New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MEDIAEvAL FRANCE.

THE STORY OF MEDIAEvAL FRANCE ny Uus'a,o
uasson r. A. Emo PIP 354 q. r. Putnams
Sons 49,,
The title page Of NJ Masson's story OF meuaeVa'
France states that the period dealt win - HV
The reign OF Hughes Capet to the beginning OF the
.A,ooO,h cen,u,vs This is evidently mistake
4, sho,h have read TO the beginning OF the Sin
,ccnth century, Even then 1t is strain upon the
conventional significance of the phrase 10 Imply 'hal
oil this is the history OF the Middle Ages, thougn oi
course there is no arbitrary line OF demacatoh MT
Mason In This work Undertook cfdcnit TASK, ana ono
from its nature scarcely susceptible Oh sasiao'ois
trea,ment Medieval France is really subject
tho breadth and depth of which demand funeSs OF
srace for the handling of it, and here 1t had 10 DC
dealt With after some fashion In small volume o'
between three and four hundred pages The author
capacy is not questionable bat his limitations hamper
and embarrass him seriously, and compel him repeat
sd,v IN confne himself to sketchy outlines where any
thing Ikc clear comprehension must depend upon fun
statement His anxiety TO say something Of every
important topic leads him to attempt more than can
be carried out in the circumstances and ono eject OF
this is 10 give the book fTsg lentary aspect which
is calculated to detract nom its literary interest
Broadly considered. the history of medieval France
IS that OF progress from fendalism to srtocracy but
a non.naural progress, inasmuch It left wholly out
of the the people of France In all the cease
less wars. great and little. which maintained state
OF fermentation through the Middle Ages the eudal
lords and the kings carried their ouarreis and In
trges without regard the fate of Jacques Bonhomme
To-day the natural impulse of the student Is to pierce
beyond the surface records of feudal and auocrsuc
movements and find out how the masses lived ana
what they thought or hoped or purposed duilhs "'o
dark ages Little light. however. has been thro"h
upon them save I'm their suferings. We Kno" 'hat
whether king or mobiles wanted It tho peasant who
had TO supply We know that whether civil war or
foreign invasion harried the land It was the peasant
who felt the devastation kcenly and Longest We
know that while the city burgcsses presently learned
how TO strength from organization ana by guiln
and checked the greed of the feudal CHIEFS
the peasant was the last to find protection. VIC see
him dmly bending under his crushing burdens enduring
all things until even his bovine patience fails; them
once, twice, and again. we note his abandonment to
fits of desperation, his wild plunge into Jacqueres, his
savage revenges. and his resubisctiOn
For centuries the French peasant appears to have
been the wretched type in Europe. Neither the
German, the Italian, nor the English "mud-sill' was
as degraded oppressed and abused II took centuries
of inhumanity to breed the tgerish fcrocity which
famed out in the Rcvouton-cenHe5 to establish the
bitter fahomless hate which revclled IN the massacre
OF the aristocracy Until the end of the of Louis
XIV. the pressure the peasantry never relaxed
While they thus kept under, kind Of elevation
or growth possible for them. When al last the
weight was diminished by the reforms introduced IN
eighteenth century they were ~ only for blind
destructive efforts In England the p -tsl en-
REIMBURSEMENT Of the masses came much earlier. and
witha so gradually that they became educated in the
wise of power, and were not exposed TO those
spasms Of Wild emotion which to this day render
French history so fun Of inSoluble problems II thn
history OF the peasant Of medieval France could b.
recovered it would no doubt be deeply instructive in
many respects, and Of unsurpassed interest both for the
socioogt and the psychologist; but could add little
to the worlds knowledge Of the principal Of in
Guence which produced the great c0nvulsionS which
have at intervals abruptly changed the course Of Eu
tOpcan history.
Mr. Mason has shetched medieval French history.
following and citing such authorities Vileharoun,
Jonvile, Froissart and CONFINES, with the modern
historians and has enleayored TO give his readers some
Idea Of the development Of literature from the time
Of the troubaGous and the composition of those chan
sons dc geste, in which classical and contemporary
events were almost indineTently employed the
theme Of the poet In speaking OF the Albis ansian
crusade the author Imply that the pcieccu-
in excused by the lbertlnism
OF the victims. There is no warrant for such con
clusion, however. The Lancu dOciaEs had undouht
tdy attained higher state of civilization than ex-
sted In any other part Of the country, and they
drifting away from Rome. But that al the time
evidence of higher morality, not of decentralization.
The condition Of the French Church generally in
the twelfth century scanGalOus II was eccies astca
immortality which d, owe The AlbiGenses into what was
called heresy, but really effort after puIcr
religion and rule of life. We think there be no
question that the Albigcrslans wec usually better
than any Of their prosecutors, and very decidedly
superior 10 the Roman Curia that inspired and
pTOfted from the crusade against ihcm Every
scctaran movement, every hcIosy that arose in the
south of France during this period. Wa al bottom
protest against the corruption Of the mother Chuch.
and seeking for reform both in dCc'iine and p &C
tlce. Orthodoxy then meant Indifference religion.
a blind bicotry proof against every evidence Of
profsacy in its ministers
The persecution OF the Alhgcnscs sin against
light and il wa, Inspired by equally di. graceful
motives ~ IT Of The Church and Tho laijy. Tie
former desired stamp ont reform movement. the
purity Of which condemned the whole ccclcsiast!ca
body; the latter moved by icnoble lapaciy ami
the base lust Of spoil The destruction Of the Ten
and tLat black decd Nj. Mason justly judges. IT
could have been wished tha' his chapters upon Louis
the Eleventh and Joan IF Arc had been fuller though
volume would be required do justice either of
these subjects. But If fuller treatment OF the c and
other topics is rendered implacrca5lc by the general
scheme OF the series the publishers ard the author
have sought make up Cor The fact by giving eX-
tended lists of authorities which the student DESTROYS
OF more detailed and fuller information may consult.
In the present instance, Mr. Mason whcs the public
appetite, which may be fully satisfied Icy avng from
the list referred TO- We shovld mention that this
volume contains also genealogical tables. lists Of kings
and chancellors, and other convenient and valuable
summarized information. 1t is well and amply illus
trated.