232 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book iv.

the beginning, and must be I think of its restoration ;but now that I am obliged to confess the perfecthopelessness of my project under me, and that no oneelse will undertake its advocacy, I have no objectionto its being published or anything else ; so do with itwhat you please.” And what can I do with it hutgive it a place in my Appendix ? Perhaps it mayturn out of a kind of use in some unforeseeneventuality . 1

Elegancies of language, in this work there arenone. If ever they came into my head, I was quicklyobliged to throw them out of it. The manner Iadopted produces extreme exactness. It is not unlikea sailor who off a dangerous shore is continuallyheaving the lead ; and my apologetic tone when notfollowing Bosio,orany other of my great predecessors,shows clearly enough that I regret not to he able todo so. ISTor have I the presumption to hope thatthis manner of writing history will be adopted(though I think it should), for it is too troublesome.And necessarily recalls the writer to his subject fromany desidtory reasoning of his own. And suchcontinual breaches are highly annoying. As to

1 Egotism, however disagreeable, is far less odious thaneven the slightest appearance of want of candour; so thegentleman is no other than the writer himself. See, just afterthe Appendixes-