Character of his Wit confifted in his fine and happy way of thinking. He is, no doubt, an excellent and very complete Historian: And 'twas by reading his Works, that Scipio and Lucullus became no lefs accomplish'd Generals. Polybius is a fine Speaker: He has a Stock of good Things, but does not manage his Stock fo well as the Writers before mention'd: Yet his Work is to be valued, if 'twere only upon the Authority of Brutus, who in the very Crisis of his Miffortunes pafs'd whole Nights in reading it. Indeed Polybius's Defign was not fo much to write an History, as to compofe general Inftructions for the Government of a State; as he himself declares at the Entrance of his first Book; and by this means he feems to defert the Character of an Hiftorian: Which oblig'd him to interpofe, at the beginning of his ninth Book, a kind of Apology for his manner of Writing. His Stile is frequently loofe and Incorrect. Dionyfius Halicarnaffaus, in his Work of the Roman Antiquities, has fhewn a great and uncommon depth of Senfe, and Knowledge, and Reafon. He is Diligent and Exact, Judicious and Weighty; and has the Advantage of Livy, as to the Truth of his Relations; but after all, he must be confefs'd to be very tedious when he turns Haranguer. Diodorus Siculus has fomewhat of Greatnefs in his Character; but then he is vaftly too wide and diffusive, as a Collector from Philiftus, Timeus, Callifthenes. Theopompus, and other Hiftorians. Philo, and Jofephus, give Proofs of a very extraordinary Eloquence; but both thefe Learned Jews feem too fond of gratifying their Heathen Readers, to whose Taste and Opinion they are fervilely compliant. Arrian is an affected Imitator of Xenophon, to the very number of his Books.

Euf

Appian has copied from all the Greeks, and by this confufed Medley has rendered his Stile Alienorum very unlike any of thofe Originals. Scaliger Jaborum accufes him as a Pillager of other Mens Lafucus. Jof bours: He is beholden to Plutarch for his finest Scalig. Animad. Strokes: After all, he must be allow'd to have got together a good Fund of Materials. Dion Caffius has loft his Credit with the greatest Part of the World by his undistinguish'd Mixture of Prodigies and Wonders with his Story: He is fo far from adhering to the Truth, as even to defert all Probability; as when in his fixty fixth Book he reports Vefpafian to have gi ven Sight to a Blind Man by Spitting on his Eyes. Procopius is exact in what he delivers, as having attended Belifarius in the Wars, and been an Eye-witnefs of his famous Actions; but he is too dry in his Account of the Perfian Affairs, which feems defign'd for a bare Journal. He gratified his Paffion in writing his secret Hiftory, but fhew'd his Temper in fuppreffing it during his Life. The Generality of the Byzantine Hiftorians, as Agathias, Cedrenus, John de Curopalato, &c. tranfcrib'd from one another, and that but very negligently, as not to reach any Shadow of the Dignity and Grandour, the Judg ment and Fidelity of the ancient Grecians. Subtiliffi mus brevi. Among the Latins, Saluft is great in his Air and tatis arti- Manner, just in his Wit, and admirable in his fex Salu- Senfe. No Man ever fo happily imitated the fius, pro profound Intelligence and exact Severity of Thuprietatum in verbis cydides's Stile. He is fometimes hard in his Exretinentif- preffions, but never difgufting: His Brevity infimus. A. trenches a little upon his Perfpicuity; there's noGell. thing falfe in his Manner, and nothing without Saluftius Weight in his Difcourfe; though his Practice quam, fed was far from being commendable, yet his Pringraviffimus alienæ luxuriæ objurgator. La&ant.

bomo ne

ciples are always juft and excellent: He inceffantly declares against Vice, and takes all Occafions of pleading the Caufe of Virtue: I look upon him to have been fomewhat difaffected towards his Country, and fufpicious of his Neighbours: but in other Refpects one of the greatest of Men. Cafar has the best Talent at expreffing himself that ever was. Learned Men have good Reason to admire the inimitable Purity of his Stile; but I am ftill more charm'd with the Juftnefs of his Senfe; for, perhaps no Man ever wrote with greater Wisdom: He is almost the only Author that is guilty of no Impertinences. He fpeaks of himself as of an indifferent Perfon, and takes care always to maintain the prudent Character that he first embraced. He is not, indeed, a confummate Hiftorian; but had he taken a little more Compafs, and given more Life and Spirit to his Difcourfe, he had been an Example of Perfection. 'Tis a Glory to this incomparable Author, that Henry IV and Lewis XIV imploy'd themselves in tranflating his Hiftory of the Gallick War. Livy is the most finish'd Pattern, in whom all the great Qualities of an Hiftorian meet and confpire; a fine Imagination, a noble Expreffion, an exact Senfe, an admirable Eloquence. His Spirits feems to have been fram'd for none but great Ideas: He fills the Conception of his Readers, and thus makes his way to their Heart, and wins their Soul. He is the greatest Genius for History, and one of the greateft Mafters of Livio puEloquence that ever appear'd in the World. Itat ineffe could never apprehend any Meaning in that Pollio Cenfure of Afinius Pollio, who pretends that his quandam Language favour'd more of Padua than of Rome tatem. His great Talent is to make Men feel what he Quint. fays, to infpire his Readers with his own

Thoughts,

In Tito

Patavini

Evenit nonnun

Thoughts, his Hopes and Fears, and all his Paffions, by moving every fecret Spring of their Hearts. Tacitus's Manner is different from all others; but he is fo wholly taken up with reprefenting great Events, as fcarce ever to stoop to fmaller Affairs, which yet ought not to have been neglected. He thinks finely, but feldom expreffes himself clearly. He affumes too much of the Philofopher. He determines every Thing with as great Haughtiness and Affurance, as if he held the Destiny of all Mankind in his Hands. He fpares no Man, fpeaks evil of Humane Nature in general, and is perpetually moralizing upon the Follies of others. How fuccefsful has he been in fpoiling many good Wits, by feducing them to the vaineft Study in the World, the Study of Politicks? 'Tis with this Witchcraft that fo many Spaniards, as well as Antonio Perez; and fo many Italians, as well as Machiavel and Ammarato, have been infatuated. 'Tis only by the Brillancy of his Difcourfe, that this Author is fo exceffively delightful to Men of strong Imaginations, while the too exquifite Subtlety of his Reafonings and Reflections are wont to disgust Perfons of a more natural Wit. His way of Criticifing is fine and nice in it felf; but he feems to blunt its Edge, by affecting to play the Critick upon all Occafions. As he al

ways aims at the greatest Thoughts, fo he fomequam, ut times reaches a true Sublimity; and 'tis by the aliquid help of this that he impofes upon his Readers: grande in- It is not Pleasure, or Inftruction, but Admirati veniat qui on, that feems to have been the great End of femper quarit his Writing. He has fomewhat fo very rais'd quod ni- and extraordinary, as may recompence and atmium eft. tone for most of his Failings. But there has been Quint. fo much faid in Praife and Difpraise of this

Author, that 'tis hard to come to any End in

Speaking

fpeaking of his Character. He is certainly a Wit above the ordinary Standard, made rather for Oftentation than for the Bufinefs of the World, and Commerce with Mankind. Quintus Curtius is to be commended for his Impartiality: He tells us the Good and the Bad of Alexander; and does not fuffer the fhining Merit of his Heroe to blind his Eyes. If there's any Fault in his History, 'tis that of too much Politeness; but then he has excell'd in the sweet and natural way of Painting the Manners. This finish'd Character which we have hitherto admir'd in fo many great Men, is no longer to be met with in the following Ages. Justin, rather an Epitomizer than an Hiftorian, does but flourish upon Matters. He has a large Compass of Knowledge, fays a great many good Things, and preferves a number of Facts, the Memory of which had otherwise been Extinct. Moft of the Authors of the Auguftan History confin'd themselves to writing Lives; (as Plutarch and Herodian had done among the Greeks, and Sueton and Cornelius Nepos among the Latins) and thus degenerated from the Character of Hiftorians: They are but mere Registers, Copiers, and Compilers; have nothing delicate, and scarce any Thing rational: They were Born under an unlucky Planet for Hiftory; and are of no Eminence or Confideration, but for giving, fome rude Draught, fome confus'd Idea of their own Times; fuch are Spartian, Ammianus Marcellinus, and those who fucceeded them. We find little Sincerity among the modern Greeks; their Genius feems much delighted with Visions; and they are always hot upon the Scent of fome extraordinary Adventure. The Love of Learning, which began to revive with these last Ages, has produced a whole Flight of Hiftori

ans,