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But The Wisdom And Authority Of The Legislator Are Seldom Victorious In A Contest With The Vigilant Dexterity Of Private Interest.
-Edward Gibbon
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But The Wisdom And

Edward Gibbon
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But The Wisdom And Authority Of The Legislator Are Seldom Victorious In A Contest With The Vigilant Dexterity Of Private Interest.

Understanding the Quote: "but the wisdom and authority of the legislator are seldom victorious in..."

This quote by Edward Gibbon reflects deeply on the theme of dexterity. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Dexterity, Authority, Interest, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Edward Gibbon interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon is celebrated for insightful thoughts on dexterity and authority. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Dexterity
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If All The Barbarian Conquerors Had Been Annihilated In The Same Hour, Their Total Destruction Would Not Have Restored The Empire Of The West: And If Rome Still Survived, She Survived The Loss Of Freedom, Of Virtue, And Of Honour.
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Philosophy, With The Aid Of Experience, Has At Length Banished The Study Of Alchymy; And The Present Age, However Desirous Of Riches, Is Content To Seek Them By The Humbler Means Of Commerce And Industry.
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The Urgent Consideration Of The Public Safety May Undoubtedly Authorize The Violation Of Every Positive Law. How Far That Or Any Other Consideration May Operate To Dissolve The Natural Obligations Of Humanity And Justice, Is A Doctrine Of Which I Still Desire To Remain Ignorant.
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The Roman Government Appeared Every Day Less Formidable To Its Enemies, More Odious And Oppressive To Its Subjects.
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The Laws Of A Nation Form The Most Instructive Portion Of Its History
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But A Law, However Venerable Be The Sanction, Cannot Suddenly Transform The Temper Of The Times . . .
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According To The Faith And Mercy Of His Christian Enemies, [chosroes] Sunk Without Hope Into A Still Deeper Abyss [hell]; And It Will Not Be Denied, That Tyrants Of Every Age And Sect Are The Best Entitled To Such Infernal Abodes.
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The Complaints Of Contemporary Writes, Who Deplore The Increase Of Luxury And Deprevation Of Manners, Are Commonly Expressive Of Their Peculiar Temper And Situation. There Are Few Observers Who Possess A Clear And Comprehensive View Of The Revolutions Of Society, And Who Are Capable Of Discovering The Nice And Secret Springs Of Action Which Impel, In The Same Uniform Direction, The Bland And Capricious Passions Of A Multitude Of Individuals.
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[instead] Of Inquiring Why The Roman Empire Was Destroyed, We Should Rather Be Surprised That It Had Subsisted So Long.
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We May Therefore Acquiesce In The Pleasing Conclusion, That Every Age Of The World Has Increased, And Still Increases, The Real Wealth, The Happiness, The Knowledge, And Perhaps The Virtue, Of The Human Race.
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Does There Exist A Single Instance Of A Saint Asserting That He Himself Possessed The Gift Of Miracles?
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Of The Various Forms Of Government Which Have Prevailed In The World, An Hereditary Monarchy Seems To Present The Fairest Scope For Ridicule.
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Truth, Naked, Unblushing Truth, The First Virtue Of All Serious History, Must Be The Sole Recommendation Of This Personal Narrative.
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In The End, They Wanted Security More Than They Wanted Freedom.
Courage
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The Difference Of Language, Dress, And Manners . . . Severs And Alienates The Nations Of The Globe.
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Yet The People, And Even The Clergy, Incapable Of Forming Any Rational Judgment Of The Business Of Peace And War, Presumed To Arraign The Policy Of Stilicho, Who So Often Vanquished, So Often Surrounded, And So Often Dismissed The Implacable Enemy Of The Republic. The First Moment Of The Public Safety Is Devoted To Gratitude And Joy; But The Second Is Diligently Occupied By Envy And Calumny.
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A Small Number Of Temples Was Protected By The Fears, The Venality, The Taste, Or The Prudence Of The Civil And Ecclesiastical Governors. The Temple Of The Celestial Venus At Carthage, Whose Sacred Precincts Formed A Circumference Of Two Miles, Was Judiciously Converted Into A Christian Church; And A Similar Consecration Has Preserved Inviolate The Majestic Dome Of The Pantheon At Rome.
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In Populous Cities, Which Are The Seat Of Commerce And Manufactures, The Middle Ranks Of Inhabitants, Who Derive Their Subsistence From The Dexterity Or Labour Of Their Hands, Are Commonly The Most Prolific, The Most Useful, And, In That Sense, The Most Respectable Part Of The Community.
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The Single Combats Of The Heroes Of History Or Fable Amuse Our Fancy And Engage Our Affections: The Skillful Evolutions Of War May Inform The Mind, And Improve A Necessary, Though Pernicious, Science. But In The Uniform And Odious Pictures Of A General Assault, All Is Blood, And Horror, And Confusion . . .
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It Is Incumbent On Us Diligently To Remember That The Kingdom Of Heaven Was Promised To The Poor In Spirit, And That Minds Afflicted By Calamity And The Contempt Of Mankind Cheerfully Listen To The Divine Promise Of Future Happiness; While, On The Contrary, The Fortunate Are Satisfied With The Possession Of This World; And The Wise Abuse In Doubt And Dispute Their Vain Superiority Of Reason And Knowledge.
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Persuasion Is The Resource Of The Feeble; And The Feeble Can Seldom Persuade . . .
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Language Is The Leading Principle Which Unites Or Separates The Tribes Of Mankind.
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His Manners Were Less Pure, But His Character Was Equally Amiable With That Of His Father. Twenty-two Acknowledged Concubines, And A Library Of Sixty-two Thousand Volumes, Attested The Variety Of His Inclinations, And From The Productions Which He Left Behind Him, It Appears That The Former As Well As The Latter Were Designed For Use Rather Than Ostentation.
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Whatever Evils Either Reason Or Declamation Have Imputed To Extensive Empire, The Power Of Rome Was Attended With Some Beneficial Consequences To Mankind; And The Same Freedom Of Intercourse Which Extended The Vices, Diffused Likewise The Improvements Of Social Life.
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But In Almost Every Province Of The Roman World, An Army Of Fanatics, Without Authority And Without Discipline, Invaded The Peaceful Inhabitants; And The Ruin Of The Fairest Structures Of Antiquity Still Displays The Ravages Of Those Barbarians Who Alone Had Time And Inclination To Execute Such Laborious Destruction.
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[the] Noblest Of [arabs] United The Love Of Arms With The Profession Of Merchandise.
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It Has Been Sagaciously Conjectured, That The Artful Legislator Indulged The Stubborn Prejudices Of His Countrymen.
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Inclined To Peace By His Temper And Situation, It Was Easy For [augustus] To Discover That Rome, In Her Present Exalted Situation, Had Much Less To Hope Than To Fear From The Chance Of Arms; And That, In The Prosecution Of Remote Wars, The Undertaking Became Every Day More Difficult, The Event More Doubtful, And The Possession More Precarious And Less Beneficial.
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In The Field Of Controversy I Always Pity The Moderate Party, Who Stand On The Open Middle Ground Exposed To The Fire Of Both Sides.
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According To The Law Of Custom, And Perhaps Of Reason, Foreign Travel Completes The Education Of An English Gentleman.
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Amiable Weaknesses Of Human Nature.
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The Brutal Soldiers Satisfied Their Sensual Appetites Without Consulting Either The Inclination Or The Duties Of Their Female Captives; And A Nice Question Of Casuistry Was Seriously Agitated, Whether Those Tender Victims, Who Had Inflexibly Refused Their Consent To The Violation Which They Sustained, Had Lost, By Their Misfortune, The Glorious Crown Of Virginity. There Were Other Losses Indeed Of A More Substantial Kind And More General Concern.
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Extreme Distress, Which Unites The Virtue Of A Free People, Imbitters The Factions Of A Declining Monarchy.
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A Taste For Books, Which Is Still The Pleasure And Glory Of My Life.
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Greek Is Doubtless The Most Perfect [language] That Has Been Contrived By The Art Of Man.
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The Awful Mysteries Of The Christian Faith And Worship Were Concealed From The Eyes Of Strangers, And Even Of Catechumens, With An Affected Secrecy, Which Served To Excite Their Wonder And Curiosity.
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The Possession And The Enjoyment Of Property Are The Pledges Which Bind A Civilised People To An Improved Country.
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A State Of Skepticism And Suspense May Amuse A Few Inquisitive Minds. But The Practice Of Superstition Is So Congenial To The Multitude That, If They Are Forcibly Awakened, They Still Regret The Loss Of Their Pleasing Vision.
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The Land Was Then Covered With Morasses And Forests, Which Spread To A Boundless Extent, Whenever Man Has Ceased To Exercise His Dominion Over The Earth.
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The Peace Of The Eastern Church Was Invaded By A Swarm Of Fanatics [monks], Incapable Of Fear, Or Reason, Or Humanity; And The Imperial Troops Acknowledged, Without Shame, That They Were Much Less Apprehensive Of An Encounter With The Fiercest Barbarians.
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I Never Make The Mistake Of Arguing With People For Whose Opinions I Have No Respect.
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The Principles Of A Free Constitution Are Irrecoverably Lost, When The Legislative Power Is Nominated By The Executive.
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Freedom Is The First Wish Of Our Heart; Freedom Is The First Blessing Of Nature; And Unless We Bind Ourselves With Voluntary Chains Of Interest Or Passion, We Advance In Freedom As We Advance In Years
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The Barbarians Of Germany Had Felt, And Still Dreaded, The Arms Of The Young Caesar; His Soldiers Were The Companions Of His Victory; The Grateful Provincials Enjoyed The Blessings Of His Reign; But The Favourites, Who Had Opposed His Elevation, Were Offended By His Virtues; And They Justly Considered The Friend Of The People As The Enemy Of The Court.
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[but] The Man Who Dares Not Expose His Life In The Defence Of His Children And His Property, Has Lost In Society The First And Most Active Energies Of Nature.
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Majorian Presents The Welcome Discovery Of A Great And Heroic Character, Such As Sometimes Arise, In A Degenerate Age, To Vindicate The Honor Of The Human Species.
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Women [in Ancient Rome] Were Condemned To The Perpetual Tutelage Of Parents, Husbands, Or Guardians; A Sex Created To Please And Obey Was Never Supposed To Have Attained The Age Of Reason And Experience. Such, At Least, Was The Stern And Haughty Spirit Of The Ancient Law . . .
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The Union Of The Roman Empire Was Dissolved; Its Genius Was Humbled In The Dust; And Armies Of Unknown Barbarians, Issuing From The Frozen Regions Of The North, Had Established Their Victorious Reign Over The Fairest Provinces Of Europe And Africa.
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Our Ignorance Is God; What We Know Is Science.
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It Was Rome, On The Fifteenth Of October, 1764, As I Sat Musing Amidst The Ruins Of The Capitol, While The Barefooted Friars Were Singing Vespers In The Temple Of Jupiter, That The Idea Of Writing The Decline And Fall Of The City First Started To My Mind.
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One Must Search Diligently To Find Laudatory Comments On Education (other Than Those Pious Platitudes Which Are Fodder For Commencement Speeches). It Appears That Most Persons Who Have Achieved Fame And Success In The World Of Ideas Are Cynical About Formal Education. These People Are A Select Few, Who Often Achieved Success In Spite Of Their Education, Or Even Without It. As Has Been Said, The Clever Largely Educate Themselves, Those Less Able Aren't Sufficiently Clever Or Imaginative To Benefit Much From Education.
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The Laws Of Probability, So True In General, So Fallacious In Particular.
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A Sentence Of Death And Infamy Was Often Founded On The Slight And Suspicious Evidence Of A Child Or A Servant: The Guilt [of The Defendant] Was Presumed By The Judges [due To The Nature Of The Charge], And Paederasty Became The Crime Of Those To Whom No Crime Could Be Imputed.
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The Pastoral Labours Of The Archbishop Of Constantinople Provoked And Gradually United Against Him Two Sorts Of Enemies; The Aspiring Clergy, Who Envied His Success, And The Obstinate Sinners, Who Were Offended By His Reproofs. When Chrysostom Thundered From The Pulpit Of St. Sophia Against The Degeneracy Of The Christians, His Shafts Were Spent Among The Crowd, Without Wounding Or Even Marking The Character Of Any Individual.
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The Frequent Repetition Of Miracles Serves To Provoke, Where It Does Not Subdue, The Reason Of Mankind.
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[the Goths'] Poverty Was Incurable; Since The Most Liberal Donatives Were Soon Dissipated In Wasteful Luxury, And The Most Fertile Estates Became Barren In Their Hands.
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It Was With The Utmost Difficulty That Ancient Rome Could Support The Institution Of Six Vestals; But The Primitive Church Was Filled With A Great Number Of Persons Of Either Sex Who Had Devoted Themselves To The Profession Of Perpetual Chastity.
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The Most Sublime Efforts Of Philosophy Can Extend No Farther Than Feebly To Point Out The Desire, The Hope, Or, At Most, The Probability, Of A Future State, There Is Nothing, Except A Divine Revelation, That Can Ascertain The Existence, And Describe The Condition Of The Invisible Country Which Is Destined To Receive The Souls Of Men After Their Separation From The Body.
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The Slightest Force, When It Is Applied To Assist And Guide The Natural Descent Of Its Object, Operates With Irresistible Weight; And Jovian Had The Good Fortune To Embrace The Religious Opinions Which Were Supported By The Spirit Of The Times And The Zeal And Numbers Of The Most Powerful Sect. Under His Reign, Christianity Obtained An Easy And Lasting Victory; And, As Soon As The Smile Of Royal Patronage Was Withdrawn, The Genius Of Paganism, Which Had Been Fondly Raised And Cherished By The Arts Of Julian, Sunk Irrecoverably In The Dust.
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That Country [carthage] Was Rapidly Sinking Into The State Of Barbarism From Whence It Had Been Raised By The Phoenician Colonies And Roman Laws; And Every Step Of Intestine Discord Was Marked By Some Deplorable Victory Of Savage Man Over Civilized Society.
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On The Slightest Touch The Unsupported Fabric Of Their Pride And Power Fell To The Ground. The Expiring Senate Displayed A Sudden Lustre, Blazed For A Moment, And Was Extinguished For Ever.
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A Society In Which Marriage Is Encouraged And Industry Prevails Soon Repairs The Accidental Losses Of Pestilence And War.
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History, Which Undertakes To Record The Transactions Of The Past, For The Instruction Of Future Ages, Would Ill Deserve That Honourable Office If She Condescended To Plead The Cause Of Tyrants, Or To Justify The Maxims Of Persecution.
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History Should Be To The Political Economist A Wellspring Of Experience And Wisdom.
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[the] Liberty Of Divorce Does Not Contribute To Happiness And Virtue. The Facility Of Separation Would Destroy All Mutual Confidence, And Inflame Every Trifling Dispute . . .
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Religion Is A Mere Question Of Geography.
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The End Comes When We No Longer Talk With Ourselves. It Is The End Of Genuine Thinking And The Beginning Of The Final Loneliness.
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The Incapacity Of A Weak And Distracted Government May Often Assume The Appearance And Produce The Effects Of A Treasonable Correspondence With The Public Enemy. If Alaric Himself Had Been Introduced Into The Council Of Ravenna, He Would Probably Have Advised The Same Measures Which Were Actually Pursued By The Ministers Of Honorius.
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A Bloody And Complete Victory Has Sometimes Yielded No More Than The Possession Of The Field And The Loss Of Ten Thousand Men Has Sometimes Been Sufficient To Destroy, In A Single Day, The Work Of Ages.
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Men
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The Two Antonines (for It Is Of Them That We Are Now Speaking) Governed The Roman World Forty-two Years, With The Same Invariable Spirit Of Wisdom And Virtue. ... Their United Reigns Are Possibly The Only Period Of History In Which The Happiness Of A Great People Was The Sole Object Of Government.
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The Most Worthless Of Mankind Are Not Afraid To Condemn In Others The Same Disorders Which They Allow In Themselves; And Can Readily Discover Some Nice Difference In Age, Character, Or Station, To Justify The Partial Distinction.
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The Criminal Penalties [for Suicide] Are The Production Of A Later And Darker Age.
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There Is Nothing Perhaps More Adverse To Nature And Reason Than To Hold In Obedience Remote Countries And Foreign Nations, In Opposition To Their Inclination And Interest.
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The First Of Earthly Blessings, Independence.
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Boethius Might Have Been Styled Happy, If That Precarious Epithet Could Be Safely Applied Before The Last Term Of The Life Of Man.
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Whenever The Offence Inspires Less Horror Than The Punishment, The Rigour Of Penal Law Is Obliged To Give Way To The Common Feelings Of Mankind.
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His Sumptuous Tents, And Those Of His Satraps, Afforded An Immense Booty To The Conqueror; And An Incident Is Mentioned Which Proves The Rustic But Martial Ignorance Of The Legions In The Elegant Superfluities Of Life. A Bag Of Shining Leather, Filled With Pearls, Fell Into The Hands Of A Private Soldier; He Carefully Preserved The Bag, But He Threw Away Its Contents, Judging That Whatever Was Of No Use Could Not Possibly Be Of Any Value.
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The Archiepiscopal Throne Of Macedonius, Which Had Been Polluted With So Much Christian Blood, Was Successively Filled By Eudoxus And Damophilus. Their Diocese Enjoyed A Free Importation Of Vice And Error From Every Province Of The Empire; The Eager Pursuit Of Religious Controversy Afforded A New Occupation To The Busy Idleness Of The Metropolis: And We May Credit The Assertion Of An Intelligent Observer, Who Describes, With Some Pleasantry, The Effects Of Their Loquacious Zeal.
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While The Romans Languished Under The Ignominious Tyranny Of Eunuchs And Bishops, The Praises Of Julian Were Repeated With Transport In Every Part Of The Empire, Except In The Palace Of Constantius.
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Greek Is A Musical And Prolific Language, That Gives A Soul To The Objects Of Sense, And A Body To The Abstractions Of Philosophy.
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During The Games Of The Circus, He Had, Imprudently Or Designedly, Performed The Manumission Of A Slave In The Presence Of The Consul. The Moment He Was Reminded That He Had Trespassed On The Jurisdiction Of Another Magistrate, He Condemned Himself To Pay A Fine Of Ten Pounds Of Gold, And Embraced This Public Occasion Of Declaring To The World That He Was Subject, Like The Rest Of His Fellow-citizens, To The Laws, And Even To The Forms, Of The Republic.
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If The Emperor Had Capriciously Decreed The Death Of The Most Eminent And Virtuous Citizen Of The Republic, The Cruel Order Would Have Been Executed Without Hesitation By The Ministers Of Open Violence Or Of Specious Injustice. The Caution, The Delay, The Difficulty With Which He Proceeded In The Condemnation And Punishment Of A Popular Bishop, Discovered To The World That The Privileges Of The Church Had Already Revived A Sense Of Order And Freedom In The Roman Government.
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I Am Indeed Rich, Since My Income Is Superior To My Expenses, And My Expense Is Equal To My Wishes.
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Yet The Arts Of Severus Cannot Be Justified By The Most Ample Privileges Of State Reason. He Promised Only To Betray; He Flattered Only To Ruin; And However He Might Occasionally Bind Himself By Oaths And Treaties, His Conscience, Obsequious To His Interest, Always Released Him From The Inconvenient Obligation.
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Might
In Less Than Seven Years The Vestiges Of The Gothic Invasion Were Almost Obliterated, And The City Appeared To Resume Its Former Splendour And Tranquillity. The Venerable Matron Replaced Her Crown Of Laurel, Which Had Been Ruffled By The Storms Of War, And Was Still Amused In The Last Moment Of Her Decay With The Prophecies Of Revenge, Of Victory, And Of Eternal Dominion.
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To An Active Mind, Indolence Is More Painful Than Labor.
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[the] Discretion Of The Judge Is The First Engine Of Tyranny . . .
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Tyranny
It Was Here That I Suspended My Religious Inquiries (aged 17).
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A False Modesty Is The Meanest Species Of Pride.
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But The Works Of Man Are Impotent Against The Assaults Of Nature . . .
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[we Should] Suspend Our Belief Of Every Tale That Deviates From The Laws Of Nature And The Character Of Man.
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The First And Indispensable Requisite Of Happiness Is A Clear Conscience.
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Firsts
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And Thus Toleration Produced Not Only Mutual Indulgence, But Even Religious Concord. The Superstition Of The People Was Not Embittered Theological Rancor.
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[personal] Industry Must Be Faint And Languid, Which Is Not Excited By The Sense Of Personal Interest.
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Every Event, Or Appearance, Or Accident, Which Seems To Deviate From The Ordinary Course Of Nature Has Been Rashly Ascribed To The Immediate Action Of The Deity.
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Ordinary
It Is Scarcely Possible That The Eyes Of Contemporaries Should Discover In The Public Felicity The Latent Causes Of Decay And Corruption. This Long Peace, And The Uniform Government Of The Romans, Introduced A Slow And Secret Poison Into The Vitals Of The Empire. The Minds Of Men Were Gradually Reduced To The Same Level, The Fire Of Genius Was Extinguished, And Even The Military Spirit Evaporated.
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Men
Our Toil Is Lessened, And Our Wealth Is Increased, By Our Dominion Over The Useful Animals . . .
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History Is Indeed Little More Than The Register Of The Crimes, Follies, And Misfortunes Of Mankind.
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The Simple Circumstantial Narrative (did Such A Narrative Exist) Of The Ruin Of A Single Town, Of The Misfortunes Of A Single Family, Might Exhibit An Interesting And Instructive Picture Of Human Manners; But The Tedious Repetition Of Vague And Declamatory Complaints Would Fatigue The Attention Of The Most Patient Reader.
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Interesting
In The Second Century Of The Christian Era, The Empire Of Rome Comprehended The Fairest Part Of The Earth, And The Most Civilized Portion Of Mankind.
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Book
Rome
The Distinctions Of Personal Merit And Influence, So Conspicuous In A Republic, So Feeble And Obscure Under A Monarchy, Were Abolished By The Despotism Of The Emperors; Who Substituted In Their Room A Severe Subordination Of Rank And Office, From The Titled Slaves Who Were Seated On The Steps Of The Throne, To The Meanest Instruments Of Arbitrary Power.
History
Office
Thrones
Sixty Thousand Blacks Are Annually Embarked From The Coast Of Guinea, Never To Return To Their Native Country; But They Are Embarked In Chains: And This Constant Emigration, Which, In The Space Of Two Centuries, Might Have Furnished Armies To Overrun The Globe, Accuses The Guilt Of Europe And The Weakness Of Africa.
Country
Army
Space
The Sectaries Of A Persecuted Religion, Depressed By Fear, Animated With Resentment, And Perhaps Heated By Enthusiasm, Are Seldom In A Proper Temper Of Mind Calmly To Investigate, Or Candidly To Appreciate, The Motives Of Their Enemies, Which Often Escape The Impartial And Discerning View Even Of Those Who Are Placed At A Secure Distance From The Flames Of Persecution.
Distance
Views
Flames
But How Shall We Excuse The Supine Inattention Of The Pagan And Philosophic World To Those Evidences Which Were Presented By The Hand Of Omnipotence, Not To Their Reason, But To Their Senses? During The Age Of Christ, Of His Apostles, And Their First Disciples, The Doctrine Which They Preached Was Confirmed By Innumerable Prodigies. The Lame Walked, The Blind Saw, The Sick Were Healed, The Dead Were Raised, Daemons Were Expelled, And The Laws Of Nature Were Frequently Suspended For The Benefit Of The Church.
Hands
Law
Omnipotence
Of Human Life, The Most Glorious Or Humble Prospects Are Alike And Soon Bounded By The Sepulchre.
Humble
Human Life
Glorious
Augustus Was Sensible That Mankind Is Governed By Names; Nor Was He Deceived In His Expectation, That The Senate And People Would Submit To Slavery, Provided They Were Respectfully Assured That They Still Enjoyed Their Ancient Freedom.
Names
People
History
The Indian Who Fells The Tree That He May Gather The Fruit, And The Arab Who Plunders The Caravans Of Commerce Are Actuated By The Same Impulse Of Savage Nature, And Relinquish For Momentary Rapine The Long And Secure Possession Of The Most Important Blessings.
Blessing
Long
Tree
That Public Virtue Which Among The Ancients Was Denominated Patriotism, Is Derived From A Strong Sense Of Our Own Interest In The Preservation And Prosperity Of The Free Government Of Which We Are Members. Such A Sentiment, Which Had Rendered The Legions Of The Republic Almost Invincible, Could Make But A Very Feeble Impression On The Mercenary Servants Of A Despotic Prince; And It Became Necessary To Supply That Defect By Other Motives, Of A Different, But Not Less Forcible Nature; Honour And Religion.
Strong
Government
History
Pleasure And Guilt Are Synonymous Terms In The Language Of The Monks, And They Discovered, By Experience, That Rigid Fasts, And Abstemious Diet, Are The Most Effectual Preservatives Against The Impure Desires Of The Flesh.
Guilt
Desire
Flesh
The Fortune Of Nations Has Often Depended On Accidents . . .
Fortune
Accidents
Nations
A Locrian, Who Proposed Any New Law, Stood Forth In The Assembly Of The People With A Cord Round His Neck, And If The Law Was Rejected, The Innovator Was Instantly Strangled.
Law
People
Necks
Such Events May Be Disbelieved Or Disregarded; But The Charity Of A Bishop, Acacius Of Amida, Whose Name Might Have Dignified The Saintly Calendar, Shall Not Be Lost In Oblivion.
Names
History
Events
The Patient And Active Virtues Of A Soldier Are Insensibly Nursed In The Habits And Discipline Of A Pastoral Life.
Discipline
Soldier
Patient
Constantinople Was The Principal Seat And Fortress Of Arianism; And, In A Long Interval Of Forty Years, The Faith Of The Princes And Prelates Who Reigned In The Capital Of The East Was Rejected In The Purer Schools Of Rome And Alexandria.
School
Rome
Years
To The University Of Oxford I Acknowledge No Obligation; And She Will As Cheerfully Renounce Me For A Son, As I Am Willing To Disclaim Her For A Mother. I Spent Fourteen Months At Magdalen College: They Proved The Fourteen Months The Most Idle And Unprofitable Of My Whole Life.
Mother
Son
College
[courage] Arises In A Great Measure From The Consciousness Of Strength . . .
Consciousness
Arise
To Maintain The Harmony Of Authority And Obedience, To Chastise The Proud, To Protect The Weak, To Reward The Deserving, To Banish Vice And Idleness From His Dominions, To Secure The Traveller And Merchant, To Restrain The Depredations Of The Soldier, To Cherish The Labors Of The Husbandman, To Encourage Industry And Learning, And, By An Equal And Moderate Assessment, To Increase The Revenue, Without Increasing The Taxes, Are Indeed The Duties Of A Prince . . .
Assessment
Soldier
Proud
The German Huts, Open On Every Side To The Eye Of Indiscretion Or Jealousy, Were A Better Safeguard Of Conjugal Fidelity Than The Walls, The Bolts, And The Eunuchs Of A Persian Harem. To This Reason, Another May Be Added Of A More Honourable Nature. The Germans Treated Their Women With Esteem And Confidence, Consulted Them On Every Occasion Of Importance, And Fondly Believed That In Their Breasts Resided A Sanctity And Wisdom More Than Human.
Wall
Eye
History
As Long As The Same Passions And Interests Subsist Among Mankind, The Questions Of War And Peace, Of Justice And Policy, Which Were Debated In The Councils Of Antiquity, Will Frequently Present Themselves As The Subject Of Modern Deliberation.
War
Passion
Long
It Was No Longer Esteemed Infamous For A Roman To Survive His Honor And Independence.
Independence
Honor
Infamous
The Virtue Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Was Of A Severer And More Laborious Kind. It Was The Well-earned Harvest Of Many A Learned Conference, Of Many A Patient Lecture, And Many A Midnight Lucubration. At The Age Of Twelve Years, He Embraced The Rigid System Of The Stoics, Which Taught Him To Submit His Body To His Mind, His Passions To His Reason; To Consider Virtue As The Only Good, Vice As The Only Evil, All Things External As Things Indifferent.
Passion
Years
History
[the] Penalty Of Death Was Abolished In The Roman Empire, A Law Of Mercy Most Delightful To The Humane Theorist, But Of Which The Practice, In A Large And Vicious Community, Is Seldom Consistent With The Public Safety.
Law
Practice
Safety
From The Paths Of Blood (and Such Is The History Of Nations) I Cannot Refuse To Turn Aside To Gather Some Flowers Of Science Or Virtue.
Flower
Blood
Path
But The Sages Of Greece And Rome Turned Aside From The Awful Spectacle, And, Pursuing The Ordinary Occupations Of Life And Study, Appeared Unconscious Of Any Alterations In The Moral Of Physical Government Of The World.
Government
Rome
History
Discussing The Attempts Of Augustus' Generals To Add To The Extent Of The Roman Empire Early In His Reign: The Northern Countries Of Europe Scarcely Deserved The Expense And Labour Of Conquest. The Forests And Morasses Of Germany Were Filled With A Hardy Race Of Barbarians, Who Despised Life When It Was Separated From Freedom; And Though, On The First Attack, They Seemed To Yield To The Weight Of The Roman Power, They Soon, By A Signal Act Of Despair, Regained Their Independence, And Reminded Augustus Of The Vicissitude Of Fortune.
Country
Yield
Race
Suspicious Princes Often Promote The Last Of Mankind, From A Vain Persuasion That Those Who Have No Dependence Except On Their Favor Will Have No Attachment Except To The Person Of Their Benefactor.
Attachment
Favors
Lasts
[every] Hour Of Delay Abates The Fame And Force Of The Invader, And Multiplies The Resources Of Defensive War.
War
Delay
Fame
Agriculture Is The Foundation Of Manufactures; Since The Productions Of Nature Are The Materials Of Art. Under The Roman Empire, The Labour Of An Industrious And Ingenious People Was Variously, But Incessantly Employed, In The Service Of The Rich. In Their Dress, Their Table, Their Houses, And Their Furniture, The Favourites Of Fortune United Every Refinement Of Conveniency, Of Elegance, And Of Splendour, Whatever Could Soothe Their Pride Or Gratify Their Sensuality.
Art
Pride
Agriculture
Our Work Is The Presentation Of Our Capabilities.
Inspirational
Motivational
Business
So Long As Mankind Shall Continue To Lavish More Praise Upon Its Destroyers Than Upon Its Benefactors War Shall Remain The Chief Pursuit Of Ambitious Minds.
Military
War
Long
But The Desire Of Obtaining The Advantages, And Of Escaping The Burthens, Of Political Society, Is A Perpetual And Inexhaustible Source Of Discord; Nor Can It Reasonably Be Presumed That The Restoration Of British Freedom Was Exempt From Tumult And Faction. The Pre-eminence Of Birth And Fortune Must Have Been Frequently Violated By Bold And Popular Citizens; And The Haughty Nobles, Who Complained That They Were Become The Subjects Of Their Own Servants, Would Sometimes Regret The Reign Of An Arbitrary Monarch.
Regret
Escaping
History
I Have Somewhere Heard Or Read The Frank Confession Of A Benedictine Abbot: "my Vow Of Poverty Has Given Me A Hundred Thousand Crowns A Year; My Vow Of Obedience Has Raised Me To The Rank Of A Sovereign Prince." - I Forget The Consequences Of His Vow Of Chastity.
Years
Crowns
Poverty
Ignorant Of The Arts Of Luxury, The Primitive Romans Had Improved The Science Of Government And War.
Art
War
Government
The Ancients Were Destitute Of Many Of The Conveniences Of Life Which Have Been Invented Or Improved By The Progress Of Industry; And The Plenty Of Glass And Linen Has Diffused More Real Comforts Among The Modern Nations Of Europe Than The Senators Of Rome Could Derive From All The Refinements Of Pompous Or Sensual Luxury.
Real
Luxury
Glasses
The Inactivity Of A Conqueror Betrays The Loss Of Strength And Blood . . .
Loss
Blood
Betray
I Darted A Contemptuous Look At The Stately Models Of Superstition.
Superstitions
Looks
Belief
In Their Censures Of Luxury The Fathers Are Extremely Minute And Circumstantial; And Among The Various Articles Which Excite Their Pious Indignation, We May Enumerate False Hair, Garments Of Any Colour Except White, Instruments Of Music, Vases Of Gold Or Silver, Downy Pillows, White Bread, Foreign Wines, Public Salutations, The Use Of Warm Baths, And The Practice Of Shaving The Beard, Which, According To Tertullian, Is A Lie Against Our Own Faces, And Am Impious Attempt To Improve The Works Of The Creator.
Lying
Father
Wine
[arabs Are] A People, Whom It Is Dangerous To Provoke, And Fruitless To Attack.
People
Dangerous
Provoking
To Resume, In A Few Words, The System Of The Imperial Government, As It Was Instituted By Augustus, And Maintained By Those Princes Who Understood Their Own Interest And That Of The People, It May Be Defined An Absolute Monarchy Disguised By The Forms Of A Commonwealth. The Masters Of The Roman World Surrounded Their Throne With Darkness, Concealed Their Irresistible Strength, And Humbly Professed Themselves The Accountable Ministers Of The Senate, Whose Supreme Decrees They Dictated And Obeyed.
Government
People
History
The Germans, In The Age Of Tacitus, Were Unacquainted With The Use Of Letters; And The Use Of Letters Is The Principal Circumstance That Distinguishes A Civilised People From A Herd Of Savages Incapable Of Knowledge Or Reflection. Without That Artificial Help, The Human Memory Soon Dissipates Or Corrupts The Ideas Intrusted To Her Charge; And The Nobler Faculties Of The Mind, No Longer Supplied With Models Or With Materials, Gradually Forget Their Powers; The Judgment Becomes Feeble And Lethargic, The Imagination Languid Or Irregular.
Memories
Reflection
Ideas
If Julian Had Flattered Himself That His Personal Connexion With The Capital Of The East Would Be Productive Of Mutual Satisfaction To The Prince And People, He Made A Very False Estimate Of His Own Character, And Of The Manners Of Antioch. The Warmth Of The Climate Disposed The Natives To The Most Intemperate Enjoyment Of Tranquillity And Opulence; And The Lively Licentiousness Of The Greeks Was Blended With The Hereditary Softness Of The Syrians.
Character
People
History
The Monastic Studies Have Tended, For The Most Part, To Darken, Rather Than To Dispel, The Cloud Of Superstition.
Clouds
Superstitions
Study
If A Man Were Called To Fix The Period In The History Of The World During Which The Condition Of The Human Race Was Most Happy And Prosperous, He Would, Without Hesitation, Name That Which Elapsed From The Death Of Domitian To The Accession Of Commodus.
Men
Names
Race
There Is More Pleasure To Building Castles In The Air Than On The Ground.
Writing
Air
Castles
In The Various States Of Society, Armies Are Recruited From Very Different Motives. Barbarians Are Urged By The Love Of War; The Citizens Of A Free Republic May Be Prompted By A Principle Of Duty; The Subjects, Or At Least The Nobles, Of A Monarchy, Are Animated By A Sentiment Of Honor; But The Timid And Luxurious Inhabitants Of A Declining Empire Must Be Allured Into The Service By The Hopes Of Profit, Or Compelled By The Dread Of Punishment.
Military
War
Army
My Early And Invincible Love Of Reading I Would Not Exchange For All The Riches Of India.
Love
Book
Reading
[the Monks'] Minds Were Inaccessible To Reason Or Mercy . . .
Mind
Mercy
Monk
The Character Of The Tribunes Was, In Every Respect, Different From That Of The Consuls. The Appearance Of The Former Was Modest And Humble; But Their Persons Were Sacred And Inviolable. Their Force Was Suited Rather For Opposition Than For Action. They Were Instituted To Defend The Oppressed, To Pardon Offences, To Arraign The Enemies Of The People, And, When They Judged It Necessary, To Stop, By A Single Word, The Whole Machine Of Government.
Humble
Character
Government
To The Love Of Pleasure We May Therefore Ascribe Most Of The Agreeable, To The Love Of Action We May Attribute Most Of The Useful And Respectable, Qualifications. The Character In Which Both The One And The Other Should Be United And Harmonised Would Seem To Constitute The Most Perfect Idea Of Human Nature.
Character
Ideas
History
The Law Of Nature Instructs Most Animals To Cherish And Educate Their Infant Progeny. The Law Of Reason Inculcates To The Human Species The Returns Of Filial Piety.
Animal
Law
Return
Imam Hussain's Sacrifice Is For All Groups And Communities, An Example Of The Path Of Rightousness.
Sacrifice
Community
Groups
History Has Scarcely Deigned To Notice [libius Severus's] Birth, His Elevation, His Character, Or His Death.
Character
Birth
Elevation
The Valuable Library Of Alexandria Was Pillaged Or Destroyed; And Near Twenty Years Afterwards, The Appearance Of The Empty Shelves Excited The Regret And Indignation Of Every Spectator Whose Mind Was Not Totally Darkened By Religious Prejudice. The Compositions Of Ancient Genius, So Many Of Which Have Irretrievably Perished, Might Surely Have Been Excepted From The Wreck Of Idolatry, For The Amusement And Instruction Of Succeeding Ages.
Religious
Regret
Years
The Fierce And Partial Writers Of The Times, Ascribing All Virtue To Themselves, And Imputing All Guilt To Their Adversaries, Have Painted The Battle Of The Angels And The Demons.
Angel
Guilt
Atheism
But A Wild Democracy . . . Too Often Disdains The Essential Principles Of Justice.
Justice
Democracy
Principles
Every Person Has Two Educations, One Which He Receives From Others, And One, More Important, Which He Gives To Himself.
Two
Giving
Important
We Stand In Need Of Such Reflections To Comfort Us For The Loss Of Some Illustrious Characters, Which In Our Eyes Might Have Seemed The Most Worthy Of The Heavenly Present. The Names Of Seneca, Of The Elder And The Younger Pliny, Of Tacitus, Of Plutarch, Of Galen, Of The Slave Epictetus, And Of The Emperor Marcus Antoninus, Adorn The Age In Which They Flourished, And Exalt The Dignity Of Human Natures.
Character
Eye
Loss
To A Lover Of Books The Shops And Sales In London Present Irresistible Temptations.
Book
Temptation
London
The Fabric Of A Mighty State, Which Has Been Reared By The Labours Of Successive Ages, Could Not Be Overturned By The Misfortune Of A Single Day, If The Fatal Power Of The Imagination Did Not Exaggerate The Real Measure Of The Calamity.
Real
History
Imagination
The Various Modes Of Worship Which Prevailed In The Roman World Were All Considered By The People As Equally True; By The Philosopher As Equally False; And By The Magistrate As Equally Useful.
Rome
People
History
Under A Democratical Government The Citizens Exercise The Powers Of Sovereignty; And Those Powers Will Be First Abused, And Afterwards Lost, If They Are Committed To An Unwieldy Multitude.
Exercise
Government
History
The Laws Of War, That Restrain The Exercise Of National Rapine And Murder, Are Founded On Two Principles Of Substantial Interest: The Knowledge Of The Permanent Benefits Which May Be Obtained By A Moderate Use Of Conquest, And A Just Apprehension Lest The Desolation Which We Inflict On The Enemy's Country May Be Retaliated On Our Own. But These Considerations Of Hope And Fear Are Almost Unknown In The Pastoral State Of Nations.
Country
War
Exercise
The Books Of Jurisprudence Were Interesting To Few, And Entertaining To None: Their Value Was Connected With Present Use, And They Sunk Forever As Soon As That Use Was Superseded By The Innovations Of Fashion, Superior Merit, Or Public Authority.
Fashion
Book
Interesting
Hope, The Best Comfort Of Our Imperfect Condition.
Hope
Comfort
Anticipation
The Image Of A Free Constitution Was Preserved With Decent Reverence: The Roman Senate Appeared To Possess The Sovereign Authority, And Devolved On The Emperors All The Executive Powers Of Government. During A Happy Period (a.d. 98-180) Of More Than Fourscore Years, The Public Administration Was Conducted By The Virtue And Abilities Of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, And The Two Antonines.
Two
Government
Years
The Primitive Christians Perpetually Trod On Mystic Ground, And Their Minds Were Exercised By The Habits Of Believing The Most Extraordinary Events
Christian
Believe
Mind
The Best And Most Important Part Of Every Man's Education Is That Which He Gives Himself.
Education
School
Men
It Is The First Care Of A Reformer To Prevent Any Future Reformation.
Firsts
Care
Reformers
When A Public Quarrel Is Envenomed By Private Injuries, A Blow That Is Not Mortal Or Decisive Can Be Productive Only Of A Short Truce, Which Allows The Unsuccessful Combatant To Sharpen His Arms For A New Encounter.
Blow
Encounters
Arms
Bad Roads And Indifferent Inns, ... The Continual Converse One Is Obliged To Have With The Vilest Part Of Mankind - Innkeepers, Post-masters, And Custom House Officers.
House
Inns
Masters
The History Of Empires Is The Record Of Human Misery; The History Of The Sciences Is That Of The Greatness And Happiness Of Mankind.
Empires
Misery
Humans
Unprovided With Original Learning, Unformed In The Habits Of Thinking, Unskilled In The Arts Of Composition, I Resolved To Write A Book.
Art
Book
Writing
And The Winds And The Waves Are Always On The Side Of The Ablest Navigators.
Inspirational
Life
Wisdom
The Ruin Of Paganism, In The Age Of Theodosius, Is Perhaps The Only Example Of The Total Extirpation Of Any Ancient And Popular Superstition; And May Therefore Deserve To Be Considered, As A Singular Event In The History Of The Human Mind.
Mind
Age
Ruins
War, In Its Fairest Form, Implies A Perpetual Violation Of Humanity And Justice.
War
Justice
Humanity
Metellus Numidicus, The Censor, Acknowledged To The Roman People, In A Public Oration, That Had Kind Nature Allowed Us To Exist Without The Help Of Women, We Should Be Delivered From A Very Troublesome Companion; And He Could Recommend Matrimony Only As The Sacrifice Of Private Pleasure To Public Duty.
Sacrifice
People
Helping
The Active, Insatiate Principle Of Self-love Can Alone Supply The Arts Of Life And The Wages Of Industry; And As Soon As Civil Government And Exclusive Property Have Been Introduced, They Become Necessary To The Existence Of The Human Race.
Art
Race
Government
The Policy Of The Emperors And The Senate, As Far As It Concerned Religion, Was Happily Seconded By The Reflections Of The Enlightened, And By The Habits Of The Superstitious, Part Of Their Subjects. The Various Modes Of Worship, Which Prevailed In The Roman World, Were All Considered By The People, As Equally True; By The Philosopher, As Equally False; And By The Magistrate, As Equally Useful. And Thus Toleration Produced Not Only Mutual Indulgence, But Even Religious Concord.
Religious
Reflection
People
But The Desire Of Obtaining The Advantages, And Of Escaping The Burdens, Of Political Society, Is A Perpetual And Inexhaustible Source Of Discord.
Escaping
Political
Desire
Julian Was Not Insensible Of The Advantages Of Freedom. From His Studies He Had Imbibed The Spirit Of Ancient Sages And Heroes; His Life And Fortunes Had Depended On The Caprice Of A Tyrant; And, When He Ascended The Throne, His Pride Was Sometimes Mortified By The Reflection That The Slaves Who Would Not Dare To Censure His Defects Were Not Worthy To Applaud His Virtues.
Hero
Pride
Reflection
Flattery Is A Foolish Suicide; She Destroys Herself With Her Own Hands.
Suicide
Hands
Flattery
The Love Of Spectacles Was The Taste, Or Rather Passion, Of The Syrians: The Most Skilful Artists Were Procured Form The Adjacent Cities; A Considerable Share Of The Revenue Was Devoted To The Public Amusements; And The Magnificence Of The Games Of The Theatre And Circus Was Considered As The Happiness, And As The Glory, Of Antioch.
Passion
Artist
Games
The Historian Must Have Some Conception Of How Men Who Are Not Historians Behave.
Men
History
Historian
The Progress Of Manufactures And Commerce Insensibly Collects A Large Multitude Within The Walls Of A City: But These Citizens Are No Longer Soldiers; And The Arts Which Adorn And Improve The State Of Civil Society, Corrupt The Habits Of The Military Life.
Art
Wall
Military
The Aspiring Efforts Of Genius, Or Virtue, Either In Active Or Speculative Life, Are Measured, Not So Much By Their Real Elevation, As By The Height To Which They Ascend Above The Level Of Their Age And Country; And The Same Stature, Which In A People Of Giants Would Pass Unnoticed, Must Appear Conspicuous In A Race Of Pygmies.
Country
Real
Race
There Are Two Very Natural Propensities Which We May Distinguish In The Most Virtuous And Liberal Dispositions, The Love Of Pleasure And The Love Of Action. If The Former Is Refined By Art And Learning, Improved By The Charms Of Social Intercourse, And Corrected By A Just Regard To Economy, To Health, And To Reputation, It Is Productive Of The Greatest Part Of The Happiness Of Private Life.
Art
Two
History
If We Are More Affected By The Ruin Of A Palace Than By The Conflagration Of A Cottage, Our Humanity Must Have Formed A Very Erroneous Estimate Of The Miseries Of Human Life.
Humanity
Sorrow
Cottages
The Grateful Applause Of The Clergy Has Consecrated The Memory Of A Prince, Who Indulged Their Passions And Promoted Their Interest. Constantine Gave Them Security, Wealth, Honours, And Revenge; And The Support Of The Orthodox Faith Was Considered As The Most Sacred And Important Duty Of The Civil Magistrate. The Edict Of Milan, The Great Charter Of Toleration, Had Confirmed To Each Individual Of The Roman World The Privilege Of Choosing And Professing His Own Religion.
Memories
Revenge
Grateful
Fashion Was The Only Law, Pleasure The Only Pursuit, And The Splendour Of Dress And Furniture Was The Only Distinction Of The Citizens Of Antioch. The Arts Of Luxury Were Honoured; The Serious And Manly Virtues Were The Subject Of Ridicule; And The Contempt For Female Modesty And Reverent Age Announced The Universal Corruption Of The Capital Of The East.
Fashion
Art
Luxury
The Decline Of Rome Was The Natural And Inevitable Effect Of Immoderate Greatness. Prosperity Ripened The Principle Of Decay; The Cause Of The Destruction Multiplied With The Extent Of Conquest; And, As Soon As Time Or Accident And Removed The Artificial Supports, The Stupendous Fabric Yielded To The Pressure Of Its Own Weight. The Story Of The Ruin Is Simple And Obvious: And Instead Of Inquiring Why The Roman Empire Was Destroyed We Should Rather Be Surprised That It Has Subsisted For So Long.
Simple
Greatness
Rome
If We Contrast The Rapid Progress Of This Mischievous Discovery [gunpowder] With The Slow And Laborious Advances Of Reason, Science, And The Arts Of Peace, A Philosopher, According To His Temper, Will Laugh Or Weep At The Folly Of Mankind.
Art
Discovery
Laughing
In Old Age The Consolation Of Hope Is Reserved For The Tenderness Of Parents, Who Commence A New Life In Their Children, The Faith Of Enthusiasts, Who Sing Hallelujahs Above The Clouds; And The Vanity Of Authors, Who Presume The Immortality Of Their Name And Writings.
Hope
Children
Writing
In The Most Rigorous [roman] Laws, A Wife Was Condemned To Support A Gamester, A Drunkard, Or A Libertine, Unless He Were Guilty Of Homicide, Poison, Or Sacrilege, In Which Cases The Marriage, As It Should Seem, Might Have Been Dissolved By The Hand Of The Executioner.
Law
Hands
Wife
Where Error Is Irreparable, Repentance Is Useless.
Errors
Useless
Repentance
The Active Cavalry Of Scythia Is Always Followed, In Their Most Distant And Rapid Incursions, By An Adequate Number Of Spare Horses, Who May Be Occasionally Used, Either To Redouble The Speed, Or To Satisfy The Hunger, Of The Barbarians. Many Are The Resources Of Courage And Poverty.
Horse
Numbers
History
[every Age], However Destitute Of Science Or Virtue, Sufficiently Abounds With Acts Of Blood And Military Renown.
Military
Blood
Age
In The Purer Ages Of The Commonwealth, The Use Of Arms Was Reserved For Those Ranks Of Citizens Who Had A Country To Love, A Property To Defend, And Some Share In Enacting Those Laws Which It Was Their Interest, As Well As Duty, To Maintain. But In Proportion As The Public Freedom Was Lost In Extent Of Conquest, War Was Gradually Improved Into An Art, And Degraded Into A Trade.
Country
Art
War
A Nation Ignorant Of The Equal Benefits Of Liberty And Law, Must Be Awed By The Flashes Of Arbitrary Power: The Cruelty Of A Despot Will Assume The Character Of Justice; His Profusion, Of Liberality; His Obstinacy, Of Firmness.
Character
Law
Justice
Many A Sober Christian Would Rather Admit That A Wafer Is God Than That God Is A Cruel And Capricious Tyrant.
Christian
Atheist
Tyrants
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