EdwardGibbon，Esq

WithnotesbytheRev。H。H。Milman

Vol。1

IntroductionPrefaceByTheEditor。

ThegreatworkofGibbonisindispensabletothestudentofhistory。TheliteratureofEuropeoffersnosubstitutefor"TheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire。"Ithasobtainedundisputedpossession，asrightfuloccupant，ofthevastperiodwhichitcomprehends。Howeversomesubjects，whichitembraces，mayhaveundergonemorecompleteinvestigation，onthegeneralviewofthewholeperiod，thishistoryisthesoleundisputedauthoritytowhichalldefer，andfromwhichfewappealtotheoriginalwriters，ortomoremoderncompilers。Theinherentinterestofthesubject，theinexhaustiblelaboremployeduponit；theimmensecondensationofmatter；theluminousarrangement；thegeneralaccuracy；thestyle，which，howevermonotonousfromitsuniformstateliness，andsometimeswearisomefromitselaboratear。，isthroughoutvigorous，animated，oftenpicturesquealwayscommandsattention，alwaysconveysitsmeaningwithemphaticenergy，describeswithsingularbreadthandfidelity，andgeneralizeswithunrivalledfelicityofexpression；allthesehighqualificationshavesecured，andseemlikelytosecure，itspermanentplaceinhistoricliterature。

ThisvastdesignofGibbon，themagnificentwholeintowhichhehascastthedecayandruinoftheancientcivilization，theformationandbirthoftheneworderofthings，willofitself，independentofthelaboriousexecutionofhisimmenseplan，render"TheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire"anunapproachablesubjecttothefuturehistorian:intheeloquentlanguageofhisrecentFrencheditor，M。Guizot:—

[Footnote*AconsiderableportionofthisprefacehasalreadyappearedbeforeuspublicintheQuarterlyReview。]

"Thegradualdeclineofthemostextraordinarydominionwhichhaseverinvadedandoppressedtheworld；thefallofthatimmenseempire，erectedontheruinsofsomanykingdoms，republics，andstatesbothbarbarousandcivilized；andforminginitsturn，byitsdismemberment，amultitudeofstates，republics，andkingdoms；theannihilationofthereligionofGreeceandRome；thebirthandtheprogressofthetwonewreligionswhichhavesharedthemostbeautifulregionsoftheearth；thedecrepitudeoftheancientworld，thespectacleofitsexpiringgloryanddegeneratemanners；theinfancyofthemodernworld，thepictureofitsfirstprogress，ofthenewdirectiongiventothemindandcharacterofman—suchasubjectmustnecessarilyfixtheattentionandexcitetheinterestofmen，whocannotbeholdwithindifferencethosememorableepochs，duringwhich，inthefinelanguageofCorneille—

'Ungranddestincommence，ungranddestins'acheve。'"

ThisextentandharmonyofdesignisunquestionablythatwhichdistinguishestheworkofGibbonfromallothergreathistoricalcompositions。Hehasfirstbridgedtheabyssbetweenancientandmoderntimes，andconnectedtogetherthetwogreatworldsofhistory。Thegreatadvantagewhichtheclassicalhistorianspossessoverthoseofmoderntimesisinunityofplan，ofcoursegreatlyfacilitatedbythenarrowerspheretowhichtheirresearcheswereconfined。ExceptHerodotus，thegreathistoriansofGreece—weexcludethemoremoderncompilers，likeDiodorusSiculus—limitedthemselvestoasingleperiod，orat'easttothecontractedsphereofGrecianaffairs。AsfarastheBarbarianstrespassedwithintheGrecianboundary，orwerenecessarilymingledupwithGrecianpolitics，theywereadmittedintothepaleofGrecianhistory；buttoThucydidesandtoXenophon，exceptinginthePersianinroadofthelatter，Greecewastheworld。Naturalunityconfinedtheirnarrativealmosttochronologicalorder，theepisodeswereofrareoccurrenceandextremelybrief。TotheRomanhistoriansthecoursewasequallyclearanddefined。Romewastheircentreofunity；andtheuniformitywithwhichthecircleoftheRomandominionspreadaround，theregularitywithwhichtheircivilpolityexpanded，forced，asitwere，upontheRomanhistorianthatplanwhichPolybiusannouncesasthesubjectofhishistory，themeansandthemannerbywhichthewholeworldbecamesubjecttotheRomansway。HowdifferentthecomplicatedpoliticsoftheEuropeankingdoms!Everynationalhistory，tobecomplete，must，inacertainsense，bethehistoryofEurope；thereisnoknowingtohowremoteaquarteritmaybenecessarytotraceourmostdomesticevents；fromacountry，howapparentlydisconnected，mayoriginatetheimpulsewhichgivesitsdirectiontothewholecourseofaffairs。

Inimitationofhisclassicalmodels，GibbonplacesRomeasthecardinalpointfromwhichhisinquiriesdiverge，andtowhichtheybearconstantreference；yethowimmeasurablethespaceoverwhichthoseinquiriesrange；howcomplicated，howconfused，howapparentlyinextricablethecauseswhichtendtothedeclineoftheRomanempire!howcountlessthenationswhichswarmforth，inminglingandindistincthordes，constantlychangingthegeographicallimits—incessantlyconfoundingthenaturalboundaries!Atfirstsight，thewholeperiod，thewholestateoftheworld，seemstooffernomoresecurefootingtoanhistoricaladventurerthanthechaosofMilton—tobeinastateofirreclaimabledisorder，bestdescribedinthelanguageofthepoet:—

—"AdarkIllimitableocean，withoutbound，Withoutdimension，wherelength，breadth，andheight，Andtime，andplace，arelost:whereeldestNightAndChaos，ancestorsofNature，holdEternalanarchy，amidstthenoiseOfendlesswars，andbyconfusionstand。"

Wefeelthattheunityandharmonyofnarrative，whichshallcomprehendthisperiodofsocialdisorganization，mustbeascribedentirelytotheskillandluminousdispositionofthehistorian。ItisinthissublimeGothicarchitectureofhiswork，inwhichtheboundlessrange，theinfinitevariety，the，atfirstsight，incongruousgorgeousnessoftheseparateparts，neverthelessareallsubordinatetoonemainandpredominantidea，thatGibbonisunrivalled。Wecannotbutadmirethemannerinwhichhemasseshismaterials，andarrangeshisfactsinsuccessivegroups，notaccordingtochronologicalorder，buttotheirmoralorpoliticalconnection；thedistinctnesswithwhichhemarkshisperiodsofgraduallyincreasingdecay；andtheskillwithwhich，thoughadvancingonseparateparallelsofhistory，heshowsthecommontendencyoftheslowerormorerapidreligiousorcivilinnovations。Howevertheseprinciplesofcompositionmaydemandmorethanordinaryattentiononthepartofthereader，theycanaloneimpressuponthememorytherealcourse，andtherelativeimportanceoftheevents。WhoeverwouldjustlyappreciatethesuperiorityofGibbon'slucidarrangement，shouldattempttomakehiswaythroughtheregularbutwearisomeannalsofTillemont，oreventhelessponderousvolumesofLeBeau。

Boththesewritersadhere，almostentirely，tochronologicalorder；theconsequenceis，thatwearetwentytimescalledupontobreakoff，andresumethethreadofsixoreightwarsindifferentpartsoftheempire；tosuspendtheoperationsofamilitaryexpeditionforacourtintrigue；tohurryawayfromasiegetoacouncil；andthesamepageplacesusinthemiddleofacampaignagainstthebarbarians，andinthedepthsoftheMonophysitecontroversy。InGibbonitisnotalwayseasytobearinmindtheexactdatesbutthecourseofeventsiseverclearanddistinct；likeaskilfulgeneral，thoughhistroopsadvancefromthemostremoteandoppositequarters，theyareconstantlybearingdownandconcentratingthemselvesononepoint—thatwhichisstilloccupiedbythename，andbythewaningpowerofRome。Whetherhetracestheprogressofhostilereligions，orleadsfromtheshoresoftheBaltic，orthevergeoftheChineseempire，thesuccessivehostsofbarbarians—thoughonewavehashardlyburstanddischargeditself，beforeanotherswellsupandapproaches—allismadetoflowinthesamedirection，andtheimpressionwhicheachmakesuponthetotteringfabricoftheRomangreatness，connectstheirdistantmovements，andmeasurestherelativeimportanceassignedtotheminthepanoramichistory。ThemorepeacefulanddidacticepisodesonthedevelopmentoftheRomanlaw，orevenonthedetailsofecclesiasticalhistory，interposethemselvesasresting—placesordivisionsbetweentheperiodsofbarbaricinvasion。Inshort，thoughdistractedfirstbythetwocapitals，andafterwardsbytheformalpartitionoftheempire，theextraordinaryfelicityofarrangementmaintainsanorderandaregularprogression。Asourhorizonexpandstorevealtousthegatheringtempestswhichareformingfarbeyondtheboundariesofthecivilizedworld—aswefollowtheirsuccessiveapproachtothetremblingfrontier—thecompressedandrecedinglineisstilldistinctlyvisible；thoughgraduallydismemberedandthebrokenfragmentsassumingtheformofregularstatesandkingdoms，therealrelationofthosekingdomstotheempireismaintainedanddefined；andevenwhentheRomandominionhasshrunkintolittlemorethantheprovinceofThrace—whenthenameofRome，confined，inItaly，tothewallsofthecity—yetitisstillthememory，theshadeoftheRomangreatness，whichextendsoverthewidesphereintowhichthehistorianexpandshislaternarrative；thewholeblendsintotheunity，andismanifestlyessentialtothedoublecatastropheofhistragicdrama。

Buttheamplitude，themagnificence，ortheharmonyofdesign，are，thoughimposing，yetunworthyclaimsonouradmiration，unlessthedetailsarefilledupwithcorrectnessandaccuracy。NowriterhasbeenmoreseverelytriedonthispointthanGibbon。Hehasundergonethetriplescrutinyoftheologicalzealquickenedbyjustresentment，ofliteraryemulation，andofthatmeanandinvidiousvanitywhichdelightsindetectingerrorsinwritersofestablishedfame。Ontheresultofthetrial，wemaybepermittedtosummoncompetentwitnessesbeforewedeliverourownjudgment。

M。Guizot，inhispreface，afterstatingthatinFranceandGermany，aswellasinEngland，inthemostenlightenedcountriesofEurope，Gibbonisconstantlycitedasanauthority，thusproceeds:—

"Ihavehadoccasion，duringmylabors，toconsultthewritingsofphilosophers，whohavetreatedonthefinancesoftheRomanempire；ofscholars，whohaveinvestigatedthechronology；

oftheologians，whohavesearchedthedepthsofecclesiasticalhistory；ofwritersonlaw，whohavestudiedwithcaretheRomanjurisprudence；ofOrientalists，whohaveoccupiedthemselveswiththeArabiansandtheKoran；ofmodernhistorians，whohaveentereduponextensiveresearchestouchingthecrusadesandtheirinfluence；eachofthesewritershasremarkedandpointedout，inthe'HistoryoftheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire，'somenegligences，somefalseorimperfectviewssomeomissions，whichitisimpossiblenottosupposevoluntary；theyhaverectifiedsomefactscombatedwithadvantagesomeassertions；butingeneraltheyhavetakentheresearchesandtheideasofGibbon，aspointsofdeparture，orasproofsoftheresearchesorofthenewopinionswhichtheyhaveadvanced。"

M。GuizotgoesontostatehisownimpressionsonreadingGibbon'shistory，andnoauthoritywillhavegreaterweightwiththosetowhomtheextentandaccuracyofhishistoricalresearchesareknown:—

"Afterafirstrapidperusal，whichallowedmetofeelnothingbuttheinterestofanarrative，alwaysanimated，and，notwithstandingitsextentandthevarietyofobjectswhichitmakestopassbeforetheview，alwaysperspicuous，Ientereduponaminuteexaminationofthedetailsofwhichitwascomposed；andtheopinionwhichIthenformedwas，Iconfess，singularlysevere。Idiscovered，incertainchapters，errorswhichappearedtomesufficientlyimportantandnumeroustomakemebelievethattheyhadbeenwrittenwithextremenegligence；inothers，Iwasstruckwithacertaintingeofpartialityandprejudice，whichimpartedtotheexpositionofthefactsthatwantoftruthandjustice，whichtheEnglishexpressbytheirhappytermmisrepresentation。Someimperfect(tronquees)quotations；somepassages，omittedunintentionallyordesignedlycastasuspiciononthehonesty(bonnefoi)oftheauthor；andhisviolationofthefirstlawofhistory—increasedtomyeyebytheprolongedattentionwithwhichIoccupiedmyselfwitheveryphrase，everynote，everyreflection—causedmetoformuponthewholework，ajudgmentfartoorigorous。Afterhavingfinishedmylabors，I

allowedsometimetoelapsebeforeIreviewedthewhole。A

secondattentiveandregularperusaloftheentirework，ofthenotesoftheauthor，andofthosewhichIhadthoughtitrighttosubjoin，showedmehowmuchIhadexaggeratedtheimportanceofthereproacheswhichGibbonreallydeserved；Iwasstruckwiththesameerrors，thesamepartialityoncertainsubjects；butI

hadbeenfarfromdoingadequatejusticetotheimmensityofhisresearches，thevarietyofhisknowledge，andaboveall，tothattrulyphilosophicaldiscrimination(justessed'esprit)whichjudgesthepastasitwouldjudgethepresent；whichdoesnotpermititselftobeblindedbythecloudswhichtimegathersaroundthedead，andwhichpreventusfromseeingthat，underthetoga，asunderthemoderndress，inthesenateasinourcouncils，menwerewhattheystillare，andthateventstookplaceeighteencenturiesago，astheytakeplaceinourdays。I

thenfeltthathisbook，inspiteofitsfaults，willalwaysbeanoblework—andthatwemaycorrecthiserrorsandcombathisprejudices，withoutceasingtoadmitthatfewmenhavecombined，ifwearenottosayinsohighadegree，atleastinamannersocomplete，andsowellregulated，thenecessaryqualificationsforawriterofhistory。"

ThepresenteditorhasfollowedthetrackofGibbonthroughmanypartsofhiswork；hehasreadhisauthoritieswithconstantreferencetohispages，andmustpronouncehisdeliberatejudgment，intermsofthehighestadmirationastohisgeneralaccuracy。Manyofhisseemingerrorsarealmostinevitablefromtheclosecondensationofhismatter。Fromtheimmenserangeofhishistory，itwassometimesnecessarytocompressintoasinglesentence，awholevagueanddiffusepageofaByzantinechronicler。Perhapssomethingofimportancemayhavethusescaped，andhisexpressionsmaynotquitecontainthewholesubstanceofthepassagefromwhichtheyaretaken。Hislimits，attimes，compelhimtosketch；wherethatisthecase，itisnotfairtoexpectthefulldetailsofthefinishedpicture。Attimeshecanonlydealwithimportantresults；andinhisaccountofawar，itsometimesrequiresgreatattentiontodiscoverthattheeventswhichseemtobecomprehendedinasinglecampaign，occupyseveralyears。Butthisadmirableskillinselectingandgivingprominencetothepointswhichareofrealweightandimportance—thisdistributionoflightandshade—thoughperhapsitmayoccasionallybetrayhimintovagueandimperfectstatements，isoneofthehighestexcellenciesofGibbon'shistoricmanner。Itisthemorestriking，whenwepassfromtheworksofhischiefauthorities，where，afterlaboringthroughlong，minute，andwearisomedescriptionsoftheaccessaryandsubordinatecircumstances，asingleunmarkedandundistinguishedsentence，whichwemayoverlookfromtheinattentionoffatigue，containsthegreatmoralandpoliticalresult。

Gibbon'smethodofarrangement，thoughonthewholemostfavorabletotheclearcomprehensionoftheevents，leadslikewisetoapparentinaccuracy。Thatwhichweexpecttofindinonepartisreservedforanother。Theestimatewhichwearetoform，dependsontheaccuratebalanceofstatementsinremotepartsofthework；andwehavesometimestocorrectandmodifyopinions，formedfromonechapterbythoseofanother。Yet，ontheotherhand，itisastonishinghowrarelywedetectcontradiction；themindoftheauthorhasalreadyharmonizedthewholeresulttotruthandprobability；thegeneralimpressionisalmostinvariablythesame。ThequotationsofGibbonhavelikewisebeencalledinquestion；—Ihave，ingeneral，beenmoreinclinedtoadmiretheirexactitude，thantocomplainoftheirindistinctness，orincompleteness。Wheretheyareimperfect，itiscommonlyfromthestudyofbrevity，andratherfromthedesireofcompressingthesubstanceofhisnotesintopointedandemphaticsentences，thanfromdishonesty，oruncandidsuppressionoftruth。

Theseobservationsapplymoreparticularlytotheaccuracyandfidelityofthehistorianastohisfacts；hisinferences，ofcourse，aremoreliabletoexception。Itisalmostimpossibletotracethelinebetweenunfairnessandunfaithfulness；betweenintentionalmisrepresentationandundesignedfalsecoloring。Therelativemagnitudeandimportanceofeventsmust，insomerespect，dependuponthemindbeforewhichtheyarepresented；

theestimateofcharacter，onthehabitsandfeelingsofthereader。Christians，likeM。Guizotandourselves，willseesomethings，andsomepersons，inadifferentlightfromthehistorianoftheDeclineandFall。Wemaydeplorethebiasofhismind；wemayourselvesbeonourguardagainstthedangerofbeingmisled，andbeanxioustowarnlesswaryreadersagainstthesameperils；

butwemustnotconfoundthissecretandunconsciousdeparturefromtruth，withthedeliberateviolationofthatveracitywhichistheonlytitleofanhistoriantoourconfidence。Gibbon，itmaybefearlesslyasserted，israrelychargeableevenwiththesuppressionofanymaterialfact，whichbearsuponindividualcharacter；hemay，withapparentlyinvidioushostility，enhancetheerrorsandcrimes，anddisparagethevirtuesofcertainpersons；yet，ingeneral，heleavesusthematerialsforformingafairerjudgment；andifheisnotexemptfromhisownprejudices，perhapswemightwritepassions，yetitmustbecandidlyacknowledged，thathisphilosophicalbigotryisnotmoreunjustthanthetheologicalpartialitiesofthoseecclesiasticalwriterswhowerebeforeinundisputedpossessionofthisprovinceofhistory。

Wearethusnaturallyledtothatgreatmisrepresentationwhichpervadeshishistory—hisfalseestimateofthenatureandinfluenceofChristianity。

Butonthissubjectsomepreliminarycautionisnecessary，lestthatshouldbeexpectedfromanewedition，whichitisimpossiblethatitshouldcompletelyaccomplish。WemustfirstbepreparedwiththeonlysoundpreservativeagainstthefalseimpressionlikelytobeproducedbytheperusalofGibbon；andwemustseeclearlytherealcauseofthatfalseimpression。Theformerofthesecautionswillbebrieflysuggestedinitsproperplace，butitmaybeaswelltostateit，here，somewhatmoreatlength。TheartofGibbon，oratleasttheunfairimpressionproducedbyhistwomemorablechapters，consistsinhisconfoundingtogether，inoneindistinguishablemass，theoriginandapostolicpropagationofthenewreligion，withitslaterprogress。NoargumentforthedivineauthorityofChristianityhasbeenurgedwithgreaterforce，ortracedwithhighereloquence，thanthatdeducedfromitsprimarydevelopment，explicableonnootherhypothesisthanaheavenlyorigin，andfromitsrapidextensionthroughgreatpartoftheRomanempire。