Book
O samă de cuvinte
by Ion Neculce · 1743 · 1 reading card · public domain
AuthorIon Neculce →ShelvesRomanian history
1 card
O samă de cuvinte · 1743
The author provides the stories, but the freedom to believe them or not remains in the reader's hands.
Neculce opens 'A Samă de Cuvinte' with an invitation to read without coercion. He does not impose the truth of the stories but leaves judgment to the reader. This attitude is rare in the historiography of the time, where chroniclers usually claimed absolute authority. For example, he includes legends about the founding of Moldavia, presenting them as traditions, not verified facts.
“Whoever reads these and believes them, well and good; and whoever does not believe them, well and good again — each will do as he pleases.”