The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-10
A shor. M,.terr Of III, French People.

/
Mr. GREEN has cndeavorcd to produce
history Of the English people which should
| deal as little rs possible with the names OF
Kings and OF battlcnelds But even in his sue
! cinct and interesting record too much space is
| given TO the old. unimportant and superficial
| details nor have we ever seen work which
| has completely answered the ideal OF popular
history so fully ms that before us-a Short His
! tory Of ne French People. translated from the
| French OF PAUL LAcoMB. Henry A. Young 4
Coz II Ia suggestive fact that we find the
names OF no more than half dozen Kings
mentioned in this compendium. and not II
single battlefield referred to. the only subjects
treated being those which bear directly on the
welfare or nfelicity. the progress or the de-
cadence Of the common people.
In the chapter which sets forth the condition
Of the masses OF the inhabitants in tho last cen
fury OF the Roman Empire the writer is largely
indebted TO Guzot and Henri Martyr but he has
we'll used his Materials and he has presented
in small compass a coherent and impressive
picture. He points out that the ultimate disin-
tcgration Of the Western Empire was not due
| to an excessive growth OF slavery for in the
| fourth century the number of slaves proper
had materially diminished. nor TO the concen-
tration of land in "A few hands os is currently
affirmed. since in the third century Of the
| Christian era the system OF idtUh1idid by nm
obscure revolution was gradually replaced by
| thecultivation ofsmall estates. That which really
destroyed tho cohesive power OF the Roman
Empire was overtaxation. The world was
taxed to death. This explains why assaults were
successful in the fifth century which easily
might have boon repealed in the first. This ex-
| plains why the isolated inroads Of Nisigoth. or
| Burgundian. or Frank. had permanent results
not realized 10y the combined and colossal ir
ruptions OF the Cimbri and Teutones. There
| was no desire in the population TO resist them.
| There was a universal conviction that no
| change could be for the worse A feeling OF
uncnsiness and Of despair was universal. 1t
was like the longing OF the sick man 10 leave
the bed upon which he feels himself dying.
Any change OF government was welcome to
those tenant farmers. who continually fled
from fiscal oppression to the forest and rc-
turning TO primitive life supported them
selves upon wild fruits or the trophies OF the
chase. In n word. the Roman province OF Gaul
was rapidly declining to barbarlsm. when tho
so-called barbarians from the other side Of the
Rhine invadedt.
We have nowhere seen described with equal
| clearness and breyity tho method in which the
feudal system was generated during the three
hundred years which followed the Frankish
conques,s There Is not word in these pages.
NHhuA At SUNK botAltS Allt
tho traGical mistortunes Of kings and princes.
with which the normal record Of Meroyngian
times is filled. The attention Of the reader is
wholly concentrated on the fundamental point
q the pcriod-the growth and capitalization in
law Of the feudal system. II was not We are
reminded until ST A. ID. that hereditary right
TO public Offices was recognized by Charles the
Bold. and the inheritance OF benences became
general at the same epoch. About the begin
ming OF the tenth century. the class of freemen
had almost wholly disappeared in Gaul. At tho
moment when the obscurity that hung over
this afflicted period cleared away. we find
| there Is no estate without lord. no humble man
without feudal protector notuntreduenty self
| chosen. Coincidcnt with this change, however.
occurred curious transformation OF slaves
proper into seris. There Is no doubt that the
| German conquests tended 10 improve slavery
and lift II little toward freedom. on account Of
n trait Of character peculiar TO the conquerors.
| While tho Romans liked 10 be served in their
| houses by crowd Of mental attendants. who
were often placed upon footing OF unavoid-
able intimacy with their masters the Germans.
ns is sufficiently attested 10y their poetry and
! their laws dslikcd intensely TO be surrounded
| by slaves and preferred the attendance Of relR-
| tiyes or friends in whose eyes household SER
Hcc carried with It no humiliation. Thus 1t
the house to the farm to be employed solely
upon the Land and thus they became, like the
| Roman cOloii in status or as they subsequently,
| became known TO us-serfs dSCripN OlebG. IL
| is worth while. however, 10 note the precise diff
ference between the old slaves and the sorfs OF
! the Middle Ages and on the other hand. be-
tween the Roman colonus and the new seri. Tho
slave might be sold snatched from his family,
| from the place whore he lived. from his habits
and trade, and might thus die. as it We're. 10 his
past life. several times before his natural death.
The seri. on the other hand was attached 10 the
ground. and although he might have but little
| property. he had. at least, n fntherand fami-
ly. among his own people and in his own house.
Now the coloms also had been chained to the
soil but by strict care he might gain certain
| independence for the sum 70 be paid his Ro-
man master was regularly fixed, whereas the
serf. as we have seen. was ut his owners mer-
| ~. These were the essential differences which
have seldom been pointed out with equal dis
| tmctness in works much moro ambitious than
this popular history.
The gradual substitution Of regal ahsolutism
for the fouda system Is traced with remarkable
accuracy and vigor We are reminded that the
popular longing for protection. and the mon
arch's willingness to protect, were not brought
10 practical issues until pretcXt was discovered
i''l 7AH7AlthAlllk llle hlAlE JUSTIFY III JUL
ciM authority OF subordinate lords. With the
Invention and general introduction Of a Court
Of Appeal. the desired solvent was applied but
tho author Of this work points out that while
| f'udalism would have lasted longer II royalty
had remained weak. yet the communes which
grow NJ in tho twelfth century would have
| finally Tut an end TO it. No doubt the part OF
France in the European drama would have
been less brilliant. and some achievements of
worldwide celebrity would have been missed
| hut probably also the French people would. at
| tho present hour be richer happier. and more
| free IL they could have compassod the sub
version Of feudallty without the Intervention
| II Il centralized monarchy.
A remarkable parallel is drawn bctwaon the
state Of public bankruptcy in France under
Louis XVI, and tn" collapse OF Roman ciylliza-
| ton In Gau from excessive taxation fourteen
centuries bofDro. The taxes were iarmed out
prcceely as they had been under Honorius, and
| with Identical results. For every crown which
the collector paid to the Government he took ten
from the public, and at both periods the Gov