MR. GREEN'S "HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE."
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—As there seems to be some misunderstanding about the circumstances under which I undertook the revision of my
husband's "Short History," and the object which I had in view, I trust you will allow me a few words of explanation. I hoped that in the introduction to the book I had made the grounds of my action clear, but your reviewer has made no reference whatever to the facts which I there carefully stated.
When the book first came out, it was much criticised on account of certain errors of detail. There were many matters
which Mr. Green himself wished to amend, and he began a very careful revision of the whole book. The revision, however, took such altered form and proportions as made it necessary to publish it independently as a History in four volumes, and the "Short History" remained in its first form, uncorrected. Mr. Green was at this time so ill, that it was quite impossible for him to attempt any work so laborious as a new edition of the book; but the subject was always in his mind; there was nothing about which he felt the same anxiety, and at the last he begged of me to carry out myself the thing which he so much wished to do. The promise which I gave was so solemn, that I have never felt that I had any freedom of choice in the matter, and the sense of loyalty to it has alone carried me through a task of incredible difficulty. I have done it with the feeling with which one watches by the dead.
My first work after Mr. Green's death was to edit his last book, "The Conquest of England." As soon as this was ended, I had to fulfil my second promise. I began the revision at once, wishing to carry out his directions while they were fresh and distinct in my mind. During his last years of illness, his weak- ness made it impossible for him to do a single hour's work alone, and in giving such services as I could, I learned to know very intimately what his plans and wishes were. He gave me some special directions. His own notes were constantly useful in guiding me ; and I had his own materials and judgments in his larger History. If those who read the new edition will refer to that History, they will find that all corrections supposed to be mine are in reality Mr. Green's, and are always given in his own words. I have never introduced any phrase of my own. I have Lever altered a verb or epithet for the sake of "toning down" the expression or improving the sentence. In one passage alone I have made a change on literary grounds, and that was to replace a quotation from Hallam by a carefully written passage by Mr. Green himself. I have wholly confined myself to corrections, mostly in trifling details of fact, and have steadily aimed at keeping the language unchanged, and pre- serving all the original vivacity of phrase. It is true I have changed the epithet " Ironside " from Cromwell's brigade to Cromwell himself; on serious historical grounds,—a change which, however, does not weaken or "tone down" the picture of Cromwell. The work is now, with scarcely any exceptions, Mr. Green's own revision in Mr. Green's own words. It was with no light heart that I gave him my promise, and it has been with no light heart that during these years I have fulfilled it.—I am, Sir, do.,
[Of course, Mrs. Green's statement disposes of the only adverse criticism made in our review.—En. Spectator.]
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