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Quote#Books & Reading

The writer who aspires to the name of historian, is obliged to…

Quote byEdward Gibbon · 1737–1794

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Vindication (1779), section XII.

English (original)

The writer who aspires to the name of historian, is obliged to consult a variety of original testimonies, each of which, taken separately, is perhaps imperfect and partial. By a judicious reunion and arrangement of these dispersed materials, he endeavours to form a consistent and interesting narrative.

— Edward Gibbon

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