New-York tribune., 1870-02-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

MR.. HUGHESS ALFRED THE GREAT.
ALFRED THE GREAT. BY THoMSs , nG nUSHks, ,onlon Nj
tAuthor OF "TOm Browns SehooEDa9s j. A0""0"
Macmillan Co. pp. SSi
Mr. Hughes has no need of an introduction TO the
readers of THE TRIBUNE The American people,
scarcely less than the English, are familiar with his
clear. strong. virile manner of writing, and know
that no work from his pen can he without interest
and value The present volume is one of series en-
titled the Sunday Library for Household Reading
for which il appears to have been specially written
This circumstance must be borne mind by the
reader who may possibly anticipate purely hlstorl-
cal work. from the title. The references TO modern
times ideas and parties are so frequent and the de-
sign of advocating certain views so distinctly re
vcaed that the book ght properly be cassed as an
historical tract.
Nevertheless, the story of the great Saxon King s
more clearly and intellgbly told in these pages than
ever before. Mr.. Hughes skillfully avoids the DIS
cussion of uncertain points cOnfning himself TO gen.
orally accepted facts and thus his narrative, unen-
numbered by the weight of conflicting authorizes
and never long interrupted by his modern appllca-
tons, is both simple and picturesque In IFS move
nent After an Introductory chapter on Kings and
Kingship." based upon some sentences OF Carlyle,
which assert that the bue king rules by Divine
Right we have a brief account of the condition OF
England in the time of Ethelwuf, and the boy Alfred
is then brought upon the stage The sparse authentic
records of his childhood and early manhood are
so set before that they suggest of the lack
ing details of the picture, and we do not seriously
feel the scantness of the material until we reach the
second Danish invasion and the retreat of Alfred to
Selwood Forest. Mr. Hughes, to be sure, attempts to
account for the sudden collapse of the West-Saxon
power and its equally sudden revival; and perhaps
his conjectures probable as any oher-yet they
do not supply the want of evidence
The chapters relating to "The Kings Board OF
Works" Laws Justice, Church. Exchequer, &c, are
among the most satisfactory in the book They pre-
sent us with fair and ineligible outline of Alfredo
system of Civil Government. Tie means by which
the king introduced order honesty, and security Of
life and property among his semsavage subjects,
and the plan he adopted to make learned men of his
thames and magistrates made clear to the reader
Evidently, man better understood his time, no
ruler ever employed his power so wisely and efec-
lively Alfreds greatness is not illustrated by any
single achievement for even his victory at AshdOwne
was frequently matched in those days of war;, but
rather by the variety and magnitude of the tasks
which he aSsumed-not only assumed, but for the
most part accomplished. We do not think that Mr.
Hughes in any particular Oyerestmates his character
OF his works.
The narrative. alone. sufficiently exhibits Alfred
Christian recognition of the Divine authority and
guidance. No one deny the need of an equally
wise just and pious spirit in the rulers of men, now
no less than then and perhaps Mr. Hughess frequent
repetition of his moral a little weakens its force
He almost betrays suspicion that the value of his
lesson may be questioned, and refers-not very dis
tnctly, indeed-to q modern sentiment, opposed to
the acknowledgment of Gods authority in national
matters His expressions so carefully guarded
that something of their meaning is lost and we sus
pect that he will only imperfectly attain whatever
design he may have had in view. He shows, how.
ever very conclusively, what Alfred was, and what
the next King of England will not be.