The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-16

Il 10 . very remarlGAblS history that
W. A. HeitlAnd Of sc. JOhn's College.
CambridRo. has written In tho three
volumes oG The Roman Rspnhlicr CHE
University Press. Cambridge; G. p. Put
nam's Sonsl. Il may appeal more 10
students and schclArS than 90 TIE general
public. for the author limits himself TO
the clear statement Of TACT and avoids
rhetoric and imaginative theories. The
notable peculiArity which excuses the
production Of nov Roman history 10 the
absolute aincsrity Of the author. his ad-
mission that what Nc know Ot Rome ~
patchwork. distorted out Of its right
proportions by the accident % our having
abundant information about some periods
and almost none about others, and those
often Of the greatest importance. Ne
criticises the modern historians Tor pre-
sentinx az Tacts their own. sonetinsss
hazardous, theories and tries 60 give his
reader only what onn he accepted a. e.
tablished.
The introduction may 10 read with
profit by all students OF history On tho
proposition that history 10 . science Mr..
Heitland's stand 10 this: Il do not think
any one will maintain that History 10 q
Science 90 exact that 10 10 In . fair way
to engage In successful prophecy. Neither
10 il experimental. for 10 can neither repro
duoe nor roverss the processes and situ-
atoms Of the past. lts matter. the doings
OF man in common life. 10 always chang
ing And he shows how misleading are
analosiea for illustrative purposes He
denies too that the study Of history n
useful to the statesman by supplying him
with parallels and patterns. He prefers
to he cautious with deductions from the
differences Of Archaeological He refuses
TO believe blindly the impressionistic Pic
lures drawn by Pals. Ferrero or even
Mommsen.
Mr. Heitlands point OF view 10 ex-
pressed plainly in the preface; In eea-
ers.l I should remark that political study
10 my main object. Literary. military and
economic history are only touched upon
~ bearing on pubic life and social de-
tails a. the straw that show the sst OF
the tide. On. ~ apt to he greatly i'm
pressed by some isolated TACT incidentally
recorded. and tempted to draw wide in
ferences from il. But the survival OF
such details IL largely a matter OF chance.
and one ~ iabbe to forget that other do
tails. probably not all pointing 30 thu
same conclusion. have persisted II 10
tiresoms 10 ts so often compelled 90 de-
cline infersnces and TO use the langnagS
Of doubt. but with the detective record OF
the republican period ! can 80 no other
way
The natural result % holding 20 the
authorities - that the history lacks regu-
lar proportions. The first volume Of ssS
pages tells the story from the beginning
TO tbs. -ud of the =eNOnd Punic war. ac-
Coriing 10 The traditional chronology
-, years The second volume. with 5S4
pnR.s. CONTINUES the tale TO the death Of
~tIlla. about ist wears: The third volume
,I--a.s With the struggle between POmpey
and Cesar and the end of the republic
"a Augustus principass. and covers
thrty-six wears IA "a pages. This I'M
EVENINGS - not due Ia the relative i'm
portanc~ Of the events that happened
Lut IN richness or pcnury of our sources
of Information.
Mr.. Heiflands style 10 clear and reada-
Idle he has a gestsi the SOURCES and much
OF the Iuocis.vu literature on the subject.
Whoever reads his book NAV feel disillU-
stoned about many things. but will have
the satiafaci ion % knowing all that ~
known positively about Roman history
and will have the doubtful questions
Indicated The author Oilers his opinions
40 nothing more than his own and leaves
his readers FREE TO diner from him on the
facts put before them.
Natural and proper ~ u 10 to end tho
book with che fall Of the republic. Il -
% he regretted that the author has not
kep, ON bu, has broken the thread Of
Roman history a. his predecessors have
done. Historians prefer to dodge the
HISTORY 81 the first Cssars Mommsen
would not write it. and LET; q gap pur-
po.ely IN his history. The period pre-
seut- almost insoluble problems. and II 10
simpler to end with Augustus and begin
again with Diocletian and Constantine.
No historian Of the FIRST rank has 90 far
dealt with that wonderful period Of 80
wears when the civilized world was At
peace az il never has been since.
The volumes are very Handsomely
printed. The punctuation, whether u he
tho authors ~ che University P-ss='s.
seems rather eccentric at times. Or has
the desire for simpIifcation decreed the
..,;nrtion of the comma