Louis de Beaufort
Encyclopedia
Louis de Beaufort was a French
historian of whose life little is known.
In 1738 he published at Utrecht
a Dissertation sur l'incertitude des cinq prèmiers siècles de l'histoire romaine, in which he showed what untrustworthy guides even the historians of highest repute, such as Livy
and Dionysius of Halicarnassus
, were for that period, and pointed out by what methods and by the aid of what documents truly scientific bases might be given to its history. This was an ingenious plea, bold for its time, against traditional history such as Rollin
was writing at that very moment. A German, Christopher Saxius, endeavoured to refute it in a series of articles published in vols. i.-iii. of the Miscellanea Liviensia. Beaufort replied by some brief and ironic Remarques in the appendix to the second edition of his Dissertation (1750).
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in October, 1746.
He also wrote an Histoire de Cesar Germanicus (Leyden, 1761), and La République romaine, ou plan general de l'ancien gouvernement de Rome (The Hague, 1766, 2 vols quarto
).
Though not a scholar of the first rank, Beaufort has at least the merit of having been a pioneer in raising the question, afterwards elaborated by Niebuhr
, as to the credibility of early Roman history.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian of whose life little is known.
In 1738 he published at Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
a Dissertation sur l'incertitude des cinq prèmiers siècles de l'histoire romaine, in which he showed what untrustworthy guides even the historians of highest repute, such as Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
and Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Caesar Augustus. His literary style was Attistic — imitating Classical Attic Greek in its prime.-Life:...
, were for that period, and pointed out by what methods and by the aid of what documents truly scientific bases might be given to its history. This was an ingenious plea, bold for its time, against traditional history such as Rollin
Charles Rollin
Charles Rollin was a French historian and educator. He was born in Paris.-Biography:He was the son of a cutler, and at the age of twenty-two was made a master in the Collège du Plessis. In 1694 he was rector of the University of Paris, rendering great service among other things by reviving the...
was writing at that very moment. A German, Christopher Saxius, endeavoured to refute it in a series of articles published in vols. i.-iii. of the Miscellanea Liviensia. Beaufort replied by some brief and ironic Remarques in the appendix to the second edition of his Dissertation (1750).
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in October, 1746.
He also wrote an Histoire de Cesar Germanicus (Leyden, 1761), and La République romaine, ou plan general de l'ancien gouvernement de Rome (The Hague, 1766, 2 vols quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
).
Though not a scholar of the first rank, Beaufort has at least the merit of having been a pioneer in raising the question, afterwards elaborated by Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr was a Danish-German statesman and historian who became Germany's leading historian of Ancient Rome and a founding father of modern scholarly historiography. Classical Rome caught the admiration of German thinkers...
, as to the credibility of early Roman history.