different profeffions, and fituations of men: above all, the ufe to be made of it (1) by divines, and (2) by thofe who From what period modern history is pecu- liarly useful to the ferviceof our country, viz. From the end of the fifteenth cen tury to the prefent. The divifion of this into three particular periods; in order Afketch of the state and history of Europe from the Pyrenean treaty, in one thou- fand fix hundred and fifty nine, to the STUDY of HISTORY. LETTER I. I Chantelou in Touraine, Nov. 6, 1735. MY LORD, HAVE Confidered formerly, with a good deal of attention, the fubject on which you command me to communicate my thoughts to you: and I practised in those days, as much as business and pleafure allowed me time to do, the rules that feemed to me neceffary to be observed in the study of history. They were very different from thofe which writers on the fame fubject have recommended, and which are commonly practifed. But I confefs to your lordship, that this neither gave me then, nor has given me fince, any distrust of them. I do not affect fingularity. On the contrary, I think that a due deference is to be paid to received opinions, and that a due A 2 com compliance with received cuftoms is to be held; tho both the one and the other fhould be, what they often are, abfurd or ridiculous. But this fervitude is outward only, and abridges in no fort the liberty of private judgment. The obligations of fubmitting to it likewife, even outwardly, extend no further, than to thofe opinions and customs which cannot be opposed; or from which we cannot deviate without doing hurt, or giving offence, to fociety. In all these cafes, our fpeculations ought to be free in all other cafes, our practice may be fo. Without any regard therefore to the opinion and practice even of the learned world, I am very willing to tell you mine. But, as it is hard to recover a thread of thought long ago laid aside, and impoffible to prove fome things, and explain others, without the affiftance of many books which I have not here; your lordship must be content with fuch an imperfect sketch, as I am able to fend you at present in this letter. THE motives that carry men to the study of history are different. Some intend, if fuch as they may be said to study, nothing more than amufement, and read the life of ARISTIDES or PHOCION, of EPAMINONDAS or SCIPIO, ALEXANDER OF CAESAR, just as they they play a game at cards, or as they would read the ftory of the feven champions. OTHERS there are, whofe motive to this study is nothing better, and who have the further disadvantage of becoming a nufance very often to society, in proportion to the progrefs they make. The former do not improve their reading to any good purpose: the latter pervert it to a very bad one, and grow in impertinence as they encrease in learning. I think I have known most of the first kind in England, and most of the laft in France. The perfons I mean are those who read to talk, to fhine in conversation, and to impofe in company: who having few ideas to vend of their own growth, store their minds with crude unruminated facts and fentences; and hope to fupply, by bare memory, the want of imagination and judg ment. BUT these are in the two lowest forms. The next I fhall mention are in one a little higher; in the form of those who grow neither wiser nor better by study themselves, but who enable others to study with greater eafe, and to purposes more useful; who make fair copies of foul manuscripts, give the fignification of hard words, and take a great deal of other grammatical pains. The obligation to these men would be great indeed, if they were in general able to do any thing better, and fubmitted to this drudgery for the fake of the public, as fome of them, it must be owned with gratitude, have done, but not later, I think, than about the time of the refurrection of letters. When works of importance are preffing, generals themselves may take up the pick-axe and the spade; but in the ordinary course of things, when that preffing neceffity is over, fuch tools are left in the hands deftined to use them, the hands of common foldiers and peasants. I approve therefore very much the devotion of a ftudious man at Chrift-Church, who was over-heard in his oratory entering into a detail with GOD, as devout perfons are apt to do, and, amongst other particular thanksgivings, acknowledging the divine goodness in furnishing the world with makers of Dictionaries! These men court fame, as well as their betters, by fuch means as God has given them to acquire it: and LITTLETON exerted all the genius he had, when he made a dictionary, tho STEPHENS did not. They deferve encouragement, however, whilft they continue to compile, and neither affect wit, nor prefume to reafon. THERE |