The general fubjects here treated of are overfeers, poor's rate, maintenance of poor relations, baftards, certificates, apprentices, orders of removal, feffions and fettlements. Thefe are branched out into leffer divifions, each of which is illuftrated by proper cafes. The decifions collected together amount to 615 in number, and being of the best authority, the book cannot fail of conveying useful inftruction to justices of the peace, young barrifters, attornies, parifhofficers, and other perfons whofe fituation requires them, to be converfant in the laws which relate to the poor. K--s.

MILITARY.

Art. 56. Confiderations on the Military Establishments of Great
Britain with a Plan for an Augmentation of 8472 effective Men,
without any additional public Expence. 4to. I s. Wheble.
The Author's propofal is certainly an object worthy of national
attention. He tells the fecretary at war, in his dedication, that he
is perfect mafter of every military establishment in Europe; from whence
we are to infer his entire capacity for a right investigation of fo
important a fubject, as a reform and improvement of our military
fyftem.

Trans

With

Art. 57. A Treatife on the Ufe of defenfive Arms.
flated from the French of M. Joly de Maizroi, Lieutenant Colonel
of Infantry, by Thomas Maat, late Major of Brigade.
Notes by the Tranilator. Evo. I s. 6d. Walter.
Both M. de Maizroi and his Tranflator plead ftrongly for the re-
ftoration of defenfive arms; not a load of armour, but only fuch as
was in ufe among the Romans when, by the fuperiority of their
arms, and the excellence of their difcipline, they fubdued the world.'

SERMON S.

I. The Nature and Neceffity of Faith in the Lord, and Love to all the Saints at St. Thomas's, Jan. 1. 1771, for the Benefit of the Charity-School in Gravel-Lane, Southwark. By John Williams, LL.D. 6 d. Pearch.

II. Heaven the Refidence of the Saints-On the Death of Mr. Whitefield, at the Thursday Lecture at Boston, in America, Oct. 11. 1770. By Ebenezer Pemberton, D. D. Paftor of a Church in Bofton. To which is added an Elegiac Poem on the Death of Mr. Whitefield, by Phillis, a Negro Girl of 17. 6 d. Bolton printed; London reprinted by Dilly.

III. The exalted State of the faithful Minifters of Christ, after Death-On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, Dec. 2d, at the Meeting in Black's Fields, Horflydown, Southwark. By John Langford, Minifter of the Gofpel. 6 d. Gurney.

CORRESPONDENCE.

A. B. has been misinformed. We are, however, obliged to him for his well-intended Communication; and are only forry that it can be of no ufe to us.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For FEBRUARY, 1771.

ART. I. The Revolutions of Italy. By Carlo Denina; continued from our Appendix, published laft Month.

WHE

HEN Theodoret was gone with the remains of his unfortunate army, the Goths were fo greatly reduced by a variety of ruinous accidents, and particularly by the addrefs of Belifarius in cutting off their provifions, that there was little probability of their holding out much longer against the imperial troops. As on as the King of the Franks understood this, in conjunction with his brothers, he fent ambaffadors to Vitigius, offering him immediate fuccours, provided the Goths would agree to divide Italy with him and his family. Belifarius being apprized of this, fent immediately to the King of the Goths, to preclude his negotiation with the Franks, and gave him and the rest of the Gothic chiefs to understand, that, whenever they fhould think of ceding a part of Italy, their best fecurity would be to treat with the Emperor. Thefe propofals prevailed in the Gothic council, and it was determined without delay to fend ambaffadors to Conftantinople to treat for peace. In the mean time, Belifarius continued the fiege of Ravenna, whither the Goths had retired with a force infinitely fuperior in numbers to the Greeks, waiting the determinations of the court of Conftantinople. The envoys foon returned with a letter from the Emperor, in which he left the bufinefs of dividing Italy with the Goths, and of concluding the war, to his officers and agents. Belifarius, always rendered obnoxious by the conduct of his wife, who carried with a high hand every thing relative to the

war

found most of his inferior officers inclined to measures of peace; and being called upon to give their opinion in writing, they declared that the imperial army was infufficient to make head against the Goths. Belifarius, however, by his refolution. and addrefs, got over this, and having found means, by fecret practices, to burn the magazines of Ravenna, the Goths became VOL. XLIV.

H

more

more inclined to furrender. Then it was, that the Gothic women, obferving the weak and wretched condition of the Greek army, molt bitterly reproached their husbands, for giving themselves up as conquered.

An event fo important, as that of entering the capital of Italy, in quality of conqueror, and taking prifoner the King of the Goths with a force fo unequal, was of the utmost service to Belifarius, as well in conciliating the refpect of the enemy, as in quieting the fufpicions, the jealoufies, and hatred, that prevailed among his own people. His enemies could not now, poffibly, induce the Emperor to fufpect that he had bargained with the Goths and fold his interefts; as it was evident he had not, upon any view, fufpended his operations. They attempted, therefore, to make Juftinian believe that this enterprizing General was conquering only for himself, and that he meant to ufurp the kingdom of Italy. This fufpicion found an eafier access to the breast of the Emperor, as he had fears of the fame kind before the Italian expedition took place and Belifarius had, therefore, been obliged at his departure, to take an oath, that he would never, during the life of Juftinian, affume the title either of Emperor, or King of Italy. If Procopius is to be credited, we must believe that his hero faithfully kept his oath, and, though ftrongly folicited to affume the Gothic fceptre, implicitly obeyed the orders that recalled him to the Eaft. The reafon of his recal was, the neceffity of his taking upon him the command in the Perfian war. We must not here omit to obferve, that the war, which the King of Perfia commenced against the Emperor, was occafioned by the political manœuvres of the Goths, who, at this juncture, made a point of what the Romans ought to have done for their fecurity two centuries before, had they been fufficiently acquainted with Scythia or Afiatic Tartary. The Goths, when beaten and difperfed by the imperial arms, recollected that the Emperors never disturbed themselves either about Italy or the barbarous ftates, except when they were at peace with Perfia. Excited by these reflections, to escape, or at least to alleviate the calamities of war, they privately fent two ecclefiaftics, a prieft and a bishop, who were probably Arians, with letters to the King of Perfia, to induce him to break with the Emperor. Their application was not unfuccessful, for the Romans found their territories invaded, when they least expected it.

In the mean time, the Greek affairs in Italy after the departure of Belifarius, grew daily worfe; and this was owing to the ignorance and avarice of the people in power, who foon convinced thefe Italians who had been defirous of reverting to the imperial government, that they had only changed their flighter bands, for chains and fetters. The Goths, by the ill conduct

of

of their adverfaries, had already begun to regain credit and favour; but when, after the imprisonment of Vitigius, and the violent death of Hidebald (who, upon the refufal of Belifarius, had fucceeded to the crown, by means that were ill requited) the great Totila was advanced to the government, they rofe with greater vigour, and affumed a higher tone. Procopius, the hiftorian, a partizan of the Greeks, who wrote after the death of Totila, or after the deftruction of the Goths, and could, therefore, have no motive for lavishing unjust encemiums on that Prince, fpeaks in such a manner of his actions, in many parts of his hiftory, that the annals of Greece and Rome will hardly be found to have recorded a greater hero. Totila knew fo well how to unite the vigour and firmness of government, with the milder virtues of humanity; how to temper the dexterous and decifive activity of the Minifter with the conciliating affection of the Prince of his people, that it is impoffible to reftrain one's indignation, while hiftorians are reviling the Gothic race, and calling Totila, their King, a barbarian and a tyrant. The care he took, amidst the viciffitudes of government and the agitations of war, to encourage the hufbandman to the labours of cultivation; the regulations he eftablished for the payment of public taxes, and the fecurity of private property; the letters he wrote to the Romans before he laid clofe fiege to the city,-all thefe fhew that he was an able statesman, and a confummate politician.

That economical charity, which after the reduction of Naples, he fhewed to the poor famished inhabitants, (for the mediocrity of his fupplies obliged him to be an economist even in his charity) and that modefty which appeared in his own conduct, and which he enjoined his army to observe with respect to the conquered city, when compared with the cruelty and intolerable extortion of the Greeks, who fuftained a long fiege merely from their love of empire, plainly demonftrated that if the fate of Italy had admitted Totila to fucceed Theodoric, or Amalafunta, the Gothic government would have been fo effectually established, that the Italians would have entertained no thoughts of a change. But fuch were the unfearchable decrees of providence, that the virtues of Totila ferved only to enhance the ruin of Italy, while his power and reputation obliged the imperial party once more to affert in blood their difputed conqueft. In fact, the merit of Totila, and the weakness of Juftinian's officers, put the Goths on fo refpectable a footing, that the court of Conftantinople thought proper to fend Belifarius once more into Italy. That great man, however, after his recal to the Perfian war, had fallen into difgrace with the court, and was languishing in a state of inglorious inactivity, while the country he had reunited to the empire, with fo much honour

to himself, was falling back into the hands of the enemy. The fecret history affures us that the mistakes he fell into, in the fecond Perfian war, in not making the most of his advantages, were owing chiefly to his disturbance and agitation of mind, occafioned by the unexpected arrival of his wife. For Antonina, on other occafions, accustomed to follow her husband's camp, on this, remained at Conftantinople, probably, for the purpofe of regaining a loft lover: afterwards, upon difcovering that fome machinations were going forward against her, concerted by her hufband and his fon, fhe flew to the camp at a juncture when Belifarius found himfelf in the most critical fituation of the war. It is certain that at this time he fell from that high reputation in which he had flood with the people, and that either on account of the Emperor's fufpicions, or at the pleasure of the Emprefs Theodora, who undertook to avenge Antonina, he was recalled to Conftantinople, divefted of his command, deprived of the principal part of his fortune, and condemned to a life of privacy and difgrace. However, by the returning favour of the Emprefs, who had every thing in her power, and who profeffed the greatest obligations to Antonina for her fervices in avenging her on one of her moft detefted enemics, the diftreffed and difhonoured Belifarius was reftored to his former dignities, at a time when he most defpaired both of fortune and of life. It happened in this manner. He went one morning, as ufual, to fee their imperial Majefties, but far from receiving any teftimony of their favour, he was affronted by fome of the lowest fervants of the court, and this he confidered as a certain proof that he was fallen into the laft and moft humiliating difgrace. He returned to his houfe in the evening, in fuch terror, that he every now and then looked back to fee whether the Officers of the court were not advancing to kill him. In this ftate of mind he went into his chamber, and throwing himfelf on the bed, paffed the night with fuch demonftrations of fear and pufillanimity as were every way unworthy of fo great a warrior. Antonina, on this occafion, as if totally ignorant of what was to follow, went to her husband's chamber, and told him that the could not reft that night on account of fome indigeftion; when, behold, a meffenger from the palace paffing through the house without ftopping, went to the door of Belifarius's chamber, and faid he came from the Emprefs. When Belifarius heard this, ftruck with a fresh paroxifm of terror, he fell on his face on the bed, as if at the point of death. Quadratus, fo the messenger was called, then prefented him with a letter from the Emprefs to the following effect. You know, friend, what you have done, but I, who have particular obligations to your wife, forgive you what is paft, and grant her your life. On her intereft depend your future hopes of your fafety and your fortune:

and