SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER 
I ro THE TWENTY-FIRST VOLUME OF THE 
IMON TERY MAGAZINE, 
Vou. 21, No. 145. | 
Pui 25, 
1800, [Price lsd. 
HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF DOMESTIC LITERATURE. 
HISTORY. 
GREEABLE to our promife, we 
make the ‘ Life and Pontificate of 
Leo the Xth. the firtt artjcle in the clafs ot 
Hiltory, It is the conclufion of a jabour 
opened in the life of Lorenzo de Medici; 
and, though by no means entitled to un- 
qualified praife, does credit in an eminent 
degree to Mr. Roscox’s talests. The 
fervices of Leo the Xth. in he promotion 
of literature and the reftoration of the 
arts, have never before been fufficiently 
appreeiated or colleéted into one point of 
view. “The Life by Paullus Jovius was 
fhort: and that by Fabroni gave but a 
concife account of the progrefs which was 
made, in Leo’s pontificate, in the depart- 
ment of {cience, of literature, or of art; 
er of thofe diftinguifhed men to whet 
writings and Jabours the reign of that 
pontiff is indebted for its principal luttre. 
Yc was detached and particular, and con. 
tained but a {mali portion of that immenfe 
maf{s of information which remains to the 
prefent times. To what was given in 
thefe hiftories, Mr. Rofcoe has added-all 
that was material to his purpoie from the | 
literary hiftorians of Italy, with the ftiil 
more uleful addition of original letters 
and documents, not only from the public 
and private libiaries of his own country, 
but trom the library at Paris, the Palazzo - 
Vecchio at Florence, the Vatican, and the 
library of St. Mark at Venice. Be it 
added, alfo, that, while pafling his time 
in refearches neceflary for the werk, he 
appears to have received every poffible fa- 
cili'y which the friendfhip and liberality 
of individuals could fupply. 
Gicvanni de Medici, atierwaras fupreme 
pontiff, by the name of Leo the Xth., was 
the fecond fon of Lorerzo de Medici, and 
was born at Florence, Decernber the r1th, 
1475. Hereceived the tonfure jult after 
he had attained his feventh year, az nd was 
not only declared capable of eccletiaftical 
preterment, but the next year, 1483, was 
made abbot of Fonte-dolce by the King 
of France. The numerous livings con- 
ferred on this young ecclefiaftic are con- 
Montury Mac. No, 145. 
the dignity of a cardinal. 
ficiency in learning was certainly beyond 
figned hy Mr. Rofcoe to a note. Thofe 
which he held at ore time only, amounted 
to thirty-three; and appear to have drawn 
this dedlarpatiah even trom Fabroni, 
“Bone Deus, quot in uno juvene cumu-~ 
lata facerdotia.”” The death of Sixius 
the IVth., however, in 1484, gave Lo- 
renzo the profpeét of ftill more important 
advancement for his fon, and he fought a 
nomination for him as a member of the 
facred college: though it was not till Oct. 
9, 1488, that Giovanni was elevated to 
His early pro- 
his yeas; and even previous to this t me 
he ranked as an affociate in thofe meeting 
of men of genius and learning which con~ 
tinually tock place ia the palace of the 
Medici: though we are not to believe all 
that was written of him by his tuter, Po- 
litian, to the Pope. ‘The defects in his 
character, or rather in his early education, 
are Judicioufly noticed by Mr. Rofcee. 
‘The nomination of Giovanni to the dig- 
nity of cardinal, however, was accompa. 
nied by a condition that he fhould not af 
fume the infignia of his rank, or he re- 
ceived as amember of the college for the 
{pace of three years; a reitriction which 
occafioned him to repair te Pifa, to purfue 
the fudies of eileelony and ecclefiattical 
juri!pr udence, till, on 1 March 9, 1492 
high’ rank was confirmed to him by 1 towel 
titure. An agreeable digreflion. in this 
portion of the Life is made by Mr. Rof- 
coe, in the charaéters of the more eminent 
cardina's in the college. Such are the 
contents of the firft chapter. The fecond 
affords a general view et the flate of litera- 
ture in Italy 3° clofing with a valuabie ac- 
count of the life of Aldus Manutius, and 
his incalculable fervices to learning. Tn 
‘tical t: anfaétions ot 
ambitious views of Lodovico Sforza were 
laid open, preparing the way for events 
which overturned, ina great degree, the 
political fabric of Italy. -It opens with 
the death of Lorenzo, followed by that 
of Pope Innocent the Villth.; and re- 
. G lates, 
» his, 
the third chapier we enter upen the pelie. & 
the time; when the 
