Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-08-07

larnoDUsrroN To THE LITERATURE OF En-
ROPE IN THE FIFTEENTH, SIXTEENTH AND
sEvENrEENrH CENTURIES. BY Henry Hal
lam, +. r. A. s., etc. etc. New-York ::
Published BY Harper g. Brothers, 81 Cliff.
street. ls4l.
We have received from the publishers
through tho politeness OF Messrs. Hogan,
Thompson g. Co, 40 Camp.streef, New-Or-
leans, (where it 10 now for sale,) a handsome
copy Of the above work consisting Of w &C.
tavo volumes, well and closely printed.
The mere title of the work will at once
command for il the attention Of scholars
and more particularly since tile name of the
author is already well known to the reading
weird by his very able and popular history Of
Europe during The Middle Ages. The entire
absence Of any history Of the kind, ever 50
much as in pretention, has long been a SUBJ
ject Of comment by the learned Of Europe /;
and many bold and ifdefatigSble schoolmen
have from time to tinie come forth with pro-
positions to Undertake the task f furnishing
at least a COMPENDIUM or epitoIn's Of what such
a work should be. But the ~sto.itest hearts,
among those who had the means, quailed be-
fore the task and many young men Of mea-
gre fortunes, after looking wistfully over the
extended field II fame, turned aside to less
glorious, but more pressing and productive pur-
suits. The enterprise seemed to tsquire more
than mortal life and provess. TIE mere pre-
paratory labors were such as no man could
ever expect to complete, even with the assn
rance that his yearss of study should run out a
good 'three score and ten" From the time
Of the invention of the printing ptsss, books
had increased to ga number that nc man could
humber" mulch less read, digest and epfto-
mize.
1t is not ID be wondered at that difficulties
80 grand should have startled men of mere
mortal daring. In Italy, Tirraboscki, and, at a
later Ginguene, had undertaken, and hobly
executed the work so far as it related to their
own country. Their histories, however, we're
voluminous, and were the chief employment
Of their lives. In Germany a nu1hiefoua: and
most learned society had, on a superior.
scale, attempted what Hallam has recently
completed in a very simple and nnostentat;ois
way. But their works, still incomplete, like
the huge ruins of unprotected walls, are scat
tered without connection, throughout the libra.
ries Of Europe. France has not even made ar
effort Of this nature so far as her own litera.
ture is concerned. But her sapdns grasred al
Hal!ar's production while it was yet damn
from the press !; and it was strucE off almos
simultaneously in London and Paris, fl the
respective languages of the two cities. IN
few months from the issua of the first editor
in London, it aas printed in all the Learned
languages Of Europe, accompanied with higt
laudatioDs on the industry and perseverance
as well as the distinguished erudition and ia
Tents Of Nj. Hallam.
We make these loose observations by va,
- - d. -
Of a slight introduction to the nature and raj,
value Of this history. To indite critical no
tees Of the merits or defects Of these volumes
more learned pens than ours would be re
quisito. But such notices have been writer
and by the first scholars of Europe, too, high
ly overwhelmingly complimentary to NJ,
Hallam. This is sufficient; and as the his
tory of Europe during theehiddle Ages va
deemed incomplete until it embraced the his
tory of the literature of those times, wepresun
that no man will now consider his librar
other thin, very imperfect until it embrace
the above volumes,