When time itself shall be no more, And all things in confusion hurl'd, Music shall then exert it's power, And sound survive the ruins of the world: T… - Joseph Addison

He then led me to the highest pinnacle of the rock, and placing me on the top of it, ‘Cast thy eyes eastward,’ said he, ‘and tell me what thou seest.’ ‘I see,’ said I, ‘a huge valley, and a prodigious tide of water rolling through it.’ ‘The valley that thou seest,’ said he, ‘is the Vale of Misery, and the tide of water that thou seest is part of the great tide of Eternity.’

Cato Thy nobleness of soul obliges me. But know, young prince, that valour soars above 50 What the world calls misfortune and affliction. These are not ills; else would they never fall On heaven’s first favourites, and the best of men: The gods, in bounty, work up storms about us, That give mankind occasion to exert 55 Their hidden strength, and throw out into practice Virtues which shun the day, and lie concealed In the smooth seasons and the calms of life.14 Juba I’m charmed whene’er thou talk’st! I pant for virtue! And all my soul endeavours at perfection. 60 Cato Dost thou love watchings,15 abstinence, and toil, Laborious virtues all? learn them from Cato: Success and fortune must thou learn from Caesar.

Tradition is an important help to history, but its statements should be carefully scrutinized before we rely on them.