much more modern. His Continuator, Trussel, is not so well spoken of. Daniel is very concise in his accounts before the conquest, but much fuller afterwards. He ends with Edward III. and Trussel with Richard III. This book is reprinted in Bishop Kennet's collection, but the old editions are the best. The bishop employed Oldmixon, a hero in the Dunciad in the republication, who, we are told, falsified it in many places.

If we are not content with the general accounts of the subsequent reigns, it may not be amiss to look at their particular writings.

Buck's History of Richard 3d is remarkable from the pains he takes to clear his character against the scandal (as he calls it) of other historians. Lord Bacon's florid History of Henry 7th comes next.You must know this king was a favourite of James the First, and as it was written to recover his favour, the author, you may suppose, has not been impartial. Lord Herbert's Henry the 8th well deserves reading; he was a free-thinker, and a free writer, his information was good, and the era particularly interesting. The next work of importance, not quite forgetting Sir John Hayward's Edward 6th, is Camden's Elizabeth, a performance worthy of its author. The story of Mary, Queen of Scots, may be more particularly learned from her countrymen, Melvile, Buchanan, &c.

The Stuarts have brought in a flood of histories, many highflying panegyrics, and many scandalous invectives.—On James 1st, Wilson, Sanderson, Weldon, &c. and a late writer, one Harris, an Anabaptist Parson.

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For Charles the First appears our greatest historian, Lord Clarendon; on the other side, Ludlow, who is, however, particularly severe on Cromwell, I omit Whitelock, Rushworth, Warwick, and a thousand others.

After the restoration, Burnet's History of his Own Times will come in, and carry us to the end of Queen Anne's reign; a curious work, but to be used with great caution, as the bishop had strong prejudices. Salmon wrote an answer to it.

Rapin seems the next writer of much consequence. Voltaire, certainly a good judge of history, calls him our best historian; but perhaps he was partial to his countryman. It is, however, a work of much accuracy, but barren of reflection, and consequently, heavy in the reading. Carte, who emphatically styles himself an Englishman, wrote purposely against him on the tory side of the question.

The latter historians, Hume, Smollett, &c. you know, perhaps, as well as I do Hume is certainly an admirable writer; his style bold, and his reflection shrewd and uncommon; but his religious and political notions have too often warped his judgment. Smollett wants

the dignity of history, and takes any thing upon trust; but his books, at least the former volumes, are sufficiently pleasing. I have purposely omitted a multitude of writers; as Speed, Baker, Brady, Tyrrell, Echard, Guthrie, &c.

Collections of letters and state papers are of the utmost importance, if we pretend to exactness; such as a collection called the Cabala, Burleigh's, Sydney's, Thurloe's, &c.

The last observation I shall trouble you with is, that sometimes a single pamphlet will give us better the clue of a transaction than a

volume in folio.

Thus we learn from the Duchess of Marlborough's apology, that the peace of Utrecht was made by a quarrel among the women of the bed chamber! Hence, memoirs, secret histories, political papers, &c. are not to be despised; always allowing sufficiently for the prejudice of party, and believing them no farther than they are supported by collateral evidence.

THE CHRONICLES.

Hall, Hollinshed, Grafton, Camden, Speed, Stowe, Dugdale, Leland, and others of about the same age, may be called our original historians; inasmuch as they derived their information from sources now entirely closed against us. They had access to documents of which but a portion is preserved, and that as it were by chance, and under the keys of the curious. They had authorities, more in number, perhaps, than appears in their works, since some might be consulted by them for confirmation of what they found in others; and in many instances, they had an additional resource in tradition, of which later ages are entirely deprived. The destruction of documents that took place during the civil wars is exceedingly to be regretted, while accidental conflagrations, pilferings, and other means of defalcation, though local, have contributed to diminish the stock of instructive materials which has escaped the violence of intentional mischief.

In Bishop Nicholson's historical library a full account of all the monkish historians may be met with.

Those who wish to read our early historians, may obtain the reprint of the following chronicles:

Hollinshed, Hall, Grafton, Fabyan, Rastell, Arnold, Hardyng, and Froissart, in 15 vols. royal 4to. 371 10s

MONSTRELET. The Chronicles of France and England, translated from the French, by Thomas Johnes, Hafod Press, 5 vols. royal 4to. 217

Dr. Dibdin says they are a never failing source of amusement. Conversations, skirmishes, battles, the country, the town, scenes within the tent, the palace, or the church, the quiet of pastoral occupation or the tumult of a popular assembly, are hit off in a manner the most simple and striking imaginable.

A grant has recently been made by parliament, for the laudable purpose of reprinting our ancient historians, to form a complete body of national history.

In collections or bodies of history, the French have greatly the advantage over us; as well as in the rich store of memoirs, which illustrate so delightfully the late periods of their history.

I find it impossible to do justice to the literature of France, in the limits I have fixed for this book; it is, therefore, my intention to reserve the whole of the Foreign literature for a separate and distinct volume.

CLARENDON. The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars of England, in 6 vols. 4to. 77 17s 6d— 6 vols. 8vo. 31 3s, by Edward Hyde, Lord Clarendon.

The Life should also be purchased, in which the history is continued, 3 vols. 8vo.

His eloquence and power of painting characters, and knowledge of his subject, rank him in the first class of writers; we rise from Clarendon as we sometimes do from Milton, often charmed and astonished, but a little wearied and well pleased to rise; it is his magnanimous impartiality, as well as his inflexible adherence to truth, which constitutes the chief excellence of his history. Dr. Dibdin.

LYTTLETON. The History of the Reign of Henry the Second, 8vo.

The History of England to the Revolution, 1688, by David Hume, with a continuation by Dr. Smollett,

to the death of George the Second, in thirteen octavo, vols 4/ 10s

There is an elegant edition, forming part of the Oxford classics, in 13 vols. 38 portraits.

type, 37 15s.

15 vols. 24mo. small

There are several continuations to Hume and Smollett, of which the best, I think, may be considered to be that by Dr. Robert Bisset, to the death of George the Third, in six octavo vols. 3l 3s

Smollett first published a History of England in 1757, and reprinted in 1758, in eleven octavo volumes; it was published in sixpenny numbers, of which twenty thousand copies were sold directly, this extraordinary popularity was created by the artifice of the publisher. He addressed a packet of the proposals to every parish clerk in England, carriage free, with half-a-crown enclosed, as a compliment, to have them distributed through the pews of the church, which being generally done, the pious people read the papers instead of listening to the sermon, and the result was an extensive demand for the work.

Hume says, I commenced with the accession of the house of Stuart, an epoch where I thought the mis-representations began chiefly to take place. I was, I own, sanguine in my expectations of the success of this work. I thought that I was the only historian that had at once neglected present power, interest and authority, and the ery of popular prejudice, and as the subject was suited to every capacity, I expected proportional applause. But miserable was my disappointment. I was assailed by one cry of reproach, disapprobation, and even detestation. English, Scotch, and Irish, whig and tory, churchman and sectary, free-thinker and religionist, patriot and courtier, united in their rage against the man who had presumed to shed a generous tear for the fate of Charles 1st, and the Earl of Stafford. And after the first ebullitions of their fury were over, what was still more mortifying, the book seemed to sink into oblivion. Mr. Millar told me, that

in a twelvemonth, he sold only forty-five copies of it. I scarcely, indeed, heard of one man in the three kingdoms, considerable for rank or letters, that could endure the book. I must only except the Primate of England, Dr. Herring, and the Primate of Ireland, Dr. Stone. These dignified prelates separately sent me messages not to be discouraged. I was, however, I confess, discouraged.

Johnson. His style is not English, the structure of his sentences is French. And the English structure may, in the nature of things, be equally good. But if you allow that the English langage is established, he is wrong.

HENRY. The History of Great Britain, by Dr. Robert Henry, 12 vols. octavo, 4/ 4s

There is a continuation by James Petit Andrews, to

the death of Elizabeth, in two octavo volumes.

For students the plan of this work is excellent, being divided into distinct divisions of subjects, by which may be traced any one in particular throughout the work. The principal divisions are Political History, Ecclesiastical History, Learning, Arts, Commerce, Manners and Customs.

Dr. Johnson. I have heard Henry's History of Great Britain well spoken of. I am told it is carried on in separate divisons, as the civil, the military, the religious history. I wish much to have one branch well done, and that is the history of manners of common life.

Dr. Robertson. Henry should have applied his attention to that alone, which is enough for any man, and he might have found a great deal scattered in various books, had he read solely with that view. Henry erred in not selling his first volume at a moderate price to the booksellers, that they might have pushed him on till he had got reputation. I sold my History of Scotland at a moderate price, as a work by which the booksellers might either gain or not; and Cadell has told me that Millar and he have got six thousand pounds by it. I afterwards received a much higher price for my writings. An author should sell his first work for what the booksellers will give, till it shall appear whether he is an author of merit, or, which is the same thing as to purchase money, an author who pleases the public.

Boswell's Life of Johnson.

Dr. Henry acknowledged that he gained a profit of three thousand three hundred pounds by his History of England; a small remuneration for the labour of twenty years.