posed, have been begun; and again, after they have been gone through; i. e. I would recommend the perusal of it twice. It may be a map of the subject in the first instance, and a summary in the second.

This work has been always understood to be the work of Mr. Burke. Indeed, it could be attributed to no man of the period in which it was published, though a sort of Augustan age in England, but him. From the ease of the narrative, and the beauty of its observations, it might have belonged to Goldsmith. But there is a greater acquaintance with the commerce and politics of the European nations, than could well be supposed, even in an author whose pen could touch upon every thing, and upon every thing with success. Add to this, that

the rapid and fine philosophy, the careless spirit, and all that affluence of mind which so uniformly distinguished the works of Burke, are all as clearly discernible in many parts of this anonymous and unpolished production, as in any of the most regular performances of that extraordinary man. As the work proceeds, the subjects diminish in real interest; and the delight, though not always the instruction, of the reader, diminishes also. It has been said, and with much appearance of probability, that these volumes were written by Burke in conjunction with his brother, who had lived in the West Indies, and who must have had much local and valuable information to communicate; that the heavier parts were consigned by the orator to his more humble associate, and that after treating himself the more interesting topics in the earlier part of the work, he did no more than revise and retouch the remainder.

The great misfortune of the work is, that subjects which deserved all the powers of Burke, are often despatched in too summary a manner. The great defect, that the author announces not his own sources of information, and leaves his readers without a wish to inquire after any other works but Harris's Collection of Voyages and Lasiteau; valuable works, no doubt, but Mr. Burke might have assisted an inquirer with his observations on all the writers and documents which he had consulted; and such observations would have been inferior in value only to the work itself.

During the period which we are now considering, the commerce of the world, and its knowledge, were rapidly progres

sive.

There are those who have a pleasure in tracing out the steps which lead to permanent alterations and improvements in the concerns of mankind. To minds of this speculative and superior cast, the early collections of voyages may be recommended, — Hackluyt and Purchas. Works like these are very curious monuments of the nature of human enterprises; human testimony and credulity; of the nature of the human mind and of human affairs. Much more is, indeed, offered to a refined and philosophic observer, though buried amid this unwieldly and unsightly mass, than was ever supposed by its original readers, or even its first compilers.

In addition to the sort of interest which belongs to these ancient accounts of the first efforts of discoverers and settlers, in the latter volumes of Purchas will be found very valuable abridgments of the original accounts relative to the achievements of the Spaniards in South America, particularly a curious exhibition of the Mexican painting; and a very sufficient, though too favorable idea may be here formed of Las Casas' book, of which the greatest part is given. These collections of voyages were followed by the collections of Churchill and Harris. But you must note that when Harris's work is quoted, it is the last edition, not the first, that is referred to.

Before I conclude, I must observe that this most extensive subject of the conquests and settlements of the European nations in the East and West Indies, divides itself into two great departments of inquiry. First, What were the conquests made, and what was their history? Secondly, What were the consequences of these discoveries and conquests?

With respect to the first part of the subject, I have already endeavoured to introduce my hearers to such works as I conceive will be adequate to their information.

The second part of the subject (the consequences) belongs to the remaining portion of modern history.

The discovery of these new tracts of country, these new sources of affluence and strength, as they were everywhere considered, necessarily affected, and has never ceased to affect, the politics of the nations of Europe. A new object of observation is thus opened to the philosophic reader of history; and this is to be added to those which have before occupied his attention.

Modern history thus appears to me to present two great fields of investigation, the progress of the human mind, and the progress of human prosperity.

The progress of the human mind, as seen in the advancement of literature and science, and as seen in the different modes, which the European nations have adopted for administering the blessings of government and religion; to be traced, it must be confessed, through the wars and the disputes, foreign and domestic, which such most serious, most interesting subjects could not fail to occasion.

The progress of human prosperity, as seen in the growth, multiplication, and extension of the accommodations of life; to be traced, it must also be confessed, through systems of unenlightened legislation; through monopolies and restrictions; and what is still more to be lamented, through atrocious enterprises of cruelty and conquest. To the former of these subjects, to the fortunes of the civil and religious liberties of mankind, we have hitherto more particularly adverted; for they form the most important and critical portion of the first part of modern history.

But the latter, the subject of the internal trade, manufactures, commercial greatness, and rivalship of the different states of Europe must hereafter share also our attention. When united they constitute the great interest and instruction of the more modern history of Europe and of the world.

LECTURE XXII.

1811.

WILLIAM THE THIRD.

THE great subject of all history is the civil and religious liberties of mankind, for on these depend their intelligence, their prosperity, their happiness, private and public; and hence arises the extraordinary interest which belongs to the era of our Revolution. In consequence of that most fortunate event, these liberties were in England asserted with a success unexampled in the history of the nations of the earth; and we must now therefore proceed to consider, as we have already in part done, how far they were at that period of 1688 adjusted and established, and what was their subsequent progress.

The first object of our attention is the reign of William the Third. Then follows that of Queen Anne, both very critical. This will appear very evident to those who examine them with any care, more particularly to those who have the faculty of placing themselves in the scenes that they see described by the historian, a faculty of great consequence to those who are to read history.

In the present lecture, I shall first mention the books that must be either consulted or read. I shall then make some observations on the parties by which these and subsequent periods have been distinguished.

I shall then allude to some of the constitutional questions which occurred in the reign of William, such as were then of importance, and such as I conceive will be ever of importance to the inhabitants of this country, while their free and mixed form of government remains.

And now when we enter upon the reign of William, we have no longer the assistance of the philosophic Hume. We have no longer within our reach those penetrating observations;

those careless and inimitable beauties, which were so justly the delight of Gibbon, and which, with whatever prejudices they may be accompanied, and however suspicious may be those representations which they sometimes enforce and adorn, still render the loss of his pages a subject of the greatest regret, and leave a void which it is impossible adequately to supply.

In the absence of Hume, the histories of Dr. Somerville will be found very useful, nor are they as yet sufficiently known, nor duly estimated.

Belsham will, I think, in like manner be found, for a considerable part of his work, very valuable spirited, intelligent, an ardent friend to civil and religious liberty, and though apparently a dissenter, not a sectarian. In his latter volumes, indeed, from the breaking out of the late French war in 1793, he has departed from the equanimity of an historian, and has degenerated into the warmth, and almost the rage, of a party writer.

Of these authors (Somerville and Belsham) the use to the student will be the same. They will show him those more important subjects of reflection which the detail of the history contains; they will offer to him observations generally very judicious, and always the results of much more labor and investigation than he will himself be disposed to undertake. These more important subjects may, whenever occasion requires, be followed up in their references; and some of them may be investigated in this more complete manner, on account of their own general importance, and as a portion of the proper. labor of a philosophic reader of history.

For the detail, Tindal will be found not unworthy to be the successor of Rapin; equally diligent and copious, with the same attachment to the best interests of Englishmen, and, like his predecessor, a sort of general substitute, in the absence of other writers.

But the great historian for detail, even more than Tindal, is Ralph. Such subjects as may be thought, from the representations of Belsham and Somerville, to be important, may be read with much advantage in this author; ill-humored, no doubt, but laborious and impartial. Indeed, the whole work should be looked over, though it cannot, and for general purposes it need not, be regularly read. Burnet must, of