History of Greece. By Adolf Holm. Vol. III. (Macmillan and
Co.)—This third volume tells the story of the fourth century B.C. as far as the death of Alexander. It must be confessed that Dr. Holm's narrative has nothing fascinating about it. He has to compress a great amount of matter into a small space, and brevity is fatal to the picturesque. One of the most striking incidents in history, an incident of which we have evidence at first hand, the death of Alexander, occupies scarcely five lines. But the historian is invariably careful and accurate, and does his best to hold the balance with an equal hand. Of Alexander he expresses a judgment which certainly seems to be more in accord with facts than that of Grote. Grote, while conceding Alexander's incom- parable skill as a General, allows him little merit for statesman- ship. He was but an insatiable conqueror. Nevertheless, no man so changed the face of the world. The seventy cities which he founded are in themselves a weighty testimony to his practical abilities. Anyhow he knew where a new town was most likely to prosper. This, to judge from the rarity of success in such foundations, was no mean gift. The references with which every chapter is backed up are of great value.
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