Lord Acton on writing history II
History judges harshly
Lord Acton, elevated to the House of Lords at the urging of his friend Prime Minister William Gladstone, even though he was Catholic, influenced both English politics and English religion. He was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University in 1895. In his first letter to his fellow historian Mandell Creighton, whose history of the medieval papacy he had criticized — which included the famous “power tends to corrupt” line — he promised a second letter with lessons in writing history. in the form of 35 maxims or apothegms. The first set appeared here.
History teaches a Psychology which is not that of private experience and domestic biography.
Judge not according to the orthodox standard of a system, religious, philosophical, political, but according as things promote or fail to promote the delicacy, integrity and authority of Conscience.
Put Conscience above both System and Success.
Strong minds think things out, complete the circle of their thinking, and must not be interpreted by types.
A good cause proves less in a man’s favour than a bad cause against him.
The final judgment depends on the worst action.
The accomplice is no better than the assassin; the theorist is worse.
Character is tested by true sentiments more than by conduct. A man is seldom better than his word.
Faith must be sincere. When defended by sin it is not sincere; theologically, it is not Faith. God’s grace does not operate by sin.History is better written from letters than from histories: let a man criminate himself.
No public character has ever stood the revelation of private utterance and correspondence.
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