Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	let_v	see_v	3,350	5	3.0636	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58058	Instructions for history with a character of the most considerable historians, ancient and modern / out of the French, by J. Davies of Kidwelly.; Instructions pour l'histoire. English	Rapin, René, 1621-1687.; Davies, John, 1625-1693.	1680 (1680)	Wing R262; ESTC R22576	63,468	156

motion and exercise being always real Embellishments are always apposite and to the purpose What is of greatest importance is that they be plac'd after such a manner as that they seem to be enchac'd in the Narration there to have their design'd effect that is to say that they be conducive to give the subject matter a certain Alacrity when of it self it becomes dry and unpleasant XXV The Sentiments which ought to be conspicuous and predominant in History THere are some Sentiments which are fit for the Theatre and are not so for History in regard that Poesy speaks things as they ought to be and History as they are Accordingly those Historians who give their Hero's such exquisite Sentiments are not always the most judicious and whatever is not grounded upon sound Sence how plausible soever it may otherwise be is not always the best So that Quintus Curtius is not altogether in the right when he represents Alexander as a person so admirable He never makes him take the most prudent course that might be taken but the most heroick and the most hazardous He looks upon danger as what has something of Charm in it and he does not so much love Conquests as the Glory of Conquering He may surprize Darius by attacquing him in the night-time and by that means conceal his own weakness the Enemy's Army being twice the number of his But that great man whose thoughts are less bent upon conquering than upon having his Valour admir'd engages the King of Persia in the day-time resolv'd rather to perish gloriously than to overcome by surprizes Darius after his Defeat proffers to divide Asia with him and proposes to him an Intermarriage with his Daughter but Alexander would rather make his way to Fame through danger than to gain preheminence with tranquillity He hearkens not to those Proposals and would not have any thing but what is extraordinary 'T is true his Historian does him much honour but in that great acquest of Glory is there not some defect in point of Verisimilitude Does he not make his Hero more daring than prudent and represent him rather as an hazardous Adventurer than a person of great Ambition No doubt he thought that the more plausible way but he has thereby given us occasion to doubt whether it be 〈◊〉 Romance or a History he hath left us so far has he overshot himself as to that point Of so great concern is it that an Author keep close in all things to Reason which ought to regulate his Sentiments and follow rather the nature of the things than the charming Idea's of his own imagination Let not History therefore by any means countenance those ridiculous projects for the acquest of an imaginary same which occasion unsettled minds to commit so many miscarriages inasmuch as most of them go but blindly in the pursuit of true honour because they know not what it is Let it not inspire a solid man with the Sentiments of a Palladin or Knight Errant nor attribute the Vertues of a Romantick Hero to a true Courter of Honour Great persons are apt to frame to themselves Idea's of Reputation according to their own Fancies and answerably to the bent of their own Vanity But the Publick Interest ought to be more dear to him who governs than his own Fame and the true Honour of a great Prince is that he be lov'd rather than fear'd These are the Sentiments which ought to be most predominant in History that so it may be a Lecture of Clemency to Princes and a Rule of Reason and sound Instruction to all people Let not the Historian therefore be mistaken let him in the first place be able to distinguish between true and counterfeit Honour in the Maxims of Life that so he may not commend any thing but what is commendable Let him undeceive people of their Errors without becoming himself a Slave to popular Sentiments Let him not suffer them to judge of things by their events without reascending to the sources that he may acquaint them with the Principles thereof Let him be careful to do justice to true and false merit that so he may not impose any thing upon Posterity which is apt to credit what is said without examining it and to keep to the literal sence of what it meets withall Let him never make a discovery of great Emergencies without some advertisement of their Causes and without laying open the secret Contrivances and Ressorts by which they were compass'd That many times is something very inconsiderable but men take a pleasure to see great effects arising from small principles as Dionysius Halicarnass●u● informs us in the fifth Book of his History upon occasion of the Revolution of the Regal Government at Rome caus'd by the insolence of young Tarquin and the haughty deportment of his Father And this is the Spirit which ought to be predominant in History and these the Maxims which the Historian ought to observe We come now to see what kind of genius he ought to have XXVI What Genius the Historian ought to be of IT is not to be imagin'd that any thing considerable can be written in History without a Genius this is that which does all in all in this Art as well as in the others and it is onely by this that some Historians may be distinguish'd from others A mean Genius shall make but a small matter of a great Subject and he who has a great Genius shall make great things of a small subject He therefore who would write History well ought to have an universal and comprehensive Spirit and such as is capable of great Idea's that he frame to himself a great Draught and Design of what he intends to do History says Cicero is a work of great importance and not to be attempted but by a person above the common rate of men And when Lucian who was one of the greatest Wits of his Age which produc'd so many celebrated men acknowledges that his Genius was too weak for History and not able to reach that Perfection which it requires he puts me into some astonishment and raises in me a very great Idea of the difficulty there is for a man to acquit himself well of that charge For if that Author who has not written any thing but what is admirable and who gives Rules for the writing of History so senceful and instructive ingeniously confesses that he is not himself capable of supporting the weight of so great an undertaking what are we to think of those persons who become Historians on a sudden without ever having any knowledge of what is essential to History As it happen'd says he in that War of Armenia mention'd by him which begat so many Authors who out of a pure it●h of writing would needs be dabbling upon that subject That will not do the work says he for there is nothing more difficult than for a man to labour for Eternity as Thucydides has done For what vigour of Mind