Retrospect of French Literature—History. 
ralsand history, in the college of France ; 
3 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1807. 
M. Levesque tells the reader in his 
preface, that “dissertations,” are neither 
to be hoped, nor feared from him, as he 
is content to support his opinions with 
short arguments, and to confine his au- 
thorities to the mere quotation of the 
names of the authors. He adds also, 
that he does not choose his work should 
be interlarded with Greek and Latin 
passages. 
“ Although I consider,” he, 
says 
‘the greater portion of the history of 
the first ages of Rome either as uncer- 
tain or fabulous, yet I have not permitted 
myself to suppress any recorded cvents, 
It appertains indeed to human reason to 
decide on their authenticity, but it is ne- 
vertheless ‘necessary to become acquain- 
ted with these, because both poets and 
orators, ancient, as well as modern, fre- 
quently allude to them, while painters 
and statuaries have recurred to this source 
for the subjects of their labours. 
‘In order to establish the degree of 
confidence that ought to be given to the 
history of an ancient state, it is necessary 
to ascertain whether it possessed a fami- 
liar acquaintance with the art of writing; 
or on the contrary, whether the process 
of tracing the human thought was not 
slow and difficult, or perhaps utterly un- 
known. Ofa people who cannot write, 
there cannot properly be ‘any history ; 
in that case, there is nothing but tradi- 
tion, and the character of all tradition is 
to alter the text in passing from mouth to 
mouth, and from age to age ; to confound 
the names, the places, the times, the cir- 
cumstances ; unceasingly to surcharge it- 
self with new elements;.to lose the me- 
mory of those which contributed to the 
origin of all, and to conclude by being no 
longer itself. 
** The Greeks, that European nation, 
which was the first to attain the highest 
point of civilization, for a long time made 
but little use of writing, or rather, for a 
long period, were utterly unacquainted 
with it, confining themselves solely to 
inscriptions on stone, wood, and lead. 
History, therefore, properly speaking, did 
not commence with them until very late; 
towards the time of the Median wars. 
ee turned into verse all the evchis 
of which they wished to preserve the re- 
membrance, with a view of aiding the me- 
inory by rhyme and measure. Their very 
laws were in verse, and even in verse 
that was sung; their code of morals was 
m7, 
versified, and it was less pompous, but 
608 
far more sage than that afterwards esta- 
blished by the philosophers; their histo- 
ries were poems, and it was from thése 
poenis that the historians borrowed their 
knowledge of ancient events. 
“‘Tt is difficult, if not impossible to de- 
termine the origin of the tablets of wood 
covered with wax: they were but ill cale 
_culated for works of any extent, more 
especially in respect to the article of 
perservation, and the process by which 
the characters were traced by the aid of 
a style, or iron instrument, rather apper- 
tained to engraving, than writing pro- 
perly so called. 
** When the Greeks at length disca- 
vered a liquid proper to trace characters 
with, a long time intervened before they 
could procure a substance fit to receive 
the impression, and contented themselves 
for a long time with undressed skins 
which they termed diptere. Lerodotus 
tells us, that the use of skins existed be- 
fore Ae time, and that this practice had 
been abandoned anterior to the epoch, in 
which he wrote. Until the invention of 
parchment, the papyrus was the only cone 
venient contrivance for the receiving of 
writing, known to the ancients, 
** But the Greeks could never become 
acquainted with the papyrus, while the 
inhospitable Egyptians rigorously pre- 
cluded foreigners from entering into their 
country, and refused all manner of com- 
merce with them. At length, however, 
Psammitichus acquired the domination 
of Egypt, by the assistance of the Ionian 
and Carian pirates, who had been driven 
thither by a tempest. The benefits con- 
ferred by him, induced these strangers to 
settle there, and he invited all the Greeks 
-who were so disposed, to imitate their 
example. 
“Tt may be easily believed that the 
papyrus, was not one of the first articles 
with which the Greek merchants en- 
riched their native country ; for some time 
must elapse. before they became acqguain-~ 
ted with its utility, and it was not until a 
considerable period after this, that they 
woald attend to such a speculation.” 
Weare now told, that an interval of 
three centuries interposed, before this 
discovery reached the Romans, who had 
ne communication with the Grecks, until 
towards the time of the expedition of 
Pyrrhus into Italy. They had at first 
engraved their writings upon pieces of 
oak, afterwards on plates of copper; they 
next painted them-on leather, and finally 
conceived the idea of writing on cloth. 
But it appears, that their recards con- 
tained 
Se ee ae 
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