INTRODUCTORY. 33 



are attempting to record. They deal, not so much with 

 persons and events, as with the gradual development of 

 constitutions, the growth of nationalities and societies, 

 in fact, with the life and interests of the masses. 



The history of thought seems similarly to lend itself 25. 



Application 



very readily to such treatment. It is easy to fix upon to the 



history'of 



one or several leading ideas or movements of thought, thou s ht - 

 and to trace their slow growth and gradual diffusion 

 and influence. Important historical works, comprising 

 sometimes many volumes, have been written or planned 

 from this point of view. It is seldom, however, that 

 we do not rise from the perusal of such works with the 

 feeling that they have only taken notice of one side, and 

 that there are other sides which must also be taken 

 into account if we wish to arrive at a fair judgment 

 or a comprehensive view. 1 



Thus, although it is the object of this history to dwell 



1 The prominent examples of alismus' (1865); A. Ritschl's 'Ge- 



this manner of treating the History schichte des Pietismus ' (1880-86) ; 



of Thought are Comte's ' Philo- . A. Drews' ' History of German 



sophie Positive,' Thos. Buckle's [ Speculation since Kant,' containing 



'History of Civilisation,' and mainly a history of the idea of 



Hegel's ' Philosophy of History. ' Personality. Of course, by far the 



With these I shall be largely occu- most important idea or cluster of 



pied in future chapters. Of smaller ideas in modern times has its 



Works we have Guizot's Lectures on special development and history in 



' History of Civilisation in Europe ' the vast theological literature deal- 



and ' History of Civilisation in ' ing with Christianity in its two 



France' (1828); Lecky's 'History great manifestations, 'Christian 



of the Rise and Influence of Church ' and ' Christian Doctrine. ' 



Rationalism in Europe ' (1865), As this rests on a unique historical 



2 vols. German literature is par- foundation, it will not be specially 



ticularly rich in monographs on dealt with in the present section of 



special ideas or movements of [ this history. It belongs to the 



thought, such as Lange's ' History religious thought of the century, 



of Materialism,' already quoted, Only where it comes into immedi- 



Lasswitz' ' Geschichte der Atom- ate contact with philosophical 



istik,' 2 vols. (1890); Tholuck's j doctrines, as it certainly has done 



' Vorgeschichte des Rationalismus ' j very frequently, shall I have occa- 



(1853-62); ' Geschichte des Ration- ' sion to refer to it. 



VOL. III. C 



