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LECT. characters, than to the unfolding of secret causes and fprings. Inftead of that complete information, which we would naturally have expected from him, of the state of parties in Rome, and of that particular conjuncture of affairs, which enabled fo defperate a profligate as Catiline to become fo formidable to government, he has given us little more than a general declamatory account of the luxury and corruption of manners in that age, compared with the fimplicity of former times.

I BY no means, however, mean to cenfure all the antient Hiftorians as defective in political information. No hiftorians can be more inftructive than Thucydides, Polybius, and Tacitus. Thucydides is grave, intelligent, and judicious; always attentive to give very exact information concerning every operation which he relates; and to fhew the advantages or disadvantages of every plan that was propofed and every measure that was purfued. Polybius excels in comprehensive political views, in penetration into great fyftems, and in his profound and diftinct knowledge of all military affairs. Tacitus is eminent for his knowledge of the human heart; is fentimental and refined in a high degree; conveys much inftruction with refpect to political matters, but more with refpect to human nature.

BUT when we demand from the Hiftorian profound and inftructive views of his fubject, it is not

meant

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meant that he fhould be frequently interrupting LECT the course of his Hiftory, with his own reflections and fpeculations. He fhould give us all the information that is neceffary for our fully understanding the affairs which he records. He fhould make us acquainted with the political conftitution, the force, the revenues, the internal ftate of the coun try of which he writes; and with its interefts and connections in respect of neighbouring countries. He fhould place us, as on an elevated station, whence we may have an extenfive prospect of all the causes that co-operate in bringing forward the events which are related. But having put into our hands all the proper materials for judgment, hê fhould not be too prodigal of his own opinions and reasonings. When an Hiftorian is much given to differtation, and is ready to philofophife and speculate on all that he records, a suspicion naturally arifes, that he will be in hazard of adapting his narrative of facts to favour fome fyftem which he has formed to himself. It is rather by fair and judicious narration, that history fhould inftruct us, than by delivering inftruction in an avowed and direct manner. On fome occafions, when doubtful points require to be fcrutinized, or when fome great event is in agitation, concerning the caufes or circumstances of which mankind have been much divided, the narrative may be allowed to ftand ftill for a little; the Hiftorian may appear, and may with propriety enter into fome weighty difcuffion. But he must take care not to cloy his

LECT. Readers with fuch difcuffions, by repeating them too often.

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WHEN obfervations are to be made concerning human nature in general, or the peculiarities of certain characters, if the Hiftorian can artfully incorporate fuch obfervations with his narrative, they will have a better effect than when they are delivered as formal detached reflections. For instance: in the life of Agricola, Tacitus, fpeaking of Domitian's treatment of Agricola, makes this obfervation; "Proprium humani ingenii eft, odiffe quem "læferis *." The obfervation is juft and well applied; but the form, in which it ftands, is abstract and philofophical. A thought of the fame kind has a finer effect elsewhere in the fame Histo, rian, when speaking of the jealoufies which Germanicus knew to be entertained against him by Livia and Tiberius: "Anxius," fays he, "occul"tis in fe patrui aviæque odiis, quorum caufæ "acriores quia iniquæ f." Here a profound moral obfervation is made; but it is made, without the appearance of making it in form; it is introduced as a part of the narration, in affigning a reafon for the anxiety of Germanicus. We have another inftance of the fame kind, in the account

"It belongs to human nature to hate the man whom you "have injured."

"Uneafy in his mind, on account of the concealed hatred entertained against him by his uncle and grandmother, which was the more bitter because the cause of it was unjust."

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which he gives of a mutiny raised against Rufus, LE CT. who was a "Præfectus Caftrorum," on account of the fevere labour which he imposed on the foldiers. "Quippe Rufus, diu manipularis, dein cen"turio, mox caftris præfectus, antiquam duramque "militiam revocabat, vetus operis & laboris, et eo "immitior quia toleraverat *." There was room for turning this into a general obfervation, that they who have been educated and hardened in toils, are commonly found to be the most severe in requiring the like toils from others. But the manner in which Tacitus introduces this fentiment as a stroke in the character of Rufus, gives it much more life and fpirit. This Hiftorian has a particular talent of intermixing after this manner, with the course of his narrative, many striking fentiments and ufeful obfervations.

LET us next proceed to confider the proper qualities of Hiftorical Narration. It is obvious, that on the manner of narration much muft depend, as the first notion of History is the recital of past facts; and how much one mode of recital may be preferable to another, we fhall foon be convinced, by thinking of the different effects, which the fame

* "For Rufus, who had long been a common foldier, after"wards a Centurion, and at length a general officer, restored "the fevere military difcipline of antient times. Grown old "amidft toils and labours, he was the more rigid in impofing "them, because he had been accustomed to bear them.".

VOL. III.

D

story,

LECT. ftory, when told by two different perfons, is found to produce.

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THE first virtue of Hiftorical Narration, is Clearnefs, Order, and due Connection. To attain this, the Historian must be completely master of his fubject; he must see the whole as at one view; and comprehend the chain and dependence of all its parts, that he may introduce every thing in its proper place; that he may lead us fmoothly along the track of affairs which are recorded, and may always give us the fatisfaction of feeing how one event arises out of another. Without this, there can be neither pleasure nor inftruction, in reading History. Much for this end will depend on the obfervance of that unity in the general plan and conduct, which, in the preceding Lecture, I recommended. Much too will depend on the proper management of tranfitions, which forms one of the chief ornaments of this kind of writing, and is one of the moft difficult in execution. Nothing tries an Hiftorian's abilities more, than fo to lay his train beforehand, as to make us pafs naturally and agreeably from one part of his fubject to another; to employ no clumsy and awkward jun&tures; and to contrive ways and means of forming fome union among tranfactions, which feem to be most widely feparated from one another.

In the next place, as Hiftory is a very dignified fpecies of Compofition, gravity must always be maintained