New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-24

mas. With Introduction by e ID. Fir IN
NJ A. Octave. PIP Nh' a-S' A'i' '"'' A' WIZ
G. p PUtnam's Sons
This edition Of Carlyle's "Cromwelliad ought
to hold the field for long time Indeed only
the discovery of mass of new and iihportd"e
correspondence could put any one IN POSITION
to supersede Mrs Tomas. who has gone oseE
the historians pages with loving care anu mas
done all that 1t would seem possible 70 do. with
the aid of fresh documents and such light as
has been shed upon the subject by modern re-
search to put them into defnitive shape she mas
colated the letters with all the accessible orig
mails and has overhauled the speeches, consid-
erably purifying Carlyies text In a voiunlnous
supplement she has printed 14o letters not M
cIuded in CarlyIe's collection. and has given
additional speeches and other documents Judi
| cious in her arrangement Of all this MATERIAL
and equally adequate in her notes. Mrs Tomas
has rendered q service of genuine scholarship to
a famous book We may add that the publishers
have shown their appreciation of the dignity OF
the occasion by printing the three volumes IN
the best possible form
The introduction of more than thirty pages
supplied by MIR. c.. H. Firth has a value of It's
| own. Ordinarily PREDATORY matter of this sort is
apt TO represent much hack writing. but IN
this case The essayist fills really useful office
In the first place ne gives an interesting account
of the way in which Carlyle went about his
task but of even more significance is his dis
passionate placing of the historians work in a
proper perspective. III he has no doubt OF the
value of the book Interpretation OF a man,
saying that lit changed the popular conception
of Cromwelrs character and restored him TO his
proper place among English worthless, he is no
less clear on it's limitations. In reality, he AYERS.
lit belongs rather the domain of literature
than the domain of history, and points out
that CARLYLE was unscentiic in his treatment OF
/ documents had but an imperfect knowledge of
English history before and after Cromwell. and
was sadly shortsighted in his view of the part
played by parliamentary government in the
period with which he dealt No one could ap-
preciate more than he appreciates his authors
power of narration and of portrait painting in
this work. but nevertheless. having regard to
the rigid laws Of the muse of historical compost
ton. he has to make remarks like these:
Regarded simply biography Of a great states
man and soldier Cariyles book IS frasInentary and
closely. and where Cromwell says nothing Carlyle
and life are left in Comparative darkness. You vii
search in vain throGgh Garryies pages tor any
gle between army and Parliament in 1871 and 1sS
Charles iEF ' to the seaad his account OF the Fro
tectors Government is in elearness and fulness
tory OF the Commonwealth. published nearly
iab sTi5 editor but much too arbitrary He
S 1a d the spS m tS gS Of him
and did not always compare with sufficient care
oa ha S text OF Of hs same speech or find
But Caryles greatest fault editor is the
perpetual Interpolation of his comments in
the text His chorus of Has and HUNS and
Truly s''-his jeers at heavy Eulstrode" and
"peppery Seot'-hiS exhOratiOns to my brave
one" my beautiful great soul become at last
tedious and obtrusive. Ii is if the Snowman
| assist Mr.. Punch in his warfare with the devil
Another defect OF Carlyle editor is
that he was somewhat careless and uncriticaI in
accepting letters purpOrting be by Crunl
we'll Carlyle'S prejuiiceS we'll as his
theories warped his Judgment He approached the
complex problems of seventeenth century politics
as If they series of simple moral Questions
RoyaliSt had been conflict In which God was one
on one side and the devil the other IL
We want q fair statement of the position C,roul-
wells opponents We must go 4 sober and
q more learned historian.
These comments. and others embodied in the
introduction. are seriously damaging but Mr.
Firth contriyes to put them forth with such
good temper. and he is careful to point ont
all the merits which they leave untouched that
he is very far from discouraging the reader ON
the contrary. he gives the latter Just the right
point OF departure, puts him in the mood for
turning these pages with greater interest. and
shows him how he may turn them with greater
profit For once We have in q new edition of a
modern classic introduction that is really
worth while.