over those who are continually called upon to a contemplation of them, and they who apply themselves to the study of history, are so called upon, as other motives, mean and fordid in comparison of these, can ufurp on other men?

2. THAT the study of history, far from making us wifer, and more useful citizens, as well as better men, may be of no advantage whatsoever; 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 history: and to convince us that it is not, we need only contrast the true use of history with the use that is made of it by fuch men as these. We ought always to keep in mind, that hiftory is philofophy teaching by examples how to conduct ourselves 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 rise from particular to general knowledge, and that we must fit ourselves for the fociety and business of mankind by accuftoming our minds to reflect and meditate, on the characters we find described, 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 use 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 seems to carry the use and application of particular examples fometimes too far. MARIUS and CATULUS paffed the Alpes, 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,

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 arife from fuch an application of examples. PETER of Medicis had involved himself in great difficulties, when those wars and calamities began which LEWIS SFORZA first drew and entailed on Italy, by flattering the ambition of CHARLES the eigth in order to gratify his own, and calling the French into that country. PETER Owed his distress to his folly in departing from the general tenor of conduct his father LAURENCE had held, and hoped to relieve himself by imitating his father's example in one particular inftance. At a time when the wars with the pope and king of Naples had reduced LAURENCE to circumstances of great danger, he took the refolution of going to FERDINAND, and of treating in perfon with that prince. The refolution appears in history imprudent and almost desperate: were we informed

of the fecret reafons on which this great man acted, it would appear very poffibly a wife and safe measure. It fucceeded, and LAURENCE brought back with him public peace, and private fecurity. As foon as the French troops entered the dominions of Florence, PETER was struck with a panic terror, went to CHARLES the eigth, put the port of Leghorn, the fortreffes of Pifa, and all the keys of the country into this prince's hands; whereby he difarmed the Florentine commonwealth, and ruined himself. He was deprived of his authority, and driven out of the city, by the juft indignation of the magistrates, and people: and in the treaty which they made afterwards with the king of France it was ftipulated, that PETER fhould not remain within an hundred miles of the ftate, nor his brothers within the fame diftance of the city of Florence. On this occafion GUICCIARDIN obferves, how dangerous it is to govern ourselves by particular examples; fince, to

have

have the fame fuccefs, we must have the fame prudence, and the fame fortune; and fince the example must not only answer the cafe before us in general, but in every minute circumftance. This is the fense of that admirable historian, and these are his words------" é fenza dubio molto "pericolofo il governarfi con gl' esempi, "fe non concorono, non folo in generale, "ma in tutti i particulari, le medefime

e

ragioni; fe le cofe non sono regolate con "la medefima prudenza, & fe oltre a tutti "li altri fondamenti, non v'ha la

parte fua "la medefima fortuna." An obfervation that BOILEAU makes, and a rule he lays down in fpeaking of tranflations, will properly find their place here, and ferve to explain still better what I would establish. "To translate servilely into modern lan"guage an ancient author phrase by phrafe, " and word by word, is prepofterous:

nothing can be more unlike the origi"nal than fuch a copy. It is not to "fhew, it is to disguise the author: and he "who