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

But all these things kept in their proper places
by Herodotus. lie feels the connexion of his sub
| ject all the way through; how one event proceeds
from another. and how all tends to the PRINCIPAL
result or contributes 10 il directly.
In Thucydides the art of history is further ad =
vnnced, though he lived very little later than He
rodotus and probably had read heard his history
! though that is doubted.
4 Tbucyddes did not, indeed make one whole Of
his work, for he did not survive the war whose bis
tory he undertook to relate; but he ia less credu
lous than Herodotus he has proper dialogue:
he 10 more compact; he INDUCES very little in cp
sodes; he draws characters, and his speeches are
more like formal, stately discussions And he saws
OF them, they are such as he either heard himself
or received from those who did hear them and he
states that he gives them in their true substance
There Is nothing to create doubt that persona lly
he heard the Grafton OF Pericles; and it is remark
eelo mat, throughout the most flourishing period
! OF Greek literature, both poetical and historical
productions composed 10 be heard rather tina n
10 be read and the practice of listening to their re-
hearsals led the Greek people to attain great accu
racy IA well as retcntiveness of memory.
In short, Herododus's work seems n natural fresh
production OF the soil that of Thuc yddes belongs
to more advanced state of culture. Quinctilian
says OF the former In Herodofo omnia lster ,l,nt;
OF the latter Dssts Il breois ct sc,aper instas sibi
AenOphOn, III his UeeniCa continues Ihucydides
lie was military loader and familiar with the af
lars OF state, and though not deep a thinker
was more graceful and easy writer Polybius
living in much later period, is defective in style
but Id a wise and sensible author. His object is not
merely to show what has been, but to attempt the
instruction OF the future; making his work what
he calls dtmOnSTatiue history fitted for the use of
statesmen. He is the ast Of the really good Greek
| historians
The Romans had the great Greek masters in
prose and poetry all before them, and initiated
| them In every thing, but approached their models
nearly only IN eloquence and history. Like the
Greeks, too, they had early pootica histories his
torleal iegends songs, &c. EnnIus wrote sort
| OF Epic history Of Rome Cesar, one of the most
distinguished OF all great men, wrote accounts of
what he had done, or what related directly to him
cell. The clearness, purity, and precision Of his
style arc as characteristic of him as any of his
great achievements.
/ Sdiiust went more upon Greek models. Each of
his two remaining histories is Epic whole; short
indeed, but complete; fashioned with the greatest
exactness and inspired with n dignity and sta eli
ness OF style which Cesar did not seek and which
would not have been fitting for bis memoirs
! Lazy had ano' her purpose; there is an Epic COM
pictehess IN his great work, though that work has
come down to us in a mutated state. "Majestas
popuii ROnanT was his subject, and he sac ritices
| much to 1T even, not untrequently, the rigor of
truth. HIS style is rich and flowing; some one
speaks OF Linn iactsa tibertas. His descriptions
excellent; indeed, there Ii a nobleness and gran
deur about his whole work, well fitted to his mag
nlilcent purpose III writing il.
! 1acitus comes later, when he could no longer
feel SO proud OF his country Livy had done. He
had all the spirit and the power of Thucydides.
Both were great, upright men, dissatisfied with
their tilnes; the one because of the ascendency of
demagogues among the people, the other with the
Imperial wees and the growing demon alization of
his age. Tacitus s, however free from passion,
| and Id a wise, statesmanlike, and profound writer
| throughout. OF both his History and Annals large
portions are lost. We cannot therefore, tell how
| much OF completeness and proportion there may
have been IN either. But the nature of the period
he discusses In each; period as he Gays, "opimum
casibus, atox praelils, discors sediuonibus, ipsa
etiaIn pace sevum," forbade poetcal ornament
al In
character drawing he is hard exceled by any one
ny single dash of his pencil he sometimes throws
out likeness which all feel and acknowledge; and
yet II has been thought that some degree of falling
oil IN the purity and elegance of the La tin histor-
cal style Is dlsCernible in his pages.
vi 'hc roman writer's, my preference ID strongly
Tor oaiiust: admire his reach OF thought, his
ciearheas Oh style, as well as his accuracy of
! ration. lie is sufficiently concise; he is senten-
tous without being meagre obscure, and his
power OF personal and individual description is
markabie. There are indeed, in his style some
roughnesses belonging to the Roman tongue at an
CARRIER age, but they to CITIZEN the struc-
lure oil his sentences, without especially iniuring
thelr beauty. No character drawing can we'll ex
cced his deineaton of Catalina, his account OF Ju-
gurtha, or his parallel between Cesar and Cato. |
have thought, sometimes. that saw resemblances
between his terse and powerful periods. and the
re!narks and esyings OF DR. johnson, as they APP
pear, not IN his stately performances, but in the
record of his conversations, by Boswell.
In turning to perusc once more the pages of Sal
lust, 10 refresh myself for the preparation of this
address was struck by the coincidence of trans
action narrated by him, aud one which we ha We
seen very recently IN our own country.
When Jugurtha had put TO death fiiempsal and
expelled Adherhal from HE righuul throne, the
later, who was born IN Numidia, and not IN Hun
gary, came 20 Rome 10 invoke what we shoud call
The Intervention Of the Roman people HE speech,
delivered on that occasion in the Senate, Salust
has given It, Of the most touching ever made
by aman Ia misfortune, and suffering from injury,
to those having the power of granting relief or re-
dress. His duplication TO the Senate u founded
on the broad and general idea that the Roman pco-
pie were just Themselves, and they had the power
20 It was their duty, To prevent or punish high
handed injustice threatened or inflicted by others;
''Sed quoniam parum tuta per SO ipsB probitas
heque mihi IN manu- iuit Jugurtbn qualis iorct; ad
Nos cohlugi, pattes conscuph, quibus, quod mis-.
srrninum, cogor prius oner, guam usui csse
teicr reyes out bcllo vcti in amiCitiam VOLTS re
ccpt, aut m sus duLus rcbus socictatcm vcstram
appcuvcruut; Emilia nustra cum popuiu Romano
bcllo CarthaglnitnEi amicitiam institute; quo TEN.
pore msgis Rides 'Jus, guam fortuna potenda erat
Quorum prugcnicm we, patrcs cunscriptI, nolitC
pau lrusifa v"his auSiliuin petcre. 81 al mpc-
uahdum nlhil causU hubsrem, prteter miscrandau
] luruuam; quod pauin ante rex, gencrc, iamn atqur
copus ppteus, nuuc dci0rmatus Grumnis, iuops,
alenas opes cxpecto; fa,nen eraf nojcsiahs Roman
|g%"H Wo'i'T' "y'Iiam neque pat, cuJusquam reg
mum per scsits crescsre.
"Quid again? quo pOtissimum inicis accedam
h'n'ps prnsdia omnla cSstincta stunt; patcr, uti
necessc erat, naturu conccssit lratri, quom mini
l "''''Nt Pi'piH'Iuuh per hCclua Flthtu cfput
nincs, ainicls, prOpinquos ceteros, alum ala ella
dee opprcssit; capt. alb Jugurha, pars in crucem
nct para bestiis object pauci, qubus rclicia ami
ma clausi IA tcuebris. mUr0rc ct luCtu, mortS
Rrayiorcm, yitam cxiRuut ~ omnia, que aui
atnsi, nut * nccessarg advcrsa incta stunt, inco-
lumia manercnt; tamcu, si quid improviso nc
cdsset, Voc inplOrarcm, patrcs cOnscripti, quibus
pro magnitudinc impcu jus ct njurias omnc,
cut@ cssc deceit. Nuuc vero e1sul patria, domo
solus ct u1nnium hOncstnrum rcrum egens, quo
accedani, aut quos appellcm2 nationcsne, reyes
qut onncs iamiliw nostrc Oh vcstram amicitiam
iuiesti stunt! an quoqunm adire hcet, ubi non ma
, Jorum meorum hOstia monumental purima stint
aut quisquan nosiri misercu potcst, qui aliquand,
yObis hostis iuity
/ at ego inielix, in tanta mala precipitatus e,
, patrio rcgBO, rerum humanarun spectacular
ptUbeo: incertus quid agam tuasne injurias per
scquar, ipsc auyilli cRcus; au rcgno Consular
cuJus vita necisquc pOtcstns Opibus aliens pen
det uunam euOri fOrtunis meis boncstus esitu,
esset, ncu Vivcre c0ntcmptus vidcrer, 81, deiessu
. male, inluric concegsissem. nunc nCque vivert
hbct, ncque mon licct sine dcdccorc Patrcs con
scnpu, per voc, per hbcros atque parcntes vcstros
, per majestatem popuii Romani, subvcnite miser,
, mihi; ICE obv.am njurlU; nolite patti regnum M
india, lcr scolus ct sanguinem iamilia nostrs Ia
. b,scerc."
While confess myself not competent 10 eit IL
ar he II