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His knowledge of history, especially universal history, was not

less vast and solid. "But," said he often, "what is history

without politics? a guide who conducts without teaching any one

the way; as politics without history, is a man without a guide to

conduct him." Here was then a small place on his shelf assigned

to statistics; there, among others of the second rank, were seen

Bodin, Cavalcanti, Sansovino, Paruta, and Boccalini. There were,

however, two books that Don Ferrante preferred to all others on

the subject; two, which he called, for a long time, the first of

the kind, without deciding to which of the two this rank

exclusively belonged. One was Il Principe and the Discorsi of the

celebrated secretary of Florence. "A rascal, 'tis true," said he,

"but profound;" the other, La Ragion di Stato, of the not less

celebrated Giovanni Botero.