HISTORY. 



63 



K itcrf. 



Ticitui. 



common and very powerful in Rom*. His style is re- 

 markable for its conciseness ; and thi* quality is parti- 

 'y conspicuous in the characters which he draws. 



t of the transactions in which Julius Cesar was 

 engaged, are best illustrated by his celebrated Commen- 

 tana. and the supplement to it compiled by I lirtius 

 and othen. In the Commentaries we may gain some 

 Tery authentic and interesting information respecting 

 the early itate, manners, law, and customs of those 

 nations which now hold the roost distinguished place 

 in modem Europe. The merit of this work of Chew's 

 i* very high in respect both to matter and style ; the 

 advantage which he derived, in respect to accuracy 

 of information, from narrating his own exploits, i^ 

 not, in a single instance, counterbalanced by vanity, 

 partiality, or the concealment of his faults : his style 

 i remarkable for its simplicity and ea>e. The se- 

 secret history of this important period will be mutt 

 clearly understood from a perusal of Cicero's Epistle*, 

 which may also be consulted fur information respect- 

 ing the state of society, manners, customs, &c. The 

 f ragmen U of the history of Dio Cassias contain a detail 

 of the events w liuh took place between the period 

 when I.urullus flourished ami the death of the Empe- 

 ror Clandian. In combination with this author may 

 be read the elegant compendium of Velleius 1'atercu- 

 las, from the foundation of Rone to the reign of Tilx-- 

 riu. at which period be lived. 



The Liffes of the Twelve Csrsars, written liy Suetoni- 

 us, will prepaie the way for the study of the works of 

 Tacitus ; and, together with the EaiatW* of Pliny, will 

 afford pretty clear insight into the state of society, 

 and manners of the Roman empire at this period. 



Tacitus wrote annals of the public affair* from the 

 death of Augustus nearly to the end of the reign of 

 Nero ; but only all portion of them have come 

 down to us, vii. the four first books ; a email part of 

 the 5th ; all the i.th from the 1 1 th to the 1 3th ; and part 

 of the Kith. There is also a history, by the same au- 

 thor, which extends from the beginning of the reign of 

 (>lt>a to the end of that of Domitian, Mi work on 

 the manners of the German* is particularly 



and instinctive, a* a preparatory study to the modem 

 hiatory of the northern and middle states of Europe 

 te of Agricola is prrhan. the fine* specimen of 



-I .... : 

 fat* ,1,-Mr, 



iMogrftpntcal wrinnf 



the name of a |iMaBMnl bntonaa : hi* might into 



_ - - : ' 



1 dense. 



On the times of servility that socc*dtl the period 

 in which Tacitui Kved. a dim light i* *bed by the 

 works of Aunlra* Victor, HrrndL * ttmipilei* 



who are commonly known by the name of 

 AMWMS, Eutropius, Zoaim**, Zenana, Jomande*. Am- 

 mwnn* Marcellinus. rVocopiu*. Afrathias NiceU 

 cephorus Gregora*. and Joanne* (antacuienus. Pro- 

 copius. *c. *re dMtrngaiahad by the appelUtion of the 

 Bytantiaa hiatorian*. Their work* relate to the hi*. 

 tonr of the Greek or Eattero Empire to the period 

 of it* destruction by the Turk*. < W all these authors, 

 the only two that posans much merit are Herodian 

 and Ammianu* Marcellinus. The forwitr wrote the 

 hiatory of his own time* from the death of Ant. mine to 

 the reign of Balbinus and I'upienus, A. I). WH. 

 manner of narrating events is uncommonly engaging 

 and happy. Every *cene, with iu ra*i*rs and fects, 



eanttd ta the dearest *nd beat point of 

 simplicity and rlcjrancr ch*rcteric IIM *ty!r. 



mianus Marcellinus wrote 31 books from the begin- Hitrjr 

 ning of the reign of Nerva to the death of Valens, in ^""V^" / 

 whose court he lived ; but of those, the firt.t thirteen, 

 a superficial epitome of i.">7 years arc now lost. In 

 those which are extant, he begins with Gallus Csesar, 

 about the year ofChrist 353, and largely describes the ac- 

 tions of Constantius, Caraar, Julian, Jovian, Valcntinian, 

 and Valens a period of 25 years, bringing down the 

 history of Rome to the year ofChrist 378. He was the AmmUnu* 

 last subject of Rome who composed a profane history MuccUi- 

 in the Latin language. He well deserves the character nu *' 

 and the praise which Gibbon gives him : " It is not 

 without the roost sincere regret (says that author) that 

 I must now take leave of an accurate and faithful guide, 

 who has composed the history of his own times with- 

 out indulging the prejudices and the passions which 

 usually affect the mind of a contemporary." (Gibbon's 

 Roman Empire, Vol. IV. chap. xxvi. p". +26, 8vo. edi- 

 tion.) 



A moat important series of events, connecting ancient Gibbon's 

 ami modern history, is supplied by Gibbon's History o/~ work co " - 



the Decline and Fall of the Homan Empire. This work nectj "' 

 ... , . , . cicntand 



commences with a view of the jxjhcy which swayed mm i rIB h - 



the Roman cabinet in the time of Augustus. Rapidly torr. 

 pasting on to the age of the Antonines, A. D. 180, it 

 exhibit* the extent and military force, the union and 

 internal prosperity, and the constitution of the empire 

 at that periotl. It then >>cgin> to assume the form of 

 a hiatory in detail, which is brought down to the total 

 extinction of the Rom:in I'.mpire in the west; is after- 

 ward* continued to the taking of Constantinople by 

 the Turks, A. I). 1453 ; and concludes at the esta- 

 blishment of the Papal power in the city <>t Home, and 

 the adjacent territory. The minute and extensive learn. 

 ing dtsplayad in this important work not only supports 

 the authenticity of the tacts which it records, but also 

 enables the author to diacua* many correlative or inci- 

 dental subjects, which elucidate either the manners, 

 custom*, laws, and state of society at the different pe- 

 riod* of which he treats, or those institutions that even 

 at present characterize and distinguish the principal 

 nation* of Europe. Hi* style i* by no means chaste ; 

 the unremitting pomp of his periods fatigues his read- 

 ers; and he deserves unqualified and severe censure 

 for the disingenuous manner in which he has insinua- 

 ted hi* animadversions on the Christian religion. Hut. 

 after all these deduction* from the merit and value of 

 thi work, it is highly useful ; and indeed the only 

 work for the reader who wishes to obtain a clear, full, 

 and interesting view of history, and the state of society 

 between the period of the declension of the Roman em- 

 pire and the infancy of the principal European state*. 



Those epitome* of modern history, which are con- TTilinaui of 

 meted with ancient history, have already been men- modem hi.- 

 boned. We shall now notice such epitome* as are k "7 > 

 fmifd to modern history. A good general epitome 

 was a work long wanting to the republic of letter*. 

 We have omitted to notice the Ancient Universal His- 

 tory in the former part of this article, because it i* 

 much too voluminous to nerve a* an introduction to a 

 general knowledge of ancient history. The same re- 

 mark applies to-the Modern Universal History. Both of 

 them are much more useful as books of reference, or 

 for consultation, after a tolerably accurate and exten- 

 sive knowledge of history ha* been acquired, than a* 

 introductory work* ; bcnde*, the various portions of 

 both are executed with very unequal degrees of merit. 

 Voltaire's Etiai mar In Mcnn et fEtprit det Nattont, 

 is rather a commentary on facts, an acquaintance with 



