The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-25
SOME NEW BOOKS.


No period Of the history OF Franc
10 more tempting to romancer or
dramatist than the reign of Louis X
Probably most English readers hav
derived their sole knowledge OF II iron
9cotts quentin Durward" The Wizar
NJ the North was seldom better In
spired than In that. perhaps never bette
In his character Of historian. Modern
historians have here no great advantage
the original sources" were as &C
cessible to him as to them, the chic
or them being the contemporary chron
scIe OF Commnes, whom Scott for hi,
purposes sucked quite dry. But tn,
whole story was worth telling in greater
detail, and with no admixturc of an,
interest not founded on fact, by ar
historian who Is yet sensible of the
picturesque and romantic interest OF
the theme. The work OF such an his.
torian one finds in Louis fT. and
Charles the Bold, by Lieut.-Col. AN.
DREW Z. l.. HAGGARD, u. $. q. tMoffat
Yard and Company. Col Haggard. as
readers OF his previous works on French
history are aware, comes naturally by
his gift of writing, being the brother
OF the Rider Haggard who thrilled novel
readers quarter of "a century age
with king Solomon's Mines and "She -
ana has since addicted himself to seri-
Gus social problems. This relationship
IL directly attestcd by the dcdica ton
OF the present work "to my dear
brother Rider as an expression of my
admiration of his life work and career"
The present historian, while. as has
been suggested. making no prctension
to any reconcile or abstruse research,
while, in fact. citing no authorities that
are not within the reach of any his
torical student anywhere. has all the
reading his subject requires. has the
perception both of what Is important
and what is interesting. and has also
the gift of setting forth his perceptions
In "A clear and lively way, quite unds-
turbcd. IL may he added. by any care
Tor historical dignity In style. or classi-
cal purity In diction. But these care
lessnesses and t,mcrities by no means
impair his legiblity.
The book begins with a pleasant pic
ture of the manners and customs of
the upper circles of France in the
middle of the fifteenth century. from
which one can almost preiigure the
French Revolution which was tn come
three centuries and more afterward. 1t
was but a few years after the burning
OF Joan of Arc that Louis Nj. went
into politics" and already every trace
of religious or patriotic enthusiasm,
or of what can decently be called
chivalry, in an age which still figures
as the age of ch!valry, seems To have
vanished from France. Louis NJ. APP
pears in history and fiction as an arch
scoundrel. and no doubt he was n great
one. But. considering hcfedity and en-
vlronment. he comes out -airly we'll in
comparison with his contemporaries
There WAS no France. In the modern ac-
ccptation of the term. The English
Henry VI. held Paris. OIL the south
was in English hands. and Charles VII, ,
the father of Louis Nj. was derisively |
called the King of Bourges,' since |
that town and its neighborhood We're all |
to which he could make good his claim. !
Although Joan Of Are had asserted the |
legitimacy of Charles VII. in return |
for which he did nothing for her the |
claim was necessarily doubtful. After
the wars of ArmagnaCs, Burgundians
and English, tho country was in much
the condition that Mexico is in to-day.
Industry and frugality ware impcriled
md made Of little avail ~ tic bands
Z freebootcrs who called themselves
soldiers and were in fact only highway
men. They made. indeed. political pre-
tensions. Just as Zapata and PanchD
villa are now doing. Commonly their
leaders were %, the noblesse, but In
time when bastard" was not at all a
term of reproach, that did not So very
much matter. The king of Bourges'
had nickname. the well served"
which it seems was deserved. The two
men whose services earned II We're
neither Of the noblesSe but both of !
the bourgeoisie. one was that Jacques
rpur whose house Is still shown at
Bourges as one Of the the most charm
ng examples OF the late French Gothic
N domestic work. lie was a merchant :
rading to the Levant, and silver
,mith and the silvcrsmiths We're the |
,ankers of those days. The other was
lean Bureau, lawyer. The two were =
,usied in reforming, or rather in form ,
n.y. the army, Cpur being the pay ,
ma ster- general and Bureau Very eiil- ,
lent chief of the new arm OF artillery.
I was in fact the first regular army -,
n France, If not In Europe. 1t gave a
.ouis NJ. a great advantage, when he :
ucceeded To the control Of Il. over r
Irm!es which were only feudal levies. =,
seing composed of professionals. and ,
egularly paid, it was much more amen \
BILE to discipline. and consequently +
more efficient than the forces opposed Il
o IL, which We're always mutinying or /,
at lnconvenient moments. g
There Is n story here OF the destruc- n
on of Dinant by the troops of Charles {
he Bold. or rather of his father, Philip | h
lie Kind, absurdy so called. although L
was already Charles who was in i'm h
lediate command. The reasons for the "
estruction curiously illustrate dynastic
olitics and the dangers which threaten n
atoms from the sensiblities OF ahso- r
tie and irresponsible rulers. Ii seems n
lat the people OF Dinant, who hated ! 3
le Burgundians, had been emboldened n
, the false report Louis had sent them II
> his glorious victory at Montlhery to /
suit the people of Bouvignes, the a
,arest Burgundian town. The insult
ok the form of an efigy of Charles d
e Bold. set up In sight OF the rival !
wn, with a COW bell hung to his neck, h
front OF which a stentor OF Dnant q
'llowed: HE called himself the son OF o
Duke, and was nothing but the son of +
priest. the bastard of our Bishop" u
Ia