HISTORY. 
Such documents alone will give him an 
idea of the genius of the times concerning 
which they treat. He who wishes to be- 
come acquainted with the principles and 
manners which predominated in Fiance in 
the reign of St. Louis or of John, will read 
the lively and simple, but minutely paiti- 
cular narratives of J oinville and of 1' roissart, 
rather than the dull details of a Daniel, or 
the hasty and imperfect sketch of a Millot. 
In all cases, indeed, he who wishes to 
see past events in their true light will refer 
as much as possible to original authorities. 
The farther the stream of history flows 
from its source, the more it is polluted by 
foreign mixtures. And besides this, how- 
ever skilful, or however faithful, a compiler 
may be, his particular views lead him to 
pass unnoticed a variety of facts which are 
in themselves valuable, and indeed neces- 
sary to the perfect understanding of the 
real nature and bearings of events. 
This maxim of having recourse to au- 
thentic documents will furnish a canon for 
the most profitable mode of studying an- 
cient history. It will instruct the student 
to pass lightly over those periods of the 
Greek and Roman annals, the transactions 
of which were handed down by tradition 
to authors, who, instead of scrutinizing their 
credibility, have amplified and embellished 
them by the charms of style ; and to direct 
his attention to the records which have 
been written by those who lived at the 
time when the actions which they com- 
memorate took place, and more especially 
to the memoirs of illustrious warriors 
and statesmen who have left behind them 
the detail of transactions in which they 
have been personally concerned. Guided 
by this principle, he will not dwell upon 
the marvellous tales of an Herodotus or a 
Quintus Curtius ; but he will study with di- 
ligence the narratives of a Thucydides or a 
Xenophon, of a Sallust, a Cicero, a Caesar, 
or a Tacitus ; and whilst the legend of Cur- 
tins, as recorded by Livy, only demon- 
strates to him the posthumous glory which, 
in the happier times of the Roman republic, 
awaited him who was ready to sacrifice his 
life for the good of his country, he will pe- 
ruse, with more interest, the later periods 
of that writer’s history, in which he treats 
of events which happened nearer to his own 
time, and the genuine records of which 
were, in all probability, furnished to him by 
the public offices of the state. 
In regard to the earlier periods of mo- 
dem Jhstory, authentic documents are 
scanty and obscure, and the investigator of 
the truth of facts is frequently obliged, as 
it were, to proceed with cautious steps 
through a dark and doubtful way ; but, in 
process of time, they multiply to such an 
extent, that the student is embarrassed by 
their number. The archives of the different 
states of Europe, contain vast masses of ma- 
terials, which occasional liberality has open- 
ed to the curious enquirer. On the impor- 
tant topic of ecclesiastical proceedings, the 
printed reports of the decrees of councils 
and svnods throw the most satisfactory 
light. Voluminous collections of treatises, 
which have been compiled for the benefit 
of after times, open the policy of different 
states and empires ; and in various cases, 
those documents are themselves illustrated 
by the comments and memoirs of the ne- 
gociators by whom they were discussed 
and finally arranged. The confidential cor- 
respondence which took place between 
scholars, at the revival of letters, frequently 
contains political details which are highly 
instructive and interesting. In later days, 
the publication of the various memoirs and 
state-papers of ministers, to whom the con- 
duct of the affairs of nations has been en- 
trusted, reveal all the springs of their policy, 
and enable the reader of research to follow 
them through all the windings of the laby- 
rinth of intrigue. The acts of the British 
parliament, in themselves, contain a record 
of the political changes which have taken 
place in this country, of our progress in 
commerce, of the gradual amelioration of 
our constitution, amidst the struggles of 
party and the contentions of faction. The 
recorded proceedings of our courts of law, 
also supply the means of judging of the pub- 
lic conduct of our statesmen. It may be 
with truth asserted, that the perusal of the 
state trials can alone give au adequate idea 
of the horrible crimes which, under the co- 
lour of justice, were perpetrated by the dif- 
ferent parties which divided this kingdom 
in the reign of Charles II. In short, there 
hardly exists in any country a public office, 
or a private collection of papers, which 
does not contain documents that are calcu- 
lated to throw light upon history. 
The student who wishes to pursue his his- 
torical enquiries with becoming accuracy, 
must make himself master of the details of 
geography, and of the principles of statisti- 
cal calculations, must moreover be versed 
in all the minutiae of chronological re- 
searches. In the settling of dates, he will 
at once evince his labour and his. ingenuity. 
