Outline of Universal History | Page 2

"That a man in England," he tells us, "makes a
scientific discovery or paints a picture, is not in itself an event in the
history of England." But, of course, as this able writer himself remarks,
"history may assume a larger or a narrower function;" and I am
persuaded that to shut up history within so narrow bounds, is not
expedient in a work designed in part to stimulate readers to wide and
continued studies.
One who has long been engaged in historical study and teaching, if he
undertakes to prepare such a work as the present, has occasion to
traverse certain periods where previous investigations have made him
feel more or less at home. Elsewhere at least his course must be to
collate authorities, follow such as he deems best entitled to credit, and,
on points of uncertainty, satisfy himself by recurrence to the original
sources of evidence. Among the numerous works from which I have
derived assistance, the largest debt is due, especially in the ancient and
mediæval periods, to Weber's Lehrbuch der Weltgeschichte, which (in
its nineteenth edition, 1883) contains 2328 large octavo pages of
well-digested matter. Duruy's Histoire du Moyen Age (eleventh edition,
1882), and also his Histoire des Temps Modernes (ninth edition), have
yielded to me important aid. From the writings of Mr. E. A. Freeman I
have constantly derived instruction. In particular, I have made use of
his General Sketch of European History (which is published in this
country, under the title, Outlines of History), and of his lucid, compact,
and thorough History of European Geography. The other writings,
however, of this able and learned historian, have been very helpful. Mr.
Tillinghast's edition of Ploetz's Epitome I have found to be a highly
valuable storehouse of historical facts, and have frequently consulted it
with advantage. The superior accuracy of George's Genealogical

Tables is the reason why I have freely availed myself of the aid
afforded by them. Professor (now President) C. K. Adams's excellent
Manual of Historical Literature, to which reference is repeatedly made
in the following pages, has been of service in preparing the lists of
works to be read or consulted. Those lists, it hardly need be said, aim at
nothing like a complete bibliography. No doubt to each of them other
valuable works might easily be added. As a rule, no mention is made of
more technical or abstruse writings, collections of documents, and so
forth. The titles of but few historical novels are given. Useful as the
best of these are, works of this class are often inaccurate and
misleading; so that a living master in historical authorship has said
even of Walter Scott, who is so strong when he stands on Scottish soil,
that in his Ivanhoe "there is a mistake in every line." With regard,
however, to historical fiction, including poems, as well as novels and
tales, the student will find in Mr. Justin Winsor's very learned and
elaborate monograph (forming a distinct section of the catalogue of the
Boston Public Library), the most full information up to the date of its
publication. Most of the historical maps, to illustrate the text of the
present work, have been engraved from drawings after Spruner, Putzger,
Freeman, etc. Of the ancient maps, several have been adopted (in a
revised form) from a General Atlas. That the maps contain more places
than are referred to in the text, is not a disadvantage.
I wish to express my obligation to a number of friends who have kindly
lent me aid in the revisal of particular portions of the proof-sheets of
this volume. My special thanks are due, on account of this service, to
Professor Francis Brown of the Union Theological School; to
Professors W. D. Whitney, Tracy Peck, T. D. Seymour, W. H. Brewer,
and T. R. Lounsbury, of Yale College; to Mr. A. Van Name, librarian
of Yale College; and to Mr. W. L. Kingsley, to whose historical
knowledge and unfailing kindness I have, on previous occasions, been
indebted for like assistance. To other friends besides those just named,
I am indebted for information on points made familiar to them by their
special studies.
G. P. F.

PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION.
The characteristics of this work are stated in the Preface to the First
Edition, which may be read on page v and the next following pages of
the present volume.
The work has been subjected to a careful revision. The aim has been to
make whatever amendments are called for by historical investigations
in the interval since it was published. Besides corrections, brief
statements have been woven here and there into the text. The revision
has embraced the bibliography connected with the successive periods
or chapters. Titles of books which are no longer of service have been
erased. Titles of select recent