Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1844-12-28
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

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shelves Of Mr.. Franck Taylor, but the hurry and
the throng Of political questions have not permitted
us to take them up one of which is the following
The History Of Rome, by B. G. NrEBuHn. Translated
by julius Charles Hare, MA and Connop Thirwan, Ma
Fellows Of Trinity College, Cambridge Vol. |, part ],
.wh map From the third London edition, revised" To
b. completed in vols svo Lea Blanchard, Philad 1914
These volumes will offer what has never before
been presented to the public of this countryside
great work of NIEBUHR, confessedly the master
piece of historical inquiry in modern times, IN a
complete form For only two of the volumes now
prepared have yet appeared among us--those to
which the names, as translators, of Hare and Thrl-
wall apply. The third is Englished by William
Smith and Leonhard Schmitz; the fourth and hfth,
which have just appeared in London, and embrace
the period from the first Punic war to the death OF
Constantine, are by Schmiz alone.
With the two former volumes Of the book only
are we conyersant. For the remainder we look
with the highest expectations of such instruction as,
by its Importance its originality, the profoundness,
not less than the novelty Of many OF the views, the
admirable learning and acuteness which have led TO
them is fit apart from all the charm of regular mar
rative to delight the habitual explorer OF history,
seeking always not merely to know the surface, the
received semblance Of the great past but its actual
being its true causes, the secret powers that have
Next to Gibbons matchless book-the vastest
monument Of historic toll ever raised-the consent
Of all critics must place these remarkable volumes,
the learning Of which is crowned by skill in the
philosophy Of institutions and events such as has
never before been applied to the regular calculation
Of the obscurer times of an important body OF annals
II is in the consummate ability with which he
has examined the halfmythologc details Of early
Latin records, and given now consistency and now
meaning TO what before was almost a chaos OF
doubt contradiction, conjecture, or mere fable, that
the legitimate merit of NEBUHR lies; and lar less
in the popular renown which has given him, as bril-
liant and singular discoveries several theories which
he has more than any other confirmed, but which
he was las scholars know far from being the first
to suggest or even, in instances, to establish.
OF the system which he has applied to the eluci-
daton of early Italian history, all the elements are
distinctly enough furnished in the book of that great
father of the Criticism and Philosophy of History,
Vico; whose Schema Nuova" first saw the light
in l725. TO him are due at once the theory Of
Wolff as to the origin and authorship of the Ho-
merle poems the bardic, legendary sources of Ro-
man and Greek records, passing for authentic sto-
res and many Of those other ideas since develop
ed by secondary writer's with fortunate reputation
Of originality.
Voltaire may be said to have been the first to APP
ply, in his g Pyrrhonisme de pIistore," his Es-
sails sur les Meurs,' &C. to historic narrative the
principles that Vico had laid down. AS to Rome,
Beaufort soon afterwards abou TAO, as well as we
remember) embodied, in his " Incertitude des cinq
premiers siecles de lHistoire Romane,' many of
the questions which Niebuhr has now successfully
solved Of the immediate investigations of Me
buhr, Micah had already, in 1910, performed with
much though certainly inferior research and skiD
an important part in his Italia ayanti il dominic
re &c fbn tall .hoch ofo
the rise of the Roman power. And as the mPosurr
of the prevailing historical in regard to the
Agrarian Laws and the conduct and fate OF the
Gracchi-things of which popular reputation as
signed all the credit to Niebuhr-it is well known
to those acquainted with the progress OF classical
investigation that Heyne had (since, we think-for
we write'fro memory-about l79S) set all these
matters in perfectly clear light.
These popular errors as to acknowledgements
not unlike many of those which he has overthrown-
NAV well be mentioned, without disparagement to
his true reputation-that sure and lasting admira-
ton which he has won and must hold among the
learned, far the most consummate example OF the
able and complete application, to particular body
Of obscure events, of the Science OF History.
Yet even Nebuhr has his omissions. Admira-
bly, as he has traced the legendary of many
Of the tales that adorn the early Of the Ro
man annals, one curious, and we think most obvious
instance of the manner in which they often borrow
from the Greek legends has escaped him. We will
point to it-not because this is fit vehicle or we
the fit explorers of historic antiquities, but because
the matter itself conveys an apologize of no little
political meaning.
All are familiar with the old story of the strata
gem practised by Tarquin the Proud and his son
Sextus to obtain possession of the neighboring
city and Republic Of Gabii. Ii may be found re-
peated in Neibuhr, at page 238 of vol. l. That
warlikc little State, Of mixed popular and arsto-
cratic government, such as Rome afterwards be-
came, had long withstood the progress of Romes
early conquests. Finding them not to be subdued
in the fair field, Tarquin and his son affected to
quarrel violently the king inflicted on him stripes
and other punishments reserved only for the lowest
maefactors. AS if burning with rage at these in
digntics, Sextus fled and took refuge with the Ga
bians there, his reputation soldier, his ap-
parent fury of resentment against his father, and
his knowledge Of all his plans, at once procured
him general confidence. He was allowed to lead
expeditions, and, in these, aided always by
secret concert with his father, easily obtained such
uniform and brilliant successes as soon gave him
an unbounded credit and popularity, before which
the reputation Of their native leaders soon waned
completely, and Sextus, the peoples darling rose
to the dictatorship of Gabii. Arrived at this point,
he found that directly to betray the town into his
fathers hands impossible: he therefore des-
patched confidential messenger TO his father, in
forming him of the success Of their plans thus far,
and desiring 10 know what should be his next step
The messenger found the king in his garden and
delivered himself of his Grand The willy tyrant