Enquiriy Concerning Human Understanding - pg. 103

But the most usual species of connexion among the different events, which enter into any narrative composition, is that of cause and effect; while the historuian traces the series of actions according to their natural order, remounts to thier secret springs and principles, and delineates their most remote consequences. He chooses for his subject a cetain portion of that great chain of events, which compose the history of mankind. Each ling in this chain he endeavours to touch in his narration: Sometimes unavoidable ignorance renders all his attempts fruitless: Somtimes he supplies by conjecture, what is wanting in knowledge: And always, he is sensible, that the more unbroken the chain is, which he presents to his reader, the more perfect is this production. He sees, that the knowledge of causes is not only the most satisfactory; this relation or connexion being the strongest of all others; but also the most instructive; since it is but this knowledge alone, we are enabled to controul events, and govern futurity.