He takes hence occafion to lay down a very useful principle for the study of history; which is, to diftinguish exactly three things; the beginnings, the caufes, and the pretexts of a war. The beginnings are the first steps that are openly taken, and follow upon the refolutions that are made in private; fuch was the fiege of Saguntum. The caufes are the different difpofitions of mens minds, particular difcontents, injuries received, and the hopes of fuccefs; fuch, in the fact we are fpeaking of, were the lofs of Sicily and Sardinia, joined to the impofition of new taxes, and the favourable opportunity of so able and experienced an officer at their head as Hannibal. The pretexts are only a veil which ferves to conceal the real causes.

M. Boffuet, Bishop of Maux, obferves likewife, in his difcourfe upon univerfal hiftory, that we must not only confider the rife and fall of empires, but must also examine throughly the caufes of their progrefs, and the reasons of their declension: "For, fays he, the ❝ fame God, who has hung the world together, "as it were upon chains; and, almighty as "he is, hath thought fit, for the establishment "of order, that the feveral parts of this great "whole, fhould depend upon one another; "the fame God hath been pleased fo to direct "the courfe of human affairs, as to have their "dependencies and proportions; I mean, that men and nations have had qualities suited to the elevation for which they were defigned; and, except in fome extraordinary 4 cafes, wherein God would fhew the mighti nefs of his own arm, there have happen

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"ed no great alterations which have not had “their causes in the preceeding ages: and, "as in all affairs, there is what prepares them, "what determines to the undertaking of them, "and what makes them fucceed; the true "knowledge of history is, to observe, at all "times, the fecret difpofitions which paved "the way to great events, and the impor "tant conjunctures which brought them to "pafs. In short, it is not enough to look "ftreight before us; I mean, to take a pre❝fent view of the great events, which decide "at once the fortune of empires: whoe❝ver would throughly understand human af "fairs, muft go farther back, and obferve "the inclinations and manners, or, to say "all in a word, the character both of the people that prevail in general, and of prinparticular; and, laftly, of all the extraordinary men, who, through the im44 portance of the ftation they bore in the world, have contributed well or ill to the change of eftates, or fortune of the pu "blick."

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V. STUDY the character of the people, and great men, mentioned in hiftory: for what regards the character of nations, I cannot do better than refer the reader to the remarks M. Boffuer has made upon this fubject, in the fecond part of his difcourfe upon univerfal hiftory.

We fee there, with infinite pleasure, as in a review, all the nations and people of the world pafs before our eyes, with their good and evil difpofitions, their manners, customs, and different inclinations; Egyptians, Affyrians, Perfians,

Perfians, Medes, Greeks, and Romans. We there fee all the kingdoms of the world rifing, as it were, out of the earth; gradually advancing by almost an infenfible increase; extending at laft their conquefts on every fide; arriving, by different means, at the height of human greatnefs, and falling, at once, from that height, by fudden revolutions; and loft, as I may fay, and funk into that nothing from whence they fprung. But what is ftill more worth our attention, is, that we see there the caufes of their advancement and their fall, in the manners of the people, their characters, their virtues and vices. We learn there, not only to difcover the fecret and hidden fprings of human politicks, which give the movement to all actions and enterprifes, but to difcern withal, a fovereign Being watching and prefi ding over all, directing and conducting every event, and difpofing and abfolutely deciding the fate of all the kingdoms and empires of the world.

WHAT I have faid of people, may also be understood of the great and illuftrious men, who have been diftinguished for the good or ill they have wrought in every nation. We muft diligently apply ourfelves, to ftudy their genius, natural inclination, virtues, faults, particular and perfonal qualifications; in a word, the peculiar difpofition which prevails in them, and diftinguishes them from the reft of mankind; for that is properly to know them otherwise we fee only the furface and outfide of them; and men are not to be dif cerned or judged of by their drefs or their countenance only.

NEITHER

NEITHER muft we expect to know them principally from such of their actions as make the most glorious figure. When they expofe themselves to the publick, they may diffemble, and lie under a reftraint, by affuming, for a time, the vifage and mask which suits best with the character they are to fupport: they fhew themselves moft to be what they are, in private, in the closet, and at home, when they are unreferved, and without disguise; it is there they act and talk as nature directs. VI. OBSERVE in hiftory what relates to manners and the conduct of life.

THE obfervations I have already mentioned, are not the only ones to be made, nor the moft effential; fuch as relate to the regulation of manners, are ftill more important. "The greatest advantage, fays Livy, in his excellent preface, arifing from the know

ledge of hiftory, is, that you may fee there examples of every kind fet in the cleareft "light. You have patterns for your imita"tion, both in your private conduct, and in "the adminiftration of publick affairs. You "fee there alfo, fuch actions as are vici

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ous in their firft fetting out, are fatal in "their event, and for that reafon ought to "be avoided."

THE cafe is near the fame with the study of hiftory, as with travelling: if it is confined barely to the paffing over countries, the vifiting of cities, the examining the beauty and magnificence of the buildings and publick monuments, where is the mighty advantage attending it? Does it make a man wifer, more regular, or temperate? Does it remove his prejudices,

judices, or take away his errors? The novelty and variety of thefe objects, may amufe him for a time, like a child, and he may gaze upon them with a ftupid admiration; but, if this is all, it is not to travel, but wander, and to lofe both his time and trouble: Non eft hoc peregrinari, fed errare. 'Tis faid of Ulysses, that he took a view of abundance of cities; but not till after it had been abferved before, that he applied himfelf to study the manners and genius of the people.

VII. CAREFULLY to take notice of every thing that bears any relation to religion.

I have one obfervation more to make upon the study of hiftory, which confifts in carefully obferving whatever relates to religion, and the great truths which are neceffarily dependent upon it. For, amidst the confufed chaos of ridiculous opinions, abfurd ceremonies, impious facrifices, and deteftable principles, which idolatry, the daughter and mother of ignorance and corruption, has brought into the world, to the reproach of human reafon and understanding, there are still to be dif cerned fome precious remains of almoft all' the fundamental truths of our holy religion. There we more especially see the existence of a Being fupreme in power, and fupremely just, the abfolute Lord of kings and kingdoms; whose providence rules all the events of this life; whofe juftice prepares for the next the rewards and chastisements that are due to the righteous and the wicked; and, laftly, whofe all-piercing eye searches into the fecret corners of our confciences, and fpreads trouble and confufion there, whether we will or not.

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