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Letters On The Study and Use Of History / By the late Right Honorable Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke
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ï.6 L E T T E R.

CrcERO had read and questioned at least as muchas Lucullus , and would therefore hâve appearedas gréât a captait! , if fie had had as gréât a princeas Míthrîdates to encounter. But the truth is,thatLucULLUS vvas made a gréât captain by theory,or the study of history, alone, no more thanFerdinand of Spain and Alphonsus of Napleswere cured of defperate díílempers by reading Lxvïand OuiNrus CtiRTruS: a silíy taie, whichBoDiN,Amyoï , and others bave picked up and propagated.Lttcullus had ferved in his youth against theMarsi, probably in pther wars, and SYLLA tookearly notice of hitn : he went into the east withthis général, and had a gréât íliare in his confi-dence. He comraanded in feveral expéditions. Itwas he who reflored the Colophonians to theirliberty , and who puniíhed the revolt of thepeople of Mytelene. Thus we fee that Lucullus was formed by expérience , as welî as study, andby an expérience gained in thofe very countries,where he gathered fo many laurels afterwards infighting against the famé enemy. The late duke ofMarlrorough never read Xenophon , most cer-tainly, nor the relation perhaps of any modemWars ; but he ferved in his youth under monsieurde Turenne, andlhave heard that he vvas takennotice of in thofe early days, by that gréât man.He afterwards commanded in an expédition toïreland, ferved a campaign or two , if t mistakenot, under king William in Flanders : and, besidesthefe occasions, had none ofgaining expérience inwar, till he came to the head of our armiez in one

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