PART V. OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTS OF ATTENTION TO A READER OF HISTORY. LECTURE XXXIII. Different Objects to different Perfons. An Acquaintance with the History of our own Country ufeful to Perfons in all Ranks of Life. Peculiar Ufe of Biography. Biographia Britannica, and other Biographical Writings. We ought particularly to attend to the Connexion of Cause and Effect in all the Changes of human Affairs. What Prejudices to be more particularly guarded against. Afcribing too much or too little, to general, or particular Causes; too many, or too few Caufes. Inconveniences of both. WE are now advanced to the laft divifion of our fubject, namely, to point out the most proper objects of attention, either to an hiftorian, or to a reader of hiftory, that is to direct a person to those parts of history which will VOL. II. B moft moft tend to form his judgment and direct his conduct; which was one of the uses which history was shown to answer in the beginning of this course, and the only one with which we have any concern at present. What ob jects those are that amuse the imagination and intereft the paffions, are confidered in another courfe of lectures, viz. that on philofophical criticifm. Since there is an infinite variety in the bufinefs of human life, different claffes of men require different kinds of information, according to their different stations in life. It were vain, therefore, to prefcribe one scope, or view, to every hiftorian. He may, if he pleases, write for one class of men, and therefore, with great propriety and advantage, introduce that kind of information only which is peculiarly adapted to them; or, writing for the use of mankind in general, confifting both of the fpeculative and practical part of them, he may compofe a hiftory of fuch materials as promise to be of the most general ufe; containing maxims and examples both for the direction of the more active part of mankind, and alfo the most rational entertainment for the scholar and the gentleman. With respect to a reader of history, it is ob vious to remark, in the first place, as has been mentioned more than once already, that every perfon will beft find his account in ftudying the history of his own country, or profeffion, and that both in a speculative and practical view. If a perfon be called to bear an active part in the transactions of his country, either by prefiding in its councils, directing its force, or performing any thing which will probably enter into its hiftory; as his particular conduct is only a part, and a continuation, of a series of councils, and a train of exploits, which began before he was born, all the parts of which are strictly connected in an infinite variety of ways, no fucceeding part, fuch as he is acting, can be well conducted without a regard to the preceding. For inftance, how illqualified would a general be to conduct a future war against France who was unacquainted with the conduct of the laft war; when every new expedition and stratagem would neceffarily have fome kind of reference to, or be guided by, a former expedition or ftratagem. But the laft war could not be thoroughly understood without fome knowledge of those preceding it. In the same manner we may argue the neceffity of, at least, a general B 2 general knowledge of the whole of the English history to every English commander. But the knowledge of history is still more neceffary to a minifter of ftate. For every treaty that is made with any nation, and every measure that is taken with respect to it, must neceffarily be adapted to the preceding transactions of every kind with that nation. An intimate acquaintance with the history of our country is no lefs necessary to every perfon who is concerned in the enacting, or in the adminiftration of our laws. The conduct of a divine too, whether of the establishment, or a non-conformist, fhould, in many particulars, be directed by a knowledge of the history of our country, both ecclefiaftical and civil; and the like is neceffary, or useful, in a greater or lefs degree, to every inhabitant of the country. Befides, what more inviting fubject of contemplation can a recluse person make choice of, than to trace the revolutions in church and state which his own country has undergone, to enter into the caufes of them, and see the manner of their operation. If a perfon read history for real use, and the direction of his conduct in his own profeffion, biography will answer his purpose more effectually than general hiftory. Lives have been published published of particular perfons of every station and profeflion, princes, generals, statesmen, divines, philosophers, and even artists of every kind, which are of excellent use to infpire a fpirit of emulation in persons of the same station and profeffion. Those in the Biographia Britannica are excellently adapted to this purpose, but the General Biographical Dictionary, though exceedingly useful, will not completely answer this end. The accounts it contains of the perfons whose lives are introduced into it are too concife. And we cannot become fufficiently interested in any character, so as to have our emulation and other generous paffions excited by it, unless we have an opportunity of fecing it in a variety of lights, and thereby forming a pretty particular and intimate acquaintance with it. A fhort defcription in a few words (fuch as is given of great men in many general hiftories) is not fufficient to give a clear idea of a character. It must be dwelt upon a confiderable time before it can affect the imagination, and intereft the paffions. Indeed, this effect cannot be produced by any general and abftract description whatever. Those characters only affect the imagination, and interest the paffions, which we form to ourselves from |
