The French Revolution A History Volume 1 And 2

Author : William Smyth
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781331089858
Total Pages : 592 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (898 download)

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Download or read book Lectures on the History of the French Revolution, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint) written by William Smyth and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-10 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Lectures on the History of the French Revolution, Vol. 1 of 2 We may now consider ourselves as having passed through one portion of the History of the French Revolution. It may not perhaps be amiss to turn round, and at this point survey once more the main events to which we have adverted, consider the various statements we have made, and see whether there are any general conclusions at which we can finally arrive. I should accomplish a great object if by any recapitulation of this kind I could furnish you with materials for future reflection; above all, if I could present to you certain land-marks, as it were, to direct your future progress through tins great subject. The opinions of men on the whole, and on every part of it, are various. Are there any which we may venture to adopt as sufficiently reasonable? I have exhibited before you the views and testimonies of every description of writer and reasoner that I could find. They are often opposed to each other. This could not but be the case. The understandings of men are different; and so, too, their feelings, their associations, and their situations. We see enough of this on every occasion within our own experience in concerns the most trivial, as in affairs the most important - even to this hour the mighty passions and animosities that were excited by the breaking out and long continuance of the French revolution still agitate mankind. Yet from the beginning of this great convulsion we are now removed to a certain distance, it is possible that of this part of the commencement at least, we may be able to judge. And it must be observed that if any lessons cam be drawn from the earlier periods of these troubles it is these, that are of all others the most important - to prevent revolutions still more than to learn how to conduct them - to acquire timely habits of caution and forethought, of modesty and calmness - to obtain instruction from history, which we do not purchase by our own suffering - to have our existing passions and prejudices, our selfishness and our unreasonableness, awed into silence and subdued and transformed into practical wisdom by meditation on the past. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.