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Excerpt from Ancient History: From the Dispersion of the Sons of Noe, to the Battle of Actium and Change of the Roman Republic Into an Empire Besides the many advantages resulting from the general knowledge of history, there are various inducements for the study of ancient history in particular. The interest naturally attached to the lives of remarkable persons, the revolutions, the civil or military transactions, manners and customs of remote ages, the connection which they have with the leading branches of polite literature, the facility which they afford for the understanding of the Greek and Latin classics, and of many historical books of the Old Testament, are surely reasons well calculated to convince every one of the importance of ancient history. Such at least, was the opinion of the author of this volume. Aware of the difficulties which attend historical compositions, he has taken every precaution not to introduce into its pages any thing incorrect, or not substantiated by some authority worthy of credit. To effect his purpose, he has spared neither time nor trouble, and has imposed on himself the task of assiduous research in the best sources of information, and consulted the most approved writers, both ancient and modern. Equal care has been taken to avoid prolixity and excessive brevity; because, on the one hand, the generality of readers and students have not sufficient leisure for the perusal of lengthy works; and, on the other, excessive brevity strips history of its principal usefulness and interest, by crowding together, within a few pages, a multitude of events with but few particulars and circumstances, and, consequently, without adequate means to distinguish the facts with precision, and to state with accuracy their various degrees of importance. Whatever may be, in some respects, the utility of a mere compendium, it certainly cannot equal that of a more copious history, when written in a proper spirit; a history in which all promin