Read the twenty books of the _Histories_ of Dionysius of
Halicarnassus.[450] He begins with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy
after the capture of Troy, describes in detail the foundation of
Rome, the birth of Romulus and Remus, and other events down to the
war of the Romans with Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. The work ends at
the third year of the 128th Olympiad, where, the author says, the
history by Polybius of Megalopolis begins. Dionysius flourished in
the Augustan age, since he tells us that he sailed to Italy after
the end of the civil war between Antony and Augustus, and lived
there for twenty-two years. During this time he acquired an accurate
knowledge of the Latin language and of Roman antiquities, and, having
thoroughly equipped himself with materials, he began to write his
history. His style and diction are marked by innovation, which drives
the narrative out of the beaten track, but his fondness for detail
produces a certain simplicity of sentiment, so that the language does
not seem to be carried away into harshness and unpleasantness. He is
fond of digressions which relieve the reader and prevent his becoming
tired of history, and refresh and revive him. In a word, the elegance
of his style, the admixture of detail and digression, soften the
composition, which has a tendency to harshness.