594 
Jates, before its clofe, the expulfion of 
the Medici from Florence. The cardinal, 
le(s obnoxious to the people than his bro- 
thers; appears to have been the laft who 
left the city. In the fubfequent chapters 
of the firft volume, the public hiftory and 
calamities of Italy. are continued, till it 
clofes with the death and charaéter of 
Alexander the VIth. In the fecond vo- 
lume we find the cardinal not only a fol- 
dier, but a prifoner at the battle of Ra- 
venna; and in the ninth chapter read of 
the reftoration of tie Medici to Florence : 
an event which was foon followed by the 
elevation of the cardinal to the papal dig- 
nity, March 13th, 1513. The motives 
for the choice of the college, the reafon of 
Giovanni's affuming the name of Leo the 
Xth., and the exultation of his fubjects, 
are amply detailed by Mr. Refcoe, who 
panegyrizes his clemency to the Floren- 
tines, and enlarges on the expectation 
which was generally formed that in his 
pontificate it would be impoffible for ge- 
nius, worth, and talents to remain unno- 
ticed or unrewarded. The reftoration of 
the peace of Europe, however, was Leo’s 
firft object ; and with this view he entered 
into an alliance with Henry the VIIIth. of 
England, whofe defcent on Francedivert- 
ed the attention of the French monarch, 
and finally left Leo without apprehenfions 
for the fafety of Italy. The eleventh 
chapter is almoft exclufively devoted to 
the encouragement which was afterwards 
given, not only to the reftoration of Greek 
and Roman, but to the ftudy of Oriental, 
learning. In the three following chapters 
the political narration is refumed ; and, in 
our opinion, carried to a more minute ex~- 
tent than either the events recorded or the 
hiftory of Leo feem to have required. The 
fifteenth prefents the commencement of. 
the Reformation. In the hiftory of this 
great and extraordinary change, (which 
Mr. Roicoe only characterizes as ‘‘ that 
fcoifm which has now for nearly three 
centuries divided the Chriftian world’’), 
Luther’s merit is made fubordinate: to 
Leo’s, though in other refpects Mr. Rof- 
coe has done ample juftice to his character. 
The fixteenth chapter treats of the encou- 
ragement given to native literature, after 
Rome had become the general refort of 
men of talents and jearning from ail parts 
of Italy, and during a pertod of general 
tranquillity. The writings of the differ- 
ent poets are here appreciated with confi- 
derable tafte; and we were particularly 
pleated with thofe parts which treat of the 
works and genius of Sannazarius, Bem- 
bo, Arioffo, and Berni, In the next 
Retrofpee of Dameftic Literature. —Hiflory. , 
chapter the improvements made, in the 
fame age, in claffical literature are obfery- 
ed, the profeflors of which were regarded 
with fuch extraordinary partiality. In 
the eighteenth chapter, the political nar- 
ration is again refumed, when Leo endea- 
vours to form an offenfive league again 
the Turks. Inthe nineteenth we trace 
the farther progrefs of the Reformation. 
The twentieth is principally valuable for 
the Memoirs of Caftiglione, Bandel, and 
Aretine ; the latter of which only illuf- 
trates the depraved ftate of fociety whiclz 
then exilied. In the twenty-firft, the 
progrefs of the Laurentian and Vatican 
libraries is recorded. The twenty-fecond 
is political: and the twenty-third, which 
is devoted to the fine arts, reaches to the 
death of Leo. Could we afford room for 
an extraét, it fhould be from this cha; ter, 
in which the ftyle and tafte of Mr. Rofcoe 
feem to rife with an energy proportioned 
to the animating topic. Leo the Xth. 
died Dec. 1, 1521, as was fuppofed of 
poifon, and has fince paffed in the opinion 
of pofterity per bonam famam et infa- 
miam. Mr.Rofcoe is his advocate : though 
he readily confefles that the claims of Leo 
the Xth. to the applaufe and gratitude of 
after times, are chiefly to be fought fer in 
the munificent encouragement afforded by 
him to every department of polite litera- 
ture and of elegant art. ‘The private cha- 
racter of Leo is not to be defended. 
The publication of the fourth volume 
of Mr. Jounes’s * Froifart’” compleats 
the work. To an Englifhman it is per- 
haps the moft interefting of the fet, as 
much is related in it which Froiflait both 
heard and witneffed in the court of Rich- 
ard the Second. To fay that the trarfla- 
tion has been executed without faults, 
would be wrong. Perhaps, in fome in- 
ftances, Mr. Johnes has adhered with too 
much {crupulofity to his original. The 
collations, however, are valuable, and the 
notes, though few, judicious ; much alfo 
of the original text is to be found in this 
edition, which will not be found in any 
other, the variations and additions of the 
beft manufcripts having been fele&ted. In 
addition to the prints from old, illumina- 
tions, engraved in aqua-tint, the prefent 
vclume is accompanied by a map of the 
Netherlands. : = 
POLITICS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY. 
Any pamphlet which is underftood te 
{peak the fentiments of the government 
on an important fubjeét of difcuffion de- 
ferves the particular attention of the cri- 
tic, This, we have beentold, is the cafe 
with 
