History. 145 



The last age was also very productive of another 

 class of historians, in a great measure peculiar to 

 it. These are the persons who have undertaken 

 to deduce the progress, and exhibit the condition of 

 Counties, Cities, and other particular Districts. 

 Among those who have distinguished themselves, 

 by works of this kind, in the Englfsh language, are 

 Mr. Grose, Mr. PoLWHELE,,Dr. Aiken, Mr. Pen- 

 nant, and many others, whose industry and judg- 

 ment, in bringing together so large a mass of do- 

 cuments relating to the several objects which they 

 undertook to describe, deserve the highest praise. 



There is another species of historical composi- 

 tion, in some measure peculiar to the age under 

 review, of which several meritorious specimens 

 have been given. It consists in an exhibition of 

 ancient events, literature, and manners, under the 

 denomination "of Travels, and in the fictitious style 

 of Romance. In this class of writings the Athenian 

 Letters, printed in Great-Britain, in 1740, are 

 entitled to the first place. This work consists of 

 the imaginary correspondence of a set of Greek 

 gentlemen, the cotemporaries of Socrates, 'Peri- 

 cles, and Plato; but was in reality the actual cor- 

 respondence of a society of ingenious and learned 

 gentlemen in the University of Cambridge, who, 

 under fictitious characters, communicated to each 

 other the result of their researches into ancient his- 

 tory, and, through this medium, laid before the 

 public an entertaining and instructive work/ 



g When this correspondence had continued for a considerable time, and 

 the number of letters had become so large as to render the transcribing- of 

 them for the use of the association too troublesome, it was agreed to print 

 twelve copies, which was accordingly done, in the year 1740; but the 

 work was not then published. In 1 78 1, another small edition of one hun- 

 dred copies was printed ; but the work could not yet be said to be pub- 

 lished, as the circulation of it was confined to a few individuals. It was 

 not until 1798 that it was, strictly speaking, laid before the public, in two 

 vols. 410. This work is said to be the best commentary on Thucydides 

 that ever wa6 written. It was at fint supposed that Bab.tuel.bmi had 

 VOL. II. U 



