35S 



CHAPTER XVII. 



HISTORY. 



1 HE historic muse, during the eighteenth cen- 

 tury, had many votaries. From the time of Ta- 

 citus to the commencement of this period, she had 

 been supplicated by multitudes, but with little suc- 

 cess. After the revival of letters, the first histo- 

 rical productions of respectable character were 

 composed in Italy ; but with these the author is 

 too little acquainted to compare them with subse- 

 quent works of the same class. It may be assert- 

 ed^ however, that previous to the age under review 

 no historians had arisen, for many centuries, who 

 might be compared v/ith the illustrious models of 

 Greece and Rome^ without incurring a sort of li- 

 terary profanity. But early in the century which 

 forms the period of this work the prospect brighten- 

 erl. Specimens of history began to appear so much 

 superior to the uncouth and meagre compilations of 

 preceding ages, as to inspire a just hope that a 

 more auspicious 5i?ra was at hand. 



There, are several circumstances belonging to 

 the historical productions of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury which are peculiar to this period, and which 

 distinguish it from all preceding times. An at- 

 tempt will be made to take notice of some of the 

 more obvious and inq:)ortant of these circumstances 

 in the following phages. 



The niimhcr of historical works produced in the 

 course of the age is the first circumstance of a pc- 



