罗马帝国消亡史经典英文版 (1).docxVIP

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经典英文巨著、宝贵学习参考资料

经典英文巨著、宝贵学习参考资料

Chapter00:Preface

IntroductionPrefaceByTheEditor.

ThegreatworkofGibbonisindispensabletothestudentofhistory.TheliteratureofEuropeoffersnosubstituteforTheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire.Ithasobtainedundisputedpossession,asrightfuloccupant,ofthevastperiodwhichitcomprehends.Howeversomesubjects,whichitembraces,mayhaveundergonemorecompleteinvestigation,onthegeneralviewofthewholeperiod,thishistoryisthesoleundisputedauthoritytowhichalldefer,andfromwhichfewappealtotheoriginalwriters,ortomoremoderncompilers.Theinherentinterestofthesubject,theinexhaustiblelaboremployeduponit;theimmensecondensationofmatter;theluminousarrangement;thegeneralaccuracy;thestyle,which,howevermonotonousfromitsuniformstateliness,andsometimeswearisomefromitselaboratear.,isthroughoutvigorous,animated,oftenpicturesquealwayscommandsattention,alwaysconveysitsmeaningwithemphaticenergy,describeswithsingularbreadthandfidelity,andgeneralizeswithunrivalledfelicityofexpression;allthesehighqualificationshavesecured,andseemlikelytosecure,itspermanentplaceinhistoricliterature.

ThisvastdesignofGibbon,themagnificentwholeintowhichhehascastthedecayandruinoftheancientcivilization,theformationandbirthoftheneworderofthings,willofitself,independentofthelaboriousexecutionofhisimmenseplan,renderTheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpireanunapproachablesubjecttothefuturehistorian:^*intheeloquentlanguageofhisrecentFrencheditor,M.Guizot:-

[Footnote*AconsiderableportionofthisprefacehasalreadyappearedbeforeuspublicintheQuarterlyReview.]

Thegradualdeclineofthemostextraordinarydominionwhichhaseverinvadedandoppressedtheworld;thefallofthatimmenseempire,erectedontheruinsofsomanykingdoms,republics,andstatesbothbar