THE ART OF HISTORY

...any art that transmits the rules for writing history. Nor do I think that Pico della Mirandola held that opinion. For by "history," he did not understand the art I have mentioned, but rather the knowledge of ancient matters, the explanation of which the Grammarians In the seventeenth century, "Grammarians" referred to scholars of literature and language, not just syntax. claim for themselves; they also call this "history" using an ambiguous name, as will be understood more fully from what follows.

History is not a part of Grammar, Rhetoric, Poetry, or Logic. Robortello is refuted. Also Sextus Empiricus. The boundaries by which the art of Grammar is circumscribed. Another error of Robortello. Also the mistake of Marcellinus, the Greek historian. In the opinion of the ancients, it was permitted for an orator to use an "honest lie." Thomas Correa is refuted. Also another error of Marcellinus. Not a few of the ancients applied themselves to history from the study of eloquence. The ancients did not feel similarly about Timaeus's style. It seems Marcellinus did not sufficiently perceive how history and poetry differ; the true distinction between them is provided. Also, according to the mind of Caesar Scaliger, history is distinct from oratory and poetry. Keckermann's opinion is condemned on more than one count.

It is clear enough from these things that history can be taught through a method. But it is not yet clear whether it constitutes an art in itself, or is a part of another art. Indeed, that most learned man, Francesco Robortello, in his discussion on the historical faculty written to the famous jurist Lelio Taurelli, thinks there are some who made the historical faculty a part of Grammar. He attributes this opinion to Asclepiades and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, as well as to Tauriscus, the pupil of Crates. According to Tauriscus, as we learn from Sextus Empiricus ^a, there is a certain part of Grammar called criticism original Greek: κριτικὴ. This is divided into three parts: the logical ^b original Greek: λογικὸν, the practical original Greek: τριβικὸν, and the historical original Greek: ἱστορικὸν. The logical part is that which revolves around speech and grammatical tropes. The practical part is that which concerns dialects and the differences of figures and...