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The Communication Of Ideas Requires A Similitude Of Thought And Language . . .
-Edward Gibbon
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The Communication Of Ideas

Edward Gibbon
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The Communication Of Ideas Requires A Similitude Of Thought And Language . . .

Understanding the Quote: "the communication of ideas requires a similitude of thought and language ...."

This quote by Edward Gibbon reflects deeply on the theme of communication. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Communication, Ideas, Language, 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 communication and ideas. 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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Topic
Communication
Ideas
Language
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Every Man Who Rises Above The Common Level Has Received Two Educations: The First From His Teachers; The Second, More Personal And Important, From Himself.
Education
Teacher
Teaching
Antoninus Diffused Order And Tranquility Over The Greatest Part Of The Earth. His Reign Is Marked By The Rare Advantage Of Furnishing Very Few Materials For History; Which Is, Indeed, Little More Than The Register Of The Crimes, Follies, And Misfortunes Of Mankind.
Order
History
Littles
So Natural To Man Is The Practice Of Violence That Our Indulgence Allows The Slightest Provocation, The Most Disputable Right, As A Sufficient Ground Of National Hostility.
Men
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Such Was The Unhappy Condition Of The Roman Emperors, That, Whatever Might Be Their Conduct, Their Fate Was Commonly The Same. A Life Of Pleasure Or Virtue, Of Severity Or Mildness, Of Indolence Or Glory, Alike Led To An Untimely Grave; And Almost Every Reign Is Closed By The Same Disgusting Repetition Of Treason And Murder.
Fate
Unhappy
Might
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
The Pains And Pleasures Of The Body, Howsoever Important To Ourselves, Are An Indelicate Subject Of Conversation
Pain
Important
Body
The Comparative View Of The Powers Of The Magistrates, In Two Remarkable Instances, Is Alone Sufficient To Represent The Whole System Of German Manners. The Disposal Of The Landed Property Within Their District Was Absolutely Vested In Their Hands, And They Distributed It Every Year According To A New Division. At The Same Time, They Were Not Authorised To Punish With Death, To Imprison, Or Even To Strike, A Private Citizen.
Views
Hands
Years
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
The Laws Of Probability, So True In General, So Fallacious In Particular.
Science
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Statistics
An Extensive Empire Must Be Supported By A Refined System Of Policy And Oppression; In The Centre, An Absolute Power, Prompt In Action And Rich In Resources; A Swift And Easy Communication With The Extreme Parts; Fortifications To Check The First Effort Of Rebellion; A Regular Administration To Protect And Punish; And A Well-disciplined Army To Inspire Fear, Without Provoking Discontent And Despair.
Communication
Army
Effort
Instead Of Pressing, With The Foremost Of The Crowd, Into The Palace Of Constantinople, Libanius Calmly Expected His Arrival At Antioch; Withdrew From Court On The First Symptoms Of Coldness And Indifference; Required A Formal Invitation For Each Visit; And Taught His Sovereign An Important Lesson, That He Might Command The Obedience Of A Subject, But That He Must Deserve The Attachment Of A Friend.
Attachment
History
Important
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.
Christian
Numbers
Rome
The Gauls Derided The Hairy And Gigantic Savages Of The North; Their Rustic Manners, Dissonant Joy, Voracious Appetite, And Their Horrid Appearance, Equally Disgusting To The Sight And To The Smell.
Smell
Sight
Joy
Where Error Is Irreparable, Repentance Is Useless.
Errors
Useless
Repentance
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.
Loss
Men
Victory
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.
Nice
Character
Differences
The Terror Of The Roman Arms Added Weight And Dignity To The Moderation Of The Emperors. They Preserved The Peace By A Constant Preparation For War.
War
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Weight
But This Inestimable Privilege Was Soon Violated: With The Knowledge Of Truth The Emperor Imbibed The Maxims Of Persecution; And The Sects Which Dissented From The Catholic Church Were Afflicted And Oppressed By The Triumph Of Christianity. Constantine Easily Believed That The Heretics, Who Presumed To Dispute His Opinions Or To Oppose His Commands, Were Guilty Of The Most Absurd And Criminal Obstinacy; And That A Seasonable Application Of Moderate Severities Might Save Those Unhappy Men From The Danger Of An Everlasting Condemnation.
Men
History
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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
The Voice Of History Is Often Little More Than The Organ Of Hatred Or Flattery.
Voice
History
Hatred
Extreme Distress, Which Unites The Virtue Of A Free People, Imbitters The Factions Of A Declining Monarchy.
People
Virtue
Factions
But The Power Of Instruction Is Seldom Of Much Efficacy, Except In Those Happy Dispositions Where It Is Almost Superfluous.
History
Instruction
Disposition
My Early And Invincible Love Of Reading I Would Not Exchange For All The Riches Of India.
Love
Book
Reading
Where The Subject Lies So Far Beyond Our Reach, The Difference Between The Highest And The Lowest Of Human Understandings May Indeed Be Calculated As Infinitely Small; Yet The Degree Of Weakness May Perhaps Be Measured By The Degree Of Obstinacy And Dogmatic Confidence.
Lying
Differences
History
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
Although The Progress Of Civilisation Has Undoubtedly Contributed To Assuage The Fiercer Passions Of Human Nature, It Seems To Have Been Less Favourable To The Virtue Of Chastity, Whose Most Dangerous Enemy Is The Softness Of The Mind. The Refinements Of Life Corrupt While They Polish The Intercourse Of The Sexes. The Gross Appetite Of Love Becomes Most Dangerous When It Is Elevated, Or Rather, Indeed, Disguised By Sentimental Passion.
Sex
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The Frequent Repetition Of Miracles Serves To Provoke, Where It Does Not Subdue, The Reason Of Mankind.
History
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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
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Atheism
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
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At That Time The Archiepiscopal Throne Of Alexandria Was Filled By Theophilus, The Perpetual Enemy Of Peace And Virtue; A Bold, Bad Man, Whose Hands Were Alternately Polluted With Gold And With Blood.
Men
Blood
Hands
Our Toil Is Lessened, And Our Wealth Is Increased, By Our Dominion Over The Useful Animals . . .
Animal
Dominion
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Bizarreness Masqueraded As Creativity.
Creativity
Shock
Recluse Fanatics Have Few Ideas Or Sentiments To Communicate . . .
Ideas
Recluse
Communicate
The Mathematics Are Distinguished By A Particular Privilege, That Is, In The Course Of Ages, They May Always Advance And Can Never Recede.
Math
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Yet The Civilians Have Always Respected The Natural Right Of A Citizen To Dispose Of His Life . . .
Citizens
Natural
Civilians
Many A Sober Christian Would Rather Admit That A Wafer Is God Than That God Is A Cruel And Capricious Tyrant.
Christian
Atheist
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Rational Confidence [is] The Just Result Of Knowledge And Experience.
Results
Rational
Knowledge And Experience
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 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
The Chaste Severity Of The Fathers In Whatever Related To The Commerce Of The Two Sexes Flowed From The Same Principle -- Their Abhorrence Of Every Enjoyment Which Might Gratify The Sensual And Degrade The Spiritual Nature Of Man. It Was Their Favourite Opinion, That If Adam Had Preserved His Obedience To The Creator, He Would Have Lived For Ever In A State Of Virgin Purity, And That Some Harmless Mode Of Vegetation Might Have Peopled Paradise With A Race Of Innocent And Immortal Beings.
Spiritual
Sex
Father
Genius May Anticipate The Season Of Maturity; But In The Education Of A People, As In That Of An Individual, Memory Must Be Exercised, Before The Powers Of Reason And Fancy Can Be Expanded: Nor May The Artist Hope To Equal Or Surpass, Till He Has Learned To Imitate, The Works Of His Predecessors.
Memories
Artist
Maturity
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
The Value Of Money Has Been Settled By General Consent To Express Our Wants And Our Property, As Letters Were Invented To Express Our Ideas; And Both These Institutions, By Giving A More Active Energy To The Powers And Passions Of Human Nature, Have Contributed To Multiply The Objects They Were Designed To Represent.
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Ideas
History
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.
Christian
Tyrants
Enemy
War, In Its Fairest Form, Implies A Perpetual Violation Of Humanity And Justice.
War
Justice
Humanity
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.
Religious
Art
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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.
Revenge
War
Years
It Is Impossible To Reduce, Or, At Least, To Hold A Distant Country Against The Wishes And Efforts Of Its Inhabitants.
Country
Effort
Wish
I Darted A Contemptuous Look At The Stately Models Of Superstition.
Superstitions
Looks
Belief
Our Ignorance Is God; What We Know Is Science.
Spiritual
Atheist
Ignorance
The Love Of Freedom, So Often Invigorated And Disgraced By Private Ambition, Was Reduced, Among The Licentious Franks, To The Contempt Of Order, And The Desire Of Impunity.
Ambition
Order
Desire
The Gauls Were Endowed With All The Advantages Of Art And Nature; But As They Wanted Courage To Defend Them, They Were Justly Condemned To Obey, And Even To Flatter, The Victorious Barbarians, By Whose Clemency They Held Their Precarious Fortunes And Their Lives.
Art
Barbarians
Advantage
Amiable Weaknesses Of Human Nature.
Nature
Weakness
Humans
Our Sympathy Is Cold To The Relation Of Distant Misery.
Sympathy
Suffering
Misery
Corruption, The Most Infallible Symptom Of Constitutional Liberty.
Liberty
Corruption
Symptoms
The Revolution Of Ages May Bring Round The Same Calamities; But Ages May Revolve Without Producing A Tacitus To Describe Them.
Age
May
Revolution
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.
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People
History
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.
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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
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.
Philosophy
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History
Man Has Much More To Fear From The Passions Of His Fellow-creatures, Than From The Convulsions Of The Elements.
Passion
Men
Creatures
Greek Is Doubtless The Most Perfect [language] That Has Been Contrived By The Art Of Man.
Art
Men
Perfect
Both Moscow And [kiev], The Modern And The Ancient Capitals, Were Reduced To Ashes [by The Tartars]; A Temporary Ruin, Less Fatal Than The Deep, And Perhaps Indelible, Mark, Which A Servitude Of Two Hundred Years Has Imprinted On The Character Of The Russians.
Character
Years
Two
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.
Humanity
Church
Encounters
The Communication Of Ideas Requires A Similitude Of Thought And Language . . .
Communication
Ideas
Language
A Jurisdiction Thus Vague And Arbitrary Was Exposed To The Most Dangerous Abuse: The Substance, As Well As The Form, Of Justice Were Often Sacrificed To The Prejudices Of Virtue, The Bias Of Laudable Affection, And The Grosser Seductions Of Interest Or Resentment.
Justice
Abuse
Arbitrary
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.
Spring
Nice
Passion
[the] Operation Of The Wisest Laws Is Imperfect And Precarious. They Seldom Inspire Virtue, They Cannot Always Restrain Vice.
Law
Inspire
Vices
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.
Army
Discipline
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
[the] Vain And Transitory Scenes Of Human Greatness Are Unworthy Of A Serious Thought.
Greatness
Serious
Scene
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
A False Modesty Is The Meanest Species Of Pride.
Pride
Modesty
Species
The Science Of The Laws Is The Slow Growth Of Time And Experience.
Law
Growth
Slow Growth
Style Is The Image Of Character.
Fashion
Character
Style
But A Wild Democracy . . . Too Often Disdains The Essential Principles Of Justice.
Justice
Democracy
Principles
Does There Exist A Single Instance Of A Saint Asserting That He Himself Possessed The Gift Of Miracles?
Miracle
Doe
Saint
In Discussing Barbarism And Christianity I Have Actually Been Discussing The Fall Of Rome.
Fall
Rome
Christianity
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
It Was [totila's] Constant Theme, That National Vice And Ruin Are Inseparably Connected; That Victory Is The Fruit Of Moral As Well As Military Virtue; And That The Prince, And Even The People, Are Responsible For The Crimes Which They Neglect To Punish.
Military
People
Victory
Hope, The Best Comfort Of Our Imperfect Condition, Was Not Denied To The Roman Slave; And If He Had Any Opportunity Of Rendering Himself Either Useful Or Agreeable, He Might Very Naturally Expect That The Diligence And Fidelity Of A Few Years Would Be Rewarded With The Inestimable Gift Of Freedom.
Opportunity
Years
History
The Knowledge That Is Suited To Our Situation And Powers, The Whole Compass Of Moral, Natural, And Mathematical Science, Was Neglected By The New Platonists; Whilst They Exhausted Their Strength In The Verbal Disputes Of Metaphysics, Attempted To Explore The Secrets Of The Invisible World, And Studied To Reconcile Aristotle With Plato, On Subjects Of Which Both These Philosophers Were As Ignorant As The Rest Of Mankind.
Plato
History
Secret
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.
Party
Fire
Fields
The Revenge Of A Guilty Woman Is Implacable.
Revenge
Guilty
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.
Loss
Rome
History
But [the Arabs'] Friendship Was Venal, Their Faith Inconstant, Their Enmity Capricious: It Was An Easier Task To Excite Than To Disarm These Roving Barbarians; And, In The Familiar Intercourse Of War, They Learned To See, And To Despise, The Splendid Weakness Both Of Rome And Of Persia.
War
Rome
Barbarians
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
A Nation Of Slaves Is Always Prepared To Applaud The Clemency Of Their Master Who, In The Abuse Of Absolute Power, Does Not Proceed To The Last Extremes Of Injustice And Oppression.
Money
Abuse
Democracy
Hope, The Best Comfort Of Our Imperfect Condition.
Hope
Comfort
Anticipation
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.
Christian
Book
Rome
Fear Has Been The Original Parent Of Superstition, And Every New Calamity Urges Trembling Mortals To Deprecate The Wrath Of Their Invisible Enemies.
Wrath
Parent
Enemy
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.
Children
Judging
Guilt
An Absolute Monarch, Who Is Rich Without Patrimony, May Be Charitable Without Merit; And Constantine Too Easily Believed That He Should Purchase The Favour Of Heaven If He Maintained The Idle At The Expense Of The Industrious, And Distributed Among The Saints The Wealth Of The Republic.
History
Heaven
Saint
The Ascent To Greatness, However Steep And Dangerous, May Entertain An Active Spirit With The Consciousness And Exercise Of Its Own Power: But The Possession Of A Throne Could Never Yet Afford A Lasting Satisfaction To An Ambitious Mind.
Exercise
Greatness
Mind
The Theologian May Indulge The Pleasing Task Of Describing Religion As She Descended From Heaven, Arrayed In Her Native Purity. A More Melancholy Duty Is Imposed On The Historian. He Must Discover The Inevitable Mixture Of Error And Corruption Which She Contracted In A Long Residence Upon Earth, Among A Weak And Degenerate Race Of Beings.
Errors
Race
Long
Revenge Is Profitable, Gratitude Is Expensive.
Thank You
Wisdom
Gratitude
Philosophy Alone Can Boast (and Perhaps It Is No More Than The Boast Of Philosophy), That Her Gentle Hand Is Able To Eradicate From The Human Mind The Latent And Deadly Principle Of Fanaticism.
Philosophy
Hands
History
Of Human Life, The Most Glorious Or Humble Prospects Are Alike And Soon Bounded By The Sepulchre.
Humble
Human Life
Glorious
The First And Indispensable Requisite Of Happiness Is A Clear Conscience.
Happiness
Firsts
Clear
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.
Wise
History
Heaven
The Laws Of A Nation Form The Most Instructive Portion Of Its History
Law
Form
Portions
[the] Noblest Of [arabs] United The Love Of Arms With The Profession Of Merchandise.
Arms
United
Profession
[all] The Manly Virtues Were Oppressed By The Servile And Pusillanimous Reign Of The Monks.
Reign
Virtue
Monk
All That Is Human Must Retrograde If It Does Not Advance.
Wisdom
Growth
Doe
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
I Never Make The Mistake Of Arguing With People For Whose Opinions I Have No Respect.
Respect
Life And Love
Mistake
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
Imam Hussain's Sacrifice Is For All Groups And Communities, An Example Of The Path Of Rightousness.
Sacrifice
Community
Groups
The Mixture Of Sarmatic And German Blood Had Contributed To Improve The Features Of The Alani, To Whiten Their Swarthy Complexions, And To Tinge Their Hair With A Yellowish Cast, Which Is Seldom Found In The Tartar Race.
Hair
Race
Blood
The Romans, Who So Coolly And So Concisely Mention The Acts Of Justice Which Were Exercised By The Legions, Reserve Their Compassion And Their Eloquence For Their Own Sufferings, When The Provinces Were Invaded And Desolated By The Arms Of The Successful Barbarians.
Successful
Compassion
History
[it] Is The Interest As Well As Duty Of A Sovereign To Maintain The Authority Of The Laws.
Law
Sovereign
Authority
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
Every Person Has Two Educations, One Which He Receives From Others, And One, More Important, Which He Gives To Himself.
Two
Giving
Important
The Imprudent Maximus Disregarded These Salutary Considerations: He Gratified His Resentment And Ambition; He Saw The Bleeding Corpse Of Valentinian At His Feet; And He Heard Himself Saluted Emperor By The Unanimous Voice Of The Senate And People. But The Day Of His Inauguration Was The Last Day Of His Happiness.
Ambition
Voice
Feet
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.
Country
Reason
Obedience
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
Truth, Naked, Unblushing Truth, The First Virtue Of All Serious History, Must Be The Sole Recommendation Of This Personal Narrative.
History
Naked
Narrative
A People Who Still Remembered That Their Ancestors Had Been The Masters Of The World Would Have Applauded, With Conscious Pride, The Representation Of Ancient Freedom, If They Had Not Long Since Been Accustomed To Prefer The Solid Assurance Of Bread To The Unsubstantial Visions Of Liberty And Greatness.
Pride
Greatness
Long
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 Retirement Of Athanasius, Which Ended Only With The Life Of Constantius, Was Spent, For The Most Part, In The Society Of The Monks, Who Faithfully Served Him As Guards, As Secretaries, And As Messengers; But The Importance Of Maintaining A More Intimate Connection With The Catholic Party Tempted Him, Whenever The Diligence Of The Pursuit Was Abated, To Emerge From The Desert, To Introduce Himself Into Alexandria, And To Trust His Person To The Discretion Of His Friends And Adherents.
Retirement
Party
History
[personal] Industry Must Be Faint And Languid, Which Is Not Excited By The Sense Of Personal Interest.
Excited
Interest
Personal Interest
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.
Christian
Eye
History
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
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.
Country
Men
Law
History, In Fact, Is No More Than A List Of The Crimes Of Humanity, Human Follies And Accidents
Historical
Humanity
Lists
The Nations, And The Sects, Of The Roman World, Admitted With Equal Credulity, And Similar Abhorrence, The Reality Of That Infernal Art [witchcraft], Which Was Able To Control The Eternal Order Of The Planets, And The Voluntary Operations Of The Human Mind. . . . They Believed, With The Wildest Inconsistency, That This Preternatural Dominion Of The Air, Of Earth, And Of Hell, Was Exercised, From The Vilest Motives Of Malice Or Gain, By Some Wrinkled Hags And Itinerant Sorcerers, Who Passed Their Obscure Lives In Penury And Contempt.
Art
Reality
Air
The Love Of Liberty Was The Ruling Passion Of These Germans; The Enjoyment Of It, Their Best Treasure; The Word That Expressed That Enjoyment The Most Pleasing To Their Ear. They Deserved, They Assumed, They Maintained The Honourable Epithet Of Franks Or Freemen; Which Concealed, Though It Did Not Extinguish, The Peculiar Names Of The Several States Of The Confederacy.
Passion
Names
History
It Was Here That I Suspended My Religious Inquiries (aged 17).
Religious
Inquiry
Suspended
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
A Reformer Should Be Exempt From The Suspicion Of Interest, And He Must Possess The Confidence And Esteem Of Those Whom He Proposes To Reclaim.
Should
Suspicion
Interest
It Was The Fashion Of The Times To Attribute Every Remarkable Event To The Particular Will Of The Deity; The Alterations Of Nature Were Connected, By An Invisible Chain, With The Moral And Metaphysical Opinions Of The Human Mind; And The Most Sagacious Divines Could Distinguish, According To The Colour Of Their Respective Prejudices, That The Establishment Of Heresy Tended To Produce An Earthquake, Or That A Deluge Was The Inevitable Consequence Of The Progress Of Sin And Error.
Fashion
Earthquakes
Errors
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
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
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 End Comes When We No Longer Talk With Ourselves. It Is The End Of Genuine Thinking And The Beginning Of The Final Loneliness.
Time
Loneliness
Being Alone
Language Is The Leading Principle Which Unites Or Separates The Tribes Of Mankind.
Principles
Tribes
Language
Books Are Those Faithful Mirrors That Reflect To Our Mind The Minds Of Sages And Heroes.
Book
Reading
Hero
A Taste For Books, Which Is Still The Pleasure And Glory Of My Life.
Book
Taste
Glory
The Principles Of A Free Constitution Are Irrecoverably Lost, When The Legislative Power Is Nominated By The Executive.
Power
Principles
Constitution
The Difference Of Language, Dress, And Manners . . . Severs And Alienates The Nations Of The Globe.
Differences
Dresses
Language
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
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
The Love Of Action Is A Principle Of A Much Stronger And More Doubtful Nature. It Often Leads To Anger, To Ambition, And To Revenge; But When It Is Guided By The Sense Of Propriety And Benevolence, It Becomes The Parent Of Every Virtue, And, If Those Virtues Are Accompanied With Equal Abilities, A Family, A State, Or An Empire May Be Indebted For Their Safety And Prosperity To The Undaunted Courage Of A Single Man.
Revenge
Ambition
Men
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 . . .
Sex
Husband
Law
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
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
In This Primitive And Abject State [of Hunters And Gatherers], Which Ill Deserves The Name Of Society, The Human Brute, Without Arts Or Laws, Almost Without Sense Or Language, Is Poorly Distinguished From The Rest Of The Animal Creation.
Art
Animal
Law
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
The First Of Earthly Blessings, Independence.
Single
Blessing
Independence
Julian Sincerely Abhorred The System Of Oriental Despotism Which Diocletian, Constantine, And The Patient Habits Of Four Score Years, Had Established In The Empire. A Motive Of Superstition Prevented The Execution Of The Design Which Julian Had Frequently Meditated, Of Relieving His Head From The Weight Of A Costly Diadem; But He Absolutely Refused The Title Of Dominus Or Lord, A Word Which Was Grown So Familiar To The Ears Of The Romans, That They No Longer Remembered Its Servile And Humiliating Origin.
Years
History
Design
[whole] Generations May Be Swept Away By The Madness Of Kings In The Space Of A Single Hour.
Kings
Space
Generations
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
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.
Christian
Character
Past
Ignorant Of The Arts Of Luxury, The Primitive Romans Had Improved The Science Of Government And War.
Art
War
Government
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 . . .
War
Hero
Blood
I Understand By This Passion The Union Of Desire, Friendship, And Tenderness, Which Is Inflamed By A Single Female, Which Prefers Her To The Rest Of Her Sex, And Which Seeks Her Possession As The Supreme Or The Sole Happiness Of Our Being.
Friendship
Happiness
Sex
Instead Of A Perpetual And Perfect Measure Of The Divine Will, The Fragments Of The Koran Were Produced At The Discretion Of Mahomet; Each Revelation Is Suited To The Emergencies Of His Policy Or Passion; And All Contradiction Is Removed By The Saving Maxim That Any Text Of Scripture Is Abrogated Or Modified By Any Subsequent Passage.
Passion
Perfect
Saving
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
Europe Is Secure From Any Future Irruptions Of Barbarians; Since, Before They Can Conquer, They Must Cease To Be Barbarous.
Europe
Barbarians
Conquer
Actuated By These Motives, And Apprehensive Of Disturbing The Repose Of An Unsettled Reign, Julian Surprised The World By An Edict Which Was Not Unworthy Of A Statesman Or A Philosopher. He Extended To All The Inhabitants Of The Roman World The Benefits Of A Free And Equal Toleration; And The Only Hardship Which He Inflicted On The Christians Was To Deprive Them Of The Power Of Tormenting Their Fellow-subjects, Whom They Stigmatised With The Odious Titles Of Idolaters And Heretics.
Christian
History
Titles
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
In The End, They Wanted Security More Than They Wanted Freedom.
Courage
Freedom
Ends
Vicissitudes Of Fortune, Which Spares Neither Man Nor The Proudest Of His Works, Which Buries Empires And Cities In A Common Grave.
Men
Cities
Empires
Of The Various Forms Of Government Which Have Prevailed In The World, An Hereditary Monarchy Seems To Present The Fairest Scope For Ridicule.
Government
History
British Monarchy
To An Active Mind, Indolence Is More Painful Than Labor.
Mind
Painful
Indolence
The Dark Cloud, Which Had Been Cleared By The Phoenician Discoveries, And Finally Dispelled By The Arms Of Caesar, Again Settled On The Shores Of The Atlantic, And A Roman Province [britain] Was Again Lost Among The Fabulous Islands Of The Ocean.
Ocean
Dark
Clouds
As For This Young Ali, One Cannot But Like Him. A Noble-minded Creature, As He Shows Himself, Now And Always Afterwards; Full Of Affection, Of Fiery Daring. Something Chivalrous In Him; Brave As A Lion; Yet With A Grace, A Truth And Affection Worthy Of Christian Knighthood.
Christian
Brave
Grace
The Roman Government Appeared Every Day Less Formidable To Its Enemies, More Odious And Oppressive To Its Subjects.
Government
Enemy
Formidable
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
A Society In Which Marriage Is Encouraged And Industry Prevails Soon Repairs The Accidental Losses Of Pestilence And War.
War
Loss
Pestilence
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
And The Winds And The Waves Are Always On The Side Of The Ablest Navigators.
Inspirational
Life
Wisdom
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
To A Lover Of Books The Shops And Sales In London Present Irresistible Temptations.
Book
Temptation
London
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.
Nice
Loss
History
History Is Indeed Little More Than The Register Of The Crimes, Follies, And Misfortunes Of Mankind.
War
History
Tourism
The Manly Pride Of The Romans, Content With Substantial Power, Had Left To The Vanity Of The East The Forms And Ceremonies Of Ostentatious Greatness. But When They Lost Even The Semblance Of Those Virtues Which Were Derived From Their Ancient Freedom, The Simplicity Of Roman Manners Was Insensibly Corrupted By The Stately Affectation Of The Courts Of Asia.
Pride
Greatness
Vanity
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
The Vain, Inconstant, Rebellious Disposition Of The People [of Armorica], Was Incompatible Either With Freedom Or Servitude.
People
Rebellious
Vain
It Has Always Been My Practice To Cast A Long Paragraph In A Single Mould, To Try It By My Ear, To Deposit It In My Memory, But To Suspend The Action Of The Pen Till I Had Given The Last Polish To My Work.
Memories
Writing
Practice
Passion, Interest, Or Caprice, Suggested Daily Motives For The Dissolution Of Marriage; A Word, A Sign, A Message, A Letter, The Mandate Of A Freedman, Declared The Separation; The Most Tender Of Human Connections Was Degraded To A Transient Society Of Profit Or Pleasure.
Passion
Connections
Letters
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.
Government
History
Enemy
And Thus Toleration Produced Not Only Mutual Indulgence, But Even Religious Concord. The Superstition Of The People Was Not Embittered Theological Rancor.
Religious
People
Superstitions
Theodosius Was Chaste And Temperate; He Enjoyed, Without Excess, The Sensual And Social Pleasures Of The Table, And The Warmth Of His Amorous Passions Was Never Diverted From Their Lawful Objects. The Proud Titles Of Imperial Greatness Were Adorned By The Tender Names Of A Faithful Husband, An Indulgent Father; His Uncle Was Raised, By His Affectionate Esteem, To The Rank Of A Second Parent.
Uncles
Husband
Father
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
There Is More Pleasure To Building Castles In The Air Than On The Ground.
Writing
Air
Castles
A Philosopher May Deplore The Eternal Discords Of The Human Race, But He Will Confess, That The Desire Of Spoil Is A More Rational Provocation Than The Vanity Of Conquest.
Vanity
Race
Desire
It Is Seldom That Minds Long Exercised In Business Have Formed Any Habits Of Conversing With Themselves, And In The Loss Of Power They Principally Regret The Want Of Occupation.
Regret
Loss
Long
At The Hour Of Midnight The Salerian Gate Was Silently Opened, And The Inhabitants Were Awakened By The Tremendous Sound Of The Gothic Trumpet. Eleven Hundred And Sixty-three Years After The Foundation Of Rome, The Imperial City, Which Had Subdued And Civilised So Considerable A Part Of Mankind, Was Delivered To The Licentious Fury Of The Tribes Of Germany And Scythia.
Rome
Years
Cities
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.
Grateful
Blessing
History
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 Courage Of A Soldier Is Found To Be The Cheapest And Most Common Quality Of Human Nature.
Army
Soldier
Navy
A Martial Nobility And Stubborn Commons, Possessed Of Arms, Tenacious Of Property, And Collected Into Constitutional Assemblies Form The Only Balance Capable Of Preserving A Free Constitution Against The Enterprise Of An Aspiring Prince
Freedom
Balance
Arms
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.
Art
History
Might
The Progress Of Despotism Tends To Disappoint Its Own Purpose.
Progress
Purpose
Despotism
[the] Discretion Of The Judge Is The First Engine Of Tyranny . . .
Judging
Firsts
Tyranny
The Desire Of Perfection Became The Ruling Passion Of Their Soul; And It Is Well Known, That While Reason Embraces A Cold Mediocrity, Our Passions Hurry Us, With Rapid Violence, Over The Space Which Lies Between The Most Opposite Extremes.
Lying
Passion
Opposites
[a] Military Force Was Collected In Europe, Formidable By Their Arms And Numbers, If The Generals Had Understood The Science Of Command, And The Soldiers The Duty Of Obedience.
Military
Numbers
Europe
Philosophy Had Instructed Julian To Compare The Advantages Of Action And Retirement; But The Elevation Of His Birth And The Accidents Of His Life Never Allowed Him The Freedom Of Choice. He Might Perhaps Sincerely Have Preferred The Groves Of The Academy And The Society Of Athens; But He Was Constrained, At First By The Will, And Afterwards By The Injustice Of Constantius, To Expose His Person And Fame To The Dangers Of Imperial Greatness; And To Make Himself Accountable To The World And To Posterity For The Happiness Of Millions.
Retirement
Philosophy
Greatness
The Most Distinguished Merit Of Those Two Officers Was Their Respective Prowess, Of The One In The Combats Of Bacchus, Of The Other In Those Of Venus.
Two
History
Venus
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