THE

ENGLISH REVIEW,

For

APRIL 1790.

ART. 1. Lectures on History and General Policy; to which is prefixed an Effay on a Courfe of liberal Education for civil and active Life. By Jofeph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S. Ac. Imp. Petrop. R. Paris. Holm. Taurin. Aurel. Med. Paris. Harlem. Cantab. Americ. et Philad. Socius. 4to. Birmingham, printed: Johnson, London. 1788.

AMONG the numerous productions of this indefatigable writer, no one can lay claim to more utility than the work now before us. By unfolding the phenomena of nature, weaving the endlefs web of metaphyfics, or touching the discordant ftring of controverfy, we addrefs ourselves to few, and our labours are of ufe to a still smaller number; but in the narrative of the actions, and delineation of the paffions of men in every poffible fituation, every thinking mind is interested, and draws from this living fource of example the most useful kind of knowledge, the knowledge of man. This, as the mind directs the actions of the body, points out the proper employment of all our acquirements; without it as a philofopher, as a man of bufinefs, as a politician, a man loses himfelf in ideal theories, and can never become an ufeful member of fociety. The world is therefore much obliged to that perfon who endeavours to facilitate the study of hiftory, and enable the ftudent to reap every ENG. REV. VOL. XV. APRIL 1790. advantage

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advantage which attends it. In this view the public will not be ungrateful to Dr. Priestley.

We cannot give the reader a higher idea of the importance of this work, or a clearer view of the plan pursued in it, than by inferting the introduction to the first lecture:

The study of history is more or lefs the employment of all perfons of reading and education. This was, indeed, the earliest use that was made of letters. For the most ancient poems were almoft entirely hiftorical; and verse was firft cultivated in preference to profe (which feems to be the mof natural vehicle of history) as the beft, because the moft fecure, method of tranfmitting to pofterity the knowledge of past events. In all ages the writing of history has employed the ablest men of all nations; and to this day hardly any writer enjoys a greater, a more extenfive, and what will probably be a more lafting reputation, than a good historian.

The infinite variety there is in the fubjects of history, makes it inviting to perfons of every difpofition. It may be either trifling or ferious. It fupplies materials with equal eafe and equal copioufnefs for the fallies of mirth, and the graveft difquifitions of philofophy. As every thing comes under the denomination of history, which informs us of any fact which is too remote in time or place to be the fubject of our perfonal knowledge; it is calculated for the ufe of perfons of both fexes, and of men of all ranks and of all profeffions in life. Because it cannot be prefumed that a perfon of any profeffion, or in any fituation, can, of himfelf, come at the knowledge of every fact which it is for his advantage to be acquainted with."

Hiftory is fo connected with, and effential te, all kinds of knowledge, that the most fuperficial effay upon any subject whatever is hardly tolerable, unless fome kind of historical facts be introduced or alluded to in it. The neceffity of facts to moral writers, or those who write upon the theory of human nature, I need not mention. And certainly no perfon can be a good divine, much less undertake any part of the controverfy with unbelievers, unlefs he be very well acquainted with hiftory, civil as well as ecclefiaftical. Indeed, more than half of the books of fcripture confift of hiftory. And as all the prophecies of the Old and New Testament must be verified by hiftory, none but a good historian can be a judicious commentator upon fuch important parts of the facted writings.

Befides, an acquaintance with history is agreeable to us as fociable and converfeable creatures; fince it may be confidered as a means of extending the power of converfation, and making the dead of the party equally with the living. Nay, as things are circumftanced, the dead contribute more largely to gratify our natural and eager curiofity to be informed of paft and remote tranfactions.

In this field of hiftory, therefore, which is open to every man of letters, and in which every man of taste and curiofity cannot fail to pass a great part of his leifure hours, it cannot but be defirable to have a guide (at least upon a perfon's first introduction into it) left he fhould lose himself in the boundless variety it affords, and not be

able

able to find those convenient eminences from which he will have the moft eafy and agreeable view of the objects it contains. In the character of this guide, gentlemen, I now offer you my beft affistance.

The course of lectures we are now entering upon is intended to facilitate the ftudy of hiftory, both by directing you to the eafieft methods of acquiring and retaining the knowledge of it, and making the proper use of it when you are possessed of it.

That the observations I have collected for this purpose may be the most intelligible and useful, I shall dispose of them in the following method; confidering,

I. The general uses of hiftory.

II. The fources of history.

• III. What is necessary or useful to be known previous to the ftudy of hiftory.

IV. Directions for the more eafy acquiring and retaining a knowledge of hiftory.

V. Proper objects of attention to an hiftorian. And under this head I fhall confider the feveral fubjects of general policy, or the circumftances that chiefly contribute to render civil focieties fecure, numerous, and happy, as being the most important of all objects of attention to readers of hiftory.

• VI. In the laft place I would give you a general view of history civil and ecclefiaftical, but fhall content myself with referring to Holberg, or some other epitome of general history.'

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These five general heads are fubdivided into a variety of particulars, which comprehend much more than is promifed in the title-page; indeed, they contain a range of knowledge fo extenfive, and fo well adapted to the purposes of life, that the attainment of it would not only lead to a complete acquaintance with the hiftory of all ages, but form the useful citizen, the able statesman, and intelligent philofopher. The following fubjects, which are treated of in Part V, ('Of the most important objects of attention to a reader of hiftory') will confirin what we have faid. Different objects to different perfons, &c. General obfervations on political measures, periods of hiftory more particularly worthy of attention.-The rife and declenfion of the Roman empire. The time when the hiftory of • feveral European countries begins to be interefting to the reft of Europe. The most remarkable periods in the English and Scotch hiftory. The most interefting periods in the hiftory" of literature and the arts.-The most important periods in the hiftory of manufactures and commerce.-Every thing in• terefting in history which contributes to make a nation happy, populous, or fecure. Of government in general.-Of poli<tical and civil liberty, &c.-Of defpotic government.Of democracy. Of ariftocracy. Of the prefent European monarchies. Of the permanence of governments, &c.-Of a • ftate

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'ftate of barbarifm. The European governments (and parti cularly the English) traced from their rife in Germany to their prefent form. Of the feudal fyftem, &c.-Rife of corporations. The rife of the English commons. The declenfion of the feudal fyftem not equal in all parts of Europe. Of laws, criminal laws, &c.-The theory of the progrefs of law. Of an attention to agriculture.-Of arts and manufactures.-Of commerce.-Of colonies to a commercial ftate.-Maxims with refpect to money.-Of the • intereft of money. Of paper money. Of paper money. Of exchange.-Of luxury, &c.-Of politeness, &c. Of the influence of religion on civil fociety. Of civil eftablishments of religion. The influence of philofophy on civil affairs. Of the populousness of nations. Of the ftrength of nations.-Of the expences of C government. Of national debts.-Of fcience, &c. &c. -Of an attention to Divine Providence in the conduct of human ' affairs.'

The reader will perceive, by this detail of fubjects, which appear under a fingle head, the wide field which is opened before. him. We do not fay that upon all, or indeed upon any of these fubjects, he will meet with every thing that is neceflary to be known. This was not to be expected; neither was it the intention of the author that he fhould. But here he will find the route that he is to purfue marked out with truth and precifion, and in general every author referred to which can enable him to proceed with fuccefs; and this is all that can be expected from a work of the kind, from a text-book for lectures on history. A few errors and inadvertencies which Dr. Priestley has fallen into, the reader will be enabled to correct by a careful examination of the fources from which the lectures are compiled, and which, as we have already obferved, are referred to in the work.

We could have wished to have laid before the public what the author has faid of the method of ftudying English history, and his account of our original hiftorians; but fuch an extract would carry us beyond our proper bounds; we fhall therefore content ourfelves with inferting his account of our hiftorians from the fixteenth century:

The first writer worthy of our notice in the fixteenth century is Robert Fabian, an eminent merchant, and fome time sheriff of London, where he died in the year 1512. His Hiftoriarum Concordantiæ confifts of feven parts, of which the fix firft bring down the history from Brutus to William the Conqueror; and in the seventh he gives the hiftory of our kings from the Conqueror to Henry VII. He is very particular in the affairs of London, many things concerning the government of that great city being noted by him which are not to

be

be met with any where elfe. He mixes all along the French history with the English, but in different chapters. In the beginning of the feventh part he obferves Higden's method, of making his years commence at Michaelmas.

Polydore Virgil was the most accomplished writer, for elegance and clearness of ftyle, that this age afforded. He wrote the hiftory of our nation in Latin to Henry VIII. He was much acquainted with English affairs; but being a catholic, he gives a very unfair account of the reformation, and of the conduct of the proteftants. His work, however, is neceffary to fupply a chafm of almoft feventy years in our history, including particularly the lives of Edward IV. and Edward V. which period is hardly to be found in Latin in any other author.

Edward Hall, who was fome time recorder of London, where he died in the year 1547, wrote a large account of the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, which he dedicates to Henry VIII. If the reader defires to know what fort of clothes were worn in each king's reign, and how the fashions altered, this is the author for his purpose. In other refpects his information is not very valuable.

The Chronicle written by William Harrison and Ralph Hollingshead, two obfcure clergymen, was well received, and is ftill greatly esteemed. Hollinghead frequently owns the great affiftance he had from Francis Thynne, fome time Lancaster herald, and an eminent antiquary in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The fecond edition of this hiftory was continued to the year 1586 by John Hooper, alias Vowel.

• The first author we meet with in the seventeenth century is John Stow. He was a member of the Merchant Taylors' company in London. He travelled through a good part of England in fearch after manuscript hiftorians, in the libraries of our cathedral churches, and was very exact and critical in his collections. Having spent above forty years in thefe ftudies, he was put upon the correction and publifhing of Reyne Wolf's Chronicle, by Archbishop Whitgift; and he had fairly tranfcribed his work, and made it ready for the prefs, when he died, in the year 1605. Upon his death the revifing and continuation of his work was committed to Edward Hows, who fays he beftowed thirty years in bringing it into that good order and method in which we now fee it.

The Chronicle of John Speed is the largest and beft, fays Mr. Nicholson, that is extant. It begins with the first inhabitants of the ifland, and ends with the union of the two kingdoms under King James, to whom it is dedicated.

The Chronicle of Richard Baker, who died in the fleet in the year 1644, met with very great fuccefs. The author himself wrote the hiftory of our kings from the Romans down to the end of the reign of James I. and it was continued to the reftoration by Edward Philip, who having the perufal of fome of the Duke of Albemarle's papers might have fet that great revolution in its true light, had not ambition and flattery carried him beyond the truth and his copy.

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