OF GENERAL HISTORY, ANCIENT AND MODERN. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF ANCIENT AND MODERN GEOGRAPHY, AND A TABLE OF CHRONOLOGY. BY ALEXANDER FRASER TYTLER, LATE LORD COMMISSIONER CF JUSTICIARY IN SCOTLAND; AND FORMERLY PROFESSOR A NEW EDITION, WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS TO THE AUTHOR'S TEXT, NUMEROUS NOTES, AND A CONTINUATION FROM THE REVOLUTION IN 1688 TO THE PRESENT TIME. BIB EDITED BY THE REV. BRANDON TURNER, MA. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PRESENT EDITION. THE admitted excellence of Tytler's Elements of General History as a historical class-book, has led the editor to endeavour to render it still more adapted for that purpose, "by giving more amplitude" to the original text where he considered it too brief, and by adding eleven new Sections in Ancient History where the chasm seemed too great, including an outline of Jewish history to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 71 A.C., which was wholly omitted by the Author, and is now included for the first time. These additions are inserted between brackets, and the new Sections are distinguished each by an asterisk (*). In this way the work has been enlarged by fully one-third of its original extent, exclusive of the Continuation which carries down the contemporary history from the Revolution in England in 1688 to the present time, and forms 131 additional pages. The insertion of new Sections has necessarily changed their original numerical order; and, as history is now generally divided into three periods, this plan has been followed in the present edition, by dividing Modern history into the Middle ages and Modern history proper; the Middle ages forming part second, and Modern history parts third and fourth, the latter part being the Continuation. In the composition of the Continuation, the example of the Author of the Elements has been followed-speculative refinement has been discarded, and attention directed to the more useful knowledge of historical facts. LONDON, July, 1845. AUTHOR'S PREFACE. THE following Work contains the outlines of a course of Lectures on General History, delivered for many years in the university of Edinburgh, and received with a portion of the public approbation amply sufficient to compensate the labours of the author. He began to compose these Elements principally with the view of furnishing an aid to the students attending those lectures; but soon conceived that, by giving a little more amplitude to their composition, he might render the work of more general utility. As now given to the public, he would willingly flatter himself, it may be not only serviceable to youth, in furnishing a regular plan for the prosecution of this most important study, but useful even to those who have acquired a competent knowledge of general history from the perusal of the works of detached historians, and who wish to methodize that knowledge, or even to refresh their memory on material facts and the order of events. In the composition of these Elements, the author has endeavoured to unite with the detail of facts so much of reflection, as to aid the mind in the formation of rational views of the causes and consequences of events, as well as of the policy of the actors; but he has anxiously guarded against that speculative refinement which has sometimes entered into works of this nature, which, professing to exhibit the philosophy or the spirit of history, are more fitted to display the writer's ingenuity as a theorist, or his talents as a rhetorician, than to instruct the reader in the more useful knowledge of historical facts. As the progress of the human mind forms a capital object in the study of history, the state of the arts and sciences, the religion, laws, government, and manners of nations, are material parts, even in an elementary work of this nature. The history of literature is a most important article in this study. The author has therefore endeavoured to give to each of these topics its due share of attention; and in that view they are separately treated, in distinct sections, at particular periods. Of the defects of this work the author is more sensible than perhaps any other person can be. Of any merits it may possess beyond those of simplicity and perspicuity, those are the best judges who have an extensive knowledge of the subject, and who know the difficulty of giving general views, and of analyzing a science so comprehensive and complicated as UNIVERSAL HISTORY. EDINBURGH. ALEX FRASER TYTLER. CONTENTS. Advantages arising from the study of History, and more particularly 1. Earliest authentic accounts of the History of the World-the antediluvian period—the deluge-the formation of Nations, 2. Considerations on the Nature of the first Governments, and on the 3.* History of the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Medes, 4.* On the Government, Religion, Customs and Manners, and Arts 5. History of Egypt to the reign of Psammeticus, B.C. 650, 6. The Antiquity, Government, Arts and Sciences, Religion, and Man- 8. History of the Jews from Abraham to the establishment of the Mo- 9.* History of the Jews-Civil Constitution of the Jews previous to 10. History of the Jews-The Monarchy, until the division of the 11.* History of the Jews-General view of the two kingdoms of Judah 17. History of Greece-Establishment of the Greek Colonies, 18. History of Greece-The Republic of Sparta, 19. History of Greece-The Republic of Athens, 20. History of the Persian Empire, from the time of Cyrus to the Con- 24 History of Greece-The Theban, Social, Phocian, and Locrian or |