Retrospect of French Luerature—Miscellanies. 109 
nism, proceeding from ignorance, hut 
sceplicism; or in other words, that cir- 
cumspect, and inquiring dubiety, which 
keeps the judgment in suspence, so long 
as there do not exist sufficient motives 
for determination, and which measures 
the quantum of belief and certainty by 
the degrees of proof and evidence with 
which each fact is accompanied. 
Tn his third discourse, M. Volney exa- 
mines the utility of history. This con- 
ey of three distinct species : 
. Moral utility, applicable to indi- 
side 
2. Scientific utility, applicable to the 
arts and sciences; and, 
S. Political utility, which is applica- 
ble to nations and their governments. 
He recommends those books, the ob- 
ject of which is biography, to the 
primary schools, as admirably calculated 
for forming the minds of young mien; and 
he purposes to substitute the Illustrious 
Men of Cornetius Nepos and Plutarch, 
in the room of the Lives of the Saints. 
The characters of the great men of 
France should also be studied; and even 
if she had not produced any, such never 
theless should be written: in this point 
of view romance might be rendered su- 
perior to history. 
The art of studying, and of composing 
and writing history, forms the subject of 
the 4th discourse. Every one ought to 
begin with the history of his own country, 
and then open that of the neighbouring 
nations, before he searches into the re- 
cesses of antiquity. An analysis.of the 
Treatises by Lucian and Mably, on the 
manner of writing history, follows, and 
the works of these celebrated men are 
criticised) with great. impartiality and 
judement. 
The object of the 5thor principal dis- 
course is to exhibit some observations on 
the art of collecting and presenting 
historical facts. 
He conceives'that there are four dif- 
ferent manners of treatimg and com- 
posing history. 
The first, that ‘in which the order of 
time is followed, which is termed the 
didactical, It consists in collecting and 
classifying events according to their dates, 
and in mingling with a narrative, pure 
and simple in its nature, few or no re- 
flections. This, which is know; by the 
name of Annals, or Chronicles, has ‘been 
‘elevated to a high degree of merit by 
the pens of Tacitus and Thucydides; 
but ig general, it is confined to a barren 
detail of reigns, deaths, wars, combats, 
plagues and famines. 
‘Lhe second is by the connection and 
deduction of facts, which he terms the 
dramatic, or systematic method, Hero- 
dotus’s history is characteristic of this, 
The third, termed pur Ordre de Mas 
fiéres, or arising out of the materials, 
consists in tracing any subject of art or 
science from its origin, or some given 
epoch, on purpose to consider its pro- 
gress without distraction. Goguet intend- 
aa that his work, entitled, De Origine 
des Lois, des is & des Sciences a phic, 
losophical subject, unfortunately treated 
but with little philprophiys should be of 
this kind. 
The following are models in this 
species of composition: 
Ancienne, by the celebrated but unfortu- 
nate Bailly; Robertson’s Histoire des 
Finances de France, by Forbonnais; to 
these the author ‘is inclined to add 
L Histoire du Fanatisme, by Pluquet, 
which, along with his Dictzonnaire des 
Hérésies, prepared the way fur another 
history of the same kind. 
The fourth, which is the Aenalytical 
or Philosophical Method, is nearly the 
same with the preceding; only, instead of 
treating of any one subject of art, 
science, &c. it embraces all the parts of 
the political body: in short, it 1s, at it 
were, a Biographical History of a People, 
and a Physiological Enquiry into the Laws 
that regulate the Encrease and Decrease. 
of the social Body, It is to be lamented. 
that no work has hitherto been conducted 
on_a plan su vast in point of execution, 
and so useful in regard to the benefits to 
be derived from it. 
While treating of the influence of 
historical works on human actions, M. 
Volney mentions the effect produced by 
the Iliad on Alexander, a circumstance 
that perhaps determined the conquest of 
Asia; the history of that same prince, 
written by. Quintus Curtius, which be- 
caine the instigator of thew arlike faries 
af (hanlas Kl, lasiimedl wid ste generis 
wars, which ‘during his reign agitated the: 
north of Europe;.and the Hebrew writers, 
which have produced the commotions of — 
nations for these last 1500 years. 
After deprecating a superstitious véne- 
ration for the Jews on one hand, or the 
Greek and Romans on the other, the 
Preteiser concludes thus : 
Ah! let us cease to admire the 
ancients who. have taught us but little in 
respect to morals, and nothing at all in 
segard 
TD) Astronomia. 
