2

HISTORY.

confounded or mistaken for one and the same thing : for an histo-rian may be well worth credit, though he be not infallible, and eventhough he has'actually committed errors in some of bis reports.3 The demonslrability of events has different degrees and limits,as reaching only so far as the records preserved will permit: andhence appears the necessity of well distinguishing such events,the reality or falsity of which can be proved, from events thatare at best uncertain and doubtful. 4- That the credibility ofevents may gain new strength is evident: since many facts cannotbe known, til! after the death of such as were either the actors orpersons concerned in them : besides it frequently happens, thatrecords and vouchers of transactions, long since past, are after-wards discovered, which till then were either unknown, or couldnot be confidently published by those who knew them, for wantof such witnesses and proofs. 5. The credit of history can neverdecay bv age, as some have erroneously asserted; since facts,once established upon good evidence, must ever remain so, whilethe vouchers of such evidence are preserved : nay an accountwhich formerly was uncertain, or even considered as improbableand false, may be vindicated and proved by late discoveries ofhistorical writings and records.

Usefulness of History.

That great advantage may be reaped from the study of history,will appear from the following considerations: 1. It proves an

agreeable amusement and relaxation : for though the mind is notwholly inactive in the study of history ; yet, being a lighter andmore entertaining employment, the faculties of the mind, whenfatigued and almost exhausted with more intense employment,find actual repose, and are recruited and restored to vigour. 2.But beside the pleasure of studying history, it lays a foundationnot only for general prudence, but for that particular kind, winchthe circumstances and situation of each man require. To becomeacquainted with the characters of men, the marks, sources, andeffect:, of their passions and prejudices, the power and changes oftheir customs, and the like, is an essential and necessary step toprudence : and all this knowledge is considerably improved by-history, which teaches us to make other men’s experience ourown, to profit by it, and to learn wisdom from their misfortunes.3. History is of eminent use in promoting virtue, partly by a co-pious and pleasant instruction in a right and virtuous conduct ingeneral, and partly by examples that insensibly lead us to thepractice of several virtues in particular. 4. Every other sciencereceives great benefit from history. Philosophy, and practicalmathematics, have recourse to history, or to nature, through themedium of history, for most of their objects; and in many partsof these sciences, the whole force of the. demonstration is foundedon experiments; which would make but an indifferent figure,if the assistance of other men’s experiments by the means ofhistory were excluded: and the same holds of divinity, law,medicine, &c.

Method of Studying History.

Persons who read history merely for amusement, or, having inview some particular branch of iearning, attend only to certainbranches of history, are not confined to that order and connection,which is absolutely requisite for obtaining a proper knowledge ofhistory; the most regular, as well as successful way of studyingwhich, is, to begin with an epitome of universal history-, antiafterwards apply to the histcjjy of particular nations and common-wealths: for the study of particular histories presupposes, or, tospeak more properly, is only extending the knowledge of particu-lar parts of universal history. In the study of history, we mustconsider, that all the revolutions which have happened in theworld have been owing to two causes. 1. The connections be-tween the different states existing together in the world at the sametime, or their different situations with regard to one another; and,2. The different characters of the people who in all ages constitu-ted these states, their different geniuses and dispositions, &c. bywhich they were either prompted to undertake such and such ac-tions of themselves, or were easily induced to it by others. Theperson who would study history, therefore, ought first to makehimself acquainted with the state of the world in general in alldifferent ages; what nations inhabited the different parts of it;what their extent of territory was; at what particular time they

arose, and when they declined. He should next inform h msTfof the various events which have happened to each particular na-tion ; and thus he will discover many of the causes of those revolu-tions, which before he only knew as facts. Thus, for instance, aperson may know the Roman history from the time of Romulus,without knowing why the city of Rome happened to be built atthat time. This cannot be understood without a particular know-ledge of the former state of Italy, and even of Greece and Asia;seeing tire origin of the Romans is commonly traced as high asTineas, one of the heroes of Troy. But when all this is (lone,which indeed requires no small labour, the historian has yet tostudy the genius and dispositions of the different nations, the cha-racters of those who were tire principal directors of their affairs,whether kings, ministers, generals, or priests: and when this isaccomplished, he will discover the causes of those transactions inthe different nations, which have given rise to tire great revolutionsabove mentioned: after which, lie may assume the character of onewho is well versed in history. In order to assist the memory itmay be very useful in the study of history to divide the time inwhich the events happened into distinct periods to be consideredapart. Thus civil history may be very properly divided into thefollowing periods, at each of which a great revolution took place,either with regard to the whole world, or a very considerable partof it: viz. 1. The creation of man. 2. The flood. 3. The com-mencement of profane history, i. c. when, leaving the fabulous-relations of heroes, demi-gods, &c. to the poets, men began to re-late facts with some regard to truth and credibility. 4. Theconquest of Babylon by Cyrus, and the destruction of the Ba-bylonian empire. 5. The reign of Alexander the Great , and theoverthrow of the Persian empire. (>. The destruction ol Cartilage by the Romans, when the latter had no longer any rival capable ofopposing their design of universal empire. 7. The reign of Tra-jan , when the Roman empire was brought to its utmost extent. 8.The division of the empire under Constantine. 9, The destruc-tion of the western empire by Odoacer , and the settlement of (hedifferent nations of Europe . 10. r l he rise of Mohammed and theconquests of the Saracens and Turks. 11. The cusaues, and allthe space intervening between that time and the American War.12. The commencement of the American war, to die present time.With regard to the number of years which have slapsed since thecreation'of the world, there have been many disputes. The com-pilers of the Universal History determine it to hive taken place inthe year 4305 B. C. so that, according to them, the world is nowin llie 6115th year of its age. Olliers think t was created only4004 years B. C. so that it is not yet 5815 yea's old. Be this as itwill, however, the whole account of the creatbn rests on the truthof the Mosaic history; and which we must of necessity accept,because we can find no other, which does not either abound withthe grossest absurdities, or lead us into abiolute darkness. TheChinese and Egyptian pretensions to aiiticuity are so absurd andridiculous, that'tiie bare reading of them must be a sufficient con-futation of them to every reasonable pfrson. Some historiansand philosophers are inclined to discredit the Mosaic accounts,from thfc appearances of volcanoes, and ether natural phamomena;bvit their objections are by no means sufficient to invalidate theauthority of the sacred writings; not tomention that every one oftheir own systems is liable to insuperable objections. It is there-fore reasonable for every person to adept of the Mosaic accountof the creation as truth’: but an historian is under an absolute ne-cessity of doing it, because, withoit it, he is quite destitute ofanv standard or scale by which he might reduce the chronologyof different nations to any agreeiwit; and, in short, without re-ceiving this account as true, it wood be in a manner impossible atthis day to write a general histo'y of the world. Ecclesiasticalhistory may lie considered under the same periods, or it may bearranged in a different order, as From the creation to the Hood.

2. From the Hood to the call of Abraham . 3. From the call ofAbraham to the departure of tie Hebrews from Egypt . 4. Fromthis event to the building of tin temple. 5. From the first temple yto the second. 6. From the sicond temple to the birth of Christ.

7. From the birth of Chrisltothe erection of the pope’s suprema-cy. 8. From the erection o the pope’s supremacy to his assump-tion of universal empire. 9. From this period to the reformation.10. From the reformation b (he present time. It cannot be ex-pected that we should Irre present the reader with the civil

and