BURY

bury, john bagnell (1861- ), british historian, was born on the 16th of october 1861, and was educated at trinity college, dublin, where he was elected to a fellowship in 1885. a fine greek scholar, he edited pindar's _nemean_ and _isthmian odes_; but he devoted himself chiefly to the study of history, and was chosen professor of modern history at dublin in 1893, becoming regius professor of greek in 1898. he resigned both positions in 1902, when he was elected regius professor of modern history in the university of cambridge. his historical work was mainly concerned with the later roman empire, and his edition of gibbon's _decline and fall_, with a masterly introduction and valuable notes (1896-1900), is the standard text of this history. he also wrote a _history of greece to the death of alexander the great_ (1900); _history of the later roman empire, 395-800_ (1889); _history of the roman empire 27 b.c.-180 a.d._ (1893); _life of st patrick and his place in history_ (1905), &c. he was elected a fellow of king's college, cambridge, and received honorary degrees from the universities of oxford, edinburgh, glasgow, aberdeen and durham.