematics appeared early. He began to apply himself to that science in his philosophical studies, and devoted thereto all the time he could spare from his other employments, after he had completed his studies in theology. All the branches of the mathematics, however, did not equally engage his attention; he confined himself particularly to optics, and only learned of the rest as much as was necessary for rendering him perfect in this. There remain still, in several houses wherein he dwelt, especially at Paris, some excellent performances, which discover his skill in this way, and which make us regret that a longer life did not suffer him to carry it to that perfection which he desired; since one cannot help being surprised that he proceeded so far as he did, in the midst of those occupations and travels by which he was forced from it, during the short space of time which he lived. He hath himself observed, in the preface to his Thaumaturgus Opticus, that he went twice to Rome; and that, on his return home, he was appointed teacher of theology. He was afterwards chosen to accompany father Francis de la Noue, vicar-general of the order, in his visitation of the convents throughout all France. But the eagerness of his passion for study put him upon making the best of all the moments he had to spare for books; and that wise economy furnished him with as much as satisfied him. Being taken sick at Aix in Provence, he died there Sept. 22, 1646, aged 33. He was an intimate acquaintance of Des Cartes. A list of his writings is inserted below (A).

Niceron (John Peter), so much celebrated on account of his Memoirs of Men illustrious in the Republic of Letters, was born at Paris March 11, 1685. He was of an ancient and noble family, who were in very high repute about 1540. He studied with success in the Mazarine college at Paris, and afterwards at the college Du Plessis. In a short time, resolving to forsake the world, he consulted one of his uncles, who belonged to the order of Bernabite Jesuits. This uncle examined him; and, not dissident of his election, introduced him as a probationer to that society at Paris. He was received there in 1702, took the habit in 1703, and made his vows in 1704, at the age of 19. After he had professed himself, he was sent to Montargis, to go through a course of philosophy and theology; thence he went to Loches in Touraine to teach those sciences. He received the priesthood at Poitiers in 1708. As he was not arrived at the age to assume this order, a dispensation, which his uncommon piety had merited, was obtained in his favour. The college of Montargis having recalled him, he was their professor of rhetoric two years, and of philosophy four. In spite of all these avocations, he was humanely attentive to every call and work of charity, and to the instruction of his fellow-creatures, many of whom heard him deliver out fit rules of conduct for them, not only from the pulpits of most of the churches within the province, but even from those of Paris. In 1716, his superiors invited him to that city, that he might have an opportunity of following, with the more convenience, those studies for which he always had expressed the greatest inclination. He not only understood the ancient but the modern languages; a circumstance of infinite advantage in the composition of those works which he has given to the public, and which he carried on with great assiduity to the time of his death, which happened, after a short illness, July 8, 1738, at the age of 53. His works are, 1. Le grand Febrifuge; or, a Dissertation to prove, that common water is the best remedy in fevers, and even in the plague; translated from the English of John Hancock minister of St Margaret's, London, in 12mo. This little treatise made its appearance, amongst other pieces relating to this subject, in 1720; and was attended with a success which carried it through three editions; the last came out in 1730, in 2 vols. 12mo, intitled, A Treatise on Common Water; Paris, printed by Cavelier. 2. The Voyages of John Ovington to Surat, and divers parts of Asia and Africa, containing the history of the revolution in the kingdom of Golconda, and some observations upon silk-worms; Paris 1725, 2 vols. 12mo. 3. The Conversion of England to Christianity, compared with its pretended Reformation, a work translated from

(A) These are, 1. L'Interpretation des chiffres, ou regles pour bien entendre & expliquer facilement toutes sortes des chiffres simples, &c. 2. La perspective curieuse, ou magie artificielle des effets merveilleux de l'optique, catoptrique, & dioptrique. This is only an essay to the following work: 3. Thaumaturgus opticus; sive, Admiranda optica, catoptrica, & dioptrica, pars prima, &c. He intended to add two other parts, but was prevented by death.