L ! B. II. Of the Advancement of Learning. 50 



Publick Orations; Letters of Eftate, and the like ; without the Con- 

 texture or Continued thred of the Narration. 



, § Antiquities J or the Remjini of Hi^ories, areas we (aid, tanqua^a 

 y^abula Nanfragii 5 when induftrious and underftanding per(bns (the 

 memory of Things being decayed, and almoft overwhelmed with obli- 

 vion) by a conftant and fcrupulous diligence , out of Genealogies, 

 Calendars, In(criptions, Monuments, Coyns, Proper Names and Styles 5 

 JEtymologies of words. Proverbs, Traditions, Archives and Inftruments^ 

 as well publick as private 5 Fragments of ftories, (battered paiTages of 

 Books that concern not Hiflory j out of all the(e, I (ay,or (bmeofthem, 

 they recover and fave (bmewhat from the Deluge of Time. Certainly 

 a painful work, but acceptable to all forts of Men, and atttended 

 with a kind of Reverence, and indeed. worthy (all Fabulous Origi- 

 nals of Nations defac'd, and extinguilht^ to be (ubftituted in the room 

 offuch counterfeit ftuff: but yet of the lels Authority, becaufe what 

 is proftitute to the licenfe of private defigns, lo(es the honour of pub- 

 lick regard. In thc(e kinds of ImperfeB HtUorjes , I de{ign no Defi- 

 cience, feeing they are tanqnam imperfede mifia, fo as fiich Defefts are 

 but their nature. As for Epitomes the corruptions , certainly^ and the 

 Moths of Hijiories ^ we. would have them banilht f wherein we con- 

 cur with many of moft (bund judgement) as thofe that have fretted 

 and corroded the (bund bodies of many excellent Hiftories; and 

 wrought them into ba(e and unprofitable dregs. 



Chap. VII. 



The Partition of Perfcft Hiftory , into Chronicles of Times 5 Lives 

 of Perfotts 3 Relations of a3s> ^ The Explication of the Hijiorjr of 

 Lives* ^ Of Relations, , 



JVji or PerfeS Hiliory is of three kinds, according to the nature of the 

 objed which it propounds to reprefent j for it cither reprefents a 

 portion of Time ; or fome memorable Pcr(bn , or fome Famous Aft ; The 

 firft we call Chronicles or Annals 5 thefecond Lives ; the third Relations, 

 Of thefe , chronicles (eem to excel, for Celebrity and Name 5 Lives^ 

 for profit and examples ; Relations^ for (incerity and verity. For Chro" 

 nicies^ represent the magnitude of publick^ ABions, and the extern faces of 

 Men^ as they regard the publick^, and involve in filenCe fmaller Vaffages ^ 

 Tphich pertain either to Matter or Men. And feeing it is the workman- 

 Chip of God alone, to hang the greatejl weight upon the fmal/eji vpyers ; it 

 comes many times to pals, that (ucha HKtory purfuing only the greater 

 occurrences, rather fets forth the Pomp and Solemnity, than the true 

 re(brts, and the intrin(ick contextures of bufinefs. And although it 

 doth add and intermix the Councils themfelves ; yet afFedling great- 

 ne(s, it doth befprinkle mens aftions with more folemnnefs and wi(^ 

 dom, than indeed is in them; that a Satyre may be a truer table of a 

 Mans life, than many fuch Hijiories. Contrariwiie ; Lives, if they be 

 well writtep'.with diligence and judgement (for we do not (peak of 

 Elogies, and fuch (light commemorations) although they prop*aund un- 



