history:  a glance at a chart of history, or at La Voisne’s invaluable Atlas, may be allowed from time to time; but the principal arrangement ought to take place within your own mind, for the sake of both your memory and your intellect.  Such outlines of history will, however, be very deficient in the interest and excitement this study ought to afford you, unless you combine with them minute details of particular periods, first, perhaps, of particular countries.

Thus I would have Rollings Ancient History succeed the cold and dry outlines of Tytler.  Hume’s History of England will serve the same purpose relatively to the modern portion; and for the History of France, that of Eyre Evans Crowe imparts a brilliancy to perhaps the most uninteresting of all historic records.  If that is not within your reach, Millet’s History of France, in four volumes, though dull enough, is a safe and useful school-room book, and may be read with profit afterwards:  this, too, would possess the advantage of helping you on at the same time, or at least keeping up your knowledge of the French language.

It is desirable that all books from which you only want to acquire objective information should be read in a foreign language:  you thus insensibly render yourself more permanently, and as it were habitually, acquainted with the language in question, and carry on two studies at the same time.  If, however, you are not sufficiently acquainted with the language to prevent any danger of a division of attention by your being obliged to puzzle over the mere words instead of applying yourself to the meaning of the author, you must not venture upon the attempt of deriving a double species of knowledge from the same subject-matter:  the effect of the history as a story or picture impressed on the mind or memory would be lost by any confusion with another object.

Sir Walter Scott’s “Tales of a Grandfather” are the best history of Scotland you could read:  Robertson’s may come afterwards, when you have time.

Of Ireland and Wales you will learn enough from their constant connection with the affairs of England.  Sismondi’s History of the Italian Republics, in the Cabinet Cyclopedia, the History of the Ottoman Empire, in Constable’s Miscellany, the rapid sketches of the histories of Germany, Austria, and Prussia, in Voltaire’s Universal History, will be perhaps quite sufficient for this second class of histories.

The third must enter into more particular details, and thus confer a still livelier interest upon bygone days.  For instance, with reference to ancient history, you should read some of the more remarkable of Plutarch’s Lives, those of Alexander, Caesar, Theseus, Themistocles, &c.; the Travels of Anacharsis, the worthy results of thirty years’ hard labour of an eminent scholar:[80] the Travels of Cyrus, Telemachus, Belisarius, and Numa Pompilius, are also, though in very different degrees, useful and interesting.  The plays of Corneille and Racine, Alfieri, and Metastasio, on historical subjects, will make a double impression on your memory by the excitement of your imagination.  All ought to be read about the same time that you are studying those periods of history to which they refer.  This is of much importance.