156 PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



that of Curtius could not have come out of the school 

 of Hermann or Eitschl is evident. Those who repre- 

 sented the ideals of that school had ample occasion to 

 find fault with the want of erudition and critical acumen, 

 which it goes without saying can never be great 

 and deep enough in any historian. Some of Curtius' 

 favourite theories, notably those referring to prehistoric 

 times, were put down as fanciful and premature, but we 

 may now ask, were the constructions of David Strauss 

 in his ' Life of Jesus/ nay, even the views of Niebuhr, 

 less so ? Subsequent scholars have disposed of the con- 

 structions of the two last-named authors, whilst many 

 of the ideas of Curtius may still await the final verdict 

 of the archaeologist. 



The historical labours of Curtius must convince us 

 how little the purely critical process could have produced 

 such work. For an explanation of Curtius' literary 

 genius we have to look to the traditions and inspirations 

 of the classical age of German literature. The work of 

 Mommsen introduces us to entirely different courses 

 of thought, which crossed and intermingled with the 

 43. methods of the criticism of texts and documents. In 

 Momnisen. order to bring unity into his view of Eoman history, 

 Mommsen started from that bequest of Eoman civilisa- 

 tion which has, especially in Germany, exerted the 

 greatest influence on modern life and society : the great 

 edifice of Eoman law. This had been a favourite study 

 at the German universities, where it formed, alongside of 

 purely philological, and later on of mathematical studies, 

 one of the principal subjects of mental discipline. 



The foundation of Mommsen's Eoman History was 



