Memoir of William Roscoe, Esq. 207 



and the fine arts demanded our warm approbation and our grati- 

 tude, and that the historian of the Revival of Letters had wisely 

 dwelt more on the unquestionable merits of Leo and his family, in 

 promoting that great object, than in raking up, from the gross 

 scurrility of a profligate age, imputed crimes or vices, which, after 

 al>, rest only on the doubtful authority of acrimonious and vin- 

 dictive controversialists. 



The merits of tlie Life of Leo were, however, differently esti- 

 mated on the Continent. It was speedily translated into French, 

 German, and Italian ; and the extensive sale of several editions 

 of it in Italy, where, it may be fairly presumed, the best judg- 

 ment of its wants or its defects could be formed, sufficiently at- 

 tests the character which foreign critics entertain of this great 

 work of our author. 



On the appearance of the British criticisms, Mr Roscoe pre- 

 pared a full answer to the objections of the reviewers, but this 

 reply he never published ; contenting himself with inserting a 

 short abstract of it in the preface to the second edition, whicli 

 appeared in 1806, within a year from the publication of the 

 first. The chief objections, in addition to the criticisms above 

 stated, were, that he was fond of paradoxical opinions, — as in- 

 stanced in the chivalrous defence of the character of Lucretia 

 Borgia, — and in his doubting whether Pope Alexander VI. was 

 stained with every crime laid to his charge by his numerous 

 enemies, — that he was too fond of quotations from the poets,— 

 and that by retaining Italian orthography of proper names, he 

 had made needless innovations on our language. These charges 

 are not very important defects in such an elaborate work, even 

 if we admit their justice. In my opinion, they are sufficiently 

 answered by his few remarks ; and the Life and Pontificate of 

 Leo X. already ranks, by the beauty of its style, and the value 

 of research, among our standard historical works. 



While engaged in these occupations, on the dissolution of 

 Parliament in October 1806, Mr Roscoe was to himself most 

 unexpectedly called on to become a candidate for the represen- 

 tation of his native town. The requisition was signed only a 

 few days previous to the election : — and, after a keen contest 

 for eight days, during which, there was a coalition against him, 

 between the friends of the rival candidates Generals Tarleton 



