The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-25

Untwsting all the chains that tie
The hidden soul of harmony,
That Orpheus self may heave his head
From golden slumber, OH bed
OF henped Elysian flowers, and hear
Such strains as would have charmed the
VI Pluto, to have quite set FREQ
HIS bali regaincd Eurydice."
hardly know any thing which surpasses these
exquisite lines; SO poetical, and ut the time,
80 thoroughly and absolutely English, and so free
from all foreign idiom.
The hrst three stanzas of Gray's Elegy in a
country Churchyard are alec remarkable for the
power and accuracy with which rural scenery is
one picture.
| the 'Burat OF Sir John Moore"
| There are remarkable instances Of the same SIX ill
III writing IN some Of the English prose writer's
and especially in the productions of Daniel De
roe NO boy doubts that every thing told of Rob
inson Crusoe ID exactly true, because all 30
cumstantially told; and man doubts, until he
10 informed OF the contrary, that tho historian of
the plague of London actually saw all that he de-
scrDed although De Foe born ii II afterwards
II ID a well known saying, that the lie with cir
cumstance Ia exceedingly calculated to deceive,
and that is true and it il equally only that
ncuIious history gains credit and belief by the
skiiiu' use OF circumstance, but that true history
also may derive much additional interest from the
same source.
In general. however, historical facts are TO be re
lated with rather close and exclusive regard to
such, and such only, as are important.
| Inc art OF historical composition owes it's origin
TO the institutions OF political freedom. Under the
desposms Of the Ganges and the Indus poetry
1ourlshed, with oriental luxuriance, from the ear
liest times; but in the immense compass of that
Ich, prmeva literature, there is no history in the
high sense of that term. The banks of the Nile
were crowded with historical monuments and me
MORALS stretching back into the remotest antqui-
ty; and recent researches have discovered hstori-
col records OF the Pharoahs in the scrolls of papy-
rus, some of them ancient as the books of Moses
But in all these there is history composed accord
ing to the principles ofart. In Greece the Epic song
founded on Evolutionary legends long precede ed his.
torical composition. remember when l thought
1t the greatest wonder in the world that the poems
| OF Homer should have been written at a period 80
| remote, that the earliest Grecian history should
have given no account OF their author. l did not
then KNOW or had not then considered that poetica
writings, hymns, songs, accounts of personal adven-
lures like those Of Hercules and Jnson, were, in
the nature OF things earlier than regular historical
narratives. Herodotus informs that Homer lived
Jour hundred years before his time There is new
ertheess, something very wonderful in the poems
OF Homer. In general, 1t is true Of the languages
OF nations, that, IN their earlier ages, they contain
the substantial bone and sineW characteristic of
their ldlom, yet, that they rough, imperfect
and without polish. Thus Chaucer wrote English
but 1t Is what we call old English, and il has not
the smoothnsss and fuency belonging to the st vie
otPoPe and Addison. And Spenser wrote English,
but, though rich and gorgeous, it has not the pre-.
clslon and accuracy OF those later writer's. 1t
would seem that many books must be written and
read, and great many tongues and pens employed.
before the language OF country reaches it's highest
pohsh and perfection. Now, the wonder lie, how
language should become perfect as was the
Greek OF Homer, at the time when that language
could have been very little written. Doubtless In
succeeding ages, the compass of the Greek tongue
was enlarged as knowledge became more extended,
ana new things called Tor new words; but within
the compass Of Grecian knowledge, as it existed
In the time Of Homer, il can be questioned
that the style OF Homer Is quite perfect and pol.
ished as that of any of his successors The cause
| ia hat he LAM had
not only been spoken for many centuries by PEG.
pie Of great ingenuity and extraordinary good
taste, but had been carefully cultivated by the re-
citation OF poetical compositions, a great variety
Of religious and festive occasions.
IL was not until the Legislation Of Scion had laid
the foundation OF free political institutions and
these institutions had unfolded free and powerful
and active political life, in the Athenian republic;
until the discussion Of public AFFAIR." in the Senate
and the popular Assembly, had created dcIiberative
eloquence, and the open administration of justice
| IN the courts, and under the laws established by
Solon had applied to the transactions between the
citizens, all the resources of refined logic, and
drawn into the sphere Of civil rights and obliga-
| tons, the power of high forensic oratory-it was
not until these results OF the Legislative wisdom OF
Scion bad been attained, that the of history rose
| and hourlshed in Greece. With thcdecline OF Gre
cian hbcrty, began the decline in the of hstori-
cal composition. Histories were written under the
Grecian kings OF Egypt; aud long line of writers
hourished under the byzantine cmpcrors; but the
high art OF historical composition, perfected in
|
Acnophon, had persisted in the death of political
FREEDOM
The origin, progress, and decline Of history as
an art, were nearly the same in Rome. Sslust and
Livy fourshed at the close of the republic and the
commencement of the empire The great works
oi Iacitus himself are thought by many 10 betray
the beginning of decline ia the art and the later
writers exhibit it's fall
The art of history ngain revived with the rise of
the Italian rcpublics and since the revival Of liter
azure az the cose OF the middle ages, il will probn
bly, he found that three things naturally rise into
importance together; that is 10 say civil liberty
eloquence, and the art of historical writing.
other foundation 10 not 20 be laid for authentic
history than northumberland facts. but on this
foundation structures may be raised OF different
oharac teristcs, historical biographical and phlo,
sophical. One writer may conhne himself 20 exact
ana minute narration; another, true to the gene
raj story, may embellish that story with more or
lcss of external ornament or Of cloquence in lie.
scupuon; "A third, with "A deeper philosophical spi.
rat may look into the causes of events and trans
actions, trace them with more profound research
to their sources in the elements OF human nature,
consider and solve with more or less success that
most important question, how far the character of
individuals has produced public events or how far,
ON the other hand, public events have produced
and formed the character Of individuals.
therefore one history Of the same period, In hu-
man afiairs, no more renders another history of
the same period useless, unadvisablc, than the
structure of one temple forbids the erection of
other to the same god statue of Hercules,
Apollo, or Pericles, should suppress all other at
tempts 10 produce statues Of the same persona
But gentlemen, must not dwell longer on these
general topics. We arc Americans. We have a
country all our own all linked 20 is fates
and its fortunes; it lie already not without renown;
II has been the theatre Of some Of the most import
mt OF human transactions, and il may we'll be-
come US TO reflect on the topics aud the means fur
nishcd for historical composition in our own land.
have abstaincd on this occasion, gentlemen, from
much comment on the histories composed by Eu-
ropeon writers OF modern times and, for obvious
reasons, abstain altogether from remarks upon
the writers OF our own country.
Works have been written upon tho history Of the
United States; other works upon the same subject
arc in progress, and no doubt new works are con-
, tomplsted, and will b. accomplished.
1t need not be doubted that what has been achev-
ed by the great men who have preceded gene
ration will be properly recorded by their success.
ors country in which highly interesting events
occur is not likely to be destitute of scholars and
authors, III To transmit those events to posterity.
, For the present, content myself with few gene
raj remarks on the subject
In the history Of the United States there are three
opocbs The hrtt extends from the origin pnd set.
tement OF the colonies, respectively, To- the year
, lU4. During this, much the longest period, the
history Of the country is the history Of separate
communities and governments. with different laws