their legions made to pafs under the yoke; confuls, ambaffadors, the whole fenate, corrupted by the bribes of that prince; the concealed baseness of the republic unveiled to the whole world. Such were the crimes of Jugurtha, crimes for which the Romans could never poffibly forgive him.

ROME, 13th December 1764.

N° VIII.

ROME, 29th December 1764

I HAVE been reading a MS. of the Abbé Geo. Vicenzo

Gravina, which belongs to Mr. Lumfden, a Scotch gentleman, and a friend of Mr. Byers, through whofe means I procured it. The title of it is, Del Governo Civile di Roma; in 4to. pp. 76: and its principal subject, the revolutions of the city after the fall of the empire; a fubject which interefts me much. This performance is an excellent abridgment, but merely an abridgment; the author not having founded the depths of his fubject, nor ranfacked archives. His citations are few; and thofe only of well-known authors, fuch as Baronius, Blondus, or Sigonius. It may, however, be worth while to extract, without order or method, the particulars which I have learned from this work.

After the foundation of Conftantinople, New Rome yielded in all matters of ceremony to her elder fifter [p. 7.1. The conful preceded the conful of the Eaft. Procopius's Secret Hiftory.

Mr. Gravina believes in the donations of Pepin and Charlemagne [p. 8.]. But, according to him, these princes gave the duchy of Rome and the exarchate of Ravenna to the popes, as chiefs of the

fenate and Roman republic during the vacancy of the empire.

In the infurrection of the Romans against King Hugh and Marozia [p. 13, 14.], they established their ancient government by two annual confuls and tribunes. Young Alberic was one of the first confuls. Gravina cities Blondus; but Muratori, who places this event in the year 932 instead of 928, does not fpeak of confuls. I am inclined however to believe Gravina. The confuls were certainly re-established about that time.

Mr. Gravina thinks that Otho III. abolished the conful hip in 995 [p. 21.], after the death of Crefcentius. The obfervation feems probable; yet he does not give his authority; and it is proved that the office of conful fubfifted immediately afterwards, as well as in the following age.

Innocent III. received the homage of the prefect of Rome p 43, 44, and granted to him the investiture of his office. Sigon. de Regn. Ital. At the request of the people, he created fifty fenators to govern the city; but as they exceedingly abufed their power, he reduced them to one only, appointed to diftribute juftice. Cantilius de Romana H floria a Carolo Magno.

Under the pontificate of Martin IV. the Orfini, to avenge the affront which they had received from the Annibaldefi (who had driven them from Viterbo after the death of their uncle Nicholas III.), entered with an armed force into Rome, which they ravaged with fire and fword. [p. 55 56 ] At that time were burnt the ancient edifices whofe ruins are ftill visible on the declivity of the Capitoline hill.

terary Hif

tory.

of human-kind: the history of the sciences is that of their fplendor and happiness. If a thoufand Idea of li other confiderations render' the study of the latter interesting to the philofopher, this reflection alone is fufficient to recommend it to every friend of mankind.

II. How ardently do I wish a truth fo confolatory admitted of no exception! But alas! the man too often intrudes on the retirement of the ftudent: and hence even in his clofet, that afylum of contemplative wisdom, he is still misled by his prejudices, agitated by his paffions, or debafed by his follies.

The influence of fashion is founded on the inconftancy of man; the causes of its defpotifm being as frivolous as the effects of its tyranny are fatal. Men of letters are nevertheless afraid to caft off its yoke, and, though reflection caufes fome delay in their fubmiffion, it ferves to render it but the more difgraceful.

All ages and countries have given a preference, not feldom unjustly, to fome particular feience, while they permitted others to languish and fink

Reftora

tion of the Belles Lettres.

The pub. lic tafte for thems

into a contempt equally unreasonable. Thus Logic and Metaphyfics under the fucceffors of Alexander, Polity and Elocution during the Roman republic, History and Poetry in the Auguftan age, Grammar and Jurifprudence in that of the Lower Empire, the Scholaftic Philofophy in the thirteenth century, and the Belles Lettres, till within the times of our fathers, have all in their turns fhared the admiration and contempt of mankind.

Natural Philofophy and the Mathematics are now in poffeffion of the throne: their fifter - fciences fall proftrate before them; are ignominiously chained to their car, or otherwife fervilely employed to adorn their triumph. Perhaps their reign too is fhort, and their fall approaching.

It would be a task worthy a man of abilities, to trace that revolution in religion, government and manners, that hath fucceffively bewildered, wasted, and corrupted mankind. It were prudent for him therein not to feek hypothefes, but much more fo not to avoid them.

III. If the Greeks had never been reduced to flavery, the Romans had been still barbarians. Conftantinople falling before the fword of Mahomet, the Muses were abandoned to fortune, till affembled and patronized by the Medici. This illuftrious family encouraged Literature. Erafmus did ftill more; he cultivated letters himfelf, while Homer and Cicero became familiar to climes unknown to Alexander, and Nations unconquered by Rome. In thofe days it was thought a fine accomplishment to study and admire the Ancients; in ours, it is judged more

eafy

10

eafy and polite to neglect and defpife them. I am ápť to think there is fome reafon on both fides. The foldier then read them in his tent; the statesman ftudied them in his clofet. Even the fair fex, ufually content with the empire of the graces, and willing to refign fuperior knowledge to ours, were fubject to the contagion; and every Delia wifhed to find a Tibullus in the person of her lover. It was from Herodotus that Elizabeth (a fovereign whofe name is revered in the annals of Literature) learnt to maintain the rights of humanity against another Xerxes. It was in Æfchylus 1 fhe faw her magnanimity celebrated under the names of the victorious heroes of Salamis. "Chriftina preferred knowledge to the government of a kingdom; for which the politician may defpife, and the philofopher will probably blame her. The man of letters, however, cannot fail to cherish the memory of that Princess, who not only ftudied the Ancients herself, but even rewarded their commentators. It was by her that Saumaife was honored with marks of diftinction; who, though he did not deserve the admiration in which his contemporaries held him, was above that contempt thrown upon him by his fucceffors.

too far.

IV. This Princefs, without doubt, carried her That tafte regard for fuch writers too far. For my part, though carried fometimes their advocate, never their partifan, I will freely confefs I think them as coarfe in their manners, as they were minute and trifling in their works. A pedantic erudition cramping the efforts of their imagination, they were rather dull compilers than ingenious Scholiafts. The age was juft enlight VOL. VII.

G