E-text prepared by Marjorie Fulton
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L'histoire n'est fondee que sur le tomoignage des Auteurs qui nousl'ont transmisse. Il importe donc extremement, pour la scavoir, debien connoitre quels etoient ces Auteurs. Rien n'est a negliger ence point; le tems ou ils ont vecu, leur naissance, leur patrie, lepart qu'ils ont eue aux affaires, les moyens par lesquels ils ontete instruits, et l'interet qu'ils y pouvaient prendre, sont descirconstances essentielles qu'il n'est pas permis d'ignorer: deladepend le plus ou le moins d'autorite qu'ils doivent avoir: et sanscette connoissance, on courra risque tres souvent de prendre pourguide un Historien de mauvaisse foi, ou du moins, mal informe.Hist. de l'Acad. des Inscript. Vol. X.
First Published 1768
So incompetent has the generality of historians been for theprovince they have undertaken, that it is almost a question,whether, if the dead of past ages could revive, they would be ableto reconnoitre the events of their own times, as transmitted to usby ignorance and misrepresentation. All very ancient history, exceptthat of the illuminated Jews, is a perfect fable. It was written bypriests, or collected from their reports; and calculated solely toraise lofty ideas of the origin of each nation. Gods and demi-godswere the principal actors; and truth is seldom to be expected wherethe personages are supernatural. The Greek historians have noadvantage over the Peruvian, but in the beauty of their language, orfrom that language being more familiar to us. Mango Capac,the son of the sun, is as authentic a founder of a royal race, asthe progenitor of the Heraclidae. What truth indeed could beexpected, when even the identity of person is uncertain? The actionsof one were ascribed to many, and of many to one. It is not knownwhether there was a single Hercules or twenty.
As nations grew polished. History became better authenticated.Greece itself learned to speak a little truth. Rome, at the hour ofits fall, had the consolation of seeing the crimes of its usurperspublished. The vanquished inflicted eternal wounds on theirconquerors—but who knows, if Pompey had succeeded, whether JuliusCaesar would not have been decorated as a martyr to publick liberty?At some periods the suffering criminal captivates all hearts; atothers, the triumphant tyrant. Augustus, drenched in the blood ofhis fellow-citizens, and Charles Stuart, falling in his own blood,are held up to admiration. Truth is left out of the discussion; andodes and anniversary sermons give the law to history and credulity.
But if the crimes of Rome are authenticated, the case is not thesame with its virtues. An able critic has shown that nothing is moreproblematic than the history of the three or four first ages of thatcity. As the confusions of the state increased, so do the confusionsin its story. The empire had masters, whose names are only knownfrom medals. It is uncertain of what princes several empresses werethe wives. If the jealousy of two antiquaries intervenes, the pointbecomes inexplicable. Oriuna, on the medals of Carausius, used topass for the moon: of late years it is become a doubt whether shewas not his consort. It is of little importance whether she was moonor empress: but 'how little must we know of those times, when thoseland-marks to certainty, royal names, do not serve even thatpurpose! In the cabinet of the king of France are several coins ofsovereigns, whose country cannot now be guessed at.
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