and Hebrew idioms, muft want a [ftrict] claffical propriety? however, as he expreffes himself with a natural and unaffected fimplicity, his language agrees with the character of an hiftorian, as well as with the dignity of his fubject; which was incapable of receiving any additional luftre from the ornaments of language.'-As to St. Mark's gofpel, there feems to have been a general belief, that it was compofed with the approbation of St. Peter, foon after the publication of St. Matthew's, probably about the 10th or 12th year from our Saviour's afcenfion. And tho' fome have pretended that it was wrote originally in Latin, yet our author brings fufficient proof of its being really compofed in the Greek tongue, and produces undeniable evidences of its being univerfally acknowledged as genuine and authentic by the primitive church.-In fpeaking of St. Luke's golpel he endeavours to prove, that it was compofed under the eye and direction of the apostle Paul, who either furnished the materials, or gave a fanction, to the compofure, by his approbation and affent. As to the character of his ftile, tho' St. Luke is generally allowed to write more correctly than the other evangelifts, yet Mr. Cockburne thinks his ftile not lefs chargeable with Syriac idioms than theirs. And adds, that perhaps it was not poffible to exprefs the ideas of the fynagogue, or the doctrines of Christianity, with a claffical propriety.'-That this gofpel is genuine, is proved by references to fome of the oldeft authors of the church, who have mentioned it under that character. The gospel of St. John is fhewn to have been wrote as a fupplement to the other three; one reafon for which was, to fupply the omiflions of the other evangelifts;-another, that he might oppofe the authority of an apoftle to the herefies of Ebion and Cerinthus, who had degraded our Saviour into a mere man. For thefe reafons, the gofpel of St. John may be justly confidered as a fupplement to the other evangelifts, both as it contains a narrative of feveral facts, not mentioned in the preceding gofpels, but especially as it reprefents to us the divinity of Jefus Chrift in the ftrongest expreffions.'At a time when our Lord was fo openly attacked in his divinity, this evangelift thought it proper to affert it in fuch exprefs terms as cannot be eafily evaded, while he affirms that he was the author of nature, by whom all things were made; and that having had an exiftence previous to his + appearance in the fiefh, was a partaker with his father of that incommunicable glory which only belonged to the Deity." Vid. John i. 1, 2. 3.-X. 30. 38.-xii. 45. + John iii. 13-viii. 58.-xvii. 5. That That this gofpel was the genuine production of John the apostle, we have the teftimony of fome of the earlieft writers of the church, as Juftin Martyr, Irenæus *, and Clemens of Alexandriat. In fine, Julian the apoftate ‡ afcribes it to St. John, at the fame time that he accufes him of introducing a new doctrine into the Chriftian religion about the deity • of Chrift.' After producing feveral arguments in fupport of the infpiration of the evangelifts, our author confiders the morality of their character; and obferves, that if we view them in the light of moral writers, we fhall find they have delivered the best leffons of virtue in the eafieft manner. He concludes this part of his argument with an amiable picture of genuine religion, as drawn in the gospels ;- Religion here fhews nothing of that unbecoming appearance, which it too often receives from the faults and imperfections of its votaries; it is neither foured by uncharitable zeal, nor wears the aspect of unreasonable feverity; the features are not aggravated by rage, nor • deadened by affectation. It neither evaporates in enthusiaf<tic fervours, nor finks into an unnatural and fplenetic abftraction from the world; nor are plain truths here wrapped up in the puzzling and studied drefs of philosophical bombaft.' In treating of the Acts of the apoftles, our author makes fome general obfervations on that hiftory; fhews, that it affords a convincing argument of the truth of our religion, and the certainty of Chrift's refurrection.-He obferves alfo, that this hiftory of the apoftles reprefents the church of Chrift in a very different light from that in which it is exhibited by fome later ecclefiaftical writers. And lastly, produces evidences from the most antient fathers, to fhew that the Acts were univerfally acknowledged as genuine. Our author next proceeds to give an historical account of St. Paul's epiftles; obferving, that thofe thirteen, which carry his name, have, in all ages, been owned as the genuine productions of this apoftle, and are of univerfal ufe to Chriftians in all ages, as feveral points of Chriftian doctrine are particularly explained in them. He takes notice, that these epiftles are not placed in a chronological order, nor is it eafy now to afcertain the particular time and occafion of writing them. However, he enters into a general character of St. Paul's writings, and has fome remarks on the obfcurity of his ftile: but for fatisfaction in thefe, and feveral other points, we muft Iren. lib. 3. cap. 1. + Clem. Alex. apud Eufeb. hift. Ecclef. lib. 6. eap. 14. C refer refer to the book itself; wherein the reader will find the various opinions of different critics fairly stated, and clearly explained. In fpeaking of the fix particular epiftles of St. Paul, (treated of in this volume) he gives a fhort view of the general tendency, and chief argument of each; in the last of which he feems rather to have collected the fubftance of what has been already faid by others, than to have advanced much that is new of his own. However, the work appears to be a judicious compendium of what has been written by authors of note upon the books of the New Teftament, thrown into one general view, and confequently of ufe to all who have not leisure to confult the numerous volumes published by others, upon the fame fubject. P-r ART. III. The Chevalier Goddard's Tranflation of Gucciardini's Hiftory of the Wars in Italy. Vol. V. and VI. [See Review, vol. XII. p. 200.] UCH readers as are delighted with accounts of fieges and battles, and scenes of violence and devaftation, may, in thefe two volumes, find ample matter for their gratification. The flames kindled by the ambition of Pope Julius II. and nourished by his intrigues and obftinacy, raged with unequalled impetuofity, till they had well nigh confumed their author: after having invited the French to affift him in humbling the Venetians, he grew equally impatient to expell the former out of Italy; to which purpofe he became a friend to the latter; a friendship of very little fervice to them, for it appears that their prefervation was principally owing to their own conftancy and refolution. France and her allies fucceeded in almoft every attempt, and even when deferted by her confederates, obtained a fignal victory over the united forces of Rome, Spain, and Venice. But this victory was attended with confequences more unhappy to the conquerors than to the vanquished; the French loft a great number of men, feveral principal officers, and, what was more fatal to them, their commander in chief, the famous Gafton de Foix, who was killed in the battle; his death fo difpirited the whole army, that instead of pursuing their fuccefs, (which, if they had immediately followed with vigour, would probably have made them masters of Rome and all Italy) they fupinely fuffered the enemy to recover from the furprize their defeat had caufed, and to collect and recruit their fcattered troops, till they were enabled to drive the late victors out of most of their poffeffions on that fide the Alps, which was effected with as much rapidity on the one part, as they had been obtained on the other. In In the course of these transactions feveral remarkable occur rences intervened; particularly the defection of fome cardinals from the pope. They, fpirited up by the emperor and the king of France, convoked a general council at Pisa, with design to depofe his holiness: but no bifhops attending, except a few French and Milanefe, this council was obliged to remove to Milan, where they met with but a very indifferent reception from the populace: wherefore they fhortly after went to Lyons, but did nothing of moment. In the mean while, Julius excommunicated all the members of that council, and their adherents, and fummoned another, that was to affemble at Rome the 1ft of May, 1512; which year was alfo diftinguished by two other fingular events: the Medici reaffumed their authority in Florence, from whence they had been expelled in in 1494; and Maximilian Sforza, the fon of Ludovico †, was put in poffeffion of the ducal dignity of Milan.-In the preceding year our noble hiftorian entered on his first public employment, being appointed by the republic of Florence ambaflador to Ferdinand, king of Arragon. The French having retired out of Italy, the confederates difagreed among themselves; old alliances were diffolved, and new ones made. The pope's thirst of power was infatiable; he meditated no less than the dominion of all Italy, and the conquest of the kingdom of Naples; however, death interrupt ed the execution of his projects, on the 22d of February, 1513. His character is thus drawn by our judicious author:- He 'was a prince of ineftimable courage and conftancy, but impetuous and boundless in his conceptions; which would have carried him headlong to his own ruin, had he not been sustained more by the reverence of the church, the difcord of princes, and the condition of the times, than by his own moderation or prudence. He would certainly have been worthy of the highest honour, had he been a fecular prince, or employed the fame ardour and vigilance, with which he profecuted the advancement of the church in temporal greatnefs by the force of arms, in promoting her progress towards purity and fpiritual perfection, by the milder arts of peace. His memory, however, is most dear and honoured, above that of all his predeceffors; especially by thofe who, having loft the true nature of things, and confounded the diftinction that arifes from weighing them in a just balance, think it more the duty of pontiffs to increafe the empire of the apoftolic fee by arms and the blood of Christians, than to strive + Ibid. p. 194. • See Review, vol. I. p. 25. • and and labour, by the example of a good life, and by correcting and healing a degeneracy and corruption of manners, to promote the falvation of thofe fouls, for whofe benefit they boaft that Chrift has conftituted them his vicars upon earth.' Julius was fucceeded in the papacy by the Cardinal de Medici, who affumed the name of Leo X. Tho' he was promoted to this dignity at a very early age, being no more than thirty-feven years old; yet his election gave a general fatisfaction to all Europe, as he had the reputation of being chafte, liberal, and good-natured: nevertheless, in most of his conduct he appears irrefolute, infincere, and continually temporizing; ever engaging in new negotiations, and steady to none. The Venetians had been deferted by his predeceffor, and were driven to the utmost diftrefs by the emperor; neceffity induced them to enter into a confederacy with Lewis XII. who made an attempt to reinftate himself in Italy, and in the fpace of one month both won and loft the whole dutchy of Milan. But notwithstanding this difappointment, he was not lefs intent upon recovering his Italian territories; wherefore, having concluded a peace with our Henry VIII. (who had been prevailed on by the intrigues of his father-in-law, Ferdinand, to invade France) he made great preparations for that purpose, but did not live to carry his defign into effect: his death happened on the first day of the year 1515, when he was fucceeded in his kingdom by Francis I. who alfo affumed the title of Duke of Milan; which dutchy he effectually reduced, after having defeated, in a pitched battle, the Swifs, till then deemed, in a manner, invincible. Sforza was forced to refign his perfon and pretenfions to the will of the conqueror; this event was followed by a general peace, to which the decease of Ferdinand, king of Arragon, contributed not a little; this prince died in January 1516, at Madrid, then an obfcure village. Our author afcribes to him most excellent wisdom and valour;' and further obferves, that if he had made confcience of keeping his promifes, he would hardly have left room for • cenfure.' Indeed his little regard to good faith was expeperienced by all who had any concerns with him, and by no one more than his fon-in-law. By this peace the Venetians regained their former poffeffions. In this fummary view of the fubftance of these two volumes (the laft of this work yet publifhed) we have avoided entering into a minute detail of the incidents, which are very numerous, and fome of them really interefting; but, at the fame time, they are fo intimately connected with others of less moment, that to have taken notice of all would have extended |