1 1 . ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 149 



as the War of Peloponnesus, the Expedition of Cyrus Minor, the Con 

 spiracy of Catiline, cannot but be more purely and exactly true, than 

 histories of times, because they may choose an argument comprehen 

 sible within the notice and instructions of the writer : whereas he that 

 undertaketh the story of a time, especially of any length, cannot but 

 meet with many blanks and spaces, which he must be forced to fill up 

 out of his own wit and conjecture. 



For the History of Times, I mean of civil history, the providence of 

 God hath made the distribution : for it hath pleased God to ordain 

 and illustrate two exemplar states of the world for arms, learning, 

 moral virtue, policy, and laws. The state of Gra?cia, and the state of 

 Rome : the histories whereof occupying the middle part of time, have 

 more ancient to them, histories which may by one common name be 

 termed the Antiquities of the world ; and after them, histories which 

 may be likewise called by the name of Modern History. 



Now to speak of the deficiences. As to the heathen antiquities of 

 the world, it is in vain to note them for deficient : deficient they are 

 no doubt, consisting most of fables and fragments, but the deficience 

 cannot be holpen ; for antiquity is like fame, caput inter nubila condit^ 

 her head is muffled from our sight. For the history of the exemplar 

 states, it is extant in good perfection. Not but I could wish there 

 were a perfect course of history for Graecia from Theseus to Philopoe- 

 men, what time the affairs of Gratia were drowned and extinguished 

 in the affairs of Rome ; and for Rome from Romulus to Justinianus, 

 who may be truly said to be ultimus Romanorum. In which sequences 

 of story the text of Thucydides and Xenophon in the one, and the 

 text of Livius, Polybius, Salustius, Cxsar, Appianus, Tacitus, Hero- 

 dianus, in the other, to be kept entire, without any diminution at all, 

 and only to be supplied and continued. But this is matter of magni 

 ficence, rather to be commended than required ; and we speak now 

 of parts of learning supplemental, and not of supererogation. 



But for Modern Histories, whereof there are some few very worthy, 

 but the greater part beneath mediocrity, leaving the care of foreign 

 stories to foreign states, because I will not be curiosus in alicna 

 republicn, I cannot fail to represent to your majesty the unworthiness 

 of the history of England in the main continuance thereof, and the 

 partiality and obliquity of that of Scotland, in the latest and largest 

 author that I have seen ; supposing that it would be honour for your 

 majesty, and a work very memorable, if this island of Great Britain, 

 as it is now joined in monarchy for ages to come, so were joined in one 

 history for the times passed, after the manner of the sacred history, which 

 draweth down the story of the ten tribes, and of the two tribes, as 

 twins, together. And if it shall seem that the greatness of this work 

 may make it less exactly performed, there is an excellent period of a 

 much smaller compass of time, as to the story of England ; that is to 

 say, from the uniting of the roses to the uniting of the kingdoms : a 

 portion of time, wherein to my understanding, there hath been the 

 rarest varieties, that in like number of successions of any hereditary 

 monarchy hath been known : for it beginncth with the mixed adoption 



