Whileacknowledgingtheimportanceofparticularfactsassamplesofhighertruths，heistotakeabroadandgeneralviewofhumanity.Heistodealwiththewholeraceandwiththeworld，notwithparticulartribesorseparatecountries.Heistobearinmindthattheworldisreallyanorganismwhereinnoonepartcanbemovedwithouttheothersbeingaffectedalso.Heistodistinguishbetweencauseandoccasion，betweentheinfluenceofgenerallawsandparticularfancies，andheistorememberthatthegreatestlessonsoftheworldarecontainedinhistoryandthatitisthehistorian’sdutytomanifestthemsoastosavenationsfromfollowingthoseunwisepolicieswhichalwaysleadtodishonourandruin，andtoteachindividualstoapprehendbytheintellectualcultureofhistorythosetruthswhichelsetheywouldhavetolearninthebitterschoolofexperience，Now，asregardshistheoryofthenecessityofthehistorian’sbeingcontemporarywiththeeventshedescribes，sofarasthehistorianisamerenarratortheremarkisundoubtedlytrue.Buttoappreciatetheharmonyandrationalpositionofthefactsofagreatepoch，todiscoveritslaws，thecauseswhichproduceditandtheeffectswhichitgenerates，thescenemustbeviewedfromacertainheightanddistancetobecompletelyapprehended.A
thoroughlycontemporaryhistoriansuchasLordClarendonorThucydidesisinrealitypartofthehistoryhecriticises;and，inthecaseofsuchcontemporaryhistoriansasFabiusandPhilistus，Polybiusincompelledtoacknowledgethattheyaremisledbypatrioticandotherconsiderations.AgainstPolybiushimselfnosuchaccusationcanbemade.Heindeedofallmenisable，asfromsomeloftytower，todiscernthewholetendencyoftheancientworld，thetriumphofRomaninstitutionsandofGreekthoughtwhichisthelastmessageoftheoldworldand，inamorespiritualsense，hasbecometheGospelofthenew.
Onethingindeedhedidnotsee，orifhesawit，hethoughtbutlittleofit—howfromtheEasttherewasspreadingovertheworld，asawavespreads，aspiritualinroadofnewreligionsfromthetimewhenthePessinuntinemotherofthegods，ashapelessmassofstone，wasbroughttotheeternalcitybyherholiestcitizen，tothedaywhentheshipCASTORANDPOLLUXstoodinatPuteoli，andSt.PaulturnedhisfacetowardsmartyrdomandvictoryatRome.
Polybiuswasabletopredict，fromhisknowledgeofthecausesofrevolutionsandthetendenciesofthevariousformsofgovernments，theuprisingofthatdemocratictoneofthoughtwhich，assoonasaseedissowninthemurderoftheGracchiandtheexileofMarius，culminatedasalldemocraticmovementsdoculminate，inthesupremeauthorityofoneman，thelordshipoftheworldundertheworld’srightfullord，CaiusJuliusCaesar.This，indeed，hesawinnouncertainway.Buttheturningofallmen’sheartstotheEast，thefirstglimmeringofthatsplendiddawnwhichbrokeoverthehillsofGalileeandfloodedtheearthlikewine，washiddenfromhiseyes.
TherearemanypointsinthedescriptionoftheidealhistorianwhichonemaycomparetothepicturewhichPlatohasgivenusoftheidealphilosopher.Theyareboth’spectatorsofalltimeandallexistence.’Nothingiscontemptibleintheireyes，forallthingshaveameaning，andtheybothwalkinaugustreasonablenessbeforeallmen，consciousoftheworkingsofGodyetfreefromallterrorofmendicantpriestorvagrantmiracle—worker.Buttheparallelendshere.Fortheonestandsalooffromtheworld—stormofsleetandhail，hiseyesfixedondistantandsunlitheights，lovingknowledgeforthesakeofknowledgeandwisdomforthejoyofwisdom，whiletheotherisaneageractorintheworldeverseekingtoapplyhisknowledgetousefulthings.Bothequallydesiretruth，buttheonebecauseofitsutility，theotherforitsbeauty.Thehistorianregardsitastherationalprincipleofalltruehistory，andnomore.Totheotheritcomesasanall—