The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-01 00:00:00

LITEBATUBB.

Siononotis RiWory of do Poach. Trusteed by W.
Baixisonser, of Liseeherisc. Landes, Black. irto.
A formidable bet a useful undertaking, is that of
giving an English version of Sismoodi's History of
France. This has been the task of Mr. Bellingham,
the goodly volume before us containing the three first
volumes of the French edition, prefaced by a very
fairl7 comp' account of Sismondi and his writing&
firomeC enjoyed what may be a great ad-
vantage far a philosopher, bat which is not
so foe an historian, at limit for the historian
of any particular nation—he was of no country.
An Italian by extraction, a Swiss by ednoatioe, a
Frenchman by literary adoption, Sismoudi was
enable to bit the national taste of any, which is the
gnat requirement for popularity. He was Swiss in
his style, protestant in his creed, anti-moaarehic
though not democratic in his leanings. He went to
I work, therefore, at French history in a way that was
entein to shock French prejudice. The heroes of
the French were in fact no heroes for him. He vilified
Francis 1., abused Henri Quatro, and mw little
to admire in Louis XIV. His work was read, how-
ever, because it was the only history of Francs; and
the successive appearance of volumes throughout
a period, at the commencement of which Paris pro-
duced no historian more competent than Lacretelle,
bad a very great effect in adding to the general im-
pulse towards historic research and labour.
The very reason, however, which rendered Sismondi
unpopular in France, vie., his Geneve** style, and his
coldness an the worship of French heroes, renders his
history more suitable, perhaps, to the English
reader. And, indeed, a better or more agreeable
guide through the middle ages of history one could
not have than this philosophic historian's account of
French annals. _ .

The present volume comprises the early put of
French history, previous to Hugh Capet, and is va-
'table to the student, not only for itself,
but from M. Guizot having made it the
text-book for his lectures on the same epoch.
Although M. Guizot and M. Sismondi were
both protestants, the former is not unfavourable to
the early church, and its efforts to promote civilisation
and race; whilst Sismondi, with the liberals of an
anterior day, could not allow even its just meed of
prides to the church of the dark ages. Sismondi,
indeed, was rather • cross and bilious writer, in
whose sight nothing found favour. Feudality was
to him as odious as the church; as if society, on
emerging from barbarous oppression, could have
raised itself up without these helps.
It is the same Jeremiads with that which M. Thierry
developed, a morbid sympathy for the conquc:rd
race, although it was quite plain that the conquered
race was a rotten one, and that the only thing that
could put life and worth into it was its being first sub-
jected to, and then blended with, a race endowed with
more manly virtues.
One of Sismondi's theories, that of France becom-
ing reconquered and re-Germanised by the Catlo-
vingians, after having been ineffectually served for
a first time so by the Merovingian@ has been loudly
contradicted by Chateaubriand. We think, however,
that this was attempted without success. The victo-
ries of Charles Martel over the du ches of the west
and their serfs was little lees than a re-conquest.
A more questionable theory is that of the rebellion
and resistance of a middle and a free class in Austra-
sia spinet the great lords. There are few traces in
history of any such antagonism. The true quarrel
was between the German feudalism and the courtiers,
who joined the church in seeking to bring back ad-
ministration to the Roma model.
The student who will read this translated volume,
with the chapters of Guisot's work on " European
Civilisation," which relate to the epoch, and who will
join with these a perusal of Palgrave's work on the
" Rise and Prowess of the English Commonwealth,"
will formic his mind a good substratum of know-
ledge for en understanding of modern history.