"down to the late Count Arconati, but was fome "Years ago unhappily deftroyed by an acciden"tal Fire, together with a great Part of his Pa"lace. The Ambrofian Library Keeper takes a

'

particular Delight in fhewing this Book to Eng"lish Travellers, because of the Tradition they "have that King James I. offered the Proprietor "three thousand Spanish Piftoles for only one of "the twelve Parts that compose it, which he had "the Generofity to refufe, that his Country might "not be deprived of this precious Relick of fo

great a Man, and to whom it had fuch con"fiderable Obligations. The Story of this Dona❝tion, and of Arconati's rejecting the King's Offer, "is related at Length, in a very fair Character, "and hangs juft over the Desk to which the Ma"nufcript is chained. " Mr. Breval fays, he cannot conclude this Account of the Ambrofian Manuscripts, without taking Notice of two original Letters that he was fhewn there, written in the Greek Tongue, by the Emperor Bajazet, to the two Popes, Innocent IX. and Alexander IV. The Purport is to defire their Holineffes (upon whom he bestows very fplendid Titles) to have a ftrict Eye over his rebellious Brother, Sultan Gemes, or Zizim, who had escaped out of his Hands, and taken Sanctuary at Rome. Bajazet used to remit the Pope Yearly 40,000 Ducats, for the Maintenance of this unfortunate but brave Prince, who had an Apartment affigned him in the Vatican, and a Train fuitable to his Quality. Charles VIII. in his Way to the Conquest of Naples, received Gemes with great Marks of Friendship, and took him along with him in that Expedition; defigning, as it is reported, to have paffed over into Greece, after the Reduction of that Kingdom; where the Prefence of a Prince of the Ottoman Family would have been of great Ufe to

him in the vaft Projects he had formed; but Gemes fell fick and died at Gaeta, not without Sufpicion of being poifon'd.

There are many other Curiofities of Milan on which our Author expatiates, that I am under a Neceffity of omitting. I fhall add nothing to what I have cited concerning it, but the enfuing Paragraph relating to its Foundation, which begins Mr. Breval's Memoirs of the State and Affairs of this Capital, and the Dutchy belonging to it, from that Period to the Beginning of the prefent Century. The most received Account, he fays, we have concerning the Origin of Milan, is as follows. 66 Bellovefus (the firft Celtick Prince that paffed the Alps) was enjoined by the Oracle to lay the Foundation of a City where-ever "he fhould meet with a Sow half covered with "Wooll. Happening therefore to find fuch an "extraordinary Production of Nature in this "Ground where Milan ftands, he did as he was "commanded, built a large Town, and made it "the Capital of Infubria, about feven hundred "Years before the Birth of our Saviour."

Through Pavia, Placentia, Parma, Reggio, Modena, Bologna, Imola, and many other intervening Places of Note, too many particularly to name, our Author proceeds from Milan to Rome, all the way entertaining us with learned and copious Refearches, the Nature of which the Reader is by this Time well acquainted with: In short, he fcarcely mentions a Town or City which does not fuggeft to him, and minifter Occafion of rehearfing to us, a Variety of memorable Events that bear fome Refpect to it, and are recorded in the claffical Writings, or other ancient Story.

ROME, notwithstanding its prefent ruinous Condition, is, he fays, a Field of prodigious Diverfity: He has digefted his Remarks on it under the follow

following Heads.

1. The feveral Changes in the Limits and Extent of this City, from its Original down to our Times. 2. The Antiquities and Ruins, which he confiders diftinctly under their refpective Denominations, beginning with the Obelifks, which are the oldeft Monuments that remain there. 3. The prefent Palaces and other Buildings, in which he only takes a fhort Survey of fome of the finest Pieces of Sculpture and Painting, whether antique or modern.

What he offers upon these Subjects, is rather he fays, a Sketch than a Picture of Rome; for the Reader, as he adds, cannot but be fenfible of the Impoffibility of bringing fuch an Amas of Mifcellaneous Matter within the Compafs of a few Pages. What he advances with regard to the Roman Ruins, &c. he acquaints us, is collected from the beft ancient and modern Authorities; as Nardius, Marcianus, Lucius, Faunus, Panvinus, and others who have taken moft Pains to examine them. Here follows an Abftract of the first of the above-mentioned Topicks.

"Rome, in its Infancy, extended no further "than the Palatine Hill, which comprehended a "fmall Number of Huts rather than Houses, "fufficient to lodge between three or four thou

fand Inhabitants, who were all the Subjects "Romulus could boaft of when he laid the firft "Foundations of that prodigious Monarchy. "Upon the Compromife between the Romans and "Sabines, Tatius, King of the last, took up his "Quarters on the Mons Querquetulanus, (after"wards called Cælius) as likewife on the Mons "Quirinalis (now Monte Cavallo.) And both "thofe Hills were afterwards added to the Pala"tine Mount by Tullus Hoftilius, after the Victory "of the Horatii, and the Conqueft of Alba. He "made a further Addition to the Town, by

taking in Part of the Mons Efquilinus, and "Ancus Martius, his Succeffor, brought two other. Hills, the Aventine and the Janiculus, within its "Inclofure. By that Means the City extended "on both Sides the River, over which the same Ancus made a Communication by the wooden Bridge, called Pons Sublicius or Janicularis. Paulus Emilius rebuilt it of Stone fome Centu"ries after: The Piles of it are feen to this Day, "not far from St. Onofrio. The Hill that went by "the Name of Viminalis, the only one of all the "feven that remained uninhabited, was joined by

66

Tarquinius Prifcus to the other fix, which his Pre"deceffors had compaffed in; but as the old "Fence or Wall of the City confifted only hither"to of Earth and Rubbish, the fecond Tarquin "pulled it down to the Foundations, and an"other, all of fquare Marble, was built in its "Place.

"Such was the Extent of Old Rome at the Sub"verfion of the Regal Government. How large "the whole Circumference might then be we can"not poffibly determine, by reafon of the vait "Alterations that Time has produced; but we are

66

66

however certain, that it came far fhort of what "it was in After-ages, because Part of the Agger Tarquinii, which was an high Bank, raised by Tarquinius Superbus, on the Outfide of the Town, "that ran parallel to the Walls, lies now a vast "Way within the Circuit of Rome. Perhaps the "Advances and Steps by which the Bulk of it "increased under the Confuls and Emperors, can"not be exactly traced; but when we come down "to the Days of Vefpafian, or his Sons, Pliny af"fures us that it was about thirteen Miles round, "which Eftimate appears reasonable enough; and "much more to be depended upon than that

of Vopifcus, who afferts the Circumference of it

*to have been fifty in the Reign of Aurelian▪ "We muft fuppofe, if we allow of this Account, "that this Emperor, or fome of his Predeceffors, "extended the Walls as far as the Porta prima, "that is, eight Miles from Rome, upon the Fla"minian Way, or elfe that they brought the Port "of Oftia, at the Mouth of the Tibur, within the "Compass of the City. But thefe are groundless "Surmises, seeing it is manifeft to the Eye that "Rome, in its very utmost Dimenfions, could "never extend a great Way beyond the Wall that

Belifarius built round it after he had recovered "it from the Goths, which Wall is almost wholly "Brick, and having been repaired from Time to "Time by the Popes, was in a great Measure the very fame that we fee at this Day."

66

After all that our Author and fome others have faid upon this Head, it is hardly credible that the whole of what was called Rome in the Time of Vefpafian, fhould be included within fo fmall a Circuit as is here affigned. A City of no greater Extent would fcarcely have been fpoken of in fuch magnificent Terms as this was, by Writers who must have heard of Babylon, Memphis, Alexandria, and other Places of equal or greater Magnitude than that they boafted of. The Cafe was probably the fame in their Time with respect to Rome, as it is at this Day with regard to London, which may in feveral Acceptations of that Title be faid to be either about four, or fix, or fixteen Miles in Circumference: Round the Walls may be expreffed by the firft Number; round what are called the Bars, by the fecond; and that enormous Amafs of Buildings, which confifts likewise of Westminster and its Liberty, Southwark, Redriff, Wapping, Mile-End, and I know not how many other formerly diftinct Towns and Villages, all which are now comprehended under the general Hh Name