XC
FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS USELESS.
times, could not be successful all at once; whoever under-
took them, was biassed by many prejudices, and though lie
saw the goal, yet he naturally strayed on his road. It had
thus become necessary not only faithfully and conscientiously
to acquiesce in what had been discovered, but to take courage
and try to solve the mysteries.
With regard to the" ancients, it is my conviction that, on
the whole, all information on matters of importance, as far
as it is obtainable, has been obtained, and that it is time to
abandon such investigations. It would be very unfortunate,
if they continued to be the order of the day; not that I am afraid
lest it should be possible to overturn the results to which the
investigations concerning the institutions and constitutions of
Home have led us : they are as certain as if we had derived
them directly from the original sources themselves. It is
with ancient history as it was with the king who had for-
gotten his dream: we must not merely interpret what the
ancients read, but re-discover what they read; and this may
be done with confidence and success. But as our sources are
limited in number, and as these sources have been completed
by the results of investigation, there is nothing further that
could be wished for, until better sources arc discovered. There
are other points also, concerning which further investigations
cannot possibly be made. I entertain no fear of the results of
my enquiries being ever overthrown: all that is still to be
gained is of secondary importance, and there is nothing in
the ancient sources which has not been found out already.
To overthrow the results at which we have arrived, and ever
and anon to make the same investigations over again, is an
evil: we must make use of what has been gained. I wish
that more attention was paid to the later times, for these are
of such a nature that new discoveries may be made at every
step: but in order to acquire a thorough knowledge of them,
one must be well acquainted with the earlier forms and their
changes; we must not believe that Roman history ceases to
have any interest, where we have contemporary authorities,
and that only those parts are interesting which must be made
up by conjectures and combination. The history of Rome
down to the end of the empire is one whole, which begins
from the darkest ages, the sources of which are distorted and
perverted, since we have them only at the third or fourth
KEQUIbITES EOK THE STUDY OF HIbTOKY. Xci
hand; but their history may be restored by combination,
comparison, and analogy; and Fabius, Gracchaiius, and Macer
must form the pillars of it. Scepticism here leads to nothing,
and is highly injurious to the human mind. After these dark
ages we come to the time where we have the statements of
well-informed writers. The remaining part of Eoman history
from the time when it becomes historical, must likewise be
investigated in order to obtain definite results; and when they
are gained, we shall have to examine them calmly, and to
make use of them.
The study of ancient history require» for its basis, a sound
and profound philological knowledge, and a ready grammatical
tact, to serve as a guard against groundless and fanciful
etymologies; a well developed and Inaturedjudgment to dis-
tinguish between what is only possible or probable, and evident
truth—a knowledge of human and political alfairs, of social
relations in general, and of occurrences which have taken
place at different times and in different nations, according to
the same or similar laws—but, above all things, conscientiousness
and candour. We have to bear in mind what was said after
the revival of letters by men of all creeds, that learning is
the fruit of piety, in order that, by the sincerity of our hearts,
by knowledge of ourselves, and by a conscientious walk in
the sight of God, we may guard ourselves against the desire
to appear what we are not, that we may never forgive ourselves
the slightest deviation from the truth, and that we may never
consider a ιesult of our investigations which flatters our wishes
as truth, so long as there is in our conscience the slightest
feeling of its being wrong. But this is not the place to
discuss these preparatory requirements of the student of history ;
they belong to a higher science which teaches us how to learn
and to cultivate our minds, though they find a direct appli-
cation in all historical matters, as veracity is hut too often
set aside, and appearance is all that is aimed at. Hypotheses
which flatter the author or have a brilliant appearance are
set forth as truths; and how many instances might not be
mentioned in which writers have stolen the ideas of others
and given them to the world as their own, in order to shine
with them ! This pract'ce is unfortunately carried on in all
its variation-, from the most secret and hidden plagiarism to
the most manifest robberies: for when conscience is once