Henry**, cardinal, a great ornament of the order of the monks of St Augustine, was descended from the presiding Jason, or James de Noris, and was born at Verona 1631. He was carefully educated by his father Alexander Noris, originally of Ireland, and well known by his History of Germany. He discovered from his infancy an excellent understanding, great vivacity, and a quick apprehension. His father instructed him in the rudiments of grammar, and procured an able professor of Verona, called Maffoleim, to be his preceptor. At 15 he was admitted a pensioner in the Jesuits college at Rimini, where he studied philosophy; after which he applied himself to the writings of the fathers of the church, particularly those of St Augustine: and taking the habit in the convent of the Augustinian monks of Rimini, he distinguished himself among that fraternity in a short time by his erudition: inasmuch, that as soon as he was out of his novitiate or time of probation, the general of the order sent for him to Rome, in order to give him an opportunity of improving himself in the more solid branches of learning. He did not disappoint his superior's expectations. He gave himself up entirely to his study, and spent whole days, and even nights, in the library of the Angeliques of St Augustine. His constant course was to stick to his books 14 hours a day; and this course he continued till he became a cardinal. By this means he became qualified to instruct others; and on this errand he was sent first to Perugia, and thence to Perugia, where he took his degree of doctor of divinity; after which, proceeding to Padua, he applied himself to finish his History of Pelagianism. He had begun it at Rome at the age of 26; and, having completed his design, the book was printed at Florence, and published in 1673. The great duke of Tuscany invited him the following year to Noris, to that city, made him his chaplain, and professor of ecclesiastical history in the university of Pifa, which his highness had founded with that view.

In his history he set forth and defended the condemnation pronounced, in the eighth general council, against Origen and Mopstetia, the first authors of the Pelagian errors; he also added an account of the Schism of Aquileia, and a Vindication of the Books written by St Augustine against the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians. The work had procured him a great reputation, but met with several antagonists, to whom he published proper answers; the dispute grew warm, and was carried before the sovereign tribunal of the inquisition. There the history was examined with the utmost rigour, and the author dismissed without the least censure. It was reprinted twice afterwards, and Mr Noris honoured by Pope Clement X. with the title of Qualifier of the Holy Office. Notwithstanding this, the charge was renewed against the Pelagian History, and it was dilated afresh before the inquisition in 1676; but it came out again with the same success as at first. Mr Noris was now suffered to remain in peace for fifteen years, and taught ecclesiastical history at Pifa, without any molestation, till he was called to Rome by Innocent XII. who made him under-librarian of the Vatican in 1692. This post was the way to a cardinal's hat; his accusers, therefore, took fresh fire, and published several new pieces against him. Hence the Pope appointed some learned divines, who had the character of having taken neither side, to re-examine Father Noris's books, and make their report of them. Their testimony was so advantageous to the author, that his holiness made him counsellor of the inquisition. Yet neither did this hinder one of his adversaries, the most formidable on account of his erudition, to rise up against him, and attack him warmly, under the assumed title of a Scrupulous Doctor of the Sorbonne. Noris tried to remove these scruples in a work which appeared in 1695, under the title of An Historical Dissertation concerning one of the Trinity that suffered in the Flesh; wherein, having justified the monks of Scythia, who made use of that expression, he vindicated himself also from the imputation of having attacked the Pope's infallibility, of having abused Vincentius Lirinensis, and other bishops of Gaul, as favourers of Semi-Pelagianism, and of having himself gone into the errors of the bishop of Ypres.

His answers to all these accusations were so much to the satisfaction of the pope, that at length his holiness honoured him with the purple in 1695. After this, he was in all the congregations, and employed in the most important affairs; so that he had little time to spend in his study, a thing of which he frequently complained to his friends. Upon the death of Cardinal Catanati, he was made chief library keeper of the Vatican in 1700; and two years afterwards nominated, among others, to reform the calendar: but he died at Rome in 1704 of a dropsy. He was one of the most learned men in the last century: his writings abound with erudition, and are very elegantly finished. He was a member of the Academy; whence he assumed the name of Eucrates Agoreto. His works are numerous, and were published at Verona, in 1729 and 1730, in five volumes folio.