, 1874-01-11
The NORMAN CONQUEST.

ueyi3ed Aulcr1GGh EAutlo0- MacA14H1u . III. 1t"
York 1873.
| In these four yolumee lIr. Freeman, the ftni-
rent English Historian tells, us he expresses 1t
| himself, the tale Of the Aorgnan Conquest; aud
| he tells it we'll In another volume he promises
10 describe the effects Of which the Conquest was
tho cause; bu.. in the volumes before US. he al
reaGy letu us see wha: ho considers these effects
| were. It is more than seven years since the
first volume OF the first edition OF tlls wor-- ap~
pearcd and it Aaw the Light only afsor the
author had devoted twenty years to tue collect
| ing of material. In the present revised edition
we have, therefore, the history Of
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS
in tho annals OF England, ~ it has taken form in
Mr. Freo1nau's 3 mind after more than a quarter
Ct censury's thought No wonder lie tells his
| story well. Fla ia saturated with the spirit Of
| the ages he describes. He knows bow to make
| the dead Edward Harold, aud tue Conquoror
| live. lie makes the past present. His read-
ers follow him through t'stirling Eceues;" walk
WITH him sin the company of mighty men;"
flight by tho side of Harold, and weep over tho
martyl-block Of Waltheof." llr. freeman did
not write please tho readers Of fiction: and vet
his pages as attractive novel, as brilliant
as those Of Thierry On the same subject; while
he has produced work more critical aid philo-
sophie than either Thierry or PalS. ave, small
merit wher it is considered that, az work Of
art in the region Of history, TAlcrrys is consiu-
e,ed tho very best TINT French literature can
boast Of.
But freeman is
MORE THAN PAINTER.
To patience, research, and carefulLess he adds
the scientiic spirit. lie is philosopher 70 leas
than an artist. lie dooa not present the Nor
man Conquest rs an isolated historical fact. He
shows us what prepared the way for it. He
views j: in connection with its causes and effect
The History Of tao Conquest WAS not made By
William aud By Harold and, while he allows for
the infuorce Of their agency, he shows us tue
more occult aud silent causes Of the great event.
To write history as it should be written,
Que ought to bo free from bias OF every Kind.
We do not think Mr. Freeman is; but then he
does not allow his likes or his dislihcB to cloud
lis Judgment Had he lired in 10GG, it
il plain that he would have fought
with Harold and against William. He
is no Norman. he is an Englis1man to the
manner born. lie loves the England before the
Conquest He loves to say that tho England Ec-
fore and tie England after it are the same He
would we think, ii it were possible. wipe out Of
bis count,y's history The pages he has himself 80
we'll and 80 ably written. uo does not want to
behave chat the Conquest broke tho continuity
Of the English nation, ard he demonst1 ates that
it did not He clnss to ths
GOOD OLD IEuroS ENGLAND
before William sot foot On English ground. He
believes TINT the England OF .Ethelstan is the
England Of Victoria; tbs. the English nation
has remained from its foundation the one iaenti-
cal organism it is that it was not destroyed by
William and h,s Nor1nans: but that William and
his NoE1nans were absorbed into it. He believes
all this and it il evident thai he likes to believe
it. Happily Tor lin tLat facts support him in
his predictions.
Yet, while all Lis sympathies are with Harold,
he treats William with something better than rhe
tenderness Of an enemy. He does him ample
Justice. He paints him not everywhere, We
think, as le could wish,
BUT EVERYWHERE TRULY.
He never grows enthusiastic over him. lie
always sees his merit, aud records it. Unlike
Blackstone, who says tint Harold had no more
right to the Crown than the CouqneroE, Freeman
thinks aud shows that Harold had every right,
and the Conlueror mono; for the English
Crown vas not get hereditary, and Haroldw the
chosen Of the English people. How William, the
great diplomaiist, dupad SO many out Of England,
and some in England, into the conviction that
he had right to tue EDglish Throne, and now
he duped himself. perhaps, into the sa1ne belief;
with what skill and eophistry he enlisted the
ecclesiastical influence on his side,-Freeman
tells with his wonted cearness aud eloquence.
This part Of the work is beautiful specimen OF
tho au:hor's analytic power.
It 10 often assumed that tho Conquest is the
real besinni4g Of English history. Freeman
points out the error Of this assumption. Not ss
the beginning, but rs
THE s'1URSSa POINT"
OF English history, is the Conquest to be con-
sidered. To understand the history of the Con-
ques: itself, it il necessary to know the history
of England entccedent to it. To know whether
it changed tho English people, how it changed
them, to what extent it changed them, 1t is
necessary to know the inhabitants Of the ie'and.
their constitution. laws language. ETC., previous
to it's date. Hence, 3Ir. Freeman devotes
volume to England before the Conquest. To
find the cause OF the Conquest, too
it is necessary to study the history
of tho country for a hundred years
before it; for that event was no sudden catas-
trophe. The way was paving for the Conqueror
for century. England had been conquered
twice. aud tlis suggested that it might be con-
qucred again. Tho twen.y-three years Of Ed
wards regn, the years Immediately preceding
the Conquest, t,-England was turning Norman.
4 silent conquest was going on during the whole
Of this time. These twou:y-three years FREQ
man calls the
FIRST PERIOD OF TIE CONQUEST.
When Edward was chosen King. he was chosen
because he was English. Of the flesh and bone of
his olectors Yet Edward did as much to con-
cuor England FOX the Normans as William him
self. His mother WAS Norman. lie had been
educated abroad. His prediction was for for
e;cuey5 and Nor1nans He had lived in Norman-
dy when child. 1t was the land Of his af1ec-
tio lie spoke tho Trench language, md had
French tastes, aud surrounded himself with
those who spoke lis language and shared his
tastes.
Norman "carpet-baseers swar1ncd to En-
gland. Edward was q. homo With tho Normans,
"a stranger to his countrymen. The Court WIS
flied with Normans. The places Of honor aud
emoIuuent were theire. The Church even Was
governed by Norman pre|ates. No wonder Free