Edward Gibbon, Index Expurgatorius (Sec. 7)
Cicero (pro lege Manilia. C. 4) speaks of Ecbatana, as the royal seat of Mithridates. I suppose it is not necessary to prove, that Ecbatana was the Capital of Media, or that Media was° never a part of that prince’s empire. Tully was probably but an indifferent Geographer, and the celebrated name of Ecbatana, sounded extremely well. A lesson for Criticks!
Edward Gibbon’s contributions to the writing (and substantiation) of history are appreciated generally, but the scope of his impact on historicism is greater than most people realize—not that “most people” have read carefully through the 6 volumes of his history of the Roman Empire.