The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-31
Death OF j. Lothrop Motley.

The decease of this eminent historian in
the full vigor of his faculties and in the
midst Of labors whose completion would have
instructed the world and have added to the
greatness Of his fame, is misfortune to his
country, to letters, to the human race. Like
Prescott, he is cut off at the age of sixty
three; but Prescott had more nearly finished
the historical tasks he had set himself. Ma
caulay died four years younger, and also
with an uncompleted history on his
hands. But Prescott's History of
Philip H." and Macaulays "History of
England" were SO far advanced at the
time of their respective deaths that the
world possessed the greater part Of the
fruits Of their researches, while not o
volume has yet been published Of the "His-
tory of the Thirty Years War" to which
Mr.. Motley has been devoting his industry
since his retirement from the English mis-
sion in 1870. It is to be hoped that some of
the earlier volumes are completed, but on
this point the public has no knowledge.
He has never published any of his histories
by instalments, his rule being to wait until
giving any part Of it to the world. Our
knowledge of this habit, and of the fact
that he has given five or six years to this
magnificent subject, may justify the expec-
tation that his literary executors will be
able to publish a considerable portion OF
the great work which has so long engaged
his ripest faculties.
The cultivated public both of this coun-
try and Europe long ago took out of the
hands of obituary writer's the task Of
assigning Mr. Motley his proper rank
among historians. He undoubtedly be-
longs to the first class, though not to the
highest place in that class. In breadth
of research, in the value of his materials, in
the new light he has shed on great
transactions, by original information, he
is inferior to no writer of history
who has instructed the present age.
This is saying n great deal, because
the historians Of the last thirty
years surpass all their predecessors
in this great requisite Nor is Motley in
ferior to any in the Importance of the peri
dds he has undertaken to illustrate. His
own countryman, Bancroft, and the most
brilliant OF English historians, Macaulay,
have written national histories but Motley,
like Prescott, selected events of universal
interest to mankind, and the consequence
is that their fame is nearly as great on the
Continent Of Europe as it is in their
own country. Motley has been translated
into all the languages of modern Europe
into French by Guizot, into Dutch by the
most eminent historian of Holland, into
German and into Russian by very compe-
tent hands. He succeeded Prescott as a
member Of the French Institute, and has
received distinguished honors from most of
the learned societies of Europe.
These marks of recognition are due not
only to the great breadth and value Of his
researches, but to the clearness of his Nara
tive, the depth of his penetration, his pic
torial power, and above all, to o glowing
and sympathetic enthusiasm for the heroic
men whose great deeds he recounts. In
faultless taste and easy, limpid flow of mar
rative he is not equal to Prescott, but he
excels him in depth of feeling and force OF
description. Prescott narrates like an inn
partial spectator; Motley like contem-
porary who shares the passions of the
period. He is less artistic than Prescott,
but the throb of life seems to pulsate in
his glowing pages. The death of this great
historian is an irreparable loss to literature.