New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-20
THE OLDER ENGLAND.
DIR. JESSOPP'S NEW BOOK.


AND COUNTRY BY Augustus Icssopp ID. H.
l2mo. PIP. cs1 G. =. Putnams Sons
DR.. Jessopp has established well-earned repu-
tation as a delightful essayst and u student OF
antiquarian and archaeological subjects OF no mean
learning and scope. The geniaity and whole
somcness Of his humor and his dominant optimism
make his writings always exceedingly fresh and
pleasant and he has a knack of inusine interest
into topics which at first sight might seem to
threaten a tiresome aridity. In the present vol
ume he has brought together a number OF essays
and lectures delivered during the last few years.
chiefly upon ecclesiastical antiquities, though there
are enough other questions discussed to do away
with any suspicion OF monotony. The principal
papers 30 brought together are st Adams ana
Her Historian" Bury st. Edmunds," "On The
Edge Of the Norfolk Holy Land The Origin
and Growth of English Towns" The Land and
Its Owners in Past Times. g." LAncienne Noblesse,'
Letters and LeitcrWrtcrs."
In all Of these essays vii. ne found great oeal
of reconcile and interesting information, chicnE
regarding the past history of England, and IN
cidentally throwing what for the majority OF read
ers will doubtless be new light upon past winch
in many important respects IL only now for the
first time beginning to he understood The OPEN
ing paper is particularly rich in this kind OF IN
formation. II has to do largely with the "har-
,cter and extent Of the researches which nave
been made during the present generation INTO
those national manuscripts which, up 10 w""'u
half century, remained unexplored ana unknown.
though they embraced the most precious ana
varied facts and flcts of which English historians
had been constantly feeling the need. Among
tho new lights few ere of glcater significance 'han
the illumination of English ecclesiastical ana
perhaps especially monastic history IN the
centuries wtion most historians nave dealt
dark
spirtua death and selfish indulgence
Not that all these evils and abuses did not
come to exist and make their mark upon the age.
They did and they prepared the way for the
despotic dissolution of the monastic ana con-
ventual establishments. But 1t is tile preceding
period in which monachism appears as real oeSS-
ing TO the land: in which it stood for culture,
high ethics. art science and civihzatlon Ill
which il interposed between the lawlesS bfutalism
of the governing class and the helplessness OF tho
governed, which most needs to he illustrated aho
done justice TO. Many years ago DIR. Maitland
wrote book somewhat on these lines. entitled
"The Dark Ages II preached many new truths,
and because it could not but 20 counter to the
received tradition in many ways it was sharply
criticised. In the same spirit another writer OF
high reputation, Kcnelm Digby, elevated himself
10 an elaborate exposition OF that ancient monastlc
England which history has so parodcd and meta
morphosed Dgby, however wrote fItm roman
Catholic point Of view. and consequently lie was
tabooed or ignored And now comes Dr. Jessopp
speaking as it in the name of the Established
Church. and he finds that the whiiSgig OF time has
brought about its revengcS as usual; that II Is
at last 10th possible and necessary to recognize
tho great services of the old English monks 70 the
cause of civilization, and to claim Tor them the
historical position to which they are entitled.
ba ok n
in all candor and seriousness and gives due credit
where credit is due The pictures he draws OF the
old monastic life during its best period are full OF
interest and attraction, and within the moderate
epace at his command lie gives quite enough new
information to stimulate inquiry and to comhehd
the subject discussed to thinkers and students
Another highly interesting paper in this volume is
that on THE Land and Its Owners in Past Times,
in the course OF which the writer gives peculiarly
lucid account of the various English tenures Oh
land. az account which the simplest layman can
understand, and which might with great advantage
be nut in the hands of the young student OF
history.
"I;Ancienne Noblesse" is another essay which
deserves careful pcrsal for it is matter of-fact
descript,o, of those governing classes of whom
there are TO be found in the text books As many
accounts az there are writer's inventors OF them
Such sentences rs the following will surprise many
readers I'VE have abundant materials Tor en-
ahlinp us TO arrive at very full knowledge OF the
way men lived then. from the Garonne to the
Mediterranean The impression one derives from
a. careful examination OF the large mass of litrra-
ture of all kinds, which dates from the period OF
Ganlish history. is that the France Of the NTH
century has very little TO fear from comparison
with the France of the nineteenth century WHAT
follows is in illustration and reinforcement OF tins
assertion and with some pro"isos the claim Is
fairly made ont Indeed rhere are many points
IN which the civilization of Gaul in the NTH
century reminds us of the present day. ana per-
baps especially in domestic architecture IS TINS
likeness noticeable. though such enormous man
sions A the rich then affected are even now In
this opnent era within the means Of very few
Dir Jessopp's sketches Of some of the old GauliSh
nalaces are full of curious information, and the
whole article is pervaded by scholarly odor
Some of the papers may he thought 70 possess
q specially local and therefore limited interest,"
lint the author knows how to enlarge their scope,
m matter how unpromisng the subject may az
first appear, and few readers will begin one OF
these ESSAYS without proceeding to the conclusion
t. is scarcely necessary TO say that all are charm
inulv written: but they are much more than that.
and deserve to he regarded as real and not unim-
portant literature