New-York tribune., 1882-02-19


bright beside the darkness that wraps the first mp
growth of English life on British soil. No written
record tells us how Saxon or Englc dcalt
with the land that lie had maze HIS
own: how he drove ont it's older inhabitah'S'
or how he shared il among the new how the set' CTS
settled down in township or thorpe. or now they
moulded into shape, under changed eondiuohs' 'hc
life they had brought with them from Gcrmah
shores Even legend and tradition are silent aS 10
their settlementr Out of nothing hing can dc
made but comment on probability and ihierreo
fact is DO ,sbIc: and this Mr. Green makes always
intelligently always pleasantly, and g"ncrailV WI
discretion He remarks upon one cohdlioh oi 'ne
successful savage in his new quarters, which has,
We are inclined TO think been thus far generally
over ookcd. After all his slaughter and plllage the
scandinavian pirate found himself in no mere
desert, but on the contrary in the midst OF
n country in which remained the material
framework of a high civilization. There
were the Roman roads, there the Roman
bridges, than which were never better roads or
bridges built farmer and landhOder had gone,
but reclaimed land and barn and byre remained.
This must have had q certain clviliZlng, SQUEEZING
effect upon the pirate War, in fact, was no sooner
over than the warrior settled down into the
farmer who after all was something ike Becky
Sharp and was " good when he was comfortably
provided for. Then, pirates although they Were'
they had their own women and children. II was
the slowness of their advance" as Mr. Green SAYS
Z" the small numbers of each separate band III It's
descent upon the coast thai made it possible for the
invaders TO bring with them, or TO call to them
when their work was done, the wives and children,
the lpt and slave even the cattle that they had
left behind them The wave of conquest was thus
Int the prelude TO the gradual mgra-
ton of n whole people" Thus it was that there
was transfer of "A people, with IT'S Language,
laws and customs and rcl zion, from one land to an-
other.
OF their manner Of lie Mr. Green is, unfortu-
natey not able to tell Us anything new simply be-
cause there is nothing to be told but he goes over
the old ground in a very agreeable way ana the
render of this part of his book who is not fan liar
with the subject could not have better guile and
companion if so good. 4 valuable passagh in this
long chapter is one which sets forth the constitution
of Anglo-Saxon society, TO the ranks, and, SO
to speak, the political position of ITS members as to
VIII ch among general readers, there is we are sure,
much misapprehens on The relative status OF the
eaOTl the ceOrl and the lGt has never, we believe,
been so clearly and ncty set forth az here by
Mr. Green. We regret that the passage is too long
for quotation.
With our authors fourth chapter the interest of
his work subsi les for after this begins his accOrnt
of " The Strife of the COnqu'rorS' which occupies
the remaining four chapters of the work. The pirates
were not well settled before they began to rob and
murder each other, as might have been expected
Gradually strong, and therefore rich, men set them
selves mp among them kings or over ords, aud
these savage leaders of savagcs warred upon ench
other for land and booty and supremacy. They
fought openly. they murdered openly and secretly,
thcy.robbed they burned they oppressed Now
forn i1n fltt
wear one had supremacy over a region from
which he was driven the next by saw
age little stronger, little clevcrer,
or a littlc uckier thln he What mattcr' There
was not once question of principle, or of righ or
even of national feeling, at stake. There was not
even the lowest form of that grandest schshncS'.
patriotism. Ii was the mere quarreiling II savage
robbers over their booty. II was a m're battle OF
kites and crows; barren, as absolutely barren. Of
consequences "a il j. of interest, pit in the fact
that certain number of men were killed and GER
tain number OF square miles changed mastc = from
time TO time What is that to us 1t has not the
slightest historical or political significance. II
teaches us nothing; we may say, it tells us moth
ing, except the mere fact of the mutual
slaughter of the human kites and crows.
For in all this story there is no revelation
to us of the life and the nature of the actors they
have no color except that Of blood. no costume but
their uncOuth armour A story utterly barren of
human interest was never told before; and its lack
is in itself, inherent Ii would be absolutely unin-
teligible too, to readers who are not familiar with
the geography orrather the topography, Of Southern
England. and acquainted with the namcSa and hepoSi-
tons Of all the little hamles and IuOlls and brooks
that mark the advance and the re reat of these
fierce but petty bands of tes-unintelligbe, we
say, but for the carefully made maps which gre
freely provided for the rcaueTs guidance These
maps are thirty-nine in number and upon them The
author has marked out to the best Of his ability
the changes which took place, az he either knows
supposcs, in the occupation and control OF
the ,untTy before 1t passed under King
over-lord. How shifting and how utterly without
after political importance these changes were is
shown by the fact hat to Illustrate them in the
period from A. ID. 593 to A. ID. $50, not seventy
five years less than the life Of one lOng-llved man,
requires seven maps. each of which shows change
in the possession of the land and the supremacy of u
new over-lord change and supremacy due
merely to his greed and bis .uck III lighting. And
all these battles a Il changes in supremacy went
on in land not larger than Virginia, among halt
heather savages not more i'll number than there are
civilized Christians within circle Of three miles
drawn around Printing House Square. Kites and
crows indeed!
We do not say that Mr. Green has not been able TO
invest this story with more interest than il has had
heretofore He has indeed done much for it AZ
could be done without soaring into the realms of
poetry or ofromance. As to his facts and his concu
sions we must leave them to the careful after
sideraion of antiquarians and historical critics
We hope for his sake, that Mr.. Freeman may not be
tempted to take hold of him for ours, that he mav
The result in any would he instructive. But
really Mr. Green has told US little nothing new;
nothing which any intelligent reader who is
interested in history did not know al
ready. And this through 10 fault of Mr.
Green's. There was nothing new 10 be told. For
what is known, or movable on this subject Mr.