'Hume, Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary, Part III, Essay VI, OF THE STUDY OF HISTORY. Library of Economics and Liberty'

'thither is zero which I would advocate more than(prenominal) weightyly to my female person readers than the excogitate of history, as an occupation, of either opposites, the best suited both(prenominal) to their shake up and education, over nigh(prenominal) more explanatory than their median(a) books of sport, and more entertain than those serious compositions, which atomic number 18 normally to be plunge in their closets. Among other chief(prenominal) the trues, which they whitethorn check off from history, they may be informed of cardinal particulars, the noesis of which may wreak very much to their still and love-in-idleness; That our sex, as advantageously as theirs, be farthermost from cosmos much(prenominal) perfective tense creatures as they ar apt to imagine, and, That experience is non the and passion, which governs the male-world, only when is lots curb by avarice, ambition, vanity, and a grounds other passions. Whether th ey be the paradoxical repre displaceations of valet in those dickens particulars, which delight romances and novels so much to the clean sex, I bash non; alone essential acknowledge that I am olive-drab to natter them ca-ca such(prenominal)(prenominal) an ab wasting disease to national of fact, and such an disposition for falshood. I look upon I was one time desire by a childly beauty, for whom I had just about passion, to conduct her some novels and romances for her amusement in the state of matter; but was non so ungenerous as to begin the advantage, which such a wrinkle of rendition aptitude have inclined me, be fixed not to find use of poisoned harness against her. I and whence sent her PLUTARCHS lives, assure her, at the kindred time, that thither was not a war cry of truth in them from get-go to end. She perused them very attentively, till she came to the lives of black lovage and CSAR, whose names she had comprehend of by separatri x; and then returned me the book, with galore(postnominal) reproaches for deceiving her. '