The modest critick, or, Remarks upon the most eminent historians, antient and modern with useful cautions and instructions as well for writing as reading history : wherein the sense of the greatest men on this subject is faithfully abridged / by one of the Society of the Port-Royal.

XV. The Motives.

To tell Men's Actions without speaking of their Motives, can∣not properly be called to write History. It is just like a Gazette, where the Author contents him∣self barely to report the Events of things, without going up to their Spring. As Caesar, who gives meerly his Marches, and his En∣campings, without telling their Motives; every thing in his Nar∣ration being too plain and open; thô 'tis true he writes only Memoirs. It is then that curious rehearsing of Motives which cause Men to Act, by which alone History it self becomes delicate, and sustains it self chiefly in important Affairs. To say things as they are pass'd, without going to their beginning, is properly to stop at the outward part of Things. Reason will have it, says Cicero, p that as in Affairs,

the Design precedes the Execution; The Historian gives an Account, not only of Events, but also of Causes; and that in relating what has been done, he explains how, and for what Reason it was done. Tacitus says al∣most the same thing; that it is important for History, not only to tell the Events of things, but to discover the Ground and Princi∣ples of them, and to touch up∣on the Motives thereof; q by this an Historian distinguishes him∣self, and makes himself conside∣rable; and nothing is more plea∣sing in a Narration, than the Ex∣plication of what is secret, and of Importance in those Peoples De∣signs and Intentions, whose Acti∣ons it relates; and History having nothing more commendable than this, all the little Historians, even of the smallest Credit, have en∣deavoured to excell in that way. For, nothing strikes more upon the Curiosity of men, than this, by which they are made to dis∣cern what is more concealed in mens Minds; that is to say, the

secret motions which make them act, even in their ordinary Un∣dertakings. It is only by going up to the Cause, that you will see the minds of those you speak of; that you'll discover the Spi∣rit which makes them act what they are capable of, and that you'll find the Truth by search∣ing deeply into their Intentions. But with how many Falshoods are Histories fill'd upon this fair Pre∣text? And, into how many Er∣rors do unjust, false, and inter∣rested Historians daily fall, which abandon themselves to their Con∣jectures; distribute their own Ima∣ginations to the Publick, to ex∣press the Designs of those whom they speak of? As for Example; That Pericles caused the War in Peloponnesus, because he lov'd A∣spasia: That Xerxes carry'd that dreadful Army, History tells us, only to eat Figs: That M. An∣thony lost the Empire, meerly be∣cause he would not part with Cleopatra: That Francis the First of France, carry'd his Armies over

into Italy, only upon the account of the faire Lady named Cla∣ricea. There is nothing more ticklish and difficult than to search into mens hearts, and thence to guess or discover what they think; for an Author will tell all he knows, and all that comes into his mind, rather than fail telling the Truth. It is one of the greatest failings in Davila, whose Discourses are o∣therwise just enough; but his conjectures in the motives of the Actions he relates, do not prove very true, if we may take the Truth from their Fathers. Not but that, after all, an Action ve∣ry well clear'd to its very Mo∣tives, and a Secret well penetra∣ted, might give a great Idea of the Historian's Ability, and make us judge, that he speaks like a man well inform'd, and looks ve∣ry well in History.

But that an Author, r who pretends to guess, be always up∣on

his Guards against prejudice; that he hearkens neither to his Af∣fection nor his Hatred; to avoid Artifice, and those Colours men are prompt to give to things, in fa∣vour of that side he is prejudic'd for; that he inserts no falshoods, to justifie his Conjectures, and to make things agree with that Air he is pleas'd to give them; that he neither diminish nor exagge∣rate any thing, as Tacitus, who casts a Poison every where; or as Paterculus, who strows every thing with Flowers. Let him not shew men worse affected than they are, as Herodotus does, when he says, that the Persians were call'd into Greece by the Spartiates, because they could resist the Lacedemoni∣ans no longer, nor suffer them, as s Plutarch reproaches him; let him not also cover an unjust dealing with a good intention, as Callias of Syracuse, who justi∣fies all the Actions of Agathocles, because he did him some good, as t Diodorus takes notice; nor as Paulus Jovius, in respect of Cos∣mus

de Medicis, not long since. There are in all Historians mi∣stakes of that kind, because they are few that have a mind steddy enough to resist their Prejudice. But thô the motives in great men ought regularly to be better and greater than their Actions; for the motives depend upon them, but the events do not: yet it is but a small mistake, as Noble men are, to mix in their Coun∣sels, and in their Deliberations part of the pride and of the weak∣ness they are subject to: for of∣tentimes it is only through some impertinent and ridiculous mo∣tives, that the most part of men are determind. There is an in∣finite number of Examples there∣of, which I leave, that I may not exceed bounds upon that mat∣ter. You must, above all things, know well the Vanity, the Ma∣lice, the Ignorance, and the Folly of mens minds, which always conforms to their Principles, to know well the bottom of their Intentions, and search his Weak∣ness,

which is the great Princi∣ple of Malice; and above all things, not to be ignorant, that the Laziness of most great men, in examining the bottom of Af∣fairs, and the impatience they have to judge of them upon what the Conduct most essential to their Affairs depends. It is them we must necessarily know, for being, as they are, the Great Actors upon the Stage of this World, all things, for the most part, are rul'd by their Extrava∣gancies: But it does not follow, that if we have done once well in this way, by chance, we should be able to do it always. There are Historians in this Age, which have ruin'd their Reputation by too great an itch of mingling their Conjectures with all Events, and imposing their own Conceits upon the Publick instead of History; as Herrera, who says, that the Duke of Parma did not do the best he could against the Hollanders, to manage them with Policy. There is nothing more contrary to an

Historian's mind, (who ought to be sincere and faithful) than those conjectures which are built in the Air, without any Foundation, and all Discourses grounded upon ma∣ny conjectures, are either uncer∣tain or frivolous. This is what must be observ'd in Transitions, in Circumstances, and in the Mo∣tives wherein the chief Art of a Narration consists. This is also what must be regarded in its o∣ther parts, which are the Figures, the Passions, the Descriptions, the Speeches, the Reflections, or the Sentences; the Characters of Per∣sons, the Digressions, and all that can enter in the Oeconomy of the Discourse which History ought to be made of.

Notes

• p

  Rerum ra∣tio vult, ut quoniam in rebus magnis confilia pri∣mum, deinde acta, postea eventus ex∣pectantur; in rebus gestis declarari, non solum quid actum, aut dictum sit, sed quomodo, & cum de eventu dicatur, ut causae explicentur omnes, &c. l. 2. de Orat.
• q

  Ut non modo casus eventusque re∣rum, sed ra∣tio etiam, causaque noscantur. 14. Ann.
• r

  Haud facile animus rerum provider, ubi officiunt odium, amicitia, ira, atque misericordia. Caesar. apud Salust. in Catil.
• s

  Plutarch. de Herod. Malig.
• t

  Excerp•…•… Const. ex Dio∣doro.