Category Archives: history

History is the Foundation of Sacred Learning

“First you learn history and diligently commit to memory the truth of the deeds that have been performed, reviewing from beginning to end what has been done, when it has been done, where it has been done, and by whom … Continue reading

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Rulers Must Not Ignore History

“He who diligently examines past events easily foresees future ones in every country and can apply to them the remedies used by the ancients or, not finding any that have been used, can devise new ones because of the similarity … Continue reading

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The Necessity of Historians

“Triumphal arches add to the glory of illustrious men only when the writing upon them informs in whose honor they have been reared, and why.  It is the inscription that tells the spectator that the triumphal arch is that of … Continue reading

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The Foundation of the Liberal Arts

“Grammar takes its name from the written character, as the derivation of the word indicates.  The definition of grammar is this: Grammar is the science which teaches us to explain the poets and historians; it is the art which qualifies … Continue reading

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History, politics, morals, and lawyers

“A lawyer is indeed unworthy of that title if he is ignorant of the things philosophers have established regarding the state and morals.  He should be removed from his post if he has not learned what his ancestors have done … Continue reading

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All the liberal arts flow from history

“I do not know if our world would suffer less harm without the sun, its soul as it were, than without history, the principle of all civil activities.  Our forebears have often insisted unanimously that the Muses were born from … Continue reading

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The Duty to Understand History

For it is our duty to understand the origins of our own history and its development; and the achievements of Peoples and of Kings.  For the careful study of the past enlarges our foresight in contemporary affairs and affords to … Continue reading

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Books & Memory

“For although written records are very valuable indeed for other purposes, they are especially valuable for preserving the memory of the past, as they contain the deeds of mankind, the unhoped-for turns of fortune, the unusual works of nature, and … Continue reading

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The Prince Must Read History

“As for intellectual training, the prince must read history, studying the actions of eminent men to see how they conducted themselves during war and to discover the reasons for their victories or their defeats, so that he can avoid the … Continue reading

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Memory, identity and history

“Our memory is the thread of our personal identity; our memory liberates us from what Melanchthon, Luther’s colleague, called perpetual childhood.  Without our past we have no present or future.” Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations, 2nd Ed, p. 2 Lindberg … Continue reading

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