affiftance they wanted, and at the fame time mutually afpired to annex the city of Pifa to their respective dominions. The Pifans having preferred the friendship and protection of the former, was no little difappointment to the latter, who had always made the fovereignty of that city a principal object of his attention: he therefore, after having tried feveral fruitlefs artifices to diffolve this confederacy, at laft openly joined the Florentines in their attempts to recover this part of their territories. The intrigues of Lodovico, the efforts of the Florentines to regain, and of the Pifans to defend their poffeffions, employ the greateft part of this volume.

Among the various incidents that diftinguish this bufy period, the catastrophe of Giralomo Savanarola is not the leaft remarkable; this man was a Dominican friar, noted many years for his preaching at Florence, and in great repute, as well for the fingularity of his doctrines, as a fuppofed fanctity of manners: he had been confidered by many as a prophet; feeing, at a time when Italy enjoyed the moft profound tranquility, he had often mentioned in his fermons, that Italy would be invaded by foreign troops, whofe power would be irrefiftable; at the fame time afferting, that his predictions were not the effect of human forefight, deep learning, or political obfervations, but purely of divine infpiration. His influence had alfo greatly contributed to change the form of government in Florence from an Ariftocracy to a Democracy.

When the Florentines were courted by the other Italian ftates, to enter into a confederacy with them, to oppose any fecond attempt the French might undertake against Italy, preparations for which were then publicly making in France, Savanarola's perfuafions prevailed to have all fuch proposals rejected: he flattered them with hopes, and foretold in his difcourfes, that the calamities of the republic would be turned into profperity and increase of dominion; denouncing at the fame time terrible judgments to the court of Rome, and to the reft of the Italian ftates.' The preacher and his predictions were defpifed by the more difcerning, yet the bulk of the people generally paid a great regard to all he faid, and amongst them not a few of the most confiderable citizens; infomuch, that his adherents were by far more numerous than his oppofers, whereby many of them were elected into the magiftracy, and other places of the greatest truft.

However, in 1498, a multitude of complaints against him having been carried to Rome, where he was accufed of having reproached, in his fermons, the conduct of that court and the vices of the clergy, he had been often fummoned to

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appear before the Pope, but had hitherto neglected giving his holinefs that proof of his fubmiffion; for which difobedience he was at laft publicly excommunicated. This fentence obliged him to refrain preaching for fome months, till finding his intereft decline by his filence, he, in open contempt of the pontifical authority, refumed his function, aflerting, that the cenfures againft him were null, as contrary to the divine will and the public welfare; and at the fame time inveighing bitterly against the Pope and the court of Rome.' This occafioned frequent tumult, for his enemies, who daily gained ground of him, animated the populace, who, above all things, abhorred difobedience to the Pope; Alexander also thundering out new briefs, and threatening to interdict the city, the magiftrates commanded him to defift from preaching: neverthelefs, the friars of his convent continued to propagate his doctrines, which were oppofed by the religious of other orders. Thefe difputes were carried on with great heat, and excited fuch animofities, both in church and flate, that at last (such is the force of an enthufiaftic credulity) a Dominican and a Francifcan agreed to try, by fire, the merits of their cause, in the prefence of the whole city; thereby to convince the world whether Savanarola was a true prophet or an impoftor. Now tho' he had frequently infifted, that if it were neceffary, God would work a miracle in favour of his predictions, and conduct him fafe through the flames of a burning pile; yet he was by no means pleafed with the fo forward zeal of his Friar, and was contriving expedients to put off the experiment; while fuch of the citizens as were his enemies urged it vehemently, judging it a good opportunity to get rid of the incendiary. On the day appointed, the two Friars, accompanied by the brotherhood of their refpective focieties, appeared in the great fquare before the palace; where were afiembled, not only the inhabitants of Florence, but alfo multitudes of people out of the country. Every thing was now ready, when the Francifcans, being informed that Savanarola had ordered his Friar to enter the fire with the facrament in his hand, took exception; alledging, that if the hoft was burnt, it would endanger the authority of the chriftian faith, by affecting the minds of weak and ignorant people.' But Savanarola, who was himself prefent, infifting that the experiment fhould be fo performed, the trial was entirely fet afide. This greatly hurt Savanarola's credit with the people, who the next day, on a cafual tumult, forced into the monaftry, feized Savanarola, and two other Friars, and carried them to the public prifon.

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Savanarola was afterwards put to the queftion, but in a gentle manner; and his examination and confeffion were, by the magiftracy, formed into a procefs, and ordered to be publifhed: he and the two friars were afterwards degraded with the usual ceremonies, and delivered over to the fecular power. They were first hanged, and then burnt in the prefence of as great a multitude as had affembled to fee the miraculous experiment of fire.

The year 1496 was diftinguifhed by the death of Ferdinando, king of Naples, foon after his prudence and fortitude had effectually expelled the French from his dominions.

courage, magnanimity, and other princely accomplishments,' fays our author, as well as his victories, left a deep impreffion, not only in the hearts of his fubjects, but of all the Italians. Dying without iffue, he was fucceeded by his uncle Don Federigo.

The 7th of April, 1498, was remarkable for the death of Charles VIII. of France, who was fuddenly taken off, in the midst of his preparations for carrying into execution his darling fcheme of fubjecting Italy: his fucceffor in that kingdom was the duke of Orleans. It was not expected, that the new king, Lewis XII. would, at the commencement of his reign, intangle himself in a war on this fide of the mountains; nevertheless, as he had not only the fame claim to the kingdom of Naples as his predeceffor had, but also pretended a patrimonial right to the dutchy of Milan, it was as little imagined, that he would continue long dormant.

Accordingly, having entered into fuch alliances as were deemed neceffary for fecuring the repofe of his own kingdom, Lewis concluded a treaty with the Venetians (who were greatly difgufted with Lodovico, for having joined the Florentines in the reduction of Pifa) whereby it was agreed, that while the king, with a powerful army, entered the Milanefe, the Venetians fhould do the fame from their frontiers: that as foon as the whole dutchy should fall a conqueft to their united arms, Cremona and its neighbourhood fhould be put into the poffeffion of the Venetians, the reft of the dutchy remaining to the king.'

Thus,' obferves our author, heaven had decreed, that ⚫ the flame which Lodovico had kindled up in Pisa, and was continually feeding, fhould feize and deftroy its author;' for in Auguft 1499 (a year remarkable alfo for an irruption of the Turks into the Venetian territories) the Milanefe was attacked on both fides, according to the aforefaid agreement, with fuch fury by its enemies, and so treacherously defended VOL. XI.

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by its own officers, that a few weeks completed the conqueft, and Lodovico with his brother were obliged to take refuge at Infpruck. Lewis faw himself almost unexpectedly poffeffed of this rich dutchy, without fatigue or danger; but as he could not infpire his new fubjects with a faithful difpofition towards him, in the beginning of the year 1500, they thought proper to return to their former allegiance, and recalled their former fovereign: whereby Lodovico re-poffeffed himself of his dominions, with almost as much ease as he had been expelled from them.

But Lodovico's good fortune was short-liv'd; as foon as the revolt of the Milanefe was known in France, neceffary forces were dispatched for its reduction. Thofe forces prevailed, and Lodovico was betrayed by the Swiss, in whom he confided: they gave him up to Lewis, who committed him to the tower of Loches, where he spent the remainder of his life, which · was about ten years, in a narrow prison, which,' to use our author's words, 'afforded room enough to hold the man whose thoughts and ambition all Italy was scarce fufficient to cir' cumfcribe.'

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Guicciardini, who is particularly diftinguished for his peculiar talent in defcribing the characters of men *, speaks of this prince as excelling, in wit and eloquence, and poffeffed of many other natural endowments; and might well deferve the appellation of gentle and merciful, had not the infamy ' of his nephew's death fullied that part of his character. But on the other hand, it must be confeffed, that he was natu< rally vain, restlefs, ever full of ambitious projects, made light of his promises, or a breach of faith, and was fo conceited of his wisdom, that he could by no means endure to hear another commended for extraordinary prudence or fa'gacity; perfuading himself, that by his own art and industry he could dive into the thoughts, and penetrate the defigns of the most able politicians, and bend them to his own pur• poses.'

The confinement of Lodovico Sforza, who may not improperly be faid to have directed, for fome years, the politics of all Italy, was presently fucceeded by that of his brother, Cardinal Afcanio, who was treated with fomewhat more refpect, and was committed to the fame prifon, where the king, who confined him, had himself been a prifoner for two years. "So mutable and wretched is the condition of mortals, and fo blind are we to future events, and the approaches of fate!'

*See Review, vol. X. page 406.

T.L.

ART.

ART. XXII. A Supplement to the English Universal Hiftory, lately published in London: containing historical and chronological differtations on the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah; with curious tables, tending to clear up the difficulties of that part of the facred writings; and obfervations on the gyptian history, being a free and candid enquiry into the antient accounts of that celebrated people. Aljo remarks and annotations on the Univerfal Hiftory, defigned as an improvement and illuftration of that work. The whole carefully tranflated from the original German of the eminent Dr. Baumgarten, profeffor and director of the theological feminary at the univerfity of Hall, in Saxony, Volume the firft. 8vo. 6s. Linde.

TH

HIS volume confifts of differtations, remarks, and annotations on historical and chronological subjects, by different authors. The greatest part of them is written by Dr. Baumgarten, who appears to us to be a very learned and judicious writer. He undertook, we are told, from mere motives of public fpirit, to fupervife the German tranflation of the Univerfal Hiftory, and to enrich it with notes of his own; which notes are here offered to the public feparately, fome of them being almoft as well connected as if they were a continued difcourfe, and many of them being useful and entertaining, even without a reference to the paffages which they illuftrate.

The first thing we are prefented with, is a fupplement to the preface of the Univerfal Hiftory, wherein the doctor enters into a full and elaborate difcuffion of a point which the learned authors of that work had omitted, viz. The nature and usefulness of history in general. He fets out with a definition. of history, which according to the common and strict sense of the word, we are told, is, a true and well-grounded account of past events; after this he goes on to examine the internal and external credibility of hiftory, and then proceeds to fhew the usefulness of it, which he reduces to fix divifions. In the first place he tells us, that there is an inviting agreeablenefs, a pleafure, and an entertainment in hiftory; in the second, that it is the means of our acquaintance with a much greater and more remote part of the human race, than would be poffible without it; in the third, that it lays a foundation, not only for general prudence, but for that particular kind which the circumstances and fituation of each man require; in the fourth, that it is of eminent use in promoting virtue; in the fifth, that