642 MR small's biographical sketch of prof. ADAM FERGUSON. 



In 1783 Fekguson gave to the world his principal work, entitled The History 

 of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic. This title strictly 

 embraces the period between the end of the early Roman monarchy, and the 

 elevation of Julius Cassar as the first Emperor of Rome. But, in order to 

 bring the narrative nearer to the point at which Gibbon begins his History of 

 the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Ferguson continues his work down 

 to the death of Tiberius, the time when the succession to the throne began to 

 be considered as hereditary. 



Ferguson has thus written the History of Rome from a.u c. 240 to a.u.c 

 790, a period of 550 years, and has given a lucid and compendious account of 

 the leading events of that history. 



In preparing his work, he of course availed himself of the classical authors, 

 and, amongst modern writers, he made use of the researches of Guazessi and 

 Vestrini, the Aimals of Pighius, and the celebrated Essay of Montesquieu, on 

 the Grandeur and Decline of the Roman People. 



His aim was rather to give in a connected and elegant form a narrative of the 

 great facts of Roman history, than to indulge in discussions of the many matters 

 of controversy which so extensive a subject necessarily involves. He does not 

 enter upon the story of the origin of Rome, or even of the rise of the Republican 

 form of government, but leans to the view previously held by De Beaufort, and 

 more fully developed by Sir George Cornewall Lewis, that the early history of 

 Rome was so involved in fable that no profit could result from such inquiries. 



In this way Ferguson's History, ably and elegantly as it was written, does 

 not aff'ord the rich fund of information to be obtained from the more recent works 

 of Niebuhr and Mommsen, who, with infinite skill, have elucidated the early 

 history of Rome by a critical examination of the remains of the classical authors ; 

 and who, by the comparison of their fragmentary details, by the examination of 

 institutions existing in later and more historical times, and by the study of analo- 

 gous phenomena among other nations, have endeavoured to place that history on 

 a more trustworthy basis. 



Ferguson was led to undertake this work from a conviction that the history 

 of the Roman people, during the period of their greatness, was a practical illustra- 

 tion of those ethical and political doctrines which were the object of his peculiar 

 study ; and he has remarked, that to know the history of Rome well was to 

 know mankind, and to have seen our species under the fairest aspect of great 

 ability, integrity, and courage. He regarded the great Roman statesmen and 

 warriors during the Republican period, as exhibiting the utmost range of the 

 human powers ; while he reckoned the steps, by which the republican form of 

 government was exchanged for despotism, as well deserving the careful attention 

 of the student of political history and human nature. 



As was before remarked, the military experience which he had seen in his youth 



