OBSERVATIONS, &c.

GEOGRAPHY and Chronology are justly called the eyes of History, which without them is a chaos" without bound, without dimension, where length, breadth, height, time and place, are lost." Therefore, for ancient Geography, I would recommend Geographie Ancienne, Abrégée Par D'Anville in 3 vols. 8vo. to read, or refer to the last edition of Guthrie's Grammar will, I should suppose, be sufficient for modern, and the maps of D'Anville for both For Chronology, Blair's Chronological Tables. The study of History is of all others the most amusing, the most interesting, and the most improving. It brings before our eyes, as it were on a stage, men of all ages, nations, rauks, and characters, acting a variety of parts and teaching us by their successes or misfortunes how to act our own. It teaches us too, by affording infinite opportunities of comparison, a knowledge of mankind which no experience can furnish.

First in order is ancient History. I remember so little of the voluminous work of Rollin, as not to venture to decide whether it will quite pay you for the trouble of reading it. I have rather an idea that it will not. If I do him wrong, I beg his pardon, but, I am almost certain that Elémens D'Histoire par l'Abbé Millot, will give you a sufficient sketch, which you may afterwards fill up and improve by reading (if you choose to take the trouble of being very learned in Greek History) translations of the original Authors,

Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, or perhaps, without these, two volumes in 8vo. of Stanyan's Grecian History may gratify you. I would recommend, however, Spelman's Translation, in 2 vols. 8vo. of Xenophon's Retreat of the 10,000, and some translations of Xenophon's Cyropædia. I am not acquainted with any myself.

The Lives of Plutarch: certainly, he exhibits his illustrious men still as men: not only glittering in armour, or directing the councils of empires, but such as they really were in the most interesting and common occurrences of private and domestic life. They are all admirable, but those of the Grecians are to be preferred.

Hook's is the best Roman History: this will lead you to the history of the Grandeur et Décadence des Romains, par Montesquieu, and that to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. If you choose to avoid the latter's sarcastic account of the rise and progress of Christianity, you must omit the 15th and 16th chapters of the first volume. The style of Gibbon is, in niy opinion, superior to that of any English historian, except Lord Clarendon-strong, brilliant, sententious, elegant, and correct. He has dared to produce to public notice, and contrived even to give interest and amusement to, a period of history, which, till he undertook it, lay buried under a heap of Gothic rubbish, which scarce any one was bold enough to touch, and which he, by touching, has changed to gold.

I have not read Crevier's Histoire des Empereurs Romains, but have heard it mentioned with approbation-however, as Gibbou gives all their histories, it is the less necessary.

Middleton's Life of Cicero, though it inclines to panegyric, will give you a juster idea, on the whole, of that great man, orator, philosopher, and statesman, than is to be met with elsewhere. His style is excellent, flowing, correct, elegant, and pure.-You should read too Melmoth's Translations of the Letters of Cicero, and of his Treatises on Friendship and Old Age, and of Pliny's Letters. The style of all these is elegance itself.

Vertot's Révolutions Romaines is a book in some degree of estimation.

The Eloquent Bossuet's Essai sur l'Histoire Universelle.
The moral works of Plutarch must not be forgotten: they

deserve a distinguished place in your shelves allotted to ancient literature, as well as the Memorable Sayings of Socrates recorded by his pupil Xenophon.-They are full of wisdom, and will show you a faithful portrait of that man so superior to all others. There is, if I mistake not, a translation of them from the Greek into English, by Mr. Lennox, and another by Monsieur Charpentier into French, published with La Retraite des dix mille par d'Ablancourt, in 2 vols. 12mo.

Of ancient poets, you will of course read, Pope's Translation of the Iliad and Odyssey, and Dryden's Translation of Virgil.

If you wish to trouble yourself about the ancient Drama, you may look into Theatre des Grecs, par le pere Brumoi, and Potter's Translation of Eschylus and Euripides, and read Dacier's or Colman's Translations of Terence.

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English History, and Historians who have written in English, Moral Works, Essays, Novels, &c.

Rapin, with Tindal's continuation, in 5 vols. folio.-Hume: for whom, however, I must confess I have no partiality, and take the liberty of cautioning you not to believe what he would persuade you, that the people of England were wolves, and the Princes of the House of Stuart, Lambs: his style is good, in spite of some lurking Scotticisms, and he tells his story agreeably, but, for just information, there is no comparison between him and Rapin.

Lord Clarendon, the first of English Historians. Purity of style is not to be expected from him, for it did not exist in our language till the days of Swift and Addison. But he atones amply for this defect by strength, majesty, and a copiousness of diction, that is sometimes redundant: by a candid and dignified air of truth, that defeats at once all scepticism; and by a talent (peculiar to himself) of painting characters in colors that make them live and breathe. If, after all, he is partial to the cause of which he was the chief ornament, the support, and the victim, who can blame him? he was a man liable to error, open to affection, but above corruption or wilful misrepresentation,

Burnet's History of His Own Times, has been abused, but

it is the best and most authentic source of information for the period it embraces-not much is to be said for the Bishop's style.

Robertson's History of the Queen of Scots is still his best work. But his Life of the Emperor Charles the First, and his History of America, have both great merit. His style pleases me better than that of Hume,-it is less studied and yet more correct.→→ Flowing on in a gentle but uniform current, which, if it never swells above its banks, nor sweeps all before it, yet it is never retarded or deficient.

Melville's Memoirs contain curious circumstances relating to Queen Elizabeth, which prove that her great qualities were counterbalanced by the weakest vanities and most ridiculous failings.

Cary's Memoirs show Queen Elizabeth in her last miserable hours, putting a period to her own life, because she had cruelly or inadvertently sacrificed that of Essex, dearer to her than herself.

Mr. Walpole's History of Noble Authors is full of entertainment and information-His Anecdotes of Painting in England deserve the same character.

The Biographia Britannica is worth having, to consult as a dictionary, if not to read through. It contains the lives of all the most remarkable persons that have florished in Great Britain or Ireland.

Mémoires de Grammont may certainly be called English History. The gay Court of Charles the Second will live for ever in themat least, as long as good taste and the French language.

There are vast collections of State papers and letters, among which one might lose oneself. If you have curiosity to examine any, none deserve your attention more than those of Lord Stafford, in 2 vols. folio, and those of the Sydney family, likewise in 2 vols. folio.

Watson's History of Philip II. of Spain, is full of important events.-The siege of Malta is particularly described.-His style is without ornament, simple, and clear.

I must now beg leave to conduct you back to an earlier period, and introduce to you (not without some anxiety as to his reception) the great Lord Bacon. In his general Essays written by himself in English (I mention this particularly because there is

an English translation of them by an inferior hand from the Latin, in which he wrote them originally, as well as in English) you will find strong sense, deep, acute observation, a quick and lively wit, and rich imagination. His style boasts not the light elegance of modern ornament: but like the faded gold and silver one observes in ancient hangings, must be esteemed for its magnificence and intrinsic value. It is in obedience to your commands, but, at the same time very much with the approbation of my own judgment, that I add the Admirable Letters of Algernon Sidney. They are published in the last edition of his Discourses on Government in 4to. therefore, if you choose to read at the same time those elegant and animated discourses, cela dépend de vous. You will find in them an eloquence that seems to flow spontaneously from strong feeling, and to breathe the immediate inspiration of sentiment, instead of betraying the slow and ineffectual touches of

art.

The Papers of Mr. Addison in the Spectator, distinguished always by one of the Letters of the muse Clio, placed at the end, are not only far superior to the rest, but may be considered as perfect models of pure, correct, and polished writing, enlivened by a vein of elegant pleasantry that was all his own and sufficiently enriched by metaphor and imagery. The essay on the Pleasures of the Imagination, and that on Wit, contained each in a series of separate papers, are excellent of their kind.

The World is, I think, the least degenerate descendant of the Spectator. The humor and style are modern: the manners and foibles of the times are hit with precision and ridiculed with spirit. This is the less to be wondered at, since many papers in this work are written by Lord Chesterfield, Mr. Horace Walpole, Mr. Soame Jenyns, and Mr. Cambridge.

Authors of the Different Papers in the “World.”