Items related to Lessons in English literature
Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 Excerpt: ...and untrustworthy. Hume was a careless, dishonest, bigoted, and superficial writer. He is no longer an authority on English history. 68. Who was William Robertson? He was a native of Scotland, a Presbyterian minister, and for some time.head of the University of Edinburgh. Speaking of the historical writers of the eighteenth century, Henry Reed says: "Of these historians Gibbon is the only one whose history preserves to this day its authority, on the score of such extensive research and deep learning as were required by his large theme. With regard to Hume and Robertson--the two most popular historians--the labors of later students of history have demonstrated that their works are of that indolent and superficial character which destroys their authority as trustworthy chroniclers. I do not suppose that any careful and conscientious inquirer after historic truth would at the present day consider a question of history determined by a statement in the Histories of either Hume or Robertson."--Lectures on Knylish Literature. "One object, always uppermost with Hume, is to malign the Catholic religion."--Cobbett. 69. Name his chief works. (See list at the beginning of the Lesson.) 70. Which of these do you consider Robertson's most important work? The History of America. 71. What does it contain? The History of America, in eight books, contains an account of the discovery of the New World and of the progress of the Spanish arms and colonies on its shores down to the latter part of the eighteenth century. It covers the most splendid portion of early American history. 72. What may be said of the once-admired style of this writer? His style, though stately and elegant, is too cold, wordy, affected, and rhetorical. 73. What, perhaps, prevented Rober...
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