Are you interested in History, or are you interested in the people in and that make history?
Are you interested in History, or are you interested in social process?
Do you have any interested in teaching, or do you want to find out things/research?

I am just about finised a masters in research psychology. Why the prospects for employment are similar to most academics I would hazard that they are not as bad as with 'History'. Post-graduate qualifications are also important, but there are many opportunities to have these studies funded (not profitable, but not a loss either). For example, I support myself and my girlfriend (full-time law student) while working as an intern and completing post-graduate studies (PhD soon to be undertaken). I'm not wealthy, but I can afford a graphics card to run EB! (What more can one want).

So what I am arguing is that, while you should follow your inclination, whatever you do (a) you must be good at - interest in it helps, but so does hard work, (b) is a long process, and (c) should be dynamic, eclectic and have maximum practical applications. I would argue for you doing an inter-disciplinary social science degree with post-graduate specialization. So some history, classics, language, but also things that teach social research skills, eg. psychology, sociology, anthropology. The career you will be headed towards is grant-driven research and policy-consultation.

Otherwise try being an author, tough, but can have real rewards.