The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-02-24
bursts upon ~ the full sperdor Of the commercial

Littletcn, Coke, Plowden, VIVA. are they 7 How
their learning fades sway ana becomes oosoleto
wbtp Holt, and Somers, aud Mansfield arise, catoa-
ire themselves, and infusipg all around them, tho
Influences, and the knowledge which commerce had
She upon the world?
cal doubtless, the EN- nent historians of the
Greek ard Roman ages. In their seyaral ways,
they are the masters to whom oil succeeding times
bave locked for instruction and improvement.
They are the models which have stood the test of
time and, Like the glorious creations in marble Of
Greclan genius, have been always admired and
never surpassed.
We have our favorites in literature, as we'll as
other things, and, | confess, that among tho Gro.
clan writers, my estimate Of Horodotus is great.
His evident truthialness, his singular simplicity
OF style, ard his constant respect and veneraJion
for sacred and divine things, win my regard. 1t
ID true that he sometimes appears creduicus which
caused Aristotle to say Of him that he was a
story teller. But, In respect TO this, two things
are to be femarked-the is, that he never AYERS
as iact that which rests on the accounts OF others;
the other is, that all subsequent travels and DIS
coveries have tended to confirm his fidelity. From
his sreat qualities az u writer, as well as from
the age in which he lived, no is justly denoni-
rsttd the . Father Of History" Herodotus was
conscientious narrator of what he saw and
herd In his manner there is much of the
old epic style; indeed, hs work may be considered
as the connecting link between tho epic legend
and political history; truthful, on the one land,
q
conceived and executed in the spirit Of poetry, and
not the proiounder spirit Of political philosophy 1t
bre itbes reyerential submission to tho divine will,
and recognises distinctly the governing hand OF
Providence in the affairs Of men. But, upon the
whole, am compelled to regard Thucydides as the
greater writer. Thucydides was equally truthful,
but moro conversant with the IN olives and charac
ter of men in their political rotations. He took
Infinite pains to make himself thoroughly acqualnt-
ed with transactions that occurred in his own day,
and which became tho subject ct his own narrative.
IL 10 sald, even, that persons were employed by
him to obtain Information from both the beugerent
pswes, for his use, while writing the history OF the
PelopOnesian war.
He was one Of the most eminent citizens Of the
Athenian republic, educated under tho institutions
of So!on, and trained in all tho political wisdom
ries since their establishment, moro profound
intellect never applied itself to historical nves.ga
ton; more clear sighted and impartial judge OF
human conduct never dealt with the fortunes and
acts OF political communities.
The work OF Heredotus 10 graphic, fluent, dra.
matte, and ethical ia tho highest degree; but it is
not the work OF O. Tree citizen OF free republic,
personally experienced ia the conduct Of its affairs
The history of he Pelopcnesian war, on the other
hand, could Only have been produced by man
who added to vast genius deep personal insight
into the workings Of various public Institutions
As Thucy ddes himself sayd, his history was writ
ren net for the entertainment Of the moment, but
to be :" possession forever"
There can, it seems TO me- DO n reasonable doubt,
that the first works, by which man expressed kis
thoughts aud feelings in an orderly composition,
essentially pOetcai. In the earliest writings,
of which we know anything with distinctncss, NO
have an union, or mipgling, Of poetry and fact,
embodJing the traditions and history Of the people
among which they arose.
Like other intellectual culture, this form Of his
tory appeared first in tn Last and from the days of
Moses and Joshua down to our own times, it had
there retained substantially the same character. |
mean 1t has been remarkable mixture of ire spirit
OF history and Of epic poetry. In Greece, We may
observe originally the state Of things; but the
two forms Of composition soon became separated,
though the Greek historical art, when highest,
never loses all its relations to the epic The ear
LEST Greek poets were religious and historical poets
dealing in the traditions and mythology Of thor
Heredotus was by birth an Asiatic Greek, and was
quite imtued with the oriental spirit. In his time,
of pubic records there we're noue, at tie most,
there we're only local registers of public events,
and their dates, SUCH for instance, those kept by
the priesthood i'll the Temples at Delphi aud Argos,
or tee registers of particular families lie travelled
therefore, TO collect the materials for his History
But lie made Of them one whole, and laid one idea
at tie bottom, with rs much Epic simplicity as Ho.
did in the HAD. His subject was tho contest of
Greece win tic Persians and tho triumph of Gre
cien liberty. Or. more strictly, tie great Grecan
victcry over tho barbariaas who had conquered the
world az then known. The relations between Hero.
do.us snd Homer arc not to bo mistaken; no not
Only has episodes, like the long one about Egyp.
snd formal speeches, which were common ia bis.
toIicai work. ill the sixteenth century ofour era,
ard have not been uukIoTn tince, bat lie has da-
lpeues OGc Of his series Of speeches, which par.
takes q TIE character of dialogue, shows q re-
ma;katis advancement in political knowledge for
the sgc Of PeIicleil mean that in which the con-
spirators against tho Mag OF Persia, previously to
tie elevate Of Darius, discuss the different forms
Of government, much n the spirit OF Montesquisu.
But ai there hirgs arc kept in thor proper places
by HercdctIs. tie feols The connection Of his sub
ject oil the way through; how event proceeds
from another, and how all tends to the principal
result, CT contributes TO it directly.
In Ihuoydises, the srt Of history is further adj
yareed, trough be lived very little later than Hero
dous, ard prob ably had read or heard his history,
though that is doubted
ThucJ 6ides did not indeed, make one whole OF
bis work, for he did rot survive tho war whose
history be undertook to relate; but he i less cro5
ulous than Herodo,us; &c has no proper dialogue
he is more compact he INDUCES very little in cpl
scdes he draws characters, ana his speeches are
more Like formal, stately discussions. And he says
Of hem, they euch as he either heard himself,
Or received from theae who did hear them, and he
states that he gives them in their true subtauce.
There isnothing 10 create doubt that personally
DO heard the Grafton of Percles; snd il is remark-
0 bic that, throughout the most hourshing period
Of Greek literature both poeticsl and historical,
Productions were composed TO be heard rather than
to be reads and the practice o. listening TO their
heasals LED the Greek people to attain great accu
racy, as well as retentivenees Of memory.
production OF the soil that Of Thucydides belongs
10 moye advanced state Of culture. Qoincsiliaa
gays of the former, In Bero20to Cainta enitg Easa
Of the lstter UtnsNS reris Sepcr ,i,stans siti.
NeneIhon in his Relenica, continues ThucJ didcs
He was a military leader, and familiar with tho
Affairs OF state, and though not 80 deep thinker,
was moro graceful and easy writer. Polybius,
iyirg ia luch later period, - defective IN sye,
hut is a wise and sensible author. His object 10
rot merely TO show what has been, bat 20 attempt
the irstrp ctUn Of the fature--makirg his work
what he calls demonstrasive history, lifted for
TIE use of statesmen. He is the last Of tAe really
good Creek historians
The Romans had the great Creek masters il
Prose and poetry all before thom, and initiated
them in evsrythisg, but approached tacit models
nfary only in elequenoe and history Like the
GIccss too, they had early peetcal histories, his
epic history Of Rome. Caesar, co OF the most
d'sirgu ed Of oil great men, wrote accounts Of
Nhst he had done, what related directly to him
scif The clearness, purity, and precision Of his
ma hp atfE az i'm, IA