Hortensius: Or, the Advocate; An Historical Essay. E-book. Formato PDF William Forsyth   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

History of Greece, when speaking of the democratic form of government as treated of by Aristotle, says, We shall not confine ourselves to the technical lan guage of his system, but will endeavour to define the notion of democracy, as the word was commonly under stood by the Greeks, so as to separate the essence of the theory from the various accidents, which have sometimes been confounded with it by writers, who have treated Greek history as a vehicle for conveying their views on questions of modern politics, which never arose in the Greek republics.

The Rules of Evidence as Applicable to the Credibility of History. E-book. Formato PDF William Forsyth   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

But history deals with general rather than particular facts — with,results,rather than details — and from the nature and necessity, of the case must be content with looser modes of proof, than is necessary or expedient in judicial trials. All that we are entitled to ask from her is such an amount of evidence for the truth of the facts which she records as would satisfy. The understanding of a reasonable man in the ordinary affairs of life. Every day We act upon evidence which, if offered in apourt of justice, would be rejected. Too often we act. Upon; very, slight and insufficient evidence, especially in cases affecting the character of others; but in so far as we do this we act wrongly; and in the same manner. We act wrongly when we accept as true the mere statement of a historian on any question where truth is of importance, when we have it in our power to examine his authorities and judge of their value for ourselves.

Life of Marcus Tullius Cicero. E-book. Formato PDF William Forsyth   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

My object has been to exhibit Cicero not only as an orator and a politician, but as he was in private life, surrounded by his family and fi'iends speaking and acting like other men in the ordinary affairs of home. And the more we accustom ourselves to re gard the ancients as persons of like passions as our selves, and familiarize ourselves with the idea of them as fathers, husbands, friends, and gentlemen, the better we shall understand them.