OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT POLITICS; LITERATURE OF EGYPT, GREECE, THE EARLY CHRISTIAN LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, MDCCCLXI. PREFACE. I HAVE for a long time entertained the idea, that political writers of all countries, have received less attention at the hands of historians and critics, than any other class of authors. Though the immediate effects of their writings may have been popular and influential for a season, yet they soon palled upon the public taste, and their authors have been driven back into the shades of neglect and oblivion. These results are, perhaps, natural to all political disquisitions. They are often transitory, local, and accompanied by no small portion of public excitement and contention; and when the effervescence of the moment is over, apathy and indifference are the usual conse quences. We have historical sketches of the writings constituting most branches of knowledge, with the exception of political and social philosophy. There are, indeed, |