^76 Reflexiom on History^ &:c, 



extraordinary manner with the simplicity and 

 faithfulness of honest and holy men, exempli- 

 fying the truth of this assertion. Since the 

 histories of memorable periods, probably 

 supply lessons of wisdom in the greatest abun- 

 dance, whilst they are on that account more 

 deserving of study, the works of those illus- 

 trious men, who have chosen and graced such 

 interesting, important and useful subjects, 

 will be read with peculiar pleasure and im- 

 provement. If the mind sicken at the idea 

 that history principally details the crimes of 

 mankind, it should reflect that these may, for 

 that very reason, be only the more extraordinary 

 and uncommon. At least it should not omit 

 for relief to take a view of those improvements 

 in the arts and sciences, which manifest the 

 ingenuity of man, and demonstrate the provi- 

 dence of God. If there be a sincere love of 

 goodness in the heart, the attention will finally 

 rest upon those instances of public and private 

 virtue, which impartial historians cannot fail 

 to delineate. Though many of these were not 

 contained in the pages of biography, which 

 may, perhaps, by way of eminence, be called 

 the school of moral wisdom, and which is no 

 where better exemplified than in the writings 

 of Plutarch, a very judicious as well as. copious 

 selection of them may be found in the second 



