Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-09-26
Marmion, King George IA. Sept. 1926.
MoNT1cELLo. Ger 25, 1925.

DEAR SIR: do not know whether the Profess
sors to whom Ancient and Modern History are
assigned in the University, have yet decided on
the course Of Historical reading, which they
will recommend to their Schools, if they have,
wish this letter to be considered as not writ
ten--as their course, the result of mature con-
sideration, will be preferable to any thing
could recommend. Under this uncertainty, &
the rather as you are Of neither of these Schools,
may hazard some general ideas, to be correct
ed by what they may recommend hereafter.
In all cases prefer original authors to COM
pliers. For course Of Ancient History, there
fore, of Greece and Rome especially, should
advise the usual suite of Herodotus, Thucyd-
DIES, Xenophon, Diodorus, Livy, Caesar, Sue
tonus, Tacitus, and Dion, in their originals,
if understood, and in translations if not. For
its continuation to the final destruction of the
Empire, we must then be content with Glib
bons, a compiler, and with Segur, for Judi
cious recapitulation of the whole. After this
general course, there are number OF partcu-
lar Histories, filling up chasms, which may be
read at leisure in The progress of life, such as
Arrian, Q. Curtus, Polybius, Sallust, Plutarch,
Dionysius Halicarnasseus, Micali, sc. The
yAncient Universal History should be on our
shelves as book of general reference, the most
learned, and most faithful perhaps that ever
was written. Its style is very plain, but per-
spicuous.
In Modern History, there are but two ma
tons with whose course it is interesting to us
10 be intimately acquainted, to wit: France &
England. For the former, Millot's General
History of France may be sufficient to the peri
cd wnen Davila commences. He should be
followed by Perefixe, Sully, Voltarie's Louis
XIV. and XIV. la Cretelle's l8me. steele, Mar
montel's Regence, Toulongeon's French Revo-
luton, and Nd de Slaels; making up, by a
succession of particular Histories, the general
one which they want.
OF England, there is as vet no General His
tory as faithful as Rapin's, he may be followed
by Ludlow, Fox, Belsham, Hume, and Brodie;
Hume's, were it faithful, would be the finest
piece of history which has ever been written by
man; its unfortunate bias may be partly ascrib-
ed TO the accident of his having written back
wards His maiden work was the History of
he Stuarts it was first essay to try his strength
before the public, and whether as Scotchman
he had really partiality for that family, or
thought that the lower their degradation, the
more fame he should acquire by raising them
up to some favor, the object of his work was an
apology for them-he spared nothing therefore
10 wash them white, and to paliate their mis-
government For this purpose, he suppressed
truths, advanced faIsehoods, forged authorities,
and falsi6ed records. All this isproved on him
unanswerably by Brodie, but so bewitching was
his style and manner, that his readers were un-
willing to doubt any thing, swallowed every
thing, and all England became Tories by the
magic of his art. His pen revolutionized the
public sentiment of that country more complete
ly than the standing armies could ever have