New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-12


the church procaiming crimes to be virtues in de-
fence Of the Catholic faith. Protestant historians
have not been slow to declare their adherence
of Catholic cruelties and perhdies They have
BEEN perhaps less willing to do full Justice to the
stanch Eneshmen who by such means az lay
ready to their hands. combated these cruelties
and perf1dies All the more welcome IL Froude's
manly vindication Of them:
Resolution, daring professional SKILL all MS
torians allow to these men; but, IKE bursniey'
they regard what they did as piracy NOT muc ~
better II at all better than the later exploits OF
Morgan and Kidd so cried the Catholics VINO
wished Elizabeth's ruin; 80 cried Lope de vega
and King Philip. In mder Language the mooe III
philosopher repeats the unfavorable verdict, re-
joices that he lives In an age when sucn do'nss
are impossible, and apologies family Tor the ex-
cesses OF an imperfect age. May ! remlnu Inc sne
philosopher that we live In an age wnen otne.
things have also happily become impossible ana
that II he and his friends were liable wnen tney
went abroad for their summer tours 10 De snappeu
by the famiiars Of the lnquisition wnippea, Cu,ns
alive. or sent to the galeys he would perhaps
think more leniently OF any measures Dy wmcn
that respectable institution and It's masters meht
be induced to treat philosophers with greater con-
sideration?
Drake and Hawkins would have been hanged
or worse. had they been taken by the Spaniards.
Granted. BY the letter Of the law OF nations as
Froude saws, they were corsairs OF the same stun
as Ulysses az the rovers Of Norway
But the common sense Of Europe saw through
the form to the substance which lay below IL, ana
the instinct OF their countrymen gave tne ma
place among the fighting heroes OF Ensane iru,,.
which do not think they Will De oeposeo ny '"c
eventual verdict OF history.
Leaving these moralties. the lectures may be
read as Robinson Crusoe" or Two Years Before
tho Mast" are read. They are tales OF adventure.
~ romance. of a world younger than she Is to-day,
the story of the mission Of Hawkins to Madrid
read. like a chapter from Monte Crsto." yet Is
literally true The same may be said OF Drake
vovaee In the Pelican round the world. through
the straits Of Magellan, and his pursuit and cap
ture OF the Spanish treasure ships with the pnih-
der NJ the Cacafuego a prize so rich that NOBODY
but Drake and Elizabeth ever knew how rich' or
| IN how much the great store OF gold and silver
bullion and OF rears. emeralds ana aiamohos
really amounted.
All this and much more Is but the prelude TO the
narrative OF the Sailing OF the Armada ana the
Defeat OF the Armada. told as only Froude couia
tell II. The narrative holds you GREATNESS. Inc
style-but what need to say more OK Froude
style? Simple rapid picturesque. natural WIN
the naturainess Of the highest art, sunused WIN
deep feeling, striking every note as the s"o'ece
changes now heroic. now colloquial ana some
times even careless-is hexbility and the nice
odon,at,on IN the matter In hand are alike adj
mirabe and inimitable This volume IS printed.
Judge. from the lectures as delivered and had
Froude lived might have taken here ana tnere
d,Werent shape But the pages are such as could
have come from no other hand. quote single
passage. There are a hundred others as good' IL
IL part Of the story OF the fire ships sent against
the Spanish feet In Calais.
The hours stole on and twilight passed into
dark The night was without moon. Inc Duke
nscrd his deck late with uneasy sense OF danger.
He observed lights moving up and down the Eng =.
fish lines and imagining that the "endemonlau.a
rente"-the internal devs'-might be up TO mis-
chief ordered a sharp lookout. faint westerly
air was curling the water, and toward mdngnt
the watches on board the galleons mace out
dimly several ships which seemed 10 De s ac,,nn
off Plymouth had been so strange ana uniooneu
for that anything unntelgible which the EhsHsn
did was alarming ,,o..
among them when they broke into blaze from
waterne to truck, and the two meets were sen
by the lurd light OF the coniia gra.on; sne az
chorage. the walls and windows OF Calais, ana the
sea shining red as far as eye couio REACH as IL
the ocean itself were burning.
This IA perhaps the last volume we shall have TO
which Froude's name can be put. Like the admir-
able Erasmus" 1t consists Of lectures delivered
nv him at oxford as Regius Professor OF Modern
History Evidently Froude WOULD nave hheo ~
add much. He had such an audience as he loved;
Young Enelishmen to whom these annals OF the
marvellous exploits OF earlier Engllshmen were
for inspiratIon He would have liked to show now
upon the defeat Of the Armada, for the first time
since Elizabeth's father broke the bonds OF Rome
the English became a united nation. 1ored IN ioyal
enthusiasm for the Queen. and were satisfied that
henceorward no italian priest should 1.-THE or Toll
in her dominions" And ne concludes with an eio-
ouent pathos which his death makes more pa
thetic still:
Hut all that and all that went with II, the pass
ing from Spain to England Of the sceptre Oh tne
seas must be left to other lectures or other iect
l. urers who have more years before them IMAM l.
NV own theme has been the poor protestant aI-
venturers who fought through that perilous week
| IN the English channel and saved their country
| and their country's liberty.
II there be a nobler theme In merely human
history. there will come In due time nooler MS
torian to describe IT, But It will be long peiore
there Is another Froude; long before writer APP
pears whose love OF truth shall surpass MIS- or
one whose soul shall be fred with pure' love
Of what Is gentle, honorable, devoted and OF sooa
| report. W. w. -