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Blood still fresh on the Spunge, he, in honour of that Relique, erected the City of Mantua into a Bishoprick. This happened, according to Ughelli, in 808. In the Church of S. John Lateran at Rome*, are lodged the following Reliques, viz. a Piece of the Manger, which is a very miraculous Relique, it being entire in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, not far diftant. The Table upon which our Saviour eat the Pafchal Lamb, inftituted the Sacrament; and, to use our Author's Expreffion, celebrated the first Mafs. Two Phials full of the Blood and Water that iffued out of his Side on the Crofs. His Coat without a Seam; his Shirt, which had been woven by the Virgin Mary; the Cloth with which he wiped the Feet of the Apostles; fome Fragments of the feven (according to S. Mark; but according to S. John, only five) Loaves, with which he fed in the Wilderness, according to S. Mark, about four, and, according to S. John about five thousand Perfons; the Ark of the Covenant, with the Tables of the Law; the Rods of Mofes and Aaron, the Shew-Bread, &c. Thefe Reliques, adds our Author, are, without all doubt, authentic, fince they have been declared fuch by Pope Leo X. that is, by a Pope, who, if we believe fome Writers, gave no more credit to the Scripture, than to the Fables of fop. Quantum nobis profuit hæc Fabula de Chrifto!

Z 4

*So called, according to the common Opinion, from, the Place it ftands in, which had the Name of Lateranum from Aftately Palace belonging to the Laterani, an antient Roman Family, of which Juvenal (Satyr.10.)

Juffuque Neronis

Longinum, & magnos Seneca prædivitis hortos
Claufit, & egregias Lateranorum obfidet ædes

Tota cohors.

1

Chrifto! faid he one day, in a merry Humour, to Cardinal Bembo. In S. Bartholomew's Church at Rome is the Body of that Apostle, and the fame Body in the Cathedral of Benevento: The right Arm of S. John the Baptift is to be feen in three different Churches; and fome of the Virgin Mary's Milk and Hair in moft Churches, not only of Italy, but likewife of Spain and Portugal.

'Tis to be obferved, that in this Volume our Author only defcribes the Principalities of Piemont and Trent; the Marquifate of Mon-Ferrato; the Dukedoms of Milan, Parma, Modena and Mantua; the Republics of Genoa and Venice, with the Pope's Dominions. As to the other Parts of Italy, with the adjacent Iflands, he proposes to treat of them in another Volume. If he dwells fo long upon other Countries, as upon Italy, his Work muft needs fwell to many Volumes. But it is now-a-days, in a certain manner, below an Author to undertake a Work which he cannot fpin out to many Folio's. We agree, however, to what our Author takes care to tell us in his Title page; viz. That his Work will prove very useful for Students in Ecclefiaftical and Profane History and Geography.

AR

ARTICLE

XVIII.

Rerum Italicorum Scriptores, &c.

That is,

The Italian Hiftorians from the Year of the Chriftian Era soo, to 1500, &c. By Lewis Anthony Muratori. Milan, 1723. Fourth Volume,

T

HE Fourth Volume of Mr. Muratori's
valuable Collection contains the follow-

ing Pieces.

toria.

I. The Hiftory of Arnulphus Mediolanenfis. Arnulphi This Author was a Native of Milan, and wrote Mediolanenfis Hif his Hiftory in the Pontificate of Gregory VII. that is, about the middle of the Eleventh Century. He relates the most remarkable Events that happened in Italy, from the Year 935, to his own time, under the following Kings,, Hugo, Lotharius, Berengarius; the three Otto's, Ardoin, Henry, Conrade, Henry II. and Henry III. He complains of the Difturbances Pope Gregory raifed in the Church of Milan, in attempting to oblige the Priests to lead a fingle Life, after they had been allowed by St. Ambrofe to marry. Mr. Muratori gives him the Cha racter of an accurate and exact Writer; and thinks, that he altered his Opinion touching the Celibacy of Priefts; becaufe in the laft Chapter of the fourth Book, he inveighs against the Incontinency of the Ecclefiaftics, and moreover, acknowledges the Infallibility of the See of Rome in the following Words: a Romana ergo Ecclefia quicunque diffentit, non eft revera Catholicus. Godfrey William Leibnitz was the

L

Hiftoria.

first who published this History, in 1711, from an antient Manufcript, which Johannes Sitonus a Milanefe, procured him. Leibnitz being informed by Mr. Muratori, that Arnulphus mentions four antient Marquiffes of Efte, viz. Hugh, Azo, Adelbert, and Opizo, who were taken prifoners by Henry I. Emperor, and King of Italy; without more ado ranked Arnulphus among the Scriptores de Rebus Brunfvicenfibus, and published this History in the Third Volume, p. 727. of his Collection. When Leibnitz publifhed this Hiftory, he was cenfured by the Authors of the Giornale de Litterati d'Italia, pag. 390. for mentioning but one Arnulphus; whereas there are two Hiftorians, fay they, of this Name, viz. Arnulphus fenior, whofe History extends from 923 to 1070; and Arnulpbus junior, who wrote fome time after. But they are greatly mistaken, and confound Landulphus, (of which name we find two Hiftorians) with Arnulphus, who is the only Milanese Writer of this Name. Mr. Muratori has published his Edition from an antient Manufcript lodged in the Duke of Modena's Library, with the vari ous Readings from the Ambrofian Manufcript, and that which belongs to the Library of the Cathedral of Milan.

Landulphi II. Landulphus was likewife a Native of MiSenioris lan, and flourished before the eleventh Century. He brings his Hiftory, (which may be called the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Milan) down to the Year 1085. He gives a very particular account of the Perfecution Pope Gregory VII, ftirred up against fuch Ecclefiaftics as refused to comply with his Decrees; enjoining all Priests to turn off their Wives and live a fingle Life. In the Time of St. Ambrofe, fays he, fome

"Priefts,

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"Priests who led a fingle Life, began to find <fault with thofe who married; and main"tain that it was unlawful for a Prieft to marry. "The Debate grew very warm, and threatned 66 great Evils to the Church, which both par"ties being fenfible of agreed to refer the "whole Matter to St. Ambrofe, obliging themfelves to stand by his Authority and Decifions: whereupon the Holy Archbishop confidering the proneness of human Nature "to evil, and that Continency is not a thing "we can command, but a fpecial Gift of Hea"ven, pronounced Sentence agreeable to what "he had declared before in his Book de Officiis,

* viz. that it was lawful for a Prieft to "marry; but if his firft Wife fhould die, he "ought either to abftain from marrying ano"ther, or from exercifing his Office." Pope Gregory VII, + (whom our Hiftorian stiles the Antichrift,) without any regard to the prudent Regulations of St. Ambrofe, obliged all Priefts to difmifs their Wives, and vow Chastity, which,

as

* St. Ambrofe's Words are (Lib. I. Cap. 50.) de Caftimonia autem quid loquar, quando una tantum, nec repetita permittitur copula? in ipfo ergo conjugio lex eft non iterare conjugium, c.

+ Pope Gregory by our Hiftorian's Account, was just fuch another as Pope Innocent VI. who after having spent his Youth in all manner of Debauchery and Lewdness, became, in his old Age, a zealous Promoter of Celibacy. Of him we read, the following Epigram:

Prifciani regula penitus caffatur

Sacerdos per hic & hac olim declinatur,

Sed

per bic folum nunc articulatur,

Cum per noftrum Præfulem hac amoveatur.
Non eft Innocentius, immo nocens vere,
Qui quod facto docuit, verbo vult delere:
Et quod olim juvenis voluit habere,
Modo vetus Pontifex ftudet prohibere, &c.

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