ART. Paris, Imprimerie Royale (Impériale). 16 vols. 1844 1853. 13. Mœurs et Coutumes de l'Algérie-Tell-Kabylie- 14. Souvenirs de la Vie Militaire en Afrique. Par le 15. Itinéraire Historique et Descriptif de l'Algérie. Par J. Barbier. Paris, 1855. 16. Adventures of Jules Gérard, the 'Lion-Killer.' III.-1. A few Words on the important Subject of Church- 2. Report of the Incorporated Society for Building, IV. 1. La Vie Publique de Michel Montaigne. Par Alphonse 2. Nouveaux Documents Inédits ou peu connus sur Montaigne. Page · 331 371 396 Payen. Paris, 1850 VI.-1. Carl Gustav Carus: Symbolik der menschlichen Ge- 2. Ueber Grund und Bedeutung der verschiedenen Formen 4. Die Proportionslehre der menschlichen Gestalt. Leipzig, 5. La Chirognomonie, ou l'Art de reconnaître les Ten- 6. Notes on Noses. London, 1852 VII.-Port-Royal. Par C. A. Sainte-Beuve. Paris, 1840-48. VIII.-Hansard's Parliamentary Debates. London, 1856 415 - 452 489 - 521 THE QUARTERLY REVIEW. ART. I.-1. The Life and Martyrdom of Savonarola. By R. R. Madden, M.R.I.A. Second edition. In 2 vols. 1854. London, 2. Jérome Savonarola; sa Vie, ses Prédications, ses Écrits. Par F. T. Perrens. Paris. Turin. 2 tomes. 1853. 3. Hieronymus Savonarola und seine Zeit. Von A. G. Rudelbach. Hamburg, 1835. 4. Girolamo Savonarola aus grossens theils handschriftlicher Quellen. Von Fr. Karl. Meier. Berlin, 1836. 5. The Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. 12mo. London, 1843. 6. Poesie di Jeronimo Savonarola. Per cura di Audin de Rians. Firenze, 1847. 7. Archivio Storico Italiano. Appendice. Tomo viii. Firenze, 1850. 8. Lectures on Great Men-Girolamo Savonarola. By the late Rev. Frederick Myers. London, 1856. 9. Appendice alla Storia dei Municipi Italiani. Da P. E. Giudici. Firenze, 1850. AVONAROLA!-Was he hypocritical impostor? self-de a luded fanatic? holy, single-minded Christian preacher? heaven-commissioned prophet? wonder-working saint? martyr, only wanting the canonization which was his due? Was he the turbulent, priestly demagogue, who desecrated his holy office by plunging into the intrigue and strife of civic politics, or courageous and enlightened lover of liberty; one who had conceived, and had almost achieved, the splendid notion of an equal republic of Christian men, acting on the highest Christian principles? Was he-a subordinate question, yet not without interest-a rude Iconoclast, or one who would have purified and elevated art to the height of its holy mission? Had he more of S. Bernard, of Arnold of Brescia, of Gerson, or of Wycliffe? Was he the forerunner of Luther or of Loyola, of Knox or of S. Philippo Neri, even of John of Leyden, or our fifth-monarchy men? Since his own day, and even in his own days, these questions have been agitated in his own Church, and among the Reformed ART. Paris, Imprimerie Royale (Impériale). 16 vols. 1844 1853. 13. Mœurs et Coutumes de l'Algérie-Tell-Kabylie- 14. Souvenirs de la Vie Militaire en Afrique. Par le 15. Itinéraire Historique et Descriptif de l'Algérie. Par Paris, 1855. 16. Adventures of Jules Gérard, the 'Lion-Killer.' III.-1. A few Words on the important Subject of Church- 2. Report of the Incorporated Society for Building, IV.-1. La Vie Publique de Michel Montaigne. Par Alphonse 2. Nouveaux Documents Inédits ou peu connus sur Montaigne. Payen. Paris, 1850 Page - 331 V.-Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Edited by VI-1. Carl Gustav Carus: Symbolik der menschlichen Ge- 2. Ueber Grund und Bedeutung der verschiedenen Formen 3. Atlas der Cranioscopie. 4. Die Proportionslehre der menschlichen Gestalt. Leipzig, 5. La Chirognomonie, ou l'Art de reconnaître les Ten- Paris, 1856. 6. Notes on Noses. London, 1852 VII.-Port-Royal. Par C. A. Sainte-Beuve. Paris, 1840-48. 3 vols. 8vo. VIII.-Hansard's Parliamentary Debates. London, 1856 371 396 415 - 452 489 - 521 THE QUARTERLY REVIEW. ART. I.-1. The Life and Martyrdom of Savonarola. By R. R. Madden, M.R.I.A. Second edition. In 2 vols. 1854. London, 2. Jérome Savonarola; sa Vie, ses Prédications, ses Écrits. Par F. T. Perrens. Paris. Turin. 2 tomes. 1853. 3. Hieronymus Savonarola und seine Zeit. Von A. G. Rudelbach. Hamburg, 1835. 4. Girolamo Savonarola aus grossens theils handschriftlicher Quellen. Von Fr. Karl. Meier. Berlin, 1836. 5. The Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. 12mo. London, 1843. 6. Poesie di Jeronimo Savonarola. Per cura di Audin de Rians. Firenze, 1847. 7. Archivio Storico Italiano. Appendice. Tomo viii. Firenze, 1850. 8. Lectures on Great Men-Girolamo Savonarola. By the late Rev. Frederick Myers. London, 1856. 9. Appendice alla Storia dei Municipi Italiani. Da P. E. Giudici. Firenze, 1850. AVONAROLA!-Was he hypocritical impostor? self-de luded fanatic? holy, single-minded Christian preacher? heaven-commissioned prophet? wonder-working saint? martyr, only wanting the canonization which was his due? Was he the turbulent, priestly demagogue, who desecrated his holy office by plunging into the intrigue and strife of civic politics, or a courageous and enlightened lover of liberty; one who had conceived, and had almost achieved, the splendid notion of an equal republic of Christian men, acting on the highest Christian principles? Was he-a subordinate question, yet not without interest—a rude Iconoclast, or one who would have purified and elevated art to the height of its holy mission? Had he more of S. Bernard, of Arnold of Brescia, of Gerson, or of Wycliffe? Was he the forerunner of Luther or of Loyola, of Knox or of S. Philippo Neri, even of John of Leyden, or our fifth-monarchy men? Since his own day, and even in his own days, these questions have been agitated in his own Church, and among the Reformed Reformed Churches, with singular contrariety, so as to form almost a solitary exception to the usual resolute partizanship. He who was burned under Papal excommunication, in direct obedience, or at least submission, to a Papal mandate, has been the object of passionate vindication by very zealous Roman Catholics; his beatification has been demanded, it might seem almost granted; a legend has gathered around his life, laying claim to, and obtaining implicit belief, and, considering the late period of his life, almost as prolific in miracle as that of Becket or of Bernard. Though hailed by the earlier reformers, with zeal almost equally blind to his real character, as one of themselves; as the disciple of Huss and Jerome of Prague; as the harbinger of Luther; yet the colder, later age of Protestantism cast him aside almost as a poor impostor. Such was the verdict of Bayle; such that of a writer far more serious than Bayle, Buddeus. To others, as to Roscoe, he is a wild fanatic. The enemy of the enlightened and magnificent, and all but perfect Lorenzo de' Medici, must be an enemy to all true wisdom, as well as to the real interests of Florence, which, at its height of glory and prosperity during Lorenzo's life, at his death began to darken towards its decline. This historical and religious mystery, if we may judge by the list of works at the head of our article, has neither lost its interest nor found its acknowledged solution. It is not from the want of biographers that the Life of Savonarola has not appeared in its clear and full light. We might, without difficulty, have enlarged the copious catalogue. Of all these lives the 'Jérome Savonarola' of M. Perrens, in our judgment, approaches much the nearest to a just appreciation as well as to a clear and vivid life of the famous Dominican. The Padre Marchese, to whom we are indebted for the letters and other documents published, with valuable observations, in the Archivio Storico Italiano,' had contemplated a Life of the Florentine preacher. The failure of his eyesight compelled him to abandon his design. M. Perrens has had the advantage of his valuable advice, in a work which he only undertook when thus given up by Padre Marchese. He visited Florence, to make himself master of his subject, and especially of the works of Savonarola. He professes to have read the whole of his sermons-no light task-and, to a considerable extent, we can avouch that he has read them well and carefully; and certainly from no other source but his own writings can the character, the influence, or the fate of this singular man be judged with historic truth or justice. Savonarola must be his own biographer. The preacher, the prophet, the politician, even the martyr, must speak for himself, and he does speak, in his own |