Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-07-19
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

NA1lONAL IN GAAA0 GANNA
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS
HrsroRY or GREECE 5y GEoReE GRoTE, Esq.
Q. A CRrrrcAL HISTORY of the Language ana
Literature of ancient Greece; by WILLIAM
MuRE. Of Cald,oeH.
or these two elaborate and scholarly works. the former has
been rspubshed in our country by Mr. j. r. e'oeff and
Companu. Of Boston, The latter, not having been yet
completed by the author no American publisher WILL We pre-
sumo undertake to edit the volumes already issued in Eng
Hand until the whole series be given to the American
public The attempt to comprise within the "cabnd, cbbd
connd columns Of daily journal even the brefest synop
teal view Of these volumes would be uitless
as the endeavor to exhibit evahan Of the deep the gold
fshs vase and have no intention, by culng out few
unsasfyng and docated fragments samples Of the whole
to repeat the folly and merit the ridicue of that Hellenic
skosos who carried about stone from the house he wish
cd to sell a. specimen Of the whole structure il is al
wsys ue the Greek proveb declares that ga great book
is great evil" II would be vain to deny that either Of the
authors above named do not fall within the range ofs
proverb being, however, according to Lord John RUSSELL
the wit Of and the wisdom Of many" We accord
insy 6nd many aphorism whose trenchan application
often savors much more Of wit than Of wisdom.
The history Of Greece by Mr.. GRorE is written with
no source Of nfomston unconsulted and not fact
ready to believe recorded BY the ancient historians has escaped
his critical scumen and comprehensive investigation while
COL MURE, with thoroushnem of research and podgaliy
Of learned ausion equally surprising has keched for the
features Of the early literature Of Greece In style that 10 at
once bold in outline the pencng Of Albert Durer, and
as minute in detail Of Rubenss exquisitey
pieces The elaborate and excellent works Of Milford, Th
WALL and Groe Grecian history, which have appeared
during the last quarter Of century, may be considered among
the poudest trophies Of English scholarship while the fact
that neither the Hampshire squire the Bishop Of ST. Da
vd supersede hoevermuch exceled by Mr. Gote
assts only the versatility Of the rival historians but the
manysded" genius of the whose history they have
written with such signal ability In present remarks we
PROPOSE instead Of confnng attention to the works
have named to offer reflections modern historical
composition. as&
II has been the peculiar boast of the Germans that they
foremost in all historical and classical criticism
that they have been chiefly instrumental in the creation
Of in both historical composition and in the eshetic
appreciation of literature and is nconsstabe But they
present with three greater than their Bode
Uc Miller before the palm Of supremacy be yielded
them over their English competitors for the historical studies
of the former have been either restricted single tribe,
directed rather to the ucdaon Of particular eras than
production Of comprehensive history Of the entire Hellenic
Indeed the German mind to lack that
tive faculty which alone group together and give orm
and pressure TO Of confused and often heterogeneous
detaisa faculty that is indispensable to the historian in
the adjustment and disposition Of his materials the power
of combination to the and taccan We have
never yet German textbook that did not demand an
English recension Of its ruds indetague nos in order
render available while il 10 undeniable that the best Eng
sh works in almost every department Of scholastic literature
sot~r
moral physical patience that shnks from no herculean
task Of dry investigation, and endowed with hardhood that
no linguistic difficulties appa they have taken as Goethe
remarks in Of his thousand letters, the whole field
f literature for their province" As might be expected
Germsn literature is much richer in critical essays and phlo
sophica dsqusons history than in histories themselves
and surely would be base ngratude if the critical art were
not held in high repute among the literary public Of Germa-
ny for what great ustration has the Fatherland yet
Produced that did not commence his critic True
he literature Of Germany has its Mebengen. its V and
Haus Macrchen but these cannot be regarded as the dim
lawn that presages the noontde splendor The brilliant
orrscaons Of that literary constellation which shed such
use the little principaity Of SAKE Wemar, and whose
ays lighted up all Germany, resembsd rather the sudden
fugence of that boreais light which in arctic regions often
smooths the ravendown Of darkness till smiles in mimic
lay Her literature has infancy and reminds one Of pre-
IL tuo A1omcIlC WHO, Deng DOrn
be morning. began to play the harp by noon and stole
polos at night Her Intellectual development having
commenced in criticism, has Of stopped there for the
ical age is the ultimate age Of every national literature
nd hence history, written by German rather series
philosophical disquisitons than narrative Of facts When
poetry Of nation becomes metaphysical may expect
histories to become sylogistc and hence in modern Ger
the dogmas Of psychological system longer stated
bshacy, but concrete truths cracked out like kernel
ON the shell Of history We need but mention the names
fScheiDg and Scheermacher in confirmation Of our
,en We look in vain among the Germans, therefore, for
nat rich and racy narrative which impars such charm
s pages Of Gibbon and Macaulay.
Another circumstance that has hapered the progress and
'sructed the success Of the German historians has been the
'cluded life which they have almost uniformly led Muller
this 90 sensby that he actually renowned his original in
ntisn Of writing complete history Of the Greek race, by
Of the conscious disability under which he abored from
sver having travelled 10 Greece. When you look on
said Of her modern politicians you understand
history ;" and, without familiar acquaintance with the
pogaphy Of the country about which be writes the hso-
is liable to make many false STEP Another effect Of
isolated and provincial life Of the German students is that
cesve disposition to indulge in theoretical specuaons and
the vagares Of phlosophic contemplation for them, like
ospero. their library is dukedom large enough" II is
cir Richter who has said the English belongs the
pire of the to the French Of the land to the Germans
the air." That the Germans are thinkers rather than
nofp of.