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STUDY of

HISTORY.

LETTER II I.

1. An objection against the utility of history removed. 2. The falfe and true aims of those who study it. 3. Of the hiftory of the first ages, with reflections on the ftate of ancient hiftory, prophane and facred.

WERE thefe letters to fall into the hands of

fome ingenious perfons who adorn the age we live in, your lordship's correfpondent would be joked. upon for his project of improving men in virtue and wisdom by the ftudy of hiftory. The general characters of men it would be faid, are determined by their natural conftitutions, as their particular actions are by immediate objects. Many very conversant in history would be cited, who have proved ill men, or bad politicians; and a long roll would be produced of others, who have arrived at a great pitch of private, and public virtue, without any affiftance of this kind. Something has been faid already to anticipate this objection; but, fince I have heard feveral perfons affirm fuch propofitions with great confidence, a loud laugh, or a filent fneer at the pedants who prefumed to think otherwife; I will spend a few paragraphs, with your lordship's leave, to shew that fuch affirmations, for to affirm amongst these

fine •

fine men is to reafon, either prove too much, or prove nothing.

IF our general ch...acters were determined abfolu. tely, as they are certainly influenced, by our conftitutions, and if our particular actions were fo by immediate objects; all inftruction by precept, as well as example, and all endeavours to form the moral character by education, would be unneceffary. Even the little care that is taken, and furely it is impoffible to take lefs, in the training up our youth, would be too much. But the truth is widely different from this reprefentation of it; for, what is vice, and what is virtue? I speak of them in a large and philofophical sense. The former, is, I think, no more than the excefs abuse, and mifapplication of appetites, defires and paffions, natural and innocent, nay useful and neceffary. The latter confifts in the moderation and government, in the ufe and application of these appetites, defires, and paffions, according to the rules of reason, and therefore, often in opposition to their own blind impulse.

WHAT now is education? that part, that principal and most neglected part of it, I mean, which tends to form the moral character? It is, I think an institution defigned to lead men from their tender years, by precept and example, by argument and authority, to the practice, and to the habit of practising thefe rules. The stronger our appetites, defires, and paffions are, the harder indeed is the task of education: but when the efforts of education are proportioned to this

C

ftrength, although our keenest appetites and defires, and our ruling paffions cannot be reduced to a quiet and uniform fubmiffion, yet, are not their exceffes affuaged? are not their abuses and mifapplications, in fome degree, diverted or checked? Though the pilot cannot lay the ftorm, cannot he carry the ship, by his art, better through it, and often prevent the wreck that would always happen, without him? If ALEXANDER, who loved wine, and was naturally choleric, had been bred under the severity of Roman discipline, it is probable he would neither have made a bonfire of Persepolis for his whore, nor have killed his friend. If SCIPIO, who was naturally given to women, for which anecdote we have, if I mistake not, the authority of POLYBIUS, as well as fome verses of NAEVIUS preferved by A. GELLIUS, had been educated by OLYMPIAS at the court of PHILIP, it is improbable that he would have reftored the beautiful Spaniard. In short, if the renowned SOCRATES had not corrected nature by art, this first apoftle of the gentiles had been a very profligate fellow, by his own confeffion; for he was inclined to all the vices ZOPYRUS imputed to him, as they fay, on the obfervation of his phyfiognomy.

WITH him therefore, who denies the effects of education, it would be in vain to difpute; and with him who admits them, there can be no difpute, concerning that share which I afcribe to the study of hiftory, in forming our moral charac ters, and making us better men. The very perfons who pretend that inclinations cannot be restrained, nor habits corrected, againft our natural bent,

would be the first perhaps to prove, in certain cafes, the contrary. A fortune at court, or the favour of a lady, have prevailed on many to conceal, and they could not conceal without reftraining, which is one step towards correcting, the vices they were by nature addicted to the moft. Shall we imagine now, that the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice, the charms of a bright and lasting reputation, the terror of being delivered over as criminals to all posterity, the real benefit arifing from a confcientious discharge of the duty we owe to others, which benefit fortune can neither hinder nor take away, and the reasonableness of conforming ourselves to the defigns of GOD manifested in the conftitution of the human nature; shall we imagine, I fay, that all these are not able to acquire the fame power over those who are continually called upon to a contemplation of them, and they who apply themselves to the study of history are fo called upon, as other motives, mean and fordid in comparison of thefe, can ufurp on other men?

2. That the study of hiftory, far from making us wifer, and more useful citizens, as well as better men, may be of no advantage whatfoever; that it may serve to render us mere antiquaries and scholars; or that it may help to make us forward coxcombs, and prating pedants, I have already allowed. But this is not the fault of hif tory and to convince us that it is not, we need only contrast the true ufe of hiftory with the ufe that is made of it by fuch men as these. We

ought always to keep in mind, that history is philofophy teaching by examples how to conduct ourfelves in all the fituations of private and public life; that therefore we must apply ourselves to it in a philofophical spirit and manner; that we must rife from particular to general knowledge, and that we must fit ourselves for the fociety and bufiness of mankind by accuftoming our minds to reflect and meditate on the characters we find defcribed, and the course of events we find related there. Particular examples may be of use sometimes in particular cafes; but the application of them is dangerous. It must be done with the utmost circumfpection, or it will be feldom done with fuccefs. And yet one would think that this was the principal ufe of the study of history, by what has been written on the subject. I know not whether MACHIAVEL himself is quite free from defect on this account: he feems to carry the use and application of particular examples fometimes too far. MARIUS and CATULUS paffed the Alps, met, and defeated the Cimbri beyond the frontiers of Italy. Is it fafe to conclude from hence, that whenever one people is invaded by another, the invaded ought to meet and fight the invaders at a distance from their frontiers? MACHIAVEL'S Countryman, GUICCIARDIN, was aware of the danger that might arise from fuch an application of examples. PETER of Medicis had involved himself in great difficulties, when thofe wars and calamities began which LEWIS SFORZA first drew and entailed on Italy, by flattering the ambition of CHARLES the eighth in order to gra