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History.
HISTORY has been call'd, by a great Man, Speculum Mundi: The Look∣ing-Glass of the World; It gives the best prospect into Humane Affairs, and makes us familiar with the remotest Regions: by this we safely sit in our Closets, and view the horrid Devastations of Countreys, Tu∣mults, Changes and Ruptures of Common-Wealths; The Reverse of Fortunes, the Religions, Politicks and Governments of Fo∣reign Nations; by this we may consult what practices have Establish'd Kingdoms, what Laws have render'd any particular Nation more Safe, happy and Civiliz'd than its Neighbours; and, what has Contribu∣ted to the Weakness and Overthrow of Bodies-Politick, and what has Facilitated its Rise and Settlement; and, in a Prospect of the whole, a New Scheme may be drawn, for future Ages to act by.
Longum iter per praecepta, breve & Essicax per exempla.
Wisdom got by Experience is usually ve∣ry Expensive, Tedious and Uncertain; Se∣veral Experiences confirm ones Knowledge, and a Man's Life is too little to make ma∣ny in every Case; But if he finds e'm faith∣fully done to his hands, the labour is sav'd, and he may grow wise at the expence of other Mens Studies. It was Thales that said of History, Nil Mortem à vita differ∣re; because the Life of the Deceased de∣pends upon the remembrance of the Living. Mr. Brathwait, in his Nursery for Gentry, says; Wou'd you be enabled for Company? no better Medium than Knowledge in History. It wou'd be a dispraise to advance an Elogy upon this Study, which reconciles all times but futurity, renders all the spatious Globe of the Inhabited World common and familiar to a Man that never Travelled: We may see all Asia, Africa and America in Eng∣land; all the Confederate Countreys in ones Closet: Encompass the World with Drake; make New Discoveries with Co∣lumbus; Visit the Grand Seignior in the Seraglio; Converse with Seneca and Cato; Consult with Alexander, Caesar and Pom∣pey: In a word, whatever Humanity has done that's Noble, Great and Surprizing, either by Action, or Suffering, may, by us, be done over again in the Theory; and if we have Souls capable of Transcribing the bravest Copies, we may meet Instances worth our Emulation. History is, as by some, called the World's Recorder; and, ac∣cording to my Lord Montague, we must confess, That no wise Man can be an Experi∣enc'd Statist, that was not frequent in Histo∣ry. Another tells us, That to be acquainted with History, purchases more wisdom than the Strictest Rules of Policy; for that the first do furnish us with Instances as well as Rules, and, as it were, personates the Rule, drawing out more into full proportion: History best suits the Solidest Heads; Whence we find, that Cae∣sar made it his Comment. We read, that King Alphonsus, by Reading Livy, and Fer∣dinand of Sicily, by Reading Quintus Curti∣us, recovered their Health, when all the Physical Doses they took prov'd ineffectual; but, whether 'tis Friendly to the Body or not, 'tis not our business to determine: Sure we are, that 'tis Friendly to the Mind, cultivates and informs it in what is very a∣greeable to its Nature, we mean Know∣ledge, therein imitating its Divine Origi∣nal.
History is the most admirable foundati∣on for Politicks; by this may be discover∣ed all that's necessary for a Kingdoms Safe∣ty and Peace; the Stratagems of War; an account of the Management of the deepest Plots and Contrivances, and the carrying on such Measures for every Pub∣lick Affair, whether in respect to Enemies or Allies, as the deepest Heads have ever yet practis'd. And, as History is so useful to such as are intrusted with the Charge of Common-wealths, so 'tis not less necessa∣ry for the Settling and Establishment of the Christian Religion. We find a Great part of the World Worship Inanimate Beings; o∣thers Sacrifice to Devils, others propagate a Worship made up of the most ridiculous Fables, as the Turks, &c. and many that profess the Christian Religion, are so far degenerated from the Native Simplicity and Purity of it, as that 'tis now another thing.
A Reasonable Creature, born into the World, and finding in himself a Princi∣ple of Adoration of some Vnknown Being, can't forbear an Enquiry into Reli∣gion; but when he finds so many Religions, so great a Diversity of Divine Worship, and every Party willing to believe them∣selves in the Right, and condemning all the rest of Mankind that are not of their Opi∣nion: This is enough to surprize such a Person; but, at the same time, he will make this necessary Consequence, after a little thought and application of Mind: Certain I am that there's a God; and, as certain, that this God ought to be Worshipped after such a manner, as is most Suitable to his Nature, and the quality of the Worshipper: as to his Na∣ture, it's too fine and Spiritual to be pleas'd with any Adoration but what is Spiritual; and as for Man, the Creature that is to pay this Homage and Adoration, he is a Reasonable Being; and therefore it's also Necessary, that the Worship he pays, be the most reasonable and perfect that his Nature will admit of. Now a Man needs not go out of himself to con∣sult what Reason is; he has no more to do, than to see, what Religion is most a∣greeable to his Reason, and most worthy the Dignity of his Nature (we speak here of unprejudic'd persons.) And then History will inform him what has been practis'd; and shew him, that Christianity is the most noble, sincere, and pure Reli∣gion in the World: but, in this we refer