To be serious objections to any permorse that invariably follows the son's history from his own hand. And these do really appear upon error, and the agonising re may be the objections to the early On the other hand, it mayīe cantos of Don Juan, amends were said that if a man is not likely to subsequently made in the heart- find a historian to do justice to his rending power with which the noble character, it is because his character and highly talented author exposed is a matter of no consequence to the the miserable consequences attendant Plutarch, indeed, menbeen without their use and moral, tions two cases wherein it is allowas a warning voice to others, to able for a man to commend himself, avoid the fatal consequences which and be the publisher of his own sooner or later generally follow vi- merits but the difficulty, he adds, cious practices and thus, whatever lies in making people believe him. On the contrary, the cient and modern, to justify such lives of even vicious persons have not conduct. But it is not master of the subject as himself" merely your wise and good men and, as has already been observed, whose history may be entertaining there are many instances, both anand instructive. twenty years back it was on the The autobiographer may justly cards, as I shall presently shew, in plead that no one can be so much more ways than one. wise man he speaks so much of of France, had they not been so ably himself." Am I a wise man ? Cer- recorded in Sully's Memoirs ? The tainly not, or I should have been pros and the cons, then, are both Forth a hundred thousand pounds numerous and striking. What saith another great Anabasis ? And how lost would have essayist in allusion to an autobio- been many of the heroic qualities and grapher ? * He must needs be a the consummate abilities of Henri IV. Self has done in his admired Comwrite of himself it grates his own mentaries ? Who but Xenophon himheart to say any thing of disparage- self could have made us follow his ment, and the reader's ear to hear ten thousand Greeks with such inany thing of praise from him.” terest and attention as we do in his Again, " It is a handed down to us his exploits, with hard and nice subject,” saith Cowley, that eloquence and spirit that he himspeaking of himself, “ for a man to Yet Curtius," said Napoleon, "and I shall who but Julius Cæsar could have have mine " which he had.
* Alexander had his Quintius by recording their own actions.
GREAT men seldom write their own to others - have gained reputation lives.