race. But an unexpected revolution at laft gave new life to the hiftory of the Franks, and transferred the crown from the pofterity of Clovis to that of their major-domo, the fortunate Pepin of Herstall. From this prince defcended the celebrated Charlemagne, in whose person was revived the dignity of Ro man Emperor, which had been extinct fince the year 476 at Rome, and only continued at Conftantinople with the eastern part of the empire; an event which laid the bafis of the imperial dignity's being at present annexed to Germany. The tranfaction is thus related by our author:

This opportunity prefented itself in the month of April, 799, when Pope Leo the Third was attacked by fome confpira. tors in a proceffion at Rome; but was then refcued, that he might take refuge in Charlemagne, whom he for that reafon perfonally visited at Paderborn. Charlemagne at first feat fome bifhops and counts, as commiffioners, to Rome, previously to examine the affair. He foon afterwards went himself, and on the 15th of December of the year 800, held a public tribunal in St. Peter's church; the event of which was, that Leo, upon his declaring in the most folemn manner, upon oath, that he was innocent, was acquitted of all the crimes and accufations alledged against him, and his opponents and accufers banifhed. Ten days after this, followed the feast of Christmas, when Leo himfelf performed the fervice in the church. As Charlemagne was on his knees before him at the altar, Leo quite unexpectedly placed a crown upon his head, and exclaimed, Vivat Carolus Imperator Auguftus! which was immediately re-echoed with joyful acclamations from every part of the church. Charlemagne at laft reconciled himself to this furprife, and from that period prefixed the title of Roman emperor to his former title of king of the Franks and Lombards.'

With refpect to the effects which the revival of the dignity of Roman emperor in Charlemagne produced, he doubtless now became the independent fovereign of the city and its dominions; and at the fame time entitled to every thing which the revival of the dignity could comprehend on the part of the Romans, and the acknowledgement of it from the other nations and ftates which then exilted. Thofe countries which had once been legally feparated from the ancient Roman empire, certainly could not be included; but many of them were already in Charle. magne's poffeffion, as king of the Franks and Lombards. But whatever the prerogatives of the revived imperial title, and the territories depending upon it might be, it is evident, as our author obferves, that its relation with refpect to Charlemagne's other ftates was only perfonal, without any real union taking place, either with the kingdom of Lombardy or of the Franks, which Charlemagne was already in poffeffion of. Though Charle

magne,

magne, in affairs perhaps which concerned the government of Rome, might confider himself as the fucceffor of the ancient Roman emperors, he certainly never thought fo in affairs which concerned the Franks and Germans. Yet an opinion has even lately prevailed, that Charlemagne was the fucceffor of Juftinian, and therefore that the Juftinian code of laws was equally as valid in Germany as at Rome. Our author is at much pains to place this fubject in a clear light, on account of the important confequences which have been deduced from many, and falfe reprefentations, concerning it.

The extenfive empire which Charlemagne had eftablished, foon began to decline in the hands of an inadequate fucceffor, to the imbecility of whofe government the prefent conftitution of the Germanic empire appears to owe, in a great measure, its origin.

It is particularly remarkable, fays our author, that in those early times, when the danger and diftrefs occafioned by the incurion of foreign enemies were almost univerfal, the Frankifh kings, notwithanding their divisions, found it neceffary to unite in the common caufe, and convene particular assemblies to confult on the fubject, in the years 817 and 851, at Merfen, on the Mars, and in 860 at Coblenz. Here the kings experienced already what reafon they had to be as much upon their guard against the custom of private war, as again the incurfions of foreign enemies. They zealoufly and unanimoutly oppofed therefore the practice of plundering, and other acts of violence, which the nobles began to took upon as legal actions established by custom; and threatened to punish the aggreffors, by excommunicating them, or putting them under the ban in the name of God and of the king. The event, however, foon proved the infufficiency of these threats, and that the evil only increased in virulence. It foon arofe to fuch a height, that all the national regulations were warlike, and only confifted in preparations for attack and defence, not merely in fuch wars as were interefting to the country in general, but for pri vate attacks, and fuch defence as was thought neceffary by every individual. The effential prerogatives of the fupreme foreign wars, and judicially decided differences, without allowing the fubject to avenge his own caufe, ought folely to belong, were foon forgotten. Inftead of this, vaffalage became the chief object of almost every nation. He alone was poffeffed of power and authority whofe vaffals were numerous, and whose cafiles were well defended; he alone was refpected who performed his duty as a vaffal with the greatest ability and bravery. This was the object of all their education; this exercised all the powers of their minds; and this almoft alone connected the bonds of their fociety. When a vaffai had once performed the fervice of his lord, they had no further concern in the affairs of each other. The vaffal was then at liberty to act as he pleafed;

8

pleafed; he was under no refraint with refpect to his property, the management of his domeftic concerns, the direction of his family, and particularly of his dependents, or his villains. In fuch matters he was fubject to no controul, and acknowledged no fuperior power.

The liberty of those who could already boast of being free, fuch as princes, counts, and barons, and every freeholder, or, to ufe the prefent mode of fpeaking, the high and inferior nobility, rofe to the greatest height, although it was at the fame time unavoidably fubject to abufe. The fituation therefore of that class of people which did not enjoy their liberty, the peasants, who were by far the the most numerous, and of the greatest importance, was more particularly pitiable.

This evidently diminished the power of the crown. The kings of courfe could undertake nothing of importance now without the confent of the ftates. Even at the above mentioned fraternal meetings of the Frankish kings they faw themfelves under the neceffity of mutually promifing not only to allow and protect each of their ftates in their refpective rights and dignities, but to call for their advice in the bufinefs both of church and state, and confider them as co-adjutors and co-ope rators in national concerns. On account of this article, the treaty of Coblenz (Pactum Confluentinum), of the year 860, is confidered by many as one of the first fundamental laws which laid the bafis of the conftitution of the Germanic empire, limited as it is by the ftates; though the article occurs in the fame words at the preceding meeting held at Merfen in the year 851; fo that the first fource of it therefore may be traced nine years earlier.'

All the excellent inftitutions begun by Charlemagne were foon entirely perverted, or rendered fruitless. It was with difficulty that thofe who were devoted to an ecclefiaftical life obtained fufficient inftruction in reading, writing, and the Latin language, to perform the immediate duties of their of fice; and yet the advantage which even this procured them over those that were totally ignorant, contributed in no small degree to increase the weight of the fpiritual over the fecular eftate, which began from that period fo much to preponderate. A circumftance which amazingly contributed to this effect, was the publication of a book, published by one Dionyfius Exiguus, which contained a collection of papal letters from popè Siricius, who wrote in 385, down to pope Anaftafius in 498. The fubjects of them tended chiefly to prove, that the bishop of Rome was the fucceffor of the apostle Peter; that the keys of heaven were therefore in his hands; and, in short, that the pope was the paramount fovereign of all the powers on the earth. To confirm these doctrines, the editor of those letters, who had been fome ecclefiaftic, had recourfe to the most artful impofition;

impofition; and the decrees of the councils were so represented, that by means of omiflions, additions, or interpolations, the fenfe of them was wrefted to correfpond with the principles above afferted. Froin a pretext that the book was the work of the celebrated Ifidorus, it obtained univerfal credit during feveral ages, and became the fource of a variety of events, which are diftin&tly related by the author now under confideration.

The fecond book treats of the first period of the middle ages. This part prefents us with the extinction of the Carlovingian race, and the fucceffion of the Saxon, Franconian, and Swabian emperors, down to the year 1235. The author marks the first traces of the indivifibility of the empire, and right of primogeniture; and fhews the origin of the prerogatives which were afterwards peculiar to the archbishops of Mentz, Treves, Cologne, and the four fecular high offices; with the origin of the counties palatine, and a number of political events refpecting the history and constitution of the empire.

The third book comprises the history of the fecond period of the middle ages; treating of the Swabian and fucceeding emperors, from the period laft mentioned to the year 1493. This narrative contains an inftance of the depofition of an emperor, in the perfon of Adolphus of Naffau; with the origin of the imperial cities, prelates, and knights of the empire; a variety of affociations, particularly the Rhenifh and Hanfeatic leagues; and the introduction of the neceffity of the confent of the electors, by means of the Willebrieffen, or letters of confent. Within this period, occurs likewife the Golden Bull; the caufe of the denomination of which is related by our author in the following extract:

It has been customary for many ages, whenever the empe rors executed any acts of importance, to distinguish thofe particular inftruments from others by annexing a Golden Bull to them, as it is called, instead of the impretion of the feal being made fimply in wax. This Golden Bull is the feal itself, engraved or two plates of gold in form of medallions, united, and the hollow filled up with wax, through which the strings páfs, that attach the Bull to the inftrument. From fuch Bulls as thefe it has become customary to call the inftrument them. felves, to which they are annexed, Golden Bulls; in the fame manner as the decrees of the popes, are denominated Papal Bulls: and thus likewife this inftrument by having such a feal annexed to it, has obtained the appellation of the Golden Bull. It confits of five ordinances, which Charles IV. enacted at two general diets, one of which was held at Nurenberg, January 10, 1356; and the other at Metz, on the 25th of the fame year, with the approbation of the electors, and in fome measure with VOL. LXIX. April, 1790.

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the

the concurrence of the whole empire. These ordinances were afterwards fubdivided into thirty principal articles, and promul gated in one public act. An original inftrument was granted to cach of the electors, and an authentic copy given likewife to the city of Frankfort, which is at prefent generally shown to strangers."

The fourth book comprehends the first period of modern hiftory; deducing the narrative from the year 1493 to 1519. During this period we meet with the divifion of the empire into circles; the origin of the aulic council; the establishment of a new adminiftration of justice in the towns and bailiwicks; with other remarkable occurrences in the empire; among which is the commencement of commotions in the church, occafioned by Martin Luther.

The fifth book comprises the fecond period of modern hiftory, commencing from the acceffion of Charles the Fifth. This part of the work is chiefly occupied with a continuation of the hiftory of Martin Luther, and other events connected with the fubject of that narrative. Among the occurrences in the prefent period, one of the moft remarkable is the rife of the order of the Jefuits, in 1540; an order which, after subsisting upwards of two hundred years, with confiderable advantage to learning, but with much danger to all fecular authority, has at length been abolished in almost all the countries of Europe.

This volume concludes with the year 1548. So far as the author has proceeded in the work, he difcovers an extensive fund of hiftorical information; and his Developement ferves clearly to evince, that the conftitution of the Germanic empire, like that of every other political affociation, has been gradual in its establishment. It has not been moulded into its prefent form by any original and determined plan of legislation; but rifen, as conducted by a variety of accidents, from a ftate of fuccefsful ufurpation to the stability it now has attained.-The tranflator has performed his part with a fidelity which can only be the refult of attentive application to the German language; and he has enriched the volume with a great number of useful and pertinent annotations.

A Poffcript to the New Bath Guide. A Poem. By Anthony Pafquin. 8vo. 25. 6d. Strahan.

ANthony Pafquin is extremely angry with the Critical and Monthly Reviewers, for questioning his poetical cmnipotence,' (rifum teneatis ?) and confequently treats us like obdurate heretics. He very liberally beftows, in the plenitude of power, the opprobrious terms of varlets' and • contemptible