Historical Perspective

Judge Learned Hand observed: "I venture to believe that it is as important to a judge called upon to pass on a question of constitutional law, to have at least a bowing acquaintance with Acton and Maitland, with Thucydides, Gibbon and Carlyle, with Homer, Dante, Shakespeare and Milton, with Machiavelli, Montaigne and Rabelais, with Plato, Bacon, Hume and Kant, as with the books which have been specifically written on the topic."

For your convenience I have provided links to all of these.

Acton, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton
Maitland, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_William_Maitland
Thucydides, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides
Gibbon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibbon
Carlyle, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Carlyle
Homer, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer
Dante, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri
Shakespeare http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
Milton, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milton
Machiavelli, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavelli
Montaigne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montaigne
Rabelais, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Rabelais
Plato, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato
Bacon, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon
Hume http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume
Kant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant

I have studied formally in my educational endeavors - Thycidides, Homer, Plato (in the original Greek), Machiavelli (in the original Italian-nice poetry!), Kant (in the original German-very lugubrious prose), Shakespeare (I still remember our High School class chanting verse together in an attempt to memorize-"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."; and Milton-Would you really rather rule in Hell than serve in heaven?

The rest I admit I had to look up to "refresh" my memory!