Monsieur Rapin's Comparison of Thucydides and Livy translated into English.

The AUTHOR'S Preface.

MY Design in Comparing these Two Authors, is only to make their Va∣lue better known; since I take them to be the most Proper of all others, to form a Man's Sense and Reason, in an Age, where both are better Cultivated and Improv'd, than in any other. Wherein, this may be said to the Commendation of our own Times, That we understand the Character of Anci∣ent Authors better, and are more intimately Acquainted with their Mind and Meaning than our Predecessors.

The Difference between them and us is this, That greater Pretensions were made to Learning in their Age, than ours. This was formerly so much in Fashion, that Elizabeth, Queen of England, Translated several of Sophocles's Tragedies; and Mary Stuart the Queen Dauphine, recited at the Louvre, in the great Guard-Hall, before the whole Court, a Latine Oration of her Own making, and the Chancellor of the Hospital, in the Reign of Charles the Ninth, was as well skill'd in Languages as a Professor of the Colledge-Royal. 'Twas the Genius of those Times, in which nothing was so much in Vogue, as a great Capacity

and profound Reading: The Tongues were thorowly Studied, and Men betook them∣selves to reform the Text of Ancient Au∣thors, by far-fetcht Interpretations; to sub∣tilize upon an equivocal Term, and to found a Conjecture for the establishing a Correction. In short, they scrupulously adher'd to the lite∣ral Sense, because they were not able to reach the Spirit of the Author, and his Meaning; which now adays is done, Men being become more Rational, and less Learn'd; and greater account is made of good Sense, in the greatest Simplicity, than of an awkward and perverse Capacity of Mind.

Hereby it is we are arriv'd to a greater Intimacy with the Sentiments of the Anci∣ents, and a more thorow Knowledge of their Writings: Which is so true, that all Men, never so little Impartial, must agree to it; and I may say without Vanity, I give a bet∣ter Idea of the Spirit of Livy, for in∣stance, in this little Piece I have drawn, than Gronovius has done in his last Edi∣tion, Printed at Amsterdam in the Year 1665; which contains a long, and exact History of the Manuscripts of the Histori∣an, of the Editions put out from time to time, and of a Catalogue of those Men who have endeavour'd, by their Notes or Cor∣rections, by their Reflections or Criticisms,

to re-estalish or augment him. There is not to be found, in all the Assistances he affords us, for the understanding this Historian, nor in all his other Commentators, so ex∣act a Knowledge of his Character, as that which I give in this Volume, as little as it is. At least, I shall not spoil the fine Relish the World begins to have of good Sense, upon Reason's displaying its self to the Learn'd, in all the Extent of Solidity and Delicacy: Which is so thorowly setled in the Minds of Men at this day, that in all the Works, Recommended to us by the Merit of their Antiquity, the Preference is without Scru∣ple given to a Man of good Sense, and little Learning, before a Man of Learning of an injudicious Character.

I am fearful however of Discouraging those who have no Genius for Writing, by desiring to Encourage those that have. For whatever Rules may be given for History, none can be prescrib'd more severe than those Thucydides and Livy have obser∣ved. After all, That which I shall say may be Serviceable to many Things; being design'd to destroy the Remainder of that Love of false Lustre, which still obtains, even in this Age, amongst Men whose Tast is not throughly purg'd and purify'd; to enlighten those who pretend to write with a

Ray of sober Reason, which makes the Solid Character; to stop that current of Repute, some sort of Men still attribute to Flash and Words; to shew that 'tis from Things rather than Words, the Nobleness of Ex∣pression should be sought; to avoid that emp∣ty greatness of Discourse, as contrary to the real Dignity of Expression, as a too naked Simplicity; and to write in a sensible man∣ner, by the right use of a correct and sober Reason, which is no where better learn'd, than from the Acquaintance with these Two Authors; for I know very few that are more proper to make a Man Rational, that reads them, if he reads them well: And though I should only say, that all the maje∣sty of the Roman Common-wealth still reigns in Livy, after it has been more than 1500 Years destroy'd; and all the Purity of Reason of the Ancient Greeks appears the same still in Thucydides, as it was 2000 Years ago; yet this would be enough one would think, to excite the Curiosity of a generous Soul to know the Bottome of them, according to their Merits. For in short, there probably never appear'd in any Work, more solid Reasons, accompanied with all the Force and Dignity of Discourse; nor good Sense deliver'd with a more exquisite Judgment, than in these Two Authors.