CV. From all that has been said, it is evident, that he, who sets about
writing a history, engages in a most arduous undertaking; and that this
is an occupation, fit only for those, in whom are combined so many
excellent qualities, that the possession of them all in one subject
approaches nearly to an impossibility; for, to the universal knowledge
which we have just hinted to be necessary, should be added a love of
truth, which nothing can intimidate; a comprehensive spirit, which the
multitude of species can’t confound; a methodical genius to arrange them;
a superior judgment, to class and estimate them according to their merit;
a penetrating ingenuity, which, among a great number of confused and
seemingly contradictory appearances, can discern the legitimate signs
of the true from the adulterated; and, finally, he should be able to
write in a clear and noble stile, such as we described in the beginning
of this discourse as best suited to history, in order to illustrate
and explain the whole. I say, find me a man possessed of all these
requisites, _et eris mihi magnus Apollo_.
CVI. Although I consider all the before-named qualities, as absolutely
necessary to form a compleat historian, I am well aware, that in many
of the occurrences of life we should wish for the best, and content
ourselves with the good or the middling; but this should be understood
to relate to those faculties, in which a multitude of professors is
absolutely necessary. Every town, for example, stands in need of many
mechanical artificers; and as neither all, nor the half of them, can
be excellent, we are obliged to be satisfied with those that are
tolerable. But what necessity is there for multiplying Historians in this
proportion, or for people to take upon them the occupation of such, who
want the necessary talents to comply with the obligation? What have the
multitude of historians ever done but multiply fables? It is commonly
thought, that to compile a history, nothing more is necessary, than to
be able to read, and write, and to possess or have access to books, from
whence to extract the materials. Thus men engage in this undertaking who
are full of passions, and poor in talents; whose study enables them to
do nothing more, than without examination, without judgement, without
stile, and without method, copy whatever flatters their imagination, or
is favourable to their partiality.
CVII. Hence it is, that we meet with so many books filled with prodigies
which never existed. All the marvellous, even abstracted from any
particular motive for inserting it, is pleasing to him who writes, and
him who reads it. This is inducement sufficient to cause the writer,
if he does not invent, to copy and enforce a fable, and give it the
appearance, if not of a true, at least of a probable relation. The
tale is regaling to his imagination, and he is interested in inserting
it, by the expectation, that it will make his history appear more
attracting and pleasing to the reader. If, in the course of time, some
writer of judgment, should with strong arguments, founded in reason
and probability, attack the gossip’s tale, they throw in his teeth an
infinite number of writers who have patronized it, and treat him as a
rash man, for running counter to such a stream of authority; although
upon a nice examination, you will find all these amount to no more than
one only, who was the person that first invented, or adopted the fable,
upon the credit of vain popular rumour; and that all the rest are mere
copyists from this man; and that they made no inquiry into the premises,
nor gave themselves any further trouble, than that of transcribing what
they found written by him. But for the present, we will have done with
History.